World Rallycross Championship 2021

[crossfades]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

The WRC had four manufacturers in 2014-2015 and 2017-2019.


In 2020, the WRX had four different manufacturers in the top 4 drivers standings. Other manufacturers got podiums too. It's not bad at all.

All privateers unlike WRC, so not really comparable. I don't count M-Sport as a privateer either, they got the manpower and know-how, just lacks the money for drivers and testing as much as the other teams.

[CS1]

When does the date for entry's close?

[FIRE]

It's very quiet about the world of rallycross.

[tbtstt]

Enzo Ide confirms a full season of WRX (and RallyX Nordic) this year:

https://www.jcraceteknik.com/en/nyhe...ip-with-EKS-JC

[SnoodyMcFlude]

Currently a party of one

Get the feeling that RX Cartel are going to be back in one form or another too, and would be surprised if Hansen don't enter

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by SnoodyMcFlude

Currently a party of one

Yeah, Enzo has the Championship in the bag right now!

Few names floating around with regards to the other JC Audis. Wonder what options RX Cartel might consider if the Audis are taken? I'd be surprised not to see a Hansen or two on the grid as well.

I have seen an article floating around Facebook stating that it is looking less likely Johan will be back in the Polo: I am still hoping for a Mattias/Johan Audi team up!

[FIRE]

Maybe with less rugular WRX drivers on the grid, combined with an almost Euro only schedule, maybe others see a opportunity to join WRX.

But with only one month until the first event (22-23 May - Spa Francorchamps) it's very quiet.

[Hickey]

I think Spa has been postponed until the winter hasnt it? So nothing until Hell on June. May explain the slow confirmations. Usually the press releases come thick and fast before the cut off date for entries. They should just merge ERX and WRX and have them at all 9 rounds. Would be a way to keep 30+ supercars on grids.

[SnoodyMcFlude]

Originally Posted by Hickey

I think Spa has been postponed until the winter hasnt it? So nothing until Hell on June. May explain the slow confirmations. Usually the press releases come thick and fast before the cut off date for entries. They should just merge ERX and WRX and have them at all 9 rounds. Would be a way to keep 30+ supercars on grids.

Yeah, just run them all together as they did in the first season or two. There has been a vastly noticeable drop in entry numbers since I first went to Lydden in 2014

[crossfades]

The idea of having all out amateurs with very subpar cars against top end cars with some of the best rallycross drivers in the world is questionable though. The reason they split it in the first place was because of how competitors in different championships could interfere and indirectly hinder each other.

WRX has become the elite series while ERX is a more affordable option, especially in regards to car.

[Hickey]

Originally Posted by crossfades

The idea of having all out amateurs with very subpar cars against top end cars with some of the best rallycross drivers in the world is questionable though. The reason they split it in the first place was because of how competitors in different championships could interfere and indirectly hinder each other.

WRX has become the elite series while ERX is a more affordable option, especially in regards to car.

That's a fair point and only a handful of ERX are capable of making the semis in WRX. But I guess it's always been like that. It's not like any of the also rans in the 35 supercar fields had a chance of getting a C fina (other than the miracle of Dreux with Kevin Procter!).

[crossfades]

Originally Posted by Hickey

That's a fair point and only a handful of ERX are capable of making the semis in WRX. But I guess it's always been like that. It's not like any of the also rans in the 35 supercar fields had a chance of getting a C fina (other than the miracle of Dreux with Kevin Procter!).

True, but at least the chance was higher. Only 12 cars can make the semis, whereas when Procter did it was 20 cars. Although, that was with eight-car finals. But even with six-car finals, it would be 16.

Back then it was mostly privateers building, making and running cars, whereas now the best teams are way more professional with cars previously built by manufacturers. The level of expertise is much higher at the top. You could have a car like Procter's Focus, run things yourself and still be competitive. Enter a car produced in the same way as back then with your own team and you will have a way harder time against WRX machines like Audi, Peugeot, Hyundai or even the Megane when it is working properly.

[hoffman66]

I would imagine the new people are just duplicating the funding and prices, it is the usual lazy thing to do, try it, see how many bites they get to make as much money as possible, then before it all start making offers to people to make the grids up.

The whole pricing, hosting thing needs a total revamp in my opinion as it was based on sports with a far bigger profile. WRX only had that for a couple of years and it very quickly dropped away, it never took off in the US, and the biggest and best rounds by far were in Europe, the away days were nearly always poorly attended crowd wise, hence the constant new tracks as the ones that had it made no money despite paying huge host fees.

The fees charged were insane, pit space, broadband, entry fees, etc etc, it was ridiculous, but you can't blame IMG for charging it, at the time people were idiotically queueing up to hand over obscene dough, but it could never last.

There should now be a reset, root and branch change, a rebuild of the whole ERC scene, forget WRX it doesn't work, it was only ever a stick to shake the FIA with to get a world series, that it never truly was, MotoGP, F1, SBK, WRC are world series, WRX never was or will be.

But no, it will still be the same greedy people moving from IMG to the new crew, the same formats, tracks, greed as usual.

It is how sport works, the rich get richer, the poor drift away to other things and the whole sport suffers overall as it has done since this all really took off.

Rallycross was on the cusp of being massive in newer parts of Europe, especially Eastern Europe and losing the rounds lost all that momentum down to greed, nothing else, it has struggled in the UK, as that has been stretched out over three series in a pathetically greedy few decades now, the only place it is still strong is Scandinavia, even Benelux is on its knees with tracks and drivers after being strong for decades.

[chasing cars]

Its the usual thing, people brought in with a history of sports promoting etc but with no knowledge or interest in rallycross. My only hope is that Tim Whittingdon who I use to have a lot of respect for before the IMG days will have more courage and say no to some of the ideas these new people will undoubtably have of which some will probably be what IMG already tried.

Making it a world championship had no basis, at the time I believe Tanner Foust was the only driver to compete from outside Europe, it appears it was done purely for marketing purposes which failed. When will these people realize the real interest is almost wholly in Europe. Like it or not rallycross is europes version of Nascar. By all means try a non championship round somewhere if there is demand but firstly win back fans in Europe, go to tracks that are right for rallycross not for corporate business.

The most successful series in the UK for many years has been the BTCC. It knows its fan base, its not tried to find "new markets" and though its had works or semi works teams they have rarely dominated. It knows whats its good at and has stuck to it. Rallycross should follow the same model.

[hoffman66]

I think the big issue is twofold.

The obsession with it being a world series and manufacturers.

Rallycross was in a healthy state when IMG took over, they did a lot of good don't get me wrong, but they root and branch changed everything, most if it for no reason.

Ruined the classes, got rid of the existing infrastructure and replaced it with a hugely expensive moneymaking scheme, dumped the tracks, went to only places either that paid or linked with F1, got rid of privateers largely, tried to bring the "team" into it when it is never going to be.

Some of this was good, but a lot of it was done with no regard for fans, look at Silverstone, it went from there to nothing within 5 years, almost heroically mismanaged. Yet a great concept, fab location, decent if not great track, yet they had no idea how to do it right, fair play for trying something new, but do your research, events like that ONLY appeal to the middle classes like the Classic, and Goodwood, the way you get big crowds of youth is drifting, drag racing, car clubs, tuners. And make it cheap initially, not vastly overpriced.

[crossfades]

I agree with your assessments hoffman, IMG turned it into a sort of commercialised mush with little care for the history of the sport with a fetish for manufacturers. Another thing that severely annoys me is the way they implemented a system from speedway, such a lazy move.

As for the spread of the sport since WRX started; Argentina has created its own rallycross series, China has one too with STARD supporting, in Australia the sport was brought back to life (although I don't know how things have unfolded since COVID-19, might be inactive at this point), Italy has its own national championship now and track.

Silverstone on the other hand is probably one of the most boring and bad tracks I have seen. Car breaking jump, completely flat aside from the jump of hell, no real gravel, and too tight and slow in places. It's just another one of those F1 or racing venues with a pUrPoSe-bUiLt tRaCk to host WRX in my opinion.

[hoffman66]

OK, if you think rallycross has begun in these new places, fine. Was that the mission of IMG, no, it was simply to go where people paid the most, they had no desire to start it there. It didn't take off in Turkey or South Africa did it? Or Spain, or Canada, that is just a small reaction.

IMG ran speedway, so that was an obvious move for them.

Going forward, I would like to see a better class system, no pandering the manufacturers, although WRX is ideal for electric with short races, if you pursue people like Ford, Peugeot,, VW etc they just ruin it for everyone for their own gain, and often series are done after they leave. Rallycross can ill afford that after the last few years.

S1600 is fine, but the costs are extreme now, so maybe an R5 class which would probably cost the same or less. Get rid of Lites, they are only there coz of Eriksson and his links with the group. Having said that, they are now well established so maybe keep them for a bit. Or replace with them a sort pof R2 class, cheap, cars can be used in rally too, just like R5, so it brings more people into the sport maybe.

I would also have crosskart involved, they are cheap, great to watch and used all over Europe. Especially in the UK< get rid of Rage buggies, the self interest makes me sick and holds us back, get crosskart here surely.
Be stricter on contact to prevent endless bad driving.

[crossfades]

I should have clarified it was a response to a section of text in the message above yours. In order to have a real WC there needs to be a base in different countries and with these nations there were.

Can't imagine a S1600 car does costing around the same as an R5. Sure, the share number of R5s being sold could have pressed costs down compared to a S1600 which is a more specialized build, but R5s aren't exactly cheap either. Only issue with that class is Volland Racing dominating I'd say.

[hoffman66]

I would say S1600 is at least as dear as R5, purchase price maybe no, but an R5 costs far less to run, rebuilds maybe once a year.

As most classes go it is dominated as you say by one team it used to be Pinomaki.

You can get a decent r5 for under 100k, a decent S1600 would cost you that, you cant use it anywhere else, you can still rally an R5 anywhere.

[SnoodyMcFlude]

It does seem sensible to use an existing product as the basis of a series. Presumably there would need to be different suspension setup for R5 but beyond that the class is basically tailor made. Also has the advantage that although cars are initially not cheap, they can be sold for something other than rallycross.

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by hoffman66

Some of this was good, but a lot of it was done with no regard for fans, look at Silverstone, it went from there to nothing within 5 years, almost heroically mismanaged. Yet a great concept, fab location, decent if not great track, yet they had no idea how to do it right, fair play for trying something new, but do your research, events like that ONLY appeal to the middle classes like the Classic, and Goodwood, the way you get big crowds of youth is drifting, drag racing, car clubs, tuners. And make it cheap initially, not vastly overpriced.

I think Silverstone has been debated to death on here, but I agree with pretty much all of the above.

Silverstone wasn't brilliant, but it was better than I was expecting and the first year (when the Stowe building was open) it actually offered a few different vantage points for spectators. Plus it kept World Rallycross in the UK for a couple of extra years, so I am grateful for that...

...but yeah, the way the WRX events were marketed is really not how I would have done it. Obviously easy to sit behind a keyboard and critique, but I can't understand why you wouldn't try and appeal to the existing fanbase whilst seeking out a wider audience. Speedmachine seemed like a bit of a mishmash of ideas to me which is maybe fine for the first year or two when you are trying to choose the exact direction of the event, but to then pair that with a massive hike in price relative to the Lydden round seemed daft. Perhaps there was some logic behind it, but I couldn't see it.

I don't know how likely it would have been but I hoped that, if it had stayed there, they might have reworked the circuit to make full use of that area.

[Hickey]

Speedmachine on the slowest circuit I can recall in the UK. The circuit design looked like it was based on dropping a shoelace on a board. Zero understanding of how to create an exciting race circuit with genuine overtaking opportunities. Yes I've never designed one but I've been to enough events to understand how (not) to.

Anyway, looking forward, I'm a bit concerned about the lack of news this year!! Hopefully something decent still happens.

[hoffman66]

I think a rallycross can be very simple, look at Valkenwaard, Maaslecheleon, Lydden. Loheac is so basic it almost looks dumb. |And I dont think its a great track at all actually compared to some past and present in France. But it gets huge crowds and works.

I can see their point in trying these things, but they were paying for the whole venue hire, that was never going to pay off now was it, and was monstrously dumb from the outset, good business by Silverstone though.

[crossfades]

Originally Posted by hoffman66

I think a rallycross can be very simple, look at Valkenwaard, Maaslecheleon, Lydden. Loheac is so basic it almost looks dumb. |And I dont think its a great track at all actually compared to some past and present in France. But it gets huge crowds and works.

I can see their point in trying these things, but they were paying for the whole venue hire, that was never going to pay off now was it, and was monstrously dumb from the outset, good business by Silverstone though.

Good business? I'd call it a scheme if so since WRX and rallycross seems to be no more at the venue. A sum up of everything wrong with WRX under IMG I think.

IMG only went to Loheac because of the spectator numbers, the event hadn't been in ERC for several years when reintroduced in 2013. Valkenswaard is an actual track but that hairpin kills off all speed and quickly dismantles the racing. The cars line up into a literal queue where they wait for the car in front of them to make the turn. Utterly dreadful to watch.

Lydden and Maasmechelen are good, fantastic tracks in my opinion. It's hard to pass on Maasmechelen but that goes for plenty of rallycross tracks anyway. I also miss some of the Eastern situated tracks like Nyirad, Sosnova, Greinbach, Slomzcyn, although the latter one was reworked.

[SnoodyMcFlude]

Originally Posted by hoffman66

I think a rallycross can be very simple, look at Valkenwaard, Maaslecheleon, Lydden. Loheac is so basic it almost looks dumb. |And I dont think its a great track at all actually compared to some past and present in France. But it gets huge crowds and works.

Indeed, imo probably the most exciting of the 'new' tracks was Spa, which was realistically only 4 corners. Probably wouldn't have the same interest without the elevation change and the banked corner, but the basics of the track really aren't that involved.