World Rallycross R3 - Mettet, Belgium

[Stephen H]

Thanks Hickey and Chunder, looks like my trip is back on track!

[Hickey]

It's a shame that 3 Brits have all dropped out of mettet but still looking forward to an excellent weekend. Just got to finish work now...

[1975DCS]

Originally Posted by Hickey

It's a shame that 3 Brits have all dropped out of mettet but still looking forward to an excellent weekend. Just got to finish work now...

Which Brits?

[1975DCS]

Al hotels are booked, except a few around Charleroi. Pre-sale tickets are also sold out since yesterday

[Hickey]

Scott Ollie and Procter J think. Annoyingly. Crazy that it's all booked up. Good stuff

[FIRE]

Q1 result:

1. Sébastien LOEB 1 02:47.474 50
2. Mattias EKSTRÖM 2 02:47.494 45
3. Petter SOLBERG 3 02:47.614 42
4. Johan KRISTOFFERSSON 4 02:49.506 40
5. Anton MARKLUND 5 02:49.512 39
6. Francois DUVAL 6 02:49.600 38
7. Timur TIMERZYANOV 7 02:49.907 37
8. Janis BAUMANIS 8 02:50.381 36
9. Davy JEANNEY 9 02:50.517 35
10. Reinis NITISS 10 02:51.004 34
11. Liam DORAN 11 02:52.871 33
12. Timmy HANSEN 12 02:53.245 32
13. Kevin ERIKSSON 13 02:53.384 31
14. Niclas GRÖNHOLM 14 02:54.378 30
15. René MÜNNICH 15 02:54.922 29
16. Toomas HEIKKINEN 16 03:02.067 28
17. Robin LARSSON 17 03:02.278 27
18. Ken BLOCK 18 00:00.000 24
19. Andreas BAKKERUD 19 00:00.000 24

Good result for Duval.
Problems for both MSport drivers.

[1975DCS]

Originally Posted by Hickey

Scott Ollie and Procter J think. Annoyingly. Crazy that it's all booked up. Good stuff

Shame, would have love to see them! For a Saturday it was pretty crowded...

[1975DCS]

Great entry list (too bad Coox had an blown engine, another dramatic result in a Belgian ERX round since the step up from the Golf... Circuit has only 2 let downs: visibility in general and from about every angle you can't get close to the start...

[Hickey]

I think the viewing from the top of the bank was very decent. Especially Sunday when everyone on the banks sat down.

I saw that there was a Belgian round on Monday , wish I see about that as would have stayed another day. Cracking idea and just reduce circuit costs. Maybe Lydden could follow suit and have a round on the bank holiday Monday after the WRX (though might struggle for paddock space).

[RXFan99]

I read that Euro RX has a support highlights show (48 minutes) available on the official World RX YouTube account from 7pm tonight. Nice exposure for the Euro RX guys...
http://www.fiaworldrallycross.com/ar...-rx-highlights

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by RXFan99

I read that Euro RX has a support highlights show (48 minutes) available on the official World RX YouTube account from 7pm tonight. Nice exposure for the Euro RX guys...
http://www.fiaworldrallycross.com/ar...-rx-highlights

Yes indeed, it can be viewed here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL9cOKkc4bY

Can understand the comment about the viewing at Mettet as there is no spot where you have an unobstructed view of the entire circuit in the same way you do at somewhere like Lydden. As Hickey has already said though, the top of the bank gives you a good overview of the majority of the track, you only lose them for a few moments at the bottom of the circuit.

Some superb racing over the weekend and I thought less major contact during the races (not including turn one) than at round 2. Great drive from Loeb and another very impressive performance from Ekstrom. Seemingly another measured drive from Petter, so I don't think he is outclassed yet!

Impressive drive from Kevin Hansen in the Euros. Really thought Grosset-Janin had the win in the bag, but Hansen seemed to massively increase his pace later in the meet.

[chunder]

The support series deserves more than a poxy youtube link.

That is designed to increase IMG's revenue through social media, not give the drivers coverage.

It should have a dedicated tv show on Quest or Eurosport. Not a social media link. They have the coverage, it wouldn't take them long to put together a half hour or hour long support series show.

Fair enough make the main show about the WRX money teams, but to banish the ERC guys to social media really does tell you where their priorities lie.

Let's hope the ERC guys wake up and smell the roses soon.

[datguy]

Originally Posted by chunder

The support series deserves more than a poxy youtube link.

It should have a dedicated tv show on Quest or Eurosport. Not a social media link. They have the coverage, it wouldn't take them long to put together a half hour or hour long support series show.

Let's hope the ERC guys wake up and smell the roses soon.

You do realise it is a 48 minute highlights show?

Cheer up, life's too short.

[chunder]

Of course I realise that.

But my point refers to it being on a social media channel not a tv station, where it should be.

If IMG want these guys at meetings, use them as PR material to get people there, they should have a tv show covering their heats and finals, not be relegated to youtube.

But as usual, you people seem to think it's all fine and dandy, what do I know. Jeez, when will you guys wake up.

IMG are asset stripping rallycross, relegating the support classes to not only second rate heats, equipment and PR, but now not even on television. I said it would happen and it has, if you all think that's fine then fair enough, go along with it.

I happen to think it is a very poor way to treat countless drivers who were around long before these cretins came along, wrapped the series up in a green diabetes tin, got a few has beens involved and sold it to the world.

But I am probably wrong eh.

[Hickey]

No.1, I think that social media like YouTube is probably preferred by a lot of sponsors as they can easily quantify popularity. I'm not saying I agree with that and I don't understand social media as I'm in my 30s but that's my observation. No. 2, it doesn't matter one iota want we think as fans. The guys that enter ERX that you refer to have still entered in their droves this season. They are voting with their feet and their vote counts more than yours or mine. The minute that stops is the minute I will sit up and say,"that Chunder, he has a point".

[FIRE]

Drivers can use online coverage in their own social media. And it's watching on demand.

I don't know Quest but I assume it's a niche channel like Motors TV so it will not have many viewers.
Of course it would be different if BBC or ITV would show it.

I was disappointed there was no real coverage of the heats.

[crossfades]

I wish they would scrap the lites and have ERX instead on the live broadcast. But I guess the lites series pays a lot of money ...

[FIRE]

The Lites don't interest me.

This is now 3th season but no increase of entries.
With no longer official links between Ford and OMSE I am wondering the future of this class.

[Hickey]

Like any category, if you have 20+ entries each round then I'm all for it, pretty much guaranteed that some of those races will be good. With 10 it's pointless and should be put out its misery

[FIRE]

Amount of cars is certainly a reason to keep or remove a series.
Touringcars was a class in trouble but they have recovered.

[chunder]

I think the reason ERX keep coming is because they have nowhere else to go. Other than racing at home still or racing in the rather pointless other series. They can be bit part players to this series rather than doing nothing else. That is the saddest part!

I would bet by bottom dollar that if someone came along with a decently promoted European series running at Mondello, Valkenswaard, Kuovala, Maasmechelen, Nyirad, Poland, Lousada and Czech and perhaps even somewhere like Maggiora or Franciacorta, the ERX drivers would back it and turn tails on IMG. But right now its too soon and too early.

Rallycross is a small talent pool, and at the moment there are about 40 cars in what is basically a tiny little foot spa. The only people with their feet in that footspa driving those cars are the works teams. The rest are standing at the side watching, while paying a small amount less to be there. They have been squeezed from the tv coverage totally after being the ones who helped the series get going. They have been squeezed from the heats in favour of the factory cars (plusses and minuses there) and probably do not pay that much less to be there.

Social media is a valid platform to show video and highlights, 300 hundred thousands people follow WRX on facebook, no small number, no idea how many people sub to the youtube channel as I wont click it on principle. But it is a valid place to hold what is now called a supper event. But is it the right platform? No it's second rate and a token gesture.

I think some peoples issue is that ERX is NOT a support event. And as soon as the drivers realise, and a promoter comes along and offers them a series of their own, WRX will be what it wants to be, a travelling circus of 25 or so cars going to China, Africa, America, Russia etc, GRC will be caved and ERC can perhaps go back to being what it was, a decent series for semi factory teams and decent amateurs.

At the moment one needs the other far more than you might realise. Otherwise WRX is a series for 20 cars, and who wants to watch that!

[rx-guru]

Originally Posted by FIRE

With no longer official links between Ford and OMSE I am wondering the future of this class.

The Lites are kit-cars. They don't need to show a Ford logo. Kevin Hansen used his one in 2014 and 2015 as a "Peugeot 208". In the 2015 GRC five drivers run them as a "Hyundai Veloster". William Nilsson is racing his one in Sweden as a "VW Polo". Who knows, perhaps most of them will show a Honda badge in 2017. And will be equipped with a Honda engine sooner or later, if OMSE still keeps its fingers in the project...?

[crossfades]

Originally Posted by rx-guru

Who knows, perhaps most of them will show a Honda badge in 2017. And will be equipped with a Honda engine sooner or later, if OMSE still keeps its fingers in the project...?

Just curious, is OMSE thinking of leaving the project? I mean they have monopoly over the cars and every part the lites drivers buy has to go through OMSE, at least in Sweden and I guess also Europe(?).

[rx-guru]

Originally Posted by crossfades

Just curious, is OMSE thinking of leaving the project? I mean they have monopoly over the cars and every part the lites drivers buy has to go through OMSE, at least in Sweden and I guess also Europe(?).

No, that was not my point. I think OMSE shares the Lites rights with that company in Turkey, run by Halid Avdagiç. But why should OMSE continue for example with Ford engines, when they have no more backing from Ford? If I was Eriksson I would try to get Honda involved. I'm pretty certain he gets Honda also involved in WRX, possibly already from 2017 on. But if Honda is not interested in the Lites I would think it over to sell my shares to the Turkish guy, as I do not believe that the Lites have an unlimited future.

[chunder]

Agreed.

I think originally IMG were thinking that the series would be a sort of hopped up ERC.

But the demise in sorts of WRC and the rise of WRX has seen a far bigger manufacturer involvement than I think even they thought.

Lites is not a good support series, the cars need to be 2wd not 4. They sound grim and look a bit daft. A great formula to learn in no doubt.

IMG don't really need a support series, the tv show is only an hour and that is basically been ground down into 3 races, you only need 20 cars for that.

I think IMG would prefer support series to be entertainment rather than racing. Drifting, MX,. freestyle. That seems to be their motive and clearly from reading their facebook pages their fanbase. Kids and people who know little about rallycross.
All the rest is to fill out the grid and persuade punters that 30 quid a ticket is good value.

When it clearly isn't