Is this how we’ll consume WRC in the future?
Today, Motorsport.com ran an interesting story about Formula 1 being on the verge of a digital revolution — both in terms of how the sport is broadcast and consumed by fans.
F1’s new owners, Liberty Media, have made great play over recent weeks about how they want to “revolutionise” the sport for armchair fans — with bold claims about making each Grand Prix “the equivalent of the Super Bowl”. They also want to promote (and capitalise upon) the rivalries between teams and drivers — something which some WRC pundits have also floated in the past.
Jon Noble’s article for Motorsport.com, gives us a glimpse into how this ‘revolution’ could happen using Virtual Reality (VR) and/or Augmented Reality (AR) technologies. This is not as fantastical as it sounds—remember, Sky launched its VR app last October.
So when when can we expect to enjoy an ‘immersive’ WRC experience?
Whilst we’re always going to play catch-up with F1, things have improved considerably in recent years. The advent of WRC+ now takes us right into every stage on the planet. Suddenly, we’re all quite blasé about having live tracking and splits from Dyfnant, Las Minas and Nambucca on our laptops.
Red Bull TV’s free-to-air coverage of WRC this year, has been universally welcomed — and rightly so. The previews, reviews, daily recaps and live Saturday shows fronted by Mike Chen, have a real buzz and freshness about them. It’s undoubtedly been a positive addition to how we consume WRC.
On both fronts, WRC Promoter deserve some plaudits. Let’s not forget, the ‘backbone’ of Red Bull TV’s coverage remains Promoter’s TV output. The introduction of now quite detailed on-screen telemetry to accompany the onboards, is a big step-up and has definitely enhanced the viewing experience.
So in light of the promised F1 digital ‘revolution’, where does this leave WRC in the future?
It’s fair to say, where F1 goes, WRC soon follows and there’s huge potential for rallying with this new technology.
Only this week for example, Red Bull Motorsports gave us this superb 360º VR onboard (one of those snazzy VR headsets required!) of Raimund Baumschlager ripping it up on snow near his BRR HQ at Rosenau am Hengstpass in Austria.
Who knows, maybe the next step for WRC could well be live 360º VR/AR UHD onboards and ‘mechanic-cams’ from the Service Park!
One thing is for sure — the pressure on WRC Promoter to deliver a continually developing product that competes with F1 in this new digital nirvana, is set to intensify.
Tomorrow is just around the next 4L+.
by Steve Jones
