2016 Silly Season

[Lundefaret]

No sure if You are serious. He won class N4 in RACC in 2009 when he was the only driver with the S2000 car on start. Others were with ordinary gr.N cars.

When I look in his statistics he has never win a single event of SWRC/WRC2 while he has been competing for 6 years. His only victory in Wales 2009 was spoiled by a disqualification which wasn't his fault but anyway it was already 6 years a go. Unfortunately there has been no visible progress through the years.

Brynhildsen is a driver with huge potential, but a lack of funds, and a too aggressive (puncture inducing) driving style has set him back. He is naturally quick, and by far the fastest driver in the Norwegian rally championship at the moment. But he has gone in the same trap as many other drivers, thinking that You can do WRC rallies with either Your own team, or a lack of funds, or a combination of both.
For him to be truly great he needs a solid team and a solid economic platform, and he needs to adjust his driving style a little. Cutting etc like he does is okay in a national championship event with short stages, and few km overall, and where You almost know every bump and rock, but in a WRC event its a no go.

We see the same with Lappi. I let EVEN Management know about Lappis challenges when it comes to driving technique, and warned them before 2015 that he was going to have several offs, but they chose not to listen. I am sorry to say I was right.
Lappi is also a very fast driver, but he needs to adjust his driving if he is going to be a WRC contender.
To fight for victories on tough and rough events with stiff competition over 300km+ is completely different to doing it in ERC or national events.
There are a lot of Young talents in this same position: Tideman, Lappi, Brynhildsen, Abbring etc.
Loeb finished rallies, one needs to remember that

[Lundefaret]

The fact with Camilli is this.
Malcom Wilson had not the results he wanted from his young drivers. Evans didn't improve in speed the year when he should most, and Tanak showed sparks of it but finished as the last of the manufacturers drivers due to his inconstistency in both of staying in the road and in speed.

He had three options (I will list them in real Lundefaret style):
I will not consider only easy money as a variable. If Fiesta don't get real results he will sell less of them so he has to bring home podiums and stage wins.

1) give those guys another chance after two years. Was it worth it? I don't think so. If the outcome is almost the same after 2 full years something went wrong and in the third year it will not change too much. The only exception could be made for Tanak and in fact he will contest all rounds but in the DMACK Fiesta with tires he already knows and with a team wthat does not put as much as pressure.

2) Take one of the two drivers. The same goes for this option. Tanak will have his chances with DMACK, Evans would likely be a loss of time.

3) Get rid of them and try again with another young gun. Consider you already have an experienced, consistent and podium-winner driver that will assure you some more performance troughout the year. Now you have to choose the young boy (and with young I don't mean age which does not count that much in rally but experience, that count very much).
Let's make a list of them:

- Tidemand: VAG boy with a contract. Impossible to bring in.
- Lappi: same here.
- Lefebvre: Citroen boy. Impossible to bring in.
- Kubica: not actually a young gun, but he could have been an option. I won't write too much about him otherwise we will talk only of it. But well, Kubica is discarded from the list.
- Breen: it could have been an option but his outings with WRCs were not the most performing, he had a very unlucky season in 2014. I think that judging from his codriver tweet the morning after Camilli was announced he has been considered.
- Camilli: and only one remained. Our french guy won rallye de jeunes and despite his long break and few outings, he showed potential. Of course he did not win anything etc... But he was the only reasonable prospect of the only reasonable option that Wilson had at the end of the season.

I think You are right on the money AL14.

[rp]

What about Brynildsen?
45 WRC races, and the only guy who challenged Tidemand and Lappi in Finland with Dmack tyres.
And in Sweden he was quicker than Tidemand, also with dmack tyres.

The only one...? Nikara was 2nd in WRC 2 after SS 6 and also ahead of Tidemand...

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Meeke news is out tomorrow according to Motorsport News' David Evans...

[paba]

https://twitter.com/F_Gustavsson

"Citroen or Toyota? I might be wrong,but my feeling is that Citroen will be more ready to fight for wins/titles from the word go in 2017 #WRC"

he has just deleted this entry

[EstWRC]

Dropped by Citroen and picked up by Dmack to partner Tänak...

[AL14]

I think You are right on the money AL14.

Only because I have used the lists, right?

[Simmi]

https://twitter.com/F_Gustavsson

"Citroen or Toyota? I might be wrong,but my feeling is that Citroen will be more ready to fight for wins/titles from the word go in 2017 #WRC"

he has just deleted this entry

He's just a Citroen superfan I don't think he has any actual insight into the team. He's just saying what I think the majority of people are thinking.

[paba]

Yeah now I see, I thought he was involved in Citroen's PR

[AndyRAC]

If it is Toyota, then things are looking better for that programme than currently seem. Still think it will be Citroen....but won't be shocked if it isn't.