We need one for next year now.
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We need one for next year now.
A bit of a Silly season in Rally right now after Tanaks bombshell.
Toyota is as far as I understand good to go, or are they?
Hyundai need at least one new driver.
Ford/MSport need more than they can afford I guess, but without at least one top driver, they will still not make any podiums.
How would you like the teams to be manned for 2023, to get a cool season to follow?
Very similar to Antti here:
Toyota:
Rovanperä
Evans
Ogier/Lappi
+ Katsuta
Hyundai:
Neuville
Mikkelsen/Paddon
Sordo/Meeke
M-Sport:
Tänak
Breen
Huttunen/Loeb
+ Loubet, Greensmith, Fourmaux as "customers" with Solberg paying for an odd Rally1 round in a Rally2 based program.
The above is wishful thinking but really really hope and think Breen will be in the mix somewhere.
As far Ott.......For the Championship's sake I hope he is at M-Sport but my head says Toyota or otherwise.
It makes it more cristall-ball topic than News and Rumors like the title says.
Only things which we can be pretty sure (paydrivers excluded):
* Rovanperä stays in Toyota
* Neuville stays in Hyundai
Next big cornerstones:
* Where goes Tänak (obviously Tänak will not go to Hyundai)
* What Ogier decides - he has not ruled out to do full season again in the future, but my understanding/feeling is that it will not be the next one
By drivers:
* Evans - (in case Tänak goes to Toyota or Ogier decides to do full-time or order from Japan sayss Taka to the main team) can end up anywhere
* Breen - he handled "known to be complicated Neuville's Hyundai" better than "known to be easy to drive M-Sport Puma". M-Sport can not kick him away if they will not get Tänak or Evans.
* Katsuta - hard to believe to have changes here
* Sordo - depends on Hyundai politics, I guess he would like to continue like he did so far. But if he need to decide "full season or no season", what would be his answer
* Lappi - he clearly does not want to pay for his driving. Hard to believe he goes anywhere else. But, like with Evans, if Tänak or Ogier (full-time) ends up in Toyota, he may end up anywhere as well
* Suninen - he was not treated well in M-Sport and hard to believe he goes back there. Can not see any logic for him in Toyota. So if in Rally1 car, then in Hyundai.
* Loeb - he is not interested in full season. If he wants, he drives in M-Sport.
* Paddon - pointed out candidate for Hyundai. Entire life related with Hyundai but from latest rallies I would say he lacked the pace.
Solberg, Loubet, Fourmaux, Greensmith - hard to see them anywhere else than pay-drivers in M-Sport
Think Fourmaux is as good as done for Rally 1 at least. Guess Loubet takes his place and Oliver slots in the partial Puma program (possibly with Rally 2/ERC/ rallyshows etc). Greensmith probably continues as is. If indeed Tanak goes back to Cumbria, there is a realistic chance of them releasing Breen, enabling him to return to Hyundai.
HYUNDAI: Neuville, Mikkelsen, Evans (Sordo 4th car)
TOYOTA: Kalle, Lappi, Katsuta (Seb 4th car)
MSPORT: Tanak, Breen, Loubet (Loeb 3rd?/4th car)
Tho for the season to be REALLY COOL IMO we would need Kajto, Lukyanuk, Ingram and Oli Solberg.... and 3 new teams using these 2022 cars while the manufacturer teams start to use 2023 new cars in '23 hehe
OK. I´ll try:
Toyota: Kalle, Tanak, Katsuta, Lappi
Hyundai: Ogier, Neuville, Mikkelsen, Breen/Sordo
Ford: Evans, Meeke, Loubet, Solberg/Fourmaux. GG pays.
Ogier!? You say. Well, he want to show he can handle all teams cars. And Hyundai want three top drivers. So, here they are.
Ultimately I´d say there should be a 4th team in WRC...
Four cars on Hyundai is cheating ;)
What I would like:
Toyota: Rovanpera, Evans, Ogier/Lappi, Katsuta
Hyundai: Neuville, Mikkelsen, Sordo/Meeke/Suninen
MSport: Tanak, Breen, Loeb/Fourmaux, Loubet
What I think could actually happen:
Toyota: Rovanpera, Tanak, Ogier/Lappi, Katsuta
Hyundai: Neuville, Mikkelsen, Evans
MSport: Breen, Greensmith, Loeb/Fourmaux, Loubet
https://www.rallit.fi/sebastien-ogie...ies-juuri-nyt/
Ogier will not drive a full season.
What I would like:
Toyota: Rovanpera, Evans, Ogier/Lappi, Katsuta
Hyundai: Neuville, Mikkelsen, Sordo/Paddon
MSport: Tanak, Breen, Loeb/Suninen
What I think could actually happen:
Toyota: Rovanpera, Tanak, Ogier/Lappi, Katsuta
Hyundai: Neuville, Breen, Mikkelsen,
MSport: Evans, Suninen, Loeb/Fourmaux, Loubet/Greensmith
When MSport gets either Evans or Tänak, then why should they ditch Breen?
I really hope Petter and Wilson will get a deal for Oliver to drive a Puma next season and Malcolm takes Oliver under his wing, in ford he may not get the same performance car as like Toyota or Hyundai, but there atleast he can get the knowledge and experience without the pressure of capturing manufacturer points for the team, so it will take that pressure off him and will leave him more room for developing consistensy and speed
So after Tanak made his accouncement the pieces are falling into place at Hyundai. If i gathered correctly from the rumors Neuville will be joined by Mikkelsen and Sordo, the latter for 8 rallies. That presumably leaves 6 fast-ish gravel rallies open. Looks like a Suninen shaped hole to me.
My logic was money, Breen would be paid at Msport and I assume if they want Loeb for some rallies they would need to drop Breen for Evans. Breen has done a good job at Hyundai before and his driving style may suit Hyundai more, although that is a wild guess based on past performances.
https://www.rallit.fi/hyundain-ralli...udella-paikka/
Suninen will drive at least WRC2 with Hyundai
Make sense but I don’t see how a Neuville-Mikkelsen-Sordo/Suninen crew can match a Rovanpera-Evans-Ogier/Lappi crew; only very tight hope would be with Mikkelsen not doing full season a bit like in 2019 to benefit from more road position advantage. But I’m not convinced about firing Solberg to take Suninen.
The best balance for the championship would be:
Neuville-Lappi (or Evans)-Sordo/Mikkelsen vs. Rovanpera-Evans (or Lappi)-Ogier/Katsuta
(For M-Sport, it’s all about money but for sure, it would be interesting with Tanak-Breen and whatever they can as 3rd car)
According to Finnish newspaper Iltalehti, Timo Jouhki expects Tänak to sit out WRC season 2023.
That guy again.. :D
Absolutely no new information.
https://www.iltalehti.fi/ralli/a/70e...0-9403d0c5ea94
At that point Jouhki just is holding breath and wishing with every bone in his body that Tänak retires or takes sabbatical so he is not by any means linked to Toyota :D
This is taking now comical turns whatever the decision will be from Tänak.
I think we can expect some news in Japan, until then everything is just speculations.
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There is only one Finnish guy who is 100% certain that Tänak goes to Toyota and that is our favorite Wuorela.
Then again, last year he was 100% sure Ott will retire
I wonder if there is someone here who 100% knows what Tänak will do but just can't tell. :rolleyes:
It's like Dirtfish now recycling some old interviews and making some assumptions based on those pieces. I like how Jouhki categorically denied any possilibility of a return to a Toyota :D
It would be very funny indeed if Tänak would be announced to Toyota's driver lineup in Japan. Though saying that retirement or sabbtical is not off the table considering his issues outside of the sport.
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https://www.rallit.fi/jari-huttusen-...a-ei-vain-ole/
Huttunen's situation looking bleak. No money, no results.
F1-style qualifying rallies: 3 mini 'sessions'
As of 2023, international rallies will be able to rely on a new starting order determination process.
The scheme that can be adopted is based on a model very close to the one that has been used for many years in Formula 1.
The system may be based on three sessions on the same route in which competitors are eliminated depending on their performance.
Passes will be interspersed with trips to the assistance park where teams will be able to intervene and modify their vehicles.
In the model to be proposed at the next World Council of the International Federation, in the first session all those interested in the main championship will line up and the best 15 will be retained.
Among those excluded, the 16th position and following will be attributed to the holders of the best times.
In the second pass, 5 more competitors with the worst time will be excluded to determine who will be first on the road and so on.
In the last session, the matches of the remaining teams will be determined, with the fastest being the 15th to start for the event. This rule can be used in both dirt and asphalt rallies.
https://www.autosport.pt/ralis/wrc/r...-mini-sessoes/
Yes, it seems. Have to remember, that it has always been easier for Jouhki than Grönholm to collect needed money. It was much cheaper for them to rent a car from M-Sport than to continue with Hyundai and it was also the only way to get Rally1 car, because Hyundai & Toyota were not available for private drivers during this year.