WRC 2010
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Predictions? Who do you support?
After the brilliant start to the season by Hirvonen the rest has been disappointing from Ford esp as I’m a Hirvonen fan! I can’t see anyone other than Loeb winning the title this year. Ford may as well have disappeared and Solberg and Ogier may give him a run for his money at times but they haven’t had the consistency/luck they really need and it’s a rare enough thing to beat Loeb anyway.
Looks like Kimi will stay for another year. What do people think of him so far?
Loeb’s said Ogier should go to Ford. If I was Ogier I’d sign for Citroen but as a viwer, I hope he goed to Ford.
The WRC really needs some more manufacturers and teams competing. It has that feel of it dying on its feet but I still find it worth the watch. Hopefully the new rules and changes will do some good when they come in.
Well WRC definitely isn’t what it was. Only a few years ago there was Peugeot, Citroen, Ford, Subaru, Hyundai, Skoda etc. Now it’s little more than a competition between Citroen and Ford. Also, the new calendar is awful- some rotation is fine but when the best events are only being held biannually something must be done.
I haven’t really been following it this season so I can’t speak with much authority, but I imagine the signing of Kimi Raikkonen will be a huge boost for the series. And if Valentino Rossi ever decides to make the switch from Moto GP he will bring with him his huge legion of fans
Loeb is just so strong.
And it’s such a pitty there aren’t more manufacturers these days. I loved it a few years back when you had so many great drivers and cars.
Let’s hope the new rules can make this better.
Ogier is up and coming, and he might bring is some nice battles with Loeb, atleast I hope.
Kimi has a tough job to do, many ppl expect big things from him. But it’s very very hard at this level. I hope he can gain enough this year to be up there next year and score some podiums soon.
Looks like Block will enter under the Stobart Ford squad for the Rally of France
http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressreleases/wrc/2010/Pages/wrc_entries_fra.aspx
I agree with sblot. Like a Schumacher-style domination, but no-one’s prepared to do anything about it.
Well Loeb has won his seventh title, all in a row too, with two rallies left and a 60-point margin. To be honest though you have to admire his skill I can’t really put him up there with Juha Kankkunen or Tomi Makinen, both who won four and in a more challenging field (to put Makinen in perspective, imagine the top F1 teams of today stayed stable in terms of drivers and performance and then one driver won 4 world championships in a row).
WRC is in big trouble really. It’s not going to implode or die anytime soon, but it’s nowhere near as competitive or popular (I mean come on, Dave broadcasts it in the UK). Just one example, Keith wrote an article about Dario Franchitti winning the IndyCar title yet Loeb’s record-setting championship didn’t even get a mention in the round-up. And it doesn’t look like WRC are even trying to do anything about it. Okay it’s not their fault Subaru left because of the economic downturn but they were a faded force anyway, just like Mitsubishi when they left. Perhaps they could tighten up the points system instead of following F1’s lead all the time, it would be a start.
In the US we can only watch it (delayed) on the Discovery HD Theater network, which isn’t available through all satellite/cable providers. It ought to be on SPEED, with NASCAR being relegated to some new special hillbilly network.
The problem with the WRC is that it’s not an easy sport to broadcast live or to follow in person (unless you’re a hardcore fan); it’s far more easily digested as a highlight summary on a daily or per-rally basis.
There is hope though. With the shift towards lowering costs (next year sees a move to 1.6L turbocharged engines from the current 2.0L standard), there should be a new influx of manufacturers to boost the series’ popularity. As it is, the return of the Prodrive-run Mini works team and rumors of a possible VW entry in 2012 are hopefully a sign of a return to better days.
Even with the potential influx of manufacturers that comes with the new regulations there’s still the problem of drivers. With Loeb likely to retire in the next year or two it will probably leave Sebastien Ogier to assume the mantle of top driver and it wouldnt surprise me if he dominated the next decade.
Latvala is a possible contender but he doesn’t appear consistant enough. Hirvonen has the consistancy but not the raw pace, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Sordo’s head is messed up from constantly being number two to Loeb. Solberg could be up there if he gets a drive, but he wont hang around for too much longer I imagine. Matthew Wilson is pretty much only there because his Dad owns the team.
I hope things turn around and the WRC can start to get back towards the glory days of the late 90’s – the fantastic looking Citroen DS3 is a start, as is the fully televised stage every rally will have from next year. Whether any major broadcasters will pick up on that I don’t know.
Well, Meeke has signed on for Mini, so if they can turn out a decently competitive car, then we might see another potential contender for the title.
Similarly, Petter’s been turning out some outstanding performances in outdated machinery. Remember how he wrestled that Xsara onto the podium as a privateer last year? He’s definitely not short on the desire to win ‘cos a lesser driver would’ve just packed it in till another factory drive became available. Can’t imagine what it’s like to drive on the limit knowing that any repairs would hit you straight in the pocket.. Give him a works slot again and I’m pretty sure he’ll be a title challenger too.
One way the broadcasting can be done would be to show the highlights at the end of the day but time the programming so the last stage can be shown live. Of course you’d have to restrict the amount of runners you show otherwise it would take a while, but it would be a good compromise. If the BBC still had it they could put the whole thing live on the internet/red button when possible.
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