Should be some news out soon, not official yet but we got to hear about the plans for the next 3 years at TOOLS today.Quote:
Originally Posted by prpr
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Should be some news out soon, not official yet but we got to hear about the plans for the next 3 years at TOOLS today.Quote:
Originally Posted by prpr
SKODA Press Conference is happening now.
We're all waiting for you.....Quote:
Originally Posted by SubaruNorway
Confidentiality assured.
‘Skoda will continue next year as a racing car manufacturer that will support talented drivers’
Sounds like no works team to me.
Yeah, that's what it sounds like.Quote:
Originally Posted by RS
After a successful 2019, Christian Strube, Head of Technical Development ŠKODA AUTO, gave an outlook to the future and emphasized: “An even bigger focus will be on our customers – and we will support young drivers, as we have already successfully done in the past. With our fast and reliable ŠKODA FABIA R5 evo, we have the right car to compete on a top level on the rally tracks worldwide and to make the 119th year in our motorsport history together with our great team successful again!”
ŠKODA Motorsport Director Michal Hrabánek bid farewell to Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen, who are not competing with ŠKODA any more: “We had two successful seasons with Kalle and Jonne; it was a pleasure to have them in our team. We wish them all the best for their future. Now we are fully concentrated on preparing the next rally season properly.”
Tbh who knows.. that’s pretty cryptic. I guess they are skipping Monte at least.
Spanish are reporting works team indeed out. Sounds like some scheme where they will support (fund) certain privateer drivers, including Solberg by the sounds of it.
Kopecky continues in Czech Championship (again!). My guess would be Mares will do ERC.
https://www.diariomotor.com/competic...mpression=true
There are rumors that Mareš will drive Monte Carlo and maybe more in WRC2.Quote:
Originally Posted by RS
WRC2 or WRC3? :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirek
Oliver 50/50 skoda and polo in WRC3?
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Ok, the more the better but I would have thought a full ERC programme would have been a good idea first.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirek
What about Kopecky? Is he really happy with Czech Championship only?
I have no information about what he's going to drive.Quote:
Originally Posted by RS
Sorry, to be honest I don't know what is the difference now. I didn't follow any news about the new naming at all...Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
OK, so I can see that more info is out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirek
- no works team in WRC2
- works support for certain young drivers in WRC2/3
- Kopecký in MČR only
- change due to the VAG policy to support only customer motorsport
- new car replacing the current Fabia R5 Evo possible in the future but not in the next two years, development of the current car to continue
Solberg in Škoda, monte in polo.
All rounds, 50/50 private and factory.
Gryazin and veiby in Hyundai
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WRC2Pro 2019 => WRC2 2020Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirek
WRC2 2019 => WRC3 2020
Hopefully they'll reconsider WRC if it involves hybrid tech in the future.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirek
News or rumours?Quote:
Originally Posted by skarderud
That means WRC lost two manufacturers in 2020. Way to go FIA
It's too easy to blame FIA. The main reason is the general development in the automotive industry which has little to do with FIA.Quote:
Originally Posted by deephouse
Then, who should adapt?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirek
That is logical question but it doesn't always have an answer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rallyper
The green movement (coming largely from your country by the way) leads to a situation in which the public will be more and more against wasting of energy in any sort of motorsports - even electric energy. This is a development which motorsport bodies can hardly adapt to and which the manufacturers can not ignore if they want to survive in the future.
We have to take it as a fact that the golden years of motorsport are gone and that it will start to fade away. The question is how fast this process will be. I personally don't know.
For the reasons you mention, I just hope that the most is made of what will probably be the last decade (the '20s) of being able to keep the contemporary aspect of the sport as we know and love it now. With the Hybrids coming in 2022, you can keep the ICE element while still being relevant to manufacturers and their marketing departments hopefully at least until 2026. Beyond that the future is uncertain, so let's hope the powers that be manage to pull everything together to make the the most of the foreseeable future. After that, we can spend the next few decades enjoying and trying to preserve historic rallying!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirek
(It's this theory that makes me so p*ssed off about the state of the British Rally Championship. It's lost, a premature death, wasting what time it had left to be relevant and worthy of its legacy.)
It´s not that simple.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
WRC2-2020 can be full private team (like BRR, TGS, MMM or Printsport)
and
WRC3-2020 is for privateer drivers (I remember that originally it was said that every Rally2/R5 competitor is automatically WRC3 if (s)he isn´t in WRC2)
According to David Evans he's doing WRC2: "Factory drivers Kalle Rovanpera and Jan Kopecky will move on from the factory squad, with the Finn stepping up to a Toyota Yaris WRC next season, while Kopecky will drive for the Czech importer team in WRC 2."Quote:
Originally Posted by RS
https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/1...d-sign-solberg
I've got to say, this new Skoda arrangement sounds promising for Chris Ingram/Toksport.
That may be a mistake. Hrabánek said Kopecký would drive only the Czech championship in Škoda CZ colors.
Skoda axes works WRC2 team after "losing great drivers"
Skoda will not run a factory team in WRC2 next season, and the Czech manufacturer says losing Kalle Rovanpera was a key factor in the decision.
This year, Rovanpera became the fourth different driver in as many years to win the title in a Skoda Fabia R5, taking honours in the newly split-off WRC2 Pro category with five wins.
The 19-year-old Finn follows Esapekka Lappi, Pontus Tidemand and Jan Kopecky in becoming WRC2 champion, and has landed a factory Toyota seat for 2020.
Skoda had already scaled back from five to two factory cars for Rovanpera and Kopecky this season but will now do away with its works squad entirely.
Skoda Motorsport team manager Pavel Hortek confirmed the move to selected media, including Motorsport.com, during the brand's traditional end-of-season event in Prague.
Kopecky, however, is set to remain in the Czech national championship with Skoda support.
Asked by Motorsport.com if this decision was due to Rovanpera's departure to Toyota, Hortek replied: "Of course, because we have no one to replace him. Oliver Solberg could be an option for someone to support, but not in a factory team.
"We have sold 328 cars and we have many customers, we don't have the capacity to maintain all that and also an official team. Having lost great drivers has been key."
With Citroen having withdrawn from rallying, it leaves only Ford and Hyundai as potential factory entrants in the class next year, which will be known simply as WRC2.
What was known as WRC2 this year will be renamed WRC3 and open only to privateer teams running R5-spec machinery.
https://www.motorsport.com/wrc/news/...pecky/4612411/
Well that's an excuse we hadn't heard before! No wait...Quote:
Skoda axes works WRC2 team after "losing great drivers"
and they couldnt find another one....Quote:
Originally Posted by Allez Andruet
Quote:
Originally Posted by Allez Andruet
Hrabánek told to Czech press agency ČTK that the decision was taken in accordance with the VAG policy which is IMHo the real reason.Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
Excuse. Hire promising driver, Ingram, Gryazin or Solberg. Then put Kopecky in other car and one of those two can win the title pretty easy.Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
Didn't VAG dictate in the past in case of Seat?
And what they need to achieve more? To me it's more like if Hyundai really steps in they maybe don't want to lose to them...
Maybe Skoda wanted to avoid paying 150 000 dollars entry fee for a WRC2 factory entry like this year? Instead, they'll just support private teams and claim being winners at the end of the year?
Cars can't score points in WRC2 unless the registration fee is paid by the manufacturer.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
Is this just assumed by remaining the same from 2019 or do you know it will be like that in 2020?Quote:
Originally Posted by rallyfiend
Possible. Maybe saving for a huge development (fingers crossed)... You know what I mean.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
150k€ is nothing when looking on development costs
Waste of money for nothing. And Skoda knows very well that WRC2 Pro was introduced mainly to dig money from Skoda...Quote:
Originally Posted by Barreis
You know what? I would be totally happy if Skoda will develop some next generation R5 rally car (they say it should be also some kind of hybrid) in near future instead of switching to circuit racing like E-TCR. THAT would be disaster.Quote:
Originally Posted by deephouse
Some answers on WRC2/3:
PARTICIPATION IN FIA WRC2
6.2.1 In order to score points in the WRC2 Championship for
Teams supported by a Manufacturer or independent, Drivers,-
Co-Drivers and Teams must register with the FIA before the
closing date of entries of the first rally entered. Registration in
the WRC2 Championships is set at €100,000 for teams with
the Manufacturer name in the title or €10,000 for a private
team. Any manufacturer registered as per Art. 5.2 does not
need to pay the individual WRC Championship fee for Manufacturers.
6.2.2 Any team registered in WRC2 may not enter more than two
(2) cars in each championship rally and must participate in a
minimum of 8 rallies with a minimum of one car, including one
rally outside of Europe. All cars will be taken into account for
the points.
6.2.3 In order to score WRC2 Championship points, the entry in
individual rallies must be made using the FIA standard entry
form in the name of the competitor as stated on the licence
used to register in this Support Championship.
6.2.4 When a Team enters a rally as per Art. 6.2.3, the driver and
co-driver will automatically score points.
6.3 PARTICIPATION IN FIA WRC3
6.3.1 In order to score points in the WRC3 Championship, drivers
must register with the FIA before the closing date of entries of
the first rally entered. Registration for the WRC3 Championship, set at €3,000, must be made in the name of a driver
holding a current and valid competitor’s licence. Co-drivers
are not required to register. Drivers who hold a licence from the ASN of the organising country in which they participate as
a first event, are not requested to pay the WRC 3 registration
fee. However, this registration fee must be paid, should the
driver enter another event as a WRC3 driver during the same
calendar year.
6.3.2 In order to score WRC3 Championship points, the entry in
individual rallies must be made using the FIA standard online
entry form at https://registrations.fia.co/rally Any entry thus
submitted shall always be considered as one of the 7 rallies
as per Article 6.4.4, unless the Stewards grant a case of force
majeure upon individual application which must be supported
by clear evidence.
6.3.3 WRC3 registered competitors/drivers wishing to enter a rally
without scoring WRC3 Championship points shall enter as a
non-priority driver using the FIA standard online entry form at
the address given in the supplementary regulations of the rally.
POINTS
6.4.1 For the awarding of points, a separate classification of the
teams, drivers and co-drivers eligible to score points in that
specific rally will be drawn from the general classification.
Points scored in the Support Championships shall always be in
the name of the team, driver and co-driver.
6.4.2 The WRC2 Champion title for teams will be awarded to the
team who has scored the highest number of points at the end
of the year. All the results will be taken into account when
drawing up the final classification of the Championship.
6.4.3 The WRC 2 Champion titles for Drivers and Co-Drivers will
be awarded to the driver and co-driver who have scored the
highest number of points from 8 of the rallies in which they
were entered by a team registered in the WRC 2 Championship.
6.4.4 The WRC3 Champion titles for Drivers and Co-Drivers will
be awarded to the driver and co-driver who have scored the
highest number of points from 6 of the first 7 rallies which they
have entered to score points. In the remaining rallies they may
neither score nor detract points from other registered drivers.