53º Rally RACC Catalunya – Costa Daurada 2017

[SubaruNorway]

?? the edge of tarmac is in line with bonnet vent. He is 2 tyres widths off the tarmac against a cliff face..

He definitely doesn't hit the cliff face, seems like the car drops into the cut just before the bang. I can see the rock has moved now on Hänninen's onboard but if a loose rock is all that's all it takes then it's not strong enough. If it's inline with the bonnet went then the suspension arm is over the edge and can hook on the edge of the broken tarmac that is there...

[itix]

what the hell was neuville doing in there?

If you had watched the stage from the helicopter view you can tell pretty easily that he ran slightly wide in the previous corner and didn't have the time set it up for this corner (it was an S section).

He over cooked it basically.

Still, the rock is not huge and Hyundai should strengthen their suspension components.

[pantealex]

Btw, Nordgren debut at Skoda wasn’t mind-blowing, still he keep improving all rally long and was able to avoid mistakes; P4 at the end is a good result.

Nordgren has driven totally less than 5 events with 4wd car and this was his 1st Tarmac days with 4wd. But yes, not mind-blowing.

[Mirek]

Nobody could realistically expect much more. He did good rally.

[pantealex]

Nobody could realistically expect much more. He did good rally.

and he would be very happy for 4th place in Wales also.

[Mintexmemory]

I can't help myself but old Loeb's words came to my mind seeing the screenshot of Neuville's incident. Loeb has been always saying (especially in Catalunya) that a lot of the cutting is basically meaningless and nobody gets faster with it...

Exactly what I have said since Friday - while in Germany there are clear cuts available the nature of Catalan road construction makes the technique too much of a risk. Young Thierry needs to think more than he does currently to become a credible challenger for WDC

[wrc2017]

His attitude stinks.

Exactly what I have said since Friday - while in Germany there are clear cuts available the nature of Catalan road construction makes the technique too much of a risk. Young Thierry needs to think more than he does currently to become a credible challenger for WDC

[AnttiL]

and he would be very happy for 4th place in Wales also.

Will be more difficult with Tidemand, Veiby and Camilli driving for WRC2 points as well.

[A FONDO]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IkwlUcou4w

[dimviii]

Hi everyone,
Sorry for the short delay in getting some thoughts online. I know you all must think it was a heavy party night after our win in Catalunya but in fact there were a lot of press and PR commitments, and a really nice team dinner, and then I drove back home really late at night. I’ve needed a ride on my bike this morning just to get properly woken up!
Anyway, it was pretty much a perfect weekend in Spain. The key day for us was always going to be the Friday, because we had to stay in the lead bunch during those stages. We knew even before we got to Spain how much potential the C3 WRC has on asphalt, but we had to be in a position to exploit it.
We didn’t have a perfect day on Friday, frankly; we made not the perfect tyre choice in the morning, because we went too soft on the package and we got caught out towards the end of the final stage of that loop.

The tyres overheated and delaminated. That cost us 10 to 15 seconds. Then I had a spin on the first stage after service and we lost another five seconds or so.
So it was a little bit frustrating but we did managed to stay in touch with the lead; we were only three seconds or so away from it on Friday night.
We hadn’t done any testing in Spain on the asphalt so that probably gave me an extra lift and motivation on the Saturday morning. I was telling myself, ‘I’m not going to be caught cold on this surface, against these guys who’ve done their testing on Spanish tarmac. I’m going to hit the ground running.’ And fortunately for me, that turned the tide. We were able to catch a few of the other guys on the hop and pull out an advantage.

From then on, the car just gave me so much confidence. It was a pleasure to drive. You’ll have seen that on the Sunday; I was driving open and freely, and it was a really nice experience to be able to drive with a smile on my face again.
It’s another box ticked, for sure, to win on asphalt in the WRC. And in Spain; as I finished the last stage, I remembered walking up the same road 20 years ago to watch Colin McRae in the Subaru. I never thought back then that I’d even drive a rally car, let alone be in a position to win the Rally Catalunya myself.
I’m delighted for everyone in the team. It’s a timely boost for everyone after a very difficult period. We always knew the C3 was fast, and we’ve showed it.

We have to take care, though, because this doesn’t change the world in terms of the wider, overall championship. We still need to work in certain areas. But a victory always helps, and it gives everyone in the Citroen Racing team a boost going into Rally GB.
We’ve another test coming soon - for Wales but not in Wales, if you know what I mean - but hopefully everyone now can work in a calmer way and we can use this as a stepping stone.
Thanks, as always, for your support,
Kris

https://www.facebook.com/krismeeke