Super specials should be free

by Tom Stajduhar · Published February 12, 2015 · Updated February 12, 2015

Well done Pontus… but this was only to warm up the tyres and put some air in turbines. Of course, super specials are more than that and they can sometimes destroy someone’s rally, even if they’re sometimes shorter than 2 kilometers. As we know, sometimes one poorly judged step is all it takes to throw it all away. Rally Sweden is on and first stage is behind us – maybe it’s short and thus almost irrelevant, but it counts and it makes the itinerary. As such, it is as much a stage as any other. In the end, we might be looking at seconds or even tenths in the end of this year’s event. Chances for that a slim, but let’s not call them nonexistent yet. I don’t actually hate super specials that much – there is a place for them, especially if done right. They are usually short and provide few glimpses of cars at speed, a corner of two and then it’s all over. It’s fun for the spectators and even live TV or internet, but only tomorrow are we going to see the real rally.

My only real complaint concerning super special stage, at least the one in Sweden, is the fact that the stage was shown live only to WRC+ subscribers. That just doesn’t sound right to me. It’s a super short stage, not much action or content in it, even though yes, it has rally cars and it is timed. Should it really be one of (only?) three stages we get live in WRC+ with each event? Why should super special be hidden behind pay wall in first place? Perhaps it would be better if WRC could share its super special stages with everyone. Show it free of charge on the internet and then have three other stages reserved for WRC+ subscribers. Proper, long stages. Maybe Karlstad super special was only the thing in Sweden and maybe in the coming events WRC+ will show only the proper stages. And if that’s the case, super specials should be free. And I don’t mean internet free, no restrictions.

I am writing this with the information I have, and that information tells me that SSS1 was still not visible in some regions, because TV deals do not necessarily mean live TV for everyone. And that, in case of super specials, should not be in question.