FIA World Rallycross Championship 2018

[tbtstt 2,387]

Got to be honest, I can't see how all these Championships are going to survive: I just don't see the driver/team numbers stacking up. Hope I am proven wrong, but I fear at least one Championship is going to really struggle this year.

[F2CMaDMaXX 505]

They're usually referred to as support classes.

[DiRTKiNG808 15]

Areyouben said:

Yeeeees. Both Volkswagen and Subaru have signed up for that. Just 4 rounds, but yay so we won't lose those teams after all. :smiley:

The promoter of the World Rallycross Championship, IMG, has launched a new American rallycross series, the Americas Rallycross Championship (ARX), that will run over four rounds in 2018.

ARX’s first round will be run alongside the British round of the World RX series at Silverstone in May (25 – 25), before also joining the Canadian and American rounds of World RX in Trois-Rivieres (August 4-5) and Austin (September 29-30).

https://www.motorsport.com/world-rx/news/volkswagen-subaru-sign-up-for-new-american-rallycross-series-1014517/?s=1

That is awesome! I am so glad that the Subarus will race in 2018 after all. I can't wait to see how the championship develops. VW vs. Subaru, let the battle commence!

[gfRally 449]

tbtstt said:

Got to be honest, I can't see how all these Championships are going to survive: I just don't see the driver/team numbers stacking up. Hope I am proven wrong, but I fear at least one Championship is going to really struggle this year.

Over here, it's been just one (GRC) as you know, now we sort of have 2.  ARX is only 2 rounds officially in US borders.  So for us this is good.  Over on your side it does dilute the driver pool.  This just gives me hope that the GRC just dies in a fiery mess - not really, maybe just a power outage or battery shortage and cars can't chooch  anymore.  :)

I always thought ERX was more the minor leagues for the WRX and some guys from both would be enticed by the dude bro Americans ;) series only to be dominated by Americans Scott Speed and occasionally Tanner Faust, lol.

I think it's ok if there is a North American side and a European side.  We need to grow the sport over here and find good talent on this side too.

[tbtstt 2,387]

gfRally said:

tbtstt said:

Got to be honest, I can't see how all these Championships are going to survive: I just don't see the driver/team numbers stacking up. Hope I am proven wrong, but I fear at least one Championship is going to really struggle this year.

Over here, it's been just one (GRC) as you know, now we sort of have 2.  ARX is only 2 rounds officially in US borders.  So for us this is good.  Over on your side it does dilute the driver pool.  This just gives me hope that the GRC just dies in a fiery mess - not really, maybe just a power outage or battery shortage and cars can't chooch  anymore.  :)

If I am honest it's the future of the GRC I am concerned about as I am struggling to see how the numbers stack up. The ARX is talking about Supercars and RX2, so I assume they are attempting to grab as many drivers from last years GRC line up as possible (and based on the first press release, it looks like they may have as many as 4 Supercar drivers already).

Vying for the same drivers you have the GRC. Are they hoping that all of last years Supercar drivers will go into "Gold", or that the RX Lite guys will find more budget (because I assume quicker Lites are going to cost more) for "Gold"? Assuming the latter is the case, who are the Polaris buggies aimed at? Is there sufficient interest/finance there to fill a whole field of buggies?...

...then on top of that, you've got Platinum coming at the end of the year. Is that for this years "Gold" guys? Are there a lot of guys/girls with deep pockets waiting in the wings? Or is the hope to maybe bring in Europeans? 

Max Pucher is clearly a pretty switched on guy, so I wonder if he is seeing a bigger picture that is unclear to me. As I see things now, I can't see there being enough drivers/budget to go around. Someone is going to lose out.

gfRally said:

tbtstt said:

Got to be honest, I can't see how all these Championships are going to survive: I just don't see the driver/team numbers stacking up. Hope I am proven wrong, but I fear at least one Championship is going to really struggle this year.

I always thought ERX was more the minor leagues for the WRX and some guys from both would be enticed by the dude bro Americans ;) series only to be dominated by Americans Scott Speed and occasionally Tanner Faust, lol.

I think the ERX could have been deemed "minor" for it's first season as a support class, but it's been as (if not more) closely fought than the World Championship the last couple of years. There has been some very decent talent in the class as well; Rustad, Larsson, Marklund and Kevin Hansen were/are all drivers capable of challenging the World drivers if they had the budget. Notably the lap times of the quickest guys in the ERX - even in privately run Supercars - are very close to the World guys. 

I think I have already mentioned it but, for me, the future of the ERX is the most critical thing now. If it's handled correctly then the existing drivers (and fans) have a long term future for traditional Supercars (on traditional circuits), allowing the World Championship to fully give itself to the big budget manufacturers.

[Janneman60 154]

ARX seems to have factory teams. So only interesting for teams with lots of money. As I read the info of MJP they aim for much lower budgets.

And atleast MJP is doing something while all others just xomplain about the budgets.

But future will tell.

[DiRTKiNG808 15]

You bring up a good point. How in the world will they get enough drivers for all the different classes in GRC? The RZR category is aimed at people who want to spend 28,000 on one of those side by sides. Now then need to find at least 20 new drivers to go across the two existing fields.

[gfRally 449]

Strangely there are other buggy races in other track events, maybe not as large of a season (not sure) but it has existed for quite some time.  If you want an organized event with buggies, I would look elsewhere.  I think its a weird concept, that doesn't add anything to the series.  I understand the need for lower classes, but there will be little TV time in the US dedicated to anything but the top tier cars anyhow.  Personally if I were to spend $80 for a ticket I really don't care to watch the slower classes.  

This would be a completely different story if I where a driver, it would be incredible to compete at these events, but the spectators bring the money in (TV ratings, ultimately), and many don't want to see the less exciting classes.  

NOTE: I am not a die hard sports fan, I have limited time anymore, and I would rather watch the top tier drivers race.  Have some game play time left.  And get back to reality.  Many here dedicate Saturdays to watching College US Football, then on Sunday watch the NFL (American Football), in between fit in life.  

Its all perspective and your lot in life.

[tbtstt 2,387]

I was at Silverstone on Saturday for the opening round of the British Rallycross Championship. Easily the coldest day I have ever spent at a track, the windchill was below -10 at times and everytime I used the camera my fingers were frozen within a couple of minutes. I managed to take about 100 pictures in the whole day. 

I actually thought the viewing for spectators was better than expected. I initially feared that the grandstand area was the only place to view, but the top part of the track was all accessible...

...lot of high fences though, so very limited options for spectators taking pictures (unless you were packing big lenses!). Not the worst UK rallycross circuit for spectator viewing that I have been to, it struck me a bit of a mix of Blyton and Croft in many respects (better than the former for spectators but not the latter). 

The grandstand and top of the Stowe building gave a good overview for seeing the entire track and the standing areas were never more than two people deep, so finding a spot you wanted wasn't hard. If they hit the 30,000 spectator target they talked about for Speedmachine though, that would obviously be a different situation. 

It's a very twisty circuit. Seemed quite compact and slow, even when it dried out. I didn't think the Supercars really got a chance to stretch their legs. The track obviously had to drop into that area, but it seemed like there was unused space at the bottom end of the circuit (after the jump).

[Janneman60 154]

Well, Loeb didn't like it. To slow and therefore almost no opportunities to overtake.

But with this ticketprices I don't visit anyway. It is going to be Holjes this year.

[DiRTKiNG808 15]

I can't wait to see what kind of racing COTA over in BBQ land produces. Super excited to see that new track.

[tbtstt 2,387]

Few shots of the World guys in action at Silverstone last weekend:

[DiRTKiNG808 15]

Wow! I think the new Polo RX looks super sexy this year!
The new Audi S1 RX looks great as well!

[tbtstt 2,387]

The Polo looks mean, I definitely like it! Not sure about the wing on the Audi, sure it has function but it's not as good looking as the old car (in my personal opinion). The NACA ducting on the roof/rear quarter windows implies Audi have made some changes in the back of the car.

The car I really want to see more of is the Megane. From the snippets of the car that have been shown it looks like there has been some serious thought put into its design (though I would expect nothing less from Prodrive). 

[DiRTKiNG808 15]

Will they be in ERX or the WRX championship?

[tbtstt 2,387]

The Megane? They are in the World Championship, Jerome Grosset-Janin and Guerlain Chicherit will be driving them. 

[DiRTKiNG808 15]

Oops, yes the Megane that’s what I meant. I know the others are in WRX. Thanks.

[DiRTKiNG808 15]

BOOM! The new Megane looks awesome! love the orange and black.

[tbtstt 2,387]

Just published a 2018 season preview if anyone is interested! 

http://fueltopia.co.uk/world-rallycross-championship-2018-preview/

[Janneman60 154]

Strong piece of writing, respect.

You write about the future of electric cars and what may (or may not) this means for WRX.
I would like to bring in another point, in which direction will WRX go as we look at the Silverstone round this year?

Sure it could bring a new type of fans who embrace this kind of mixture, on the other hand the combibation of electric cars and a festival scene would be the end for most traditional WRX lovers.

[tbtstt 2,387]

Janneman60 said:

Strong piece of writing, respect.

You write about the future of electric cars and what may (or may not) this means for WRX.
I would like to bring in another point, in which direction will WRX go as we look at the Silverstone round this year?

Sure it could bring a new type of fans who embrace this kind of mixture, on the other hand the combibation of electric cars and a festival scene would be the end for most traditional WRX lovers.

Thanks for reading!

If the introduction of electric Supercars is implemented sensibly I think it could work for everyone. The World Championship becomes an upper tier for manufacturers and visits "festival" venues (like Silverstone) where big numbers of people are attracted.

The petrol Supercar lives on in a more accessible European Championship, with the European rounds taking place at the traditional rallycross circuits. The World Championship is providing the big spectacle (and ticket numbers) for the sponsors and manufacturers, while the European Championship is catering for the pure motorsport fans.  

I personally think that the way the European Championship is handled in the next couple of years is absolutely critical. 

[DiRTKiNG808 15]

Great first round of the Championship! I loved the race. All of the teams seem close together and that makes for good racing. I feel bad for Kevin Hansen though. I understand team strategies but it still stinks that Kevin could not reap the benefits. Also a shame Timmy could not finish the semi.

[DiRTKiNG808 15]

I just found out that Ekstrom did not get the win. That is bummer because I think Ekstrom deserved that win. It looked like Solberg just kept on driving instead of backing out. It was Ekstrom’s corner.

[Dytut 89]

Yeah I agree, I thought Ekström had that corner aswell. But it was a debatable situation and with such a violent crash into the barrier I understand that they'd want to make a strong marker against it.

[Janneman60 154]

It was Ekstoms corner when his car was more in front of Solberg. The regulations are clear about that and a good thing if the organiser keeps that in mind for the whole season.

In this case he just bumps Solberg off and that is punished.