Sucks for Latvala and Meeke. Not sure if Katsuta has "it". Hopefully he improves as time goes on. He has a good team and coach.
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Sucks for Latvala and Meeke. Not sure if Katsuta has "it". Hopefully he improves as time goes on. He has a good team and coach.
It seems we will hear maybe next week from m-sport?
https://twitter.com/richmillener/sta...57257003884545
Did M-Sport use all their test days for this year already? Seems they haven’t done any preparation for Monte yet.
According to Luis they have 15 left:
https://www.wrcwings.tech/2019/11/14...ys-and-jokers/
Off course he can be a few days off here or there but very likely they have some left.
Part of the reason is that they very often had 2 drivers and Tidemand and Greensmiths days didn't count.
Guess it's about waiting for the driver decisions,cause running a separate test for just Suninen would cost a lot extra.
A shame to see zero engine upgrades for M-Sport.
To be honest, if someone is going to have a go with a private entry, this is probably the best situation you could do it with.Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
He won’t be competing against the factory so there is no conflict of interest in terms of giving him the right information etc. The car has just received probably its biggest and most significant update since its inception, which according to Lappi is very good.
If he has a good enough budget to run it right, could be good...
To actually "receive" the upgrade it has to be homologated. Which it isn't atm
https://www.fia.com/homologations
(no update since 2/8 https://www.fia.com/sites/default/fi...02.08.2019.pdf)
To homologate someone has to pay some money and I seem to recall that the team also has to be entered in WRC?
It was these kinds of homologation issues that stopped 2017 Polo from ever starting an event.
Isn’t there an interview with Budar where he says the updates are homologated? Maybe as the car hasn’t competed since, the update hasn’t been added?
Equally, I doubt that the cost of an update is anything like the figures talked about for homologating the whole car as was the case with VW...
So FIA working against themselves...? :( :(Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
It’s fair to say that in 2017 the FIA asked other manus to allow an exception for the Polo homologation but they’ve opposed to it, arguing the rules demanded WRC registered manus (the only ones able to homologate cars and parts) to enter 2 cars for a full season (at the time only Mikkelsen was planning to run the Polo in some events) https://www.vwvortex.com/motorsport-...o-wrcs-coffin/Quote:
Originally Posted by Rallyper
Probably the same can happen if Citroen asks to homologate 2020 jokers, although anyone is free to run a 2019 spec C3.
Although I'd love to see them run the new aero, Ostberg could still do ok in just a '19-spec C3 WRC.
Its most likely he would enter his preferred gravel events and the C3 was already quite good on this surface.
But if I was a gambling man I'd bet he drives the C3 R5 again. I dont think Citroen Norge will pay enough for him to run the WRCar.
It depends on how much citroen charges him for the wrc car. If he has to pay the real costs i doubt we'll see him in it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
Fingers-crossed they let him just pay the running costs. It would be great publicity for Citroen to allow this and enable another driver and car in the WRC...
Has there been any homologation day since Citroen made that "EVO" ?Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Has Citroen any aerodynamics jokers left for 2019 ?
I remember that it was originally meant to homologate 1.1.2020
Is it possible that he will ''just test'' aero from WRC car for R5 spec C3 to later adapt to that car?
Re: Østberg & Citroen Norway
I can't say for sure how independent Citroen Norway is when it comes to spending their brand marketing money, but it's quite likely that they need to get an approval from the French office when entering such a major deal (as supporting Østberg would be). And IF it's like that, I'd be surprised if they can get the sign-off for any project involving the World Rally Car as it's something the factory is no longer supporting itself. R5 is a different story altogether, as it's something the brand is still offering for customers, but I would bet the WRC is a no-go. I hope I'm wrong (and lately I've been very good at being wrong).
Citroën are not selling a lot of cars in Norway, around 150 a month against VW/Toyota at 12-1300 on top and from what i heard they didn't sponsor Petter with a lot back in the days so i doubt they could pay for a whole program without Adapta/Østberg like it was written on twitter by some french test organizer the other day
What if they sell +100 cars a month involving Mads in the marketing in Norway? How much numbers will it increase including aftermarket sales etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by SubaruNorway
One have to consider the outcome, not the current stats...
Arent the big sales in Norway in fully electric cars now though ?
Citroen doesnt have them in it's range, only hybrids from next year. I dont see Ostberg making the difference if the cars just arent what Norwegians want...
If the sales would rocket by +66% I think the Östberg card had been played a long time ago. I guess the WRC in a market like Norway is mostly seen as a tool for brand awareness, not as a quick fix for relatively low sales figures.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rallyper
Well, honestly, I think marketing can't do miracles when the product itself is shit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tommeke_B
Well for more than 15 years 60-62% of all cars in US rally have been various barely warmed up Subies of one sort or another..
I think that's proof that marketing can do miracles when the product is obviously shit.
But DS has the e208 twin, DS3 Crossback, and still most do not separate Citroen and DS as different brands!Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
Same same, if a Norwegian importer want to use rally as a way to sell more cars, it is a good thing. Not many car importer companies in scandinavia use motorsport in their branding until now. Citroen used Petter some years ago, and sales went up many %, so lets see if Mads can do the same.
Lets hope more follows, maybe Hyundai?
Why when it's not allowed on R5?Quote:
Originally Posted by deephouse
TBH if Citroen didnt think it was worth carrying on without one of the top 3 WRC drivers, it's hard to see privateer Ostberg doing well enough to to promote them in one market.
Hyundai & Toyota should have most of the top 5 places tied up on every rally and then there's likely an M-Sport. The competition is brutal and ad money can be better spent elsewhere.
However I was talking marketing in Norway. Not worldwide.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
You should consider that the half of the good drivers will probably not be at the start of the most of the rallies across the next season. Latvala, Meeke, Paddon, Breen, Mikkelsen (except if those last ones really end up in satellite team). So it's pretty sure that Ostberg could finish on average 5th or 6th places everywhere - on Turkey maybe even higher.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
"The history with Citroën ends -officialy- tomorrow..."
https://scontent.fopo3-1.fna.fbcdn.n...a9&oe=5EA832A1
Tomorrow, "as the year ends". The final sentence promises "news in a couple of days".Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre Oliveira
old thread brought up by a spam-bot but why not for 2022
2022 prediciton from me
Toyota
#69 Rovanperä Kalle - Halttunen Jonne
#33 Evans Elfyn - Martin Scott
#4 Lappi Esapekka - Ferm Janne/ #17 Ogier Sébastien - Ingrassia Julien
#18 Katsuta Takamoto - Barritt Daniel
Hyundai
#8 Tänak Ott - Järveoja Martin
#11 Neuville Thierry - Wydaeghe Martijn
#6 Dani Sordo/ #2 Solberg Oliver - Johnston Aaron
M-sport
#42 Breen Craig - Nagle Paul
#16 Fourmaux Adrien - Jamoul Renaud
#44 Greensmith Gus - Patterson Chris
So you predict Edmondson returns or just put it accidentally?Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
I think that's a quite good call, but I wouldn't rule out Suninen quite yet. Maybe it will be another year split between WRC2 and the main class.
im not sure about any of the co-drivers based on this season
I know it's been mentioned here a few times but I really would like them to stop using those numbers as if they're in Formula 1.Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
Create new thread, doesn't take any time.
Sordo+Solberg for Hyundai 3rd seems like really weak lineup at this very moment. Sordo has not been himself since the codriver change is now changing again. Solberg isn't ready to reliably score any points.
I don't think adamo, unlike tommi, is stupid enough to put a new kid in like solberg in the car. He is there to get results, not money.
But as a 4th car would be a real possibility.
The third car is quite a difficult question for Hyundai if Breen has already signed with M-Sport. Maybe a full-Time offer to Breen from Hyundai can change the dynamic but personnally, I wouldn’t offer a full-Time drive to Breen in Hyundai’s situation.
Lappi is the most interesting option in my opinion but it seems to be already set with Toyota. It’s a pity that his relations are difficult with M-Sport because a Lappi-Breen-Fourmaux line-up would have been interesting.
After that, a lot of B/C-rank drivers are available but every of them have a lot of uncertainties:
- Solberg, some potential but seems less developed than Kalle in 2019 (even if Rovanpera last R5 season was not that good)
- Sordo, difficult season so far and a risk of dropping in his performance at his age. But he has a lot of experience and he is good on tarmac and some type of Gravel events which is interesting in a shared 3rd car.
- Suninen, awful season so far; maybe some potential but huge risk.
- Mikkelsen: he knows the team (an asset in my opinion because the adaptation to the Hyundai cars does not seem that simple)
- Østberg: reliable and close to Mikkelsen in R5 and a good emergency stint with Citroën in 2018 but 3 seasons out of Rally1.
- Paddon: out of the game for too long now (high risk of an Atkinson-like comeback)
- Loeb: he is interested in doing one or 2 events next year but on what he showed in 2019 and 2020, I didn’t find him better than Mikkelsen or Sordo (I talk about the 45-year old Loeb for sure)
- Loubet: not reliable and slow.
- Huttunen: some potential but still, difficult to give him a car for a director when so much experienced drivers are available.
None of them really deserves a full-time seat so a shared third car is the best strategy for Hyundai even if I’m not a fan of that: Sordo is a no-brainer considering his profile and I would say Solberg or Mikkelsen for the other part of the calendar.
Mikkelsen is interested by M-Sport but I don’t see the interest for M-Sport to have both Breen and Mikkelsen on a full-time basis (except if one of them pay for it but I have not understood that they want to pay for a full season). IMO, they should focus on the quality of the car even if it means to have Greensmith or Gryazin (or even worse) in the third car.