World Rallycross Championship 2021

[SnoodyMcFlude]

Originally Posted by hoffman66

Blah blah blah I don't like WRX

Same old comments, time and time again. It's boring mate, give it a rest.

[hoffman66]

Who cares, you are the ones bloody paying, what do you expect, do I want to keep hearing about how poor it is, every round, not really, so it goes both ways I'm afraid, if you are paying for it, it's partly your fault so in reality you have very little cause to moan!

[SnoodyMcFlude]

Originally Posted by hoffman66

Who cares, you are the ones bloody paying, what do you expect, do I want to keep hearing about how poor it is, every round, not really, so it goes both ways I'm afraid, if you are paying for it, it's partly your fault so in reality you have very little cause to moan!

I'm not paying for anything, I'm watching it on Red Bull TV but I'm not paying.

BTW, you've still made your point, it's still boring.

[Hickey]

Originally Posted by hoffman66

Who cares, you are the ones bloody paying, what do you expect, do I want to keep hearing about how poor it is, every round, not really, so it goes both ways I'm afraid, if you are paying for it, it's partly your fault so in reality you have very little cause to moan!

Such a stupid argument. Do you apply that logic to everything you pay for? This meal was rubbish but I guess I partly enabled that by choosing to eat at this restaurant, so I can't complain. The coverage is worse this year than it was when it was free and that has nothing to do with whether people have decided to subscribe for it. In fact, when you pay for something, you expect it to be of a higher quality than when it's free, not lower.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by hoffman66

If you believe the product to be poor stop watching or dont watch it, then it might go back to free to air.

it really is that simple. I have not watched a second of 2021 WRX and will never watch it. if you all do the same it WILL change.

If I may just query your stance regarding the above statement. In other threads you have posted comments such as:

'cant be arsed with Eurosport its awful with ads.'
'I will watch it if it is f[r]ee on social media, otherwise would give it a miss, and I would not at[t]end any rounds as it will be massively overpriced wherever it is as it is dying.'
'If I was paying for that I would be asking for my money back right now, you cannot charge for a pay service and then not invest in the stuff to make it work, the buffering on a tiny screen I was watching was enough for me to turn off the garbage in minutes.'

These suggest that you want the coverage to be free for all motorsport, but you also complain about buffering, adverts and the screen size you are using. Who do you think should be funding your coverage of motorsport, if you are not willing to pay yourself and you want a high quality, advert-free solution?


But then you also post comments such as:
'I managed 3 laps before turning the absolute stinking piece of rot off.' - this was posted before the race coverage had started on FTA in the UK.
'Utterly dull, DRS only passes, tyre conservation the worst track in GP racing continues to deliver' - again, posted before the race coverage had moved to FTA.
'It dies seem a waste of time having an hour and 20 minutes of nothing beforehand.' - the FTA coverage of this race had 30 minutes of footage before the race.

These comments can only have been made based on coverage that was behind a paywall - so either these are pure trolling, or you have contradicted your stance on paying for motorsport coverage?


'Honestly if that is not enough to get you to stop paying or watching this drivel I dont know what is. It was for me and I never looked back, I can't recall the last time I watched an F1 race' - this was posted on 9 Sep 21, you commented on the coverage (and your watching of) UK broadcasts of F1 as recently as May (and at a time when the only available coverage was behind a paywall).

So I can only reach the conclusion that the posts are pure trolling - if you have forgotten that you watched (and paid for) F1 less than 4 months ago?

[tbtstt]

I am a Niclas fan, but was cursing at the screen when I saw Johan go spiralling off into the barrier during the round four final! Denied of a great chance to make a good dent in the Hansen point lead in the Championship standings.

No question Gronholm had great speed this weekend though and very impressive stuff (as usual really) from Ekstrom. Solid proof that the Ibiza is rather underrated. Notable that Timo looked quick this weekend as well. Perhaps the track particularly suited the car, or Mattias helping with setup? Either way massive shame that the car died (or rather took a leak) before the final yesterday.

Otherwise pretty pleased with the round five result yesterday: a long overdue maiden S1 victory for Johan in my opinion. Was hoping that there would be more points taken out of the Championship leaders, but just three points between Kristoffersson and Kevin, twenty to Timmy. Twenty points in four rounds isn't going to be easy to gain, but I still think it is possible. Fingers crossed!

Starting to lose patience with the new WRX commentator. Everyone makes mistakes (and I recall Andrew Coley making a few at the start), but the constant naming errors, lap counting etc. is getting a bit tiresome. Would really like them to give Hal a decent co-commentator, as he is the only reason I am holding off the mute button at the moment.

[SnoodyMcFlude]

Certainly difficult to imagine Nick Fellows providing the kind of insight Andrew does in the first lap of this infamous race
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5M3...ssChampionship

Another annoyance with the new lot is the prevalence of live drone shots. I love the drone cams but realistically they only work for replays, in the actual race they're too wobbly and make it hard to follow the action. As I tweeted the other day, the free coverage should be their shopfront for RX Plus and right now I have zero desire to pay for any coverage.

[crossfades]

Honestly, I think some are too sceptic and are setting the bar way too high on what to expect. Nick is very intense but he does seem to have an enthusiasm for rallycross and apparently he came from commentating skiing so it's all new for him. The lap time mistakes from Riga I also think came down a bit to the graphics disappearing at times. I saw someone went crazy over Nick saying "Eriksson" at one time but does such a mistake really ruin the race one is watching? Or does one watch for the sake of commentary? On the other hand I'm hoping he can develop the same sort of feel for rallycross like Coley did, and he does seem to be somewhat humble at least in my opionion.

Maybe I'm optimistic but I think we have been spoiled with WRX being able to watch it live for like eight years or something and we've been lucky to have Coley. I don't think the old standards can be used to try and take a **** at the current team when they're new to it and trying they're best, especially considering Coley was an amateur at a time too and the new promoter stepped in to try and build upon something left in turmoil. Personally I can live with it as long as Neil Cole doesn't get to commentate again. Been in WRX since the start yet is still clueless somehow.

[MissClarrpz]

Yeah, we all think Coley is the best. However, I think Nick is actually alright. But I've worked out why I don't think he is great, yet. I've heard another commentator say that at the end of the day you need to say what you see. And Nick seems to have a very narrow eyeline for seeing things. He just sees someone take the lead and then say 2 or 3 times who is leader is interesting ways rather than keeping watching and describing what is happening behind the leader.

Most importantly I think he has the passion for motorsport and I think he will improve. Right now the level in the comms box is not that of the last few seasons but with time it'll mature. I don't know how bad Coley was at saying what you see in 2013/14.

We were so lucky to have every session live online for free. But I fear it has gone way too far the other way now. The race highlights for each round are now a good recap that can entice and inform fans. However, I am still 100% against removing old race programs. Why the hell would you do that? IndyCar and Nascar regularly put up old race broadcasts and they must have way more elaborate TV deals. I guess they want to hide away the history until they can repackage it all with RX+ on it.

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by MissClarrpz

I don't know how bad Coley was at saying what you see in 2013/14.

I do recall Andrew Coley making a few blunders in the start (with names and "narrow vision"). I guess my expectations are a bit higher, as most of the current team are seasoned commentators, so I'd expect them to adapt fairly quickly.

Nick does seems enthusiastic (which means he is already better than Neil Cole). I definitely remember people complaining about Coley being too shouty, but a lot of viewers seem to have come onboard with that. I think once Nick stops making the errors he'll become more likeable, but the name mistakes were particularly irking me this weekend!

Originally Posted by MissClarrpz

Yeah, we all think Coley is the best.

Hard to say who is "the best", but he definitely stands out amongst the modern commentators.

I honestly wasn't sure about Andrew at the start (I thought he'd be another one of those loud sport commentator who appears for a season or two, then disappears into the ether), but he seems genuinely passionate about the sport and has developed quite a rapport with a lot of the drivers and teams.

[SnoodyMcFlude]

Originally Posted by crossfades

Honestly, I think some are too sceptic and are setting the bar way too high on what to expect. Nick is very intense but he does seem to have an enthusiasm for rallycross and apparently he came from commentating skiing so it's all new for him.

I watch quite a bit of skiing, it's one of the reasons I've already taken a disliking to Nick. He's regularly complained about by skiing fans too and, as he hasn't improved in that, I don't have much faith that he'll improve at this either.

Regular complaints include repetition of the same old lines (Norwegians are always "vikings", Ramon Zennhauser has "long levers" for legs and anyone with a skiing relative has to get mentioned, e.g Michael Matt is the brother of Mario, Anna Veith used to be called Anna Fenninger). The main complaint for me is how he doesn't understand how time works. So as someone gets to the line he tries to 'predict' their time, and nearly always gets it wrong. E.g "Beat Feuz crosses the line to lead.....NO, HE'S THIRD". It happens time and again and every single time he could get it right if he waited half a second.

It's actually at the point where I know multiple people who will watch with the sound muted, or the Eurosport commentary free coverage, specifically to avoid the commentary of Nick Fellows. Sad to say, the errors and weird pronunciations are here to stay.

[tbtstt]

Pretty disappointed by the outcome at Montalagre. I don't want to jump on the Hansen bashing bandwagon, but I do think there has long been a problem with consistency in penalties. From all the evidence available to us (as spectators) it appears as though Kevin left Johan nowhere to go, yet Johan got the penalty.

Perhaps more detailed reports from the officials would help in these situations, as the officials likely have access to additional data we cannot see.

I haven't given up hope, but it is a big gap for even JK to close in the last two rounds (especially if another small grid is present, thus semi positions are guaranteed), so it seems that Timmy will get another Championship.

[tbtstt]

Pretty dramatic first day of the closing WRX weekend. Massive smash for Knapick resulted in a disrupted timetable, fantastic drive for Belevsky and a bit of a disaster of a day for both Kevin and Timmy Hansen.

Just four points between Timmy and Johan now. I hope Kevin stays out of the picture tomorrow and we get a clean fight upfront. Kevin seemed pretty unhappy during the final interview though, so I wonder how aggressive he will be on track tomorrow.

I am rooting for Kristoffersson!

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by tbtstt

Pretty dramatic first day of the closing WRX weekend. Massive smash for Knapick resulted in a disrupted timetable, fantastic drive for Belevsky and a bit of a disaster of a day for both Kevin and Timmy Hansen.

Just four points between Timmy and Johan now. I hope Kevin stays out of the picture tomorrow and we get a clean fight upfront. Kevin seemed pretty unhappy during the final interview though, so I wonder how aggressive he will be on track tomorrow.

I am rooting for Kristoffersson!

I caught the second semi final and final yesterday - have to agree regarding the Hansens. Kevin was incredibly sulky during that interview and Timmy absolutely deserved a penalty for punting Gronholm at the first corner in the final.

Glad to see Kristoffersson win the title after that Hansen display.

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

I caught the second semi final and final yesterday - have to agree regarding the Hansens. Kevin was incredibly sulky during that interview and Timmy absolutely deserved a penalty for punting Gronholm at the first corner in the final.

Glad to see Kristoffersson win the title after that Hansen display.

Did you catch the interview with Marcus Gronholm? Unusual to see him so fired up (unless there is a Peugeot 307 involved).

I am unashamedly a JK fanboy, so really pleased to see him take the title. Can only assume that the pressure got to Timmy which has really surprised me, as he has always seemed good at handling that in the past. Both of his semi-final drives this weekend have seemed a bit desperate though and that has cost him the title.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by tbtstt

Did you catch the interview with Marcus Gronholm? Unusual to see him so fired up (unless there is a Peugeot 307 involved).

I am unashamedly a JK fanboy, so really pleased to see him take the title. Can only assume that the pressure got to Timmy which has really surprised me, as he has always seemed good at handling that in the past. Both of his semi-final drives this weekend have seemed a bit desperate though and that has cost him the title.

I didn't see the Gronholm interview - shame as they're normally excellent!

I've not seen all of the coverage this season but from what I have seen the Hansens have been involved in quite a lot of contact. This weekend I think the circuit kind of played its part - the first corner looked like it was very tight and contact seemed almost inevitable. Hansens punt in the final though was more than just first corner bunching.

[SnoodyMcFlude]

So, so glad to see JK take it, really felt Timmy drove in an aggressive manner more suited to his brother. Remarkable that Johan came back from such a poor start to the season and overcome the points difference. I'm only able to watch the finals show but actually looked like a pretty good weekend/track too, and the joker lap looked really good fun.

Timmy must be kicking himself for that push on Gronholm on Sunday, had he not done that then he'd have finished in front of his brother and had the extra point he needed.

What was all the stuff Kevin was moaning about with the track not being ready on Saturday?

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

I didn't see the Gronholm interview - shame as they're normally excellent!

Marcus went in pretty hard on Timmy Hansen...

Originally Posted by BertMk2

I've not seen all of the coverage this season but from what I have seen the Hansens have been involved in quite a lot of contact. This weekend I think the circuit kind of played its part - the first corner looked like it was very tight and contact seemed almost inevitable. Hansens punt in the final though was more than just first corner bunching.

...I agree that the first turn was pretty tight though and made contact quite likely.

(that said, my favourite moment of the weekend was the final Q3 race on Sunday. The turn one move from Johan was just perfect)

Originally Posted by SnoodyMcFlude

So, so glad to see JK take it, really felt Timmy drove in an aggressive manner more suited to his brother. Remarkable that Johan came back from such a poor start to the season and overcome the points difference.

I honestly thought the deficit was too great for Johan, as Timmy always looks fairly calm, even when under pressure, so I didn't think it was likely he'd drop that many points...

Originally Posted by SnoodyMcFlude

Timmy must be kicking himself for that push on Gronholm on Sunday, had he not done that then he'd have finished in front of his brother and had the extra point he needed.

...but his driving looked desperate at times. As you say, just a bit of patience and he'd have been OK. Saturday obviously did the damage point wise, but it surely had a psychological effect as well. Then you come out Sunday morning, put in four "hell of a laps" only to have Johan take over a second out of your time.

Originally Posted by SnoodyMcFlude

What was all the stuff Kevin was moaning about with the track not being ready on Saturday?

There seemed to be some debate on racing due to the snow? Given that people were joking about the German round being in the snow perhaps the organisers could have been better prepared for the conditions? The TV coverage also suggested the paddock was some distance from the rallycross track, so not ideal for the teams?

Least Sunday seemed to run according to the plan.

[RichP]

What was all the stuff Kevin was moaning about with the track not being ready on Saturday?

Was there a delay for barrier repairs after Knapick's crash in Q1 on Saturday which put the schedule out?

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by RichP

Was there a delay for barrier repairs after Knapick's crash in Q1 on Saturday which put the schedule out?

Comments on Facebook (and elsewhere) suggested there was a connection to Covid? (all the drivers and mechanics had to test again?) But of course we all know that social media isn't always the best source of accurate information, so not too sure on the truth of that...