Ott Tänak - Future champion?

[Japé]

Anyway, this is very good for Markko, Ott and Estonian motorsport industry. Hopefully this will boost OT Racing's activities as well, but is it so that RG will be run solely from MMM HQ at Tallinn?

[dimviii]

the good guess was at 27 October 2019

just thinking loudly....
because also for me is hard to believe thats is about money,maybe Tanak asked to run the yaris r5 program for customers with MM sport and Tommi denied?
Maybe Adamo willing to give MM sport this r5 multi million programm to MM sport?

[dimviii]

discuss guys




Hyundai Motorsport and Red Gray Team formalized their union for the landing of the brand in WRC 2. The updated i20 R5 will be operated by the Estonian Markko Martin team, formerly called MM Motorsport. With this link, the representative of Ott Tänak and the WRC champion will go on to play a new key role in the rally client racing market, which handles large amounts of money in sales. In the background of this union, underlies an attempted frustrated agreement with Toyota.

The partnership formed between Hyundai Motorsport and Red Gray Team does not come by chance, but has developed a long history over the past year, linked in part to the hiring of Tänak. The current WRC champion is represented by Markko Martin, who at the same time is at the helm of MM Motorsport. This team, of which Tänak owns a small part, changed its name to Red Gray Team in 2020.

According to the European press, one of Martin's plans was to specify Tänak's arrival to the only 100% official WRC team. “Everything played a role in our decision. Leaving Toyota was difficult because, as a car manufacturer, they are involved in management-level rallies and want to do it big and correctly. But it was a private team, like M-Sport. Instead, Hyundai can be considered a factory team, ”Märtin told Delfi.

But this virtue of Hyundai is closely linked to another of the great secret plans: to find a manufacturer that will lead a new project in the R5 vehicle market.

Initially, he aimed to achieve the objective with Toyota, to develop his new Yaris R5, whose future launch would play an important role in the customer racing market for rally. But in November last year, the former pilot and Tänak representative denied this version.

“That story has been a complete invention. The same happened with the desire to represent R5 cars. All this is nonsense created by the Finnish media. I don't want to lead any team, nor is there any issue with R5 cars. Facing something like that would only mean an extra sacrifice and the income could only represent a minimal part of the contract. We have been working with our team for 15 years (N.de.R: MM Motorsport) and this is not something that should be changed by making extreme decisions. ”

Despite this, the Finnish driver Riku Tahko, owner of his homonymous team and columnist in the Yle media, was reluctant to believe Markko Martin's statements. On the contrary, he explained what were the reasons that truncated the initial project with Toyota and why the idea found its perfect niche in Hyundai.

“Markko's negotiation plan was for Tänak to drive, but his team, MM Motorsport, would get the rights to build the Toyota R5. It would have been a great deal! At that point, Ott's salary and contract would have been just a small drop in the ocean. ”

Tahko said the “R5 project” was also one of the great factors that has played a crucial role in the negotiations that led Ott Tänak and his representative, Markko Martin, to sign with Hyundai by 2020. “In the future we will see that there will be cooperation between MM Motorsport and Hyundai. The brand is developing its new R5 and I think MM Motorsport will be involved, ”the Finn had anticipated in November.

To graph the size of the commercial interests that were at stake in the negotiations between Hyundai Motorsport and the Markko Martin team, Tahko compared this case with those of Skoda Motorsport and M-Sport, the two leading sales structures, within the market of customer careers.

“The average price of an R5 car is € 250,000. Skoda has sold more than 300 R5 cars and M-Sport more than 200. Everyone knows how big this business is. Even Volkswagen has a queue of more than a year of orders with its Polo R5, ”said Tahko. “Right now, Toyota is the largest car manufacturer in the world and its World Rally Car is the fastest in the championship. Your Yaris R5 could be a very interesting product. ”

In the fall of 2019, Ott Tänak bought a small part of MM Motorsport, a team that at that time carried out the Toyota Gazoo Racing Rally Challenge, the Japanese driver training program that was driven by the aforementioned brand. Until 2018, Markko Martin's team competed with Hiroki Arai and Takamoto Katsuta, until the manufacturer opted for this last driver as the favorite to endorse.

“The collaboration between Tommi Makinen (N.de.R: Toyota Gazoo Racing director) and Märtin has started with R5 projects. MM Motorsport has been operating the Ford Fiesta R5 of Takamoto Katsuta for many years in the Toyota development program, which also included Hiroki Arai. I am sure that this big business has the R5 and Tänak in the background, ”explained Riku Tahko.


The Toyota project to create its Yaris R5 has been underway for a long time and Tommi Makinen himself had revealed it since April last year. However, Yle reported that since then there has been no progress.

“We do a lot of research on the R5 car. We have conducted market research and preparation. We still don't have a decision on how we are going to operate. The decision will probably come from Japan, ”Makinen had told Yle two months ago. “The finished R5 car will not be seen in action, at least in the near future. If it takes shape, it will take at least a couple of years, ”Makinen warned. "In any case, the R5 is not entirely planned"

According to Tahko's vision, “Toyota didn't have the right street car to build the R5. The previous Yaris engine was not the one for an R5 ”. However, the new version of the Japanese model, unveiled at the end of last year and presented at the Tokyo Auto Salon, already employs a new 1.6 three-cylinder engine.

Toyota sent a request to the FIA ​​to achieve the authorization of this type of driving plants, although Rallye Magazin informed that the latest regulatory modifications on this type of mechanics will be approved on January 1, 2021, which will further delay the arrival of the new Yaris rally.

http://motorboxradio.com.ar/2020/01/...mercado-de-r5/

[Gregor-y]

One can't blame Tanak for thinking long term. Look at the career trajectories of Martin, Wilson and Makinen. Going further there's Dave Richards or if you're really lucky Jean Todt.

[AnttiL]

Why should he confirm during time of negotiations. Not BS in my point of view. Only secrets not ready to be official.

It's a different thing to say "some other people have made up that I want do X" instead of "I haven't agreed on X" or "I cannot comment on X". It's just the same arrogance as Tänak had in late 2017 when he in his column despised people spreading rumors about him leaving M-Sport, or telling David Evans directly in the face that he's not leaving M-Sport.

[AnttiL]

there is difference between Hyundai and Toyota R5 programs.. One team has already got a good car ready to race, other team's car is only being mentioned in the interviews..

How many WRC2 wins does the Hyundai R5 have? right, zero. And Hyundai will come out with a new car later this year, so in that sense they're quite similar gigs for a team.

[dimviii]

One can't blame Tanak for thinking long term. Look at the career trajectories of Martin, Wilson and Makinen. Going further there's Dave Richards or if you're really lucky Jean Todt.

of course no one can blame Ott and Marko for grabbing this opportunity.
Once in 100 lifetimes happens something like that.
i would do the same.

[AnttiL]

discuss guys

This is like a round-up of Märtin's Delfi interview, Mäkinen/Tahko YLE interview and what we've discussed here, nothing new.

[dimviii]

How many WRC2 wins does the Hyundai R5 have? right, zero.

thats not a problem

And Hyundai will come out with a new car later this year, so in that sense they're quite similar gigs for a team.

even better,money from today and many years more.

[doubled1978]

of course no one can blame Ott and Marko for grabbing this opportunity.
Once in 100 lifetimes happens something like that.
i would do the same.

Not at all, I would do the same...