Silly Season 2019

[dimviii]

[Keiko Hogehoge WRC @ Turkey Diary] Neuville's announcement is that Sebastian Ogier has signed a deal #WRCjp #WRC #RallyTurkey #hogeWRC with Citroen

https://twitter.com/rallyplus/status...90236019560448

[ToughMac]

Don't forget Kajto had a go in one and he won his event in the process!!

[AnttiL]

and Marcus

Marcus=Bosse

[EstWRC]

[Keiko Hogehoge WRC @ Turkey Diary] Neuville's announcement is that Sebastian Ogier has signed a deal #WRCjp #WRC #RallyTurkey #hogeWRC with Citroen

https://twitter.com/rallyplus/status...90236019560448

I belive so too. M-sport left with leftovers then.

[er88]

I belive so too. M-sport left with leftovers then.

Better that way. Msport will be in the championship regardless you'd assume, whereas Citroen would've had to pack up and go home if they couldn't attract one of Seb or Thierry. They needed a top driver.

Malcolm should just go get Meeke. He'll challenge for wins and wreck a few cars while doing it, but they're not going yo challenge for the championships anyway. Suninen has potential and should keep improving, but it's hard to be sure what Evans actually offers. Just doesn't seem to have the pace of the top guys on any surface.

[Rally Power]

Good point which so often gets overlooked. While it can easily be argued that Evans (for example) could rightfully be sent off from the main class for 2019, who would take his place (assuming the replacement comes outside of current WRC roster)? I.e. how many drivers there are, who are likely to score more points than Evans? This is one of the issues the FIA created by launching these new WRC cars which are practically only available for factory teams and drivers. You can say there's Tidemand, but even him, with all the achievements he's had in WRC2, is completely untested in a current-spec WRC.

That’s not a huge issue; Lappi and Suninen also jumped from R5’s to current WRC cars and they managed to adapt rapidly. Besides, most of young drivers haven’t been able to run WRC cars on a regular basis long before 2017, unless there’s a wealthy manager (or parent) supporting them.

Btw, Bouffier also run MC and Corsica on a new Fiesta.

[Allez Andruet]

That’s not a huge issue; Lappi and Suninen also jumped from R5’s to current WRC cars and they managed to adapt rapidly. Besides, most of young drivers haven’t been able to run WRC cars on a regular basis long before 2017, unless there’s a wealthy manager (or parent) supporting them.

Btw, Bouffier also run MC and Corsica on a new Fiesta.

Ofcourse most of the talents competing in lower classes haven't been able to run WRC car, no matter what WRC-generation it has been. But with these new cars, the opportunity has basically been taken away even from the few who could have done it in the past (or so it seems). I mean cases like Hänninen in 2013, Nikara in 2012/2013, PG Anderson in 2013 or Breen in 2014. I think that is contributing to the current and seemingly static driver-up in the main class.

In a nutshell: no, it's not a big issue - yet. If the trend becomes permanent and we start to get more and more Tidemands, then I'd say it is a big issue.

[mknight]

Better that way. Msport will be in the championship regardless you'd assume, whereas Citroen would've had to pack up and go home if they couldn't attract one of Seb or Thierry. They needed a top driver.

Malcolm should just go get Meeke. He'll challenge for wins and wreck a few cars while doing it, but they're not going yo challenge for the championships anyway. Suninen has potential and should keep improving, but it's hard to be sure what Evans actually offers. Just doesn't seem to have the pace of the top guys on any surface.

Exactly (for the first part).

Don't think Malcolm will go for Meeke though. After winning both titles last year he's more likely going into "money making" mode.

[racerx1979]

C'mon Malcom... #meekeithappen

[Fast Eddie WRC]

[Keiko Hogehoge WRC @ Turkey Diary] Neuville's announcement is that Sebastian Ogier has signed a deal #WRCjp #WRC #RallyTurkey #hogeWRC with Citroen

https://twitter.com/rallyplus/status...90236019560448

What is the link where Neuville makes his announcement means Ogier to Citroen confirmed ??