posted Dec 6, 2008

When i used to go out on the old RAC (when rallying was rallying)ice & snow was all part & parcel of the event.Ive seen men drive at 100mph on roads you couldnt walk on for ice,what is it with the sport today,surely you drive to the conditions.Also is it only me that thinks Mat Wilson isnt worth a works drive?

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posted Dec 6, 2008

Ah, it's "Bash Rally GB" season again. Always the same "it's not the same as the old days" moans and whinges.

It is the British round of the WRC. Ergo it is the Rally of Great Britian, or Rally GB. The Wales bit is simply the sponsor. Also how can it be the Monte Carlo rally when it spends most of it's time in France? Or the Rally of Italy when it is only in Sardinia, or the Rally of France when it is only in Corsica. I don't hear any moaning about that.

And as for drivers being wimps because of the weather. I think you'd find that most of the drivers would have attempted that stage had the FIA not deemed it unsafe. As it was none of them would have the right tyres to deal with the ice. You may well have seen men drive at 100mph on ice, but have you considered that they would have had the right kit for the job, and that the rally cars today are going a hell of a lot faster, and have much more power?

as for no promotion. What!? It's been constantly advertised in Autosport and Motorsport News. The press around here has been full of advertising and there are huge billboards all over Cardiff. The press event that I covered was very well attended by the big broadcasters [BBC and ITV were both there and both produced news segments]. I have not been able to ignore it at all.

Honestly. I think some people want the event to fail just because it "doesn't come around their way any more". Any idea on the logistical challenge of moving all the kit of a modern WRC team from service park to service park to keep up with the rally? Keeping it centred in one place keeps things a lot simpler.

As for charging spectators. Maybe Ireland and Spain don't charge, but then they're running on public roads. How do you charge entry onto a public road? Also how many times have we heard of a stage being cancelled due to overcrowding on Spain? It's a yearly occurrence for hell's sake. You don't get that problem on rallies where the spectator numbers are controlled for safety, and how do you control spectator numbers? you sell tickets. Also all of WRGB is on Forestry Commission Land. You don't suppose that the organisers might actually have to pay a lot of money to use it do you? Oh yes, I forgot. Rallies can be put on for no money at all... so there's no need to recoup losses.

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posted Dec 6, 2008

Here's the team bosses and Sebastien Loeb's view on the situation :

http://wheelnuts.invisionzone.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=15182&view=findpost&p=34446

I personally agree with them.

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posted Dec 7, 2008

WRC misses McRae!!!

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posted Dec 7, 2008

You have to applaud Seb Loeb; he is a genius. He has had luck at times this season, but his consistent and focused composure has been rewarded. He has won every rally on the WRC calendar: what more has he to achieve? Commiserations to Ford, though they will be back with a vengeance next year, and Seb knows that. Perhaps that is why he keeps coming back for more?

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posted Dec 7, 2008

i fully agree with mulldb on both his comments.i remember being in kielder forest in the middle of the night watching such greats as timo makinen and hannu mikola driving at 100mph + in 2-wheel drive ford escorts through ice and snow. what is happening? are they going soft nowadays or do they believe the future of rallying lies in stages such as the millenium stadium.his other point about mat wilson is also a sore point, i can't understand how a driver like guy wilkes who has been junior world rally campion and british champion on more than one occasion can't get a sniff at a works drive. i can remember when he was in the junior championship he was beating sordo on a regular basis and look where he is now!
oh for a bit of nepotism.

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posted Dec 8, 2008

The reason some stages were cancelled is because unlike before, when they had access to virtually all types of tyres, they are now restricted to only a coulpe of compounds & treads by the FIA.

Thus for Sweden, Norway etc. where they expect the road to be icy/snowy they are only allowed studded tyres, whereas on Wales they expect it to be muddy & hence have gravel tyres.

This can cause problems as we have seen on this year's Wales WRC.

I remember a few years ago when it didn't snow heavily enough in Sweden, this also caused problems as the studded tyres were being used on gravel instead of the normal ice/snow & hence were being ripped apart or causing the tyres to defalte (imagine having a extremely hot peice of metal on the rubber).

So I personally think cancelling the stage was inevitable from the safety perpective

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posted Dec 8, 2008

drinky77, **pacific_ocean_blue1 & jjimi123 the concept of charging for a rally pass is not only in Wales.

Other rallies such as Finland, Sweden etc also do it.

The only reason other events such as Spain, Greece etc. are free is because their Government gives the country's motorsport body substantial support in terms of money

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posted Dec 8, 2008

""Other rallies such as Finland, Sweden etc also do it.""

Yes, I am aware of this. But let's not pretend that the FIA couldn't bring some pressure to bear on this matter if they wished, whether or not they should is debatable.

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posted Dec 13, 2008

tyre issues:

http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=101&id=3523&desc=Pirelli%20open%20to%20tyre%20regulation%20tweaks

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