BluByYouEvoVIII

iTrader: (35)

Enjoy it while you can, it wont be long before it goes back up, especially if the news from yesterday is right...

On topic, I think this seals the deal, Subaru leaving rally will surely kill the sport. I dont see many people caring about Ford vs Peugeot...

spool_sample

iTrader: (3)

Ford vs. Citroen, actually.

But yeah, it's funny that the two manufacturers that were synonymous with rally and made it popular in the first place - Mitsubishi and Subaru - are no longer involved. It's like Ferrari pulling out of F1 or BMW pulling out of touring cars - they are such an image for the sport that when you take them away, you are pretty much left with nothing.

itzcharlez

iTrader: (4)

fail....

TxEvo8

iTrader: (5)

The companies that make these difficult choices are the ones that will be around when the economy rebounds, good for the long term of rally racing IMO...

zbomb

iTrader: (48)

You know when I think of rally car's I think of Ford's escort cosworth's, Audi, Lancia. Those were my fondest rally memories for sure, It just does'nt get any better than the Grp B days.

STI's and Evo's will continue to be running in Grp N, so give it a chance. in my opinion if your looking for a diverse group of car's and intense drivers they'll still be around, they just won't be in WRC machinery. Group N deserves more attention than it gets.

03_Lancer_ES

iTrader: (11)

Mitsubishi still supports PWRC and Dakar

grillpt

iTrader: (24)

Another one bites the dust....

Robevo RS

iTrader: (16)

you guys wondering why they pull out?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EpN1zdT5Ys

apex electric

Thanks for the comic relief!!

dsycks

iTrader: (10)

There is no question that the global glut of money has driven the performance car market strongly over the past decade plus. We have seen an explosion of wildly bad cars and unreal aftermarket support. It was all driven by cash.

Now that belts are tight we will see a step back but I doubt it will be as bad as what we saw in the early 70s when performance cars fell off the face of the globe in mass for almost 20 years.

People will still expect their cars to drive well and perform and thanks to technology we can hope for some fun cars that are also maybe a bit more responsible.

madcows

The S2000 regulations is a lot worse than what group N did to group B. At least group N had become very refined - though not as insanely fast as the Bs.. This is seriously taking several steps back, and will hurt the WRC more than it already is. Even Loeb is saying he will want no part of it. I also think that if Subaru was winning at least either a driver's, and manufacturer's championship, they would have not pulled out. It does make economic sense, but it also does give me the feeling they're being sore losers. I also wouldn't be surprised if ford announced their withdrawal soon, though i'm sure they would be back as long as the WRC is still around.


edit:
I do find it to be a shame that subaru who is synonymous with group N is pulling out. It was their involvement with the wrc that got me into their cars.

97EclipseGSX

iTrader: (7)

Actually it goes back to the Clinton admin. but yeah Bush didn't help things. It was going to happen no matter what though. The wheels were already in motion before he got into office. Carry on.

DaveK

iTrader: (21)

I think its a good thing that WRC is looking at ways to control costs, but that their formula needs tweaking. Hopefully they can figure something out before the series loses fans.

IMO, allowing manufacturers to 'create' a car for WRC without offering an AWD car to the masses is too close to NASCRAP. While I like seeing the bigger power of the WRC cars, I like Group N for it's 'you can almost go buy one' similarity. Group N represents technology that makes it into cars for the masses.

While I was too young to appreciate the Group B cars in their time, I'm certainly a fan now. There's just something about watching those things get manhandled in the woods that these modern WRC cars don't have. Hopefully some sort of balance can be found between the two eras of rallying...and for god sakes, make sure its available on TV in the US.

Dave

madcows

Besides for the obvious lack of INSANE power in group n, I think the reason they appear more "civil" is because of the technology in the drivetrain, and suspension. So, while the group b cars may have been faster, the group n cars seem to handle all conditions better. For instance, out of all the group b videos that I've seen, none of the jumps compare to the huge air the you see in group n on a regular basis. The new cars are just better suited for everything. Now, if they didn't have that restrictor plate, it would be really interesting to see what they could do.

I also agree with the complaint about manufacturers that don't even offer awd systems on the production cars get to add it to their wrc cars. But, if that were the case, this past season, we would have only had subaru, and suzuki. None the less, it's for this very reason, that subaru and mitsubishi has such a huge fan base in wrc. I hope something positive gets done to revive the sport, by making it interesting to watch. maybe offer a bit of head to head, and I don't mean like on the super specials.

DaveK

iTrader: (21)

I'm not sure if this fact holds true for the Group N cars, but I thought that within a few years of the Group B cars being banned for being 'too fast,' the newer crop of Group A cars began setting faster stage times. I'm 100% certain that current day Group A (WRC) cars are quiker over a stage than the Group B cars.

Diffs, suspension, tire technology obviously can make up a ton of ground over pure unadulturated HP...and is one of the primary reasons I saved $$ until ACD evo's dropped into my price range. The fact that you can make Group B power relatively easily with an Evo is a huge plus, but only once you're able to put the power down. Restrictors are for lawyers..., and in our hillclimbs in Colorado, there are no restrictors.

Dave