World Rallycross R4 - Mettet, Belgium

[chunder]

I have been to a few WRX meetings, just wont be doing any until Silverstone nest year.

They are doing a good job, but their focus is money. The budgets are getting insane, there is no focus whatsoever on club racers or privateers, and that is where the current teams all came from, none of them apart from Ford came from factories.

The sport has NEVER had any money thrown at it, so let's see. If you spent millions on stock car racing or autograss or hillclimbs or some other series they would suddenly get popular too.

I watch a lot of football, and it is crazy to even try and compare them.

The rallycross is not top draw, it has always been good. was arguably the best in the 70's and early 80's, and what happened then, it was in our living rooms, the cars were close, great,. the tracks were awesome. Then we had the GpB era where we were drenched in top quality cars and some great drivers.

The current era is all about money, spending, huge budgets. the racing is very forceful and the tracks are very false and unflowing.

if you like that fair enough, I do not, I prefer a more natural course layout, no joker laps and the private guys able to mix it with the special ones, no excluded as we cant have some guy in a C4 beating the factory cars can we.

[rallycrossnl]

Originally Posted by chunder

And I have been watching rallycross since 1985

More then 10 years later then /me. You missed then best years!

[chunder]

I probably did fella, I think things came on a bit when Iw as watchign in terms of car prep and presentation.

but the racing in the 70's and early 80#'s was top drawer and you had lots of factory spec cars much like now.

the kids think we have never had works cars before i think!

[mivec]

Originally Posted by chunder

...

I don't try and hide it fella, it. I don't think car park racing on awful fake tracks is necessary. When there are some great tracks already in place where you could really expand the sport in lots of areas.
....

Those stadium tracks can host a lot of people!
Compare Buxtehude vs. Hockenheim for example...

A grandstand, good conditions to watch racing!

[1975DCS]

Originally Posted by mivec

Those stadium tracks can host a lot of people!
Compare Buxtehude vs. Hockenheim for example...

A grandstand, good conditions to watch racing!

Maybe it is, but you are so far away from the cars and also see it in a very unnatural angle...

[Hickey]

I'd typed out a long post on rose tinted glasses then my phone crashed...

Essentially, things were good and bad back then. Money always won, driving standard were terrible, some races were epic, some were dull. Reliability was shocking. But cars were cooler, untamable beasts and sounded awesome.

Cars now seem to be on rails and are too quiet. Dirt on most tracks isn't good enough either.

But they are so reliable now and the racing is amazing. Quality right through field and even in the support classes.

I share your concern about whether the cost is sustainable chunder but each year more, and better, cars come to the grid. So there must be something there that sponsors like.

Lydden is the best track to view at due to sensation of speed. It's a big loss to lose that. Stadiums are great for crowds but ypu are too far away to appreciate speed.

Look forward to Mettet, great to have all classes. Love the diversity. Can't wait.

[chunder]

Driving standard were not at all terrible in the older days. The standard was a little different. You could easily afford a Group B car, or if you couldn't a Division 1 car, it was more affordable, meaning guys who were not necessarily amazing could drive them. So you got rich guys like Schie, Wiklund, Iversen out there with the aliens like Gollop, Schanche and Alamaki. You had amazing classes, something rallycross has not grasped for decades for some unfathomable reason!!

Modern cars are great, the drivers are too.

The tracks are garbage, I understand what IMG are doing, going to bigger areas, but there are so many odd things.

Why 2 events in Germany, why a world championship when it clearly is not one, why have different classes racing every meeting.

These are odd decisions.

The racing for me is worse now, far more contact, far more desperation. Even in the 90's this was apparent, guys like Hunsbedt, Eklund, Sallstrom bought in contact to be necessary not avoidable, and it has continued, while Hansen kept winning without burying everyone.

Hype is the ONLY reason WRX is working, same as Project Cars as a racing game, the similarities are so clear. It is Emporers new clothes, which is fine for now but look under the dress, same teams, same people really.

Hype buys PR, buys budgets.

You could spend the same budget on a lot of other sports and do the same thing is my point.

But sooner or later some are going to realise it's going away from them. BUT IMG are clever, they know there is no credible alternative and would squash a rival ERC series no doubt so have got privateers by the balls, they do less ERX rounds to make it seem viable, yet you get no coverage and no real benefit of being there other than "being there"

It is working for now, and for that it's great. But it isn't rallycross, not as I see it, and I am not at all alone.

It the Playstation, drifting, monster and Red Bull generations that love it now. So disenfranchised are they by F1, WEC, circuit racing, WRC they have discovered rallycross, and that's great. I juts wish the guardoians of our sport had not sold their soul completely. That is great, but it is not me

[feewaybill]

Have also been watching since the 70/80's and the view whether it was better back then is purely subjective and personal. What hasn't changed is the argument about money being thrown at the sport to the detriment of those on less budgets. It's the same in any branch of motorsport. Go to your local banger track and you'll find someone moaning about race engines, and sticky tyres. C'est la vie.

Rallycross has also been absolute shite and right now is in a golden era. For any motorsport fan I'd recommend watching at every opportunity because its unlikely to last, these things really are cyclical and I suspect it will crash and burn at some stage. For the younger ones out there ignore the patronising comments and make the most of it.

[chunder]

It is not patronising, unlike your comment. I am looking at the big picture natinally, not for the big league, IMG don't give a flying wotsit

Money was not being spent hugely in the 70's and 80's. it was pretty even at the top level.

And even in the GpB era, there were only a few guys who were spending big, most of what won was pure talent adn invention.

That is what is missing now, invention, clever cars, the ere is nothing like that now.

No clever Porsches or Beetles or a turbo Sunbleam Lotus or BMW M3 or Xtrac.

All just identikit supercars.

Don't get me wrong it is still exciting, but there are caveats, no jumps needed now, no joker laps needed now.

It could be a lot better. ERX at all European rounds, with rwd and S1600. We managed fine 15 years ago with three classes and similar numbers

[ebby]

With the large rigs a lot of the WorldRX teams have now (plus paddock hospitality) and with EuroRX totalling 50+ cars, plus S1600 and Touring cars can all European venues currently in the championship cope with those numbers and respective paddock footprint?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[chunder]

It is probably the reason why they can't race at some venues, but they don't need all that nonsense actually in the paddock, at most tracks you could have all that elswehere and have a simple pit area in the paddock, better for fans as it is not all closed off.

Lydden is borderline dangerous at times in the last few years. And a lot of the people there haven't got a clue what is going on and they are wafting around taking pointless pics on phones or with headphones on, oblivious. Very dangerous.

there have always been big trucks, but more teams have them now and they will only get bigger seemingly with more money being spent.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by 1975DCS

1. You can never ever see Rallycross live as the broadcast is a day later

What do you mean by this? Except maybe if there's F1 Ziggo shows WRX live.

[pettersolberg29]

Anyone driving to Mettet from the London area? I've got an Airbnb booked but car has jacked it in so a lift to my flat would be amazing (petrol money plus fee offered!). Let me know.

[1975DCS]

Originally Posted by FIRE

What do you mean by this? Except maybe if there's F1 Ziggo shows WRX live.

Ziggo shows a review on Monday. I have Ziggo, but can't see it live unless I watch through VPN, which is a hassle. Even after all broadcasts by Ziggo you can not watch the full 2,5 hours "live" broadcast on YouTube...

[Hickey]

It seems that free practice and Q1 for the support races are on Friday? Is that right? I bloody hope it isn't ! Schedule is on rallycross.com

[Hickey]

It's on the FIA site too. What a joke. Putting races on a Friday is a really bad precedent to start. I like that you don't have to take time off work to watch this. This is really stupid. They clearly have time torun the event over a weekend and if not, why add a bloody support race too!! Hopeless.

[crossfades]

They have ran support races on Friday in the past too. I don't know why though.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by Hickey

It's on the FIA site too. What a joke. Putting races on a Friday is a really bad precedent to start. I like that you don't have to take time off work to watch this. This is really stupid. They clearly have time torun the event over a weekend and if not, why add a bloody support race too!! Hopeless.

Originally Posted by crossfades

They have ran support races on Friday in the past too. I don't know why though.

It's so they've got time for the 'Rig Riot' at the weekend

[1975DCS]

And then on Saturday and Sunday there is even less action. This only works for unofficial support classes, where hundreds of cars attend

[chunder]

You know the answer guys.

I have been saying it for years, but sadly you still keep handing over your hard earned.

It is in your hands, no-one elses.

[crossfades]

Yeah but I think it still is enjoyable. It is the form of racing I like, not what IMG, FIA and organisers have done. I am a sucker for rallycross, even if you wouldn't call it rallycross since it isn't what is was before. But it is the motorsport I enjoy watching most and WRX and ERX is the top level where the best drivers are, therefore I will keep watching.

[Hickey]

I'm more annoyed about the timing of it. If they'd said a month or two ago we could have gone half a day earlier. If the support class is Belgian supernational cars, I'd really like to see them!

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by Hickey

I'm more annoyed about the timing of it. If they'd said a month or two ago we could have gone half a day earlier. If the support class is Belgian supernational cars, I'd really like to see them!

Yeah, it is rather frustrating to know that we won't get to see all the racing.

[chunder]

You see more than most so I can't see what the problem is.

So, really you get to most European events I think.

Missing one or two heats is hardly going to hurt.

But as I say you guys would pay to watch RX cars being unloaded in a car park, so what can I say.

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by chunder

So, really you get to most European events I think.

It would be "most" if I had the money, but sadly that is not the case! I'm at four European events this year (possibly five if the German coach trip happens and I have enough cash to hand)...

Originally Posted by chunder

You see more than most so I can't see what the problem is.

...but that number is irrelevant really, because whether I get to one round or the whole Championship the reason I want to go to any of them is to see what I consider the best form of racing going. Like crossfades, it's the sport itself that is the biggest attraction to me.

Although I do appreciate some of the things that IMG have bought to rallycross, European rallycross is the pinnacle of the sport and it was before IMG arrived. Yeah, it is just going to be a handful of races, but they are what I'm travelling to see and to know that I'm going to miss a part of the meeting is a little disappointing.