If you link every driver with every team, you can Always say that in the end, you were right...
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If you link every driver with every team, you can Always say that in the end, you were right...
Seb Marshall confirmed to co-drive for Meeke
Just seen a couple of video's about 'M Sport' and their future. Any insiders out there who are in tune with the current situation? Body language suggests that they won't be playing in 2019, certainly at the level they have been!!
Saw this on Twitter...
2017 Manufacturers Champions M-Sport : Only team running 3 full-time drivers
2018 Manufacturers Champions Toyota : Only team running 3 full-time drivers
Also there's one driver related to both manufacturer titlesQuote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
Anyone knows something about Paddon?
I’m getting really worried about him.
No solid news on Paddon at all, Motorsport/Autosport suggesting he will drive in Sweden: https://www.motorsport.com/wrc/news/...ation/4309500/
Nandan: “After Rally Australia he’s [Paddon] in pole position for the seat. There was talk about us talking to [Elfyn] Evans and [Craig] Breen, but this has not really gone any further.
“Hayden did everything we asked of him this season, he had a really good year. It’s difficult for Hayden to stay concentrated because of all this stuff in the media about him losing his seat and blah, blah, blah.
"I understand the media has a job to do, but, honestly, some people are making some things up and they even begin to believe their own stories!"
Would be nice of Hyundai to confirm the driver splits, the unknowing leads to the very speculation that Nandan critises. Slightly short-sighted there.
To me that kills off any talk of Breen going their next year. M-Sport for a few rallies or bust?
Wildest speculation of Silly Season from Jack Benyon, Editor of Motorsport News...
Citroen, keen to keep Loeb employed by PSA, to use him in WRC2-Pro in a C3 R5 !
Reasons: the limited programme and only one event out of Europe could suit him AND the PR would boost the sales of that car.
And he would certainly win the title straight, probably both.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
Not so sure...he has the speed and experience though. Only thing i could think that would motivate him doing rallies in a slower class. Wonder, when a rumour about Toyota`s 4th car with Katsuta and Loeb will surface. Maybe a chassis for WRX, they already have the Hilux and maybe can offer another go in Le Mans also. Enormous publicity. :D
Just to spin it further... Loeb, Alonso and Kyle Busch in a car.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tarmop
Jack Benyon who??
That dude's just hanging off of D Evans nut sack... And we all know Evans is just a click bait columnist
What a load of gibberish and a complete over-reaction.Quote:
Originally Posted by racerx1979
I don't think it will happen, unfortunately, but that makes a lot of sense to me; for it to work as a customer car they're going to have to show it can be competitive. Even better if it's not just WRC2 and lets Seb do some events he's not done before. But not going to happen.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
If Loeb does well at the Dakar Rally. Would Loeb do a few cross country rallies/ Bajas in 2019? (if the sponsorship dollars are there and the 3008 is still competitive etc?)
The last time Hyundai was in world rally they pulled out after 6 years.
2019 will be the 6th year in the championship in this edition of the Hyundai wrc team.
Hyundai sales have been going fairly well in spite of the team not winning titles. Might the corporate accountants at Hyundai HQ look at the numbers and think the $$$$$ should be going to electric vehicle development rather than the wrc team?
It could also be the case that they attribute some of these sales to the fact they get exposure in the WRC, winning or not.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeakiwi
Neuville just got a 3 year contract. So noQuote:
Originally Posted by Zeakiwi
Driver contracts have never, ever, stopped a car company pulling out of motorsport. It's peanuts compared to the bigger picture. Once a company takes a strategic decision, minor things like driver contracts are just a small line item in a spreadsheet.
Subaru, VW, Suzuki, Mitsubishi etc etc all had to pay out drivers in WRC.
Same in F1 etc etc.
Entering the WRC to increase car sales is like flogging a dead horse. Manufacturers would be better off giving away cars and a few quid to B-list celebrities and asking them to post a few pictures on their Twitter/Instagram accounts. Apart from sales of the old 2.0L 4x4 turbocharged cars (Impreza, EVO, Cossie, etc) I've never seen any evidence that supports the notion that competing in the WRC sells cars, winning titles or not. Ok, a few lads might turn up to a national or WRC event in a fast Ford; however, a Hyundai or Toyota?? Even during the Loeb days a spammed up Xsara/C4/C3 was a rare sighting. Someone high up in these companies must have a massive interest in the sport, because rallying really is like throwing money down a drain.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeakiwi
So you think that rallying should only increase the sales of sporty cars? I thought it's more about making the models and brands positive in our minds, whether it's just a basic car or a homologation special. When I see a new Fiesta or C3 on the street I think about rallying, and that puts me in a nice place, and this must be what they want us to feel.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doon
Sensitive chap here.... Sorry but Loeb to WRC2 is a joke..Quote:
Originally Posted by BobJones
Agree, but stating that they already "planned" their exit is just BSQuote:
Originally Posted by rallyfiend
I agree with Doon. You are a rally nut, so a fiesta or c3 to you is relevant to the sport.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
If you were to ask the next 100 people you meet what cars compete in the wrc, I would imagine not even 10% of them would know. To most people a fiesta or c3 is a car to pop down the shop in, an no more than that.
I bought a Fiesta MK8 ST-Line cause WRC one got me in love.
Anyway I am pretty sure the Yaris sales are soaring in Estonia and probably in Finland as well thanks to WRC.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
For normal countries probably not that big of a difference, yes.
Citroen involvement is and has often been a puzzle in WRC. They havent sold a real hot-hatch for years and now their car philosophy is 'Comfort is Cool'.
For sure, No, because a road Yaris is a small grocery-getter for women and elderly people, with nothing to boast with- not with appearance, not with dynamics. Toyota in general sells good, because they have a reputation of being cheap to buy and even cheaper to maintain. And brand reputation from motorsport also helps, but not with Yaris sales...remarkably. And when you take away all the taxes, dealership fees etc, then one sold Yaris probably doesn`t cover the used tires for one car per event...
Great car, fun to drive. I had the previous generation (red edition), but 5-speed gearbox was using lots of fuel on highways. It should be better with the 6-speed gearbox. Swapped it for an ST (not the new generation) at the beginning of the year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre Oliveira
Back on topic, I believe that the sales of cars are influenced by rallying, yes... I'm starting to see Hyundai I30 N-versions quite a lot, more than similar sportier versions of other manufacturers. Also when Subaru stopped rallying, people stopped buying Subaru Impreza's, even while they were still made for a few years, and another generation came after it.
It would be interesting to see a wide ranging questionnaire on why people have bought a fiesta st, Yaris GRMN, Hyundai i30n or a c3. I doubt rallying would be the biggest reason, in fact quite small I would imagine. Maybe more with a special edition like the Yaris, but less so with a c3.Quote:
Originally Posted by tommeke_B
Subaru's stopped selling so well because the 2.5 engine in post 2006 models have inherent design flaws, not reliable and compared to more modern competition bad fuel economy, high rates of car tax (in UK at least).
I have 2003 model, have done for 11years, many people on Subaru forums have not bought newer ones for reasons I've mentioned above.
I would like to see this data too. For many years I believe TV shows like Top Gear, and Youtube videos made by the likes of Chris Harris, EVO magazine etc, are the ones helping influencing the purchase of hot-hatchbacks, not rallying. Standard run of the mill hatchback purchases are, in the vast majority, definitely not influenced by rallying.Quote:
Originally Posted by Norm75
I wish BMW could do WRC...
I´m sticking to an 520 Nm 330 xd ...
I30N is cheap, faster than a Golf Gti on track, mostly owned by those who occasionally take part of trackdays, so not seeing rallying also as a big influence on that cars sale. Cheap and fast hothatches have always been popular, take Civic Type-R for example, never been in rallying (apart from R3 and Gr. N / A privateers), yet popular even today (older cars, that run, though many of those have been crashed as well).
The i30n is supposed to be a great car. Anyway, it's used in TCR so more relevant to that than rally, as base car is different car entirely.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tarmop
DS3 with 210ish HP has been on sale for 10 years now and still is. That's as real as "small" hot hatches go. (similar to Fiesta ST and Polo GTI)Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
Well current DS 3 is more like SUVQuote:
Originally Posted by mknight
google it!
Peugeot 205 was perfect example what rallying did to sales.
Quattro to Audi did same.
Motorsport helps the brand, not direct sales of a specific vehicle in this day and age. It sits at the top of the marketing funnel (awareness) and provides heritage (if you do well). Times have changed, digital channels and sales techniques sell specific cars, motorsport improves reputation and has to be 'activated' to show ROI.
The DS3 I am talking about is still for sale (now as "DS" and not Citroen and with reduced engine range) and as mentioned has been for 10 years. DS 3 Crossback that you seem to think of is a different (new) car.Quote:
Originally Posted by pantealex
Goooglebeforetypingyourselfnexttime?
The second part is a good example of what was also shown in the other thread. Grumpy old men talking about how everything was better 30 years ago.
Advertising now and 30 years ago when the car market was completely different can't really be compared. 205 GTI was the first ever real hothatch, Quattro was the first "normal" car with 4wd.
If you want to use the car sales argument Peugeot 206 is a much better recent example in a competitive market. Fabia marketing in some markets is a lot based on rallying these days as well. But generally motorsport is in later years more about "brand awareness" like tomhlord just wrote, than selling a specific model, becomes harder to measure the direct marketing effect that way though.
Anyway, all this is off topic here.
Or maybe the first real hothatch was mk1 Golf GTI?
First ever real hot hatch!? Golf GTI preceded that by quite a few years. As did Renault 5 Gordini. And the lotus Talbot sunbeam. Maybe even mini cooper s (technically a saloon car) . . So 205GTI far from the first real hot hatch.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Jensen interceptor also preceded the quattro by a long way.
Maybe Googlebeforetypingyourselfnexttime?
https://www.driven.co.nz/news/motors...tion-for-2019/
Hyundai really are agonizing over their driver decisions!