Please Mikko, something different this time!! (an open letter)

[janvanvurpa]

As said before: not fast? What is fast. Have you seen Mikko in reality on stages? If you compare to the others he´s one of the fastest. Not the fastest. But still.

So who will replace him at Ford? Which drivers has competence? Mikko still top5 driver in WRC.

Herregud Per. Can you do some simple math for these guys who bläddra "Milkko isn't fast"
Remember when all the only eever rallied a key-board on a desk boys were slitting their wrists and shooting themselves because MW was 'wasting a seat' on his son "who was so slooooooooooooooow, oh no!!"

Or when they said same about that crazy Norman who lives in Varmland now--va fan heter han? OH Solhberg!
Do the total minutes os SS in a VM rally and divide the times and you'll see its maybe less than 1% faster from Hirvonen to winner.
Less than 1%---meaning 99.something % as fast.

I ask you because i have to get my girls to school.

[A.F.F.]

Well, both of you sirs, I've seen Mikko on stages, NORF stages to be in particular. And even the same stages. And even some same locations of the stages. There is one thing I've notice and that is the breaking points. Last year I wasn't at NORF but year before I was spectating and I notice that in the same place Mikko left the breaking latere in previous years, he started not pumping but breaking a bit earlier. If he does that on every curve, we are talking about seconds of loss.

[Mirek]

Braking later doesn't necessarily mean being faster as You can miss the right point to turn. For example here in CZ Roman Kresta was usually the last one to brake in very brutal way. It made him very spectacular but not always the fastest.

[Hasselhoax]

I think A.F.F has a good point here with the braking points.

I've only been to NORF to see WRC IRL. If you compare the drivers in the same corner you can clearly see a difference between guys like Ogier or Loeb (one aggressive braking - no more, like in tarmac racing) while the guys brought up on gravel pumps it to get the car where they want it (like you wouldn't know )

Here JML are the closest to the french in style what I've seen. Mikko tends to pump the brake maybe two-three times too much IMO. I've run a stopwatch from point A (100 m from corner) to point B (end of corner) and you tend to see a tenth or so in difference between top guys and at the same time a clear difference in style. Maybe it's again a question of confidence or too deeply rooted behavior. But it will add up in the end of SS.

How many times have you not heard Mikko or JML say: I can't believe how he (Loeb/Ogier) could be faster?

I will point out that I'm no way near an expert and don't try to tell these great drivers how to and how not, but I've tried adapting the one-point-braking in RBR and it drops my stage times with sometimes a second or two.

I still think Mikko is among the top 5 drivers in WRC. He as the experience and definitely the speed. Put it together and he will win again. Sweden was now in hindsight not bad at all.

Just my two cents...

[lewalcindor]

Late braking only benefits the driver if he can apply the throttle earlier in the turn with sufficient tire traction on the surface. If you can't apply the throttle effectively, as Mirek stated, it can make you slower than if you had taken a smoother turn at the corner with earlier braking.

That said, I think that Loeb and Ogier have shown that this circuit-based technique has allowed them to consistently drive faster over a variety of surfaces compared with the older rally techniques (such as the Scandanavian Flick and wide drifts through gravel). Also, it's important to remember that the key to any braking technique is not when you apply the brakes, but rather when you release them.

[Mirek]

I was only once in NORF but the difference I saw between Loeb and basically almost all others including Ogier was different lines. Loeb was (as it was already pointed out) more precise, more straight and less sideways. For example when I was on one rather big corner-jump only Loeb managed to jump straight, all others jumped sideways or not jumped at all.

[OgyWRC]

Braking is not only speed reduction, more importantly it is a weight transfer. In general the intensity or late braking depends on the corner ... sometimes you need more weight transfer in the "wheel turn moment" at short sharper corners or less weight transfer at longer and faster corners. Late braking may lead to less precise lines, respectively lower speed at the corner end.

Loeb managed to enter slowly slow corners and to accelerate earlier, meanwhile to be more agressive and to carry high speed at high speed curves without excessive weight transfer. Personal opinion ;-)

[dimviii]

Braking is not only speed reduction, more importantly it is a weight transfer. In general the intensity or late braking depends on the corner ... sometimes you need more weight transfer in the "wheel turn moment" at short sharper corners or less weight transfer at longer and faster corners. Late braking may lead to less precise lines, respectively lower speed at the corner end.

completely agree.

Loeb managed to enter slowly slow corners and to accelerate earlier, meanwhile to be more agressive and to carry high speed at high speed curves without excessive weight transfer. Personal opinion ;-)

that is what i have seen too.To be more precise i would write the same minus the bold word.

[Coach 2]

Braking is not only speed reduction, more importantly it is a weight transfer. In general the intensity or late braking depends on the corner ... sometimes you need more weight transfer in the "wheel turn moment" at short sharper corners or less weight transfer at longer and faster corners. Late braking may lead to less precise lines, respectively lower speed at the corner end.

Loeb managed to enter slowly slow corners and to accelerate earlier, meanwhile to be more agressive and to carry high speed at high speed curves without excessive weight transfer. Personal opinion ;-)

Do I now you?

[OgyWRC]

It's an off topic, but interesting to know ;-)

We have tested different driving techniques at snow track (relatively slow one 2-3 gear) with FWD car. First run - sideways everywhere, 2 run - clean driving (grandmother style) => exactly the same lap time! Being in the car or watching outside we had the feeling that the sideways "racing" style is much faster, but in reality it was not. So, you have to test your driving technique against the stopwatch ;-) On the other hand, putting the car sideways usually brings you more confidence on snow and makes you feel fast, until you compare you time with the time of someone with name Sebastien ;-)