2017 News and results

[Mirek]

If Griebel wants to be World Champion he must drive WRC events...
There is not so many drivers who have managed to go straight to WRC TOP5 without practicing events first. Or maybe none!

Mikkelsen or Neuville, arguably the best drivers of the younger generation both rose into complete drivers in IRC. Of course You need to drive WRC events but doing the first 4WD season ever in WRC is very expensive and it might be better to drive first more of shorter ERC events where You learn how to drive really fast. In WRC2 You need more consistency and reliability over the long and tough events.

[dodge33cymru]

Mikkelsen or Neuville, arguably the best drivers of the younger generation both rose into complete drivers in IRC. Of course You need to drive WRC events but doing the first 4WD season ever in WRC is very expensive and it might be better to drive first more of shorter ERC events where You learn how to drive really fast. In WRC2 You need more consistency and reliability over the long and tough events.

That's a very good point I'd never considered; as the old saying goes, it's easier to make a fast driver consistent than a consistent driver fast. Or something like that.

ERC events really do allow drivers to showcase their pace; it's hardly proven a bad place for Meeke, Neuville, Mikkelsen, Breen etc to show what they've got. Hopefully this U28 gong will bring back a bit more of that competition; sounds like it might be doing.

[PLuto]

If Griebel wants to be World Champion he must drive WRC events...
There is not so many drivers who have managed to go straight to WRC TOP5 without practicing events first. Or maybe none!

Of course you must know the roads. But first you need to show your speed, to gain experience with driving fast the rally car and be able to fight for wins. WRC2 should be the next step in ladder, not first one. Lot of good drivers went directly to WRC2, but they are nobody now...

[RS]

Not quite sure where to put this as it is mostly speculation on my part, but I noticed Fabian Kreim will do the DRM with a BRR Fabia, and that Skoda have not confirmed any APRC campaign yet. Could Kreim team up with Griebel in ERC and therefore enter BRR as 'Skoda Deutschland' team? He is also young enough to do JERC U28..

[PLuto]

Not quite sure where to put this as it is mostly speculation on my part, but I noticed Fabian Kreim will do the DRM with a BRR Fabia, and that Skoda have not confirmed any APRC campaign yet. Could Kreim team up with Griebel in ERC and therefore enter BRR as 'Skoda Deutschland' team? He is also young enough to do JERC U28..

I think this should be good for Fabian, but I havent heard anything about it...

[RS]

I think this should be good for Fabian, but I havent heard anything about it...

Have you heard anything about Skoda in APRC this year?

[PLuto]

Have you heard anything about Skoda in APRC this year?

They are still discussing, no decision made yet.

[Jarek Z]

Dutch driver Timo van der Marel announced his plans for the new season. After two years in the Netherlands, the driver of Opel Netherlands Team is going abroad at the wheel of Opel Adam R2. However, his rally program seems a little strange to me. Van der Marel is going to compete in 4 different championships, but none of them full:
- Rally Islas Canarias and Rally di Roma Capitale (ERC)
- Rally Deutschland and Rally Australia (WRC)
- ELE Rally and Vechtdal Rally (Dutch championship)
- Ypres (Belgian championship)

source:
http://rajdy.autoklub.pl/news/van-de...m-adamie,74172

[mousti]

Yes quite weird program for him, no commitment to any championship it seems. But it's good he's finally going back abroad, staying in Holland wasn't doing him any good. Seems that his program is filled with rallies that he knows quite well and the ones in ERC who has nice destinations. Australia is because his wife is an Australian native.

[MartijnS]

And he is living there now too.