Rally Italia Sardegna '16

The high lights video of Day2, had a overhead drone shot hairpin corner comparison between Camilli and Mikkelsen. Camilli running after more cleaning than Mikkelsen pulled a car length ahead accelerating a short distance from the apex. The cleaning effect must be considerable at times in Sardinia.
Perhaps road order on gravel rounds could be numbered marbles out of a hat for the wrc cars, with the championship points order drawing 1,2 etc.

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Originally Posted by PLuto

I dont think to that it is the main reason. He found that he has no chance to move up. He is little bit tired with WRC, he needs to have a new toy, to do something different. Thats why he is trying circuits or Dakar...

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As only World Championship level is enough for Prokop as I read here, than we can see him in the WEC circuit racing in the future?

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Originally Posted by Mirek

Still it's the talent what wins and matters. Don't You agree that Ogier with the same car as Latvala and Mikkelsen is very much superior to them even though he never ever bought any place in any team unlike his two team colleagues?

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Bien sur!
Over time Ogier has proven he has exceptional driving skills.
(some might say in direct reverse relationship to his skills as a human being---or in comment dit--menschlichkeit?)

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In fact he was picked from a national one make cup run with slow and cheap cars. Similar story with Loeb...

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Mais en France, you may (or may not know) there were in those days quite substantial "primes" paid out well down the field of finishers...Quite impressive amounts in cash and "goodies" in the numerous single makes Coupes.
I could send you example from the French magazine "Echappment"
( I confess I have special affection for France and for their approach to motorsport--it is where I spent 2 seasons doing Internationals in my sport--and getting paid pretty damn good..:crazy:)

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Also what is so hi-tech on purelly mechanical 4WD without center diff? It's some nice 80' tech level there. Engines and dampers are of course different thing but the cars definitely don't drive themselves.

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I originally was commenting on the results of Camilli doing "after only 9 gravel events"

My point is I don't know if HE has special unsual talent---when HE is in such a nice machine.
I know that Latvala and for that matter Hirvonen can drive wonderfully because I have seen them in the simplest of cars---and in my humble opinion, the best car in human history: Group 4 spec Escort....
Cannot be simpler and still move...
THEY i know can drive as well in that as anybody..
We know that of Paddon, too, after NZRC Otago last year..1st Overall in a Appendix K Escort...

I don't know that of Camilli (and vraimente I don't know that of Ogier either.)

And for example, the guy who is responsible for NOT being so bitter because the guy spuns his love missives, the "Chinless Wonder Ben Klock", we know that even after spending a fortune on a "free spec Escort" built far better than old Group 4 spec...he lasted a total of 47 seconds of his first stage with that before blowing the first corner hitting a bank and embarrassing himself to the point of dropping out with some transparently absurd excuse in a Press release.

Take the space ship away and what can they do these Camillis and others..
my point is "I don't know"


(perhaps i use the word "know" very strictly? )

Extreme limited experience in any endevour, and high result make me think the role of experience is not central element.

I for a change think that it doesn't matter at all if Camilli, Latvala or whoever can drive Escort gr.4 if they can drive the car they actually use. And no, I don't think it's so easy ;)

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Originally Posted by Eli

or perhaps because Sordo was standing (not on the ruts at the beginning of the PS unlike everybody else) and they think it's given him an advantage...

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Did the 2WD cars even get going there without a push? :p

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Originally Posted by Simmi

I have to admit I'm pretty conflicted about the WRC at the moment.

If you ignore some of the nonsense being spouted by his team boss, I completely understand Ogier's frustrations and, like many on here, I think it's completely unfair being asked to sweep for two days. I'd like to see that regulation changed next year.

But.... damn, we've had five different rally winners in a row! I think that's the first time that's happened since 2001.

You can't ignore how good that is for the sport. The ability to tune in and not actually know who is going to win the event has been a distant memory for rally fans. I'm also enjoying following the events a lot more, but at the same time in the back of my mind I am aware that there's this artificial element to it.

So the big question is what is the bigger evil? Is it more important to have purity of competition than a more exciting show? Like I say I'm conflicted.

I guess for hardcore rally fans it's a case of how much do you allow yourself to enjoy this current format...

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I think we all have very short memeories...

Remember back in the days when drivers used to stop before the stage end so they wouldn't have to run first the next day?

I vomited bile on the TV when the running order was changed between the days so people were being "tactical" and slowed down. It de-merited the sport so badly there was no words for it. WE. DO. _NOT_ want to go back to that...

Either the format stays or we go back to qualifying stage and the running order stays for the whole event. All other options are out of the picture. The problem is that also the qualifying stage was not a perfect system because it depended on how many runs you managed to get and how well the road was swept and the weather and a million other things.

We are talking about the world's most natural handicap here, and Ogier is 1st because he is the best, despite not winning every event.

Like Simmi says, it is nice not knowing who will win and I for one couldn't care less why. If there was a proper challenger to Ogier, that someone would be running first on the road, but this isn't the case.

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Originally Posted by SubaruNorway

Did the 2WD cars even get going there without a push? :p

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I really hope they won't penalise him for that

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by janvanvurpa

I originally was commenting on the results of Camilli doing "after only 9 gravel events"

My point is I don't know if HE has special unsual talent---when HE is in such a nice machine.
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in the same nice machine were Latvala,Sordo,Ostberg,Ogier etc.
Camilli didnt drove a superior car than the others.Was the same car,and as we have seen from plenty of drivers at wrc level,its not so easy to repeat 3rd times overall when others are pushing.
That he cant drive competetively an ford escort i can take it as a joke.

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Originally Posted by Mirek

Agree. I would personally go even further with the formula which worked well in IRC on its peak. Whatever driver with a car of the particular brand takes manufacturer points if he's good enough. In that time it helped a lot of privateers or juniors to get good machines and support from the manufacturers. It's the WRC what benefits from that now as guys like Neuville or Mikkelsen would hardly be where they are now.

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This makes so much sense to me!

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Originally Posted by itix

I vomited bile on the TV when the running order was changed between the days so people were being "tactical" and slowed down. It de-merited the sport so badly there was no words for it. WE. DO. _NOT_ want to go back to that...

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Really? For me this rule should be ok. Especially now, when splits are forbidden, it should be working...