[WRC] News & rumours (part III)

[stefanvv]

...including the drivers at that time.

[makinen_fan]

Atkinson in for Mexico:

Hyundai Motorsport
We are delighted to confirm that Aussie boy Chris 'Atko' Atkinson and co-driver Stéphane Prévot will drive the second ?#?Hyundai? i20 WRC at Rally México in March!

[Mad cat jnr]

Are the drivers just going to do every third rally then?

[tommeke_B]

I'm sure their service-castle has enough space for a 3rd car when they are ready for it... :)

[Barreis]

Sordo had better result then Atkinson in Mexico last year...

[Zeakiwi]

Nice lengthy interview with Hayden Paddon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-cOCkiB9Kg

Does anyone know when and where was the accident they are talking about burning completely the car?

On Hayden's website - 25th September, 2005 with the Mitsubishi Evo 4 - Canterbury Rally in Ashley Forest?, NZ. Grass catches fire from hot exhaust. The car was replaced by the Evo 8 which is back in Paddon's shed for David Holder to drive this year.

[Red bull]

LOEB SWITCH'S TO AUDI :bounce: :bounce: http://www.racexpress.nl/index.php?nav= ... um=twitter (http://www.racexpress.nl/index.php?nav=Artikel&nid=55911&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter)

[WUff1]

Bouffier really going back to Hyundai as test driver? http://www.rallye-magazin.de/rallyes/wm ... index.html (http://www.rallye-magazin.de/rallyes/wm/nachrichten/news-detail/d/2014/01/30/bouffier-und-die-hoffnung-auf-mehr/index.html)

Hope he doesn´t, I´d bet he´ll be dissapointed again

[Doon]

Why? It's a great option for him.

What would you do? A. get paid to test/develop a car in a wealthy team, with a possiblity of driving their car in the future for free or B. keep looking around for money to do the odd event with a team which you'll always have to pay to drive their car?

[Frostmourne]

LOEB SWITCH'S TO AUDI :bounce: :bounce: http://www.racexpress.nl/index.php?nav= ... um=twitter (http://www.racexpress.nl/index.php?nav=Artikel&nid=55911&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter)

Is this official? He left Citroen WTCC team? what is going on there?

[miniwintz]

LOEB SWITCH'S TO AUDI :bounce: :bounce: http://www.racexpress.nl/index.php?nav= ... um=twitter (http://www.racexpress.nl/index.php?nav=Artikel&nid=55911&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter)

Is this official? He left Citroen WTCC team? what is going on there?
Loeb has his own team (Sebastien Loeb Racing) in FIA GT Series since quite some time now. Last year they competed on McLaren MP4-12Cs but they had many reliability issues (car taking fire in the middle of the race...) hence their switch to Audi R8s for next season.

This has nothing to do with Loeb's involvement in WTCC with Citroën.

[jbmarcus21]

New Wrc 2014 standings after Sweden event
Latvala switch number 1
http://planetemarcus.com/saison-wrc/

[dimviii]

http://www.rallye-magazin.de/rallyes/wm ... index.html (http://www.rallye-magazin.de/rallyes/wm/nachrichten/news-detail/d/2014/02/11/burkart-wrc-comeback-mit-hankook/index.html)

[EightGear]

Burkart? Really?

[Mintexmemory]

Burkart? Really?

Not some sort of April Fool / Poisson Rouge / Day of the Innocents type hoax is it? Surely Hankook could find someone competing more regularly (and with more success), unless Herr B waved an obscene amount of cash at them to become 'partners'.

[noel157]

Wilson will be happy.................

[Karukera]

Burkart? Really?

Not some sort of April Fool / Poisson Rouge / Day of the Innocents type hoax is it? Surely Hankook could find someone competing more regularly (and with more success), unless Herr B waved an obscene amount of cash at them to become 'partners'.

Poisson rouge ? :laugh:
Ze rosbif probably meant 'Poisson d'Avril' :D .

[TheFlyingTuga]

I know that it is kind of a joke, but Oleksii Tamrazov put this into his facebook account saying that he is trying to bring MG to Rally again.
I know that this is probably nothing, but it's the second time that I see rumours of MG linked to rallying! Maybe something possible in a R5 form, who knows!!

3D Renderings of the MG 3 WRC
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 5538_n.jpg (https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1/1904130_10152000623847987_1616605538_n.jpg)
https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hph ... 5980_o.jpg (https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t31/1940002_10200816982621947_867905980_o.jpg)

[Mintexmemory]

Burkart? Really?

Not some sort of April Fool / Poisson Rouge / Day of the Innocents type hoax is it? Surely Hankook could find someone competing more regularly (and with more success), unless Herr B waved an obscene amount of cash at them to become 'partners'.

Poisson rouge ? :laugh:
Ze rosbif probably meant 'Poisson d'Avril' :D .

D'ac ;)

[PLuto]

I know that it is kind of a joke, but Oleksii Tamrazov put this into his facebook account saying that he is trying to bring MG to Rally again.
I know that this is probably nothing, but it's the second time that I see rumours of MG linked to rallying! Maybe something possible in a R5 form, who knows!!

3D Renderings of the MG 3 WRC
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 5538_n.jpg (https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1/1904130_10152000623847987_1616605538_n.jpg)
https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hph ... 5980_o.jpg (https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t31/1940002_10200816982621947_867905980_o.jpg)

This is really not a joke, Alex is really trying to start WRC project. He is negotiating with MG and I hope there is quite big chance to have this project working.

http://www.autosport.cz/clanek.php?cl=16099

[TheFlyingTuga]

I know that it is kind of a joke, but Oleksii Tamrazov put this into his facebook account saying that he is trying to bring MG to Rally again.
I know that this is probably nothing, but it's the second time that I see rumours of MG linked to rallying! Maybe something possible in a R5 form, who knows!!

3D Renderings of the MG 3 WRC
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 5538_n.jpg (https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1/1904130_10152000623847987_1616605538_n.jpg)
https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hph ... 5980_o.jpg (https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t31/1940002_10200816982621947_867905980_o.jpg)

This is really not a joke, Alex is really trying to start WRC project. He is negotiating with MG and I hope there is quite big chance to have this project working.

http://www.autosport.cz/clanek.php?cl=16099

Thanks Mr. Pluto! I'll see if I get a chance to talk to him next week, in Fafe Rally :)

[KKS]

This is really not a joke, Alex is really trying to start WRC project. He is negotiating with MG and I hope there is quite big chance to have this project working.

http://www.autosport.cz/clanek.php?cl=16099
Hmm, quite strange see the slow guy try to bring MG to WRC.
I'm ask this question from start of driver career of Tamrazov. What he doing here? many years at driver seat and no visible progress.

[PLuto]

Hmm, quite strange see the slow guy try to bring MG to WRC.
I'm ask this question from start of driver career of Tamrazov. What he doing here? many years at driver seat and no visible progress.

Alex wants to bring MG into WRC not as driver, but as investor.

[Motorsportfun]

He also told to Italian magazine Rallyemotion about various companies ready to enter the project, when will get green light from MG. The Manufacturer seems it will eventually have a works involvement starting 2015. This year they financed already 2 motorsport programmes... something around Asia, I guess.

http://www.rallyemotion.it/8593_wrc-arr ... y-emotion/ (http://www.rallyemotion.it/8593_wrc-arriva-la-mg-tamrazov-ne-parla-rally-emotion/)

[PLuto]

He also told to Italian magazine Rallyemotion about various companies ready to enter the project, when will get green light from MG. The Manufacturer seems it will eventually have a works involvement starting 2015. This year they financed already 2 motorsport programmes... something around Asia, I guess.

http://www.rallyemotion.it/8593_wrc-arr ... y-emotion/ (http://www.rallyemotion.it/8593_wrc-arriva-la-mg-tamrazov-ne-parla-rally-emotion/)

Alex is working on this project for few months and he has partners and companies which are interested to go in. Now the main target is to find manufacturer which should be interested in cooperation...

[PLuto]

And about the other MG projects, if I am correct, they will be competing (again) in BTCC on circuits.

[Prisoner Monkeys]

They have been for a while - Triple Eight (the parent team of the extremely successful V8 Supercar team) have run Jason Plato for the past two years. They use the MG6, which probably would not be eligible to enter in the WRC, but an existing motorsport programme does not hurt the idea of a WRC entry.

[PLuto]

This project is working with MG 3 as a base car for WRC...

[Prisoner Monkeys]

Yes, I know. The point I was trying to make is that MG are supporting a motorsport programme in the BTCC. And if they are willing to do that, then they might be open to expanding that programme into the WRC. Certainly moreso than if Tamrazov just picked a manufacturer with no motorsport programmes. If he wants it to happen, he will need the support of the manufacturer. If I was looking to get a new car into the WRC, I know the first manufacturers I would go to are the ones that already compete in other categories.

[christy]

would be great if another manufacturer was in wrc

[mousti]

Tamrazov:

Guy Jones from UK MG office is strange guy ; ) promised to answer and nothing . My friend's who trying to get in touch with China office .

[Prisoner Monkeys]

Of course he's not going to say anything. Companies rarely do ahead of an official announcement, even if it is an open secret.

[Doon]

I can't see an MG entry being anything less than awful. Do they have any money?

[Fly_Half]

And are there any drivers left who would be quick enough to make it a serious effort!

[dimviii]

Kronos racing sells their headquarters.They will continue at some only 1200sqm with historic cars.


new Sebastien Loeb account at twitter reached some 20.600 followers at 11 hours
https://twitter.com/SebastienLoeb

[Prisoner Monkeys]

I can't see an MG entry being anything less than awful. Do they have any money?
At least they are interested in entering the sport. There is the potential to do well; the MG6 isn't completely horrible in the BTCC, so if developed properly, the MG3 could work. And there is plenty of money in China.

The real challenge will be in finding capable drivers. I imagine Tamrazov would drive one, since he is arranging the whole thing, but if not, he would probably give a seat to Protasov; you don't win Monte Carlo (whatever your category) without having a little bit of talent. They could probably get Tideman or Breen or Bouffier for the second seat, depending on funding.

[PLuto]

I can't see an MG entry being anything less than awful. Do they have any money?
At least they are interested in entering the sport. There is the potential to do well; the MG6 isn't completely horrible in the BTCC, so if developed properly, the MG3 could work. And there is plenty of money in China.

The real challenge will be in finding capable drivers. I imagine Tamrazov would drive one, since he is arranging the whole thing, but if not, he would probably give a seat to Protasov; you don't win Monte Carlo (whatever your category) without having a little bit of talent. They could probably get Tideman or Breen or Bouffier for the second seat, depending on funding.

There is no problem with finding drivers. Alex will be there mainly as investor and "father" of the project, but if it will come true, lot of interesting people from rally area will be involved...

[Prisoner Monkeys]

Well, if the money is there and they can make a viable project of it, they will probably be able to get *someone* on-board. After all, Hyundai managed it.

Mind you, I would have explored the possibility of getting the new Honda Civic or Volvo C30 into rallying before the MG3. The Civic has been pretty competitive in other series, so it is a good platform. And Volvo have been expanding their motorsport programme of late, and I think the car is quite nice.

(I would include Toyota in that list, but we know they are already working on something of their own.)

[Plan9]

MG will be fine if it decides to make something. It could be no worse than the MINI thing or the endless Saab rumors of a few years ago pre-GFC (I mean what is happening with them now anyway?).

[Franky]

MG will be fine if it decides to make something. It could be no worse than the MINI thing or the endless Saab rumors of a few years ago pre-GFC (I mean what is happening with them now anyway?).

The last Saab news I remember was that they will start production again. Here's a small news piece I found - "Saab restarts production of the 9-3" (http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/02/autos/saab-93-production-restarts/)

[Prisoner Monkeys]

MG will be fine if it decides to make something. It could be no worse than the MINI thing or the endless Saab rumors of a few years ago pre-GFC (I mean what is happening with them now anyway?).
The Mini project had potential. The problem was that it was mis-managed from the first day. I think the decision-makers got hung up on the romance of seeing Mini back in the WRC and made some pretty poor choices.

[PLuto]

MG will be fine if it decides to make something. It could be no worse than the MINI thing or the endless Saab rumors of a few years ago pre-GFC (I mean what is happening with them now anyway?).
The Mini project had potential. The problem was that it was mis-managed from the first day. I think the decision-makers got hung up on the romance of seeing Mini back in the WRC and made some pretty poor choices.

Problem of this project was Prodrive and their financial strategy...

[RS]

Kronos racing sells their headquarters.They will continue at some only 1200sqm with historic cars.


That's a shame. What is the reason behind this decision?

[dimviii]

Kronos racing sells their headquarters.They will continue at some only 1200sqm with historic cars.


That's a shame. What is the reason behind this decision?

financial reasons

[PLuto]

Kronos racing sells their headquarters.They will continue at some only 1200sqm with historic cars.


That's a shame. What is the reason behind this decision?

financial reasons

Lack of customers is main problem, financial reasons is result...

[jbmarcus21]

VW & Hyundai prepares Mexico http://planetemarcus.com/objectif-rally ... ique-2014/ (http://planetemarcus.com/objectif-rallye-wrc-mexique-2014/)

[RS]

Lack of customers is main problem, financial reasons is result...

I guess losing the official ERC programme to Sainteloc didn't help.

[bluuford]

Mismanagement again. I remember some stupid situations with Delecour car and his tires etc.

[PLuto]

Mismanagement again. I remember some stupid situations with Delecour car and his tires etc.

This is only one of the examples. Also their participation in Czech championship with Pavel Valousek was not good...

[Prisoner Monkeys]

Their Formula 1 project from a few years ago bombed as well. I think they rode their success with the Impreza WRX for too long.

[bluuford]

We were talking about Kronos :-)

[WUff1]

Mismanagement again. I remember some stupid situations with Delecour car and his tires etc.

Jänner Rally 2013 was their last international participation if I´m not wrong? Delecour changed to Munaretto for Liepaja and the following (rare) ERC-appearances.

[RICARDO75]

https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1/p235x350/1891157_656842151030490_410953412_n.jpg

https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1/1780624_10152228916953164_2030381401_n.jpg

[GigiGalliNo1]

Could someone please elaborate on who this man was? I have no knowledge of AlMarri.... condolences..

[Mintexmemory]

Could someone please elaborate on who this man was? I have no knowledge of AlMarri.... condolences..
Former Middle East Rally series Champion.

[bluuford]

http://www.ewrc-results.com/profile.php ... r-Al-Marri (http://www.ewrc-results.com/profile.php?p=2156&t=Misfer-Al-Marri)
His history in rally

[GigiGalliNo1]

Thank you guys.

[Zeakiwi]

Paddon/ Paddon's sponsors are likely to make an announcement on his program for 2014 this week.

Skoda s2000 chassis #35 is still listed for sale.

[skarderud]

Rumours that paddon do Australia in hyundai!

[Mintexmemory]

Highly unlikely as Hanninen and Sordo would be in the queue behind Atkinson for the 3rd car - Unless they have a 4th car by then.

[makinen_fan]

Facelifted Fiesta WRC to race in Mexico (Autosport answered to my post in testing thread :p)
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112647

[sollitt]

Highly unlikely as Hanninen and Sordo would be in the queue behind Atkinson for the 3rd car - Unless they have a 4th car by then.Would make perfect sense. He could be expected to outperform all of those 3, particularly in Australia. I guess we'll have to await the announcement.

[Rally Hokkaido]

Paddon/ Paddon's sponsors are likely to make an announcement on his program for 2014 this week.

Skoda s2000 chassis #35 is still listed for sale.

A New Zealand newspaper 'believes' his programme will be with M-sport in a WRC Car.

[6789]

Paddon/ Paddon's sponsors are likely to make an announcement on his program for 2014 this week.

Skoda s2000 chassis #35 is still listed for sale.

A New Zealand newspaper 'believes' his programme will be with M-sport in a WRC Car.
Qatar money perhaps?

[makinen_fan]

No update for Fiesta WRC finally....
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112658

[Zeakiwi]

Paddon to announce plans at 9.15am (NZ summer time)27/2/14

[tolis]

Hayden Paddon in 7 WRC rounds driving a Hyundai!
Im so excited to announce we have signed with Hyundai Motorsport to contest 7 rounds of this years WRC driving the Hyundai i20 WRC for the Hyundai Motorsport N. Our first event will be June's Rally Italy, and our program will also include Rally Australia. We will need your support more than ever this year - lets do it!!! Our livery will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

[Andre Oliveira]

Great news :bounce:

[Mirek]

5 drivers for Hyundai. How are they going to manage that?

[Mintexmemory]

5 drivers for Hyundai. How are they going to manage that?

Well paint me pink and call me Pamela! I can only surmise that HP is the first 'customer car' and Hyundai will be permutating 4 into 3 with their intended team. Hope HP makes the best of the opportunity and that Hyundai have solved the teething problems by Sardinia

[MartijnS]

I'm curious how he will perform. Personally I believe he's a bit overrated, so lets hope I'm wrong ;)

[stefanvv]

That is great news indeed.

[COD]

Hayden Paddon in 7 WRC rounds driving a Hyundai!
Im so excited to announce we have signed with Hyundai Motorsport to contest 7 rounds of this years WRC driving the Hyundai i20 WRC for the Hyundai Motorsport N. Our first event will be June's Rally Italy, and our program will also include Rally Australia. We will need your support more than ever this year - lets do it!!! Our livery will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

I really hope this is a semi private entry. They allready have 3 good drivers and one for marketing purposes. And they are not giving Bouffier a chance. If this means one or two of the good ones don't get to drive in some evnt, this is a stupid decision.

[Kalm]

I really hope this is a semi private entry.

"Our livery will be confirmed in the coming weeks." - seems so, they woudnt be speaking about "our livery" if its full factory car... or ?

[EightGear]

Good news. Just hope they will keep three cars for their factory team during the rest of the year for Neuville, Sordo and Hanninen (except for Australia, where we now Atkinson will fill a place) and Paddon will 'just' be a private addition.
It looks like that's the case since he's paying for the drive.

Makes you wonder how Bouffier will feel!

[stefanvv]

Now Hyndai will need bigger supermarket :D

[Mirek]

"Our livery will be confirmed in the coming weeks." - seems so, they woudnt be speaking about "our livery" if its full factory car... or ?

You are probably right.

[Simmi]

Official works drive in the third car - http://www.hyundai.co.nz/new-thinking/m ... rc-program (http://www.hyundai.co.nz/new-thinking/media-centre/news/show/55/paddon-signs-with-hyundai-motorsport-for-seven-round-wrc-program)

[Mintexmemory]

Now Hyndai will need bigger supermarket :D

No - Just like Tesco or Carrefour they will have the existing Hyper size for the main team and a Spar Shop for Paddon!

[sollitt]

I'm curious how he will perform. Personally I believe he's a bit overrated, so lets hope I'm wrong ;)
You are wrong. Paddon is a perpetual winner. A trait not evident in any current drivers except Ogier. This is a smart decision and well deserved.

[Zeakiwi]

I thought Paddon should have done another year in WRC2 with a Fiesta R5/ RRC or the Skoda S2000.
I wonder if Hyundai have not schooled themselves on the wrc mistakes of the past when manufacturers went for quantity of entries too early rather than the quality of their cars and never did very well.
I hope Bouffier gets more drives with M Sport.

[Mk2 RS2000]

Let us not forget that Paddon is a very good at testing and development too having built his own NZ championship winning cars since he was a teenager. He is very good at hands on engineering a skill set not evident with a number of other top line drivers

[stefanvv]

I'm curious how he will perform. Personally I believe he's a bit overrated, so lets hope I'm wrong ;)
You are wrong. Paddon is a perpetual winner. A trait not evident in any current drivers except Ogier. This is a smart decision and well deserved.
I think so too. Probably even this year we'll see some excellent results from him. Of course then everything else depends on the car.

[Mirek]

You are wrong. Paddon is a perpetual winner. A trait not evident in any current drivers except Ogier. This is a smart decision and well deserved.

I'm repeating myself BUT Paddon has not defeated any big guy yet in any championship with any car. To call him next Ogier is way too exaggerated at least for now.

[stefanvv]

You are wrong. Paddon is a perpetual winner. A trait not evident in any current drivers except Ogier. This is a smart decision and well deserved.

I'm repeating myself BUT Paddon has not defeated any big guy yet in any championship with any car. To call him next Ogier is way too exaggerated at least for now.
I think this is result of his different types of competition (last 2 years). Now he can concentrate on WRC only, as this seems to be his goal from some time.

[sollitt]

You are wrong. Paddon is a perpetual winner. A trait not evident in any current drivers except Ogier. This is a smart decision and well deserved.

I'm repeating myself BUT Paddon has not defeated any big guy yet in any championship with any car. To call him next Ogier is way too exaggerated at least for now.

Nonsense. I'll repeat myself too.

On debut, in a WRC team, Paddon's credentials will surpass (means be better than) the credentials of both Loeb & Ogier at the time of their debuts.
I'm not suggesting Paddon will be the next Ogier. With the right support I'd aim one higher!

Many of you forget the very privileged introduction the Seb's had into the WRC. With the same level of support, others could achieve equally. There is no one more qualified than Paddon to do so.

[N.O.T]

LOL... No...

[stefanvv]

You are wrong. Paddon is a perpetual winner. A trait not evident in any current drivers except Ogier. This is a smart decision and well deserved.

I'm repeating myself BUT Paddon has not defeated any big guy yet in any championship with any car. To call him next Ogier is way too exaggerated at least for now.

Nonsense. I'll repeat myself too.

On debut, in a WRC team, Paddon's credentials will surpass (means be better than) the credentials of both Loeb & Ogier at the time of their debuts.
I'm not suggesting Paddon will be the next Ogier. With the right support I'd aim one higher!

Many of you forget the very privileged introduction the Seb's had into the WRC. With the same level of support, others could achieve equally. There is no one more qualified than Paddon to do so.
I woudn't compare him with Loeb especially, Loeb has debuted against maaaaaany World Champions.

EDIT: Oh, btw happy birhtday to him :) - http://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/february-2014/loeb-book/page/1092--12-12-.html

[stefanvv]

Some more on wrc site:
http://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/february-2014/paddon-hyundai/page/1097--12-12-.html

[sollitt]

LOL... No...LOL ... yes!

[N.O.T]

Keep dreaming.... broken dreams of nationalistic favouritism is my lunch.... and when the excuses like no support/money blah blah blah will start then your tears will be a nice beverage... ask the finns... they know the story very well...

Paddon is fast and good to watch but no future among the big boys.

[sollitt]

Nothing could be further from the truth NOT. I'm not the chairman of the Paddon fan club so I'm about to shed tears regardless of what happens. However there are some home truths you might like to consider.

When somebody wins once or twice it may be fluke, luck or an aberration.
When they win consistently it's no longer likely to be any of these things but rather the emerging of a pattern.
When they understand what is required to win and use that knowledge to win everything they enter that is the makeup of a champion.
It is the ability to win that matters, not which car they've sat in or who's turned out against them.

[Mk2 RS2000]

Paddon is fast and good to watch but no future among the big boys.

Fortunately for Hayden your opinion of his capabilities is not shared by the "Big Boys" that I have spoken with for they rate him very highly indeed. His peers respect him

[N.O.T]

time will tell... all the best in his new adventure.

[pino]

Happy for Hayden, but not a clever decision by Hyundai if you ask me. This is their first year in WRC with a new car, so they should focus on the progress of the car rather than on the drivers. Too many drivers already there...Good luck anyway !

[RS]

Happy for Hayden, but not a clever decision by Hyundai if you ask me. This is their first year in WRC with a new car, so they should focus on the progress of the car rather than on the drivers. Too many drivers already there...Good luck anyway !

Fully agree with that.

Anyway, it looks like this is a privately funded entry with support of Hyundai NZ.

Good luck to Hayden, he seems like a guy who deserves a chance, but what are these amazing credentials people are talking about? I think he has a lot to prove yet.

[Marcco]

Happy for Hayden, but not a clever decision by Hyundai if you ask me. This is their first year in WRC with a new car, so they should focus on the progress of the car rather than on the drivers. Too many drivers already there...Good luck anyway !
That's exactly what they are doing. More cars and more drivers - equals more input, more data, more experience. As has been said before, Hyundai has their own way of doing things. I think entering more cars makes perfect sense, if only they can afford it. And it's good for everyone - lot's drivers got seat. And, if you ask me, signing Paddon is a very smart move :)

[ThomasS]

5 drivers for Hyundai. How are they going to manage that?

Yes I quite don't know how M-Sport manage multiple entries either...

[Mirek]

You are wrong. Paddon is a perpetual winner. A trait not evident in any current drivers except Ogier. This is a smart decision and well deserved.

I'm repeating myself BUT Paddon has not defeated any big guy yet in any championship with any car. To call him next Ogier is way too exaggerated at least for now.

Nonsense. I'll repeat myself too.

On debut, in a WRC team, Paddon's credentials will surpass (means be better than) the credentials of both Loeb & Ogier at the time of their debuts.
I'm not suggesting Paddon will be the next Ogier. With the right support I'd aim one higher!

Many of you forget the very privileged introduction the Seb's had into the WRC. With the same level of support, others could achieve equally. There is no one more qualified than Paddon to do so.

So tell me, which big boys has Paddon defeated? Where and when? Which international championship he won?

Sordo reached 37 podiums and 137 stage wins in WRC events and You tell me Paddon will beat him easily? Come on...

I like that guy, he is driving well but he is sooo much overrated by some of You guys that it is quite annoying (same goes to Breen). He may become champion one day, why not, but he has not reached the level yet.

[focus206]

I'm glad for Paddon for his chance, even if I would have preferred to see Bouffier on it...
Btw could someone explain me how the Hyundai's line up will work then? I understood it like
1st car - Neuville for all rounds
2nd car - one between Sordo, Hanninen or Atkinson (with Hanninen in the third car in Portugal)
3rd car - Paddon for all rounds starting from Sardinia
is this correct? or there will be actually 3 Hyundai's works car + Paddon's Hyundai NZ car in most of rounds?

[pantealex]

I'm glad for Paddon for his chance, even if I would have preferred to see Bouffier on it...
Btw could someone explain me how the Hyundai's line up will work then? I understood it like
1st car - Neuville for all rounds
2nd car - one between Sordo, Hanninen or Atkinson (with Hanninen in the third car in Portugal)
3rd car - Paddon for all rounds starting from Sardinia
is this correct? or there will be actually 3 Hyundai's works car + Paddon's Hyundai NZ car in most of rounds?

Sordo is third car in Portugal, Hänninen and Neuville for manu points

[Barreis]

Sordo should be one every event 'cos he rarely crash or NF...

[Mk2 RS2000]

http://www.3news.co.nz/Video-Hayden-Pad ... fault.aspx (http://www.3news.co.nz/Video-Hayden-Paddon-full-interview/tabid/415/articleID/333960/Default.aspx)
Once you get past the 2 adverts there is a 4 minute interview with Hayden following the announcement.

[faateris]

This Year there are several drivers: Paddon, Tanak, Meeke, Hanninen, Breen, Evans... they are young and with no big experience with WRCar.
Maybe in the end of year 2014 we will see, who is who. Now only Tanak and Meeke can show, what they can with good car's.
Paddon, fast, but....
What I see, his team working very well with PR. All world know every move of Paddon's........

[stefanvv]

This Year there are several drivers: Paddon, Tanak, Meeke, Hanninen, Breen, Evans... they are young and with no big experience with WRCar.
Maybe in the end of year 2014 we will see, who is who. Now only Tanak and Meeke can show, what they can with good car's.
Paddon, fast, but....
What I see, his team working very well with PR. All world know every move of Paddon's........
Meeke and Hanninen are not that young, Tanak has more than a year with WRC, Meeke also has almost a season I think.

[Franky]

Tanak has more than a year with WRC, Meeke also has almost a season I think.

Yes, Tänak has 1 season and 2 rallies. Meeke's "almost season" is just a summary how many events has he done with a WRCar in WRC, but they are quite spread out on multiple years.

[kirungi okwogera]

Nonsense. I'll repeat myself too.

On debut, in a WRC team, Paddon's credentials will surpass (means be better than) the credentials of both Loeb & Ogier at the time of their debuts.
I'm not suggesting Paddon will be the next Ogier. With the right support I'd aim one higher!

Many of you forget the very privileged introduction the Seb's had into the WRC. With the same level of support, others could achieve equally. There is no one more qualified than Paddon to do so.

So tell me, which big boys has Paddon defeated? Where and when? Which international championship he won?

Sordo reached 37 podiums and 137 stage wins in WRC events and You tell me Paddon will beat him easily? Come on...

I like that guy, he is driving well but he is sooo much overrated by some of You guys that it is quite annoying (same goes to Breen). He may become champion one day, why not, but he has not reached the level yet.

I like Paddon and all, of course to predict him as a Loeb-alike is looking into a crystal ball, but I think it can be agreed that he deserves what he's got - a half a season in a well supported seat. To be honest, no one, not even Loeb or Ogier, does much in their first whole WRC-car season. Mikko Hirvonen had two years in WRC class before he podiumed.

I think Paddon deserves as much a chance as the Sebs, Neuville, Sordo etc.: One full season to get a podium or two prove he is not a Ken Block consistent 8th-10th place driver, then hopefully more once that's proven.

I don't think anyone (except maybe sollitt) thinks he will instantly challenge the top, but I believe it is not overrating him to say he belongs in the WRC long enough to prove what others took a year or more to prove. His driving and results in support championships demonstrate this as much as those guys' careers pre-WRC.

[kirungi okwogera]

time will tell... all the best in his new adventure.
Could it be? Is N.O.T.... backing down and saying something positive? Who are you and what did you do with the real N.O.T.?

[sollitt]

... but what are these amazing credentials people are talking about? Remember, RS, I talked about credentials at time of debut in a WRC car, not a comparison against what Loeb has achieved over the last decade or Ogier more recently.
When Paddon drives his Hyundai over the start ramp in Italy in June (his WRC debut) his record of wins & achievements exceeds that of Loeb when he began his Citroen journey in 2002 and Ogier's in 2009.
We all know the greatness they have achieved since. Why would we not consider the possibility of the same from someone starting out with a stronger resume'?

What Mirek and others refuse to understand is that sport is not about how many times you've turned up ... it's about how many times you've won.
The ability to understand fully what is required to win and then to implement those requirements is a skill and a mindset not everyone possesses, and when a competitor has a record of winning at every level they contest there is every reason to believe that they will continue to do so when they reach the top tier ... or at least be competitive.

These are skills that Paddon has developed and as a result he has been 'the person to beat' at every level he's contested for a number of years including WRC2.
That is why he should have been on the shortlist of every WRC team but, as we know, who has a seat presently is more about politics and money.
How's that working out for you?

[N.O.T]

i did drugs once...

once...

[ThomasS]

i did drugs once...

once...

He might not do drugs but he's clearly into cat porn.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51932399@N ... 5995045732 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/51932399@N07/6816799968/in/set-72157625995045732)

I'd say he has a very fetching pussy , no ?

[sollitt]

i did drugs once...

once... Hopefully you'll recover soon ...

[stefanvv]

Honestly I don't know much about Paddon's WRC performance from his 1st outing in Spain last year. Finished 8th, ok, but performance wasn't blistering, he just drive enough to finish safely the Rally. So winner or N.O.T is just speculation at this stage. When I said I expect some excellent results from him this year, this means top 5 occasionally, he has very good speeds at gravel and asphalt, but all depends how quickly he will adapt to Hyundai WRC. There are plenty of more experienced drivers in WRC this year already fighting for podiums (at the moment looks like 1st place is reserved for VW).

[pino]

Guys, no more personal comments !

[ThomasS]

Guys, no more personal comments !

Dude the guy has a picture of a grey cat with its legs spread on his flickr... When he has something less than provocative to say to just about anybody who posts , maybe I'll stop taking the piss

[Mad cat jnr]

I cant see how people can rate him a winner...at the end of the day he struggled in Ypres last year to get near the pace of the winners/leaders so I would say he is a world beater.

[pino]

Guys, no more personal comments !

Dude the guy has a picture of a grey cat with its legs spread on his flickr... When he has something less than provocative to say to just about anybody who posts , maybe I'll stop taking the piss

Whatever you say Boss :rolleyes: just don't let me catch you posting another personal comment/insult...

[RS]

What Mirek and others refuse to understand is that sport is not about how many times you've turned up ... it's about how many times you've won.
The ability to understand fully what is required to win and then to implement those requirements is a skill and a mindset not everyone possesses, and when a competitor has a record of winning at every level they contest there is every reason to believe that they will continue to do so when they reach the top tier ... or at least be competitive.


I think what you are failing to understand is that it depends what level you contest...

Don't get me wrong, I think Paddon has potential and I'm happy to see him with a supported works drive, especially as he has found it hard to find the budget over the years to put together a proper programme. But I think some guys on here need to keep their expectations in check.

Hanninen for example has far greater credentials than Paddon, having won the only serious support championship to WRC of recent years, plus 'old' ERC and sWRC too. Of course Juho was lucky enough to have had works backing to do that.

[Mirek]

What Mirek and others refuse to understand is that sport is not about how many times you've turned up ... it's about how many times you've won.

Seriously I think that You have a comprehension problem. The bold sentence is exactly what I repeated over and over.

How many times Paddon won anything so significant that it makes him Loeb or Ogier level like You wrote?

[GigiGalliNo1]

I cant see how people can rate him a winner...at the end of the day he struggled in Ypres last year to get near the pace of the winners/leaders so I would say he is a world beater.

Wasn't it Paddons first attempt in the ERC, let alone on a TARMAC rally... Oh and it was raining cats and dogs... Remember?

[Franky]

I cant see how people can rate him a winner...at the end of the day he struggled in Ypres last year to get near the pace of the winners/leaders so I would say he is a world beater.

Wasn't it Paddons first attempt in the ERC, let alone on a TARMAC rally...

Paddon had done tarmac events before that. In 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Germany (PWRC 2nd) once and France (PWRC 7th & DNF) and Spain (PWRC 8th & SWRC 5th) twice.

[gorganl2000]

Honestly I don't know much about Paddon's WRC performance from his 1st outing in Spain last year. Finished 8th, ok, but performance wasn't blistering, he just drive enough to finish safely the Rally. So winner or N.O.T is just speculation at this stage. When I said I expect some excellent results from him this year, this means top 5 occasionally, he has very good speeds at gravel and asphalt, but all depends how quickly he will adapt to Hyundai WRC. There are plenty of more experienced drivers in WRC this year already fighting for podiums (at the moment looks like 1st place is reserved for VW).

+1
this sounds to be a reasonable expectation of him. i have a little concern over hyundia's current reliability issues in the last rallies and hope they are resolved so Paddon can focus on driving/learning. i'm glad to see some of the worthy new entrants to WRC category--- gives it a bit of life

i hope he makes the most of his opportunity and has the tools to do so

as for his achievements later on, let's wait and see how that turns out

[stefanvv]

Honestly I don't know much about Paddon's WRC performance from his 1st outing in Spain last year. Finished 8th, ok, but performance wasn't blistering, he just drive enough to finish safely the Rally. So winner or N.O.T is just speculation at this stage. When I said I expect some excellent results from him this year, this means top 5 occasionally, he has very good speeds at gravel and asphalt, but all depends how quickly he will adapt to Hyundai WRC. There are plenty of more experienced drivers in WRC this year already fighting for podiums (at the moment looks like 1st place is reserved for VW).

+1
this sounds to be a reasonable expectation of him. i have a little concern over hyundia's current reliability issues in the last rallies and hope they are resolved so Paddon can focus on driving/learning. i'm glad to see some of the worthy new entrants to WRC category--- gives it a bit of life

i hope he makes the most of his opportunity and has the tools to do so

as for his achievements later on, let's wait and see how that turns out
I have concern about the car's reliability as well. Somehow Hynday's policy is not very clear to me at the moment. Looks like they are very ambitious hiring serious people for this project. I know it is only a transition year with not very high goals, let's hope it is not just some PR work. May be I just have high expectations for them after VW debut last year :confused: (I know, I know, VW already had 1 year with S2000 behind them)...
I agree that some "new faces" is refreshing for the championship, not to mention the geographic diversity.

[Rallyper]

Of course Huyndai are trying to get the most out of its start in WRC, no matter how well they have succeeded. Once being in the circus they must get as much PR as they could. One thing is to communicate rallying with as many markets they can.

Results and achievements in rallies is one thing. Twisting out as much as possible in marketing is another. Both though hand in hand at the moment.

[stefanvv]

Marketing purpose is always big value, though many people might object Rallying is not the right place for it's small popularity. VW so far I think are playing their cards well in that respect too, sponsoring some Rallies - Argentina, Mexico, Sweden, these I remember, probably more. But then South America and Mexico are huge markets for them, so it makes sense Hyunday to orient their popularity interest to Australia/Asia and region.

[ThomasS]

If nothing else Paddon is consistent and his body of "work" shows that. Unlike some of his other contemporaries he hasn't been able to stretch his legs the way he would like to . Most of his recent outings have been funded on a shoe string and He's had to play a careful game balancing sponsor interests and showing his speed.

But if you look at 2013 as a snap shot I'd say there are plenty of example of his talent .Taken in the context of his resources , car technology and testing time , they are impressive.

Ypres - First time at Ypres which is clearly a unforgiving and technical rally , experience counts to large degree. Again done on a shoe sting budget in a car he hadn't driven before. Consistently in the top 5 and had a stage win.

Finland- Back in the Skoda but up against some newer technology . Beat Lappi and was tracking for a good result when he hit a rock. Could have risked everything and gone flat out to prove a point but choose instead to take the Podium and finish the rally. Nice result for his sponsors.

Germany- again up against cars with more torque. Had a few stage wins against Kubica and Evans but played it safe because knew he couldn't compete head to head with a Fiesta R5 or DS3 RRR. Another podium.

Australia - Bought a car , but couldn't afford significant spare parts , rag tag crew working on an unfamiliar car. After the electrical trouble plunged him down the order he had nothing to lose. He blitzed the opposition with an all out drive to take a bunch of stage wins which got him the attention of Malcolm Wilson and a drive in Spain.

Spain- Mixed surface event and first time in an unfamiliar car . No gravel testing and limited tarmac testing. Got within .6 sec/km of the leaders towards the end of the tarmac but had a frustrating time getting to grips with the set up of the car on gravel. Despite that got it home in a credible 8th place . A comparable result to many drivers in their first WRC outing.

He's not overrated , he's annoyingly under rated by a bunch of people who know nothing about him. The people who are making the hard decisions think otherwise.

[N.O.T]

more excuses than actual results... he has his chance now so we wait and see.

[ThomasS]

more excuses than actual results... he has his chance now so we wait and see.

Is that all you got ? Again it's hard to take you seriously ( amongst other reasons, heh ! ) when you never actually offer up a substantive argument other than a few meaningless sound bites.

But your right he now has a chance and that's the point. Certain people who clearly think he's got what it takes are giving him chance to develop into a useful and accomplished driver. A year ago nobody ( except a few of us) would have expected a drive with Hyundai and yet here he is...meow.

[N.O.T]

meow indeed...

[BDA Cosworth]

more excuses than actual results... he has his chance now so we wait and see.

N.O.T..... Read, process, reply. In that order.

Hanninen is a completely competent driver. That is not being argued. You guys seem to have selective memories!

Back in 2007 Hanninen finished 5th in the PWRC against what people would consider "non WRC level competitors"
In 2008 PWRC he got second, behind Aigner who hasn't done anything notable since.

Compared to Hayden who finished 3rd in the first PWRC season (with the then unreliable Evo10, on other rounds where he drove the 9 he won and finished second). Also against people who actually have driven in the WRC.
And first in 2011 where he won 4 rounds on the trot. (Beating people who are actually in the WRC now)
2012 change of car to the Super2000 (where he won two rallies and set more fastest stage times then anyone else in SWRC by a clear mile)
2013, struggling for funding the car was just not reliable where it counted. He drove the Fiesta with practically no testing on the back of little seat time in a S2000 car. It handled completely different but just as he was getting faster they switched road surfaces.

I remember a certain Thierry Neuville who finished 4th and had two fifths in 2012 in a FULL SEASON. You guys were probably rubbishing him back then. It's tall poppy syndrome. Those who dare to rise will be faced with people deeming to chop you down.

[Mk2 RS2000]

Has anyone stopped to think why Paddon undertook the program of events that he did last 2 years for when you look at it he pretty much undertook events that were right outside of his comfort zone and event experience. Could this have been because there were some people who wanted to test him and possibly some others in an environment that he or they were unfamiliar with.

Need to remember too that there are only two of the Hyundai drivers that have anything like a full program for the year as there are a lot of test and development drivers sharing the #2 car

[Mirek]

N.O.T..... Read, process, reply. In that order.

Hanninen is a completely competent driver. That is not being argued. You guys seem to have selective memories!

Back in 2007 Hanninen finished 5th in the PWRC against what people would consider "non WRC level competitors"
In 2008 PWRC he got second, behind Aigner who hasn't done anything notable since.

Compared to Hayden who finished 3rd in the first PWRC season (with the then unreliable Evo10, on other rounds where he drove the 9 he won and finished second). Also against people who actually have driven in the WRC.
And first in 2011 where he won 4 rounds on the trot. (Beating people who are actually in the WRC now)
2012 change of car to the Super2000 (where he won two rallies and set more fastest stage times then anyone else in SWRC by a clear mile)
2013, struggling for funding the car was just not reliable where it counted. He drove the Fiesta with practically no testing on the back of little seat time in a S2000 car. It handled completely different but just as he was getting faster they switched road surfaces.

I remember a certain Thierry Neuville who finished 4th and had two fifths in 2012 in a FULL SEASON. You guys were probably rubbishing him back then. It's tall poppy syndrome. Those who dare to rise will be faced with people deeming to chop you down.

You don't get the point. Nobody said Paddon was rubbish but some people were arguing he was on Ogier's level which simply is nonsense. That's all.

By the way You forgot that Hänninen finished behind Aigner only because his car (from some NZ team) was extremely unreliable. He rarely finished a whole event but still he won half of all stages he did. He won multiply more stages than Aigner in 2008.

[BDA Cosworth]

Mirek, got cha. I just tagged onto a conversation without reading a page back to clarify that. That you for bringing that to my attention. That is nonsense. However Ogier wasn't an instant winner either, he was damn quick going up though!

Didn't he also roll that "NZ teams" evo at Rally NZ twice in the same rally? 2008 Rally NZ was like a demolition derby!

[Mk2 RS2000]

Didn't he also roll that "NZ teams" evo at Rally NZ twice in the same rally? 2008 Rally NZ was like a demolition derby!
Twice within a few hundred metres. As the seasons team rated him as not only the potentially the fastest driver they had worked with but also one of the hardest on equipment and thought that once he learnt to look after the car a little better then he was world champion material.

[PLuto]

PWRC, SWRC and now WRC2 is not so much about speed, but mainly about reliability of the car.

[Mintexmemory]

PWRC, SWRC and now WRC2 is not so much about speed, but mainly about reliability of the car.

Indeed, if Paddon had a mechanically reliable car then Kubica and Evans would have had a hard job fighting him off in Germany last year. The fact that he was driving to ensure 3rd having posted 3 successive fastest class times during the Friday morning following the 1st evening problems explains why he set no fastest stage times late in the rally. He was mature enough to realise he couldn't catch Kubica and Evans and ensured he did enough to keep Wiegand behind him. Anyone with a brain can see the guy is highly capable. I take the point that his wins in PWRC and SWRC have tended to be against limited opposition. However, it was clear in the year that Araujo won PWRC that Tanak and Paddon were the better drivers and not much to choose between them.
I'm hoping to see how they directly compare again this season.

[Mintexmemory]

PWRC, SWRC and now WRC2 is not so much about speed, but mainly about reliability of the car.

Indeed, if Paddon had a mechanically reliable car then Kubica and Evans would have had a hard job fighting him off in Germany last year. The fact that he was driving to ensure 3rd having posted 3 successive fastest class times during the Friday morning following the 1st evening problems explains why he set no fastest stage times late in the rally. He was mature enough to realise he couldn't catch Kubica and Evans and ensured he did enough to keep Wiegand behind him. Anyone with a brain can see the guy is highly capable. I take the point that his wins in PWRC and SWRC have tended to be against limited opposition. However, it was clear in the year that Araujo won PWRC that Tanak and Paddon were the better drivers and not much to choose between them.
I'm hoping to see how they directly compare again this season.

[bluuford]

PWRC, SWRC and now WRC2 is not so much about speed, but mainly about reliability of the car.
Last time I remember it took place when Hänninen and Tänak were both in SWRC

[Mirek]

Last time I remember it took place when Hänninen and Tänak were both in SWRC

Thanks for bringing back some nice memories from their epic battle in Finland!

[sollitt]

... I think that You have a comprehension problem. My comprehension is just dandy, Mirek. But thanks for asking.
I always read your posts in their entirety and comprehend exactly what you're saying. It's just that, on this occasion I disagree with you. It's not the 'who' that matters, it's the 'how'.

Have you ever wondered why certain golf & tennis players dominate their respective sports for long periods of time? Does Tiger Woods have the longest drive or the most deft touch around the greens? Does Roger Federer have the fastest serve? No they don't. Sure their technical skills are up there but what sets them apart from their competitors is that they know how to win. They have mastered the art of sizing up the opposition and applying the strategies that will deliver the result.
It's the knowing how to win. It is both a skill and, for some, a habit.

It's interesting to review the winners of the WRC over the past 30 or so years. Loeb, Solberg, Gronholm, Burns, McRae, Auriol, Sainz etc, etc... They, almost without exception, have all won at least their own national title. And often it is these domestic competitions, where resources, machinery, local knowledge & experience are comparable, that are the hardest to win.

Compare those past WRC champions to those sitting in cars today. Hirvonen, Latvala, Ostberg ... What have they actually ever won? Do they actually know how to win, or can they only pull it off when those in front fall over?

Paddon has won at every level he has contested. Multiple national champion, regional winner, world champion in category.
He knows how to win, and for those who do each new competition is simply another challenge, another set of skills to master and obstacles, & competitors, to overcome.
That is why he deserves this opportunity in a world rally car and should have been on every team's shopping list.

I have not said that he is, today, the equal of Ogier or of Loeb, merely that he could be with opportunity and the right tools.

Comprehend that!

[sollitt]

more excuses than actual results... .
Clearly you know nothing about the subject matter. There are many results & very few excuses.

[N.O.T]

results against nobodies... and in his first WRC car event was struggling to beat the hamburger boy tourist Prokop...

As i said he is fast and good to watch... but i see no potential to become a challenger.... let alone champion.

[faateris]

Can You all stop talk about Paddon?????? For somebody he is new Loeb(for me :) ), but, will be results, then talk..... Now question is, which rally Hyundai will finish all stages.

[Mirek]

Now question is, which rally Hyundai will finish all stages.

2 beers on Fafe rallysprint :)

[stefanvv]

Now question is, which rally Hyundai will finish all stages.

2 beers on Fafe rallysprint :)
I'm tempted to take that bet :D

[journeyman racer]

It's interesting to review the winners of the WRC over the past 30 or so years. Loeb, Solberg, Gronholm, Burns, McRae, Auriol, Sainz etc, etc... They, almost without exception, have all won at least their own national title. And often it is these domestic competitions, where resources, machinery, local knowledge & experience are comparable, that are the hardest to win.
Forget Rallying. I think you've made a good point about motorsport generally. As someone who can remember Mark Webber before he was a Aus fford front runner. I have the opinion that Mark's complacent pre-f1 career caught up with him at RB, and contributed to him missing out on the '10 title.

[litifeta]

Whether it is Paddon or someone else, the best thing about these forums is going back and reading predictions people made in the past, and their accuracy, or lack thereof.

[skarderud]

Compare those past WRC champions to those sitting in cars today. Hirvonen, Latvala, Ostberg ... What have they actually ever won? Do they actually know how to win, or can they only pull it off when those in front fall over?

Comprehend that!


Mads østberg is Norwegian Champion in 2007-2009, against the likes of Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders grøndal.
Not exactly "a walk in the park":)

2008 season was the famous "daddy grand prix" year, that was a really good season!

I think Mads also has won close to everything he has participated in germany, estonia/Latvia, sweden and norway thru the years to, so he is a winner, no doubt.

[litifeta]

Mikko: 2002 Finish Group A Rally Champion. 15 WRC wins, 252 stage wins. 2nd in the championship on 4 occasions, and 3rd in the championship on 2 occasions.
Jari-Matti: 9 WRC wins, 300 stage wins. 2nd in the championship on 1 occasion, and 3rd in the championship on 2 occasions.

Lots of drivers 'deserve' a ride. But the economy is stuffed. It comes down to who has a better manager I guess.

[Mirek]

IMO telling that winning national championship make somebody a WRC champion material is nonsense. There are hundreds of drivers who are able to win national championships even multiple times but there are few drivers who can challenge WRC title. That is simple fact. One of the reasons is that national championships are held still on the same roads and You don't learn anything new there. These guys are usually called local specialists and yes they are tough on home roads but hardly elsewhere. Also to say that cars on national level are more equal than on WRC level is not true. In most of the countries there are only very few top cars followed by plenty of old ones. Also only few national drivers have enough budget for large testing etc.

But sure some point is in it. I remember when I talked with Martin Semerád some years a go (youngest ever PWRC event winner if You remember - before he retired after an accident in which his co-driver died). He told me he doesn't like driving at Czech home roads because to succeed he would need to take insane risk against drivers who drive the same roads for twenty years. It's sad coincidence that what happened two years later fits in what he said.

[Simmi]

Also trying to rank the current crop of drivers in terms of what they've won is pretty futile given that most came up against a brick wall of Loeb, and if not him, the chronic lack of factory seats.

[Rallyper]

+1 Simmi.

The curent discussion about Paddon is ridicoulus, more from some and less from some guys, but still it´s a none subject until we have a subject to discuss: Paddon having done half season at least.

[Franky]

Could we separate all the Hayden Paddon posts into a dedicated thread?

[bluuford]

Could we separate all the Hayden Paddon posts into a dedicated thread?
There is new thread for Hayden now. leave news and rumors for news and rumors

[PLuto]

Like I wrote on that new thread, does it have a sense to have special thread for one driver? Especially when I think that there is lot of words about him now when he joined Hyundai, but is na future...

[GigiGalliNo1]

Who will be selling the cars for Hyundai?

Sordo? Yes in Spain and Spanish speaking countries.
Neuville? Yes in Belgium and other places.
Atkinson? Yes in Australia - a HUGE market for the brand. And they sell so much so marketing will work and get the sport known!
Paddon? You bet, for NZ!
Hanninen? Finland? I would presume so!

Hyundai are here in the WRC to sell cars, and to get their car in top competition.

Msport are in the game to make money building cars.

VW - same as Hyundai - to sell cars!

Citroen.... Well now they have the WTCC, China , India and Europe are their markets but China is very important! For the WRC, yeh.. Well they'll sell but it won't have an impact like Loeb had or even Solberg!

[N.O.T]

Who will be selling the cars for Hyundai?

Sordo? Yes in Spain and Spanish speaking countries.
Neuville? Yes in Belgium and other places.
Atkinson? Yes in Australia - a HUGE market for the brand. And they sell so much so marketing will work and get the sport known!
Paddon? You bet, for NZ!
Hanninen? Finland? I would presume so!

Hyundai are here in the WRC to sell cars, and to get their car in top competition.

Msport are in the game to make money building cars.

VW - same as Hyundai - to sell cars!

Citroen.... Well now they have the WTCC, China , India and Europe are their markets but China is very important! For the WRC, yeh.. Well they'll sell but it won't have an impact like Loeb had or even Solberg!

thank you for the insight... I thought that teams are getting into motorsport because they love it...

[RICARDO75]

Carlos Sainz on Rally Islas Canarias with Skoda Fabia WRC

http://www.carlos-sainz.com/noticia.php?id=2127

[MartijnS]

Yes, car of Wevers Sport.

[GigiGalliNo1]

thank you for the insight... I thought that teams are getting into motorsport because they love it...

Well yes, this is true as well. You are one smart man!

[Barreis]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112771

[Doon]

The MG WRC thing won't happen, and if it does it will be a pathetic attempt. From this article is seems that the manufacturer aren't even interested, so it will be Mini WRC all over again but much, much worse!

[Mirek]

The main initiator and investor of the project is Ukrainean driver Alex Tamrazov. As You know almost whole Ukraine is now in a state of anarchy so it's well possible Alex has different problems now. As far as I know he is now on Crimea.

Meanwhile (before the things in Ukraine got crazy) he said he is considering to put his money in support of already planned Renault R5 car instead.

By the way not so long time a go he put this livery on his car...

http://fotos.miarroba.es/fo/aa66/3050390A57334FF724BB2E4FF7234E.jpg

[bluuford]

Oleksii is a great dude. He is always very positive with good sense of humour. I do not know why PG could not work with him Some personalities do not match. Tamrazov has investments all over in Europe, including some in Estonia.

[Plan9]

It would be interesting to know who is backing this MG project. I am not sure how it could be worse than Mini in the wrc, but if they can do anything it would bring some attention to the brand again.

It would indeed be interesting to know why PG could not work with him and what is PG doing now anyway?

[Prisoner Monkeys]

The MG WRC thing won't happen, and if it does it will be a pathetic attempt. From this article is seems that the manufacturer aren't even interested, so it will be Mini WRC all over again but much, much worse!
Seems more like they have only recently been contacted, and have not discussed it in-depth. The car exists; it just needs MG's support. I'd say the plan is to do all the testing and development on their own, with MG putting their name to it.

[Eli]

we all know Hyundai will have a new car next year but what about the other teams, will there be any changes?

[Mirek]

Seems more like they have only recently been contacted, and have not discussed it in-depth. The car exists; it just needs MG's support. I'd say the plan is to do all the testing and development on their own, with MG putting their name to it.

What car are You speaking about?

[AndyRAC]

MG in the WRC….the alarm bells are ringing. Sounds like a private project – hoping to get MG to homologate it.
No thanks!!
Please do it properly – with finance & resources. Otherwise don’t bother. You can’t do the WRC on the cheap. Haven’t the lessons of Suzuki and BMW-MINI been learnt?

[Motorsportfun]

MG in the WRC….the alarm bells are ringing. Sounds like a private project – hoping to get MG to homologate it.
No thanks!!
Please do it properly – with finance & resources. Otherwise don’t bother. You can’t do the WRC on the cheap. Haven’t the lessons of Suzuki and BMW-MINI been learnt?

Oleksii told me he has big partners behind him and ready to step in, they're just waiting a green light from MG. It's all in place. I noticed quite big differences with worst-ever business plan made by Prodrive. Anyone remembering how bad and unprofessional was it? ;)

If you wanna start a project, you should have already money in place, not hoping to gather all necessary when car is already homologated and championship starting in less than a month... :rolleyes:

[stefanvv]

worst-ever business plan made by Prodrive. Anyone remembering how bad and unprofessional was it? ;)
True, Prodrive failed this project on their own. Hopes and dreams is not the way to do it.

[Rally Power]

Oleksii told me he has big partners behind him and ready to step in, they're just waiting a green light from MG. It's all in place. I noticed quite big differences with worst-ever business plan made by Prodrive. Anyone remembering how bad and unprofessional was it? ;)

If you wanna start a project, you should have already money in place, not hoping to gather all necessary when car is already homologated and championship starting in less than a month... :rolleyes:

The Mini project wasn't that bad or unprofessional. Ok, Prodrive was unable to get sponsors (maybe believing that BMW could be as generous as Subaru was in their time) but at least has manage to build a car with technical potential.

It'd be great to see Mr.Tamrazov undertake his WRC project with MG or any other brand, but it'd also be nice to know who are is technical partners.

[PLuto]

The Mini project wasn't that bad or unprofessional. Ok, Prodrive was unable to get sponsors (maybe believing that BMW could be as generous as Subaru was in their time) but at least has manage to build a car with technical potential.

Prodrive was doing this project MAINLY for digging money from BMW...

[Motorsportfun]

The Mini project wasn't that bad or unprofessional. Ok, Prodrive was unable to get sponsors (maybe believing that BMW could be as generous as Subaru was in their time) but at least has manage to build a car with technical potential.

Let me say this "fisherman" approach, with a brand-new WRC car as "lure" and hoping to get on board some fresh cash from BMW, yeah, that was very unprofessional. That's not a good example to plan a big investment over some years.

[AndyRAC]

One would like to see MG driving this project – as opposed to a guy with financial backing; hoping they’ll agree. Not a good start in my book.

[Prisoner Monkeys]

The Mini project wasn't that bad or unprofessional. Ok, Prodrive was unable to get sponsors (maybe believing that BMW could be as generous as Subaru was in their time) but at least has manage to build a car with technical potential.
Prodrive's recent history has been littered with complete disasters left, right and centre. They mismanaged the Mini project, but they have done worse - they tried to enter Formula 1 in 2008, but their bid hinged on controversial rule changes that needed the unanimous approval of the existing teams, who predictably disagreed with them. And then there was the Aston Martin AMR-One, an LMP1 prototype that looked like a submarine, handed like a submarine, and was so slow that they might have been better off trying to race a submarine.

[Sulland]

This shows that doing both racing and rally at the top FIS level is a hard exercise within one organisation, that need to earn money to survive!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prodrive

[Prisoner Monkeys]

Once is an accident, and twice is coincidence, but three times is a pattern. Prodrive tried to enter Formula 1 and failed, built a car for Me Mans that was embarrassingly inept, and blew the Mini project through mismanagement. It's one thing to fall short of the financial hurdle, and taken individually, you could reasonably write any one of these three episodes off as Prodrive trying to bite off more than they could chew. But when they have three major projects that end in three spectacular failures, serious questions have to be asked about the way the company is being run.

[Rallyper]

Once is an accident, and twice is coincidence, but three times is a pattern. Prodrive tried to enter Formula 1 and failed, built a car for Me Mans that was embarrassingly inept, and blew the Mini project through mismanagement. It's one thing to fall short of the financial hurdle, and taken individually, you could reasonably write any one of these three episodes off as Prodrive trying to bite off more than they could chew. But when they have three major projects that end in three spectacular failures, serious questions have to be asked about the way the company is being run.

Don´t apply this on Huyndai - yet... ;)

[N.O.T]

Looks good for latvala so far...

[N.O.T]

no splits for Ogier again.

[Eli]

yes but there is a very long way to go.

[semsem]

There is a story today in www.MotorsportMonday.com (http://www.MotorsportMonday.com) about Hankook's reasons for coming into the World Championship, hinting that they are looking for a team to work with, to get experience of the WRC. Does anyone know who they are considering? The story says they plan to start in Portugal. The story also says that the Monte Carlo entry for Gamba was a happy misunderstanding!

[stefanvv]

There is a story today in http://www.MotorsportMonday.com about Hankook's reasons for coming into the World Championship, hinting that they are looking for a team to work with, to get experience of the WRC. Does anyone know who they are considering? The story says they plan to start in Portugal. The story also says that the Monte Carlo entry for Gamba was a happy misunderstanding!
http://www.rallye-magazin.de/rallyes/wm/nachrichten/news-detail/d/2014/02/11/burkart-wrc-comeback-mit-hankook/index.html

[RICARDO75]

If it will be Aaron Burkart, should not be with a WRC car. Motorsport Monday article talks in preference of WRC-2 car. In addition, there are 15 WRC cars entered in the Rally of Portugal and Burkart isn't one of them.

[semsem]

Is Burkart entered in Portugal at all?

And also, is Chardonnet entered in the promised Citroen R5?

[Mintexmemory]

...And when do entries close?

[tolis]

...And when do entries close?
Already closed...They will be announced in 2 days!

[BleAivano]

Fredik Åhlin will drive Portugal WRC in the WRC-2 class, He will drive a Dmack sponsored Ford Fiesta R5 for CA1 Sport team.

http://www.vf.se/sport/bilsport/ahlin-klar-ny-vmstart

[RS]

Autosport report that Toyota started testing their WRCar, but that it probably won't debut until 2016. Or 2017 when the "new rules" come. What are these new rules?

[Rallyper]

Richard Burns foundation, new release of website:

www.richardburnsfoundation.com

[AndyRAC]

Autosport report that Toyota started testing their WRCar, but that it probably won't debut until 2016. Or 2017 when the "new rules" come. What are these new rules?

And Motorsport Italia doing the testing......... Hmmm. At least Sarrazin is a bonus, along with Lindholm.

[Allyc85]

Vw to run their 2015 Polo towards the end of this year, to get a head start on the next..

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113013

How can they run paddle shift, seeing how much fuss there was about Kubica's system?

[Juha_Koo]

Vw to run their 2015 Polo towards the end of this year, to get a head start on the next..

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113013

How can they run paddle shift, seeing how much fuss there was about Kubica's system?


In the face of current regulations - they can't.

It must be a mistake by the writer, maybe VW is re-designing their gearshift lever to something like in P208 R2 which is quite close to paddle shift even it is a sequential...

[Francis44]

In the face of current regulations - they can't.

It must be a mistake by the writer, maybe VW is re-designing their gearshift lever to something like in P208 R2 which is quite close to paddle shift even it is a sequential...

Or perhaps manufacteurs know something we dont.

[Motorsportfun]

On Rally Emotion there's more news about today's Toyota tests: http://www.rallyemotion.it/8886_wrc-primo-test-toyota-nel-2015-debutto-gara/

Seems that also Kubica has been walked away from test road and an helicopter flew over the road, but the team completely covered the service area...

It's kind of a spy-story! :D

[Kielder]

Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motors' president, wants to hear messages that fans want Toyota to challenge the WRC again. Let's sign the petition!
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/fans-want-toyota-in-wrc

[Juha_Koo]

Or perhaps manufacteurs know something we dont.

So, it indeed appears that VW is pushing for paddle shift to be allowed for 2015. They have marketing interests at stake due to DSG gearboxes.

Not a good idea in my opinion, costs will rise again and 1,6L WRCs lose one of their key "idea", the sequ-gearbox...

[Mirek]

So, it indeed appears that VW is pushing for paddle shift to be allowed for 2015. They have marketing interests at stake due to DSG gearboxes.

Not a good idea in my opinion, costs will rise again and 1,6L WRCs lose one of their key "idea", the sequ-gearbox...

On the other hand even "cheap" R3 cars are allowed to have paddles (not hydraulic though). Pneumatic ones are used in DS3 R3 and were homologated also for Civic R3 but they are not used there for reliability reasons (JAS guy told me once on Barum).

[lewalcindor]

Have costs come down for paddle shifters from when they were banned? Or are paddles simply inherently expensive to build and maintain?

[Mirek]

Paddle is just a piece of plastic or aluminium. That costs nothing :) Depends what is operated by the paddle. There are plenty of different systems used in road, rally or racing cars operated by paddles. What was expensive on the old WRC cars was the complicated hydraulic system which operated both gearbox and central active differential.

[nafpaktos]

On the other hand even "cheap" R3 cars are allowed to have paddles (not hydraulic though). Pneumatic ones are used in DS3 R3 and were homologated also for Civic R3 but they are not used there for reliability reasons (JAS guy told me once on Barum).

I know its a little bit difficult but can you expalin me a little bit the differences between the two systems .the gear time change differs among the two systems?if not then the only reason to use the hydraulic is its reliability compared to pneumatic.

[Mirek]

Frankly I have no idea how fast the pneumatic system can be compared to hydraulic one. Anyway with new WRC cars we speak about different stuff than with the old ones. There is no central differential and the hydraulics/pneumatics would be used only for gear change which shall be quite simple system. I don't think it would raise the cost significantly but maybe I'm wrong.

[SubaruNorway]

The gearboxes used these days must be some of the most reliable they've ever used, can't remember any big problems apart from the Fiesta gearbox cracking on launch a few times. So why go back to the expensive system again...

[lewalcindor]

Paddle is just a piece of plastic or aluminium. That costs nothing :) Depends what is operated by the paddle. There are plenty of different systems used in road, rally or racing cars operated by paddles. What was expensive on the old WRC cars was the complicated hydraulic system which operated both gearbox and central active differential.

Thanks Mirek. :) I would also imagine that the system would be somewhat less expensive without the need to account for the active central diff, but we can't say for sure. It's seems that even the simplified S200-derived WRC cars are not significantly less expensive than the complex WRC cars from before.


The gearboxes used these days must be some of the most reliable they've ever used, can't remember any big problems apart from the Fiesta gearbox cracking on launch a few times. So why go back to the expensive system again...

I agree. I haven't heard of a gearbox failure in quite a while, so someone must be doing something right. The only recent failures that I could recall of are alternator problems (seems to be a running theme with the M-Sport Fords) and Hyundai's soft suspension bits (which are partly the problem of the rocks the Hyundai drivers run over).

I recall watching the "Engineering the World Rally" miniseries that followed Subaru's 2006 WRC effort. It was perhaps the worst advertisement for Prodrive's engineering expertise. One of their more notable foibles was when their expensive gearboxes managed to fail multiple times in a single rally.

[Mirek]

The gearboxes used these days must be some of the most reliable they've ever used, can't remember any big problems apart from the Fiesta gearbox cracking on launch a few times. So why go back to the expensive system again...

According to M-Sport Fiesta WRC gearbox needs a rebuild every 400 km so it's not so reliable as one might think (in S2000 it is 1000-2000 km). Anyway in my opinion the gearbox can stay almost same with only the gear shifting mechanism being replaced. I don't think this would be some big deal.

[lewalcindor]

According to M-Sport Fiesta WRC gearbox needs a rebuild every 400 km so it's not so reliable as one might think (in S2000 it is 1000-2000 km). Anyway in my opinion the gearbox can stay almost same with only the gear shifting mechanism being replaced. I don't think this would be some big deal.

Yes, but the lifespan of the gearbox doesn't necessarily tell you how reliable it is. It simply indicates that the gearbox can run xxx kilometers before it needs to be overhauled. An unreliable gearbox would be one that can fail at any moment in a rally regardless of its lifespan.

That said, 400 km is a ridiculously short lifespan for a gearbox. Essentially, the teams have to rebuild a car's gearbox after every rally. No wonder WRC cars remain so expensive to build and maintain.

[OldF]

I’m not an expert but I believe not so many components would be needed for a paddle shift system. The WRC cars already have a hydraulic or pneumatic system for the handbrake. As I see it the system need a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder connected to the existing hydraulic or pneumatic system. The cylinder’s piston & rod would do the job what the manual gear shift lever does today. The paddle switch connect the current to one of the cylinder’s solenoid.

This is a simplified explanation but that’s because I don’t know more.:D

Electro

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii284/OkdF/Yksityoumlkierto-epaumlsuorasaumlhkoumlinenohjausteksti_zpse0ca8d0e .jpg

Hydraulic

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii284/OkdF/Electro-Hydraulic_zps0210a1a1.jpg

[Juha_Koo]

The pneumatic version in DS3 R3T has incredible power, I don't remember the actual pressure but the force was impressive!

[dimviii]

http://oi59.tinypic.com/2nuq7ts.jpg

[Andre Oliveira]

F*uck, i hate paddle shift. I drove a Polo of this year with 5 speed manual, can they use on WRC? ;)

[dimviii]

new sponsor for Al Kuwari
https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/10001459_618998044846921_1199247110_n.jpg

[dimviii]

http://www.rallye-magazin.de/rallyes/wm/nachrichten/news-detail/d/2014/03/27/zwei-neue-regeln-in-der-weltmeisterschaft/index.html

[mousti]

Good choice because that wasn't logical at all what happened in Mexico.

[dimviii]

http://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/march-2014/vw-sainz/page/1217--12-12-.html

SAINZ LEAVES VW
AFTER DAKAR DEAL

[dimviii]

EVGENY NOVIKOV IS SET TO MAKE A ONE-OFF RETURN TO THE WRC AT RALLY FINLAND.

http://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/april/novikov-finland/page/1238--12-12-.html

[A FONDO]

EVGENY NOVIKOV IS SET TO MAKE A ONE-OFF RETURN TO THE WRC AT RALLY FINLAND.

http://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/april/novikov-finland/page/1238--12-12-.html

http://cs616422.vk.me/v616422945/952a/gouvdc7z718.jpg

[dimviii]

lol almost the same damage!!! hope better this year if he manage to run.

[Rallyper]

Nice to se Evgeny back again, if only for one round. Hope there will be some more in the future.

[HarriK]

Has Novikov been drove now nothing? It's not so simple job just jump in WRC again. Tests of course help, but in race conditions... possible mistakes will come more...

[WUff1]

RK is getting more and more embarrassing with every additional accident he causes ... the change from WRC2 to WRC obviously came too soon. It´s a shame, but it looks like there´s only one way for him to go - quit rallying at least on international level ...

[thuGG]

Maybe you should quit your job too?

[N.O.T]

it is called a job when you are getting paid...

and if someone is that bad at his job then he should quit...

Kubica is nice to watch, but his place is in ladycup competitions. At first he was crashing while he was somewhat fast.... now he crashes without the speed as well, for the moment he is just a crash highlight and none cares but crashes do not always have happy endings so he should stop.

[thuGG]

Without the speed? What times are you watching?

[A FONDO]

he is just a crash highlight

well summed up !

[thuGG]

Well, looks like you guys are easy to give up. He is not like you, he didn't give up in 2011 and he won't give up now.
You probably would advice Colin McRae, Latvala and a bunch of other drivers to give up after their first season, it just shows how good rally "experts" you are.
"

[A FONDO]

it would be good if you also give up barking at everybody who doesnt like him

[thuGG]

I don't have anything against not liking him, I just don't like your not really sensible approach. Look at McRae result table, half of his starts is marked "ret", would you advise him to quit?

[N.O.T]

wake up or change sport...

Mcrae was winning rallies when he was not crashing... Same as Latvala...

wake up.

[thuGG]

Wake up. In first WRC seasons? Wake up.

[N.O.T]

Mcrae won NZ in his first season in 1993 with subaru.... so yes...

[thuGG]

According to this http://www.ewrc-results.com/profile.php?p=456&sct=1, it looks like 1992 was first full WRC season for him.
Also, don't get me wrong, I don't think he as good as McRae, or Latvala.

[N.O.T]

his first full season was in 94.

[thuGG]

Doesn't change the fact he was massively more experienced than Kubica at this stage.

[Eli]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113356
sounds intresting:)

[pantealex]

Hyundai:
Sordo #8 in Argentina, recce only for Hänninen. Juho´s next start Sardinia

[COD]

Hyundai:
Sordo #8 in Argentina, recce only for Hänninen. Juho´s next start Sardinia

As a Finn not happy about it, but have to be realistic, Juho was not performing very well in Portugal

[Doon]

As a Finn not happy about it, but have to be realistic, Juho was not performing very well in Portugal

This really annoys me, not because Sordo isn't quicker than Hanninen, but because teams are not giving new drivers any security during their progression.

Sordo is obviously going to be quicker than Hanninen at the moment, but if Juho doesn't get the experience he'll never get faster. Sordo has been around the block with many full season, how can anyone expect a guy who has done a handful of events in a works car at the top level (WRC in a WRC car) be quicker right now?

I can see Citroen replacing Meeke after a couple more offs, with a reliable guy like Sordo. They might pick up more points, but they'll never find someone to challenge Ogier, surely this is the priority?

[rallyfun]

wake up or change sport...

Mcrae was winning rallies when he was not crashing... Same as Latvala...

wake up.

Did you just try to compare Kubica to Mcrae and Latvala?

[N.O.T]

Did you just try to compare Kubica to Mcrae and Latvala?

did you just woke up ? follow the conversation from the start...

[nafpaktos]

Guys dont get confused.gronholm and makinen took their first championships in their first full season BUT they had BIG prior experince mainly from their domestic championships and from some wrc events.i just want to say that they had alot of racing km before their success.robert unfortunatelly hasnt.so lets be fair with him.

[N.O.T]

Kubica has no future in the sport... once the money ends he goes.

[nafpaktos]

If you want to drive for official team there are two ways.either you are really good driver or you bring money to the team.robert is in the second case thats for sure and yes if he runs out of money he will go home but you must consider that all drivers run with sponsors money except very few.so robert is not the exception he is the rule.i also understand that sponsors grant the drivers for different reasons, talent is one of them ,popularity is another one and kubica belongs here.but i strongly believe that he will be evolved as a rally driver,of course not enough to deserve a factory seat(lets consider msport as a factory team).

[Mirek]

As a Finn not happy about it, but have to be realistic, Juho was not performing very well in Portugal

Although not a Finn (but a big fan of Juho) I agree with You.

On the other hand I am a bit afraid of the Škoda way (I mean in their WRC years) of using different drivers for every second event. It didn't work at all.

[Andre Oliveira]

I am big fan of Sordo and big fan of Hänninen, it is so difficult put the third car in Argentina?

[Juha_Koo]

I am big fan of Sordo and big fan of Hänninen, it is so difficult put the third car in Argentina?

In case of Argentina, yes. It was just too narrow time window logistically. Hyundai looked at getting third car to Argentina, but it wouldn't have made it in time. Also, the third car would have required personnel to run it, another logistical perspective to be taken into account.

I agree with COD and Mirek. Don't know how much it really affected, but Juho blamed the conditions in the recce for the reason of his "poor" result.

[Munkvy]

I too am a fan of both Sordo and Juho, I wish they both got a drive. But thinking about it from Hyundais perspective, Sordo crashes/breaks cars less and has performed well recently, so is the logical choice over Juho who seems to have had some bad luck lately as well as rather average stage times compared to Sordo. So given they can only run 2 cars there, they want the best chance of a good finish and a finish in general I imagine?

Hopefully Hyundai will run 3-4 cars for the rest of the season now?

[Plan9]

I am quite disappointed in Juho this year. What do you guys blame for his lack of form?

[Eli]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113364

[Francis44]

Hyundai looking to introduce engine upgrades in the middle of the season:

http://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/april/hyundai-engine/page/1270--12-12-.html