[WRC] News & Rumours (part V) 2017

[dodge33cymru]

I think factory teams have too much rights - they basically owning championship.

Well yeah, they basically do - they're the ones paying for it anyway. Not exclusively, but they put more in than they get back.

[Rally Power]

For sure WRC needs privateer's but let’s be clear: ’17 cars aren’t made for them.

The Privateer’s Cup for ’16 WRC cars seemed to be the best solution for private drivers wanting to use WRC cars, but sadly FIA managed to instantly spoil it by allowing privateer's to drive ’17 cars. Honestly I still believe that for safety reasons (and also for the Privateer’s Cup sake), ’17 WRC cars should only be used by top drivers with a Super License.

The new cars are also too expensive and technically too demanding to be run by private teams and the rational option for the wealthy privateer’s able to use them is to become a paying driver in a manu team, like Bertelli or Al Qassimi have been doing in different forms.

Ostberg choose to use Jipocar private structure and he’s having a hard time, but should the rules be more flexible for him because of that? Can the manus that sell ’17 cars to privateer's get access to extra data by having their costumers testing freely outside Europe? At least in theory, there’s no doubt that MSport could take advantage from that loophole; it makes perfect sense to fix it.

[AndyRAC]

It was expected to happen - and I can understand why. However, they're missing the point, and not seeing the bigger picture. Sadly, the days of a privateer, or a local entrant turning up and challenging the top guys has long since past. Some people thought they had no business being in an event; but I thought it added an extra dimension to an event, and the series.

[AnttiL]

. Sadly, the days of a privateer, or a local entrant turning up and challenging the top guys has long since past. Some people thought they had no business being in an event; but I thought it added an extra dimension to an event, and the series.

You're supposed to do that within WRC2, with R5 cars, WRC is only for professionals. When is the last time a privateer got to podium anyway? EDIT: Daniel Carlsson, 3rd in Sweden 2006?

[sollitt]

The question is if we want competitive privateers in the WRC.
If we do, then they need to be given a fighting chance.
While the factory teams have three drivers all doing testing duties, and test drivers, test cars , and can develop and test new parts etc etc, a team like JipoCar has one WRC17 car which they run in both tests and rallies, and really no possibilities to develop own parts, etc. So the factory teams has all the advantages, which of course the factory teams want. So the question is again, do we want competitive privateers in the WRC?
Right now we have four strong manufacturers, and the "crisis" years of two manufacturers and one dominating driver seem long but forgotten, but this is the scenario I think we need to keep in mind when we argue for or against these things.

Good post. And I agree ... yes we want competitive privateers. But having separate regulations for privateer vs factory would open more of a can of worms than the imbalance you're trying to correct. And it wouldn't achieve any result anyway.
You'd have to go back to Group 4 days to find an era when privateers could truly be competitive with factory drivers and even then it was difficult.
There are a good many reasons for that.

Rally Power suggests that the privateers cup is the answer. I don't agree. We want as many privateers in the main game as possible. But they must play by the same rules or it become farcical.

[Sulland]

A sad day for Rally.
Rally is the maverick of motorsport, and has always been.

It was the motorsport where you could buy a car from a tuner, or make it yourself. Then you could drive a world championship round or two if you wanted. The best could measure up to the "factory" cars. Fight with the best, have the fun of walking in the same depot, driving a MK2 Escort or later a Gr A car.

Then the money and factorys came in, and FIA now in the end took the possibility and a possible dream away from almost all rallydrivers.

The teams have also lost a free testpool.
Østberg have tested and probably found things, going his own way, that the factory team have not even thought of.
If a team can get sponsors to fund a car, have a driver that qualifies for a super licence, why not let them?

Is there something wrong with following their dream, fighting with the best in the maverick sport in the FIA family?
Or has that now become Rallycross?

[Luijbregts]

You're supposed to do that within WRC2, with R5 cars, WRC is only for professionals. When is the last time a privateer got to podium anyway? EDIT: Daniel Carlsson, 3rd in Sweden 2006?

I think Henning Solberg WRC Norway 2007 - 3rd but I could be mistaken... Anyway, yes looooong time ago!

[SubaruNorway]

I think Henning Solberg WRC Norway 2007 - 3rd but I could be mistaken... Anyway, yes looooong time ago!

Have you forgoten that Østberg did the whole 2012 private with 3 podiums and started with a 2nd in Sweden. Bouffier 2nd in MC 2014. Not to mention several by Solberg from 2009-2011

[mousti]

Have you forgoten that Østberg did the whole 2012 private with 3 podiums and started with a 2nd in Sweden. Bouffier 2nd in MC 2014. Not to mention several by Solberg from 2009-2011

And won Portugal! After a fuckup from Citroën.

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[Rally Power]

Rally Power suggests that the privateers cup is the answer. I don't agree. We want as many privateers in the main game as possible. But they must play by the same rules or it become farcical.

It’s not a question of what we want, it’s a question of what we have and currently we have a fantastic new range of WRC cars that are faster, more spectacular and safer than the previous ones. They’re what the sport needed to attract more fans and get more media coverage. There’s only one catch: these new cars are unaffordable for most privateers.

Is that enougth to fell sorry about the choice FIA and the manufacturers made on these exciting but exclusive new cars and continue to sadly regret that we are far away from the good old Gr.4 or Gr.A privateer friendly days? Come on, why can we just take the most of present WRC fantastic days, praising the manus that were brave enough to enter the sport and gave to the fans twelve fabulous cars, driven by the best drivers on the planet?!?

Ok, in the current context there’s little room for privateers using top cars; that’s why a Private Cup using ’16 less exclusive cars seems much more interesting than having only a couple of ultra rich and less talented private drivers (Ostberg is the exception) that can afford to run ’17 cars alongside works drivers.