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Didn't he and Sainz dance around between Lancia and Toyota in the late 80s and early 90s? I dont' remember the exact sequence but it seemed like they were always trading places.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nornbugger
I think Subaru kept themselves off the podium since 2005. Petter had a few crashes, true, but the car seemed to be buggy with little chance of correcting the problems, something that makes me wonder about Prodrive's involvement with the MINI.Quote:
Originally Posted by Plan9
Hope prodrive won't screw up things with mini.
To end the discussion on Loeb and what he will do next yeat, he has now according to iRally, signed a two year deal with Citroen :)
Where does this leave Ogier? There were rumours that Citroen chose Loeb over Ogier, but was this just gossip or does this leave Ogier's future at Citroen in the balance. Obviously Citroen would be stupid to let Ogier go, but if its Loeb or Ogier, then they have to make a hard decision. Hopefully both can exist in harmony!!
I think Ogier stays as well for 2012...then we will see....
Of course he might go to Le mans....
So that's 10 titles in a row, right?
That would be nice.
hmmm i think 8 is the stop.....maybe 9. 10 will be insane
Already this year without the retirement Ogier would be dangerously close.
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by Hartusvuori
I donīt like, but that is reality!
Let's the best win.
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by Barreis
How long is Ogiers contract?
until 2013 as well...
The good news is good for the sport!!
But the next two yearīs are still only options for Ogier+Citroen (?), if they havenīt agreed on using those options yet then Ogier might as well listen what VW has to offer. Why settle for a danisordo deal for two seasons at this point.
i think its until 2013 with no options...at least according to him in 2010 when he signed the contract.
Sébastien Ogier: “I’d like to thank Citroën for renewing its confidence in me, and what’s more, for three seasons! I made my world championship debut with this team, and I’ve always said that my priority was to stay with them. I’m thrilled at the idea of driving the new generation World Rally Cars, and of defending the colours of the make at the topmost level. Like Sébastien, I’m fully concentrated on the end of this season starting with the Finnish Rally, where I’ll be part of the Citroën Total World Rally Team for the first time!”
thats from 2010...
for the moment everyone is under the VW fever...
but so far VW only brings promises and money, we have to wait and see if they bring results as well, before we can tell if they are a good deal or not.
who says its a dani sordo ?? ....his results this year doesn't point at this direction..none citroens actions towards him...Quote:
Originally Posted by Miika
Dani sordo never managed to deliver...Ogier does.
Great to see that THE Seb continues.
...and still waiting for someone like Grönholm to really challenge him. Apart from Seb 2.0 I feel a bit sceptic about anyone else really challenging him. And please do forget about VW at the start. None just comes to rally from a scratch and suddenly starts to win.
GOOD thing for WRC future! New teams coming, great events and legend driver!
Ogierīs manager said that this year they are both equal in the team, meaning the contracts donīt decide the number one driver. If the new contract guarantees Loeb the number one status (on paper) then isnīt that a step towards killing the competition inside the team, no matter what Ogier delivers.
And also got the impression from an interview few months back that so far only this year is certain for Ogier, and that 2012-2013 would still be only options. Donīt know if it was translated wrong or have they already agreed on using those options.
Sorry what? Deliver? How many times has Sordo been asked to let Loeb in front of him, let him win, stop/slow down on stage so Loeb can become World Champion? How many podiums and fights has he had to do to help Loeb and the Team?Quote:
Originally Posted by N.O.T
Sordo never delivered! Hah yeh right.
only once in spain...and he was still behind Loeb and just told them to not push him.... he never managed to be ahead of Loeb convincingly NEVER !!! a thing that Sordo does...Quote:
Originally Posted by GigiGalliNo1
and what about gravel ???
a friendly advice...stop watching the sport...you do not learn anything from it, and you do not have a good perception of it either...
Peugeot seems to have done it twice with the 205 and 206, and the Xsara didn't take more than a year to dominate, either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Woodeye
I think when Quesnel mentioned that both would have equal status he qualified that by saying that in the 2nd half (now) of the season whoever was ahead in the WRC would get preference.Quote:
Originally Posted by Miika
I must say I’m happy with his decision. As Bluuford already said the others have two more years to beat him. In 2013 also VW will be around but with which drivers and with how potential car. Imo 2013 will be an interesting year.
This is from maxrally.
MaxRally | News | Loeb: why I stayed at Citroen
Loeb: why I stayed at Citroen:
Sebastien Loeb says that he wasn’t willing to throw away 10 years of work with Citroen for the sake of one year of competition with Volkswagen – and that was the main reason behind his decision to sign another two-year Citroen contract.
“From a marketing point of view we’ve done a great job over the past two years: my image and the image of Citroen is completely linked,” he said. “In the end, I didn’t want to throw all that away for the sake of one year at Citroen – although it was a hard decision and Volkswagen pushed hard to try and get me. Maybe if the term with Volkswagen would have been longer it could have been different, but it’s hard for me to think about the future beyond two years at the moment.”
Although Loeb will be 39 when his current contract concludes at the end of 2013, he refuses to rule out staying on beyond then. “You never know how you will feel in the future,” he added. “At the moment, I think this is my last contract, but I’ve been saying ‘next year is the last year’ for a few seasons now!”
Loeb’s contract enables the Frenchman to walk away at the end of 2012 if he chooses, providing that he doesn’t drive for another manufacturer. A Le Mans campaign with Peugeot does not form part of his latest deal, but the possibility remains “open” for him to compete at the 24 Hours if the circumstances are suitable.
When I read this a brilliant quote from Clarkson came to mind..."poo is comming out"....Quote:
Originally Posted by OldF
I think this could put a nail into M-Sport's coffin lid.
Seb bet's on red!
After a long discussion during which he went through all the options, the seven-time world champion decided to continue his career in the WRC and to renew his confidence in Citroën Racing, his present team. Here are his first thoughts!
You have given much thought to the future of your career. The desire to continue in the WRC has remained the strongest, why?
It's clear that I have been asking the question for a while, to stop, to continue, a change of discipline... I was going through the options, it must be confessed, still with a desire for a new discipline... But between the say and do, this is not the same. It is not easy to say stop, to say to rallying, well, now it's over...
And then with regard to my results, you cannot say I'm on the down. I am leading the championship. While it is not easy this year, I'm still ahead, and I hope to remain so. So I thought it was a shame not to continue. I'm still young, and my motivation remains intact for the win!
At times you seemed very close to stopping. Do you have the impression you have come full circle regarding the WRC?
Sure, I've won seven World Championship titles, all with Citroën. At one point, actually, I wanted a change of scenery. But as I said, between saying and thinking and actually doing it is very different! I thought of new challenges, but ultimately, I am staying... and that's fine. I am relieved to have made this decision and to continue.
Did the rule change affect your thinking?
It is not necessarily essential, but it changes the game. I was pretty excited this year with how to manage the races, with Ogier always behind me so that I have to sweep the road. I always used to have a team behind me, who supported me and I admit at one point I started to have doubts. But the rules are like that and fortunately they are changing next year, so these problems will be avoided. What I want is to have a team that support me, with whom I am happy to share the victories.
How much did your familiar and friendly environment affect your decision? For them, was the trend more for stopping or to continue?
Rather to continue... As I thought but in which discipline? Rally, DTM, Endurance, was more the question... Then after careful consideration, I thought that the DTM or the endurance races will have to wait a little…
Which team did you have contact with? Who were the two finalists?
I had a proposal from VW, which I must admit had my full attention. I think this is the proposal that convinced me to stay in rallying. I have been in contact with Carlos Sainz, with whom I still have a very good relationship and the challenge would be to develop a new car and to try to win a title with a new manufacturer...
The means of VW are very important, superior to Citroën that is clear. For them testing is not limited. I would test on every surface for the WRC next year, without having the pleasure of the competition and also without the certainty of having a car at the end of the day. In the end, my schedule was not going to be very different either.
What has finally tipped the balance in Citroën’s favour?
With Citroën I evolved, learned a lot, and I won my titles and did not want to hurt the team. They would feel that I had betrayed them by going to another manufacturer. My relationship with the team, with the management of the PSA, the engineers, the mechanics has always been excellent and I did not want to spoil everything.
What is your new contract in the WRC?
2 years.
Apart from the WRC, which options have you pushed more seriously?
Sure I was tempted by the DTM. I like the discipline. The cars are not only beautiful, but powerful. And a new challenge attracted me a lot. But we'll see later!
Scores of fans will be happy with your decision. Does this matter to you?
Of course it matters! They have always supported me and I would not want to disappoint them either. I have had a lot of encouragement for me to continue, even if ultimately the decision was mine. I hope to give them a lot of pleasure.
I hope someone can take the top spot off him before the end of 2013. If not I feel sorry for the new world champion in 2014 as they will be known as the one that won without Loeb competing.
exactly, the new champ must earn his cown not pick it up from the garbage.....Quote:
Originally Posted by MR666
Really?Quote:
Originally Posted by Plan9
+1 :up: Loeb might just be setting himself up for disaster here...Quote:
Originally Posted by MR666
This season and next will make for a much more experienced JML and Ogier.... :D
[quote="N.O.T"]only once in spain...and he was still behind Loeb and just told them to not push him.... he never managed to be ahead of Loeb convincingly NEVER !!! a thing that Sordo does...
and what about gravel ???
a friendly advice...stop watching the sport...you do not learn anything from it, and you do not have a good perception of it either...[/QUOTE]
He will watch whatever motorsport he wants.
Why disrespect Sordo when he helped loeb and citroen to 3(or 4?) manufacturers championships?
And let's not forget who is a consultant for Volkswagen Motorsport.
Oh man, I make another mistake, :(Quote:
Originally Posted by N.O.T
Only thing missing now is Ford announcing theyīll pull the plug out of Malcolmīs kitchen, and then next year would be fun-fun-fun.
That's alot if u know that Contador only get 11 million for 2 years in a way more popular and mainstream sport then Rally.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirek
that would be good news.Quote:
Originally Posted by Miika
There is no say on that VW indeed gave him a 2 year contract but Loeb felt it was too less and signed a contract with Citroën for 2012 and 2013 is an option??
Quote:
Originally Posted by mousti
And he might not be racing next year - and if he is, it's only a handful of races. Gilbert would be worth Ģ11M...