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I'm guessing it has something to do with the way numbers are allocated. Citroen will run Sordo in Loeb's place when Loeb isn't competing, and since Sordo won't use the #1 during those rallies, he's likely to be #3 by default, in the same way that Andreas Mikkelsen is likely to be #9 when he drives for Volkswagen. Since the #3 was already taken, Sordo got the first number that was available after each of the works teams had been assigned numbers.Quote:
Originally Posted by tolis
Prisoner Monkeys is correct :)
Abu Dhabi Citroen WRT will be entering all 13 round sof 2013, even if Al Qassimi only does 8 rallies. so the team will have replacement drivers in 5 rallies.Quote:
Originally Posted by tolis
my guess is that Sordo will be entering more rallies for Abu Dhabi Citroen to have the M2 team of Citroen maximum scorings oppertunity... and hopefully disrupt Ford/M-Sport scorings opportunity.
Dani Sordo will switch duties in het #3 Citroen Total Abu Dhabi car and the # 10 Abu Dhabi Citroen car in 2013
If that is the case DS has definitely accepted perpetual No2 status!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by alleskids
No, it is easy. From beginning was sure all 13 events for Hirvonen, so he was officiall nominated as first driver (starting number 2). Dani is nominated as second driver to score points for team as he wasnt sure for all events (and to be replaced by Loeb in four events).Quote:
Originally Posted by Mintexmemory
That's indeed the most logical thought. Hirvonen is the true Nr one there and this is one of Loeb rallies he'll do so it would be stupid to let the King not score points for the priority team.Quote:
Originally Posted by PLuto
The weird thing is that the rule has been applied in two different ways. Using my logic of allocating numbers to teams in order of priority, this is what the field should look like:Quote:
Originally Posted by PLuto
#1 - Loeb
#2 - Hirvonen
#3 - Sordo (when replacing Loeb)
#4 - Ostberg
#5 - Novikov
#6 - al'Attiyah
#7 - Latvala
#8 - Ogier
#9 - Mikkelsen
#10 - Sordo (at events Loeb contests)
#11 - al'Qassimi
#12 - Hanninen
#14 - Neuville
#15 - Kosciuszko
And then the non-manufacturer entries, like Prokop and Maurin, who have evidently been able to choose whichever number they wish. Given that the first WRC-2 entry is Lappi and he is #31, it appears that the rules have a provision for up to thirty WRC cars (more likely twenty-nine, given the superstition over the #13).
However, since the rule about number allocations appears to have been applied differently, this is what the numbers would/will look like if and when every car that is elegible for manufacturer points enters:
#1 - Loeb
#2 - Hirvonen
#3 - Sordo (when replacing Loeb)
#4 - Ostberg
#5 - Novikov
#6 - Hanninen
#7 - Latvala
#8 - Ogier
#9 - Mikkelsen
#10 - Sordo (at events Loeb contests)
#11 - Neuville
#12 - Kosciuszko
#14 - al'Qassimi
#15 - al'Attiyah
So from the looks of things, numbers are first of all allocated to the leading team for each manufacturer (ie Citroen Abu Dhabi, Qatar M-Sport). Then they are allocated to any additional cars that they intend to run, but have not entered in the first event (ie Sordo's Citroen Abu Dhabi entry, Mikkelsen's Polo). Then numbers are assigned to the second team for each manufacturer (ie Abu Dhabi Citroen, Qatar WRT), but only to the cars that are entered in the first event. Finally, numbers are assigned to the second team for each manufacturer to cars that missed the first event (ie al'Attiyah and al'Qassimi).
And before anyone points it out, al'Qassimi and Sordo cannot share the #10. Sordo's programme will see him do four events in Loeb's place, eight alongside al'Qassimi in the second team, with one left over (depending on which eight events al'Qassimi does). I'm not the best mathematician in the world, but at some point, Sordo and al'Qassimi have to contest at least one event in the same team, so they cannot share the #10.
Also, I noticed that the Bruno di Pianto/Lotos Team WRC entry is now listed as being eligible to score manufacturer points. Are they going to be sticking around for more than one rally?
For at least 7 rallies (one of them should be outside Europe)Quote:
Originally Posted by Prisoner Monkeys
Are they only entering the one car, or are they going to expand to two cars in the future? Since they're the old Mini Team Portugal entry, they'd have access to a second car - but at the same time, that might be too expensive. That said, Koscioszko's presence in the team leads me to believe that the "Lotos" in the team name actually refers to Grupa Lotos, a Polish oil consortium, which is registered on the WIG20, the twenty largest companies in Poland. They've sponsored Koscioszk in the past through their Dynamic brand, which I imagine is an engine lubricant like Castrol's Edge. So the teams should be able to get plenty of sponsorship for the team; perhaps enough to run two cars - especially if they were to put a second Polish driver in the car.
Of course, they could probably find a well-funded second driver out there somewhere. There's Ott Tanak, the van Merksteijns, Atkinson, Henning Solberg, Matthew Wilson, Jarkko Nikara, Dennis Kuipers, Hans Weijs and Evyind Brynildsen out there without drives (though I think Brynildsen has something lined up for Sweden).