WRC Testing

[dimviii]

Sorry I don't understand jealous of what?

just sarcasm mate.I have the same impressions as you,cross fingers,they know what they are doing,and at the end to be successfull.
we need a strong manufacturer at wrc.

[AMSS]

just sarcasm mate.I have the same impressions as you,cross fingers,they know what they are doing,and at the end to be successfull.
we need a strong manufacturer at wrc.

I must have been to tired at that point to register 😁

[TWRC]

these here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HZd_ybPlF0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsXNKz-Vv7M


Toyota in same place then https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIedV5QqK_c

I think the Toyota is not that bad. One thing I noticed though (and this can be the drivers, the car setup or my eyes ) is that the Yaris looks unsure over the crests and sudden direction changes compared to the Fiesta.

[OldF]

It's not just about past results I think Malcolm Wilson himself put it the best when he said something like " how anybody can turn down the facilities Toyota has in Cologne is beyond my understanding" to me that says it all. Though to make sure I really really hope I'm wrong but looking at all test videos and comparing with the other teams it doesn't look good does it..

Already during the first day when the news was released (7.7.2015) Tommi said that Cologne isn’t an option. Tommi didn’t explain why it isn’t an option. Maybe Toyoda found out that there’s was already a project going on at TMG which he didn’t knew about and therefore got pissed off.

http://www.ksml.fi/urheilu/L%C3%A4hd...n-lupaa/369386

Kölnin kanssa teemme tietenkin yhteistyötä, mutta se ei ole vaihtoehto rallitoiminnan pesäpaikaksi, Mäkinen paljasti.

“We are of course cooperating with Köln but it’s not an option as a base for the rally activities.”

[Rally Power]

It's not just about past results I think Malcolm Wilson himself put it the best when he said something like " how anybody can turn down the facilities Toyota has in Cologne is beyond my understanding" to me that says it all.

Yep, Toy’s WRC program switch from TMG to TMR looked weird, but we have to look at the past events (including the one OldF just mentioned) in order to understand what really happen:

1) After the F1 nightmare, Toyota Motorsport Gmbh (TMG) was ordered by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) to develop a Le Mans hybrid car with two main aims: reinforce TMC commitment to hybrid technology and win the iconic French race.
2) TMG developed the project using their state of the art facilities and experienced staff. They also counted with the assistance of an external partner, Oreca. The first race they attended was LM ’12.
3) Despite achieving some noticeable results on the new WEC series, including ’14 manus and drivers titles, they were beat by Audi in ’12, ’13 and ’14 LM editions.
4) During ’14 TMG start developing a WRC Yaris proto. It’s still unclear if that project was actually ordered by TMC or if it was a TMG operation aimed to be later presented to TMC board.
5) At the beginning of 2015 TMC presented their annual motorsport activities and announced they would get back to WRC in 2017, using a TMG developed, build and run Yaris WRC.
6) In April ‘15 TMC motorsport activities were united under one single brand: Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR). TGR president is Mr. Toyoda, also president of TMC.
7) In June ’15, TMG suffered an extreme humiliation in LM race, being outpaced not only by Audi but also by the new Porsche squad.
8) In July ‘15, a TMC press release announced that Tommi Makinen was appointed by Mr. Toyoda as the new manager of TGR WRC project. Later on we get to know that the project was going to be developed in Finland by Makinen’s private company (TMR).

Sorry for the extension of this ‘TM’s story’, but all the reported facts are important and can be easily checked on the web.

From those facts anyone can get an obvious conclusion: after ’15 LM disaster, Mr. Toyoda no longer trusted TMG to simultaneously win LM and develop a competitive WRC project. He invited Makinen to run the project and agreed to move it from TMG and turn it into an outsourcing venture with TMR.

Honestly I’m not a Toy fan nor even a Makinen fan, I’m a rally fan and having in mind that most of the time manus using in-house teams aren’t interested in developing rallysport, I really hope that Makinen will use MSport outstanding example and TMR will steadily be able to provide a wide range of rally cars to rally costumers around the world, even after Toyota leaves. That’s the main interest of having private teams involved: they need rally to survive; they don’t take it just as another dischargeable marketing campaign.

[pantealex]

M-Sport camp was today at Vaheri (Jämsä, Finland), I think that only possible driver was Evans, but some else is coming...

Road condition is probably worse than "rally wales"

Interesting fact is that Tommi´s factory is about 50km from there, so probably same driver/drivers will visit Puuppola also.

[dimviii]

Traxx - WR is Free @Traxx_WiF ·

2 geometries of front axle C3 WRC 17: shock absorber tilted forward for ground, backwards on tar

[Mirek]

Very interesting. Wouldn't a backward tilded front strut be more prone to suspension collapse after a big shock?

I guess that it's going to be a similar setup to Fabia R5 with the shock absorber behind the wheel hub but angled backwards. Shall it stay as McPherson, or?

[dimviii]

is it backwards or not so forward as it is for ground? anyway interesting point.

[Mirek]

IMO definitely not same magnitude.

Correct me if I am wrong but in my point of view this means that for 2017 WRC cars it's allowed to have specific gravel and asphalt bodyshell or maybe the difference is not that big and can be accommodate in one bodyshell.

By the way what could be the reason? To reduce diving under brakes, enhance brake cooling and reduce forces in steering?