Mini in WRC 2011

[Rallyper]

between 1 manufacturer with no future that will just come and go... and no manufacturer i prefer the second.

Now you said it yourself - you´re not a realist. Only pessimist.

And that is not what the sport needs.

For me any manufacturer joining the WRC is better than noone does. Or you might prefer Citroen-WRC-Cup??

[N.O.T]

yes i would prefer a lineup of 10 citorens and 10 fords instead of 2 citroens 2 fords and the rest of different manufacturers with no chance of winning....

what would you prefer ?? PG in a citroen or PG in a suzuki/mini/hyundai in order to have more manufacturers ?

and how i know that mini will fail....well all the signs are there...no testing/no development no official info...just rumours...so if it happens in 2011 it will FAIL.

[J.Lindstroem]

I agree with you NOT i would rather have 10 citroens and 10 fords, but these only seems to hire Wilsons and Rautenbachs and raikkonens and Blocks... It sucks!

Maybe it will be different next year though. I dont know. Is 1,6T really cheaper than Wrc so can we really expekt something else than this money money money and no talent thing?

[Langdale Forest]

I don't know why people are so nagative about Kimmi Raikkonen, when in turkey he got a 5th place finish, in only his 5th WRC event.

It is a real shame that Duval does not have a drive, he is a talanted driver who keeps on crashing, rather like Latvala.

If Duval stayed with Ford in 2005 onwrds, he could have been world champion by now considering all the podiums he got towards the end of 2004. His win in Australia 2005 was well deserved, but what impresses me the most was his exellent performance on the opening day of Rally Germany 2007, he was faster than Loeb on his return to the WRC in and old Xsara, and Loeb was in a C4!

And although it is always good to have more manufactures, the good drivers like Duval should always be in the better teams.

[koko0703]

I don't have problem with the cross-over in the WRC but I wonder if the 4-door hatchback is a good choice for a rally car. 206, Xsara (coupe may be right term than hatchback), Focus, and C4 are all 2-door hatchback. Compared to those, 4-door hatchbacks like Fabia, Impreza (2008 model), and SX4 all struggled to keep up with 2-door hatchback. Oh and all these team end in withdrawal from the championship. I'm no strutural engineer but just get the impression that the 4-door hatchback doesn't have enough stiffness.

[Motorsportfun]

The Suzuki Sx4 was a 'crossover' car?, and that failed miserabley...

Cant believe someone thinks that.

At the end of the 1st year, with budget cuts (Andersson has 2 rallies paid, the rest was covered by PGs sponsors) and internal team changes, they reached results around the top-five. Was that miserable?

[janvanvurpa]

I don't have problem with the cross-over in the WRC but I wonder if the 4-door hatchback is a good choice for a rally car. 206, Xsara (coupe may be right term than hatchback), Focus, and C4 are all 2-door hatchback. Compared to those, 4-door hatchbacks like Fabia, Impreza (2008 model), and SX4 all struggled to keep up with 2-door hatchback. Oh and all these team end in withdrawal from the championship. I'm no strutural engineer but just get the impression that the 4-door hatchback doesn't have enough stiffness.

The rather extensive cage welding in and attached in 20-30 points out to negate and initial structural issues.
Seriously for the last 20+ years all cars are, aside from the coupe where people sit, extremely flimsily built, and since corrorsion and paint processes are better, and rot not a much of an issue as in the past, the thickness of the metal is amazingly thin..

I take it you've never had to stitch weld a modern car... they are all wafer thin.
As such the cage and local doubling and gusseting OUGHT to make the torsional rigidity the same for any bodyshell structure.
I would look elsewhere than just 2 door or 4.

(I actually do weld shells and install cages in cars for rally, but mostly nicer older cars for clubbies)

[miksu]

yup, next year will probably be crappy for them if they enter. There's a chance theyll become new suzuki if they dont put enough funds to the program and next year is too soon for a new car that hasnt even run yet (?)

[Maui J.]

All I can say is bring it on!
The Citroen/Ford show is getting a little tedious. Variety is the spice of life.
If they struggle in their first year I don't really care. You can only improve by doing. IMO, having an top driver in a Mini or any other new manufacturer that may not be on the pace as the big guns, will still be more entertaining than watching a B driver make up the numbers in a top spec car.

[N.O.T]

what is the difference between a b class driver in a top spec car and a top class driver in a b class car ?? the results will still not be there....

and what makes you think that mini/BMW/prodrive will have the budget to pay for a top spec driver ??

nobody will ever expect mini to be competitive on their 1st year...not even their second....but i doubt if its going to be able to manage and be ahead of the citroen junior team.