Yes, he will drive the WRC again in Pohjanmaa-ralli (next event in Finnish national championship) the same weekend the big boys are battling it out in Sardegna.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
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Yes, he will drive the WRC again in Pohjanmaa-ralli (next event in Finnish national championship) the same weekend the big boys are battling it out in Sardegna.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Well then its clear Hyundai will start picking after that weekend.
Though if Mikkelsen does well in Sardinia it says very little of how he could drive in Finland. After all Neuville won Sardinia last year and Mikkelsen led it before gearbox issues and both were nowhere near the top in Finland. In that sense Huttunen's performance on similar stages is much more relevant.
I think it’s very difficult to judge Huttunen on this rally, as we don’t know what Katsuta level is either. If I was betting on Katsuta being fast in the WRC car in one place, it would be Finland...so unless he drives Rally Finland in a 4th Yaris, difficult to know whether Huttunen was impressive or not.
For Paddon it’s a tough call, he needs to stay relevant but at the same time if he is only getting a one off, Finland is a tough place to jump in and shine and he could do his future more harm than good by driving.
Given the option of Loeb, Sordo, Paddon or Huttunen (if we assume that Mikkelsen will be in) I would give Huttunen a go as he will be motivated, have good mileage in the car on similar roads and should benefit from the best road position..but then I’m not Adamo and it’s not my money ��
His last rally in NZ will be June 22nd, As an aside I saw John Kennard a few weeks back and he is as fit and sharp as he ever wasQuote:
Originally Posted by tommeke_B
Well Huttunen is clearly much better choice than Sordo. Even if he doesn't do well he should finish at about same position, but as a new driver he can only surprise, which Sordo really can't in Finland at this point.Quote:
Originally Posted by doubled1978
(Loeb said repeatedly he doesn't want to drive there, latest this week).
If Paddon is signed for Finland it's not so easy to say who they pick. Paddon himself would be a bit of a risk after not driving for a while + if they introduce the aero changes they promised it will be a different car for him. In that case they might prefer Mikkelsen over Huttunen unless Huttunen does really well on his next national outing.
I believe the original offer to Paddon was for only Rally Finland. However if I was Adamo I would be on the phone and offering Paddon Finland, Turkey, and Australia. But I'm a kiwi so probably a little biased!Quote:
Originally Posted by er88
I would offer him the not only the remained of this season but the following three years tooQuote:
Originally Posted by Grutz
I would have had him in for more events from the start personally, but as they didn’t they have to try and make the best solution for Hyundai from now. I agree there is little sense in him doing only 1 event, but if they can offer him more than that and a decent chance to get back up to speed it should be worth considering..Quote:
Originally Posted by Grutz
Not sure but perhaps the Paddon/Hyundai Alzenau relationship has been burnt and it might start to grow again?
I like the way you thinkQuote:
Originally Posted by Mk2 RS2000
Maybe Paddon decline Finland because he knew that one event (and a bad one for whole Hyundai) would not bring any chance of him doing more events or whole season again. He is sure good at those kind of roads but Hyundai isn't and that would not help him much. Let's face it, probably he would be best in 5th place and no one sign drivers who came for one off and be average.
It's probably impossible to challenge for the victory with the i20 in Finland, but Paddon ofcourse could have been compared to two other Hyundais. Too bad he obviously wasn't up for the call.Quote:
Originally Posted by deephouse
I wrote it already a few months ago that accepting the one rally has many more cons than pros for him.
- Hyundai has never been good there (0 podiums), so pretty much impossible to challenge for top 3 imo
- he had no time in the car until the rally, even if he did some testing rally like in Estonia last year it's a risk
- he we was fast there before, so anything but 4th place will just be just make him look bad, even if he beats both teammates
But with Loeb now having used 5 of his 6 starts and being vocal about not wanting more there is a very clear gap in GB and possibly Australia and Turkey where Sordo can't be expected to do very well.
This should open up for a 2-3 rally deal basically independent of how Mikkelsen does. In that case he should take it.
Has it been mentioned how many rallies Sordo has a contract for?
He's done Mexico, Corsica and Argentina. He'll do Portugal, Sardinia, Germany & Spain at the very least, so that's 7. The only other gravel rally I can see him doing ok in is maybe Turkey, but he didn't do that rally last year.
It's clear Hyundai will be trying to get Loeb to do a few more, but he seems adamant he won't. "There's no point me doing 10 or so rallies as i would've just done a full season instead in that case" - or words to that effect in his latest wrc tv interview.
Paddon would be a good option for Finland/Turkey/GB/Australia, but Hyundai are also going to have to rely on big performances from Mikkelsen as well which isn't something you'd want to be doing, after his last year and a half. Adamo will have to build his confidence up.
They said Sordo had 7 rallies.
Even if they get Paddon for say GB there is still that 3rd car. So it should be their main interested to actually help Mikkelsen.Quote:
Originally Posted by er88
Less risk to rely on Mikkelsen doing well in GB/Tur/Australia based on his speed on all 3 last year than using the "safe" bet that Sordo will be slow there (as you said in Turkey he might do ok, but in GB there is little chance after all these years).
It does not look like a good way of building confidence to me when they drop him one rally after his probably best rally in the car (I'd say Turkey last year was better in terms of speed, but in terms of result Argentina was best).
Will be interesting to see how the Hyundai's do this weekend with their new differential.
Loeb said he was expected to come to Germany. So that maybe hasn't changed.
Also says there are no more rallies than one planned and that he needs holidays. So while that rules out Finland it somehow also opens a bit up for more starts later.
I think everything is wide open for the remainder of the season. I would use Loeb for Spain where he won last year.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
If he does Germany which sounds more and more likely for multiple reasons (doing 2 tarmac rallies before, saying he wanted to do it before and now mentioning he planned to do it before the change of plans), they will definitely wait after that before deciding for Spain.
Cause Corsica was easily the worst rally he did not only in last two years but also a few years before that. Even without the two crashes he would have had trouble beating Suninen who drove that for first time in WRC.
IMO it would be strange if Loeb indeed does only two rounds after this one, considering he's got a contract for 2020 as well.
Loeb is for sure doing Spain. Everything else is open
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PQyXgCw5vs
Latest Colin Clark Kitchen Table. Thoughts on Hyundai Rally Finland Lineup. CC very keen to see Paddon back!
Paddon and Hyundai WRT are not likely to happen this year, Paddon would likely have to do Rally Finland with an untested co-driver, probably Finland is the last event a driver would want drive in that situation. Huttunen and Linnaketo likely combo.
Why wouldn't Kennard co-drive for Paddon if he got and excepted the offer to do Finland?Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeakiwi2
JK is fit, healthy and still bouncing around.Quote:
Originally Posted by RallyNZ
Well if Paddon is asked to do Finland it needs to be done soon. He needs some time behind the car before he gets out on the stages. Obviously Hyundai was (is?) seriously considering Huttunen for Finland. I'm sure he would not do as well as Hayden considering he has only driven the car in anger once. His pace at Rihiimaki was okay and nothing to get excited about.
do we know how Neuville got through, whilst both his teammate got the same issue in the same stage in Portugal? It appears Sordo and Loeb suffered the same mechanical issue, surprising to see Neuville un-affected.
Riku Tahko claims on Finnish radio today that Hyundai is testing a new damper brand on Huttunen’s outings
Autosport article regarding Mikkelsen and the rest of 2019..
https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/1...rally-sardinia
Adamo doesn't trust him.
Whether you think Mikkelsen is deservedly in this position or not due to his form since joining Hyundai, this isn't the way to get the best out of him imo. Knowing any bad result or crash could lead to him being dropped again is tough for a driver mentally. Drivers need a clear mind - whether it's being told you're in the car for the rest of year or you'll miss this event or that. Clarity, whether it's good news or bad.
The comment from Adamo about football teams using their best players is telling...
It's telling that Adamo doesn't trust him yes.
On the other hand both times Adamo dropped him he didn't get a good result from the 3rd driver either.
- In Corsica Loeb finished 8th, one place worse than Mikkelsen the year before, being slowest Hyundai most of the weekend and with 2 crashes (I'd argue Sordo was the one who replace Mikkelsen though, not Loeb)
- In Portugal Loeb was again slowest Hyundai whole weekend, got technical issues in 9th place and crashed out on PS for no reason
I agree it's almost impossible to drive with team boss having approach like this. If Mikkelsen pushes and crashes/retires from podium or even first (like in Monte or Mexico) he might get dropped. If he drives ok without the last bit of risk he might get dropped (did that for 4th in Sweden, after which he got dropped)...and if he drives slowly and secures points he will definitely get dropped (Chile).
Anyway, since he said he doesn't want Huttunen for Finland he definitely must have an alternative in mind already, so is it only Paddon or does he also have someone else? (Breen?)
Paddon has posted a few times recently on social media statements such as "...more power means a bigger show for spectators and also allows me to keep up to speed with driving a faster car - staying match fit for the WRC". This is in reference to converting his AP4 car to having more power for hillclimbs.
I wonder if something is in the pipeline...
He could be talking about the next NZ event which is one day long and has 200km special stage distance on roads with a lightly gravelled surface and many crestsQuote:
Originally Posted by Grundo Farb
I think this result has confirmed the lineup for Finland. Dani will be on a high and will probably change his mind and want to do Finland now! While is is not my preferred lineup, I think it will now be Neuville, Mikkelsen, and Sordo!
He does not enjoy driving there (Sordo) and probably won't.
https://www.fia.com/news/wrc-dani-so...hting-all-time
Quote:
Q:
When are we going to see you performing next? Finland maybe?
DS: It is not maybe, I don't know.
Q:
Would you like to be competing at Rally Finland? I know you don't have such a great relation with this event over the years.
DS: Oh no, it's a nice place, nice roads, it's a nice rally, but I would like to try also there. It’s not my favourite rally, but I don't have the scare of Finland, it's a nice place, but I will not talk about anything that we don't know yet.
Q:
Do you want to do more rallies, now that you have got this win on the board and you have been so competitive out there this weekend?
DS: No. Honestly, my plan this year was to do 8-10 rallies maximum, so I continue with my plan, I really like to do rallies like these ones. I enjoyed it, I would like to win all like I do, I will not change my mind. Of course, I want to do eight rallies as it is stated in my contract this year.
And also this funny bit
Quote:
Q:
So, next event, Finland, what can we expect? Who is going to be in third car?
AA: I have to say, as I already said to some of you, they already told me the name of the bird that hides its head under the sand (ostrich), so I will leave my head under the sand until tomorrow because I don't want to think about that, but sooner or later it will arrive.
Q:
When is the sooner point when it will arrive? When are we going to know? On the entry list when it comes out?
AA: I can tell you when the latest point is (he laughs). Honestly, that third one is really a question mark for me so far.
Teemu Suninen says:
I am sure that there’s a guy in the team who is ready to do the rally and who would be really pleased to do it.
Q:
Oh, really, can you reveal some secrets here then?
TS: I have nothing…
AA: Lately press conferences have seen secrets revealed. Some insiders know, maybe.
TS: I didn't mean that one.
Q:
We've heard lots of things on conferences in these days…
AA: It is the most emotional moment of the rally lately, the press conference!
TS: I meant someone who has done two Finnish championship rallies… I am sure he wants to do it.
Q:
Do you think he should do it?
TM: I think he knows. It’s.Jari Huttunen.
AA: I don't know if he wants to do it, I also want to fly home tonight, but I can't, you know.
If you look at Sordo's Rally Finland 2017 results, he was the slowest WRC on almost every stage. Same for Mikkelsen last year. Not an easy choice for Adamo. Out of those two I would pick Mikkelsen because he's familiar with the route which is largely the same as last year, whereas Sordo skipped the rally last year.
Mikkelsen is driving, it's the third car they are deciding on
Hidden in this Autosport article about Loeb winning his French national rally is seemingly confirmation that Huttunen won't drive the third car in Finland:
https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/1...ly-for-hyundaiQuote:
Despite Huttunen's win, Hyundai Motorsport director Andrea Adamo has confirmed he won't be driving the Korean squad's third car at Rally Finland in August.
"We use him because he is a guest driver and not a P1 driver," he said.
"Twice now - on separate rallies - he has tested the car and tested parts for us.
"This is what he's doing for us, he's checking the reliability on parts."
As for further news on Hyundai's third car in Finland, Adamo said: "I am like an ostrich at the moment.
"I have my head buried in the sand. Soon I have to take it out and make a decision."
Surely got to be Sordo then?