2023 WRC News & Rumours

[HKSjbg]

WRC USA candidate event confirmed for this year:

https://www.motorsport.com/wrc/news/...sses/10444045/

[EstWRC]

I listened to a podcast with Urmo Aava and he said he is pretty sure that in the next years we will have a round in North-America and also in the Middle East

[Jarek Z]

Bad news

[AnttiL]

This might not have anything to do with the Tennesee based WRC event but it's an event nearby and the road is looking great. Quite fast but narrow, hard-based, crests, corners, some river crossings, trees close to the road and some tight corners as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l-M...PatrickGruszka

[EstWRC]

Bad news

Why it’s bad?

It’s called the WORLD championships and we have only 3 rallies outside Europe at the moment.

We must popularize the sport also in other parts of the world

[Sal yet again]

USA fine the Middle East less so. There are some stunning roads on a lot of the current USA rallies and their spectators are used to being only allowed in certain locations so from a safety perspective its a win. Putting the political issues to one side and lets be honest which country currently can hold their hand up and say they are squeaky clean I would look to China and possibly the Indian sub continent as being more relevant car wise. That and I have an issue with Middle East rallies that seem to be more like Raids with less defined tracks that make for poor tv images aswell. If they do chase the Saudi/Qatar $ then hopefully modern technology will reduce some of the previous controversy of local drivers taking short cuts.

[focus206]

Why it’s bad?

It’s called the WORLD championships and we have only 3 rallies outside Europe at the moment.

We must popularize the sport also in other parts of the world

It's called world championship but almost all WRC/Rally1 drivers are European...
I would rather see costs being cut to make the championship healthier.
What would going to USA bring to the championship? Expensive, 0 interest from their manufacturers (they can't have pick-up trucks nor big sedans as Rally1 cars), doubt any American rally driver would be interested in an international program, as most of them drive 90s-00s Imprezas in their national championship.

[AndyRAC]

Why it’s bad?

It’s called the WORLD championships and we have only 3 rallies outside Europe at the moment.

We must popularize the sport also in other parts of the world

Most of the other major series have events in the USA, as ever the WRC is the odd one out.....

[Kenneth]

It's called world championship but almost all WRC/Rally1 drivers are European...
I would rather see costs being cut to make the championship healthier.

Yeah cuz making it Europe only would help bring non-European drivers for sure.

And of course they can have big sedans as Rally1, that's the reason why there is spaceframe.

[focus206]

Yeah cuz making it Europe only would help bring non-European drivers for sure.

And of course they can have big sedans as Rally1, that's the reason why there is spaceframe.

Nobody is concerned about the lack of non-European Rally1 drivers in the mix, the concern is the lack of seats and manufacturers. I can list only Paddon as non-European driver who right now could deserve a spot. As for privateers that could join WRC2, there probably won't be any American ones unless you make half of the championship near their country.
Making big sedans as Rally1 cars and then going to twisty rallies like Monte and Japan to be ridiculed by a Yaris sounds like a bad idea.