Tänak for me has been a real dissapointment in the first two rallies this year. Maybe the pressure has been too much. Hope he can get his act together, we need more drivers on the top!
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Tänak for me has been a real dissapointment in the first two rallies this year. Maybe the pressure has been too much. Hope he can get his act together, we need more drivers on the top!
But what u guys waited from Ott in Monte anyway? First time on Snow-tarmac rally and u wanted podium? lol...
In sweden i think he showd good speed on qualifying stage. I was a little disapointed too after Sweden, but i really hope he can do well in Mexico.
Anyway is there a high altitude test for Ford anytime soon?
I should hope so, one that actually makes a difference this time!!Quote:
Originally Posted by rallyfan+
Since there is a lot of talk about Tänaks future in the m-sport thread i thought i would search if there is a separate topic about him made in the past and found this old one.
Quite an interesting read this 13 pages :)
Colin Clark's latest vlog post-Rally Portugal in which he states who he thinks will be the 2018 WRChampion...
https://youtu.be/4l-kbAJPyIk
Not sure if I agree with pointing out Latvala and Lappi as great wingmen, given their form so far this year.
Agree that if Tanak wins Sardinia he will be big favorite since Toyota+Tanak do seem like the fastest combination this year. If he doesn't close the gap soon it will be difficult though.
At least Lappi has taken enough power stage points off Ogier and Neuville.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Think Tänak has a decent possibility to win the three next events on the bounce, it could bring him back closer to Neuville-Ogier or even leave them behind.
Turkey should then be interesting, given no one really has an experience advantage over another. The championship is turning out to be quite ok...
Tanak seems the 'fastest' driver but there is more to winning a Championship than that... Meeke has shown that over recent years.
Its about consistency and Ogier has proven that. If anyone looks like they've learned that lesson its Neuville...
What about the cars that have technical issues (and not caused by any hit or driver errors)? Then it's called automatically for that drivers that are inconsistent. Ogier must be one lucky guy out there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
Umh, if you think about last two seasons, then they are pretty equal with their own mistakes, that cost them a result. Then add the luck-factor, no. 1 and no.2 driver hierarchy...
Its like with Lavala... he gets more 'bad luck' with mechanical failures.
Even in the tank-like VW Polo he had more issues than Ogier.
But for how long can it just be luck ? Eventually it has to seen as the driving-style or poor decision-making or even bad pacenote making...
Colin Clark has lost it. Tänak has too many mistakes and/or bad luck under his belt. To be in the fight for the championship he has no room for errors anymore and he needs all the help from other drivers as well + bad luck to Neuville and Ogier. Pacewise Meeke could have been that guy who randomly could take some points off here and there from Neuville and Ogier. He has now been dumped from Citroen which makes the task even harder. Unlikely to happen.
Neuville is my pick for the title now considering the ratio of pace and consistency.
Ogier tried to impose himself in Portugal and would at worse been second. Neuville now has to clean for Seb - I expect like last year the pressure of championship leader will get to Thierry and that possibly by the end of NORF, certainly Deutschland, Ogier will be leading again.Quote:
Originally Posted by cali
Hey, we will see. But Ogier's pace for me is not convincing. Anyways, it surely will be interesting season ahead of us.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mintexmemory
What will make it more interesting is the relative lack of pace for all Hyundais last year after Poland until Australia. It has been a problem this year as well that none of their drivers are happy with the car on a certain rally. If Hyundai hasn't fixed the problem then the title is Ogier's.Quote:
Originally Posted by cali
Yes, Finland was disaster last year in terms of pace. Spain wasn't much better.Quote:
Originally Posted by onemanband
UK was actually very good (better than Ford without DMACK). Still "writing off" 2 rallies is something you can't really afford in close title fight.
This is imo one of the reasons why so many people mention Tanak as favorite.
too much talking about Hyundais weak rallies.
Ford ,Toyota havent got their weak rallies?
Toyota has so far in terms of reliability (Mexico twice in a row), GB in terms of performance last year. But they have been "mediocre" on many rallies last year often because Latvala was out soon and then there was no driver that could be used as a reliable benchmark.Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
Ford kind of did not have a very bad rally performance-wise last year, maybe Australia?
With Hyundai last year it was these huge contrasts.... domination in Poland then nowhere in Finland.
so fiesta was not so good at Australia only? How did Ogier had only 2 stage wins more from Meeke and 5 stage wins less from Evans?Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
But they had podiums from each event and One should remember that it was his luck and consistency that brought him the title. All had a few better places grabbed by tech. issues also. Well, the last part also applies to others, but were more related to all cars, not one.
that Ogier managed to capitilise at rallies with weak performance due to others mistakes,is a different story.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tarmop
Fiesta had a lot of weak rallies in terms of performance.
With three wins out of six rallies?Quote:
Originally Posted by cali
Thing is even with "weak" performance Ogier was still 3-5 even without mistakes of others ( Argentina, Spain etc.). Also while Ogier did indeed have weak performance often, others with the same car often did well in same rally - Tanak in Poland before crash, Tanak again in Sardinia, Evans in Finland etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
Nothing like Hyundai in Finland imo.
He's on a declining trend and out if these 3 wins one was in tarmac and the other was Monte where he has been unbeatable for years. Most of the rallies are in loose surfaceQuote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
He was doing quite ok before his latest and quite rare error. Sweden was a nightmare for the whole top three and Ogier took the worst hit. Argentina ended with another solid 4+ 4 PS points. Cars are more equal than in the VW days. Can`t say he is lacking pace or declining, not at all.
you like to play with words.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
2 stage wins more than Meeke,5 less from Evans for champion Ogier
But ''nothing like Hyundai in Finland'' while Ogier was outperformed at half rallies of season.
Ogier was first on the road. In Poland he did have a spin of his own, but in Sardegna most of his time loss was due to a puncture. Finland it's hard to tell because Ogier only did three stages.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
I would consider Ogier a favourite for Sardegna, now that he's not first on the road.Quote:
Originally Posted by cali
Yes as usual he was first on the road most of the season. In a very closely matched field this had big effect on stagewins.
Also this was about Fiesta, not only Ogier, ref. what I wrote about Tanak and Evans often doing well when Ogier did not. (off course DMACK is factor)
Again, starting first on the road was a factor in the gravel events. In Deutschland Tänak had a bit of a gamble with tyre choice and succeeded. In Catalunya Ogier was faster than Tänak although he had to be first on the road on the first day of gravel stages. Also, in Australia Ogier had gear shift issues.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Ogier was first on the road at polo days.He ended with 80+ to 90+ stage wins each year. Not with 22 stage wins as last year.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
yes but we cant take as a reference Tanaks performance at last year at a particularly rally,for Ogier at 2018.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Ogier has to find performance at his weak rallies with fiesta at 2018.And his weak rallies is not only Australia,but plenty others.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
The competition was much lower in Polo days, both in number of cars and teams, but there is no hiding he struggled last year. I still feel it wasn't (only) cars fault.
Anyway, which rallies do you think he needs to find performance at for the rest of the season? There aren't that many left.
Sardinia is quite hard to compare since he was cleaning last year on both days. Spain and Germany were ok, but if title fight gets close he would need to be top 3 yes.
generally he has to up his performance,or if you prefere he has to be faster from Neuville.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
This year Neuville seems more mature at his way he controls rallies he cant win,and rallies he can win.
Another factor will be Tanaks placings against Ogier and Neuville,or wins he can 'steal'' from both of them.
Last years Finland wasn`t exactly strong results wise for Ogier..Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
with half the season now passed, it is sad to already say that the title for him this year is gone. of course, nothing is over until it is over and mathematically it is still possible but it is mission impossible.
i wanted to make this post already before Sardegna and one sentence what i wanted to write that time was "it is hard for him to catch Neuville but im worried about the car" and it seems i cursed him.
by my calculations he has lost about 55 points, add that to his current points and he would be right up there with Ogier points wise. but anyway, it is what it is and you cant take these things back.
Generally speaking im still quite surprised that the team and car change has gone so smooth. Its like he has been in the team forever. I really lowered my expectations before the season, i thought it is okay if he is struggling and he finishes like 5th or 6th in the first half of the season. But then came Monte and BANG, dude is on the pace right away and boy how happy i was :)
Anyway, i hope he gets many wins and podiums in the second half of the season. He should be very strong on the next upcoming two rallies.
He has had stage wins in almost every rally, the pace had been there from the start of the season. A positive surprise.
not almost, he has stage wins from every rallyQuote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
Mathematically any driver is potential champion. Of course mathematically Neuville is in the best position.Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
Looking at the first post on this page I see this topic is over six years old. How many years in the WRC does a driver need before they win a championship? McRae's first full season was 92 and he won in 95, for example. Sainz was 87 to 90. A lot of other recent champions were 2-3 years.
Ogier disappeared like Charles DeGaulle for a few years before winning but that's still 2009 to 2013.