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Personally I think a lot of Meeke's good (result)/pace here is also down to the change of codriver. It's just calm and relax in the car, before it sounded like massive drama/stress in all the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
It's more complex than that. Maybe the whole team around him caused much more stress last year. ;) It could be interesting to see how Lappi goes along with the French.
MC never disappoints! Although we have experienced more unpredictable MC's in the past in terms of weather, this year's edition was definitely worth of watching. Some thoughts about best drivers:
- Seb Ogier: stunning, amazing, magnificent; practically unrepeatable….he has always one more as in the sleeve compare to other drivers. It is his home yard...I hope we will not forget all the praises on his account during this weekend when he will not be so convincing. Deep respect!
- Neuville: congrats, he is fast, just small mistake took a victory away, but this is MC. But still I'm not sure if he will be a titel contender this year.
- Tanak: well, I would not care for the result this weekend (by the way-3rd position is not bad start into new season…), the guy is ''mind blowing'' fast, at the moment without real competition. If his driving is not going to be to aggressive, nothing (nobody) can stop him.
- Loeb: maybe not happy, but again: one week ago he made a first test, he was pushing and the speed was not there, but 9x times WC will definitely improve. He is big positive gain for the team.
- JM Latvala: disaster, if he will not show some solid performance during first half of the season, ''the village team'' can fire him…
- Meeke: in my eyes he fulfilled the expectations. With more miles he can close to the top (but never to Tanak)
- Mikkelsen: stupid mistake, an event to forget….I do not expect something special from him in the future.....
- Lappi: first rally in a new car, if my memory serves me well, he was never fast in MC, so waiting for few more events….
Ogier vs Neuville video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0rY5idiFSs
It's been one rally though. He has had better results here twice for Citroën. It's a really good start, but you could say the same about 2014 as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Well, compare Loeb in Citroen and Hyundai and say then what car needs more work.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barreis
If Hyundai doesn´t major step Neuville can win only some twisty rallies and WDC will be between Ogier and Tänak.
It will be interesting to see if the change in management, and Loeb’s input bring about some improvements in the car on its weaker events.Quote:
Originally Posted by Finne
Comparing with Loeb is also tricky. New team, not only a new car but a car built with different philosophy, very little testing (consider that Loeb always worked only with Citroën and French before). The fact he went to the event nearly directly from two weeks of very physically demanding Dakar sure also played a role, especially because Loeb isn't young anymore (it was also on the other side of the Globe).Quote:
Originally Posted by Finne
Man, I never knew Saab had a rally team. 1963, that's a little before I was born. And they won with a two stroke. It's a different world.
Ouch!Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
Another speculation - what might have happened to Ott if one stage wasnt canceled? He was betting on winning time on this stage, and missing that stage ment that he actually lost time. Did this cause perhaps him losing rhytm (and pace) and perhaps contributed to puncture too?
BTW According to Mäkinen comments, he does not blame drivers for broken rims, he admits that they had lightweight (and fragile) rims which will be replaced by next tarmac event. Drivers had to follow same cutting lines as others or they would have lost time, but sharp tarmac edges were too much for the rims.
What an impressive start of the season was that?
Unbelievable fight for the 1st place and between Loeb and Latvala.
I remember fights that ended up so close in the past, but i do not remember a fight that for 2 days the 1st and 2nd never had a time difference bigger than 6 seconds.
If we take into account that this took place in rally Monte Carlo, that is so easy to encounter big gaps, is even more impressive.
Well deserved win for Ogier, what a talent, what a performance?
First rally, a very tricky one, with the new (not so much appreciated) car and once more he managed to win in a so intense fight.
After the second Turini i really believed that Neuville will bit him, but he managed to answer in the last one.
Very very good performance from Neuville and Tanak too.
As already mentioned from other mates, i expect an even better season this year.
Regarding Loeb, very good performance taking into consideration that he had very limited experience with the car and, moreover, the car seems not to suit him right now.
Regarding the below comment from Neuville.
Mr. Neuville that was a totally unfair comment for Loeb.Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
Before 2017 the Belgian was the no1 of the Korean team, but he never was so dominant within the team and were many times that his teammates bit him.
With this car (from 2017) he is flying compared to his teammates who seem to strugle, at least initially, to get a constant required filling from this car.
Moreover, as said, it was the first kilometers of Loeb with a car that does not seem to suit him right now.
Neuville should give time to Loeb and if the French will not manage to show similar pace with that he showed last year with the C3, a car with many ups and downs, the conclusion for me will be that the Korean car only suits Neuville, and not that Neuville is the god that bits Loeb easily...
all the wrc history for almost 2 decades
http://forum-rallye.com/uploads/mont...1548624633.png
maxicorde video from Turini
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv9o19FmnM
Loeb did quite good considering all this. He did have 2 days of testing, that's what most drivers get ahead of each event, only Ogier and all Toyotas had more. Sure some testing to "get to know the car" would help. That said he had quite good speed on mixed conditions with varying tyrechoices (that comes down to his experience), on the dry, simple, wide parts of stages (and SD) he was competing with Suninen. That's Loeb the tarmac king that just won Spain and was top 3 fast on Corsica.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirek
Personally I was expecting him something like half way between Neuville and Mikkelsen on pace, instead he was even with Mikkelsen, but I definitely didn't think that he will be loosing so much time on the "simple" parts.
This is why Neuville is so extremely happy even after loosing the win:
1. Loeb was much slower than him (people even on this forum saying how Loeb will easily beat Neuville and will win both Monte and Sweden....)
2. Loeb complained about the car on dry tarmac
In December Neuville said how he hopes Loeb will confirm what 3 other drivers are saying about the car, from the pics it looked like Loeb did that already on SD and he certainly made it clear in post-stage interviews on Sunday
Similarly Mikkelsen ought to be very happy from this event and people saying it's an event to forget for him miss the point. Sure crash out is bad. But the rest is much more important for his future. Loeb was at same pace as him, both could compete in front in tricky conditions and above all, Loeb was not happy with the car in the dry. Mikkelsen spend whole last year without changes getting done with some small stuff first before Spain and then basically gave up and tries to change his style to Neuville's "throw the car" one.
So with at least 3 drivers (prbly Sordo as well, depending on how you interpret Neuville) complaining, maybe Hyundai will actually make an effort to change something. Last year they didn't care until after Germany. It is also possible that they can't change the car much and Loeb will be forced to adapt. He surely is cable of it, after all he isn't 9 times WDC for nothing.However in that case I don't think Hyundai can charge for wins on the tarmac rallies with more grip (Corsica, Germany, Spain), unless it rains on them. Neuville's and Sordo's 2018 speed on these show that.
-----------
Btw. on a related note the engine update Hyundai introduced (only for Neuville in AUS, now all) seems to have helped. In the uphill-only part of Turini they seemed to match Citroen and Toyota just fine. It's on the flat and downhill they struggled. (Funny how Neuville was sure he did extremely good on the downhill from Col det Turini and splits showed that part was actually his slowest)
i dont think that is somebody who still thinks, that hyundai is fast at dry asphalt.
we had saw that from previous year,but even at Monte it was visible.
.0012%Quote:
Originally Posted by Ucci
That's how much faster overall that Tanak was over Loeb
And Loeb was 1/10 of that quicker than Latvala...
I wonder if anybody ever thinks of the tiny fractions of 1% and how ultimately silly is our collective exaggerations and fan-talk really is?
3. https://www.ewrc-results.com/images/flags2/estonia.png
8Tänak Ott - Järveoja M.
Toyota Yaris WRC https://www.ewrc-results.com/images/tyres/michelin2.pngRC1
M3:23:31.1 +2:15.2
+2:13.089.6
0.454. https://www.ewrc-results.com/images/flags2/france.png
19Loeb Sébastien - Elena D.
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC https://www.ewrc-results.com/images/tyres/michelin2.pngRC1
M3:23:44.1 +2:28.2
+13.089.5
0.495. https://www.ewrc-results.com/images/flags2/finland.png
10Latvala J. - Anttila M.
Toyota Yaris WRC https://www.ewrc-results.com/images/tyres/michelin2.pngRC1
M3:23:45.8 +2:29.9
+1.789.5
0.49
If Tanak is blinding amazingly fast!!!! and Loeb is just 13 seconds after in 3H23m31.1s of SS....then Loeb is 99.999% as fast and Latvala about 99.998% as fast
How in the real world is that "speed not there' and "not show some solid performance"?
We talk in too too much extremes...too often..
My cheers goes to Loeb...according to the "wisdom' of forums, he's 10 years too old...Not reasonable rest, ultra short tests before, ancient, new car which collective wisdom have all decided is no good.....at his age he's just having fun.. His results say 'we" are are full of hoooey.
Tänak stopped to change a wheel in a stage and was still faster than those guys.Quote:
Originally Posted by janvanvurpa
Nice graph, but why in the world it's "Munari Sandro"?Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
https://yle.fi/urheilu/3-10616497
Mäkinen not too happy with Latvala's perfomance in Monte, saying publicly that "our two other drivers were quite a lot faster".
Fuck...Quote:
Originally Posted by Allez Andruet
With the Advent of Kalle and the [peculiar] emphasis on cultivating Katsuta as a future WRC talent I fear Latvala's days might be numbered.
Since Toyota returned I've always held Makinen in relatively high regard, as in, I felt he looked like a good leader for the village team to work together, especially with how well 2017 turned out, how happy Latvala and Hanninen seemed to have each other as teammates, and how instantly quick Lappi was in his first WRC runs.
But ever since Tanak joined the team I see cracks forming in the team. Lappi's whining and constantly depressed look echoed those of Meeke right before he got the axe, and it was clear that Makinen had Tanak as his God.
Obviously I'm not going to blame Tanak, but I wonder if maybe Tommi finds a way to do what he wants by playing dirty. After ignoring Lappi out of the team to bring in his near 40 year old Wonderboy from Dungannon, could he constantly telling the press Latvala is not meeting expectations to make an easy opening for 2020?
I might (likely) be overreacting as a Latvala fan, but I wouldn't be surprised if Tommi is looking to cause a little turmoil in the team to force his dreams into reality.
Latvala is never strong at Monte. Let's see how things go in Sweden before jumping to any conclusions...
In 2017 second, in 2018 third. Never strong?Quote:
Originally Posted by racerx1979
I don't think Latvala ever had a future beyond 2019 with Toyota, as both Rovanperä and Katsuta are likely going to come up, and also I think it was said that Mäkinen didn't want to keep Latvala for this year, but the Toyota bosses liked him, so that's why he stayed.Quote:
Originally Posted by steve.mandzij
Who the engineer working with Loeb at Hyundai?
If there are three nominated drivers and the top two in any race score manufacturer points... I think Latvala 2020 depends on Meeke 2019. Meeke is obviously faster, but if he goes off a lot then Toyota have a job for a driver who finishes almost every time (a bit like the job Sordo did at Hyundai). In that case an experienced driver like Latvala has his attractions. But if Meeke gets as many clean finishes as the average driver, there is room to bring on a new guy.Quote:
Originally Posted by TWRC
If we were on the "two drivers score manufacturer points" rules, it would be different.
There´s a long story about Saab beginning in the 50´s. If you google there should be books written about the Saab Rally Heritage.Quote:
Originally Posted by Morte66
My first rallycar was an ex factory 2T 1962 model back in 1972... 18 years I was...
I think/hope that not being the clear team leader at Toyota will take the pressure off Meeke and help him.Quote:
Originally Posted by tommeke_B
His power stage performance on Monte was really impressive, considering he beat the two guys battling for the win by quite a healthy margin.
Nothing to lose, no need to wear the tyres on the previous stages.Quote:
Originally Posted by RS
Fair point on the tyres, although I wouldn’t say nothing to lose. He was in the points and a crash on his first Toyota event wouldn’t have looked good.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
2019 just began, and you are talking about Latvalas future after being 5th in RMC?
Hold yor horses. Rovanperä for sure, but be replaced by Katsuta? No way Toyota gets a faster driver in him!
Anybody knows what's the purpose of this left paddle?
Attachment 1712
Yeah my thoughts exactlyQuote:
Originally Posted by Rallyper
Wipers?Quote:
Originally Posted by mArvAlcao17
wipersQuote:
Originally Posted by mArvAlcao17