Amended route for Rally GB

[SJ Spode]

From www.wrc.com

Draft plans for this year's Rally GB show a route, centred around Cardiff, similar to that run in 2001, but using only seven different forest stages. All those stages though, will be used more than once, often on the same day, to encourage spectators to find a good viewing spot and stay there.

The route is designed to increase spectator safety & allow easier crowd management. The entry will also be limited to 90 cars.

(That's all well and good, but it still doesn't get it nearer to the classic Northern English stages )

[AndyF]

Originally posted by SJ Spode
, but using only seven different forest stages.

What's wrong with running more stages - it must get boring for the drivers to keep running the same ones, even if they are going through them backwards.

[imull]

last year i marshalled on the reohla stage and the second run through was a complete waste of time. The ruts were that big that cars could only go caarefully other wise they would go off like McRae did a couple of years ago.

using a stages twice will destroy the rally and the organisers will be the first to complain thay the FIA was unfair in taking the rally off them...

[Alpina]

I remember watching the rally in 90 and 91 and on the stages that were double run the ruts were terrible but that was when there were nearly 200 cars (at the start at least) i don't know how many are entering this year but I think it will be around 60. That will make a difference surely.

[SJ Spode]

Originally posted by Alpina
I don't know how many are entering this year but I think it will be around 60.

The news article still mentions 90 cars on the entry list, so it might be best to enter in a Paris - Dakar 4WD vehicle.

As imull says if the weather is wet (high % chance in Wales in Nov) and the stages cut up the Rally GB could go the way of Portugal. If they're going to do this route rationalisation they will need to move the rally forward in the schedule to the summer / early autumn.

Unless the plan is to use the 7 forest stages twice and run around the Superspecial 6-7 times.

[Riceboy]

I think that using stages more than once over a rally is going to be the curse of the sport for the next few years.

last year i marshalled on the reohla stage and the second run through was a complete waste of time. The ruts were that big that cars could only go caarefully other wise they would go off like McRae did a couple of years ago.

Too bloody true...

It'll end up like a drivers parade lap like they have in F1.

OK, so they needed to do something about the traffic congestion (last year waited nearly two hours to get into Rhondda) but I figure that was only because you had two stages in close proximity.

It is a tricky subject but I think that they need to look at access points into the stage (like have more of them!!) and maybe using a lot more different stages.

As for using the super special three times, thats gotta be a joke...... I went there two years ago when they first ran it. Never again. Give me a WRC in full chat in a proper forest stage anyday! If I want to see circuit racing I'll go to Brands Hatch thank you very much.

Its a tricky one for the organisers to solve and I wouldn't fancy tackling it! One thing though... Do we really want to see WRC cars trundling through a stage trying not to go off? And what of the manufacturers? They are going to have to start building their cars more for strength and less for speed (much like the safari).

Anybody up for that? A safari spec car on the Rally GB?

That said, I'll still be in Wales in November.

[Speedworx]

Its seems the FIA is set to destroy rallying by using stages twice.

[Lee Janotta]

Yuck. :/

That few stages over 3 days... Gah, the drivers'll be sick to death of them by late Sunday. It's good for the locals and for safety, but making these events so damn compact is really in contrast to the spirit of rallying.

[imull]

were talking whilst marshalling on teh Welsh Rally. Go back 10 or 15 years ago, they TV people had their stately home day with telly friendly stages. Then onto the rally proper. Single use of stages where the true fan will go and not have to put up with drunken morons on scramblers...

The TV people can still get their camereas into teh stages and get teh good shots without stifling the rallies.

As with regards to teh ruts last year. The ywere that deep that teh cars ran on rails (like kiddies go carts) round the corners. When we came to leave the ruts were occasionally so big that even the last rally cars were just sliding along on their fully skidded floor....

[SJ Spode]

wrc.com are quoting Richard Burns as backing the proposed changes

"On the positive side, I'm pleased to see we've got decent long stages to enjoy," Burns told Autosport magazine. "And it's good that in many cases, the stages are repeated the same day."

He did venture concerns about the stage timings in the afternoon, as the Rally leader on day two will be running the final stages in darkness unlike some of the cars ahead.


I just wonder what his thoughts on the repeat use of stages will be if it starts to cut up rough.

[imull]

I respect burns as a good driver.

However,he is nowhere near as good as he thinks he is.

I saw a staatistic a while back that over half of his stage victories come from stages that are repeated. Burns therefore will like to repeat stages as he can go slightly quicker. Show him a new bit of road where he has to make notes and go quick straight out of the box be is in trouble.

Maybe he should go to racing where he does that same track repeatedly, only rtouble is he will have to get his porsche further than turn 1...

[OVERSTEER]

Originally posted by imull
Maybe he should go to racing where he does that same track repeatedly, only rtouble is he will have to get his porsche further than turn 1...

Well Burns did get past turn one, but he was punted in a spin in the middle of Club corner of Silverstone, and the result was that he rolled over. That happened after making up several positions on his grid position.

By the way, at least Burns can keep his car on the road unlike the Darling of many of you, Colin Mcrae!