Just looked at the driver's standings and saw that after Rovanperä the highest placed Toyota is Katsuta in 6th, hats off to him.
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Just looked at the driver's standings and saw that after Rovanperä the highest placed Toyota is Katsuta in 6th, hats off to him.
Saturday's last stage was equally impressive imhoQuote:
Originally Posted by Got Mail
Sent from my DN2103 using Tapatalk
Aleks Lesk
@alekslesk
We fucked it up. So hard weekend, we were leading JWRC, but before last stage in time control marshall asked us to move forward. We followed his instructions and drove some meters to much between people without realizing its already TC zone. 4 minutes penalty. It hurts. Badly.
https://twitter.com/alekslesk/status...89761416396806
Not only was it an awsome rally, it was also super comfortable and easy to watch stageside. I've been to national championship rounds that were more difficult to follow live.
Neuvilles crash from another angle
https://twitter.com/ma_ipp/status/1518470130111590402
What are your thoughts of the rally Croatia? Has it proven to be a great addition to the calendar once again? Unique in the conditions, roads, surfaces of the tarmac, big number of spectators (rather close to the market of whole Middle Europe, Zagreb with good airport connections .aking it easy to reach for foreigners).
As a Croat, I'm delighted to have something like this in our country and especially to see that more and more people are into rallying.
Awesome rally IMO. Especially the stages, something totally different to others. Definitely has a place in the calendar.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pršljen
Like Fourmaux said, it’s like 5 different rallies in one.
He had some really good results last season when given the i20 in selected events and impressed everyone. The elite drivers were under contract and wouldnt leave Hyundai or Toyota. Breen was a fair choice and no other available driver would guarantee better results.Quote:
Originally Posted by steve.mandzij
I like Croatia as a fast-flowing "broken tarmac" rally that's totally different to Corsica or Catalunya or Sanremo but also very different to Ypres or Deutschland. It's also bonus that the rally center is at the capital of the country and the stages can be arranged relatively close to the service park.
I still don't understand why are people sleeping on Mikkelsen. Yeah he wouldn't probably fight for WDC but neither does Breen.
I think if anyone is a missed opportunity it's Paddon, I'm guessing if not for that crash back in Monte 5 years ago, his career would look very different, but no if's and buts in this championship, now we should look at new drivers from the lower categories like Yohan Rossel which really impressed here (even if Tarmac is his favored surface).Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenneth
I think Paddon was a great asset for a team to use for gravel events, but he was never that good on tarmac (or was it just the Hyundai?) and never that good on power stages (apart from that one time in Argentina). As for Mikkelsen, it seemed like he has some talent but is prone to errors. As of now I'm considering Mikkelsen and Breen quite equal choices. Neither is a guaranteed rally winner nor a championship contender, but can collect solid points for a team.
I have to say that I'm disappointed to see the youngsters Oliver Solberg and Adrien Fourmaux being so lost. And also Takamoto Katsuta so much off the pace (after making slight mistakes in Monte and Sweden). Meanwhile, I'm happy to see Tänak and Neuville showing pace when the car doesn't let them down. Evans was also disappointing in Croatia, but had pace in Monte and Sweden. Is he now trying to go a bit slower not to make any more mistakes?
I didn't have high expectations from Oliver, Fourmaux on the other hand did show some promise last year but perhaps his Monte crash shook him a bit.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
Evans is the one who looks lost the most atm, and I honestly don't see him challenging for the title this year, and having a younger teammate beat you like that can't do any good to his confidence.
Or maybe it was already the Ypres crash, after that it hasn't gone well on tarmac.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eli
Tricky conditions proved to be too much for unexperienced drivers like Greensmith,Solberg, Formaux... except for Rovanpera, of course, but he is on another level anyway.
Evans had to be better than this, it's like he is stagnating instead of getting better and better. However, he has excellent starting point for the upcoming gravel rallies, if he can't deliver there, then his hopes for a title are gone.
Maybe it's good to spice things up, but I don't like too much this road-position advantage for this rally.
https://www.ewrc-results.com/results...2022/?s=354737 - after 1st day Rovanperä had 1min 23sec lead. Yes, he is good, but without dramatic weather and his puncture it could be quite boring solo.
On the next rally in Portugal, he will have a disadvantage. And he didn't actually lead 1:23, Neuville was only 24s slower throughout the day, but penalties set him back. Tänak had a puncture which set him back about 20 seconds. And despite road position, someone still needs to do the driving. Rovanperä still won the last stage of Saturday, and of course the power stage, with inferior road position.Quote:
Originally Posted by meh
Perhaps, was he in Spain & Monza after that?Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
looking at the powerstage-onboard of rovanpera and that of ogier from last year, i'm really surprised rovanpera not only made it to the finish, but even went fastest somehow. he is just all over the place, not smooth at all. seems very inefficient and risky to me, but he seems to make it work
Went off slightly in Spain and crashed properly in MonzaQuote:
Originally Posted by Eli
Lost? Fourmaux, yes. Oliver? No. You forget every top driver has his backlash. Oliver was in 5th place.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
If any one was lost you should count Evans, Katsuta, et o.
The conditions were really slippery, more like a gravel/mud rally at times. And that drive won the rally.Quote:
Originally Posted by denkimi
Oliver went off twice in the rally. Only two good stage times. Went off also in Monte.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rallyper
It´s very easy to forget what others done when your focus is biased...Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
What have I forgotten?Quote:
Originally Posted by Rallyper
You’re not biased about Oliver?
Works both ways though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rallyper
Yeah. And the truth is most often in the middle. That´s what I meant too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Walach
Neuville 1/10 is kinda ridiculous in every possible sense.
1/10??? for Neuville? absolutely absurd. Good thing these things have little meaning, with all due respect to dirtfish.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pršljen
Yes, but his driving on the road section was the reason and this was not the 1st time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eli
Neuville 1/10Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
Evans 7/10
hahahahahahahahaha
True, can't ignore that.Quote:
Originally Posted by rp
Ahahaha! Did he watch the rally? Neuville was the only one who could hang with Rovanperä pace wise. Heck, I'd even argue that Lappi was more impressive than either Breen or Evans.
Lappi and Loubet both DNF FridayQuote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
after that Lappi did 3 fastest SS time
but Loubet got 6/10 and Lappi 3/10
For me
Kalle was 10/10
Ott 9,5/10
Neuville in stages 8/10 (Powerstage mistake was his own)
others deserve lower than those 3.
Besides the ratings, he has a point about road behavior. A rally is not just driving fast on the stages, it's also doing the road sections and checking in at the right time, it's repairing the car if necessary, etc. as the WRC3 leader found out in this rally, and Tanak found out last year when he didn't have a road worthy car, it's part of the game.
WRC needs to wake up and draw a hard line on these road section offences in my opinion, rallying can't afford a bad high profile incident.
it happened a year ago. crashing on the road section and escaping police too, for the same reason btw: reach start line on time.Quote:
Originally Posted by seb_sh
on this side, we cannot come here at these moments and do the puritans. everybody here around knows that happens all the rounds and from many of the drivers, we also make legends on the past (like driving with codriver hanging from the window...). it just becomes a bold statement when it hit the media, and that's a bit...unfair. i didn't remember such a bold sttement last year, when there was the other "crime". but that's just because he didn't get a 1/10 on dirtfish, maybe...
Forget the community service and fine which are nothingburgers, is this in the sporting spirit: If you are 6 minutes late, you get 1 minute time penalty. If you do 156kph in 80kph limit, you get 1 minute time penalty if you are caught and at the steward's discretion.