3 Power Stages down – how well is the concept working?

It doesn’t take a lot to see that the World Rally Championship can be a difficult sport to first discover having fallen out of favour with mainstream media over the years. So it came as no surprise when it was announced last year that new measures would be implemented this year in an effort to push the sport to new audiences. And one of the best ways to achieve this is through live stages.

The Intercontinental Rally Challenge has successfully managed this for the past few years. Tuning into Eurosport earlier this year the prestigious Rally Monte Carlo had extensive live coverage which other sporting fans, who may not have even seen a rally car on TV before, could easily stumble upon while checking the schedule and waiting for the tennis, football, snooker etc…

This year the introduction of the live televised Power Stages mean that the WRC is heading in the right direction in terms of exposure – although on a pay-only channel, the inclusion of it at all on British TV is quite an achievement.

Three of these such stages have been completed (Gustavors in Sweden, Guanajuato in Mexico and Santana de Serra in Portugal) so now is the perfect time to analyse how this addition is really affecting the rally and the overall spectacle.

The Power Stage is the last of the rally and offers an extra 6 points to the top three finishers (3 points for 1st place, 2 points for 2nd place and 1 point for a 3rd place stage finish) therefore giving anyone needing or wanting a points top-up an extra incentive to attack the stage. It also means that any drivers who have suffered set backs, and who’re running well down the order, have the opportunity to bag some much needed points.

Of the three stages we have seen live so far Portugal’s Santana de Serra was the longest by quite a margin, a total 31.04kms, while Sweden’s and Mexico’s stages were 3.16km and 8.28km respectively.

Run slightly different to the rest of the rally weekend, in which road position is decided on previous days’ order, the Power Stage is started in a reverse top 20 order to add an extra element of anticipation as the leading drivers come through faster towards the end. Beating previous splits and smashing overall stage times.

But has it provided the excitement and spectacle we had all hoped for? Yes, because as rally fans any live coverage is bound to be exciting. To see drivers like Jari-Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg driving on the limit through a tough stage only to be beaten live on air by Sébastien Loeb is without a doubt great to watch. The driver’s reactions in these situations are also brilliant to see.
In Sweden we saw an unprecedented move (in modern day rallying at least) by Chris Patterson who piloted Solberg’s car after a speeding incident on a road section a few days before – thrilling to watch – and some seriously on the edge driving in the high altitude of Mexico has left this live stage of each rally a definite to watch.

There is however potentially one downside to the Power Stage which Mikko Hirvonen has pointed out.
By the end of the penultimate stage the overall rally result has pretty much been decided and with this being the case the top drivers are unlikely to be pushing quite as hard as those playing catch-up – which could make this stage slightly subdued over the coming months when consistent overall finishes become even more vital. Hirvonen has suggested finishing the rally on the previous stage (handing out the overall rally points here) and leaving the Power Stage separate to encourage drivers to fully attack for the extra points.

This would definitely provide a more competitive stage but won’t work in the favour of those lower down the order who have nothing to lose and all to gain while chasing these crucial extra points.

Personally I have enjoyed the Power Stage’s a lot. I think it adds a different element to the rally weekend and that can only be a good thing. But I’d like to know your opinion, do you agree with Hirvonen about changing the format? Or should it remain as it is? Is the WRC heading in the right direction with this live stage inclusion?

Rally Jordan Preview

Four long weeks they ask us to wait for Rally Jordan. Four weeks!

It wasn’t all bad though, the IRC brought a lot of excitement into my month (where Bahrain’s Formula One race couldn’t) and the Australian GP yesterday was also incredible.

I always think the same when watching IRC on Eurosport, half an hour of coverage a night never seems to be enough to do the event justice. But on the brightside it would appear more live IRC stages will be appearing on our TV screens when we get back to Europe. Thanks to Total Rally for that information.

Huge congratulations to Hänninen who owned the event even with the disadvantage (not that you’d know) of running first on the road during day 2. While I’m on an IRC roll what a complete gutter for Meeke. One stage to go but it just wasn’t to be. But I digress. This was supposed to be a Rally Jordan preview!

Last seen on the WRC calendar in 2008 this is a far cry from the gravel tracks of Mexico and the ice of Sweden. With no real features to define the route, Jordan’s stages offer a massive challenge to any brave enough to take them on.

Jordan enjoys a long history with rallying. The Middle Eastern Rally Championship has been held there almost every year since 1983 with it featuring on the WRC calendar for the first time in 2008 when it was won by Mikko Hirvonen.

Not much has changed for 2010.  21 stages will be run totalling 339.48 competitive kilometres and most of these will be driven well below sea-level – some lower than 400 metres. This not only makes the service park the lowest of the season but the Dead Sea area is also the lowest on Earth, on land at least!

So what can we expect to see this year? Well, a lack of visual points will mean many a car making an ‘off-road’ excursion due to a wrong pacenote or just pure inexperience.
It will also be a swelteringly hot event with temperatures regularly reaching 40 degrees Celsius. Expect many red and sweaty faces and the odd phased look from those struggling the most!

Day two (Friday) will feature ‘Jordan River’ the longest stage of the weekend which at 41.45km will be run as ss10/13 and judging by last year’s times it will take the crews just over 28 minutes to complete.

However it is day three which will have the most historic stage of the weekend. Whether you are religious or not you cannot deny the fascination that remains over this part of the world. Believed to be the place of Christ’s baptism the rally will come to a magnificent end after a second stage run near this area, which is held sacred to, so many.

In 2008 it was Sébastien Loeb who looked the strongest throughout until a freak head-on accident with Conrad Rautenbach put them both out of the rally. When asked recently how Loeb felt about his chances for this year’s Jordan Rally he (fantastically) replied,

It should be OK. Conrad is not taking part in the rally!

Well, how can you reply back to that? He’s obviously feeling pretty confident and thinking he’s got something to prove too.
The Ford drivers will be fighting him all the way though as they aim to recover from a terrible Rally Mexico in which their cars let them down.

It will be a tough battle of the fittest in Jordan so make sure you keep up to date with all the action this Thursday onwards on wrc.com.

Event Information
Date: April 1-3, 2010
Round: 3 of 13 FIA World Rally Championship
Based: Dead Sea, Jordan
Stage surface: Gravel
Total stage distance: 339.48kms
Number of stages: 21
Longest stage: 41.45km Jordan River (SS10/SS13)
Service Park: Dead Sea Centre, Jordan

Picture from www.eurosport.fr

Event info table from Stobart motorsport.

Hirvonen encounters Mexican Police

Reports have emerged from Mexico that Mikko Hirvonen had his car temporarily towed away today!

From what I’ve read it seems to be his recce car that caused the problem (although I can’t be sure because google translate isn’t really helping me on this one!) after he parked it in an area that it shouldn’t be. Luckily his mechanics managed to retrieve it from the police and Mikko was then able to carry on.

All in all it seems like a bit of a misunderstanding!

If you know anymore – or I have got the completely wrong end of the stick with the translations let me know!

Rally Mexico Preview

Rally Mexico. A world away from the opening round of the 2010 WRC season. The drivers and teams will be swapping sub-zero temperatures for heat and altitude.

Sharing a border with the United States this rally first appeared on the calendar in 2004 and has become a firm favourite among the fans.
Since then it has been won by three different drivers with two competing this coming weekend (Petter Solberg and Sébastien Loeb) both of whom will be hoping for the win for different reasons.
Rally Sweden was an utter disaster for Solberg from start to finish – the exact opposite to what he was telling the media he was going to produce.
As for Loeb, he resigned himself to second place something that is pretty much unheard of from him. He’ll be determined to put everyone in their places this weekend, and having won here three times in a row previously you’d certainly tip him as favourite.

After a ceremonial start Thursday night in Guanajuato City (to coincide with the 100^th anniversary of the Mexican revoultion) the crews will be tackling 354.60 competitive kilometres over 22 stages many of which are at a height of over 2000m above sea level – a tall order for cars a personnel alike to overcome.

Saturday will see the Ibaarrilla stage, the longest of the weekend, totalling 29.90km – this will be run as ss10/14. A short blast through a Super Special stage will be run twice an evening.  Almost all the stages are the same as 2008 with the exception of a few including one brand new one and another which will be run back to front.

But the talk of the town is the arrival of American rally superstar Ken Block who, unlike Kimi Räikkönen and his disiasterous Arctic Rally, comes off the back of an incredible 100 acre Rally America win. Block has become an internet sensation thanks to his Youtube stunt videos (brought to a mainstream British audience by Top Gear). He certainly has the pace to feature in the top 10 on a regular basis but having little experience in a WRC spec car may hold him back some – although this guy seems to relish challenges so don’t discount him quite yet!

And it’s that time of year again when Sport Relief enters our conscious and asks us to do our sporty best at raising money for charity. The Ford team will be swapping engine power for their own two feet when they charge through the streets of León on Thursday afternoon. The 1.5km Coca Cola stage will be part of the rally on Friday however it will first see the likes of Mikko Hirvonen, Jari-Matti Latvala and Henning Solberg, as well as many other members of the team, as they run in an effort to reduce child poverty at home and around the world.

If you would like to support the team you can donate to their specifically set-up Sport Relief page here
If not, you can always donate on the night of the live show broadcast in the UK.

Selected quotes…

Ken Block

This weekend I’ll be up against the greatest rally drivers on earth and, believe me, I will be truly humbled because I am basically a novice in the WRC…I’m on a good development process to get to the top level and its going to take a while but I’m going to do my best. It’s going to an incredible experience… Success for me would be to finish the event and not embarrass myself too much!

Sébastien Loeb

Is probably the most exotic of the rally championship, with the exception of Japan. The race takes place at an average altitude of 2000m, which means we loose a little horsepower: about 20% less power from the motor. The special stages are interesting and varied. It’s a recent rally and the population are becoming more and more interested. Over there they don’t do things by halves, when they are fans of something, they are real fans! A little like Argentina.

Event Information
Date: March 4-7, 2010
Round: 2 of 13 FIA World Rally Championship
Based: León, Mexico
Stage surface: Gravel
Total stage distance: 354.60kms
Number of stages: 22
Service Park: Poliforum, León

Picture from Monster World Rally Team
Quotes from www.wrc.com and www.sebastienloeb.com
Event breakdown information from www.stobartmotorsport.com

Rally Sweden day one in a nutshell!

I could write a blog about today’s goings on in the opening round of the 2010 World Rally Championship in Sweden however you’ve probably read it all already through the WRC website and other sources. And to be honest me putting up the same information in new words would only bored you to tears.

So I’m going to put a few little nuggets of information on here that I found interesting – I hope you do to.

First off I probably should give a mention to Hirvonen who now leads the rally with Loeb 8.4 seconds behind and Sordo a further 3.8 behind him. A great drive from all the top three drivers who seemed to be the only ones to pass through the stages with next to no drama.

Now, I don’t know how many of you watched the Dave WRC preview on Sunday but there was a rather good feature with Petter Solberg in which he explained how to drive in the snow and use snowbanks to your advantage. It really was a great feature although I get the feeling he didn’t listen to his own words. Last night during Karlstad Super Special he expertly put the car in a snowbank. OK, so it didn’t cost him masses and masses of time but I did love the irony.

Kimi should also have paid attention to Petter’s advice because he too found himself in a snow bank in ss6 – unfortunately for him it did cost him masses of time. Over 20 minutes in fact. According to Kaj Lindström their windscreen misted up and they slid into a ditch.

But this is beside the point. What struck me most about his driving today was that in ss7 he set a time that was faster than Matt Wilson’s and Petter Solbergs. Now I know many people will say, ‘but Matt and Petter had crashes and their cars were damaged.’ – to the people who will say this… Räikkönen also crashed and most probably damaged his car too.
So all in all I think that shows promise.

The final thing I found interesting was in the S-WRC. That little Fiesta I love so much (my reasoning can be seen in a previous post) seems to have a small issue with its back window. Two separate cars apparently lost their rear windscreens – one of which was driven by Prokop.
I really do have a slight bias towards this car and I hope this is merely a strange co-incidence.

So that was day one in a ridiculously small nutshell. I know a lot of people will have had their first WRC experience today (we all know the interest a certain Finn has brought to the sport) so I hope you enjoyed it! Believe me, you will now be hooked.

Image from http://www.wrc.com

Live coverage and the WRC

I touched upon it in my previous blog and the more I’ve thought about it the more I believe the WRC needs it – live televised coverage.

Rally Monte Carlo, an IRC event, received a record 14hours of live coverage last month. While this weekends’ GP2 Asia race from Abu Dhabi was also broadcast live (well, from lap two at least) and even the Race of Champions from Beijing was shown live on Eurosport.

So why not the WRC?

WRC fans are among the most passionate in sport. These are people who will spend 3 days in all kinds of weather to see their favourite drivers and teams. Many of them will camp in forests huddled around makeshift fires forsaking simple luxuries for the chance to see a world rally car hurtling at terrifying speeds right under their noses.

Unfortunately though it’s no secret that the WRC has suffered in recent years. Manufacturers have pulled out left, right and centre and without a ‘star’ Brit a lot of the viewing public in this country have lost interest.

If you were walk up to Joe public in the street and ask who they consider to be the great drivers of our time their answers would be Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and, most probably, The Stig (!). Mention Sebastien Loeb, Mikko Hirvonen or Petter Solberg to them and they’d look at you like you were an idiot. Most wouldn’t even be able to pick the 6-time world championship winner Loeb out of a police line-up. Yet he is pretty much the Schumacher of rallying (albeit without the cheating and ramming his competitors off the road).

When Eurosport showed Rally Monte Carlo figures indicated that 12million people tuned in and it makes you wonder whether if they offered the same media attention to the WRC would it get an equal amount or maybe even more viewers?

To me this seems like a viable option. I understand that it would be a huge undertaking for a broadcast team and cost a lot of money but if they were to show three live stages a day I believe viewing figures would soar and maybe more teams and sponsors would see this as the series to be involved in.

Until then, those of us living in Britain will have to spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights watching daily edited highlights at 10.20pm on Motors TV.
I suppose we should be grateful that it’s being shown at all in some capacity.