2016 Silly Season

[wia5958]

Come on,people.Ostberg is the best driver available and with quite some margin.He is a rally winner,the best finisher in 2015 championship(excluding of course the VW trio),a solid point scorer and has a lot of experience to help with car development-especially if Ford returns with the new Fiesta in 2017 thats very important-.Evans has some backing from Ford UK so it makes sense for him to stay.Tanak showed some pace but in the end what will be remember from him about his 2015 campaign is his dive in Mexico.What I want to see is Bernkvist get a chance in a R5.If Wilson does it,thats a plus.

Rally winner? 1 win from 90 wrc starts. 14 podiums out of them 90 starts

[litifeta]

I think VW have redefined what a 'professional team' really is. The others are merely 'full time' now. Citroen had a good run with a car designed for one person. VW have proven that while theirs is heavily influenced by Ogier, other drivers can win driving it. The onboards show the VWs are driven nowhere near the level of risk the other team drivers are taking. Simply a better car prepared by professionals. The others unfortunately have been shown to come up short.

[Simmi]

I usually agree with you but getting rid of Tanak to take Kubica is not a good idea unless you want some of Kubica's sponsors.
I would let Tidemand have a few rounds like you said btw.

The reason I'd take Kubica is because I believe his upside, his potential, his ceiling - whatever you want to call it - is higher. I think he'd massively benefit from moving back into a professional set-up at this stage in his career. He's still going to have a few shunts, no doubt - but I think if you can remove that layer of niggling problems (bad reliability, bad preparation, punctures) then we know he has the pace. So often his rallies are over before they've even started and that bred negativity. With some man management from Malcolm and some structure and goal-setting on rallies (a bit of method instead of madness) I think he could certainly put up the same points Tanak did this year.

Plus he's a bigger name PR-wise, he has some sponsors. Maybe he doesn't need to be a manufacturer points scorer every round. And if he scores 11 points again at the end of next year we can close the book on Kubica.

[RS]

Ostberg / Kubica could be interesting, a tortoise and hare lineup if you like.

I wouldn't waste time thinking about Tidemand or Lappi, I suspect they're both under long term VAG contract and they'd be mad to want to leave that anyway.

[GigiGalliNo1]

FYI a meeting fell through/broke down with a "Leading" WRC driver and M-Sport....

[EstWRC]

Meeke?

[GigiGalliNo1]

I'll find out soon

[er88]

I'll find out soon

Please let us know when Ogier goes back to Citreon and is joined there by Evans, and when Meeke rocks up at VW. Ta


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[AL14]

The reason I'd take Kubica is because I believe his upside, his potential, his ceiling - whatever you want to call it - is higher. I think he'd massively benefit from moving back into a professional set-up at this stage in his career. He's still going to have a few shunts, no doubt - but I think if you can remove that layer of niggling problems (bad reliability, bad preparation, punctures) then we know he has the pace. So often his rallies are over before they've even started and that bred negativity. With some man management from Malcolm and some structure and goal-setting on rallies (a bit of method instead of madness) I think he could certainly put up the same points Tanak did this year.

Plus he's a bigger name PR-wise, he has some sponsors. Maybe he doesn't need to be a manufacturer points scorer every round. And if he scores 11 points again at the end of next year we can close the book on Kubica.

Agree on most of what you said beside this sentence: "With some man management from Malcolm and some structure and goal-setting on rallies (a bit of method instead of madness)".
The bigger error by Kubica in these two years has been not to listen to others and keep his own "madness" approach. He has never changed his idea and still believe he is in the right path. I don't think that a structure or Wilson could make him change his mind. We've had a proof in 2014.
If this wasn't true be sure that Wilson, which is seeking sponsored drivers like a man lost in the desert seek water, would have already contacted him.

[EstWRC]

I agree with AL14 about Kubica, this is why basically Wilson dropped Tänak again too because according to him Tänak still doesnt get his head together although he admits that he has changed a lot from 2012. He gave 2 interviews this week to estonian radio and newspapers and he said that Ott has huge natural talent and speedwise is TOP3 guy but he still doesnt have the consistency.

Anyway, i hope Tänak totally destroys Evans and Ostberg next season but it will be very hard with the Dmack tyres, i think it will be very good if he will be finishing in TOP6 and setting TOP6 stage times. And i hope he will get a deal with Citroen for 2017.