Six months ago, it was far from crazy to think that the WRC could be on the verge of a new dawn. With Sebastien Loeb - the man who had made the championship his own for the past nine seasons - on his way out, a new era of close competition between Citroen and newcomers Volkswagen seemed at hand.
Here we are in July however, with seven of thirteen rallies completed, and Sebastien Ogier has established a virtually unassailable 64 point lead in what has transpired to be a damp squib of a contest.
It was clear from the outset that the Ogier-Volkswagen combination was going to be potent, but few anticipated just how little time it would take for the sport's new kids on the block to not only surpass, but dominate a post-Loeb Citroen team with their Polo R contender.
The fact that Loeb, who has only been present at three rallies this year, is the best-placed Citroen driver in the WRC points standings tells you all you need to know about how Mikko Hirvonen and Dani Sordo have failed to step up to the challenge presented before them by Ogier.
Ironically, had Loeb opted to remain in rallying full-time for another season, chances are we'd be enjoying a nail-biting dual for supremacy between two of the best drivers the sport has ever seen. Instead, "the other" Sebastien has simply taken over where his predecessor left off.
Such domination has been detrimental to spectator and media interest in rallying over the last decade, and that sad trend will most likely continue if Ogier can't be seriously threatened by any of his rivals - perhaps to the point where WRC will cease to exist in its current form.
But, for each an every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction - where rallying, easily the most popular form of motorsport besides Formula One in the UK ten years ago thanks to British stars Colin McRae and Richard Burns, is fading from the public consciousness, rallycross is gaining rapid momentum.
Rallycross saw its popularity peak in the UK during the late 80s and early 90s, immediately after the spectacular Group B cars, banned from rallying on safety grounds, became staple fixtures at famous rallycross venues such as Lydden Hill and Brands Hatch.
The likes of Martin Schanche and Kenneth Hansen became some of the most respected names in motorsport with their success, thanks in large part to the high quality TV coverage enjoyed by rallycross in the UK during this period.
As the 90s progressed however, TV companies began to neglect rallycross in the face of increasing competition from other forms of motorsport, in particular touring car racing - in essence, rallycross on all-tarmac tracks, but with larger grids and more manufacturer involvement.
The decline of rallying has nonetheless opened up something of a vacuum in the motorsport world in recent years, a vacuum into which rallycross is expanding after a lengthy spell in the doldrums. The epicentre of this renaissance is the USA, a market in which the sport was hitherto unknown.
Few people outside of North America are likely to have heard of the "X Games", a sporting competition organised by US sports broadcaster ESPN which features "extreme" sports like motocross and skateboarding. In 2010, the decision to add rallycross to the event was taken.
It should come as little surprise that the US has warmed to rallycross. Short, action-packed races contested by a small pack of extremely fast cars may be just what the new generation of American motor racing fans are crying out for. NASCAR, a series whose races routinely exceed three hours, had best take note.
The popularity of the X Games rallycross competition spawned the four-round Global RallyCross (GRC) championship in 2011 (something of a misnomer when you consider every round was held in the US), which has attracted US talent such as Travis Pastrana, Tanner Foust and "gymkhana" star Ken Block, arguably the face of the new generation of rallycross.
Most striking of all however was the presence of the two time WRC champion Marcus Gronholm. The Finn's presence created a surge of renewed interest in rallycross in Europe, leading his old adversary Loeb to enter - and win - the 2012 X Games rallycross event in between his rally commitments.
The 2012 GRC, of which the X Games was a part, expanded to six rounds, and despite being still firmly based in the US attracted a large contingent of international drivers who took part at various stages in addition to Gronholm and Loeb.
2013 has been the first season that GRC has lived up to its name, adding rounds in Brazil, Germany and Spain (the last of which was ultimately cancelled due to bad weather) to its established roster of US oval venues and the X Games.
More big names from other motorsport disciplines, including DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom, ex-F1 pilots Scott Speed and Nelson Piquet Jr., and Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice have tried their hand at rallycross, broadening the sport's appeal further.
The presence of WRC champion Petter Solberg, who lost his Ford seat at the end of last year, has also given a timely boost to the European Rallycross championship, whose increasing popularity is reflected by a live TV deal with satellite channel Motors TV. It's not quite the BBC coverage UK fans once enjoyed, but it's better than nothing.
Kris Meeke will become the latest rally driver to try his hand at rallycross as he enters the French round of the European championship next month. Once regarded as Britain's next big rallying star, a lack of funds has blighted the Ulsterman's career recently, denying him the chance to compete full-time for Prodrive in the WRC last year.
Though Meeke insists he remains focused on rallying, if his rallycross debut goes to plan, he would be well-advised to put his rally aspirations to one side. After all, the WRC is in an extremely difficult position, whilst the advances of rallycross show no sign of abating on either side of the Atlantic.
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Thursday, 11 July 2013
Rossi: There's life left in "The Doctor" yet
Had you suggested, after Valentino Rossi's triumph at the Malaysian Grand Prix back in October 2010, that it would take the better part of three years for him to win his next MotoGP race, chances are you would have been laughed out of the room.
Yet, before the Italian rider's unexpected triumph at the Dutch TT at Assen almost two weeks ago, it seemed as if Rossi's sixth victory at Sepang would go down in history as his 79th and last in the top tier of motorcycle racing.
Regardless of whether you're a fan of the man they call "The Doctor", you can't deny that Rossi returning to the top step of the podium comes as positive news for the championship - not only because it injects some much needed variety in the Spanish hegemony that has prevailed recently, but also because of the headlines it has generated.
Rossi is to motorcycle racing is essentially what Roger Federer is to tennis. It's the familiar sporting tale of the experienced star striving to fend off the inexorable advances of the next generation; there's always a certain romance when someone like Rossi is able to rekindle some of the old magic and stick it to the upstarts.
Rossi has returned to the factory Yamaha team this season, for whom he previously won the MotoGP title in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009, after two years of what can only be described as profuse struggle at Ducati.
Few doubted that the Rossi-Ducati partnership - a match made in heaven for Italian fans - would be a success when it was announced in the summer of 2010. After all, Casey Stoner, the man whom Rossi would replace, had been winning races aboard the red machine that year, while Rossi was still more or less at the peak of his powers.
With just three podium finishes to show for his two seasons at Ducati however, it came as no surprise when it was announced last summer that Rossi would be departing the team and returning to Yamaha to race alongside his old nemesis Jorge Lorenzo.
The pair had been teammates at Yamaha from 2008 to 2010, and some close on-track battles, most notably Rossi's breathtaking last corner lunge on Lorenzo at Catalunya in 2009, led to an increasingly acrimonious relationship between the pair that was said to be part of the reason for Valentino's move to Ducati.
Lorenzo has since won the title himself on two occasions - firstly in 2010, after Rossi's challenge was derailed by a practice crash at Mugello that ruled him out of four races, and again last year after a closely fought battle with Honda rider Dani Pedrosa.
In 2008, it was Lorenzo, at the time the reigning 250cc champion, who had everything to prove whilst Rossi was the undisputed number one. Five years on, and it's the seven-times champion that has been forced to re-establish his credentials with Lorenzo now considered by many the best in the business.
A competitive second place behind Lorenzo at the season-opener in Qatar was just about as good a start as Rossi fans could have hoped for after two years away from Yamaha. On that basis, few would have foreseen that the rider of the #46 would be absent from the podium for the next five races.
Two fourth places, a sixth, a twelfth after falling in the damp at Le Mans and a retirement as a result of a first-lap crash on home soil at Mugello left Rossi languishing in fifth place in the standings, 63 points away from leader Pedrosa and one place behind satellite Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow.
Even those, myself included, that before the season started had expected Rossi to give Lorenzo a serious run for his money were beginning to find themselves questioning whether the 34-year old's star was irreversibly on the wane. Time was certainly running out for "The Doctor" to diagnose the cause of his competitive illness.
The turning point came a week before the Dutch TT, when Rossi claimed to have made a "breakthrough" during a test session at Aragon. The Italian explained that with the help of some set-up changes, he had been able to rediscover the "feel" in his braking, a lack of which had been previously holding him back.
Additionally, the fact that Lorenzo broke his collarbone during practice for the Assen race meant that there be one less bike standing between him and the top step of the podium, and that Rossi would become the sole focal point for Yamaha's efforts for the weekend.
As it turned out, Lorenzo incredibly took the start of the race and finished in a superb fifth place in spite of his injuries. But, the day without doubt belonged to Rossi, who took a victory every bit as convincing as those MotoGP fans witnessed during his early-to-mid 2000s heyday.
The burning question now is whether Rossi can replicate a similar performance this weekend at the the German Sachsenring circuit. If he genuinely turned a corner during testing at Aragon, there's no reason to think why not, and the fact that Lorenzo will once again not be at full fitness makes the race another golden opportunity for Rossi.
His Assen victory - the 80th premier class win of his career - has cut the gap between him and the championship lead to 51 points. With eleven races still to run, and thus a total of 275 points left up for grabs, that's far from an insurmountable deficit.
At 34 years of age however, Rossi isn't getting any younger. Realistically, 2013 is likely to be his last real stab at championship glory. The odds are of course stacked firmly against Rossi, with bookmakers still offering up to 50/1 for him to pip Pedrosa, Lorenzo and rookie sensation Marc Marquez to the post.
Just imagine the publicity MotoGP would enjoy if Rossi could overcome those odds to take an eighth premier class title. It would be just what "The Doctor" ordered...
Yet, before the Italian rider's unexpected triumph at the Dutch TT at Assen almost two weeks ago, it seemed as if Rossi's sixth victory at Sepang would go down in history as his 79th and last in the top tier of motorcycle racing.
Regardless of whether you're a fan of the man they call "The Doctor", you can't deny that Rossi returning to the top step of the podium comes as positive news for the championship - not only because it injects some much needed variety in the Spanish hegemony that has prevailed recently, but also because of the headlines it has generated.
Rossi is to motorcycle racing is essentially what Roger Federer is to tennis. It's the familiar sporting tale of the experienced star striving to fend off the inexorable advances of the next generation; there's always a certain romance when someone like Rossi is able to rekindle some of the old magic and stick it to the upstarts.
Rossi has returned to the factory Yamaha team this season, for whom he previously won the MotoGP title in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009, after two years of what can only be described as profuse struggle at Ducati.
Few doubted that the Rossi-Ducati partnership - a match made in heaven for Italian fans - would be a success when it was announced in the summer of 2010. After all, Casey Stoner, the man whom Rossi would replace, had been winning races aboard the red machine that year, while Rossi was still more or less at the peak of his powers.
With just three podium finishes to show for his two seasons at Ducati however, it came as no surprise when it was announced last summer that Rossi would be departing the team and returning to Yamaha to race alongside his old nemesis Jorge Lorenzo.
The pair had been teammates at Yamaha from 2008 to 2010, and some close on-track battles, most notably Rossi's breathtaking last corner lunge on Lorenzo at Catalunya in 2009, led to an increasingly acrimonious relationship between the pair that was said to be part of the reason for Valentino's move to Ducati.
Lorenzo has since won the title himself on two occasions - firstly in 2010, after Rossi's challenge was derailed by a practice crash at Mugello that ruled him out of four races, and again last year after a closely fought battle with Honda rider Dani Pedrosa.
In 2008, it was Lorenzo, at the time the reigning 250cc champion, who had everything to prove whilst Rossi was the undisputed number one. Five years on, and it's the seven-times champion that has been forced to re-establish his credentials with Lorenzo now considered by many the best in the business.
A competitive second place behind Lorenzo at the season-opener in Qatar was just about as good a start as Rossi fans could have hoped for after two years away from Yamaha. On that basis, few would have foreseen that the rider of the #46 would be absent from the podium for the next five races.
Two fourth places, a sixth, a twelfth after falling in the damp at Le Mans and a retirement as a result of a first-lap crash on home soil at Mugello left Rossi languishing in fifth place in the standings, 63 points away from leader Pedrosa and one place behind satellite Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow.
Even those, myself included, that before the season started had expected Rossi to give Lorenzo a serious run for his money were beginning to find themselves questioning whether the 34-year old's star was irreversibly on the wane. Time was certainly running out for "The Doctor" to diagnose the cause of his competitive illness.
The turning point came a week before the Dutch TT, when Rossi claimed to have made a "breakthrough" during a test session at Aragon. The Italian explained that with the help of some set-up changes, he had been able to rediscover the "feel" in his braking, a lack of which had been previously holding him back.
Additionally, the fact that Lorenzo broke his collarbone during practice for the Assen race meant that there be one less bike standing between him and the top step of the podium, and that Rossi would become the sole focal point for Yamaha's efforts for the weekend.
As it turned out, Lorenzo incredibly took the start of the race and finished in a superb fifth place in spite of his injuries. But, the day without doubt belonged to Rossi, who took a victory every bit as convincing as those MotoGP fans witnessed during his early-to-mid 2000s heyday.
The burning question now is whether Rossi can replicate a similar performance this weekend at the the German Sachsenring circuit. If he genuinely turned a corner during testing at Aragon, there's no reason to think why not, and the fact that Lorenzo will once again not be at full fitness makes the race another golden opportunity for Rossi.
His Assen victory - the 80th premier class win of his career - has cut the gap between him and the championship lead to 51 points. With eleven races still to run, and thus a total of 275 points left up for grabs, that's far from an insurmountable deficit.
At 34 years of age however, Rossi isn't getting any younger. Realistically, 2013 is likely to be his last real stab at championship glory. The odds are of course stacked firmly against Rossi, with bookmakers still offering up to 50/1 for him to pip Pedrosa, Lorenzo and rookie sensation Marc Marquez to the post.
Just imagine the publicity MotoGP would enjoy if Rossi could overcome those odds to take an eighth premier class title. It would be just what "The Doctor" ordered...
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