Of more importance will be who the BBC select to front the programmes. The hope is that they don’t just plump for an already ‘well-known name’ but go for people with rally knowledge, especially at World Championship level. Of course they will also need presenters who can appeal to newcomers as well as the old hands and this is where things will get tricky. Of course the ‘young things’ will want to know about ‘brands’ and personalities whereas the auld geezers will relish the inside info on tyre compounds, spring rates and gear ratios. And that is going to be a difficult balance. I just hope they don’t do what BBC Scotland did ten years ago when they fronted their Scottish Championship coverage with ‘The Biscuit’ and ‘Wee Rhona’!
Anyway, one of the big ideas behind working with a terrestrial free-to-air (provided you’ve got a TV licence) broadcaster is that this will provide a greater opportunity to attract a new and wider audience. Apparently the growing number of Pay TV channels and their rising costs are making viewers much more selective in their choice of options. While rally fans may well choose to pay for coverage that reflects their taste, those who don’t really know anything about rallying won’t be attracted and therefore not stump up. Which is where a terrestrial broadcaster can offer an attractive option to the sport.
We also have to remember that the BBC is not just a single TV and radio channel operation any more, they are getting a bit more energetic in their adoption of new technology with a whole array of iPlayer, internet and podcast options so that bodes well for next year’s coverage. They will have seen what is being provided at present so they have a good idea of what they will have to provide in future. They seemed to lose interest in the sport when we lost Colin and Richard but with Elfyn poised on greatness, here’s hoping that interest can be rekindled. Fingers crossed, eh?
Care will also need to be exercised over ‘commentatorial’ political ‘woke’ comments because ‘the greens’ will take an interest. They seem to be awfy keen on banning anything on wheels entering the forests – legs and feet only! Where their arguments weaken is the simple fact that every sport already depends on bikes, cars, vans and trucks to move competitors, spectators, contractors and equipment around the country from venue to fixture and back again, and motor sport is no different. It has been said that the sport of football in the UK already consumes more petrol and diesel than motor sport. And when you think about the logistics of that, it kind of makes sense, does it not?
Some observers have also expressed fears over October being a crowded month and wondering if enough Marshals and volunteers will turn out to help this event as well as the Mull Rally and other end of season competitions which will make it a very busy, and personally costly, period.
Of course much still depends on the final date but with Mull being fixed by Act of Parliament and the FIA dictating WRC schedules, here’s hoping for a bit of goodwill on both sides. Having said that, the Scottish Minister for Sport fair enjoyed her wee hurl yesterday!
By the way, today’s action foties come courtesy of Graeme Brown (GeeBee Images) who was in professional attendance yesterday and whom I first encountered at Knockhill umpteen years ago and hadn’t seen for yonks due to his world wide wandering. It was really good to catch up.
#WRCScotland #WRC
#ScottishRally #RallyScotland
#MotorsportBooks
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