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Sordo's talking with Citroen, not Toyota! AS newspaper asked the Spaniard about Motorsport.com article and he was pretty clear: never said it was Toyota. He ended revealing to AS journo that besides Hyundai the other manu he’s in talks is Citroen, but he’s happy in Hyundai and they want him for next season.
http://motor.as.com/motor/2016/05/12...97_318773.html
Interesting. I wonder if that means that Citroen have moved away from their interest in Neuville? It also wouldn't surprise me if Hyundai cut their losses after this season too, especially given the public animosity between Neuville and their new lead driver.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rally Power
Don't think I've heard Thierry's name mentioned in reference to Toyota. He may well end up at M-Sport after all!
Just for fun this is what I could see happening next year:
VW: Ogier, Latvala, Mikkelsen
Hyundai: Paddon, Sordo, Abbring
M-Sport: Neuville, Evans, Camilli (part-season)
Citroen: Meeke, Lefebvre, Breen (part-season)
Toyota: Ostberg, Lappi, Hanninen
The estonian guy is going to kill you... lolQuote:
Originally Posted by Simmi
By the way, I think Citroen will try hard to find another top driver to form a lineup with Meeke. Lefebvre is not ready yet, and Kris alone is too much of a gamble given his crashes attitude. The talks with Sordo prove it.
Same time mentioning Abbring, Camilli and Lefebvre there must be other names beside these guys well worth given the light.
Quite sick and tired of these worthless names. (now I´m sounding like NOT...) :)
No You just would put Bergkvist there:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Rallyper
I agree for Camilli & Lefebvre though, the spark is missing. Abbring well he was quite good in ERC, I don't know what happened to him in hyundai.
I'm with you that I wish there were more opportunities for young drivers. I picked who I think we'll see - not who I want to see. Reasons being that Abbring has done a lot of work for Hyundai and I think either Neuville/Sordo will leave. Camilli has a two-year deal at M-Sport (they also have first option on him in 2018), but I can see him being demoted next year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rallyper
Citroen have put a lot of resource into developing Lefebvre. I agree with AL14 that they really need a second stronger driver to sit alongside Meeke.
For me Tanak is in a difficult position to prove himself. If he beats Ostberg in stage times every says "so what". And if the tyres are as bad as everyone says then how does Ott stand out from the crowd?
I think it's far too early for Bergkvist. Best scenario for him would be to be picked up by a manufacturer at R5. E.g. if Abbring moved up he could be Hyundai's R5 guy. Toyota seem to be more interested in developing their Japanese duo. Skoda look like they have enough guys and that Kreim is the next driver on the ladder.
If Latvala has a few more crashes he might end up at Toyota and the VW team cut to two cars like the Porsche endurance team has been cut to two cars.
Porsche and Audi only ran 3 cars at 2 events, Spa 6HR and Le Mans 24HR so in real terms it wasn't a huge cut...Porsche did cut the factory backed GTE Pro cars too tho...
my rumours about 2017 line up
VW: Ogier,Mikkelsen
VW II : Tidemand,Al-Attiyah?
Citroen: Meeke,Breen/Neuville
Ford: Latvala/Neuville,Tanak
Hyundai: Paddon,Sordo
Toyota:Hanninen,Sunninen/Lappi
Supposed to some drivers drives R5 cars again: Evans,Camilli,Abbring
Its also pretty sure that Tidemand and Lappi leaves Škoda for WRC car drives.So i expected Bergvist should be new choice number 1 for Škoda motorsport
Okay some talk about Latvala, but the man himself appears to have a deal in place for the next couple of years - http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/122552
So you'd have to imagine he's not leaving unless his deal gets bought out (if Makinen won't, no one will) or he gets paid out by VW? And why would they do that?
I think Tidemand will stay at Skoda, but Lappi (will have to) leave. Skoda now seems to feature Tidemand more than Lappi.Quote:
Originally Posted by sete
yes,Škoda seems to prefer Tidemand ahead of Lappi now.But we škoda is doing it for Volkswagen.So we should know what is going on.
Lappi would drive a Polo WRC this year but he didnt win WRC 2 title by his fault and then a VW group troubles amkes he stays in Škoda for this year.
And now Tidemand shine much more then Lappi.
My prediction at the moment:
VW: Ogier, Latvala, Mikkelsen
Citroen: Meeke, Breen/Lefebvre (alternating)
Hyundai: Paddon, Sordo, Abbring
Ford: Ostberg, Neuville
Toyota: Hanninen, Tanak, Lappi
DMACK: Evans
I'm not surprised Citroen is chasing Sordo, he's the best available option atm. Meeke + Sordo would be a strong team.
Bergkvist and Sunninen aren't ready yet but Tidemand could step up, unfortunately VW has no room for him at the moment.
I guess it is time for a silly something thread:D
On the serious note this season is very far from over, many things may change.
Indeed, as far as I know the VW drivers, Meeke, Paddon and Abbring have contracts for next year, maybe Ostberg as well, oh and Hanninen but I'm not sure if he will drive the whole season.Quote:
Originally Posted by stefanvv
I agree that it's early days for Bergkvist but I'd still give him a chance if he does well throughout this season. He's the same age as Sunninen and he has proven that he can stay on the road and can judge his pace well which is important.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simmi
Sunninen has more 4wd experience, I'll give him that, but he seems a bit more crash prone.
He's had only had one driver error retirement this season hasn't he? And two mechanicals.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeakiwi
Can't remember how he broke his suspension in Sweden - but his Monte retirement was a "mechanical" after his infamous trip through a ditch/spectator area.Quote:
Originally Posted by GravelBen
I was counting Monte as driver error.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simmi
Sweden was driveshaft failure leaving him with 2wd, followed by suspension failure later that day - whether he hit something to cause that suspension failure (while trying to keep a 2wd WRC car on the road without losing too much time) or if it was mechanically due to the driveshaft I don't know.
Mexico he won.
Argentina was (dramatic) suspension failure while leading.
I think most people would consider him the current second best driver in WRC, VW also have the current best driver so they don't need Latvala to win everything - in fact they're probably quite happy for him to be further back in the points and not put pressure on Ogier as long they keep a comfortable lead in the manufacturers championship. I'd say his seat is safer than most.
Yeah I think you're correct in your assessment and I agree with you Ben that Latvala is the perfect number two driver. He's not consistent enough to threaten Ogier over a season, but he is the next best in terms of raw pace. Enough so that if you're VW you wouldn't want him going to a rival.
Some news about Rally Sweden.
- Service area/Rally centre will likely remain in Karlstad for 2017 due to problems with hotels/accommodation in Northern Värmland.*
- Rally will stay in Värmland for 2017 due to shortage in time to create a whole new rally somewhere else, uncertain for 2018 and 2019.
- The aim is to present something in June. It is all about finding snow safe areas and at the same time have guaranteed accommodation.
- Rally will be held at week 5,6 or 7. RS organizers prefer week 6. Promoter wants week 5 or 7.
* Rally Sweden's Glenn Olsson have been in contact with hotels and other accommodation providers in Northern Värmland but he is disappointed
with the answers he have received. He wants to have control over accommodation in Nothern Värmland for the next three years to be able to guarantee
a large enough availability volume that is also reasonable priced. They were considering to move the rally and service park from Karlstad
to Torsby so that they could have a more northerly route of stages but due to the answers Glenn have received, the rally HQ and
service park is likely to remain in Karlstad for 2017.
So to summarize it, the accommodation problem in northern Värmland is the main problem that needs to be solved.
http://www.vf.se/sport/bilsport/rall...m-ar-inte-lost
But the areas of Falun/Borlänge for hosting and stages further north in Dalarna/Värmland could be a combination. Week 7 is probably more safe, maybe.
I agree as well, I think up to now the VW trio was the best possible mix of drivers a team can hope for. However I do hope Meeke or Paddon can mix it up a bit in the future.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simmi
the thing is, those suspension don't just break without a reason. if there suddenly is a hole in the bonnet, that usually means you've hit something you weren't supposed to hit.Quote:
Originally Posted by GravelBen
Maybe he hit something prior or maybe there was an undiscovered material weakness prior to the event but plenty of drivers hit the same stone and nothing happened.Quote:
Originally Posted by denkimi
i've heard that story before, but i find it hard to believe.Quote:
Originally Posted by itix
i doubt many drivers actually have hit that stone. it was not on the line, you could only hit it if you cut there.
perhaps it was bad luck, but if he would have stayed on the most used racing line, his damper most likely wouldn't have come through the bonnet.
if anybody has footage of other drivers on that same corner, feel free to share.
I watched several in-car videos at the time as well as a few different outside angles - it wasn't 'a stone', it was bedrock on the line which had been exposed by previous cars. Most drivers were on the same line, some had a bang or clunk as they went over it but nobody elses suspension broke.Quote:
Originally Posted by denkimi
Latvala certainly didn't think it should have been enough to break the suspension!
Quote:
Originally Posted by denkimi
From these pics everybody can judge by themselves.
Teemu / Rallirinki @HartusvuoriWRC Apr 24
The differences in driving lines for Latvala (top), Mikkelsen and Paddon on SS14 on corner after which JML crashed.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CgzEr0uWYAAlVT4.jpg
I understand that, but the thing I keep coming back to is how rarely that ever happened to Loeb, and how rarely it happens to Ogier, and how frequently it happens to the more wildstyle drivers, especially Latvala. Maybe this is an explanation for an individual incident or two, but Latvala has 10 years career to look at now right? The man finds and hits stones, even those "in the road", consistently more often that some other drivers.Quote:
Originally Posted by OldF
Even in this case, the lines are different. It could be that cutting harder as Paddon did, and Mikkelson seems to be farther right as well, helped them avoid the biggest impact. Maybe they were able to react to the changed road condition, or spot the bump coming in time, or whatever, and Latvala didn't. Or this could be the exception, but the rule is there in his long term results.
That said I agree that he's a very fast driver and deserves his place, but he's had a very long time to learn to improve his consistency so it's disappointing to see.
I think it got debated a lot at the time of the accident but Latvala has to be considered unlucky. I do agree that the Loebs of this world do seem to float over stuff. And that wasn't down to chance - but still Latvala would have expected more from the Polo there.
It looks like Latvala has differently positioned camera than the others. The lines may very well be almost the same, maybe with Paddon cutting a bit more.
Yep it's very hard to tell and while Latvala does sometimes cause himself grief oftentimes, I don't think he can be blamed for this one.
After the victory of Paddon in Argentina, I analyzed the eras of Loeb and Ogier to see the drivers that have achieved their first victory these years. These are the results:
· OGIER'S ERA:
2016: Paddon (Argentina).
2015: Meeke (Argentina) and Mikkelsen (Catalunya).
2014: Neuville (Germany).
2013: Sordo (Germany).
· LOEB'S ERA:
2012: Ostberg (Portugal).
2011: -
2010: Ogier (Portugal).
2009: -
2008: Latvala (Sweden).
2007: -
2006: Hirvonen (Australia).
2005: Duval (Australia).
2004: -
From these data many issues can be deduced at first glance. To me, the most revealing fact is that of these ten drivers, seven of them have been unable to win a second rally. In addition, in the years of Loeb, Latvala and Ogier managed to poke his head, achieving multiple wins (what's more, obviously, founding Ogier a new era). On the other hand, it's curious (although clearly not definitive), that all those who have won their first rally during these four years of Ogier's freehold have failed to repeat.
There are also many conclusions. The main one, as was evident before writing this post, is that specialists have disappeared (I really miss them...). The Championship hasn't had neither many wheels free nor the needed patience with some drivers too. The positive part of this story is that while during the nine years of Loeb only five drivers have won their first rally, during the last four with Ogier we have seen the identical amount of them doing the same. Saying it with other words, these four seasons someone has "appeared". However, the downside is that it's difficult to find in any of them a rival for Ogier. At least, what I hope is that there will be, in the short term, irruptions like Paddon and not re-occur circumstances for such drivers as Solberg staying seven years in the elite without winning anything (2006-2012) or Sordo spending a decade as official driver having risen to the top of the podium only once.
Finally, I have to say that it's better not to search what happened prior to 2004, because if we analyze that it's better that the "shootout" arrives to end everything once and for all.
Duval won in 2005...
My mistake writing the year, it's corrected now. Thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by Barreis
Interesting analysis, however in Ogier's era we have now double teams comparing to Loeb's. This opens opportunities for more drivers so it is king of normal different to win.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kielder
Loeb came along at an interesting time: the greats of the previous decade (Kankkunen, Sainz, Auriol, Makinen, McRae) were all well past their peak, or retired, and the specialists were disappearing. Loeb was part of the new era (Martin, Solberg, Gronholm to an extent), but due to a combination of factors (e.g.: Burns' illness, Martin retiring due to co-driver death), by the time 2007 came around, the competition was all but extinct, and disappeared completely after Gronholm retired. Would Loeb have won 9 in a row had he entered the top level of the sport in 1993? Possible, but seems unlikely. Either way, we'll never know, and its hard to take a credible position against the idea that his total domination of the WRC for 9 years was very damaging for the sport. I am really just nostalgic for a time when going into any event, there were 5 or 6 possible winners, which is something that seems to be long gone, sadly. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, read any Rallycourse up until 2005. That said, I am hopeful for the future.Quote:
Originally Posted by stefanvv
let it go son... just let it go... its over.Quote:
Originally Posted by RAS007
http://i.imgur.com/KspOoWH.jpg
.....and right on cue.Quote:
Originally Posted by N.O.T
http://www.diariomotor.com/competici..._1440x655c.jpg
They are one of the teams most advanced are with the test, perhaps not because they have a winning base (and margin) as having Volkswagen, but have enough racing experience to know how to measure the tempos of development of a new car. In addition, having a more than proven as the C-Elysée TC1 engine, makes them have the most tied mechanical part, at least more than rivals like Toyota, to which they are watching them hobble in this area during the first tests they are made in our country with the Yaris WRC.
The aim of Citroën is not to be fighting for the title next season and in the first year of the C3 WRC. 2017 is aimed at the Satory continue to accumulate experience and evolving the car, maybe fighting for victories assiduously, while it will be in 2018 when the team look resolutely fight for the championship and for this, Yves Matton makes it clear that He wants a top driver in its ranks and by the words of head of team of the two chevrons, foreshadowed that perhaps Kris Meeke is not thinking like great candidate.
The perfect team is to bring us the title in 2018. Not so in 2017, I believe more in the long run. In 2017 we want to win some tests and this can make Kris. Then we have to see what the best option for the future. The Volkswagen drivers have only contract for the 2017 season and still Thierry, Dani and Mads are available. These are all experienced pilots. Of course we can also look for someone new. There are still more names. In late 2017, the market may seem totally different.
According to Matton own, there may be several scenarios, including that he would be the one to sign an experienced pilot (Sordo has confirmed talks with the French firm) or a promising young as second driver (in the past rang name Esapekka Lappi, Versailles but also rely heavily on their young drivers as Lefebvre or Gilbert), accompanying Kris Meeke in 2017 and wait to see what is released later this year in the other teams. Obviously the wet dream formations like Toyota or Citroen remains Sébastien Ogier.
It has not been established by now a strategy. It could be a very good second pilot. You could also think of a young driver. You could also wait until the end of 2017 to see if some drivers are free. There are two or three different scenarios, we will decide at the end of the first half of the year. If a driver is not in contact with us, then shows me that does not believe in our project, and I want to have only pilots who believe in us.
http://www.diariomotor.com/competici...l-wrc-en-2018/