[WRC] News & Rumours 2019

[Zeakiwi]

Why not spice things up a bit and have open road rallies like the safari? The FIA said a few years they wanted to go retro and have longer more traditional type events.
Save the rally organisers the expense of organising chicanes if the general public/ cars are still using the roads. Public provided the rocks on the road for McRae at the safari, cattle in the way of Makinen (Corsica?) and Kankkunen (Safari), sheep for Sainz (NZ), logs on the road for Sainz (GB)
https://youtu.be/9vFzadU1E4I

[Tauri_J]

Why not spice things up a bit and have open road rallies like the safari? The FIA said a few years they wanted to go retro and have longer more traditional type events.

When in the hell did you hear that? Its totally opposite what the FIA has been saying last years.

and btw I was joking about blaming the tractor driver lol

[the sniper]

https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/1...ctly--rally-gb

If this becomes reality I will personally start a gofundme to pay french farmers to dump shit in front of the FIA headquarters. Stupidest regulations suggestion I have read for a loooong time!

If you appreciate how lost British rallying is, it came as no surprise to see Iain Campbell dumbfounded on Twitter by the idea that we weren't all onboard with the 'virtual chicanes' idea... No doubt in the UK we'll eventually see stage rallying smothered further by this innovation, ensuring the 70mph average speed is strictly maintained, areas where spectators might accumulate neutralised, and any corner that might be considered 'dangerous' (with an ever broadening definition as the years go on) by ever fearful organisers diluted.

Luckily in the UK the powers that be don't need to worry about what cars cruising through reduced-speed zones looks like from the outside, as there are very few spectators left on most rallies... The organisers/MSA consider that to be a job well done.

[peg306]

Patrik Flodin will do the swedish championship with a Fabia R5 next year, and are also aiming at driving Rally Sweden and Rally Finland.
https://www.emotorsport.se/nyheter.p...yhets_id=16463

[Hartusvuori]

if you appreciate how lost british rallying is, it came as no surprise to see iain campbell dumbfounded on twitter by the idea that we weren't all onboard with the 'virtual chicanes' idea... No doubt in the uk we'll eventually see stage rallying smothered further by this innovation, ensuring the 70mph average speed is strictly maintained, areas where spectators might accumulate neutralised, and any corner that might be considered 'dangerous' (with an ever broadening definition as the years go on) by ever fearful organisers diluted.

Luckily in the uk the powers that be don't need to worry about what cars cruising through reduced-speed zones looks like from the outside, as there are very few spectators left on most rallies... The organisers/msa consider that to be a job well done.

it's the end of the woooooooooorld!!!!

[itix]

If you appreciate how lost British rallying is, it came as no surprise to see Iain Campbell dumbfounded on Twitter by the idea that we weren't all onboard with the 'virtual chicanes' idea... No doubt in the UK we'll eventually see stage rallying smothered further by this innovation, ensuring the 70mph average speed is strictly maintained, areas where spectators might accumulate neutralised, and any corner that might be considered 'dangerous' (with an ever broadening definition as the years go on) by ever fearful organisers diluted.

Luckily in the UK the powers that be don't need to worry about what cars cruising through reduced-speed zones looks like from the outside, as there are very few spectators left on most rallies... The organisers/MSA consider that to be a job well done.

Not trying to be an arse about it but in my business, the British have always had a thing for safety on paper rather than safety in reality.

I work on a Tanker so safety is of the essence. We were loading on a non disclosed location in western UK and the stacks of papers we had to sign and the amount of checklists we had to do was insane (as it always is in the UK). Then as soon as we started loading, the pipe supplying us burst a hole and they had to stop. We were grounded there for quite a while they fixed the issue and we had plenty of time watching how things looked like at the terminal. It was run down to a point you wouldn't believe. Exposed bare wires and connections in an explosion classed environment, steam leaks everywhere, so much rust on pipes and structures, holes in the walls of some buildings, hand rails and fences missing etc etc.

We also loaded or discharged (don't remember) at another UK terminal when our chief officer was on the quay (why is that pronounced "key" btw?) to inspect the draught marks on the side of the ship when he fell through (!) the quay which broke underneath him and into some kind of drain tank they had built into the dock. Luckily he caught himself with his arms or he would have fallen into the oily tank itself. We wrote a big angry report (British love reports) about it and we got a reply (as well as a safety issue) stating it was forbidden to access the quay. Nothing was done about the obvious safety hazard. "now we have a piece of paper saying it's safe so therefor it is safe".

Many years we came back there and nothing had been done. Eventually when we came back, they had put some yellow plastic chain around the hole, presumably after someone fell in and died. The hole was still there and still not fixed.

This is British safety for you. On paper it looks great, in reality, not so much.

[rallyfiend]

The talk of virtual chicanes started long time before the tractor in Australia.

As soon as the FIA appointed SAS to the role of providing the timing and tracking, with this as a feature of their system, it was an inevitability that it would one day be introduced.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

So using that definition, are you genuinely suggesting that someone can’t post ‘speculation’ In the news and rumours round and that it has to go in the silly season round?

Yep , otherwise what's the point in having two threads.

[Andre Oliveira]

Mads Østberg on facebook

I'M SORRY TO INFORM YOU ALL - NO WRC DEAL FOR ME IN 2019
As you all probably know by now Citroën Racing has decided to run only two cars in the next years championship. With no 3rd car, my last option for a WRC contract disappeared. I’m really sorry and disappointed right now. I felt at home with the team and happy with the way we were moving forward as a team. Thank you to all the good people at Citroën Racing for the 2018 season that started with one rally but ended up driving 8. It was great while it lasted. Now its time to buckle up and fight back. I’ve done it before and I can do it again! I’m open for different possibilities, but WRC is of course where my heart lies. Now it’s time to get back to the “drawing board” finding a way to fight my way back. I’m not done being a rally driver. Actually I feel like I’ve never been better. So if you got a car and a team, look me up. Any suggestions? #fightingviking

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Back on the chicanes debate, saw this suggestion:

How about donuts instead of virtual chicanes?
+Neat driving rewarded with quick times.
+Mistakes should only see time loss not damage.
+More entertaining (even if abit artificial).
+The (pointless) lower average speed would be achieved.
https://t.co/Oppfcjk69L