Can he? I mean, if Monza is in place of Japan, and is required on the same level. Is he not required to compete in WRC2 at Monza?
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Can he? I mean, if Monza is in place of Japan, and is required on the same level. Is he not required to compete in WRC2 at Monza?
too late for Mikkelsen I think. he spent all the effort and time(+ a lot of budget) driving R5 in WRC2 and ERC..
got the title already sitting in service in Spain :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Mackie
If he did not compete in Japan (or Kenya), the Championship would not be valid the way it was first set up. So I believe he has to compete in Monza, in WRC2, to keep the Championship. Anybody who knows?
I thought I was reading Silly Season 2022 but all here recently was that bulls*it why Toyota lost manufacturer title in 2020.
That title was lost because of clever tactics by Hyundai.
No. He can't gain anything in Monza with Fiesta.Quote:
Originally Posted by skarderud
There will be no seat for Mikkelsen in Toyota or Hyundai. Not now or in the future IMO. Only option is Puma Rally1 but that needs his own budget.
The need to do a non-europe event was for the team championship only, I believe.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mackie
not the drivers
WRC Art 6.4.3 shows '6 of the 7 rallies in which they were entered' so this should mean that he has to 'enter' Monza.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mackie
Note that under JWRC App VIII Art 3.2.2 it specifically says 'entered & started' rather than just 'entered' so maybe for WRC2 it only requires an entry.
Loeb at Ford?
https://www.marca.com/motor/rallies/...tO8vznWAl3_DSM
He didn't spend any budget.Quote:
Originally Posted by TypeR
Anyway something is wrong when he in Rally2 this year beats:
Breen (3x), Sordo (2x), Fourmaux (3x) and Solberg (2x) and wins two titles, yet they all get a seat and he doesn't.
some reason must be.Do you think any?Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Must be because whatever result he does you are disappointed. No drive without pleasing Greeks.Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
seems that except Greeks,he doesnt please Italians English,and Fin managers too.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/loeb-...puma-in-spain/
Silly season continues.
Great to help develop the car and as a mentor for Fourmaux. But a comeback as a driver, I doubt it.
Wuorela suggesting Huttunen would be testing the Puma on Thursday
https://mobile.twitter.com/miikawuor...980388871?s=21
That's already a good + for MSport. Maybe he does a rally or two for fun.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
About Mikkelsen it's weird that after VW he can't keep a proper factory seat. Even now he is still in the VW family. Is it a money thing?
Indeed. The man retired in 2012, that's 9 years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
He might still be a good driver, but he is no longer the one to challenge for the win.
So, Huttunen traded the i20 Rally for the Fiesta Rally 2 and the promise of a Puma Rally 1 opportunity... ?Kinda far fetched...
Don't be silly. Mikkelsen has had *almost* 5yrs at championship winning teams, with great salary, and hasn't gotten anywhere near Ogier or Neuville in championship standings. He has proven emphatically that he is a level below. That cannot be denied.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
He has also shown since 2018 he has either stagnated or is on the downturn. Unfortunately this season in wrc2/erc turned off team bosses even more (maybe for good).
Ideally Msport would've signed him alongside Breen and Fourmaux ( and that wouldve been much better than Greensmith), but clearly they dont think he is worth a little extra investment compared to Gus. I would have much rather seen Mikkelsen involved with Msport in whatever role, but you have to wonder/ or either accept Malcolm's viewpoint that he doesn't have a big enough upside - compared to Greensmiths money.
The likes of Breen etc also deserve the same chances Mikkelsen got throughout his career, and Breen is clearly on an upward trajectory. Fourmaux also has huge potential and has backing ....
The thing is he was on an upward, in 2016. Then he used 2017 to get back into a new team. Problem was he did not gel with the Hyundai, especially on tarmac (ring a bell?). So he got screwed again.
What is often overlooked is that Mikkelsen is a man working for the team. I have followed his vlog on Youtube, and he has a very emphatic behaviour towards his team. He traveled by car to Catalunia to celebrate with the team, and when it was clear that he was going to win he went to some shops and bought plastic glasses and some champagne. Which he assembled and poured himself. Small things.
When he was ousted from Hyundai he had a contract. He could have tried to force his right to participate in Catalunia, but he said to gain the team (and probably his chances) he wouldn't do that. Adamo is ruthless, which some people like. I like team principals who stand by their drivers.
His approach to this year has been steady pace in a safe manner, probably something his team wants. A bit Ogier-like, not faster then what is needed. This isn't what he said at the start of the season, but it is what is wise. I believe a team would by happy to have him on their side, but it is not looking bright.
Look how Tanak stagnated in Hyundai, especially on tarmac where he is now regularly the slowest Hyundai. Right now he can at best get 4th in the championship. Brings some perspective.
Does that prove Tanak is a level below or that he is on the way down?
Before that in VW Mikkelsen was clearly on the way up, slowly compared to say Rovanpera, but he was. In Rally2 this year there was a clear change of approach after Sardinia and then a step up from Estonia onwards. Note the Dirtfish article saying he needs to step up and win rallies before Greece, since then he won all 3. So downward trajectory not so much , more like up and down. Note that he is same age as Breen and their number of starts in rallies is starting to become similar ad well.
Thing with Mikkelsen is that he never was a driver that wins many stages by large margins. It's always "steady pace", once he gets some gap he starts controlling it rather than pushing on. ( see Estonia this year, Greece, Fafe). For some this shows that he "barely" has the pace to win. "Mcrae/Meeke" style of winning one stage big then crashing on next is more popular, even by team bosses, just look at Solberg, Lukyanuk or even Fourmaux.
you know very well why he is 4th in the championship but somehow you always forget these reasons. Put the 50 points to his score that he lost with certain wins in Portugal and Sardegna and he would be third the championship just behind Evans and not so far from Ogier.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Yes, stagnated on tarmac, with that i agree.
BTW Tänak got the same amount podiums + win with last years short season than Mikkelsen got with two full seasons in Hyundai. Brings some perspective.
Huttunen wrote in social media that he won't be in Hungary, so...Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
https://twitter.com/huttunenracing/s...019113987?s=21Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom K
When Mikkelsen doesn't feel the car does what it should, he backs off. Tänak tries to push trough. Sometimes he crashes because of it, some times he gets better results. Tänak did this after Mikkelsen was denied changes he wanted. Tänak is very vocal when things are bad, I wonder what he would have said if he had gotten the car Mikkelsen was driving in 2018. The perspective is not that clear, but it looks clear on paper. I think the Rally1 concept will suit Tänak better the WRC i20, and i think Neuville knows this.Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Mikkelsen also crashed. For example Australia 2017, Finland 2018 or Monte 2019.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mackie
Mikkelsen was actually doing quite well in the Hyundai, especially on technical gravel. Instantly in his first three events he was leading Spain and Australia after first days. It was quite often technical problems or punctures ruining the rallies (like Argentina and Sardinia 2018, retired from lead). But in some rallies he was just lost and off the pace. All tarmac rallies, as well as Chile, Wales and Spain 2019.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mackie
Difficult to say why he's not getting a seat instead of others. Maybe team bosses don't see him as a future prospect or maybe he demands a higher salary than "future prospects".
Also it's wrong to bring someone like Fourmaux into the comparison, we haven't seen yet what he can do. And AFAIK Lukyanuk doesn't have a deal from any team boss, he's constantly gathering budget.
Mikkelsen crashes, and they are weird. He had an off in the Skôda this year coming out of a corner when the car suddenly twitches both ways. He ends up on his side, and can continue. But the roll cage has some how gotten to much damage. Other offs are are small in itself, but enough to rip off a tyre/suspension og puncture both tyres on one side... He is like a slower Ogier with sudden Meeke-moments, but the bad ones on a smaller scale.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
Number of competetive teams (and drivers) in championship. After 2019 it went from 4 teams and 8-ish drivers to 2 teams and 4-5 drivers.Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
You forgot retiring from 40s lead over Tanak in Turkey 2018 due to mechanics not doing their job in service (Neuville retired from lead on same rally due to that as well and mechanics got fired (from Nandan)).Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
On tarmac that point about not pushing (and crashing) stands well, only Monte 2019 doesn't fit. He had basically two bad non-tarmac rallies as you say. In that period Neuville had quite a few bad rallies in same car as well though, like Sardinia 2019. In fact as was mentioned, Mikkelsen got as many points as Neuville from the rallies he entered after getting kicked for Portugal (Sardinia, Finland, Germany, Turkey, GB), even though this run included 2 "bad" rallies and he explicitly wasn't allowed to push on any PS.
Actually I am kind of happy about this.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
Huttunen doing a "Suninen" on Hyundai after getting constantly ignored no matter results? But where to, it doesn't seem he has money.
"For free" in Fiesta Rally2? Doesn't sound like very good deal either.
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/exper...m-sport-breen/
Breen basically repeats what we said here. That "one driver" team at MSport, just like Citroen was in 2017 might be quite risky.
Interestingly though Loeb only ever drove for Citroen, even though with 4 different cars.
Huttunen has had own sponsor decals in his car all the timeQuote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Weird things, when Huttunen was aiming to drive in Hungary. Is it something that Adamo was so happy, when Solans drove to the finish and on the good level that wanted to see him in Hungary instead of Huttunen, who was so slow in Spain (Of course not willing to accept that there was a broken engine in Hyundai)...Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
The plan was that Huttunen will drive in Greece, but suddenly the entry was cancelled without the reason (a lack of i20 N Rally2 might be one). During these years we have seen that Adamo is not trusting Huttunen despite the fact that he has been almost the only driver to get good results behind the wheel of the i20 R5.
Maybe Grönholm and Huttunen are now completely fed up playing with Adamo anymore and the only way was a contact with M-Sport. Of course they have to pay, but is was not free at Hyundai also, so not very different situation.
Also M-Sport will definitely need top WRC2 driver to achieve at least some results with the Rally2 car next year. On tarmac it´s also possible and maybe Huttunen is able to develop car on gravel. With this situation it would be also possible that Jari could finally drive World Rally Car / Rally1 car in WRC event...
Mikkelsen has been around so long now and without really showing WRC rally-winning speed since the end of his VW days.
He's a nice guy but I'm not sure he still has the hunger to get to the top. He seems to be more of a social media star and you could say even with a bit of a playboy image.
Current generation World Rally Cars will be permitted to compete in next year’s World Rally Championship with a reduced power output
https://www.motorsport.com/wrc/news/...2022-/6688263/
He really missed the boat in 2017, for whatever reason. Right now he's in a weird spot where he's neither an up and coming young driver nor a proven top driver. Also remember that he has had quite a bit of experience at the top level so you could also consider him a "known quantity" by now. The real problem is probably not so much that others are chosen before Mikkelsen but that there are not enough WRC seats available.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
36 mm restrictor means 1017 mm2 area. 33,7 mm restrictor means 892 mm2. That means the area is reduced to 88%. I can't see how they calculated the power loss to only 30 Hp with 12% less air. IMHO it must be more. That would also make sense because with only 30 Hp reduction the cars would definitely get in the fight with the new cars when driven by proper drivers and when having favourable conditions (road position, tyre selection, weather etc.). I don't think FIA wants that. In my opinion 30 Hp reduction would be too little to remove them from mixing with the new ones even if the new cars were supposed to be as fast as the current ones.Quote:
Originally Posted by ictus
Drivers who drove a factory car in the last 5 years are banned from using thease carsQuote:
Originally Posted by Mirek
If we see Ford as the most viable chance Mikkelsen has for a seat, even Breen said it would be funny if he alone was supposed to be the experienced driver in the team besides Greensmith and Fourmaux. Mikkelsen has at least a bunch of experience from Skôda, Ford, VW, Citroën and Hyundai, and could function as a mentor together with Breen for Fourmaux (and Greensmith if shared cars). The other option would be Loeb.Quote:
Originally Posted by seb_sh