Quote Originally Posted by AnttiL View Post
Another stakeholder in the equation is WRC Promoter. I know that they've been pushing for shorter stages and ways to make the sport more directly followable (like the fake podium at the end of the power stage although most of the cars haven't yet even run through the last stage and the end scrutineerings are yet to be done).

Now, imagine the situation that we have 50 top class cars on the start line of the first forest stage, anyone of which could score the stage win. With 2-3 minute start intervals it would take roughly two hours until all the top cars are through and we can declare the stage winner.

Right now with 10 top cars, we can do it in 30 minutes. In most cases we have all the top cars through the stage until the next stage begins and you don't have to follow two stages at the same time (except for lower classes).

And of course, we could only see the first 15 cars on television because of physical and economical limitations.

I believe the WRC Promoter is happier with 10 top cars rather than 50 top cars. Or then they will have to start creating artificial leagues or similar cars like WRC2/3 this year.
That sounds bizarre. Every motorsport series is eager to get as many manus as possible but you’re somehow suggesting it shouldn’t be WRC case because it’s hard to broadcast more than 15 cars…

For a start, even on a R5+ scenario it’d be hard getting more than 5/6 manus, meaning we would never be close to the absurd figure of 50 top cars, even considering that a few top privateers would be able to get a R5+ car and fight for the wins (in the case R5+ wouldn’t be limited to manus teams).

Secondly, besides manus entry fees allowing to develop the WRC, the interest on having as manus as possible comes from manus ability to promote any motorsport series through their powerful marketing machines, directly or indirectly once they’re also one of the strongest media advertising costumers.

Finally, if the FIA and the WRC promoter feels that having 3 manus is enough and there’s little purpose on looking for more, they would be risking the series future (unfortunately, it seems to be the case) as it’s impossible to know when a manu decide to pull out. If having just 2 manus in the 00’s was already quite agonizing, nowadays that would probably mean the WRC end as a top motorsport series.