Why you should watch WRC this year

THE WORLD Rally Championship held its first round of the season over the weekend, and it was a doozy.

The WRC has consistently been a brilliant spectacle, but for myriad reasons hasn’t been able to attract the attention from fans it deserves.

Well, if you were someone who had tuned out previously, it’s time to come back to the world of anti-lag, frightening speeds, gobsmacking talent.

Anticipation and uncertainty were thick in the air at the start of the rally, mainly due to the new-for-2017 specifications, which allow for much faster, wider, and louder cars. Our friends at Motor have a rather comprehensive breakdown of WRC regulations on their website.

Defending champion Ogier ended up winning the Monte Carlo Rally for a fourth-time straight, but that belies this epic showdown, held on snow, ice, and tarmac over three days.

Then it was Belgian Thierry Neuville who took the lead, dominating the field in his i20, before his suspension broke on Saturday afternoon.

Chris Meeke had looked to be a podium contender, but was taken out of contention when a road car struck his WRC racer on one of the transit routes back to service.

If this wasn’t enough to convince you WRC should now be a part of your motorsport diet, Red Bull TV is showing the entire season live, free and on demand online – and they have some bloke named Mark Webber commentating.

Do yourself a favour, and get on it!

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