Do’s and Don’ts of Following Rally – A handy Guide

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luviceman
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Re: Do’s and Don’ts of Following Rally – A handy Guide

Post by luviceman » 13 Jan 2011, 15:58

thank you everyone :hug:

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Re: Do’s and Don’ts of Following Rally – A handy Guide

Post by SpaMaster » 23 Jan 2011, 05:39

Ha haa, fantastic thread!
Curious case of Kimi Raikkonen..

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Way Too Fast
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Re: Do’s and Don’ts of Following Rally – A handy Guide

Post by Way Too Fast » 25 Jan 2011, 00:43

This is just my opinion on the do's and don'ts of following the WRC.

1.Read news from WRC.com,Rally Buzz and forums like this one only BEFORE AND AFTER each WRC Rally.Watch Recce andwarm up vids before the Rally.Avoid getting depressed about WRC when reading Autosport rally thread which mainly focusses on everything that is negative about the WRC! Alot of the negativity comes from Brittish Rally fans that have been down ever since the Only 2 ever Brittish WRC champs Richard Burns(2001 World Champ)had to pull out of Rallying because of a brain tumour and died because of it in 2005 :( . Colin McRae(1995 World Champ)lost his race seat at Citroen for 2004 after a poor season in 2003.The driver everyone loved for his daring =and aggressive style
only saw Citroen choose Sebastian Loeb and Carlos Sainz as their drivers .If that wasn't bad enough,Colin tragically died in a helicopter crash in 2007 :(

2.Don't read about any news DURING the Rally and just wait to WATCH the WRC programme on TV in your Country.If your Country doesn't broadcast WRC then watch it online from uploads on youtube such as MR Antystenes youtube channel.You'll be watching it on delay but in my opinion it's better than spending enless hours listening to Rally radio throughout a whole weekend.You will miss some news because you don't listen to the Rally radio and there certainly is a unique enjoyment of following the WRC with a forum plus live timing plus rally radio:) but I find it way too time consuming and ultimately draining requiring way too much patience.The TV Highlight package is much more exciting and enjoyable for me and you can actually WATCH!!
I feel like I'm living in the dark ages when following rally by radio when the technology exists to bring us live footage of every stage and I'd happily pay whatever dollars to WRC.com to WATCH WRC live online.Until then,I'm happy watching the half hour daily highlights as if it was live by turning a blind eye to all rally news DURING the Rally!

Just my opinion.I don't want to stop you enjoying your method of following WRC :hug: Just hope that WRC will eventually show all stages live and we as the fans should demand it!! I'd pay to watch live WRC online!!
ALONSO EYEBROWS WILL BEAT YOUR EYEBROWS UP EVERYTIME!! :n :n :n

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHgrMXLdV4Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IcX73pHiXQ

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Way Too Fast
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Re: Do’s and Don’ts of Following Rally – A handy Guide

Post by Way Too Fast » 25 Jan 2011, 02:45

The problem Now with my method of following WRC is that this year, the Last Stage of every Rally will be broadcast live on TV! That will certainly mean that the last days half hour TV highlights will be shown AFTER the live broadcast of the very last "Power Stage"
:zz: This is bad news for those that want to watch WRC "as if it was live" Looks like I'll have to record the "Power Stage" and watch it after the last days highlights... For racings sake! Get all those stages of a WRC Rally online and we'll pay for it!! :drool:
ALONSO EYEBROWS WILL BEAT YOUR EYEBROWS UP EVERYTIME!! :n :n :n

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHgrMXLdV4Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IcX73pHiXQ

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luieluv
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Re: Do’s and Don’ts of Following Rally – A handy Guide

Post by luieluv » 26 Jan 2011, 11:22

Thanks WTF for sharing your POV with us.
So its gonna be a mix of Ravishing Black and White for Kimi Raikkonen this season

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Re: Do’s and Don’ts of Following Rally – A handy Guide

Post by Claudie_Schnaudie » 26 Jan 2011, 15:35

Way Too Fast wrote:The problem Now with my method of following WRC is that this year, the Last Stage of every Rally will be broadcast live on TV! That will certainly mean that the last days half hour TV highlights will be shown AFTER the live broadcast of the very last "Power Stage"
:zz: This is bad news for those that want to watch WRC "as if it was live" Looks like I'll have to record the "Power Stage" and watch it after the last days highlights... For racings sake! Get all those stages of a WRC Rally online and we'll pay for it!! :drool:

That would be awesome!!! And I´d deffo pay for it!
Kimi Kimi gimme just a little smile :)

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Suomileijona
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Re: Do’s and Don’ts of Following Rally – A handy Guide

Post by Suomileijona » 27 Jan 2011, 16:21

It would be lovely to get more coverage of rally also here in Northern Europe!

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Re: Do’s and Don’ts of Following Rally – A handy Guide

Post by F1Fan88 » 27 Jan 2011, 19:13

A nice detailed tutorial :thumbsup:

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Re: Do’s and Don’ts of Following Rally – A handy Guide

Post by sleenster » 06 Apr 2011, 16:22

Found this blog post which I thought was quite interesting...
http://wrcbehindthestages.blogspot.com/ ... river.html
How to become an official factory driver handbook for dummies

Ok so the title is cliché but hey, this is my blog.

So, this subject will assume that you are a newbie, young or still wet behind the ears kinda guy. If you want to make it and be paid for it this is what you need:

1. Have talent to drive.

This is rather obvious, but there are a lot of drivers out there who have forgotten that part.


2. Find money to pay for your first drives. (there will be a future chapter dedicated to that very juicy subject)


3. If no other way, pay for a drive in a professional team.

You need to make sure that you are surrounded by people who know their stuff. As a newbie driver, your first experiences on the stages are crucial. You must have a car that is reliable and permits you to finish rallies to gain mileage. Your car must also be adjusted correctly and give you proper feedback in feeling. This is the car you will make your first mistakes in so make sure it is safe. (More on this in a following chapter)


4. Learn right from the start to make notes and drive on them.

Getting detailed advice from a professional, experienced driver of WRC is highly recommended. Don't go down the "I will learn the stages by heart" path cause it won't get you anywhere. Today's top drivers are all able to take notes, correct them once and go flat out on a stage they don't know, safely. They are in perfect sync with their notes, kinda like in a trance !!

The whole taking notes and driving on them is the problem of racing drivers who come in rally late in their careers because learning how to drive on notes is a long and tough process. I started to be confortable and confident with my notes in 2005. My notes are derived from my father's system and I have modified them according to the demands of modern rally. I had to make mine faster to read although I still kept quite a lot of detail because I did not use video, like many do.

Notes need to tell you the racing line of a corner or combination of corners, eventually the speed at which you can take it, sometimes when to brake if you can't see the braking point, how to take jumps, where to position your car on blind crests, etc.
(I will further explore this subject in a future chapter)


5. Practice in small events and stay away from the spot light as long as you can while you are learning the basics.

The mistake I did was let myself be sucked into the media whirl right at the start. As soon as you get into the spotlight, and especially if you are the son of a successfull ex-driver like myself, people expect too much from you, too quickly.

Rally is not circuit racing. Talent is not enough when you are a newbie, you need experience and lots of it. The stages in the WRC are the toughest technical roads one can find, anywhere in the world. The competing drivers are all extremely fast and experienced who, for some, have done the stages for years. There is no way that you can come in and light the fires just like that. Sure, you might go fast on the first stage, than have a huge crash in the second.

Be humble, drive without overdoing it. Gain experience and open the throttle when the feeling is good. At 400.000Euros a pop, crashing cars like Colin McRae or Vatanen style is not doing it anymore. If your ego wants to push that pedal down, you better have the cash to back it up. This was not my case so I took the step by step road. (More on the now infamous "3, then 5 year plan" to get to the top in a future Random Short Interlude)


6. When you are fast and reliable, find more cash.

A single event, testing + event, will cost you anywhere between 150.000 and 250.000 Euros so find the cash. Get yourself some drives in a Citroën WRC (the most competitive of the moment) on some events and light the fires. Try to beat the official drivers at least on some stages.


7. Get yourself a manager who talks politics with the team bosses as you are driving.

Politics are an inherent part of the sport. Going fast and being reliable is not enough. You need to get into bed with the teams and look for any opening. If one of the official drivers is not performing, what better idea than a manager whispering your name to the boss as he sees his driver failing live on the screens. Oh my, the psychology...


8. Keep your mouth shut.

Today's bosses don't like drivers with character who speak their minds, unless they are established superstars. They just want you to perform, say the car is great, thank the team, the sponsors, the manufacturer, maybe the family.

Rally, and sport in general, is extremely tough psychologically. Emotions can run very high. You must be psychologically strong enough to keep your mouth shut in the toughest moments. If you know that you are a bit of a "hot" character (like me), get help from a sports psychologist. Many top athletes are followed by shrinks (I wasn't, by the way).


9. Get your manager or a close person to keep an ear open and an eye out for things.

Days are long during rallies and reconnaissance. Meanwhile lots is going on behind the scenes from changes in the organization of the event like cancellation of stages and god knows what else. You need to be aware of things, so that for example, you don't miss your shakedown time because it changed and nobody thought of telling you...


10. Look at what the other drivers are doing.

Don't hesitate to copy good ideas, and protect yours like a rabid hound.


11. Pray that you were born in the right year.

That's right. Drivers have long careers and seats are few. Many guys can drive but few are there at the right time and right place.

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luieluv
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Re: Do’s and Don’ts of Following Rally – A handy Guide

Post by luieluv » 06 Apr 2011, 17:15

Thanks sleen.

Pray that you were born in right year .. lolzz.. :d
So its gonna be a mix of Ravishing Black and White for Kimi Raikkonen this season

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Re: Do’s and Don’ts of Following Rally – A handy Guide

Post by Moominpappa » 06 Apr 2011, 20:41

sleenster wrote:Found this blog post which I thought was quite interesting...
http://wrcbehindthestages.blogspot.com/ ... river.html
How to become an official factory driver handbook for dummies

Ok so the title is cliché but hey, this is my blog.

So, this subject will assume that you are a newbie, young or still wet behind the ears kinda guy. If you want to make it and be paid for it this is what you need:


5. Practice in small events and stay away from the spot light as long as you can while you are learning the basics.
This is just like Kimi has done :D :D :D
I miss a babysitter

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Re: Do’s and Don’ts of Following Rally – A handy Guide

Post by rayg » 05 May 2011, 18:48

may i say that WTF made some good points but should try and steer clear of derogatory remarks about other rally fans, the aim is to raise the profile of rally not to make broad generalisations about existing fans that may cause offense, I'm British, a massive wrc fan in general, a big ford fan and a matthew wilson fan ( i know thats gonna get some backlash) and have not found any fellow british rally fans to b negative towards thw wrc since the untimely departures of colin and richard. theres a great domestic scene here and don't forget matthew wilson who is beginning to prove he deserves his place if for no other reason than he keeps his head down amidst all the c**p thats said about him. I hope my remarks don't offend anyone but rally fans should stick together coz there aint enough of us!

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Re: Do’s and Don’ts of Following Rally – A handy Guide

Post by goldenboy91 » 13 May 2015, 22:37

Wow, thanks for the Finnish pacenotes :D

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