Wrc RallyRACC Catalunya-Costa Daurada Rally de España 2012

A very unusual rally this one!
About Petter I was pretty annoyed that he crashed out yet again. With all the younger drivers coming up he will have to battle for his seat. However I think Petter would still win this battle, IMO he is still quicker than the youngsters. I think eventually Tanak or Novikov will push him out of a seat, but that time is not yet.

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Originally Posted by tfp

IMO he is still quicker than the youngsters. I think eventually Tanak or Novikov will push him out of a seat, but that time is not yet.

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Agreed - summed up my thoughts in a slightly more concise way than I did!

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Originally Posted by pettersolberg29

Sorry to the mods for a brief off-topic while the rally is sleeping, but it's an interesting point! I fully agree Petter doesn't deserve a top seat, however I still feel he's in the top 5 or 6 rally drivers in the world despite his recent form and therefore it makes sense for him to be picked. He's also excellent for publicity and still has the most fans by a distance. Putting pressure on Ostberg and Tanak to lead a top team like Ford is a huge risk, and could stunt their growth. Petter or Sordo needs to be the main driver there, and let Ostberg consistently pick up points as the top drivers crash and make errors. Maybe one day Ostberg will be quick enough to win in normal conditions, but as it is I really don't think he's capable. Only 10 stage wins before this rally, and 5 of them came in Italy while others were cruising. As for Tanak v Novikov, a pointless debate for me! Both are rank average at the moment compared to the top guys, but Tanak admittedly has potential, while Novikov has excellent little bursts now and again. Come back to me in 3 years and maybe Tanak will be a factory driver.

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Im sorry as much as i admire Peter he hasnt won a WRC rally since 2005 - thats seven years !! , he can drive to a certain pace when he goes over that he goes off . How many times has he taken front corners off cars this year ? I think someone else said he has retired seven times this year , his time has gone give someone else a chance and maybe with testing etc of the type that Jari Mati and Petter have enjoyed this year maybe the likes of Tanak ,Novikov , or Ostberg would improve and be more consistint - instead of Jari Mati and Petter consistintly crashing !!! Its either one or the other all the year ... :mad:

I said that Solberg has retired six times.. now it is seventh.. if I am not wrong. You have to keep in mind the fact that Novikov and Tänak get around zero test kilometers, Ostberg gets as many as he has resousrces (not too much) while Solberg and Latvala are testing for days. Also Neuville gets pretty many test km. On that light, Ostbergs results are just fabulous.

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Originally Posted by irish_tiger

Im sorry as much as i admire Peter he hasnt won a WRC rally since 2005 - thats seven years !! , he can drive to a certain pace when he goes over that he goes off . How many times has he taken front corners off cars this year ? I think someone else said he has retired seven times this year , his time has gone give someone else a chance and maybe with testing etc of the type that Jari Mati and Petter have enjoyed this year maybe the likes of Tanak ,Novikov , or Ostberg would improve and be more consistint - instead of Jari Mati and Petter consistintly crashing !!! Its either one or the other all the year ... :mad:

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Don't disagree with much of that, however Petter and JML crashing is a sign of how hard they're having to push at the moment. Ostberg may finish every event, however he isn't pushing very hard and finishes minutes down on the winner. Petter and JML push hard to either get a top result or be unfortunate and retire. Having both in the same team is dangerous, however Petter and Ostberg would make a good team, especially without Loeb so Petter doesn't feel the need to push as hard to keep up.

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Originally Posted by bluuford

I said that Solberg has retired six times.. now it is seventh.. if I am not wrong. You have to keep in mind the fact that Novikov and Tänak get around zero test kilometers, Ostberg gets as many as he has resousrces (not too much) while Solberg and Latvala are testing for days. Also Neuville gets pretty many test km. On that light, Ostbergs results are just fabulous.

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Ostberg is hardly a novice though - he's been in the WRC for about 5 years. And yes, testing would make a huge difference, however even with no testing I'd expect someone who is ready for a top seat (i.e. be able to challenge for the title/rally wins) to show occasional flashes of pace. You can get lucky or teach consistency, but it's harder to teach speed.

edit: don't want to dismiss Ostberg's achievements, but still can't fully see the hype. Good driver, not a great one.

There's an old adage which says "if you continue to do what you've always done, you'll continue to get what you've always got".

pettersolberg29, you're very opinionated on who should be in nthe teams & who has the credentials. I don't believe that you're on the money with either and in fact the continued promotion of Petter is, sadly, a recipe for continued failure.

Second leg is about to start :cool:

Started!

Loeb slower than Östberg on split 1 SS7...I hope it won't last :mark: