[ERC] Barum Czech Rally ZlÃ*n

[RS]

What happened to the Fiesta R5's ? Not close to matching the S2000s is disappointing when they are supposed to be the future.

It seems they haven't got the suspension very well sorted for these very bumpy types of roads. Both Valousek and Kostka reported problems in this respect, Kostka went as far as to say it was "undriveable".

Of course part of it is that neither driver is as fast as Kopecky on this event, but I have to say I was expecting a bit better from them.

I really think the Fiesta will suffer from lack of development time when the Peugeot and Skoda come out.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

It seems they haven't got the suspension very well sorted for these very bumpy types of roads. Both Valousek and Kostka reported problems in this respect,

I really think the Fiesta will suffer from lack of development time when the Peugeot and Skoda come out.

The thing is, the Fiesta R5 was the first R5 out and seems to have been in development for the longest so should be the most sorted ...

Surely the R5 should at least be very close to a 4-5 year old design Skoda, and only beaten by one as Kopecky is the class driver in the event ?

I see Valousek is doing better today but are the others just taking it easy wanting to ensure they finish ?

[RS]

The thing is, the Fiesta R5 was the first R5 out and seems to have been in development for the longest so should be the most sorted ...

Well, right now it is the only homologated R5. The development process seemed quite short to me, Skoda and Peugeot will both have longer.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

The long experience M-Sport has with the Fiesta WRC & RRC should mean they know how to set-up the car ...

Maybe the S2000's are still the better cars and the R5 is showing its created to a lower budget. Plus turbo-cars can be less easy to drive than N/A ones.

[bluuford]

I think it is taking some time to set up new car for such a specific conditions like they have in Barum. If you look the times from day 2 then Valoušek is leading by nearly 15 sec in front of Jan and over half a minute in front of Pech (how long time he was away from real competition, Valoušek I mean). So, he is doing much better today even if the others are not pushing 100%

[Jarek Z]

I think it is taking some time to set up new car for such a specific conditions like they have in Barum. If you look the times from day 2 then Valoušek is leading by nearly 15 sec in front of Jan and over half a minute in front of Pech (how long time he was away from real competition, Valoušek I mean). So, he is doing much better today even if the others are not pushing 100%

Yes, Valousek is the fastest driver of Leg 2. He already managed to move from the 14th position up to 8th and has chances for 7th. Good job!

[Jarek Z]

I'm afraid that both Austrian crews are out of the 2WD competition. Danziger crashed on SS6 and Neubauer has some technical problems with his Suzuki today. Jan Cerny comfortably leads 2wd category one minute in front of Elwis Chentre.

[marcosg]

You can't compare Valousek times with Pech and Jan today... Pech tried last push this morning but chose wrong tires... So soon both controlled there pace right after Majak... And then Kresta punctured... Maybe you could compare times with Kresta... He says its his last rally and after he lost the podium and the chance to catch Pech he seems to be pushing just for fun and stage wins

[RS]

Rally is over. Another win for Kopecky, not unexpected but he still showed his dominance by winning all the stages yesterday. I believe he could have done the same today had he wished to do so. Congratulations to Jan, Pavel and Skoda.

I guess the disappointments of the rally were the R5 pace and the other two Skoda Motorsport drivers. Not quite the same as the days when we had Kopecky, Hanninen and Loix all fighting for the win!

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Another foregone conclusion - a win by Kopecky.

Not sure there is much point in these events being in the ERC if no-one else is going to attend them.

Looks like the organisers are using girls more than cars to attract the spectators !
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