[WRC] News & Rumours 2018

[RICARDO75]

How many rallies on final day, were really competitive or with changes between top 3 in 2017?

Just Argentina.

Tänak made mistake in Poland and Latvala in Austrália, losing second position and that's it

[Mirek]

Ypres is good but it is ERC/BRC/ERT event... not a WORLD Rally Championship event

Ypres is wrong example - the only "short edition" in many last years was 2017 (already out of ERC). Otherwise even on ERC level Ypres used to be always the longest event with a total legth around 300 km. What is true is that all the stages are packed in very short time but that's also thanks to geography and extremely dense road network in there.

[PLuto]

Ypres is wrong example - the only "short edition" in many last years was 2017 (already out of ERC). Otherwise even on ERC level Ypres used to be always the longest event with a total legth around 300 km. What is true is that all the stages are packed in very short time but that's also thanks to geography and extremely dense road network in there.

And as another "bad" example I can say Rallye du Valais. In ERC/IRC era it was great event with 250-300 kms of SS. Last year in ERC it was due to regulations only 233 kms and it was worse. But what I have seen during last year, it was quite disaster. Only 200 kms of stages, some of the most beautiful stages were missing (completely stages or northern part of the valley) and the result was really sad...

[AnttiL]

How many rallies on final day, were really competitive or with changes between top 3 in 2017?

Just Argentina.

Tänak made mistake in Poland and Latvala in Austrália, losing second position and that's it

Finland as well.

[AndyRAC]

When will Ciesla realize that WRC popularity can’t be declared by a FIA rule and it’s not measurable by TV audiences or twitter stats? Doesn’t he knows that many previous WRC attempts to extend the series worldwide have failed?

I hope the guy understands it once for all: Rally it’s deeply linked to the passion of the people where the sport was born and got developed. FIA must recognize WRC’s Eurocentric character; otherwise they risk the series future, opening the way for rival alternatives, like it happened with IRC.

All this is proves, is that Ciesla simply has no understanding of the sport. He seems to want to repeat the mistakes of the past. Is the WRC a big enough to support 16 events? I don't think so. It's been tried before.......

Just because F1 has 20+ races, doesn't mean that the WRC can also go bigger. I do still think they look at F1 for ideas - I wish they wouldn't, it's completely different world.

12 events of different character is what my ideal WRC would have. I don't have a problem with a few 2 day sprint events, as long as we get a few 4 day endurance events, plus the 3 day format events. But this is something they just can't/ won't do.

[Tarmop]

How many rallies on final day, were really competitive or with changes between top 3 in 2017?

Just Argentina.

Tänak made mistake in Poland and Latvala in Austrália, losing second position and that's it

RMC: Tänak having techincal issues and had to push beyond the limit on PS, half way through he was 5th i believe...
Sweden: Both Tänak and Ogier had a chance against rally winner Latvala, the gap was just a few seconds.
Mexico: Meeke on PS...but that IS rallying and it went well for him.
Corsica: Just 1.3 seconds between Ogier and Sordo in the end, places 2 and 3.
Argentina: Neuville`s victory that was the closest in history.
Portugal: Can`t remember anything close in the top but it was a fine last day with 2x Fafe.
Sardegna: Pretty much like Portugal but 12 seconds in the end is quite close and no-one lifted their foot for sure.
Poland: Like You mentioned, again just mere seconds between 1. and 2. and it didn`t play out for Tänak, but again that`s rallying at its best.
Finland: Well...i like the end result and RF is RF. E: Also forgot Suninen.
Germany: Was pretty much decided, but everything can happen...
Spain: Close between 2. and 3.
GB: Evans was in a different league but theoretically from places 2 to 6 everyone had a chance for a podium when the day started.
Australia: Unlucky Latvala and horrific conditions that played a huge role.

So IMHO most of the time nothing was decided before the finish of PS. If we look beyond podium and places 4-6 then the picture is even more interesting.

[RICARDO75]

Finland as well.

Yes, I forgot Suninen

[RICARDO75]

Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 2017
Day 1 - 1º Neuville; 2º Ogier +45.1; 3º Tänak +45.4
Day 2 - 1º Ogier; 2º Tänak +47.1; 3º Latvala +02:20.6
Day 3 - 1º Ogier; 2º Tänak +02:15.0; 3º Latvala +02:57.8 (4 stages)

Rally Sweden 2017
Day 1 - 1º Neuville; 2º Latvala +28.1; Tänak +49.7
Day 2 - 1º Latvala; 2º Tänak +03.8; 3º Ogier +16.6
Day 3 - 1º Latvala; 2º Tänak +29.2; 3º Ogier +59.5 (3 stages)

Rally Guanajuato Mexico 2017
Day 1 - 1º Meeke; 2º Ogier +20.9; 3º Neuville +56.7
Day 2 - 1º Meeke; 2º Ogier +30.9; 3º Neuville +01:10.5
Day 4 - 1º Meeke; 2º Ogier +13.8; 3º Neuville +02:18.3 (2 stages)

Che Guevara Energy Drink Tour de Corse 2017
Day 1 - 1º Meeke; 2º Ogier +10.3; 3º Neuville +25.8
Day 2 - 1º Neuville; 2º Ogier +38.9; 3º Sordo +57.7
Day 3 - 2º Neuville; 2º Ogier +54.7; 3º Sordo +56.0 (2 stages)

YPF Rally Argentina 2017
Day 1 - 1º Evans; 2º Ostberg +55.7; 3º Neuville +01:00.7
Day 2 - 1º Evans; 2º Neuville +11.5; 3º Tänak +26.8
Day 3 - 1º Neuville; 2º Evans +00.7; 3º Tänak +29.9 (3 stages)

Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2017
Day 1 - 1º Tänak; 2º Sordo +04.6; 3º Ogier +05.0
Day 2 - 1º Ogier; 2º Neuville +16.8; 3º Sordo +51.3
Day 3 - 1º Ogier; 2º Neuville +15.6; 3º Sordo +01:01.7 (4 stages)

Rally Italia Sardegna 2017
Day 1 - 1º Paddon; 2º Neuville +08.2; 3º Tänak +09.5
Day 2 - 1º Tänak; 2º Latvala +24.3; 3º Neuville +01:02.2
Day 3 - 1º Tänak; 2º Latvala +12.3; 3º Neuville +01:07.7 (4 stages)

ORLEN Rally Poland 2017
Day 1 - 1º Neuville; 2º Tänak +01.3; 3º Latvala +06.6
Day 2 - 1º Neuville; 2º Tänak +03.1; 3º Paddon +25.5
Day 3 - 1º Neuville; 2º Paddon +01:23.9; 3º Ogier +02:20.8 (4 stages)

Neste Rally Finland 2017
Day 1 - 1º Lappi; 2º Latvala +04.4; 3º Suninen +19.0
Day 2 - 1º Lappi; 2º Suninen +49.1; 3º Hänninen +53.4
Day 3 - 1º Lappi; 2º Evans +36.0; 3º Hänninen +36.3 (4 stages)

ADAC Rallye Deutschland 2017
Day 1 - 1º Tänak; 2º Mikkelsen +05.7; 3º Neuville +28.2
Day 2 - 1º Tänak; 2º Mikkelsen +21.4; 3º Ogier +29.6
Day 3 - 1º Tänak; 2º Mikkelsen +16.4; 3º Ogier +30.4 (4 stages)

RallyRACC Catalunya - Costa Daurada 2017
Day 1 - 1º Mikkelsen; 2º Ogier +01.4; 3º Meeke +03.0
Day 2 - 1º Meeke; 2º Ogier +13.0; 3º Tänak +14.5
Day 3 - 1º Meeke; 2º Ogier +28.0; 3º Tänak +33.0 (6 stages)

Dayinsure Wales Rally GB 2017
Day 1 - 1º Evans; 2º Tänak +24.6; 3º Ogier +26.8
Day 2 - 1º Evans; 2º Ogier +53.1; 3º Neuville +53.6
Day 3 - 1º Evans; 2º Neuville +37.3; 3º Ogier +45.2 (5 stages)

Kennards Hire Rally Australia 2017
Day 1 - 1º Mikkelsen; 2º Neuville +20.1; 3º Meeke +20.8
Day 2 - 1º Neuville; 2º Latvala +20.1; 3º Tänak +40.6
Day 3 - 1º Neuville; 2º Tänak +22.5; 3º Paddon +02:27.7 (5 stages)

[dimviii]

brievesrallyeschool
‏@brievesrallye

[AnttiL]

Corsica: Just 1.3 seconds between Ogier and Sordo in the end, places 2 and 3.

And Latvala overtook Breen's fourth place on the power stage by a tenth, also winning the power stage. That was an epic power stage moment for me.

Also in Germany, Evans dropped from 4th to 6th on the final day.