Latest tests new Fabia Rally2.
Kopecky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yunCNpDO1Z8
Meeke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUvvoptWfuI
Looking quite smooth and sophisticated.
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Latest tests new Fabia Rally2.
Kopecky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yunCNpDO1Z8
Meeke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUvvoptWfuI
Looking quite smooth and sophisticated.
I like the sound of that exhaust note, quite different to most Rally2s
Nice and raspy, reminds me of old Citroen World Rally Cars. Proper turbo chatter and nice pops and bangs too!Quote:
Originally Posted by HKSjbg
Have VW Motorsport suddenly made 10 new cars?
Any upgrades for those?
Can we see more cars being produced?
I don't know about others but those "Printsport ones" are made by Printsport. Body/Chassis is from VW but car is completely built in Lievestuore Finland.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sulland
Others same style by Wevers with former VWM mechanics
Citroen C3 Rally2 (car no. 100) goes to Poland. Its driver will be Michał Tochowicz, who is going to compete in Polish championship:
https://pl.motorsport.com/rsmp/news/...olsce/9722914/
What was the purpose of this test? March this year but old Fabia with Safari-style bull bars on the front.. weird.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP0qe1s4J7c
Maybe some "leading" driver is going/planning to do Safari, trying to get "easy" WRC2 points...Quote:
Originally Posted by RS
They’re not bull bars, they’re elk bars ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by RS
I wondered that but is a test really needed for fitting bull bars and is snowy Czech gravel the best place to do it?!Quote:
Originally Posted by pantealex
Could it be something to do with South America? Quite a few R5s down there so a market to serve. These 'bull bars' are relatively conservative compared to what you see on the likes of the Transchaco rally though...
Not just easy, but also bonus points for teams (and Master's Cup). Teams still needs two cars starting.Quote:
Originally Posted by pantealex
The C3 has gone from being very difficult to drive for most drivers, and for most it felt dangerous is some situations on the loose.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarek Z
Then they started a development program, and many parts of the car was changed. Now the C3 is a potential winner on all surfaces, and sell a lot of cars. Good work by Ostberg and the other drivers + the factory to turn it around!
2 other cars are in need of same program, Hyundai and Ford!
But both of those are still in WRC so have had other priorities ie. a Rally1 car to build and develop. And Toyota still haven't even made a Rally2 !Quote:
Originally Posted by Sulland
Citroen and Skoda total concentration on their Rally2 cars have unsurprisingly made them the better vehicles.
For M-Sport, it’s pretty clear that they decide to abandon the Rally2 category, at least for the moment. When I say «*abandon*», I mean just living with the current car with no real development and makes a few sales with it; the fact that they have no WRC-2 team, the number of sponsors Huttunen has on his car (whereas he is their lead driver) and the fact that Cais has his own structure are the best proves. They are just giving some backing to be able to compete. On the other hand, they are focusing on the new market of Rally3, and let’s be honest, it works well with more than 50 sales + Junior WRC (I thought it would be a complete failure) and they will be dominant for one more year (Renault will come in one year according to their plan). So with new Rally1 regulation + a new client category that is working well, we can understand they will do nothing on Rally2 for now (except some sales, maybe by being competitive on the price + the car is competitive on tarmac which could help in some countries); and don’t forget they have also Rally4 (even if Renault is a big competitor there).Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
For Hyundai, my understanding is that they are trying to do with Suninen the same job that Citroen did with Ostberg so I think they are in the development period. From what I understood, they will begin in Portugal because it was a little later and it allows to focus on gravel for World Rally drives (and they have Ciamin in France Tarmac). And with a start in Portugal, it is possible to do a full 7-round WRC-2 program in Europe for Suninen.
Have you looked at the results of Rally Croatia? Not a single VW Polo in top 10. It seems only Citroen and Skoda count in WRC2!
https://rally-base.com/2022/croatia-...61&ssGroupId=1
Linammae was the only interesting driver in VW in Croatia (so it’s not an issue of speed but more about sales and commercial as we evoked in this topic earlier this year).Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarek Z
Don’t forget VW did a good performance in Sweden + Solans’ win in ERC.
And without Munster’s late mistake in MC, Mikkelsen would have been the only Skoda driver in the podium in both MC and Sweden.
But yeah for sure, VW car will not developed anymore so it will drop at one moment (but maybe not that fast considering the car is not ridiculous today).
Then, let’s see what Hyundai will succeed with Suninen.
I understand that M-Sport UK have a lot to do with Rally 1, and that they focus on that. Suddenly for the first time in years they have a car that can win, and they want to keep it that way!Quote:
Originally Posted by Danny0405
M-Sport Poland has done other cars into winners in the junior classes, and have made the Rally 3 from scratch. So they have good knowledge on the customer/privateer market.
Why not give the Rally2 responsibility over to them. Engineering is done online anyway, so they get that support from the UK team, but R&D and testing is handeled from the polish arm.
Then they will have all customer based cars, and UK can focus 100% on Rally1.
Improved safety and bodyshell strength in new Fabia:
https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/...source=twitter
Is Skoda likely to return as a Manufacturer team in WRC2 2023 with the new Fabia, or will Toksport continue to be their outsourced team ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by pantealex
Is this done with or without support from VW? Can anybody build them once they're homologated?Quote:
Originally Posted by CWJ
SKODA Motorsport – Development of the new generation Skoda Fabia Rally2 is going ahead full steam. Lately, the test car received some serious beating on French gravel, where strength and durability was the main focus.
https://twitter.com/MotorsportSkoda/...KHoJZr3VmChNag
The latest test video of new Fabia Rally2, apparently with Kopecky behind the wheel. The route is part of the former Rally Bohemia stage.
Strong rumours flying around that the car will have its debut at Rally Bohemia as a zero car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHP30SuB1Uc
And Finland should be the debut in international competition.
Would have to be with a different driver as Kopecky will want to be in the main event. Meeke i guese who seems to have been the main test driver on all surfaces.Quote:
Originally Posted by Walach
What are the FIA homologation dates? Could they have it approved in time for a proper entry on Bohemia?
Interesting interview here re: new Fabia Rally 2 development, which they started before covid:
https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/...source=twitter
There is no plan to have homologated car for Bohemia.Quote:
Originally Posted by RS
Another Fabia engine failure in Sardinia (Kremer). i suppose the new car will have been designed with the biofuel in mind, but is there anything they can do about the issue with the old car? Too late for jokers i guess.
I am not sure what can be done regarding the biofuel issue, but the fact is that Skoda has been testing the old car with biofuel - that test with bullbar, in snow conditions, middle of March this year.
The stewards decision on Kremer mentions "Skoda is delivering a mapping which is developed for P1 Racing fuel", so you would think so.Quote:
Originally Posted by RS
I thought the problem was that the biofuel caused extra corrosion of certain parts?Quote:
Originally Posted by WRCStan
Toksport think the problem is not the fuel but the engine ingesting sand when running through ruts which forces sand over the bonnet. Still seems strange to me this problem hasn't occurred before, maybe Mikkelsen is running a lower set up on the front?
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/skoda...ly-retirement/
It was one issue, the other was fuel diluting the engine oil. See the letter from P1 - https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...OM1Tz_NEp1FxBgQuote:
Originally Posted by RS
I don't know which or what happened to Kremer or seen anything about any others. So a mapping may help the flood but not the rot. Wonder though how easy to do this is, what if you want to go back to pure fossil for the next event?
Toksport had like 8? cars in both Portugal and Sardinia, and none else gets any sand over the bonnet in 30ish stages? Sounds weird.Quote:
Originally Posted by RS
Also shouldn't the design of the air intake+filter prevent this?
Toksport says the car was exactly same on both ralllies except the engine. Maybe there is some leak in some of the parts that weren't replaced with the engine?
EDIT: I see now that Kremer retired due to engine on both Portugal and Sardinia, and also with same car. Faulty batch of parts?
Yes, it can't be some design floor. Must be a dodgy batch of parts as you say or something in the way the affected cars have been assembled or set up.
Mellors' Iriz R5 back in action in France at Rally Vosges Grand Est:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FU4lwmPW...jpg&name=large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FU6ReFCX...jpg&name=large
New Fabia to be presented tomorrow evening, will be known as Fabia RS Rally 2.
https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/...e=social_media