WRC not coming to NZ

[Old Skool Subbie]

This totally suxs if it does happen

http://www.3news.co.nz/Report---NZ-dumped-from-world-rally-calendar/tabid/415/articleID/143225/Default.aspx

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 5:16p.m

By Shaun Summerfield

Rally New Zealand could be about to disappear in a cloud of dust.

3 News has discovered that proposed changes to the World Rally Championship don’t include New Zealand.

It's a driver’s favourite - but Rally New Zealand doesn't have the same appeal for the championship's promoters.

“We were disappointed to read that, because the reality is that once you see something like that there is always fire behind the smoke that you see,” says Chris Carr, Rally NZ Chairman.

With the more financially lucrative venues being favoured by the promoters, North One Sport, the iconic Acropolis and Monte Carlo rallies are also missing from the calendar.

“It's obviously a commercial thing - we don't have the money.We should have the money, the Government should be putting the money to ensure we get this event back,” says Neill Allport, former New Zealand Rally Champion.

Rally NZ is already reduced to biennial status, sharing a date with Australia. Now the plan is to scrap the rotation system in favour of a 14-round permanent calendar. Australia gets the nod, New Zealand is gone.

“This is one of the longest running events in the WRC - and has incredible television audience overseas so it's a battle we need to fight,” says Carr.

Organisers were already doing all they could to keep the event here. Even shifting this years rally from Hamilton to Auckland, hoping to make it more attractive to overseas audiences and more palatable to promoters. But it seems even the City of Sails wasn't enough to clinch the deal.

3 News

[Joker]

rank!

[ReubenH]

Say what... dropping the monte carlo rally too...

Who are the idiots behind this bullshit, and someone get a shotgun.

[subieboy]

Say what?????

What are these mofo's doing...

[slawtd]

Tis bad enough SWRT pulled out a few years back.

now taking it from us all together... >.<

[Munkvy]

Well everyone take this opportunity this year to go soak it up - if it is the last time its going to happen it will be a real shame Means the only international rally will be Whangarei now.

[Guest]

**** you WRC peoples! You've just made a (semi-) dying man cry :'(

Will have to find some way of spectating this year then if it is indeed the last one...

[Shale]

I was waiting for it...

Half the good teams gone.

Split the good countries amongst two years.

And to save money altogether, scrap the 'remote' ones altogether.

It's not a driver's game any more, nor is it a spectator's game. It's a bloody manufacturer's, corporate game. And frankly if it's going to be like that, I'd rather not support it and feed their greedy, spoiled mouths.

[Old Skool Subbie]

Stuff modern WRC now, I say lets Bring Group B back.

[Shale]

 Old Skool Subbie said:

Stuff modern WRC now, I say lets Bring Group B back.

This.

And frankly, without the blue and yellow burbling monsters screaming around as the icons of WRC...what IS the WRC?

[Guest]

Group B was banned for good reasons !

The WRC has lost the plot anyways, the NZ rally championship is more interesting to watch

[slawtd]

after this year the WRC is gonna suck anyway.

going back to ss2000 format 2wd non-turbo

wheres the fun in that??

 Old Skool Subbie said:

Stuff modern WRC now, I say lets Bring Group B back.

im with you. Open Class rallies!!

[dubbedup]

 slawtd']

after this year the WRC is gonna suck anyway.

going back to ss2000 format 2wd non-turbo

wheres the fun in that??

[quote name='Old Skool Subbie said:

Stuff modern WRC now, I say lets Bring Group B back.

/quote]

im with you. Open Class rallies!!

+1

[Joker]

like Gran Turismo - slower speeds are more competitive and challenging - makes drivers REAL drivers - not just whoever has the most money wins...

[newsuba]

 slawtd']

after this year the WRC is gonna suck anyway.

going back to ss2000 format 2wd non-turbo

wheres the fun in that??

[quote name='Old Skool Subbie said:

Stuff modern WRC now, I say lets Bring Group B back.

/quote]

im with you. Open Class rallies!!

You're getting your formulae all mixed up.

SS2000 is an NZ race class, rallying is S2000 and it's Super1600 that is 2wd.

A guide to WRC 2010 cars

[newsuba]

 Qwerty said:

Group B was banned for good reasons !

The WRC has lost the plot anyways, the NZ rally championship is more interesting to watch

Agreed.

The WRC guys really have their heads up their ass if they think getting rid of iconic events like the Monte and NZ rallies will win them more fans.

[dubbedup]

no where near as fun to watch...

[newsuba]

True, the drivers are also as boring as their cars.

But that applies to all modern car racing.

[DRFVDR]

I lost total interest in the WRC when subaru pulled out

[Shale]

 DRFVDR said:

I lost total interest in the WRC when subaru pulled out

You're not alone.

I think with motoring in general, the trend towards Borg-like electrickery is killing the need for a driver. Both in commuting, amateur performance and motosport.

[Guest Oscar]

The FIA is to blame for this.

[Joker]

and whatever Abu Dhabi is...

[Koom]

 JoKer said:

and whatever Abu Dhabi is...

= money (lots of it)

Sucks that we're loosing the WRC spot to Australia when they barely had an event last year. Obviously their government has come up with more cash than ours. :'(

[D-Style]

WRC is just following the other big motorsports.

Look at F1 nowdays.

Group B wouldnt work nowdays. Its been over 20 odd years, and the cars would be a sight to behold. But over the last few years, every motorsport has been going down the "how to make it cheaper" road, so i dont think they are going to bring in a new "cheque book racing" class.

Unless its in Middle east oil countries, or Redneck USA, High end motorsport will still carry on a downward road.........

[ReubenH]

My dad's an avid sailor, and so i follow the Americas Cup too. They've had a similar sort of thing happen, in that it became about the business and profit of the event, rather than the competition itself. BUT, there was a great spinoff, one of the sponsors was so appauled they made a new event, new rules, based on the competition.

I do hope something like that will happen, a spin off, a rival to the WRC with more open rules, better locales, based on the racing, and the drivers, rather than the profit.