M-Sport Ford World Rally Teams

**AnttiL** · 30th April 2018, 16:29

I can forgive Suninen Sweden because although he's Finnish, he hasn't done really any snow rallying in his life.
I can forgive also Mexico because he didn't get to do the PET and the driving style there is different because of the altitude and less power. But even in those rallies, he could beat some drivers occasionally, whereas in Argentina he was constantly slowest, only beating Evans every now and then (and Sordo on SS2). Well, let's see how Portugal goes, at least he has done that rally before and there shouldn't be a climate effect on the engine.

**AnttiL** · 30th April 2018, 16:33

Originally Posted by Watson

Maybe the crash in Mexico and Dan next to him in the car led him to be too careful.

Finally, yes maybe the feeling with the Michelins was vastly different to the DMacks of last year. However, Michelin surely supplies the best overall tyre so he best just gets used to it.

In the end he is there to collect points for the team, so results between 3rd and 6th are satisfactory, which he did achieve in the last two rallies. Sometimes staying out of trouble is the best way to go about business for a second driver.

Let's see how he gets on in the next couple of events. I'm not quite prepared to throw him under the bus yet.

He was also quite off the pace in Monte and Sweden. Well, in Monte he even had stage wins but also made some mistakes.

His pace is also disappointing, but personally I wasn't expecting him to be much quicker.

**ESTR** · 30th April 2018, 17:42

That's why Malcolm was aware that manufacturer champion would be hard this year. And that he says that Suninen could be dropped if M-Sport have no chance of winning it again. He knows what he got behind the wheel of his cars and he know what they are capable of.

**steve.mandzij** · 30th April 2018, 19:12

Originally Posted by AnttiL

He was also quite off the pace in Monte and Sweden. Well, in Monte he even had stage wins but also made some mistakes.

His pace is also disappointing, but personally I wasn't expecting him to be much quicker.

Back in 2015 I remember being much more on Evans' side than Tanak's side come the end of the season, what with his TDC podium and generally better results. Especially considering his quite spectacular 2017 I really expected more from from him, even though I was weary of how much the Dmacks really helped.

It's sad to see that he's been a total mess this year, especially in Sweden. Maybe even Ostberg would have been a better choice, seeing as he'd been second (or even leading?) Argentina last year in his private Fiesta.

**Watson** · 1st May 2018, 15:12

It's funny you should mention Østberg and Tanak along with Evans. For a long time they were really similar, being very fast some of the time but also really disappointing the rest of the time. Most drivers are like that for the first period of their career. I can still remember Loeb being pretty hopeless in certain events against Sainz, Solberg, Märtin and Grönholm.

The really good drivers find consitancy. Tanak certainly did last year, to a degree even in 2016. I figured Evans was one year behind Tanak in his development. Tanak and Evans are also similar with being good one season and then quite bad the next but as I mentioned Tanak broke the cycle and Evans hasn't it seems.

The thing is, even if Malcolm loses his patience, he can't really do anything about it this season for the lack of drivers with new car experience.

**janvanvurpa** · 1st May 2018, 16:07

Originally Posted by dimviii

Ogier doesnt like it.

That is almost as good as when Subaru Rally Team USA made a Press Release--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!!!! back in 2007 that Travis Pastrami had won the WRC!

I had that saved a few compooter crashes ago...It only took them about 8 hours to disappear all traces (and pressure web sites to delete it those that had done a screen capture)

IT people should be periodically liquidated.

**Fast Eddie WRC** · 2nd May 2018, 10:42

It looks like the year everything goes wrong for Evans - punctures, mistakes, co-driver injury and changed and the car not best suited on the last round. All this is bad enough but it also destroys confidence.

He really needs a good rally and a bit of good luck to help him turn it around.

Like we have seem with Paddon this can be a harsh sport when things conspire against you...

**AnttiL** · 2nd May 2018, 10:48

https://www.rallit.fi/ford-pomo-tyyt...autti-valilla/

This article states that Wilson is happy with what Suninen did by bringing the car to finish.

**steve.mandzij** · 2nd May 2018, 12:05

Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC

It looks like the year everything goes wrong for Evans - punctures, mistakes, co-driver injury and changed and the car not best suited on the last round. All this is bad enough but it also destroys confidence.

He really needs a good rally and a bit of good luck to help him turn it around.

Like we have seem with Paddon this can be a harsh sport when things conspire against you...

That's the problem: unlike Paddon, whose bad streak arguably began either from his freak accident resulting in a forest fire or his second freak accident where he killed a badly placed spectator, Evans' pace has been nowhere despite coming off a year with two (three?) podiums and a maiden win. He's stayed in the same team, with a relatively same car, and yet his confidence has been struggling as if he'd had a dismal 2017.

**N.O.T** · 2nd May 2018, 12:16

problem with paddon is he set the bar too low after his win in argentina, to me he thought this was the peak of his career, after that win he started to devote more on social media rather than his driving... like those little nobody youtubers.

He should have been more serious about that win and consider it as a step to improve further and not the top of his career, he cashed in far too early, now its late.