90’s WRC Monte Carlo - proper.

[matty w]

Me an my mate go to the wrc in Wales every year an as others have said you've gotta see the modern cars in the flesh to appreciate them

 

[M.C..]

I go to a lot of rallies and have done for years, I always think with modern stuff the sound is just not there everything sounds the same yes they are fast but I would rather see and more to the point hear a slower 6R4 or Audi Quattro spitting huge flames out the back.

If you like the old stuff do the roger Albert Clark it’s always a good event again good cars to listen to especially Perez’s Stratos.

Andy Burtons Pug cosworth was always good to watch good driver who knew how to drive and you could hear the car coming from miles away, shame all the good stuff gets banned

 

[McGherkin]

That’s not a silly question at all.

No I haven’t. The last time I spent a weekend following the RAC, sorry, Rally Wales, sorry, the Rally GB that doesn’t leave Wales, was back in about 2003 / 2004.

I watched the modern stuff on TV / YouTube, and I can’t put my finger on the precise reason why, it just does nothing for me. Too sterile perhaps ?

I think this is possibly the issue. The current cars don’t come across too well on TV. The volume is pretty brutal, and in real life you see much more how they literally suck the stage up behind them, and the pace is mental. You definitely get a sense that you’re seeing a very different beast to the 2010-2016 cars. The driving style is smoother and more controlled but they’re still throwing them around at 10/10ths.

 

[massivewangers]

Yep, lots of people here that need to go and see the new cars. I think they would appreciate them a lot more if they saw them in real life. Saying that, a top level WRC driver could make a 1.1 Fiesta look epic.

Yeah 6k is a lot of money for a base car.
A colt czt could be fun or a Punto with the 1400 t jet. I am not even 3k into the twingo yet so it's very much a budget build!

Yeah it definitely is. You're right, I think a lot of the turbo stuff has potential. The Fiesta being so common and tweakable does go in its favour though.

 

[PhillipM]

It's the same as anything though, in person even slow cars on the limit look great, but TV hides a lot of the speed sensation so you need cars that are visibly sideways and squirrelly for it to come across for how hard the drivers are working, that's why group b worked so well.
That combined with it being the 'Rally of Wales' only for the past decade and limited spectator parking + charges just puts the nail in the coffin as people don't go to watch it like they did either.
I can remember going to watch the RAC through the forest up here with my dad and there must have been 1000 people just on the section of the woods we were viewing from all there to spectate, even in the rain.

 

[massivewangers]

When I went to GB in 2017, we only managed to do two stages on the Saturday. You couldn't park within four miles of the middle one we wanted to go to, so just had to go straight to the last one. Llandudno was pretty darn busy last year too. It is starting to pull the crowds again. I agree the costs are an issue, but it's very challenging to make it work unfortunately. We're lucky the Welsh back it so much really. There is talk of stages in England in the future I believe, but we'll never see it spread across the UK again.

It would help if club and national events weren't so hidden too of course.

 

[PhillipM]

Yeah, but that's not from lack of space, but because they've massively restricted where you can actually get in to watch as spectators to make sure they can control and charge for it.

 

[stu8v]

The events in Ireland look proper.

I'd love to see them in action, mainly because they're bonkers.

 

[PhillipM]

 

[Martin_172]

Awesome era, this was just before I got into rally, I was the Colin mcrae in the impreza and Tomi in the Evo era!

The big attraction for me was you could watch that on a Saturday and walk into the dealer on a Sunday and buy your favourite rally car, Escort Cossie, Impreza, Evo, Celica GT4.

There's no denying that the current cars are impressive performance wise, all that aero downforce seems to add another level on top of the 90s mechanical grip, but I cant walk into my local Hyundai dealer and buy a 4WD turbo charged monster i20 or go and do 4WD doughnuts in the Tesco carpark in my new Yaris.

you can buy plenty 4wd cars on the market now but as far as I can think no manufacturer makes a rally car for the road anymore? that was what was sad about the demise of the Subaru WRX and Evo 10 (was the 10 a real evo?!?!?!) going out of production

 

[Kev@KAM]

Advancement in Tyres, suspension and the evolution of active differentials have tamed the cars somewhat. They still get driven on the limit but arguably in a more predicatable manner

 

[massivewangers]

The modern cars do seem to suit a more measured driving style. While an icon, McRae's style would look rather slow and outdated in the modern WRC I suspect. I have often wondered if he'd have been able to adapt.

The advancements in tyres and suspension are incredible across all motorsport really. Even in the period of the video above, these "lowly" production-based Group A cars were soon faster than the bespoke Group B machines they replaced. I'm also told that a Group N car from the last decade would have the measure of one of those Group A cars. Time and tide waits for no man.

 

[stu8v]

Mcrae couldn't or wouldn't adapt hence he was dropped.

Certainly a win it or bin it mentality...