Takamoto Katsuta
���� 勝田 貴元
@TakamotoKatsuta
47m47 minutes ago
Takamoto Katsuta
���� 勝田 貴元
New announcement for 2019 season.
We will compete in Central Rally Aichi/Gifu 2019 with YarisWRC.
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Takamoto Katsuta
���� 勝田 貴元
@TakamotoKatsuta
47m47 minutes ago
Takamoto Katsuta
���� 勝田 貴元
New announcement for 2019 season.
We will compete in Central Rally Aichi/Gifu 2019 with YarisWRC.
Obviously Katsuta is Japanese, but I really don't like Toyota placing him in Yaris more often. It's not his time yet.
Rally Japan confirmed
http://wrc-jpn.com/common/data/RallyJapan19-001.pdf
They are not saying who will drive the i20....right before Australia.
Probably depends what championships are decided, but there is surely some deadline for entries.
Either case Neuville is unlikely. They'd probably want Loeb, but since he is so negative about traveling and time I doubt he wants to fly 20 hours to Japan. Sordo is imo most likely, also since he probably isn't doing Australia. For Mikkelsen there are way too many unknowns (will he drive tarmac in Germany or Spain (and will he do well?), is he going to stay with the team?).
In this Q&A Lappi gives the answers to alot of questions about Citroen aero updates etc. that have been discussed here.
https://www.nesterallyfinland.fi/en/...kka-lappi-q-a/
He is saying next year! wowQuote:
Originally Posted by AMSS
Question: Have you found any solutions?Quote:
Originally Posted by AMSS
- In Portugal we went ahead. Maybe we had new parts then, but I wasn't told.
Weird interview for many reasons.
Did not know Citroen had used all their jokers for new parts this year already? To wait until next year for new aero and other improvements is a huge blow for Lappi and Ogier (in his title fight).
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If current plans stay the same Mikkelsen won't be doing Spain (Neuville, Sordo, Loeb). Only way he does it is if Hyundai decide to bring 4 cars for whatever reason (getting desperate in both championships etc). But then that has it's own issues as we've seen previously.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Presume Mikkelsen will be in Germany unless Adamo doesn't want him anywhere near the i20 on tarmac, and chucks Breen into the deep end (surely unlikely?)
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Ogier told in this week's Auto-Hebdo that the engine will have upgraded parts in Germany.Quote:
Originally Posted by er88
In the Neste Rally podcast he says the same like ”I wanted certain parts (diffs) and found out in Portugal we had them homologated all along, nobody just told me”Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
And he told D. Evans on Sardinia that they have upgrades for gravel coming.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fredouye
But now Lappi says they have no more jokers...
The only way that makes sense is that they have no jokers for aero since they already planned what they want to use them on.
Lappi also says in the podcast that they’re already thinking for next year. Both because the year has gone so bad for him but also that the required parts cannot be homologated before that.
Yes Mikkelsen will likely do Germany and not Spain. Which is actually weird in its own way since Loeb is now doing 2 tarmac rallies.Quote:
Originally Posted by er88
Funny how Adamo just now said it's strange Loeb struggles with i20 on tarmac... after Mikkelsen went from 2nd place on tarmac to last WRC speed the year before.
Loeb went from winning a rally to 2nd last WRC (only Lappi was slower) and basically his worst tarmac rally in terms of pace since he started driving in WRC.
Surely Breen who afaik doesn't have a single tarmac podium can't be expected to shine in I20 when he was 5-7th in C3 on same surface and the other two have 1st and 2nd. But hey Adamo can make some weird decisions (latest being Breen instead of Paddon in Finland).
Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Am I missing something / misreading what you have posted?
Why is it unlikely that Neville drives in Aus?
Cheers.
Rally Japan candidate WRC event announced there will be 2 manu cars, a Yaris (driven by Katsuta) and an i20 without naming the driver.Quote:
Originally Posted by T16
The event is the weekend before Australia, which is why I think it's unlikely that Neuville drives cause he will be important in Australia no matter what title they are fighting for.
Sorry if that point wasn't clear.
Monte 2020 route
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...064432ee8a.jpg
305 kilometers only
Last year’s new SS1 and SS2 thrown into Saturday and Friday. SS1 new(?), SS2 wasn’t used last year. Curbans stage lenghtened/modified from last year.
No, sorry, I didn’t realise you were talking about Japan.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
DMACK Global (renamed Sinon UK at the end of last year) has gone into Administration in the UK, owing nearly £10m to M-Sport/Malcolm Wilson. Other noteworthy creditors include Skoda Motorsport Italia (£44k) and DMACK SRL (£535k), the Italian operation Dick Cormack is running with...
Administrator's report is the latest addition here: https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/c...filing-history Creditors on page 27.
Thanks to 'pear' on the British Rally forum who posted this news there.
What a shame... They had seemed to have been making progress for a while, but I'd always wondered where all their sponsorship money came from.Quote:
Originally Posted by the sniper
https://yle.fi/urheilu/3-10880580
Latvala and Jouhki pondering JML's season and his future in WRC. Latvala admits hitting the low point in Corsica, where he was "lacking motivation" (I just hate to see that excuse being used by a full-time rally driver). JML says that the tight fight in manu championship is what brings him motivation at the moment. Regarding next season, Jouhki says that it's "impossible to know what the Japanese think at the moment", but admits Latvala must start delivering results from Finland onwards.
For me all these things combined don't sound like a receipe for success for Latvala. Hopefully he proves me wrong in Finland.
Last year he had a very good second half from Finland onwards, maybe this time too.
but i personally think if he underperforms in Finland, then maybe its goodbye for him.
In the absolute rally podcast last week he sounded like a broken man (well he does that like every 2 months..). Saying how he could have fought for drivers championship in 2014 if he didn't crash in Germany and how he enjoys historic rallies much more cause on normal rallies there is so much pressure and competition.Quote:
Originally Posted by Allez Andruet
He really needs a podium in Finland (just like Meeke does). However with Toyota's known Finland advantage it should be possible even with less than perfect driving. Technical issues are not likely there and it's not that often people crash, no big stones or something like that either.
That said there can always be surprises from other teams. Last year nobody really expected Østberg to be that fast in C3. Similarly nobody expected Fiestas to be so fast on Corsica this year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
From what I've heard he's apparently already out the door at Toyota. Hope that's maybe not the case but if he can get back in at Msport it would maybe be a good reset for him and less pressure...
Other than that I'm not sure what options he'd have.
If Citroen gets 3rd car they will want a stable points scorer, Evans or even Østberg sound more likely, or Mikkelsen if he wants to go that way.
Basically same for Hyundai except Østberg is not likely there.
he will sell some seats
It'd be cool if you could link that, but judging by his own comments and the fact he's relying on the unpredictable Japanese to keep him on for the PR it sounds likely :(Quote:
Originally Posted by er88
JML going to Hyundai to replace Mikkelsen..... just a wild thought.
I bet JML would struggle with Hyundai, Mikkelsen is at least used to it.
Latvala more likely to do a finale season(like Solberg senior) at M-Sport bringing some coin??? 4? cars to help balance the D-Mack problems.
Hyundai have doubled their sales in Norway in 2019 (half year) compared to 2018. Might be keeping AM on the team on that basis.
really doubt that. Adamo wants only results on rallies, nothing elseQuote:
Originally Posted by Zeakiwi2
JML under the loving leadership of mr. Adamo? Doesn't exactly sound like a match made in heaven.
How about Hyundai sales in NZ ? Did it help Paddon ?Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeakiwi2
It's because of the electric cars, not much to do with Mikkelsen really. Top 12 most sold cars so far this year in Norway are electric or hybrid.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeakiwi2
You mean they would replace a driver which doesn't reliably perform with one that is even less reliable?Quote:
Originally Posted by racerx1979
https://www.rallye-magazin.de/wrc/ar...schland-41488/ Sebastien Loeb might start Rally Deutshcland....
This "article" is 100% speculation based just on him starting on the two tarmac rallies.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eli
He himself said multiple times he wants to have holiday in August.
That of course doesn't mean it wont happen.