[WRC] News & Rumours (part V) 2017

Wouldn't surprise me at all, they want to take points away from Ogier.

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Originally Posted by AnttiL

Instead of Paddon?

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Maybe thats what they mean with "writes og the season"?

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Would be a good move of Hyundai, just hoping Neuville doesn't overdrive the car (like he did in Germany I think). Mikkelsen would have a good starting position.

Conjecture at this point - but if Hayden did give up his seat I'd hope Hyundai would at least get him an R5 to keep his eye in and retain his knowledge of the stages. Missing an event doesn't help anyone.

4th car for Mikkelsen? Near the end of the season so they may have a spare chassis available for it.

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Originally Posted by mknight

Not saying it always works, but for example Mikkelsen focused quite a lot on tarmac when he was 17-18 and now he is able to fight in the top on tarmac. Think JML also did some tarmac at that age.

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Ye, I remember I had a 6 hour karting session with Andreas and Ola back in the days he was competing in the Focus. My only claim to fame is that I was faster than both :)

I think that Hyundai didn't allow Mikkelsen to drive their car at event without contract for 2018. Did he got one? - No, so.... it's not gonna be true

Maybe Hyundai will give him the contract :) and he choose Hyundai instead the joke Citroën.

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Originally Posted by Eli

https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/1...2018-title-bid

Not surprising really...hope for better fortunes for him next year.

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Isn't this just Autosport making up a story? Hayden has been saying for probably the last 3-4 rounds that his chances for 2017 are over! I feel Autosport are just running out of material and creativity?

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Originally Posted by Munkvy

Isn't this just Autosport making up a story? Hayden has been saying for probably the last 3-4 rounds that his chances for 2017 are over! I feel Autosport are just running out of material and creativity?

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I think they call it a slow news week.

Can someone put this here ? https://www.autosport.com/wrc/featur...urn-to-the-wrc


Thanks !

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Originally Posted by EstWRC

Can someone put this here ? https://www.autosport.com/wrc/featur...urn-to-the-wrc


Thanks !

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I'm sure that's another story that says basically nothing.
We all already know why Ford should return we don't need Evans for that.

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Originally Posted by EstWRC

Can someone put this here ? https://www.autosport.com/wrc/featur...urn-to-the-wrc


Thanks !

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Here you go:

Ford should return to the WRC because all of us Brits would be so happy to finally have them back. We can also keep Ogier and go back to the good old days so we can all keep on reporting biased media. Go Brits!!! Meeke is the best and Wilson is a god.

-David Evans, Colin Clark and insert other British Journo name here.

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Originally Posted by AL14

I'm sure that's another story that says basically nothing.
We all already know why Ford should return we don't need Evans for that.

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Well I'm not even expecting something good but since we are having this long break with no news then at least I could read some quality humor:p

A full hand of nothing?

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Originally Posted by EstWRC

Can someone put this here ? https://www.autosport.com/wrc/featur...urn-to-the-wrc

Thanks !

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Anything that gives Ford another push has to be a good thing.

Let's all knock an article based not upon not reading it, but because a British person wrote it. Classy moves, forum. The irony is that a slow news period also means rubbish is posted on here.

Onwards.

I've read through it. Apologies but I'm not going to copy and paste paywall content on here outright.

Needless to say though there isn't any new info on there. It's Evans basically making the same plea we forumers have been doing all year. He doesn't feel confident any support will be forthcoming from Ford.

I still don't really know why so many insist on slating the journalist for doing his job and writing about rallying. Let's be real there aren't exactly queues of trained journalists wanting to cover the WRC. In the wider context of sport, no one gives a sh*t. It needs all the help it can get.

What percentage of WRC news or links posted here are from British sites/sources? A vast percentage. Maybe you should be saying thank you. And alternatively, if other people are doing a better job, please point them out. I don't mind if it's in another language I can use Google Translate.

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Originally Posted by EstWRC

Can someone put this here ? https://www.autosport.com/wrc/featur...urn-to-the-wrc


Thanks !

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Don't be as cheap as Citroen Racing was not paying for the music on premiumbeat.com in their latest video.

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Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC

Anything that gives Ford another push has to be a good thing.

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This I do agree with. The WRC obviously needs the backing on Manufacturers.

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Originally Posted by Simmi

I've read through it. Apologies but I'm not going to copy and paste paywall content on here outright.

Needless to say though there isn't any new info on there. It's Evans basically making the same plea we forumers have been doing all year. He doesn't feel confident any support will be forthcoming from Ford.

I still don't really know why so many insist on slating the journalist for doing his job and writing about rallying. Let's be real there aren't exactly queues of trained journalists wanting to cover the WRC. In the wider context of sport, no one gives a sh*t. It needs all the help it can get.

What percentage of WRC news or links posted here are from British sites/sources? A vast percentage. Maybe you should be saying thank you. And alternatively, if other people are doing a better job, please point them out. I don't mind if it's in another language I can use Google Translate.

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I actually read motorsport and autosport columns regularly. Is it usually biased? I think the answer is yes if you ask most. Does that mean it's bad? Not at all.. we will take what we can get when it comes to info covering the WRC. They're doing their job and a usually a good job at that... I'm sure the French or Finnish press is biased towards their teams/drivers too.. it should be that way if that is their main market.

my apologies if i offended somebody but you have to admit that sometimes those Evans articles dont include anything new like for example that article about Paddon yesterday and that completely BS article about Evans going to Toyota or Hyundai a month ago.


But still, i awlays like to read them. Better than nothing.

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Originally Posted by EstWRC

my apologies if i offended somebody but you have to admit that sometimes those Evans articles dont include anything new like for example that article about Paddon yesterday and that completely BS article about Evans going to Toyota or Hyundai a month ago.


But still, i awlays like to read them. Better than nothing.

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I don't agree,there is no need to loose time to read something which is no news.

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Originally Posted by dimviii

I don't agree,there is no need to loose time to read something which is no news.

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Isn't that what the "loose time" is for?!?

I didn't want to offend anyone either and I want to say I have nothing against british journalists and never wrote anything against them. But let me say that when there is a moment of lack of news it should be a journalist task to find them. I think this is a critic we can do in a forum.

I'm not gonna say thank you to someone who get paid for doing his job in a way I don't like. I rather say thank you to all the bloggers, forumers, twitter accounts who are able to give more insights than him with way less means.

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Originally Posted by AL14

bloggers, forumers, twitter accounts who are able to give more insights than him with way less means.

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Yeah, but not all read all blogs, forum posts & twitter messages. Some people from "old school" are still reading magazines & newspapers.

EDIT: I haven't subscription to motrsportnews+ myself so I can't tell for sure, but this must also provide some analysis over some topic worthing the money to read. The base free site is only full of quotes basically, which aren't any news indeed for someone who follows the sport closely.

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Originally Posted by Simmi

I still don't really know why so many insist on slating the journalist for doing his job and writing about rallying. Let's be real there aren't exactly queues of trained journalists wanting to cover the WRC. In the wider context of sport, no one gives a sh*t. It needs all the help it can get.

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Good point! If he didn't put those stories up on Autosport; there would be absolutely nothing about the WRC at all for weeks during the summer break. The WRC thread on the Autosport forum quite often drops of the first page because not enough people are interested. The WRC is a hard sell here in the UK; not helped because the sport is mainly invisible.

Ford is like a girl being courted, and you all know girls don't like to be pressured. They have to want to join the championship as a full manufacturer, not be berated into doing so. That's why Malcolm Wilson rightly winces when anyone complains that Ford needs to join. Openly calling them "parasitic" on an autosport article is really unhelpful.

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Originally Posted by sonnybobiche

That's why Malcolm Wilson rightly winces when anyone complains that Ford needs to join.

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I haven't read the article, can You elaborate this sentence?

"In fact, in the words of one of my colleagues on the last WRC round in Germany, Ford is worse than a charlatan. He described it as a parasite, feeding off M-Sport's success.

"It's utterly ironic that Ford's staunchest support still comes from the man who suffers the most from Dearborn's intransigence. Don't believe me? Watch the post-event press conference at Rally Germany and you'll see [Wilson] wince as Ogier delivers another invitation to Ford to come to the party."

Ford will return when they feel it's worth doing so.
At the moment its almost a win/win for them. They put very little in, but can bask in the glory of any success.
Who apart from a dedicated follower of the sport actually knows Ford AREN'T in the WRC??

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Originally Posted by Archie Gillaine

Ford will return when they feel it's worth doing so.
At the moment its almost a win/win for them. They put very little in, but can bask in the glory of any success.
Who apart from a dedicated follower of the sport actually knows Ford AREN'T in the WRC??

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This is the exact reason why there is no sign of them returning. From a business viewpoint why would they invest x amount more money when they are claiming rally victories as their own right now, we've all seen the Ford Performance tweets on Twitter. Just because there is no big Ford logo on the cars, its clearly a Fiesta and that is always going to be associated with Ford rather than M-sport. To a casual fan looking in, it would appear that Ford are competing in the WRC and winning. I feel that without the full Ford return, I can see M-sport looking at other manufactures in a few years. Prodrive were associated with Subaru for years and ran the ill fated Mini WRC team so it has been done and probably will be done again at some point.Will we see Ford as a full manufacturer? I would say its doubtful.

In my opinion Ford is getting a lot of undeserved flack.

Ford is massively involved in M Sport with a factory spec Rally Cross program, and have been very lojal to M Sport since the factory days. And its not like they dont supply time/effort/money to M Sports rally program.

M Sport (Malcolm Wilson) decided to continue in the WRC whit out full factory backing, and this was a decision he made as part of a very successful business plan, to both sell R5 and R2 (and other) rally cars, and also use it as a HALO project to advertise M Sports engineering capabilities to other motorsport- and non-motorsport clients.

Malcolm Wilson also took a calculated decision to employ Ogier, again with out factory support, and also said that this is a "once in a life time" opportunity. So he didn´t do that deal with the expectation that Ogier would stay on/Ford would come in with full factory backing, all though he probably hoped this would trigger that effect.

If Ford chooses to back M Sport or not, that is off course the question, but I dont see how Ford should suffer any flack for "riding on the back" of M Sport, Ford are in large the reason for M Sport´s existence.

And seeing it from an economical point of view, M Sports economics are much healthier after Fords pull out than before, because they are not that dependant on one client (Ford), or one market (Motorsport).
The same has actually happened to Prodive after Subaru. They are thriving in engineering, composits manufacture, and other things, on top of that they run several successfull motorsport campaigns, and a very good marketing capaign for Subaru.

So all is not bad - even if Ford decides against going full tilt into the WRC.

I guess fundamentally when Ford left they could have also made life really hard for Malcolm. But didn't. I'd assume if they don't bless the programme all these cars can't get properly homologated?

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Originally Posted by Lundefaret

....but I dont see how Ford should suffer any flack for "riding on the back" of M Sport, Ford are in large the reason for M Sport´s existence.

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This^^^. Malcolm's relationship with Ford goes back to when he was a driver, and Malcolm Wilson Motorsport was a customer preparation outfit. Anyone saying Ford is riding on the back of M-Sport needs a history lesson.

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Originally Posted by Lundefaret

So all is not bad - even if Ford decides against going full tilt into the WRC.

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Ok, for sure it’s better to have MSport linked with Ford in a limited tech and logistic deal than not having MSport at all, but any rally fan must feel sad to see Ford throwing buckets of money on their LM/WEC 2nd level effort or on the gymkhana guy WRX team, instead of honoring their WRC heritage in a active way.

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Originally Posted by Lundefaret

And seeing it from an economical point of view, M Sports economics are much healthier after Fords pull out than before, because they are not that dependant on one client (Ford), or one market (Motorsport).
The same has actually happened to Prodive after Subaru. They are thriving in engineering, composits manufacture, and other things, on top of that they run several successfull motorsport campaigns, and a very good marketing capaign for Subaru.

So all is not bad - even if Ford decides against going full tilt into the WRC.

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Prodrive doing great. They are building VW's for the Rally Championship in China, folding bicycles.. you name it.

http://www.prodrive.com/news

The VW Golf SCRC is a great looking car. Simple.. http://www.prodrive.com/rally

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Originally Posted by stefanvv

Isn't that what the "loose time" is for?!?

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You could read a good book...that's what i do.

Amen

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Originally Posted by racerx1979

Here you go:

Ford should return to the WRC because all of us Brits would be so happy to finally have them back. We can also keep Ogier and go back to the good old days so we can all keep on reporting biased media. Go Brits!!! Meeke is the best and Wilson is a god.

-David Evans, Colin Clark and insert other British Journo name here.

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Originally Posted by sonnybobiche

"In fact, in the words of one of my colleagues on the last WRC round in Germany, Ford is worse than a charlatan. He described it as a parasite, feeding off M-Sport's success.

"It's utterly ironic that Ford's staunchest support still comes from the man who suffers the most from Dearborn's intransigence. Don't believe me? Watch the post-event press conference at Rally Germany and you'll see [Wilson] wince as Ogier delivers another invitation to Ford to come to the party."

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Oh yeah, what can I say. Better - nothing.