Re: B v WRC - some thoughts

[Michael Zamikhovsky <MikeZ755@sprintmail.com>]

Dave Eaton wrote:

> my opinion after watching the sport at the top level for the last 16 years
> is that speeds in group b are still much higher than the new cars.
>
> the "wrc" cars are just much faster over a special stage, thats all.  they
> are incredibly quick around corners.  the group "b" cars would huff and puff
> down the straight bits then wheeze around the corners.  the new cars are not
> as quick on the straight bits, but their speed around corners beggars
> belief.  also, and in a big plus for spectating, the new cars are getting
> pretty spectacular, and the crowds are returning to the sport.
>
> certainly some stages and rallys are decided by mere seconds.  when mcrae
> dnf'ed in nz, he was leading makkinen by 1.9sec.  however,
> makkinen/mitsibushi has been the champ for the last 3 years running (albeit
> rather fortuitously last year), and is inline for the crown again this
> year - which is a level of domination than the sport has never seen.
>
> i don't share your pessimism for the future of the sport.  this lies with
> bernie.  he is keen to involve more and more tv.  the manufacturers appear
> to be very pleased with the "wrc" rules, the crowds are returning and asia
> is very keen for more rounds (china, malaysia).  with the exception of
> toyota's pull-out in 2001, the sport seems to be in very good shape with 8
> committed "wrc" manufacturers.  an all-time record.
>
> dave
> '95 rs2
> '90 ur-q
> '88 mb 2.3-16
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1999 10:03:05 EDT
> From: QSHIPQ@aol.com
> Subject: RE: B v WRC - some thoughts
>
> The easiest way to dominate?  Cheat on horsepower.  Toyota proved it in WRC
> 1994 (and for those of you not following, toyota used a ingeniously designed
> and constructed  lift off restrictor on the turbo, that actually pulled the
> restrictor away from the turbo, allowing more air into the motor, which in
> turn added horsepower over the competition, toyota won the 1994
> championship...  Then it was taken away and toyota banned from the 1995
> season).
>
> So, yes everything is "refined".  But mostly because horsepower isn't the
> war, you can't really cheat airflow thru a restrictor in terms of physics
> (and btw, the restrictor allowed by FIA is smaller than allowed by SCCA here
> in the states).  One could easily argue that the speeds are certainly in the
> same realm as they were in the killer b era.  So what happens next to slow
> the cars?  All those "refinements" to awd, just might make FIA come back to
> 2wd only.  It's slated for discussion again (from the 1995 punt) really
> soon.
>
> My optimism about awd in WRC is waning.  The killer B era came to an end
> when
> the top gun fighters exceeded the talents of the pilots ability to control
> them (Stig had a great B story about wanting to put toothpicks in his eyes
> to
> keep his eyeballs from jiggling).  We are pretty much at the same crossroad
> that we saw in 1986.  When a couple of seconds splits places 1 and 10,
> statistically, the chances of pilot error are exponentially increased.  How
> many will FIA take before pulling the plug.  The 2wd rules are already on
> the
> table...
>
> My .02

Toyota's pull out is still very unclear. They just signed a new driver from
Estonia Marcu Marten who is 23 years old and who we met in UK last year. My
frends in TTE say that pull out is not definate because Toyota deallers world
wide support rally do to use of  street cars. This is better for advertising
according to them than F1.

Mike Z