A Sociology of the World Rally Championship

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1 A Sociology of the World Rally Championship

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3 A Sociology of the World Rally Championship History, Identity, Memories and Place Hans Erik Naess University of Oslo, Norway

4 Hans Erik Naess 2014 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6 10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act First published 2014 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number , of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Naess, Hans Erik, 1978 A sociology of the World Rally Championship : history, identity, memories and place / Hans Erik Naess. pages cm Summary: From its inauguration in 1973 until today, the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) has been transformed from a little-known series to a pop-cultural roadshow worth millions of euros. In a promotional context this has spurred a debate between those who want rallying to be what it was historically and those who desire a real shift into the commercial age. Drawing upon interviews with key people in the sport and trans-local ethnographic research from rallies, spectator cultures, the inner life of a WRC team, and the media production facilities, this book explores these questions of commerciality and sporting identity, arguing that the WRC s sporting identity is in fact a promotional asset. Placed at the intersection of sociology and sports management, A Sociology of the World Rally Championship is essential reading on how to combine sporting heritage with commercial progress Provided by publisher. 1. Automobile racing Sociological aspects. 2. Automobile racing Economic aspects. 3. World Rally Championship History. 4. Automobile rallies. 5. Identity (Psychology) I. Title. GV1029.N dc Typeset by MPS Limited, Chennai, India.

5 Contents List of Figures and Tables Preface Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations vi vii viii ix 1 Introduction: The Paradox of Commercialism 1 2 The Promotional Context 24 3 Imagining the Story 55 4 The Sense of Place in Rallying 86 5 The Spectator Culture of Rallying The Legacy of WRC Cars Heroes behind the Wheel The WRC s Promotional Value 208 Notes 233 References 241 Index 258 v

6 List of Figures and Tables Figures 1.1 A WRC car in The El Copina-Condor stage, Rally Argentina The defining factors of successfully communicating sport The great outdoors The media production hub at Wales Rally GB, On Sisteron-Thoard, Col de Turini, The San Augustin-Santa Rosa stage, Rally Argentina Rally culture 224 Tables 1.1 The FIA hierarchy of rallying, A timeline of WRC regulation eras IMG s overview of promotional methods Costs and benefits from the 2009 NSW Rally Australia A WRC event itinerary (Rally Monte Carlo 2014) The demographic classification of WRC spectators Dualistic fan typologies Multidimensional approaches to sport consumption The basic structure of a modern WRC team 157 vi

7 Preface I have been a fan of rally since I was a kid in the 1980s. My father used to take me to a national winter event in Norway called Lygnasprinten. Memories of freezing temperatures and old Volvos going much too fast, combined with hot dogs grilled on provisional bonfires, accompanied by a never-ending stream of war stories, still bring a smile to my face. Later, as a teenager, I was glued to the TV screen on those rare occasions when World Rally Championship (WRC) events were aired on foreign channels. With the evolution of Internet in the late 1990s, my interest really skyrocketed. At times, I was a WRC junkie! And even though my interest was ignited by local heroes, it is the WRC names, cars, sounds and places that really have stuck with me not least since my fellow countryman Petter Solberg became world champion when I was an undergraduate student in sociology in As a result, while this book in essence is an academic product, I have done my best never to lose the personal flavour in conveying what a fantastic roadshow the FIA WRC is. Above all, I have met people who have offered me more support than I could ever ask for, both academically and sportingly, as well as introducing me to their lives as WRC aficionados. It is in their spirit this book is written. HEN, Oslo, June 2014 vii

8 Acknowledgements I wish to thank those who have helped me complete this book without implicating them for the mistakes and errors that may remain. First, let me thank Professors Anne Krogstad and Helge Jordheim for leading me through the strenuous path of a PhD thesis and helping me converting it into a book, as well as my fellow PhD scholars Audun Solli and Herdis Hølleland for their valuable comments on various chapters. Special thanks to Centre Franco-Norvégien en Sciences Sociales et Humaines (CFN) for generously awarding me a scholarship to do fieldwork in France and giving me an opportunity to finish the book. Special thanks also go to Professor Trond Petersen at the University of California, Berkeley, for accommodating me and my family during a tense writing period in addition to providing me with one of the most inspiring office views I could ask for. Then, for their accommodating responses, in no particular order, I would offer my deepest gratitude to FIA WRC General Manager, Michéle Mouton, the always insightful former world driver s champion Ari Vatanen, David Richards at Prodrive; Malcolm Wilson, John Millington and Angela Torney at M-Sport; David Campion, Jonas Andersson, Mads Østberg, Morten Østberg, the rest of the Østberg family and all the others at M-Sport and the Adapta World Rally Team; Stephen Webb, Neal Duncanson, Simon Long, Nick Atkins and Catherine Ding at the former North One Sport; Morten Brusletto, Thomas Villette, Nicoletta Russo and especially Stefan Ph. Henrich at Hyundai; the representative from Fédération Française du Sport Automobile (FFSA) for elaborating on the move of the French WRC event from the island of Corsica to mainland France; Mario and Alejandro Fidelibus at Receptive Tours and Events Organization (RETO) for a fantastic experience at Rally Argentina; David Hutchinson and Neil Prunnell at Rally Travel for showing the best of Rally Monte Carlo and Ola Strömberg at Rallytravels for being a terrific storyteller at Rally Finland. For their various forms of support, I would also like to thank Andrew Milner, Valmar Viisel, Vigdis Dahlseide, Ilka Wendtland, Kristian Kjelman and Tiina Lehmonen; a big bow goes to all the rally fans around the globe who have contributed to this book, especially Bruno, Chris, Rickard, Mathias, Nicklas, Yukari, Linda, Sarah, Karina, Rosemary, Jennifer, Nathalie, Philip, Brian, Terry Jr and Terry Sr, Jo and Andrew. Finally, I would like to thank my wife and both our daughters without your love and patience, this book would have never been. viii

9 List of Abbreviations ACF Automobile Club de France ACM Automobile Club de Monaco AIACR Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus BPICA Bureau Permanent International des Constructeurs d Automobiles CAMS Confederation of Australian Motor Sport CSI Commission Sportive Internationale CSI-1 Convers Sports Initiatives EBU European Broadcasting Union ERC European Rally Championship F1 Formula 1 FFSA Fédération Française du Sport Automobile FHI Fuji Heavy Industries FIA Fédération Internationale de l Automobile FISA Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile FOA Formula One Administration FOCA Formula One Constructors Association IRC Intercontinental Rally Championship IRCM International Rally Championship for Makes ISC International Sportsworld Communicators NOS North One Sport NOT North One Television NSW New South Wales RBMH Red Bull Media House RETO Receptive Tours and Events Organization SAVM Sport Automobile Vélocipédique Monégasque STI Subaru Tecnica International TTE Toyota Team Europe ix

10 x List of Abbreviations WEC World Endurance Championship WMSC World Motor Sport Council WRC World Rally Championship WTCC World Touring Car Championship