Manufactures driving school

[Roy]

We have many discussion about Wilson in WRC. Some say it is better to learn rally is JWRC or FIA Juniors who is called since this year. I have think about it and do some research. I wonder what manufactures do. Do the have 'school plans' like Wilson jr has? I mean that 5 year step-by-step plan.

Watch how manufactures works:
Citroen: Loeb and Sordo comes from S1600. But a clear training path... I didn't see.
Subaru: The second seat: Who has money; The first seat: who is fast? Welcome!

But Ford. That is a different story.
They lead there drivers. Hirvonnen comes in world rally for the first time in a WRC car. He drives for Ford the third car in 2003. He learn and get some opportunities from Ford. Now he is a fast driver, the first driver behind Loeb and Gronholm. (Best of the rest).
Latvala is a good example from 'Fords school plan'. He get some drives in 2003 and 2005 by Ford in a Focus WRC and comes to WRC in 2007 sponsored by Ford also.
The new 'student' is Mikkelsen. He get a car from his dad, prepared by Ramsport. But watch the entrylist of Norway and Portugal. The name of the entrant is Stobart-VK-M Sport-Ford RallyTeam. That means they pay for his entry. M-Sport/Ford want that he is learning the WRC, rally, the skills and pay for him.

Ford has a plan with some drivers. Latvala is the comming man to the Ford 'A' team. Mikkelsen have some years to go and he is a Stobart driver before he is in the manufacturer Ford.
This is very smart of Ford. Offcourse they dont pay everything. Only the entryfee. But little by little, step by step the driver can learn the rallies AND the WRCar. Some other rallies who is not in WRC he can drive in another (cheaper) class. Like Latvala did (PWRC).

I don't see other manufactures had a 'school'. Maybe is Citroen from now focusing of talants in the C2. That will be smart to. They learn the roads and skills, but it take some tome to learn a WRCar.

[COD]

, "they only pay the entry fee" I have never heard the entry fee for A WRC event would be around 200 000€/ event.

I think the Citroen way is much cheaper, and has actually provided at least as good, if not even better results than Fords. And those results have become faster than at Ford. So I prefer the Citroen way actually

[Tomi]

Ford has a plan with some drivers. Latvala is the comming man to the Ford 'A' team. Mikkelsen have some years to go and he is a Stobart driver before he is in the manufacturer Ford.
This is very smart of Ford. Offcourse they dont pay everything. Only the entryfee. But little by little, step by step the driver can learn the rallies AND the WRCar. Some other rallies who is not in WRC he can drive in another (cheaper) class. Like Latvala did (PWRC).

I don't see other manufactures had a 'school'. Maybe is Citroen from now focusing of talants in the C2. That will be smart to. They learn the roads and skills, but it take some tome to learn a WRCar.

Lol, what Ford plan?? Jouhkis and Latvalas it is, there has been a clear plan with Latvala since he started in Penttis school, the same goes for all drivers Jouhki manages, that he sits now in a Ford is an coincident, he could sit in some other car if that would be clever carreer move, but most likely is that next seat that comes free is Grönholms.

[Brother John]

, "they only pay the entry fee" I have never heard the entry fee for A WRC event would be around 200 000€/ event.

I think the Citroen way is much cheaper, and has actually provided at least as good, if not even better results than Fords. And those results have become faster than at Ford. So I prefer the Citroen way actually

And nowe results afther 6 month ore craches means "THERE IS THE DOOR" with the French teams!

[Roy]

, "they only pay the entry fee" I have never heard the entry fee for A WRC event would be around 200 000€/ event.

€200.000 How do you come to this?
Ford/M-Sport pays only the entry fee of Mikkelsen. Do you know more?

[COD]

€200.000 How do you come to this?
Ford/M-Sport pays only the entry fee of Mikkelsen. Do you know more?

They can afford to pay the entryfee after charging the driver / sponsor 200 000 for running the car in the event

[Grany]

And nowe results afther 6 month ore craches means "THERE IS THE DOOR" with the French teams!

The FRM is really too unjust.

[milly]

Ford doesn't pay anything to support the drivers in the Stobart Team.

The team is run by M-Sport as a commercial enterprise - all the drivers pay to drive for the team. The name Stobart-VK-M-Sport is just an official title for the team so it is registered for M2 positions - and was created last year to make it seem more manufacturer entries were there in WRC.

[Roy]

They can afford to pay the entryfee after charging the driver / sponsor 200 000 for running the car in the event

Mikkelsen and his sponsors pays the cars. Thats is why he has sponsors. Without them he can never drive.
Only the entry is payed by Stobart. It is clear where the money come from.

M-Sport want invest in Latvala, so the support him in Stobart car. He has not a budget for the whole year. He gat more money then a entry, ut a good investment. He is a substitue in the (very) near future for the flying Finns in BP Ford Team.

[Brother John]

€200.000 How do you come to this?
Ford/M-Sport pays only the entry fee of Mikkelsen. Do you know more?

On all official WRC rally sites you can find how much the entry fee is. It´s about 30.000 €, for M1 teams,depent on how much cars they will enter!