[WRC] News & rumours (part III)

[BDunnell]

I totally agree.also if wrc is not rally but something else,then why follow it??????i love rallies ,wrc will be a different sport so i don't want to follow it.ERC will be the best solution for us in the future.i also believe that eurosport maybe will turn erc to irc again,in order to have a really word championsip,so no problem for us.

With all due respect to it, the ERC today is a second-rank championship, both in terms of cars and drivers. As such it will always be of limited appeal. I don't see it as the solution for anyone except a relatively few die-hards. Never has it, or the IRC, greatly appealed to me.

[BDunnell]

I worry that the 'lower' series will follow suit. I hope not.

I have a theory, possibly cynical, but anyway; RedBull have had no intention of properly promoting the WRC in its current format. They have a close relationship with the VW group, have they been plotting this for a while? Turning the WRC into WRC-lite, and with a 'shoot out' they will then start promoting properly.

They could have done much more from the word go; they have RedBullTV - a perfect platform for the WRC highlights/ live coverage. And they haven't used it. Preferring to sell rights to TV stations, mostly subscription channels.....

Makes perfect sense, unless there is some legal reason (monopolies regulations?) as to why they're not allowed to broadcast the championship over their own platform.

[BDunnell]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned: the simpler a format for a sporting event the better, in my view. Here is how 'Autosport' has described part of the planned changes to the WRC:

'The new version of the format will offer points at the end of each day and a performance weighting in the shootout to reward being fastest throughout the rally.

If, for example, the driver in first place heading into the decider has been a tenth of a second per mile faster across the whole event than the driver in second place, then they will take that advantage multiplied by the stage distance into the shootout. So, if the final test was 10 miles, the quicker driver would start with a one-second time advantage.'

Just imagine trying to explain that to the layman on the TV! Ridiculous.

[wrc1600]

"I think this is a good proposal, it can improve the show and make it more easy to present to television," said Nandan.

Can someone explain me how this nonsense would make it more easy to present to tv? How is it different from Sunday stages now? They drive flat out Power Stage to get bonus points already, and factory drivers are always on it often saving tyres on previous stages. The rest of the drives have nothing to win or loose anyway. Also if there will be odd numbers of crews then what will happen to the last one, who do they compete against?

[Allyc85]

The shoot out idea is ridiculous, and only really liked by those who have made it up, the performance balancing for it is beyond fascicle! As someone has said how the hell do you explain that to a casual fan!

Bloody unbelievable

[Mirek]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned: the simpler a format for a sporting event the better, in my view. Here is how 'Autosport' has described part of the planned changes to the WRC:

'The new version of the format will offer points at the end of each day and a performance weighting in the shootout to reward being fastest throughout the rally.

If, for example, the driver in first place heading into the decider has been a tenth of a second per mile faster across the whole event than the driver in second place, then they will take that advantage multiplied by the stage distance into the shootout. So, if the final test was 10 miles, the quicker driver would start with a one-second time advantage.'

Just imagine trying to explain that to the layman on the TV! Ridiculous.

+1

[AndyRAC]

Er, hello - there won't be any casual fans - as already said, the casuals want something simple to watch - not something requiring a calculator. In their rush to gain the casuals - they're losing their main followers. Not clever. Do these people have a brain cell between them?

[N.O.T]

Nobody follows a motorsport for its rules... most people follow it depending on how attractive/spectacular it is and the people manufacturers involved in it... Lets wait and see IF the changes are implemented and then we can judge the final; product... as i said you can organise a rally anonymous group and cry like little girls all day watching ladycup ERC.

[Lundefaret]

I think that this new format can be described quite simple, I have given it a try my self:

The shootout
(That is not a shootout!!!)

Explanation: If the driver in first place heading into the final stage shootout (that is not a shootout!!!) has been a tenth of a second per kilometer faster across the whole event than the driver in second place, then they will take that advantage multiplied by the stage distance into The SHOOTOUT (that is absolutely not a shootout!!!) so now in THE SUPER SHOOTOUT (that is in no f#%& way a shootout) they will start with a one second advantage in THE Super Grand Last Stage Magic SHOOTOUT (that has no F#$% way ever been a f&%$ shootout!!!!!!)

From the FIA (that is really not the FIA), and the Promotor (wich really dont promote): Could this possibly be made any simpler??? Okay, that is if You want to make something really difficult, then this is quite simple, no??? (First man wins is for chickens!) This is German engineering, so piss off! And comeback, and watch the show! But if You say that the shootout is a shootout, because it is not a f#%& shootout, an never has been a f$%& shootout, and never will be a f#&% shootout, we may have to kill you.

But joke aside, I think we have to see this in action before we judge it too hard. If this is what RedBull needs to really promotoe the sport, then they should be given a chance. But I do think, that a format where You split each rally in two, one endurance part, and one TV-stage, would be a lot simpler to understand

[Franky]

Nobody follows a motorsport for its rules... most people follow it depending on how attractive/spectacular it is and the people manufacturers involved in it...

Yes, no one doesn't follow a sport because of the rules, but if the rules become overcomplicated then the whole thing will be harder to understand for the average Joe (the KISS principle). And if you piss off the core fanbase and they stop following your championship, then you won't just need to find more Joes but you need to find the new diehard fans as well. A group of Joes going to a rally with the trunk full of alcohol won't become diehard fans, okey, the probability is very slim. I've seen guys sleeping in snow hugging their Jäger bottles before the start of first stage at 8am. If a Joe attends a rally with a in a good sense mad fan, then there is a chance that the guy will start following the sport and the championship more closely.

All of us are waiting to get a clear picture of what is coming but the small pieces of news aren't the most encouraging and it's worth discussing the concerns. Next step would be voicing the opinions to the governing bodies. I guess even you wouldn't be happy if boxing turned into a WWE circus.

If the people in charge want more Joes, then they should start promoting better. The content is there. Went to the WRC.com's Youtube page over a few years and the first video I saw was a "teaser" for this season. Then I searched for an IRC promo from 2010 and one defining promo from the North One era. Decide yourself, which is better. Just note that the North One promo has a different function than the other two.
WRC 2014 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MySOesp5G0E
IRC 2010 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFDQa6tlfPo
WRC 2009 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siqQqI3Vdp4