Agree, but it seemed like someone needed a repeat :)Quote:
Originally Posted by RAS007
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Agree, but it seemed like someone needed a repeat :)Quote:
Originally Posted by RAS007
See where you are coming from, but I am a little bit more optimistic than you.Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyRAC
I think positive things are happening :)
im with Lundefaret, i also think positive things are happening
Nice summary of almost every post about this subject on this forum ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Lundefaret
Only one thing I would like to add. The Xsara WRC was also the first car that almost never had a mechanical failure. I was watching some old rallies from the '90s recently. It was quite surprising how many times Carlos Sainz retired or lost time when he was leading only because of mechanical issues. He could have been the Loeb of the '90s if he had the indestructible cars of today.
Rallies used to be a balance between reliability and speed. Now all the cars, and especially the VW Polo, can drive a whole season without any problem. Of course if nobody retires, then the fastest guy will always end up on top.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lousada
I agree but this is is mainly due to cost saving limitations/restrictions for the car and it's parts. I.e. a car can only use 3 engines/season.
C3 WRC first test today.
According some reports, ugliest car ever.
No photos cause it was a private test and Citroën forbidden the share.
Very similar to these:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...a7008ff247.jpg
Do we know if it will be 3-doors or 5-doors?Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre Oliveira
Car were camuflated. Apparently 4 doors.
"- Shorter suspension travel
- Less aerodynamic downforce
- Powerfull engine
- Regulated tires for less grip/damage to stages
"
That is where I agree with Lundefaret 100%, and is what I have saying here for years. Those changes would make the sport safer and more spectacular. Too bad, the rules went exactly the wrong way
That’s the spirit! Having four top manu’s committed to WRC (plus Ford backing MSport) in 2017 will certainly help.Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyRAC
It’s true that WRC interest has been undermined for quite a long time (since Loeb’s overwhelming domination), but the series heritage still is strong enough to attract new manu’s and provide good expectations for the future.
However, that strong heritage can also create a negative reaction to new ideas. Other motorsport series are in a permanent search for innovation (WRX, GT racing, etc), but that’s hardly the case in WRC. Probably, the Rally community (including us, hardcore fans) is too attached to Rally past.
Frankly, I don’t know any more if Capito’s shoot-out was such a silly proposal (still sounds that way…) but one thing I’m sure: WRC (and the whole Rallysport) needs more out of the box thinking.
For now, manu’s and the FIA came out with a more conventional solution: an evolution of WRC cars and a rearranged calendar. It can work, if (finally) the promoter delivers a proper job. Fingers crossed!
We need more various drivers that can win, that will make chamionship interesting... Shootout is stupid just as new qualifing in F1 that was garbaged after two races...
Looks big!
Is that Ogier written there?Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre Oliveira
Looks like Chevy..
Sent from my A12 using Tapatalk
It's massive, bigger than the Mini JCW.
some good pictures here too http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-new...for-2017-glory
i dont why but i actually like it, lol
At first sight it reminded me of Tajima's Pikes Peak SX4. It certainly doesn't look that ugly though, but it will be more controversial when the lower headlights that are now camouflaged will be revealed. The strangest things are the cooling ducts on the bumper, I think those will certainly change later.Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
at least we found the most ugly.
and a small video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhXcCGzIdv0
AutoExpress:
"Citroen has started testing the C3 WRC rally car that will support its-entry to the World Rally Championship in 2017.
The new regulations are designed to make cars faster and more spectacular. The 1.6-litre engine gets a larger air restrictor on the turbocharger to boost power to around 380bhp, the chassis is wider, the transmission is more sophisticated and there’s greater freedom for teams to play around with aerodynamics and wings.
At the heart of Citroen’s campaign - and the development of the new car - is Briton Kris Meeke. The 36-year-old Northern Irishman has a single WRC win to his name, on last year’s Rally Argentina, but he’s shown enough pace over the past couple of seasons for Citroen team boss Yves Matton to place his faith in him.
As we arrive at the test base at Chateau du Lastours in southern France, the new Citroen WRC car itself is covered in a wrap that’s meant to disguise the shape of its panels. The road car on which it’s based hasn’t even been launched yet - indeed, team members won’t even refer to the vehicle by its model code (B618) - but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that it’s a high-performance version of the next-gen Citroen C3.
We’re told that the C3 WRC underwent a brief shakedown at a track next door to Citroen Racing’s factory earlier in the week; today, 14th April, marks its first outing on gravel and in real anger. The venue could scarcely be more challenging, either; Chateau Lastours has long been used by rally teams to ‘break in’ new machinery, with the emphasis firmly on ‘break’. It’s a network of rock-strewn gravel tracks that will give the C3 a proper pounding, allowing engineers to test for durability as well as speed.
There’s silent anticipation in the service area after the mechanics send Meeke on his way for the very first run. The C3 is the first Citroen rally car in well over a decade that hasn’t had input from Loeb in its design - so the guys in the red overalls are keen to see potential.
Meeke himself, who will undertake the bulk of the test mileage along with Frenchman Stephane Lefebvre and Irishman Craig Breen, is a bit more patient. “It’s a dream come true for to me to work with such a great team and help them to develop the car,” he says during a mid-morning coffee break. “It brings pressure, of course, but I don’t really feel it; instead, I walk around here or at the factory and see the guys, see their determination and belief, and it just makes me feel proud. And a wee bit excited.
“We have to also accept that this is just the start of a real learning process,” he adds. “Our whole engineering philosophy is different from what we had on the DS 3, but the rules are changing as well. So when I’m getting a feel for the car, I need to split the bits that we’ve changed and created from the bits that are down to the new regulations. I can tell you this, though: it feels faster.”
It looks faster too. Over a 2.5-mile stage through dust-strewn tracks that twist between the wind turbines of Chateau Lastours, the C3 WRC has a noticeably angrier engine note than the current crop of rally cars. There’s a shotgun-rifle bang under hard-acceleration gearshifts but the engine note is also much quicker to rise up through the revs - a result, no doubt, of the turbocharger working more effectively with its larger air restrictor.
The car does seem to be airborne for a fair amount of the time, though. “The first run was just to try soft tyres,” says Meeke with a wry smile. “Then we stuck on some hard-compound ones for comparison. Once that’s over with we’ll get on with tuning the dampers and the differential to really improve the handling.”
The first morning of action goes well, though - which is to say that there is plenty of untroubled mileage (around 75 miles, by all accounts, without drama) and a good enough base for playing with settings. “To get the first morning in without a sniff of a tow-rope is a great start,” says Meeke.
As we depart, he and the Citroen engineers are settling in for a few more days of experimentation. There’s a long road ahead - particularly for the driver, who is focusing on the testing but also tackling a limited number of rallies this year to keep his hand in. But in the depths of the French countryside, you can feel a mix of euphoria and relief that the early miles are over and the serious business of making the Citroen C3 WRC ready for the Monte Carlo Rally in January 2017 can begin."
Looks can be deceiving but I find it amazing that they can make that slab faster than the DS3.
If this car can take the fight to the Polos then it will be beautiful.
The dynamics look similar to the Xsara, I wonder about dimensions compared to that.
While I was initially a bit shocked by the look of this big hippo on wheels, its appearance is already starting to grow on me, tbh! I think these Auto Express pictures do it more favours than the pictures elsewhere.Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
new small video from Citroen racing.At least sounds lovely.
https://twitter.com/CitroenRacing?lang=el
Sounds and looks good...
Did makinen test his Flop ?? or he is still compiling the list of his finish friends that has not yet include on the feast sponsored by Toyota ??
I love twitter... I clicked on Your link and since then I had whole twitter in Greek language without seeing anything resembling a possibility to switch into English. I had to delete cookies to get it English again. Not that I had anything again Greece... :DQuote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
C3 WRC test onboard (English twitter ;) )
https://twitter.com/RallyingUK/statu...71935161708544
I have a feeling it will be even more ugly after they uncamouflage those headlights.
Is this the first test for a true out and out 2017 car for any of the manufacturers?
No, Toyota was 1st, long time ago...Quote:
Originally Posted by wia5958
When did Mäkinen test his 2017 car?Quote:
Originally Posted by pantealex
Mads Ostberg has entered Rally Sørland 2016 (Norway) on 30 April in the Team Adapta Fiesta R5.
This is the best picture/computer graphic I have found of the 2017 Citroën C3 (B618).
The plastic over fenders (which is customary on light SUVs, and a design statement at MINI) are present - as on the WRC car.
Tough it would be cool, I dont know if we should expect a high powered road version of the WRC car, because that hasnt really been Citroëns strategy in the past. They did a "Loeb version" of the C4, but that wasnt a real "rally replica" by no means.
Here is a link to the pic, the car on the left is the one that the WRC car looks based up on - and I am not sure this needs to look ugly in WRC form, I think it can be quite cool and aggressive - time will tell :)
http://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/37...itronC3III.jpg
Never. The 2017 cars are close to ready, but not yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lundefaret
Marcus & Timo was on test (GRAVEL) last wednesday in South of France
Here my video of the day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Se68zRVmgs