Cultural Traditions and Contemporary Pressures: The Path Ahead for the FIA World Rally Championship [Kulturelle Traditionen und zeitgenössischer Druck: Der Weg der FIA-Rallye-Weltmeisterschaft]

Tickell, Samuel

Abstract

Rallying and the WRC has been undergoing constant change throughout its history. The sport needs to become more environmentally sustainable and faces the challenge to maintain its cultural relevance through this time. The question of whether historic or contemporary culture is more important to the WRC fanbase is integral to the sport's future. To answer the question, we focus on the core of the action, that of the cars and the events. We focus on the needs of financial and legislative stakeholders and compare it to the sport's historic culture and the emotional investment from fans. We find that sustainability is essential of the sport's future and the “transfer of sacredness,” where the fan's emotional commitment to the sport should be maintained through the incremental application of contemporary technologies into rallying.