[WRC] News & Rumours (part V) 2017

[AnttiL]

The OMV team is a very good example of a private team, making up for the lack of factory entries. The rules should be made so that the privateers stand a fair chance.
How and what is up to the FIA, but privateer teams have been an important part of the WRC, all the way from David Sutton winning the championship, through the Jolly Clubs, the Bozians, the OMVs, the Mads Østbergs and Petter Solbergs, etc etc.

But OMV Peugeot was an official team in the sense that they ran for manufacturer points (I'm not sure how the rules were different back then). In the same way as M-Sport is not Ford's manufacturer team. Jipocar could also run for manufacturer points if they entered as an official manufacturer team, right?

[AnttiL]

How does "full season" for Lefevbre agree with the fact that he is not driving on Sardinia?

I was just referencing the article, which says

Citroen is already committed to running a maximum of four cars for Kris Meeke, Craig Breen, Khalid Al-Qassimi and Lefebvre on selected rounds.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

A contract for the season (2017) is not the same as a full season of guaranteed drives.

If Mikkelsen wasnt available then Lefebvre would've driven in Sardinia. He has been dropped here and can be dropped again. He may in effect share the 4th C3 with Al-Qassimi.

[AnttiL]

A contract for the season (2017) is not the same as a full season of guaranteed drives.

If Mikkelsen wasnt available then Lefebvre would've driven in Sardinia. He has been dropped here and can be dropped again. He may in effect share the 4th C3 with Al-Qassimi.

True indeed. But I assume Al-Qassimi's drives have something to do with a certain sponsor?

[er88]

I'd be surprised to see Lefebvre in the C3 again for more than a couple of rounds at most

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[Fast Eddie WRC]

True indeed. But I assume Al-Qassimi's drives have something to do with a certain sponsor?

When I say 'share the 4th C3', I mean he'll probably only drive when Al-Qassimi doesn't..

[denkimi]

But it was the OMV team, at least semi-professional, they contested the whole season with two cars, different than some local trying out in a private car. Same as M-Sport and Stobart. Not factory teams, but not privateers by any means.

it stupid to ask for privateer entries, and then when people show them, say that they do not count because they don't match your self-made criteria.

anyone who isn't payed to drive a manufacturers car is a privateer. if i where to win euromillions and rent a car from m-sport for the whole season, that wouldn't suddenly make me a factory driver.

so ostberg, solberg, stohl, bouffier where all privateers.

[Myrvold]

Kind of what Suninen's doing.

But then again, Suninen was a Toyota Jr (which is why Oreca ran his car) and then he signed for M-Sport. Not even he had a 100% privateer effort.

[AnttiL]

it stupid to ask for privateer entries, and then when people show them, say that they do not count because they don't match your self-made criteria.

anyone who isn't payed to drive a manufacturers car is a privateer. if i where to win euromillions and rent a car from m-sport for the whole season, that wouldn't suddenly make me a factory driver.

so ostberg, solberg, stohl, bouffier where all privateers.

I'm just trying to think it's not that black and white, there's factory teams, non-factory professional teams (M-Sport, Stobart, OMV etc) who run for manufacturer points and then there's privateers. And this season we don't have any non-factory professional teams contesting for manufacturer points, probably because there weren't yet any WRC17 cars available. Possibly we'll have some of those teams in the future?

And let's say OMV ran this year with Citroen C3 WRC's and ran for manufacturer points like they did in 2006. Would they be allowed to test in Argentina?

[Franky]

And this season we don't have any non-factory professional teams contesting for manufacturer points, probably because there weren't yet any WRC17 cars available. Possibly we'll have some of those teams in the future?

If they change the rules, then yes, it will most likely happen. Currently 2017 WRCars are restricted to manufacturer entries