It’s wrong to say that it’s an age old problem, because in the past, monthly print publications such as Australian Rallysport News and RallySport Magazine have continued to pump out information on the sport in general.
But these days that luxury doesn’t exist, and the sport is left with little news, most of which is reported right here on www.rallysportmag.com.au
The problem, of course, is money, or a substantial lack of it. There are literally dozens of stories out there waiting to be told, but there’s no one with any money to pay journalists to write them.
To name a few, we should be seeing stories on:
- Is Simon Evans going to defend his ARC crown next year?
- Who will replace Sue Evans as co-driver?
- Have the Raymond brothers been successful in chasing a sponsor?
- Will Ryan Smart be the ARC favourite if Evans doesn’t enter?
- Can Justin Dowel take that much-sought-after ARC win?
- What effect will the proposed new two-wheel drive class have on the championship?
- Is Honda coming back for another crack at the ARC?
- Is it a good thing that Rally Australia is a round of the ARC next year?
- Were competitors happy with the Kumho control tyre in 2010?
And so the list goes on. There are dozens more stories just waiting to be told, but no one has the money to spend the time actually researching and writing them.
As you may be aware, RallySport Mag is now a part-time business that exists primarily as a free news source to keep competitors and rally fans up to date with what’s happening.
Long gone are the days when there was an income to be made from chasing stories. Unfortunately, real (read: paying) work takes precedence and it’s only in quiet times when we have time to report on the goings on of Australian rallying.
And even more unfortunately, those times are pretty thin on the ground.
So what’s the answer? I guess if we knew, then we’d be out there doing it. There’s nothing surer than people are quick to criticise and everyone has a theory on how to ‘fix’ the sport, but it obviously isn’t as simple as that.
Ever since the demise of Subaru, Mitsubishi, Toyota and, to a lesser extent, Ford, the sport has been at the crossroads, and many believe we aren’t any closer to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
That may be so, but it doesn’t help in the short term, where news of the sport and its competitors continues to remain untold, and we suffer a chronic lack of media coverage as a result.
Like every year, all we can wish for is that Santa leaves a key to a “revised and revitalised Australian Rally Championship” under ARCom’s Christmas tree, and that 2011 will be the dawning of a new era in Australian Rallying.
Keep your fingers crossed.
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