Very true but you also get a 5 time WRC winner. Not many others available that can say that :) :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Myrvold
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Very true but you also get a 5 time WRC winner. Not many others available that can say that :) :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Myrvold
Solberg already got kicked, in case you missed it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tauri_J
The very least that will happen is that Hyundai gets someone to share the car with Sordo. Cause you really don't want Sordo in Sweden, Estonia or Finland
Apart from those listed there is also Suninen, but he has quite uneven season.
I can't see Hyundai hiring Meeke if they want a reliable points scorer. He got kicked by Toyota specifically for beeing so unreliable it lost them the title.
Solberg is irrelevantQuote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tauri_J
Meeke makes absolutely no sense for me; he has been dropped at the same time than Mikkelsen from the main class and has made almost no rallye since then (even if he developed the Skoda); and his last year and half (don’t forget his last half-season with Citroen), he was no reliable but not anymore able of winning also.
Paddon, well, his return was better than what we could have expected but he has made very few outings in Europe since he was dropped and even before Mikkelsen and Meeke. Too much risky according to me to a regular part-time driver at this step of his return; being the Rally2 official driver would already be a good step ... and why not one or two outings as 3rd driver in some rallies Sordo or Mikkelsen are not really efficient in or don’t know (Safari? Finland?) a bit like Breen in 2019.
So in credible experienced solutions, it lets only Mikkelsen and Suninen (don’t see the point of hiring Loubet for firing Solberg); Suninen’s season is so-so and not sure he can bring much more than Solberg (and question mark about what Hyundai will do with Suninen if he is not retained as Rally1 driver whereas Paddon will make his comeback in Rally2).
And maybe Breen if M-Sport frees him for nothing which is a very realistic possibility also. Could sound risky to take him back considering his season but anyway, all the solutions we’re evoking are risky with other drivers not knowing Rally1 cars. The only safe option would be to steal Lappi from Toyota but if Lappi has part-Time offers from both Toyota and Hyundai, I don’t see the point for him to take Hyundai’s offer.
Agree with all that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danny0405
Lappi would go for the money presumably, especially with a part-time contract.
Makes you wonder if a Neuville/Evans combo would work driving style and relationship-wise with Ott back in Toyota but it increasingly sounds like Ott will be staying put when you hear that dirtfish interview about car development just before the rally. Malcom sounds like he wants a big name back in the Puma also, Evans back to Ford? Breen to Hyundai? Ott to Toyota, that would be a massive mixup.
Latvala sounds quite doubtful about hiring Tanak in addition to Rovanpera (in last interview in Dirtfish or WRC, he told something as «*is it the best for the team?*») ... as am I because I’m not sure it’s the best way to show confidence to Rovanpera.Quote:
Originally Posted by Toyoda
And if Toyota does not hire Tanak, I don’t see the point of letting Evans leave: yes, his season is not good but in the end, I don’t see which driver could do better on full time season except the Big 3 (and Ogier for sure); Lappi has not shown for example he can do really better.
The only case where there could be a discussion in Toyota would be if Toyota brand decides to cut a bit costs with the economic situation (reducing the team to 3 cars) while ordering to keep Katsuta part-time: but even in that case, I would personally choose to keep Evans full-time (and shared 3rd car between Katsuta and Ogier) over a lineup with Lappi and shared 2nd and 3rd cars.
And on the other hand, I don’t see the point for Tanak to go to M-Sport.
So I think the market is quite blocked and that the changes will be only at the margin: biggest move could be about Breen if Hyundai wants to take him back (and M-Sport hiring Lappi or Mikkelsen in exchange) but even not sure.
In the light of today's news, that's very telling picture - especially korean looking at departing duo.Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
What were Ott & Martin looking at? remind me please.Quote:
Originally Posted by jonkka
What is good thing here... I don't bet my money :)Quote:
Originally Posted by meh
Yaris?Quote:
Originally Posted by Eli
Maybe the Rally2 in the making anticipated by Latvala?Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
I think Rally2 is the key here, again like at the end of 2019.
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Can you explain deeper? Hyundai rally2 was a feature to swith from Toyota ?Quote:
Originally Posted by cali
Yes, RedGrey started operating Hyundai’s WRC2 team.Quote:
Originally Posted by manthey
And soon Toyota is out with their Rally2 car... As in Estonia they say it was a business move and nothing else
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So is RedGrey so important for the development of his actual career and post-career? Sounds to me it would create a team in the wake/evolution of TMR or a concrete competitor for MSportQuote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
Competitor for M-Sport? So they would get together with a car manufacturer and start building rally cars for all classes, including Rally1? I doubt it. But maybe on a smaller scale they could be a competitor to Printsport/TGS who helps private customers run their rally cars; or being a competitor to Toksport or something like they've done with Hyundai, a sub-contractor for a factory team. But that won't be Hyundai anymore, will it be Toyota when their Rally2 project starts? For sure if Tänak goes to drive with M-Sport, RedGrey has no part in that contract, what RedGrey does is M-Sport's core usiness and they don't need a sub-contractor in that field.Quote:
Originally Posted by manthey
On a side note regarding the subject, according to eWRC 93 Rally 2 Fiestas are on the market, and again based on Skoda press releases they already have 150 pre-orders for the new Skoda Rally 2, this must be the biggest mistake done at M-sport by far to not have put enough effort on the Rally 2 car which should be their money maker. Why it`s not on level with Skoda I don`t know but but they should have put a lot more effort on that carQuote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
It's really a mystery to me or they have thrown in the towel because Skoda is too strong. Can't understand really.Quote:
Originally Posted by AMSS
I agree, it seems a bit of a mystery as to why they haven’t managed to get that car up to the required level.Quote:
Originally Posted by AMSS
The previous car was such a good money earner for them it seems a strange mistake.
Was M-Sport's development budget of the Fiesta Rally 2 reduced by the money required to be put into the WRC at the time the Rally2 was made? Dilution of the engineering/ design team with the Bentley GT program also running? Now there is the Dakar Ford Ranger project as well.
Skoda R5 made a total of 405, Rally 2 evo 223 made
Ford Fiesta R5 294 made, Rally 2 93 made
Hyundai r5 i20 107, i20 N Rally 2 40
r5 was the cow, rally2 was a bit timely wrong until the new fia board election and a clear path on regulations. now is way clearer, and the time is ok for the new breed of rally2. i think m-sport will arrive there after milking rally3 monopoly. point was to understand if rally2 was going mild hybrid or not.
Fiesta is officially done as a model next year. It's been rumoured for a long time, so it made little sense to invest in a platform that will be done soon. Would think a smaller than the Puma SUV replaces the Fiesta in Ford's range and that will be M-Sport's new Rally 2 car.
Speaking of the devil: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/n...&utm_campaign=Quote:
Originally Posted by macebig
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/we-ca...driver-update/
Neuville's friend is unsurprisingly rumored to be part of the team next year. That means they just need one or two drivers to share the 3rd car with Sordo.
https://www.rallit.fi/hyundain-wrc-t...ta-uusi-tieto/
Sordo will have eight rallies next year according to Marca magazine
Ford are going for an all-electric range of cars and the EV Puma will be based on the platform of the Transit van, so not small !Quote:
Originally Posted by macebig
There is no story of a small car replacing the Fiesta so I dont see where a new Rally2 car is coming from for M-Sport. That's unless they switch to another manufacturer...
https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/...7208#gs.g9jq1x
Lappi with an offer from Hyundai :D
Silly season! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
Didn't Lappi say in one interview basially that he would rather stay at home than drive with Hyundai?Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
But afterall.. if there is no place in Toyota, I think one would change mind :D
How serious is this site? Cause reading this I wonder:Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
Manu title and multiple podiums is nothing?Quote:
They definitely don't have drivers for fast gravel rallies. Andreas Mikkelsen is one option, but he already got his chance and nothing came of it.
It's quite serious site actuallyQuote:
Originally Posted by mknight
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Nothing against Lappi personally, really like him, but with a sentence like that, his own season at toyota this year is pretty much nothing alsoQuote:
Originally Posted by mknight
If its a full-time contract then he must be interested. Or is he happy to be a part-timer now with no more ambition?
Lappi is selling his GR Yaris road car. Put it on sale 2 days ago... hmm...
let's help him sell the car :)Quote:
Originally Posted by JLunen
https://www.nettiauto.com/toyota/gr-yaris/13216539
Yesterday or the day before someone here wondered about weird Finnish sense of humor. I think Lappi is showing it big time.
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It was i, Leclerc!
So to keep the overview of the rumors: Sordo 8 rallies, Mikkelsen, Evans not available but Lappi is selling his Toyota hmm...