Silly Season 2019

[mknight]

Struggling to remember when Loeb or Ogier had to use own money /sponsors that they found money to drive. A very recent example is Lappi, don't recall him paying for seat for any longer period either.

[Tarmop]

Ogier was helped by FFSA, PSA was also in his career quite early. Not sure what was the case with Loeb, although he also had "private" starts before. Lappi happened to be Finnish in a new Finnish team, young WRC2 champ...just another exception.

E: First start with a WRC car, in WRC for Loeb: Rally Tour de Corse 2000 - Rallye de France WRC
Toyota Corolla WRC
K-AM 608 Equipe de France FFSA
First WRC Start 1999: Rallye Catalunya - Costa Brava - Rallye de España
WRC
Citroën Saxo Kit Car
8116 MT 52 Equipe de France FFSA

First start in WRC for Ogier: Corona Rally Mexico 2008 JWRC
Citroën C2 S1600
7214 NE 52 Equipe de France FFSA

[Allez Andruet]

Struggling to remember when Loeb or Ogier had to use own money /sponsors that they found money to drive. A very recent example is Lappi, don't recall him paying for seat for any longer period either.

No-one does it for free, that's for sure. The FFSA program was/is just like a sponsorship deal would be, at the end of the day someone is paying. It doesn't change the fundamentals of the game even though the funding is coming from a federation.

And the same goes for Lappi. I doubt that the Fiesta S2000, in which he burst onto the scene in 2012, was given him just like that by Printsport.

[mknight]

Not exactly "longer period". When did Neuville pay? (must be before 207 time)

Etc, etc. list of "nobodies" is getting long.

The practice of buying yourself a WRC "factory" seat is cancer Joukhi brough to WRC with Hirvonen at Subaru in 2004 and Wilson was more than happy to embrace since then.

[Essaj]

Struggling to remember when Loeb or Ogier had to use own money /sponsors that they found money to drive. A very recent example is Lappi, don't recall him paying for seat for any longer period either.

Lappi / EVEN paid everything until Skoda and if I recall correctly Veiby/even jumped in to fund his S2000 drives. after that EP has been pure profit so they hit kind of a gold mine with him.

[mknight]

No-one does it for free, that's for sure. The FFSA program was/is just like a sponsorship deal would be, at the end of the day someone is paying. It doesn't change the fundamentals of the game even though the funding is coming from a federation.
.

Off course it's not like a driver comes from nowhere and gets paid. But historically arranging your own drive was only needed on low levels before they proved themselfs. At WRC factory seat level it is only a fashion last 14 years and still it doesn't count for everyone.

[mknight]

Lappi / EVEN paid everything until Skoda and if I recall correctly Veiby/even jumped in to fund his S2000 drives. after that EP has been pure profit so they hit kind of a gold mine with him.

Before Skoda means 3rd or 2nd level at best.

[Allez Andruet]

The practice of buying yourself a WRC "factory" seat is cancer Joukhi brough to WRC with Hirvonen at Subaru in 2004 and Wilson was more than happy to embrace since then.

Come on now, do your homework. "Buying a seat" has been part of the game basically as long as the sport has existed in its modern form. Jouhki, not Joukhi, wasn't the one inventing it. And actually Jouhki's clients have also been victims of this same procedure; in 2001, if I recall it right, the third Focus was already promised for Gardemeister, but then came Delecour with money from Ford France and rest is history.

[Essaj]

Off course it's not like a driver comes from nowhere and gets paid. But historically arranging your own drive was only needed on low levels before they proved themselfs. At WRC factory seat level it is only a fashion last 14 years and still it doesn't count for everyone.

So many drivers and only a few seats, no team is going hire drivers who haven't proven themselves. It's pretty impossible to find factory backing from junior days onwards so own/sponsor/manager backing is needed.

[Allez Andruet]

Off course it's not like a driver comes from nowhere and gets paid. But historically arranging your own drive was only needed on low levels before they proved themselfs. At WRC factory seat level it is only a fashion last 14 years and still it doesn't count for everyone.

Sorry to say it, but 1) that statement is totally incorrect, and 2) you're messing up things about "buying a seat" and funding one with a sponsorship deal.