[WRC] News & Rumours (part V) 2017

[Rallyper]

Latvala had problems with Ogier in VW-team. Ogier didn´t share his experiences/settings to Latvala.

No team spirit that is. (My personal comment) From MTV Sports.fi

[Mintexmemory]

I do remember a few people on this forum saying Mikkelsen was handed his first win by Ogier crashing out, if they're consistent they would say the same about this one.

I agree with you though, they'd be wrong on both counts. A win is a win and as someone once said - to finish first, first you have to finish.

But to be a champion you must, on occasion, beat the best of the rest fair and square across the range. I see the 2 incidents you're comparing as essentially different. In Spain Mikkelsen was nowhere in contention for 1st and entered that last stage fully hoping just to hold onto 2nd place. The only win that is less valued in recent times was Ostberg's when Hirvonen was disqualified. In France Neuville would have been aware that he had less than a minute in hand over a driver who preserves his tyres, knows the roads and was getting quicker as the rally progressed. Under that pressure he got it wrong, as opposed to being so far ahead and losing concentration. There is an optimum level of driving effort, slip off it too soon and mistakes happen, I think Neuville didn't want that to happen but didn't follow the pace note well enough.
Generally the 'Ogier luck' issue follows the 'Loeb luck' previous edition. The notes quality, the position the car takes on the road and the ability to respond effectively to any error means problems either dont translate to punctures / suspension damage or the avoiding actions are planned for in any case. A famous golfer once said 'The harder I practice the luckier I seem to get'.

[Andre Oliveira]

Latvala had problems with Ogier in VW-team. Ogier didn´t share his experiences/settings to Latvala.

No team spirit that is. (My personal comment) From MTV Sports.fi

Latvala reply: @rallyparadise Never said it was a problem! Don't change my words. I said that it was another way of working of what I was used to before.

[Rallyper]

Latvala reply: @rallyparadise Never said it was a problem! Don't change my words. I said that it was another way of working of what I was used to before.

Yeah, saw that afterwords. Was alternative fact, first published.

However no smoke without fire.

[AL14]

I had read somewhere that all VW drivers shared their data instead. What Latvala meant to say at the end?

[EstWRC]

T.Neuville: "Seb will be catchy this year"

https://translate.google.ee/translat...%2F&edit-text=


"This will be the man to beat this year as usual. But with the Fiesta WRC, it will be possible, the car will surely not allow him to achieve the exploits he has accumulated the past seasons even if he keeps his qualities as a driver. The Fiesta will be less efficient, it will evolve less than a factory car. It will be harder for him. "

[Mintexmemory]

Given the difference in style between them, Ogier's data given to Latvala would have been as effective as giving a fish a bicycle!
Monte showed a new JML approach, I think. In a year when the top guys may cause each over to go over-limit and cars may fail then being the consistent tortoise may pay off (as long as it doesn't become a snail!)

[Mintexmemory]

T.Neuville: "Seb will be catchy this year"

https://translate.google.ee/translat...%2F&edit-text=


"This will be the man to beat this year as usual. But with the Fiesta WRC, it will be possible, the car will surely not allow him to achieve the exploits he has accumulated the past seasons even if he keeps his qualities as a driver. The Fiesta will be less efficient, it will evolve less than a factory car. It will be harder for him. "

Just keep telling yourself that, Thierry. Who knows, you may end up believing it!

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Monte was the other driver's best chance to beat Ogier (late seat swap, new team, new car, little testing)... but he STILL won.

This doesn't bode well for when he has fully settled-in...

[Andre Oliveira]

Neuville the dreamer