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I think you have an interesting blog and i will keenly follow it in the future.Quote:
Originally Posted by Antony Warmbold
I think that you should provide some info about the characters of the WRC i.e. what was McRae really like?? What do other drivers think of Loeb's success?
I was also wondering Who you think will take the crown from Loeb?
Also do you think his success is the result of skill or because he had an amazing car??
any answers you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
A quote from the blog
My problem is that no-one ever told us about all this when we made the initial deal. I like to know what I sign and pay for, don't you ?
Caveat emptor, my friend.
It's been eight years since your first season and it seems that this old lesson has now been learned but unfortunately - the hard way. Like N.O.T, I also find your writing a bit bitter at times but hopefully your goal is achieved and other young aspirants do learn from your experiences.
VERY interesting reading.... keep it coming :hot:
This stories of Antony reminds me Dani Sola's season with the Ford Focus WRC. No tests, no improvements in the car and last opportunity in the World Championship for him. Results: Bad slow car and he pushed so hard finishing mainly out of the race.
Very interesting Blog Antony. Keep it going
Great blog, interesting to hear a different perspective of the sport. Agree that perhaps you sound a bit bitter, but if I'd spent 2.5million on a lame duck then I'd be pretty f***ing bitter too :D Also the trivia about the spikes is fascinating, makes scientific sense I suppose but it's not the sort of thing that you usually think about when you're watching rallying.
Do you still compete at a lower level for fun? I do a few clubman events (not rallying) and find it tough over the winter when there are no events to compete at. If you aren't driving then how do you replace the adrenaline rush and fun?
Woww, Antony's blog is taking off a big time! I'm following many rallying news sites and rally-related persons in Twitter and Antony's blog is mentioned now in almost all of those posts.
Have a funny little anecdote with Dani Sola that I will share with you guys soon...Quote:
Originally Posted by zoolander36
Nice to see all this interest. I never thought you guys would be so keen to read about my experiences.Quote:
Originally Posted by barryfullalove
No more competition for me. I am really taken by my work lately. I sometimes drive for fun with karts, and I do competition table tennis as a hobby, it's very good for mental and reflexes.
Please write about body and mental trainings before and during the season 'cos it's very interesting to see if it is possible to go in the WRC car without any prepairings. Dany Snobeck (who's 63) finished in WRC Spain in 10th place no matter on his ages..
I think that shows that the endurance side of Rallying has gone - unless he's super fit....Quote:
Originally Posted by Barreis
I think that's the case, even to the degree that rallying isn't as endurance based as it was 10, maybe even 5 years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyRAC
NotedQuote:
Originally Posted by Barreis
Great block.
Excelllent to have a first person stry about getting to WRC, with all difficulties and , I hope, good times also.
A lot of things you tell could be imagined, but to have someone effectively teling things is great.
Sometimes, drivers who know this prefer to shut up (I guess it is Henning or Vilagra cases)because they are living on this (both not young, and with no future prospect).
Please keep your writing free of preassures.
Very useful for young guns hungry to show their talent!!!
Thank You for Your blog Antony. Really interesting reading!
Hi Antony, really liked your blog, it's really good to know what really happens behind the scenes.
Please, can you talk a little bit about your pacenotes?
I will as long as I canQuote:
Originally Posted by ZequeArgentina
thank you for the interest. it warms the heart.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirek
NotedQuote:
Originally Posted by G. Morales
It is already a future programmed post
Antony: Have you, or do you expect to get reactions from M-sport concerning what you are writing on your blog? I have been checking the blog several times a day the last days, so keep up the good writing :)
Hi Antony,
First of all regards from Holland.
Nice to read you are fine......missed you for a long time on rallies around the world
Great to read from somebody "how got the t-shirt; been there, done it and seen it"
Please keep your blog comming..................very nice reading material.
Could you also post some more pictures and maybe some video's (onboard etc)......I think you must have an asome collection!!! Please share.
Kind regards
Jef Koopman
http://www.karorally.tk
http://www.facebook.com/jef.koopman#!/
i would like to see what you think you did wrong and you did not progress, i doubt all the guys who made it to the top stared in the perfect car right away.....
Also the way you present things about the ford team it is truly amazing why you came back at them after the 1st year....
I will get more stuff online.Quote:
Originally Posted by karo
At 32 years of age today and a bit more life experience I have to say I was rather naive at the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by N.O.T
What one should understand is that things are very different when you are entangled in the middle of all this. I went through this stuff with lots of emotions and rallies were coming up every other week... Quickly. You think you can change things.
Today, 6 years later, I have a much clearer view of what happened.
what would you change in your approach to the WRC nowadays ? different team ? different car ? also when did you realise that you might have the talent to become a WRC driver ?
this sounds like an interview and I apologise but i think we can learn far more about the sport from someone who had an unsuccessful pass rather than a champion/challenger who everyones focus is sucking their balls....
Funny!Quote:
Originally Posted by N.O.T
request noted, there will be a post about it...
I look forward to your next blog update Antony, keep us informed when you update it :)
Very interesting stuff :)
I have to agree that you results look quite respectable compared to some of the pay drivers today. I constantly whine about how low the level of competition is in the WRC these days compared to at the height of the WRC in about 2002/2003 but you only need to compare the entry lists for Rally Australia for instance for 2003 to 2004 or any subsequent years to see that the quality of entry fields dropped off a cliff for some of the flyaway rounds.
My question would be, what were your expectations of your career? Did you think you were going to be a World Rally Champion? Did you feel you even had the potential to be a champion? Did you feel you had what it took to be a 2nd driver? Etc etc etc :) Also, were you happy with what you achieved considering the limitations which were of course imposed on you by the equipment?
Second question, if you got the chance to do so again in reasonable equipment with a clear statement of what you were getting compared to the works guys, would you do it again?
Having read Anthony's excellent blog I don't understand how some people on here think he's 'bitter'...I merely get the sense of utter frustration that he never got to achieve what he wanted to and looking back, older and wiser, now realises where mistakes were made. Please keep the blog going it's fascinating insight into WRC.
I will try to adress your questions the best I can in a further postQuote:
Originally Posted by Daniel
BTW chapter 4 is up
Antony, don't trust Daniel...he's among those who bashed you a lot when you competed ;) :p :
I think it's understandable why people would think so before reading the blog. Here we have a guy who never got any podiums or anything, never went on to have a paid career and is now blaming it all on M-Sport. Back when Antony was competing he was ridiculed on the forum for his slow performances and the fact that he always seemed to break his car. Reading what he says in his blog though, you view things differently and you see how difficult things were for him.Quote:
Originally Posted by I am evil Homer
Well you can only post based on what you see. How was I to know that M-Sport were giving Antony a crap car to drive and 2nd or 3rd hand components on his car? I wonder if Malcolm puts parts on his sons car that he wouldn't put on Hirvonen or Latvala's cars? :dozey:Quote:
Originally Posted by pino
I doubt Antony needs it but I do apologise for calling you slow back in the day when the car was at least partly to blame for it :)
Daniel, I was just joking...and btw I am sure Antony understands how forums members are so no needs to apologise ;)
I thought as much but still it's only right to change your tune when you hear the true story behind things :)Quote:
Originally Posted by pino
:up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel
Hi Antony. It's really amazing to have an inside look of what's going on behind the scene, and I can't even imagine that we have 1-st hand information. Think that everebody in this forum can learn a lot about rallying, keep up your great blog. Regards!
I guess you mean the subjective true story?Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel
Why come out all these years later to sling mud falsely? We all know that Malcolm would step over his own mother just to get one of his drivers to win the WDC so it's not unreasonable to think that M-Sport may not have been entirely transparent as to what Antony's 2.5 million was getting him? Of course we will never know the 100% proven facts unless Malcolm or MSport come on here and say "Yes we put **** parts on Antony's car and that was why he was so slow" but I see no reason to doubt what Antony is saying. I'm not proposing that we go back to the stage results and give him 3s/km and crown him WDC for those years or anything, just that this perhaps explains some of the lack of speed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomi
Thats not what I mean, only said the story is subjective because it is.Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel
Good last blog post.