Good to see Kris Meeke again :)
https://www.facebook.com/motorsports...6018954322829/
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Good to see Kris Meeke again :)
https://www.facebook.com/motorsports...6018954322829/
Big week for new Fabia RS Rally2. Kopecky finally makes a start in one at the first event of the Czech Championship (there was an idea he’d start in one at Barum last year but it didn’t happen), Mikkelsen also makes his first international-ish start on Azores and Loeb gets a go too.
Kopecky could probably win in a Czech event driving a Skoda 130 ! ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by RS
Azores Rally may be more testing for the new car with Moura and Solans both driving the old Fabia Evo...
Well much as I'd like to see Kopecky in an old 130, and yes he usually does win, guys like Mares and Pech are pretty quick at home so it won't be easy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
Toksport have a pretty stellar lineup for Azores (WRC1 worthy) but yes, Azores should be one of the best type of events for the old car being so tight and narrow.
I wonder who is paying for the Azores starts. I don't think any of those two are bringing funds.
Azores organizers to try to get the rally back to ERC?
Skoda to try to.dispell any doubts about the car on narrow roads or to get more testing/development feedback?
Toksport to get PR? (least likely imo)
The liveries of Mikkelsen and Loeb are showing enough who 's funding it
Verstuurd vanaf mijn 2201123G met Tapatalk
Yep.Quote:
Originally Posted by mousti
I saw them an hour after I wrote the post.
1-2-3 for the Fabia Rally2 on the opening stage in Azores...
Driver differences bigger than car differencesQuote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
“…”
OC Veiby also beating Solans and Moura ...Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
Yes?Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
Pretty impressive by Loeb so far, then again he led every rally he was in last year, so it should mean WRC-winning level. Mikkelsen has more experience here and with the car, but Loeb is also on different tires.
With regards to cars imo the only thing we can say is that new car is likely at least as fast as old.
Veiby and Cais probably best to use for comparison and they are same or faster than Solans and Moura.
Loeb says how nice the car is to drive while Mikkelsen said he's not so happy and surprised how fast Loeb is despite just getting into it.
Veiby's first time in the car vs two top drivers.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
Cais also 0.3s off making it a 1-2-3-4 overall.
But I would say Veiby is on a higher level than Solans or Moura. Veiby has won in WRC2.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
where we can find drivers quotes from stages?
I watched the live stream on RTP Azores who interviewed the drivers at the end of the final stage today.Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
Solans has beaten Veiby on the first two stages of day 2.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
Bang on.. Pech leads.Quote:
Originally Posted by RS
Mares 2nd leads Kopecky in the old Fabia Evo !
One VW Polo R5 down. Gino Bux had a very serious crash at Rallye des Ardennes 2023 last weekend.
Before:
https://www.ewrc-results.com/image/7...?entry=3682434
After:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid...49036403921595
Co-driver is quite OK, driver in hospital with broken ribs and injured spine.
Skoda Azores recap...
https://youtu.be/xtVH54YsBYo
Nice comments from Loeb on the Rally2 car.
These are only excuses. Rally2 market should be important for M-Sport and they can make a good money from it, but understimated the situation. Car was not really prepared for the outings when it debuted (mainly due to lack of test mileage and also drivers who were testing it) and since that time not so bid development was made. The weakest part of the car is without any doubts the engine.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
They dont need to spend money to FIA and promoter, so they have used them for drivers...Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Winning WRC2 round doesnt mean that you are better :)Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
You say excuses but they are real reasons. And having other priorities are genuine too.Quote:
Originally Posted by PLuto
And who would prefer M-Sport making a great Rally2 car but leaving WRC1 down to 2 Teams ?
It is actually a valid point.
Rally2, rally3, rally4 and rally5 all can bring money back.
Everyone can see the M-Sport pattern. They make the car early to be first on the market and have profit (no matter how underdeveloped the car is, like fiesta rally3). Then comes the competition, M-Sport car fall behind because it is not developed anymore and becomes inferior.
Rinse and repeat.
It happened with original Fiesta R5, it happened with Fiesta Rally4/5, and I wonder what can possibly happen now that Renault is releasing Clio Rally3.
All of these are customer oriented cars that can bring money, and all of these were quite quickly abandoned by M-Sport due to "other priorities." No wonder customers are choosing other brands if this is the approach, is it? After all, the car sales numbers of aforementioned cars dont lie.
You could argue that WRC1 is actually down to two teams anyway, given how much of a threat they are to Toyota and Hyundai in the fight for titles and not just single rally wins.
I think that's an overly harsh assessment. M-Sport are essentially a private company, reliant on profit from car and parts sales, competing against the motorsport departments of OEM manufacturers for whom profitability would be nice, but doesn't really matter so much. Simply put, M-Sport and their Polish subsidiary have to make a profit on every car and part (FIA price capped items aside) that leaves their factory. For others, it just isn't important. If you judge M-Sport by their standards, of course they look weak. But when Skoda decide rallying doesn't matter to them any more, how many more Fabia Rally2s do you think will roll out of Mlada Boleslav?Quote:
Originally Posted by Walach
Even if what you describe really is M-Sport's business model, can you blame them? It's pretty smart. Get in early, provide a good, reliable product that's decent value for money, sell plenty of them, then when the manufacturers come along with their huge budgets and (arguably) better / more developed cars, concentrate on being the first with the next product. Instead of trying - and likely failing - to play Skoda and Hyundai at their own game, they stick to what they're good at. Their projects are never abandoned - you can still ring them up and they'll help you get parts for your '05 Focus, Fiesta S2000 or Mk1 Fiesta R5. Their customer service is legendary. Try doing that with a 2005 Impreza world rally car, a Peugeot 207 S2000, or a Citroen DS3 R5.
At the end of the day, for the majority of their customers, it's a hobby. They're making rally cars, not pacemakers or firefighting equipment, if they break more easily or don't perform as well as the competition, it isn't the end of the world. I don't see why some people get so touchy about it - it's an open market, nobody puts a gun to a customer's head and insists they buy a Fiesta of any description.
With all of that said, it would be nice for the market and the sport to have M-Sport back to their competitive best. They seem to have turned a corner with the Puma, and they're working on upgrades for the Fiesta Rally2.
I listened to a podcast recently featuring Matt Edwards the 3x BRC Champion and rally driver tutor.
It was fascinating how he confirmed that all Rally2 cars are excellent and very fast (yes even the Fiesta !) and that it's only drivers at the very top level that extract the last 1% of performance that can find any real difference.
For the mamy average and amateur drivers it's more about cost, servicing and parts availability than pure performance.
Yes, all cars are very similar and it is mainly on the driver. Fiesta is strong car with quite good chassis and suspension. But its weakness is engine, since beginning...Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
And a strong car engine can often help an average driver make up for their own weakness...Quote:
Originally Posted by PLuto
No, strong car engine can help to be on same speed like drivers with cars of other brands, especially on types of stages where engine performance is crucial...Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
I'm talking about why many drivers prefer other cars over the Fiesta. They want a strong engine over anything.Quote:
Originally Posted by PLuto
It is more things together. But mainly - Fiesta is slower than Skoda, Hyundai or Citroen. And other cars are making development, M-Sport nothing. So difference is bigger and bigger...Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
No need to ditch the Fiesta say ex-ITRC Champion...
https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/spo...205396549.html
M-Sport are just after having a tarmac test in Ireland with the Fiesta, Fourmaux driving.
Maybe he better changed car, because his stage times show that the Fiesta is not able to follow the other makes.;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
Yes. I don't know if it is the driver or the car that is slow, but Jennings' best stage time in this rally was 9th...:Quote:
Originally Posted by wwbroe
https://www.ewrc-results.com/entryin...-2023/3684553/
Jennings is longer at the top level but this also makes the point that the Fiesta is still fine for the lower levels. Too many ordinary guys are jumping on the Polo, i20, C3-bandwagon after a top driver wins an event in one.
And Matt Edwards matched the Polo and i20 of Devine and Moffett on a recent Irish event in a Fiesta Rally2 after not driving a Rally2 car since last July...
https://www.ewrc-results.com/final/8...es-rally-2023/
Polo still getting developed...
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/lack-...o-development/
Latvala - Toyota benchmarking Fabia RS for its Yaris Rally2
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/toyot...against-skoda/