[WRC] News & Rumours (part V) 2017

[AL14]

Latvala admits he became obsessed with copying Ogier at VW WRC

https://www.autosport.com/news/repor...-copying-ogier

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand I think that he is a strange guy because he is pratically humiliating himself publicy showing his weakness in this way. On the other hand I admire him because he is man enough to share his feelings without being ashamed about them. And actually, if you think about it, there is nothing to be ashamed of.

Still, what he says is that Ogier has beaten him so badly that he lost his mind.
Anyway, it is very nice to know this side of the struggle of WRC drivers and is good that there are nice and open people like him to share it with us.

[Walach]

Interesting interview with Prokop for sport.cz
https://www.sport.cz/moto/rallye/cla...or.html#hp-sez

He claims that his team almost secured VW cars for 2017 season.

Full quote:
Everything was agreed. Red Bull would be involved, as Ogier's partner. Three cars would be run by our team in Jihlava. VW board knew that the budget would correspond to czech circumstances. Ogier even agreed to skip Monte Carlo noting that he would 14 have more days with his family. But in the last minute before signing the deal one regular WRC competitor got interested. He promised Qatar money to Volkswagen. Everything got stucked. Ogier shown his tolerance and postponed his signing twice. When he finally had no other option, he signed for Ford. And actually, I did too.

[Lundefaret]

Latvala admits he became obsessed with copying Ogier at VW WRC

https://www.autosport.com/news/repor...-copying-ogier

"I even had brake support under the pedals like he had. I was trying everything."
Quote Jari-Matti Latvala

I think this might be a misunderstanding between the journalist Latvala, but if any of you have other info please share.
If the quote is correct Latvala had something mounted under his pedal to assist braking. Since ABS etc is illegal, I cant really understand what this might be.
My best explanation is that he is talking of a diff setting with brake support (lower ramp angle on braking) but I am not sure.

[AL14]

"I even had brake support under the pedals like he had. I was trying everything."
Quote Jari-Matti Latvala

I think this might be a misunderstanding between the journalist Latvala, but if any of you have other info please share.
If the quote is correct Latvala had something mounted under his pedal to assist braking. Since ABS etc is illegal, I cant really understand what this might be.
My best explanation is that he is talking of a diff setting with brake support (lower ramp angle on braking) but I am not sure.

What I thought is something like some kind of cushion to help him breake easy when needed. But I'm not the best one to guess this kind of stuff

[EstWRC]

Interesting interview with Prokop for sport.cz
https://www.sport.cz/moto/rallye/cla...or.html#hp-sez

He claims that his team almost secured VW cars for 2017 season.

Full quote:
Everything was agreed. Red Bull would be involved, as Ogier's partner. Three cars would be run by our team in Jihlava. VW board knew that the budget would correspond to czech circumstances. Ogier even agreed to skip Monte Carlo noting that he would 14 have more days with his family. But in the last minute before signing the deal one regular WRC competitor got interested. He promised Qatar money to Volkswagen. Everything got stucked. Ogier shown his tolerance and postponed his signing twice. When he finally had no other option, he signed for Ford. And actually, I did too.

this sounds very interesting, basically very little was left to make actually 3 Polo's run this year.

[PLuto]

Eyvind Brynildsen ‏@E_Brynildsen 4h
4 hours ago


More
There's not only new rules for roll cage padding. There's also a new fire extinguisher system for R5! A lot of work!! #WRC #FIA #hardwork

All this info regarding cage padding and fire extinguisher (and anti-torpedo tabs, racing fuel tanks or general circuit breaker) were announced in advance during previous year. So I dont know why he is so surprised. For most of the teams this is not new info...

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Interesting interview with Prokop for sport.cz
https://www.sport.cz/moto/rallye/cla...or.html#hp-sez

He claims that his team almost secured VW cars for 2017 season.

Full quote:
Everything was agreed. Red Bull would be involved, as Ogier's partner. Three cars would be run by our team in Jihlava. VW board knew that the budget would correspond to czech circumstances. Ogier even agreed to skip Monte Carlo noting that he would 14 have more days with his family. But in the last minute before signing the deal one regular WRC competitor got interested. He promised Qatar money to Volkswagen. Everything got stucked. Ogier shown his tolerance and postponed his signing twice. When he finally had no other option, he signed for Ford. And actually, I did too.

Great new info finally shedding some light on what was going on behind the scenes.

I dont quite see why this deal didnt happen since the other interested party didnt make a deal happen in the end...
I suppose it was a time issue and Ogier needed to get his 2017 seat confirmed.

[rallyfiend]

Great new info finally shedding some light on what was going on behind the scenes.

I dont quite see why this deal didnt happen since the other interested party didnt make a deal happen in the end...
I suppose it was a time issue and Ogier needed to get his 2017 seat confirmed.

The biggest problems remains the same.

So far, the car is not allowed to be homologated, regardless of whether there was money there or not...

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Four-time world champion in the Czech team? It was not a utopia, but a triumph for the big battle is Norwegian.
Four-time world champion in the Czech service ?! It was not a sci-fi, but a serious deal.

Czech racing driver Martin Prokop and his team had Jipocar ​​under the wings of Frenchman Sebastien Ogier. "Everything had been agreed.
It ruined the only person to whom it is not dependable or, It destroyed the only person which is not reliable,, " he says in an interview with Sport.cz.

Any Czech speaker properly translate this ?

Čtyřnásobný mistr světa v českých službách?! Nešlo o sci-fi, ale seriózní dohodu. Nechybělo mnoho a český automobilový závodník Martin Prokop se svým týmem Jipocar měl pod křídly Francouze Sébastiena Ogiera. „Vše bylo dojednané. Zhatil to jediný člověk, na nějž není spoleh," říká v rozhovoru pro Sport.cz čtyřiatřicetiletý pilot a odkrývá plány do budoucnosti.

[AL14]

Where is Mirek when we need him?