I have a question. I'm writing a racing script and I'm considering doing it on rally racing.

I've watched some 2011 WRC (specifically Sweden and Portugal) and i have to be very honest... it was very very boring to watch. And I watch NASCAR so I have a high tolerance of repetitive stuff. I apologize to rally fans but beyond the high skill driving I dont find it very interesting as a spectator standpoint.

I've played RBR but beyond the fact that Rally is extremely difficult and there's variation on the races I'm not sure what's so extreme interesting with rally (or WRC).

Where as driver drama is apparent in F1 (2007 Hamilton v. Alonso and 2010 Webber v. Vettel). So does Rally have driver/team drama? What makes rally as a competition interesting to spectators?

Any insights would help and I will continue to watch as much WRC as i can

It's man vs man vs machine vs nature

How you can watch a WRC car on full chat, and not find it exciting I don't know.

However, WRC is a bit rubbish now that there are only one or two drivers, and the stages are mostly quite short, so I can understand the personal side - rivalries, physical stamina etc - escaping you.

And most TV coverage is dire - but how do you televise a one-at-a-time sport like WRC and make it interesting?

Quote from tristancliffe :

WRC is a bit rubbish now that there are only one or two drivers, and the stages are mostly quite short, so I can understand the personal side - rivalries, physical stamina etc - escaping you.

That's really my problem at the moment. I'm not exactly blaming the sport but I do think the coverages I've seen are fairly crap and boring.

Do you have any stories (or specific seasons i should research) that I can dive into to get the personal sense of rally? (Like Webber v. Vettel 2010)

Anything with Loeb in it!!!

Loeb versus Gronholm
Loeb versus Hirvonen
Loeb versus Latvala

Loeb's rise from gymnastics to quite possibly the best driver in the world is definitely worth researching - read and watch anything you can about the man.

I would say the best rallying action was a few years ago, back in the 90s and early 2000s with a lot of great drivers and teams together, but it's usually the cars flying through the stages and the incidents which make rallies memorable and exciting.

As a story, you have McRae, Mäkinen, Burns, Grönholm, fighting it out for the 2001 championship.

Just look on youtube for onboards etc and you'll see why it's so good - like http://www.youtu.be/BsNW8TX2vGs, http://youtu.be/B-l9FDqc1Vw and http://youtu.be/gehmbHZEs0Q, plus wrc's youtube channel

Are co-drivers views as important to the team too? Or do fans just typically ignore co-drivers and they never get any attention/recognition?

International rallying may be dead on the surface, but the roots are still intact.

Quote from lizardfolk :

I'm writing a racing script and I'm considering doing it on rally racing.

What script exactly?

Quote from lizardfolk :

I have a question. I'm writing a racing script

I'm curious now... tell me more about what you mean by racing script.

Something to simulate racing as in computer script? or like a screenplay script?

EDIT now that I think about it, looking for specific cases of drama sounds like a TV or play script type of thing.

Yeah it's a screenplay. Not sure whether it'll be a movie or tv series yet as I'm probably thinking of launching a webseries that focuses on racing as I'm sick of retarded movies like Days of Thunder or Driven ruining racing in screenplay.

If I do make a webseries it'll be tv series format. But a screenplay is a screenplay and (as a graduating film/writing major in college) I already know how to adapt between the two mediums.

Which is why I'm asking for the "drama" aspect of it :P

there's a lot of aspect you can touch on rallying, the co-dependence of driver and co-driver, the stories that drivers have to improvise and do a mechanic's job just to keep the car going, the life of a rally fan who sits in a rainy cold morning with a fire just to watch car goes by, the massive crowd drawn in the Group B era, the humble beginnings of many world class drivers and of course the most basic aspect of danger and fatality

Quote from lizardfolk :

Yeah it's a screenplay. Not sure whether it'll be a movie or tv series yet as I'm probably thinking of launching a webseries that focuses on racing as I'm sick of retarded movies like Days of Thunder or Driven ruining racing in screenplay.

I approve this message.
keep fighting the good fight carry on!

Like any particular forms of motorsport, rallying isn't for everyone. I find rallying incredibly exciting. I'm not sure where you find rallying repetitive; many different stages and each one posing particular risks and such. I'll admit many of the stages are short and the TV coverage isn't amazing (though some is decent).

Anytime I see a rally car going full chat on a narrow road I get excited, it's the ultimate test of a driver.

There's also the primal, raw nature of it; Rally stages aren't littered with 'sfaer barriers' and run off areas and other modern safety tripe. How can blasting through a forest on a dirt road at 200KPH not be exciting?

I never said i found it repetitive i just found watching the broadcast boring. I'm sure in person i would have a totally different sentiment. But the WRC broadcasts on tv put me to sleep despite whatever's happening on screen

Quote from lizardfolk :

I never said i found it repetitive i just found watching the broadcast boring. I'm sure in person i would have a totally different sentiment. But the WRC broadcasts on tv put me to sleep despite whatever's happening on screen

Quote from lizardfolk :

And I watch NASCAR so I have a high tolerance of repetitive stuff.

Apologies, just sounded like an insinuation to me

Which WRC broadcasts have you watched? The MotorsTV ones have appalling commentary, and as a result they are quite dull to watch, though they have lots of tasty in car footage. The ESPN coverage is a little more dynamic with better commentary, but less in-car footage and shorter broadcasts.

Neither are amazing, but I opt for the ESPN ones as they are identical to the OneHD broadcasts I watched from last season, which are better than the MotorsTV ones imho.

If you make a screenplay out of something you have no interest in and have no knowledge in, does that not make you a bit of a twat? Why not something you have knowledge in?

timo - nothing research cannot fix


and wrc died with michael park

Quote from hyntty :

If you make a screenplay out of something you have no interest in and have no knowledge in, does that not make you a bit of a twat? Why not something you have knowledge in?

You mean like how you commented in that NASCAR topic?

Quote from Mustafur :

You mean like how you commented in that NASCAR topic?

Yes except just the opposite. You don't need to be a NASCAR fan to have common sense and an idea of how physics works. Interestingly though facts seem to be completely irrelevant in any way if you happen to be one..

For me the fact I know how hard the are concentrating to get every note correct one after another makes it easier to find more exciting. When I watch onboards you can hear how fast the notes come, its all on adrenaline, concentration and skill. Take a look at this video, listen how fast some of the notes come to the driver, how little time he would have to correct something if he had a lapse in concentration he would be a gonner! It's Craig Breen on one of Irelands most famous stages Molls Gap. Craig also has a LFS licence and is competing in the WRC Academy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw3y8Kvmiwk

This

Rallying is just awesome, no other motorsport can come close in terms of pure adrenaline it is still very real, dangerous and somewhat unpredictable.

WRC cars are phenomenal to watch in real life, the noise and energy of those things is mind boggling.

Rallying gets really exciting in the dark though, be it stage or road rallying you can't beat a set of Super Oscars

Rallying is not a live television sport, and when you're a highlights, it's hard to have similar excitement than during a live race. There are live stages (this year there is one mandatory live stage, which is nice) but it's still not the same thing. Also, right now, the level of competition is low compared to the 90s or early part of 2000s. With the new cars and rules it looks a bit better but more manufacturers and more competitive satellite teams are needed.

Maybe some inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqSGhWfkxxk

imo. the limit in rally is more apparent. for those cars to go that fast on surfaces like ice and gravel, it's just mind blowing sometimes.
Loeb the fearless. notice how his pace stays the same even when conditions are against him. ballsy imo.
EDIT: WRC channel full of onboard footage.