Repco Rally Aus Chatter

[Factor]

I agree with young Mr Kelly. Talking about the protesters only gives them oxygen. My view has always been that we simply acknowledge that a very few people have a differing view and whilst we disagree with that view we respect the right to have a differing view.

We also are deeply concerned by the act of wanton destruction and danger that was committed against a competitor and we are aware that the NSWPOL will do what they can to identify the dangerous and violent people who committed this act.

Otherwise what a wonderful weekend it was. Stunning show great people in the tweed valley - wonderful people in the Kyogle area, great and fantastic volunteers and helpers from all over the country and indeed the world.

[MattC]

my god I am agreeing with a lawyer
what they said

[Factor]

Originally Posted by MattC

my god I am agreeing with a couple of lawyers
what they said

Hey - wash your mouth out immediately - I am certainly not a lawyer,

most insulted I have been in years.

[marc]

Originally Posted by Dave Kelly

Isn't it time to let it all go now?

<SNIP>

David

Agree 100% Dave. I have been trying to say the same thing but some still feel they need to vent their anger or somehow prove they are better then the other side. I have also said that I am a long time rally enthusiast AND a long time environmentalist (tough to reconcile sometimes) and I truly feel empathy with the genuine NRG people. It's awful to feel powerless against these things and worse to have your cause highjacked by nutters. The true NRG people should not be confused or compared with the ratbags who were participating in direct action or attempted "monkeywrenching" of the event.

By the same token, there was also a small minority of the very bogan types they referred to at the event and it's a pity BOTH the "ferals" and the "bogans" were there at all. Happily, I have NEVER had to deal with ferals at an event but I certainly have had to deal with drunk yobs and have had to stop a stage because of them! We can do without both.

As you say Dave, let's move on... I think there are far, FAR more important issues to consider regarding the event, especially the treatment of volunteers and the general organisation of the event. There are many volunteers who will be able to contribute to a better organised 2011 Rally Australia

Regards

Marc - Your very own pinko-leftie greenie hippy rally nut from the bush behind the Sunshine Coast who would never want a rally on his road but the next road over is ok (and it was)

[MattC]

Originally Posted by Factor

Hey - wash your mouth out immediately - I am certainly not a lawyer,

most insulted I have been in years.

fixed my mistake

[Factor]

Originally Posted by marc

I have also said that I am a long time rally enthusiast AND a long time environmentalist (tough to reconcile sometimes) .

No it isnt - there are many of us. Myself - spent a while in charge of the investigation and intelligence arm of the federal wildlife protection authority, my driver young JW (who comes from a family of environmental scientists - his undergraduate work was in bilogogy and ecology), chair of the evil empire ARCOM Mr Trinder who has spent his working life in the environmental arena, to name but a few that spring to mind.

[Ian G.]

There is talk(insert rumours) that RRA HQ may move South,Ballina(Airport)-Lismore area where it will be 'more' welcome. They probaly started when the local Paper used quoted words "Northern Rivers" instead of Tweed-Kingscliff but probaly best to wait and see what the review recommends.

Tweed Daily News continues to run pro-Rally articles.

Rally 'will return' | Environment | Tweed Daily News

[Nigel]

Originally Posted by Factor

No it isnt - there are many of us. Myself - spent a while in charge of the investigation and intelligence arm of the federal wildlife protection authority, my driver young JW (who comes from a family of environmental scientists - his undergraduate work was in bilogogy and ecology), chair of the evil empire ARCOM Mr Trinder who has spent his working life in the environmental arena, to name but a few that spring to mind.

We've just been hiding I’m an environmental policy wonk by day, dirty Datsun nut on the weekends

[Necx0]

Having never seen a WRC in anger, I want to hear from you guys what its actually like to see the best drivers in the world in the fastest rally cars in the world. The aggression of the lines they take must cause a few scratched heads from competitors following, I would have loved to have seen Mikko's marks from when he took out the letterbox!

Its also made a mockery of the suggestion S2000 can replace WRC, difference in pace is enormous.

[VTRacing]

Originally Posted by Necx0

Having never seen a WRC in anger, I want to hear from you guys what its actually like to see the best drivers in the world in the fastest rally cars in the world. The aggression of the lines they take must cause a few scratched heads from competitors following, I would have loved to have seen Mikko's marks from when he took out the letterbox!

Its also made a mockery of the suggestion S2000 can replace WRC, difference in pace is enormous.

I spectated on the Saturday - and it was my first time seeing WRCars live.

The thing that impressed me most was how precise the top guys were. Hirvonen, Loeb, Sordo, Latvala and Ogier were all a cut above the rest - but particularly Hirvonen & Loeb.

They were not necessarily the most aggressive when I saw them, but the precision of getting the car exactly as sideways as it needed to be, clipping the apex exactly where it should be and getting the car out of the corner as straight and as fast as possible was extraordinary.

The other thing that was apparent is that the "second-tier" of WRC drivers - guys like Solberg, Wilson, Rautenbach et al - are actually very good drivers. If you put them in a national championship then they would be right up there. However their precision is not in the same league, they might be a metre wide at the apex, or a little bit too sideways here and there and that is where they are losing time to the top guys.

And I agree, World Rally Cars are absolutely astonishing machines and the FIA needs to think very carefully about the next generation of WRCar to make sure it is as exciting and downright jaw-dropping as a formula from a spectator's point of view. Seb Loeb has already said that if the cars are S2000 or some variation of that then he will not be interested to drive them.

I took a few photos at the event, you can find them here: Rally Australia 2009 - a set on Flickr

[Matt Dyne]

Matty...which stage was that?

You take a pretty good photo!

M

[Haggers]

Originally Posted by VTRacing

I spectated on the Saturday - and it was my first time seeing WRCars live.

The thing that impressed me most was how precise the top guys were. Hirvonen, Loeb, Sordo, Latvala and Ogier were all a cut above the rest - but particularly Hirvonen & Loeb.

They were not necessarily the most aggressive when I saw them, but the precision of getting the car exactly as sideways as it needed to be, clipping the apex exactly where it should be and getting the car out of the corner as straight and as fast as possible was extraordinary.

The other thing that was apparent is that the "second-tier" of WRC drivers - guys like Solberg, Wilson, Rautenbach et al - are actually very good drivers. If you put them in a national championship then they would be right up there. However their precision is not in the same league, they might be a metre wide at the apex, or a little bit too sideways here and there and that is where they are losing time to the top guys.

And I agree, World Rally Cars are absolutely astonishing machines and the FIA needs to think very carefully about the next generation of WRCar to make sure it is as exciting and downright jaw-dropping as a formula from a spectator's point of view. Seb Loeb has already said that if the cars are S2000 or some variation of that then he will not be interested to drive them.

I took a few photos at the event, you can find them here: Rally Australia 2009 - a set on Flickr

Yep - it's that precision at speed , especially with transitions from left to right over jumps that is just astonishing. When you see them in the snow it is even more amazing. Have a look at this vid
REPCO Rally Oz Photos and note how late the braking is and how much speed the top guys carry through the gate.

They are amazing machines, no question about that.

Haggers

[MSP]

Shooting the cars over three days you really notice how different the lines are, and the huge difference in technique through the corners. The top few cars have the car completely sideways well before the corner, which makes them so dam exciting to watch.

Looks like you had a good view Matt, I'm still kicking myself for making the mistake of shooting too close at the bottom of the hill! I could count on one hand the number of useable shots from that location.

Matt Dyne, most of the shots are from Bosch SS17 8:13am (the unofficial Wiangaree viewing location). Without the rain wetting the road we would have been in for a real show with the dust storm behind the cars.

Matt I assume you didn't shoot anything during SS23 4:12pm pass? I didn't bother going back as I didn't want to run into my copper mate who fined me for crossing the train tracks.

Some nice shots in your gallery, what's the second location on pages 3/4?

[VTRacing]

Yeah it was the Bosch stage, firstly the unofficial spectator point / media point which ended up having a small crowd of well-behaved enthusiasts perched high on the hill.

The second location there in the afternoon is the official Bosch spectator point where the cars come down to a 90 degree right - the WRCars were cutting in very early and riding through the dip on the inside.

I had a look at the CTEK West speccy point (and took a photo) but by the time I got there the WRCars had started and there were thousands of people so I decided to cut and run back to Bosch.

I didn't go back to the same spot - but this guy did: Repco Rally Australia 09 - a set on Flickr (Actually he was one of the residents camped on the hillside with the Argentinean flag)

@ Matt Dyne: thanks for the compliment, photography is a hobby of mine. I made some stupid mistakes that meant I didn't get quite as many good shots as I wanted. I also tend to subscribe to the million monkeys school of photography - where if you take enough shots, some of them are bound to be ok. For example, to get the 150-odd shots that I've put on Flickr (most of which are average at best) I took probably 600-700. If I practised a bit more I could probably get that ratio to 50-70% usable.

It was amazing actually how many people had good low-to-mid range DSLRs out there.

[imortl]

Originally Posted by Necx0

Its also made a mockery of the suggestion S2000 can replace WRC, difference in pace is enormous.

I understand what you are saying but I dare say that if Neal had the budget for his S2000 that Citron or Ford have for their WRC cars, it may have been a little closer. I think its a little unfair to compare the 2 without taking into account that the car Leob drives cost about $1.5Million more than Neals car...

I thought that they had a cracker and were trading placed quite well with Cody up until they had the radiator issue. It certainly seemed to be holding its own against the cars in its class. Plus I love the noise!

That being said, I had a cracker of a weekend! I was servicing for the Cullen Boys and got out to SSS1 & 2 as well as SS22. It was great to chat to people in the service park and wander about seeing what was going on. I learned plenty (and I apologise to all the people I asked stupid questions of or asked them to repeat a story for the 50th time) and it really was quite an experience to be involved. Who would have thought that it was such an issue to have letters 2-4mm too short! Just a pity that the boys didn't get to the end but it's a simple fix and I dare say it wont be long before the beast is out and about!

It really was a big difference between Leob, Hirvonen, Latvalla and the rest. Mat Cullen commented to me (on our way out after recovering the car) that the corner they were watching while waiting for us, you could see how much later and how little brake the top 3 used compared to the others. Photos to come in a day or so when I sort my stuff out....