First of all, Merry Christmas everyone! Christmas postcards are always a welcome greeting. But you do feel that warm tingly adrenaline feeling in the heart when you see a rallycar or racecar on it, right? I do. So here are some of those online greetings from online! Merry Christmas!
Photo from the Volkswagen Motorsports Facebook Page
Photo from Caterham F1 Team Facebook Page
From Todorallys Twitter
From Team Oreca
I’ve posted on this blog already some drifting, some RedBull sponsored race and rally cars, Philippine motorsports, and known international motorsports icons. This post gives you a lot of those again since Rhys Millen, a well know rally, drift, and hillclimb racer came to the Philippines to promote Red Bull. You can’t deny the fact about Red Bull’s strong motorsports involvement across the globe. I will also not disagree the fact that I am a fan as well especially when many of my modern motorsports heroes are sponsored by the fizzy cola company too if you start back reading this blog. I wouldn’t mind being sponsored by the company either given the chance (especially that a lot of rally drivers in the WRC are also backed by Red Bull).
Another great thing is Rhys Millen uses the great white S13 drift car of a good pal, Asian Formula Drifter and Rallyekross rival, David Feliciano. Pretty cool I must say. I can’t say they weren’t psyched about the whole thing when they kept on tagging me and posting photos of themselves with Rhys and Red Bull just like any motorsport fanatic!
Just got to love the Philippine flavor on this video! At the moment, the video seems to be unfinished so let’s watch and wait on for the rest!
I bought a couple of rally champions. The cars were driven by two of the most dominant rally drivers for the past two decades. Tommi Makinen drove the red Mitsubishi Lancer and won the championship from 1996 – 1999. Sebastien Loeb who had driven both Citroen Xsaras won the the driver’s title in 2004 and is still unbeatable. He has 8 world titles. You do the math.
My favorite rallycar is the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6.5 or Tommi Makinen Edition. It was the last rallycar wherein 4-time World Rally Champion Tommi Makinen had won a world title with. In traditional Marlboro Red, the Japanese manufacturer was one of the strongest of rallycars maintaining a Group A specification despite its rivals already changing to a WRC specification rallycar.
Watch this particular model win the 2001 Monte Carlo Rally!
The blue Citroen Xsara of the private team, Kronos, was driven by Sebastien Loeb in the 2006 Rally Japan. Loeb had won the rally and in the same year had also won his 3rd world rally driver’s title.
Watch this French car take on the 2006 Rally Japan!
The Citroen Xsara is considered to be the most successful rallycar ever since the World Rally Championship existed. The car has had 28 victories with Sebastien Loeb, three consecutive championships from 2004 – 2006, and had given Citroen three manufacturers championship titles also from 2003 – 2005.
Take a look at the Citroen Xsara in its 2005 livery under the Citroen Total World Rally Team in this fan-made tribute.
All I can say is Sebastien Loeb approves of these toys!
“This is what we wanted maybe 15 years ago. There will be more car enthusiast who will be joining the races because it becomes more affordable. Also, the driving will be better and the competition. When driving a less powerful car, you will learn a lot of things that only an underpowered car can teach you. Example of this is suspension tuning, carrying of speed on the corner, braking efficiently,knowing the engine max output at a given terrain and so on. These learning will eventually make the difference when all of you are all driving high horsepower cars. Your experience of driving low power cars will come into play.”
- Vip Isada, 10-time Philippine Rally Champion
The British rally championship have moved to a two-wheel drive championship. With such a move by one of the most famous national championships in the world, we can only await what the other nations’ direction and approach for the future of rallying could be.
Many of the championships are adopting a two-wheel drive format in consideration for a cheaper way to continue rallying, having more manufacturers with entry level cars to participate, encouraging young and new drivers to join, and narrowing competition to a level playing field.
The four-wheel drive rally cars are now becoming a thing of the past for privateers running the production classes (Group N). With only Mitsubishi and Subaru supplying cars for the four-wheel drive. Other drivers have moved to a more expensive range of modern rallycars such as the s2000 class. Unfortunately, moving to the s2000 class went to a more serious line of rallying once again, becoming more expensive for the average privateer.
The historic rally cars have also become a trend. Many would think such cars are cheaper and maybe pick it up as junk. But then enthusiasts will always find the means of improving it to the highest level of its glory days. They come out to be more expensive after building it up to a proper rallycar. Everything becomes too expensive, time is taken collecting rare or outdated parts for the car, and by the time it is finished, a new generation of rallycars are competing again.
Moving to a two wheel drive championship with entry level cars from the manufacturer would be a good move. An old American racing quote, “Race on Sunday, sell on Monday”, should be kept in mind. The manufacturers are selling cars that are affordable and yet still maintain an appeal to many. Manufacturers can boast their entry level cars of quality, performance and at their uplift their customer’s confidence to the brand.
Of course before we start talking about manufacturers coming in, the privateers and real motorsports enthusiasts have to kick start such a campaign. Start racing on a manageable state and to continue on having fun racing and rallying!
Here are some other ideas of what these championships could look like. Although the best example so far I would say is still the first video of the 2012 British Rally Championship Preview.
In the Philppines back in 2003, a two-wheel drive 1600cc national championship had already been done. Just look at how leveled and exciting the competition was.
Australia have already added a 2wd Championship. By 2013, they are set to have their two-wheel drive championship as their main championship.
America is giving importance to their two-wheel drive championship.
A link of the American two-wheel drive championship
http://www.rally-america.com/news/1121/
Another British Rally League, the BTRDA, have a 1400cc cup. They even feature them first before the four-wheel drives.
For the world rally championship you do have the WRC Drivers Academy.
Yup, my mom and dad are part of the golden age of Philippine motorsports! Watch this teaser. I am pretty sure we’ll be seeing more of those pictures sooner or later! :) They are at 0:27 of the video inside the Gemini. Proud of my parents!
