Young talented drivers

[tommeke_B]

Great post by @hartusvuori indeed. Finding the budget will always be an issue... The step from national to international level is too big.

@rallyper, in France they do compete on gravel also. In fact, 4 out of 6 events of this year's 208 Rally Cup are on gravel. On this forum I already explained how French gravel rallies work but here I go again... The French gravel rallies are held on 2 days, in general they have 10 stages (5 different), one day with 6, another with 4 stages. It's a concept I really like. On friday afternoon/night there's scrutineering (usually between 17 and 21 O'Clock). On saturday and sunday morning around 6 O'Clock the drivers go out of parc fermé, with their rally-cars, for the first and only recce-run. They do recce in same order as the starting order. At around 10 O'Clock they return for long regroup and service, many drivers watch onboard-footage from their recce during that period. Pacenotes are crucial, there's only one run in recce. On these gravel event illegal recce is nearly impossible for many reasons. So... one recce-run. Then off you go. Sometimes over 20 exact same cars (208 R2 in this case), let's say 15 with the ambition to win, maybe 5 to 10 with the potential to win... That's a competition where I like to travel for, even if the event is 800km away from my home..

The 2 other events of 208 Rally Cup this year are Antibes and Rallye du Var. I think it's fair to say those are the two most technical events of the French tarmac championship, especially Rallye du Var. It's just one corner after another, no need to mention meters between the corners. It's more important to mention on which side of the road you must finish the corner in order to be on the correct line for the one that follows... There you learn to drive efficient, the drivers who look most boring in technical sections are often the quickest.

I think the costs for this 208 Rally Cup (6 events, with an average of 170km SS per event, and some necessary testing) could be easily over 75 000 euros, depending on team, insurance, testing etc... As a "normal" young driver, it's nearly impossible to gather that kind of money.

[AL14]

Tempestini's family is living in Romania for a long time. And Simone is starting with romanian licence from beginning. I dont know how much romanian federation was helping him, but most of the budget is found by his father. And the whole Napoca Rally Academy is not supporting only him, but also other drivers, like for example Florin Tincescu in JERC...

Ok then, I rememeber it a bit different but apparently I'm not too much informed about Tempestini's story. Thanks for get facts strighter.
In any case, romanian or italian, I think he has potential, let's see.

[Franky]

I agree fully with Hartusvuori. Lack of money for Sweden and Finland. Obviously not in Estonia and Norway.

Don't overestimate the Estonian economy. We aren't even close to Sweden and Finland.

At the moment the latest young gun (in Estonia) should be Karl Martin Volver (he will be 16 at the end of February). Last October he signed a deal with ASRT and he will be competing in Peugeot 208 R2. In Sarma Rally he finished 10th overall, second among 2WD (37 seconds behind Ralfs Sirmacis and 15 seconds ahead of Vasiliy Gryazin). He is also entered at Rally Liepaja (national).

[Rallyper]

Don't overestimate the Estonian economy. We aren't even close to Sweden and Finland.

At the moment the latest young gun (in Estonia) should be Karl Martin Volver (he will be 16 at the end of February). Last October he signed a deal with ASRT and he will be competing in Peugeot 208 R2. In Sarma Rally he finished 10th overall, second among 2WD (37 seconds behind Ralfs Sirmacis and 15 seconds ahead of Vasiliy Gryazin). He is also entered at Rally Liepaja (national).

Maybe not economical, but interest from public, companys and lately even politicians make it a lot easier than for instance in Sweden. We have companies within carsales and bransch on the whole giving support to everything else but motorsport, well, maybe the ladyboys games, but particulary not rallying.

Talking about tarmac we´ve had some guys winning in Europe latest years like Pontus and Patrik Sandell, but in Sweden they fifteen years ago tried a Championship round on tarmac which ended in an fatal accident killing two spectators. End of story for tarmac in Sweden rallies...

@tommeke_B Looks like a good set up for youngsters in France. Even though it´s not cheap. So money talks even in France, but climate better. Wish Swedish National Authority should have sam go in such matters. But the leaders don´t bather...

[PLuto]

I don't exactly have the cost, but Adam Cup cost less than 208 Cup. In France (and I think Germany), it's a full tarmac cup.
But it gives you an official drive. Opel did the german championship with Griebel (champion 2013) and Kreim (best junior 2013). This year Griebel will drive JERC with Opel, whereas Bergkivst will drive german championship (Griebel too ?).

Emil Bergkvist will do JERC too.

[N.O.T]

as usual these threads end up everyone mentioning every local driver below the age of 25 as hopeful...

As for the lack of funds as a reason for the finnish decline it is a joke to say the least...

the fact that the finnish lobby of managers stopped feeding the series with nobodies is for the simple reason that Rallying has evolved to the point that teams realised that only talent will do and not underground tactics.

[Ounin]

I think the money issue of rallying in Scaninavia has serious competition of rallycrossrx whitch canninbalises its sponsoring funds

[Rallyper]

as usual these threads end up everyone mentioning every local driver below the age of 25 as hopeful...

As for the lack of funds as a reason for the finnish decline it is a joke to say the least...

the fact that the finnish lobby of managers stopped feeding the series with nobodies is for the simple reason that Rallying has evolved to the point that teams realised that only talent will do and not underground tactics.

I shouldn´t reply on this, but couldn´t avoid let go:

If you should stick to facts you would be taken seriously. Now you are so up and down nobody would listen. Comments of finnsih rallydrivers history and contemporary standard not needed.

The only thing you contributes is a laughter or two, now and then.

[N.O.T]

well the facts are that when the finnish managers were in control we got Rovanperas and sohlbergs and pykalistos...

when the teams started to wake up and threw those nobodies off the cliff we got Loeb and now Ogier...

[Hartusvuori]

well the facts are that when the finnish managers were in control we got Rovanperas and sohlbergs and pykalistos...

when the teams started to wake up and threw those nobodies off the cliff we got Loeb and now Ogier...

I approached this topic from a different angle. I am not looking for quantity of Finnish drivers to flock the WRC seats, but I'm worried that the current climate refuses the quality to ever surface. The we will never know thing. I don't want anyone to get a seat based only on money and manager skills. Those two factors however helps to develop the talent and see if it goes anywhere. No money, no drives, no career. Simple.

In other words, the development programmes and what goes in the background for Finnish (or add most of any other rallying nations) drivers doesn't work well in international terms at the moment. Then again, rallying has never been about equal opportunities. The wind blows from different direction now.

Lack of funds is a joke? Start explaning, because no one is laughing.