[WRC] News & Rumours 2018

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Class of 2018

[Simmi]

What could Petter's news be then? Got the rally bug again after testing that Polo?

https://twitter.com/Petter_Solberg/s...96022485737472

[N.O.T]

What could Petter's news be then? Got the rally bug again after testing that Polo?

https://twitter.com/Petter_Solberg/s...96022485737472

it would be nice to see him rally in an event where Loeb will do...

the battle of the has been granddaddys

[ESTR]

They could do historic rallies, they are historic also, so fitting them there woyluld be perfect

[EstWRC]

Hyundai must avoid 'panic' after tough Monte Carlo 2018 WRC opener

Hyundai team principal Michel Nandan says his team cannot afford to panic after a problematic 2018 World Rally Championship-opening Monte Carlo Rally.

Thierry Neuville was the highest placed Hyundai finisher in fifth place, but the title hopeful's rally was compromised when he slid into a ditch on the first stage and lost four minutes.

Team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen went off on Friday and damaged the alternator on his i20 WRC, while Dani Sordo was running third before crashing into a ditch on the first Saturday stage.

It left the team last in the manufacturers' championship after the opening round with just Neuville's 14 points to its name.

"If you panic after round one then it's a bit game over," team principal Michel Nandan told Autosport.

"OK, the fact is like that: it's a bad result. But let's look forward and think already about the next event.

"In Sweden, normally the car is quite competitive and Sweden is a rally where Thierry, Andreas and Hayden [Paddon] perform well.

"We could say the same about here. Maybe Sweden is not so tricky, we know a bit more the conditions.

"Maybe it would be better for the championship to start in Sweden next year!"

Neuville won more Monte stages (five) than any other driver on his recovery charge, which included overhauling M-Sport driver Elfyn Evans and Toyota's Esapekka Lappi on the final stage.

Nandan said the speed shown by the drivers, with Neuville and Mikkelsen banking powerstage points, was small consolation.

"It's disappointing and frustrating," he said.

"Technically, we had no issues. The car was OK and it was performing well, the problems we had were related to the rally conditions."



Mikkelsen returned under Rally2 regulations on Saturday, but Sordo (above) was not permitted a restart due to specific rules for the opening round that stipulate no competitor retiring on Saturday can resume on the final day.

Asked about Mikkelsen's alternator failure, Nandan said: "He went off on the stage and we saw from the data there was some dirt or gravel which went on the belt and cut it.

"The belt then jumped off and became wrapped around the alternator.

"Normally it's OK to change the belt, but it was not possible in such a short time."


https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/1...r-tough-opener


this is like reading copy-paste from last years statements

[SubaruNorway]

Are they talking about Mikkelsen's little overshoot at 4:45 i SS3 or did i miss something?
If that made gravel get onto the belt it's a bit weird even if they run less protection than on gravel rallies...

[Lead]

That Mikkelsen's little off made alternator belt cut? That doesnt sound seriuos. If so, then thats one more part where they need to work on. The Hyundai car is sooo fragile then... Last season there was that right hand corner in Spain rally, where both Sordo and Mikkelsen took their wheel off, but everyone else was going through fine.

[mknight]

This is the "off" marked using epic paint skills with red arrows.

The first part (straight) is gravel road, the part up the hill looked like smooth tarmac. Street view of the place is here but the picture is from 2009:

https://www.google.no/maps/@44.45436...7i13312!8i6656


So while "off" stage it's pretty on a road all the time.

I get that they can get from data that it happened here, but if it did then:
a) it was extremely unlucky
or
b) there is some rather bad design involved

[steve.mandzij]

This is the "off" marked using epic paint skills with red arrows.

The first part (straight) is broken up tarmac/gravel patches, the part up the hill looked like smooth tarmac. Street view of the place is here but the picture is from 2009:

https://www.google.no/maps/@44.45436...7i13312!8i6656


So while "off" stage it's pretty on the road all the time.

I get that they can get from data that it happened here, but if it did then:
a) it was extremely unlucky
or
b) there is some rather bad design involved

I'd place my bets on the deep gravel cuts cutting the belt over the off road excursion into somebody's paved yard.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[mknight]

I'd place my bets on the deep gravel cuts cutting the belt over the off road excursion into somebody's paved yard.

Hyundai says it was due to the "off", Hyundai has the data logs. (Doesn't mean they are telling the truth off course)