[WRC] News & rumours (part III)

[AndyRAC]

The level of manufacturer interest in WRC is great now, but why? Has media coverage improved in other countries?

As someone pointed out even a specialist motorsport publication like Autosport barely mention rallying these days.

Only VW & Hyundai are proper Manufacturer entries - Citroen is thanks to Abu Dhabi, and M-Sport is a privateer effort. Toyota is likely to be a Manufacturer effort - but they won't splash the cash since their F1 'failure'.

[Jack4688`]

By the way, has anyone seen this?

On Red Bull TV there is a full 52 minute Monte Carlo review available for free: http://www.redbull.tv/episodes/14218...arlo#autostart

Seems like they finally start using their own platform to promote the sport?

Christ that intro is almost as excruciating as watching Eddie Jordan's silly little pieces he does for F1 on BBC

[rallyfiend]

Only VW & Hyundai are proper Manufacturer entries - Citroen is thanks to Abu Dhabi, and M-Sport is a privateer effort. Toyota is likely to be a Manufacturer effort - but they won't splash the cash since their F1 'failure'.

How can you say Citroen is not a manufacturer entry? It's run by a department of Citroen, by the same people who run the WTCC team.

Do you say thr WTCC team is not manufacturer?

[AndyRAC]

Their focus is primarily on the WTCC - of that there is no question. And I'm pretty sure the WTCC team doesn't have any visible Abu Dhabi sponsorship. If the WRC team didn't have that sponsorship - would they still be in the WRC?? So, while strictly speaking they are a full Manufacturer, they're not like VW & Hyundai, who are totally focused on the WRC.

[rallyfiend]

That's a fairly spurious and deliberately negative approach to take to it.

Why not see it as a better sign that the WRC team DOES have sponsorship, while the WTCC car runs with a largely blank car devoid of commercial sponsorship?

[samWRC]

By the way, has anyone seen this?

On Red Bull TV there is a full 52 minute Monte Carlo review available for free: http://www.redbull.tv/episodes/14218...arlo#autostart

Seems like they finally start using their own platform to promote the sport?

Quite poor coverage. There was no mention of WRC-2 or other support categories. This seems to be a problem always with these reviews.

[markf8691]

Their focus is primarily on the WTCC - of that there is no question. And I'm pretty sure the WTCC team doesn't have any visible Abu Dhabi sponsorship. If the WRC team didn't have that sponsorship - would they still be in the WRC?? So, while strictly speaking they are a full Manufacturer, they're not like VW & Hyundai, who are totally focused on the WRC.

They may not be 100% focused on rally just, but still a manufacturer team - they have paid the entry fee & Citroen are running the team.

Just because a sponsor is supplying a part of the budget (in citroens case the majority) doesn't mean they are not a factory team.

If you think back over the years there was lot of manufacturer teams using sponsorship - Ford comes to mind most recently using BP sponsorship another is Lancia with their Martini sponsorship, Toyota with castrol etc

[sollitt]

Only VW & Hyundai are proper Manufacturer entries - Citroen is thanks to Abu Dhabi, ....

That's your qualification? Not seen the Red Bull logos on the VW's or the Shell on Hyundai?

Toyota is likely to be a Manufacturer effort - but they won't splash the cash since their F1 'failure'.

Rest assured, if Toyota re-enter the WRC they will have the budget to win.

[EightGear]

That DS3 is a driving Abu Dhabi advertisement. No Abu Dhabi probably means no Citroen in WRC, I can't see a similar situation with VW and Hyundai with Red Bull and Shell respectively.

I believe is was widely communicated by Citroën themselves that they are dependent of Abu Dhabi money.

They're still a manufacturer entry, but in a different way than VW and Hyundai.

[N.O.T]

Citroen is just an advertisement stand for Abu Dhabi.. no evolution no nothing... a joke.