r/WRC • u/MiddleReward4468 • 7d ago

Commentary / Discussion / Question Will the WRC lose its European Fans?

Hey everyone,

since the CER isn't part of the WRC next year and Wales isn't part of it either, do you guys think that the interest in WRC will slowly fade in the heart of Europe?

For me it seems like the FIA is trying to reach other markets like the arabic regions and potentially the US and slowly start to forget the countries that made rallying popular worldwide (excluding Finland, Sweden etc.)

What do you guys think?

PS: I saw some news that Germany (together with Luxemburg and Belgium) is trying to bring back the Rally Deutschland in the upcoming years. Tbh I highly doubt that, simply because of the politics and the economic difficulties that Racing is facing in Germany.

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u/YarisGO Craig Breen 7d ago

Rallies were born in Europe, the interest will never fade. Also because you are Welsh? Wales hasn't been here for years and I don't think anyone apart from the Welsh has cried

And the CER is not a historic rally, Croatia is taking its place, having already spent several years in WRC compared to CER

I'm Italian, for me it's enough to have an Italian rally in the WRC and I'm happy (fortunately they signed a multi-year agreement, probably until 2030 for a rally in Italy), then if the WRC has more rallies in Asia/Africa/Oceania I'm happy instead of having almost all the rallies in Europe

However, Larkin has already said that the heart of the WRC will remain in Europe, due to a question of costs

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u/captainsittingduck 7d ago

The interest has faded. Rally popularity is nowhere near where it was in the 80s and 90s

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u/YarisGO Craig Breen 7d ago

For sure, I see the positive side, that is that when I’m at a rally I like to be in places where there are few people

But it’s not because the WRC has scheduled rallies outside of Europe

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u/captainsittingduck 7d ago

Agree, it's a wider issue. Largely lack of competition and poor marketing which leads to a death spiral. Lower interest, less reasons for manufacturers to arrive

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u/YarisGO Craig Breen 7d ago

I also think the most restrictive safety rules