What did we get out of Monte 08?

What did the teams/drivers show us in Monte 08, and what can we expect for the rest of the year??


Citroen : Loeb dominant in Monte as usual, but did the C4 acctualy showed it can be "human" and brake down sometime?

Subaru : Big step forward for them, but maybe its time to change their first driver?

Ford Bp WRT : Hirvonen did what we could expect from him, but i think that JML can show some more.

Stobart Ford : Galli needs more time in the car, maybe can fight for podium already in Sweden?
Duval did a great job, pity he didnt get that podium place in the first rally! Henning, well tarmac just isnt his thing.
Wilson, is anyhing his thing??

Suzuki : Both ups and downs, great performance of PG but still probs with Gardes car.



Whats your views and arguments :)

Pretty much same views, except Galli on podium in Sweden i belive is a bit optimistic, but in top 5 is i think realistic.

This was Gigi's first race after months of inactivity, from Sweden he will fight for a podium in every race...count on that ;)

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Originally Posted by Koppomsbo

What did the teams/drivers show us in Monte 08, and what can we expect for the rest of the year??


Citroen : Loeb dominant in Monte as usual, but did the C4 acctualy showed it can be "human" and brake down sometime?

Subaru : Big step forward for them, but maybe its time to change their first driver?

Ford Bp WRT : Hirvonen did what we could expect from him, but i think that JML can show some more.

Stobart Ford : Galli needs more time in the car, maybe can fight for podium already in Sweden?
Duval did a great job, pity he didnt get that podium place in the first rally! Henning, well tarmac just isnt his thing.
Wilson, is anyhing his thing??

Suzuki : Both ups and downs, great performance of PG but still probs with Gardes car.



Whats your views and arguments :)

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You summed it up pretty good :up:

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Originally Posted by Koppomsbo

What did the teams/drivers show us in Monte 08, and what can we expect for the rest of the year??
Citroen : Loeb dominant in Monte as usual, but did the C4 acctualy showed it can be "human" and brake down sometime?
Whats your views and arguments :)

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It's not the first time. If I remember correctly, Sordo also has several engine problems last season. It may be that Loeb knows how to treat the car better. But you know, Loeb car doesn't break down, only the other drivers who drive the same car as he does (turkey 2007).

Pirelli- Good tire, even Seb said he liked them.

Ford- Reliable, expect manufacturers contender once again

Atkinson- Awesome commitment

Suzuki- Good car, PG did well. Expect mid -rear pack runner this year. (lets face it, PG is new to a 4wd car)

No Mousse Rule- It's great to mix up the pack, and reward clean drivers (less cutting)

Subaru07WRC- Seems to be better when driven as hard as you can.

Qassimi/Wilson- Rich boys need to stop buying rally toys and let someone that can actually drive have thier seat.

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Originally Posted by tmx

It's not the first time. If I remember correctly, Sordo also has several engine problems last season. It may be that Loeb knows how to treat the car better. But you know, Loeb car doesn't break down, only the other drivers who drive the same car as he does (turkey 2007).

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The C4 is build around Loeb. Sordo (and any other driver) simply has to adjust...

Pretty much what you said, I think the Pirellis, Suzuki and Cuoq were the pleasant surprises of the rally.

I don't think Duval did a great job. It was ok, but he should've beaten Atko, and even been pushing Mikko. Ok, it's been a while for him, but his testing before the event should've got him upto speed. Maybe there is a difference between BP Ford and Stobart Ford, but Subaru are using last years car.

I thought P-G did a fantastic job though, and Cuoq too in a car that is now out-dated.

- Citroën: Loeb makes it look all so easy. Still the best on tarmac, and the C4 is still ahead of the others on this surface. Somehow only the second car seems susceptible to mechanical problems. Sordo is quick on asphalt though, getting close to the master. If his improvement on gravel continues Citroën are in with a chance of the manufacturer's title.

- Ford: Hirvonen solid. No chance of catching the Citroëns here, no threat from behind. Latvala needs more experience, but is showing that he can produce the necessary speed. He's still young, and will probably run Mikko very close by the end of the season, if not sooner. Al-Qassimi did some decent stages on this event that's completely new to him, and made several mistakes. Oh well, as long as he's enjoying himself...

- Subaru: One swallow does not make summer - remember that Atkinson was on the pace in the Monte last year as well. But this was a great performance from Chris, beating Petter and holding off Duval near the end. It remains to be seen if the car can compete with Citroën and Ford consistently throughout the year.

- Suzuki: Reliability issues on the first days, but Andersson showed what the car (and he himself!) is capable of. I hope he did enough to secure more drives this season with the team. After all the horror stories about the car and the team it was good to see that the SX4 is capable of staying within 1 s/km of the winner on some stages. But if the team will fare better than for instance SEAT and Škoda...

- Stobart Ford: Duval almost snatched third in his first event with the team, and with a new codriver, a very good performance. Gigi is getting to know the car and very importantly didn't make any big mistakes to finish a relatively uneventful 6th, securing points and gaining useful experience with the car. Henning and tarmac is not a great match as has been pointed out before. I think Wilson did ok, is still improving.

- Local driver Cuoq provided entertainment on rally radio (he went from Cock to Cook during the second leg) and on the stages he knows quite well. A good 7th with older machinery. Likewise Romeyer did well with the "ancient" 206 until his retirement. Enough has already been said about Rautenbach in other threads ;)

- Broccoli was impressive in the Clio R3, best non-WRC by far. But because of the lack of proven opposition in non-WRCars it's hard to accurately judge his performance.