[WRC] Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2019

[Tarmop]

ONLY after what, Neuville/Hyundai said they`ll do the same when necessary...and now got the chance. Playing with rules has always been started bu Ogier and in orer to benefit him or his team. Surely Eddie can`t expect other not to follow?

[racerx1979]

Adamo letting everyone know the real mobsters come from Italy, not France. Lol.

[Morte66]

I don't blame anybody for using the rules to advantage. But I want the rules to change so this bollocks stops. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem easy.

[SubaruNorway]

Looking at Meeke spin on the power stage, you have to have some sympathy for him. The tree stump was getting more exposed with each car, otherwise he would habe had it in his pacenotes, and he commited to the angle of attack well before the apex, and most likely the wheel was open, and just snagged the tree stump. Tough one, he maybe was cutting too much, but very fine margins. Dont think he should be too disheartened. He was only 2s off the lead couple of hours earlier. Strong performance, and glad to see him up with top 3 again.

No, came in too hot pulled the handbrake and went too tight. The stump was there when Mikkelsen rolled in 2017

[stefanvv]

ONLY after what, Neuville/Hyundai said they`ll do the same when necessary...and now got the chance. Playing with rules has always been started bu Ogier and in orer to benefit him or his team. Surely Eddie can`t expect other not to follow?

Uh oh. Playing with rules has always been part of any sport. Ogier didn't invented them, and certainly didn't killed all the dinosaurs, nor Kennedy.
Let's be fair, Hyundai already imposed these 5-6 years ago. Sweden 2018 in everyone's mouth sounds just ridiculous, heloooooooo, make your senses sorted.

[BigWorm]

Hyundai definitely played some naughty tactics this rally, perfectly legal but not very nice. Ogier's comments could very well be true, Hyundai seem to be a bit desperate this year and desperate times call for desperate measures. At the same time, drivers like Ogier have enormous egos and self-pride and will most likely twist some comments here and there for their own good about stage times, car performance etc. With no real proof of the Sordo situation it's hard to believe either side.

[doubled1978]

I doubt we will find the exact truth anytime soon, the only people who know for sure are in the employ of Hyundai (everyone else is hearing it from someone else).
Who knows if it was a serious suggestion to perform such a tactic, or just a jokey comment made amongst the guys, or never happened at all...
If it was a serious suggestion and what Ogier is saying is correct, then we all as rally fans should applaud and respect Sordo for refusing it. I don’t have a major problem with the shuffling order tactics as it’s kind of part of the game, and has been in one form or other for decades, but something that would actually place a competitor in a dangerous situation by design (thick dust) is another matter, and actually the WRC/FIA should investigate it.
Moving forward if they want to stop the shuffle of order, I guess they could impose a more severe time penalty for each minute of lateness, and insist that any car missing its start time move completely to the back of the field (within its own class) so it can’t affect anyone more than another one.

[mknight]

Moving forward if they want to stop the shuffle of order, I guess they could impose a more severe time penalty for each minute of lateness, and insist that any car missing its start time move completely to the back of the field (within its own class) so it can’t affect anyone more than another one.

Time penalties don't matter when the cars are last WRCs running. Not sure it's possible to realize the "moving them to back of the starters" part in practice.

Removing manu points might help, but for example here Hyundai could then still do it with one of the two cars and risk that they don't score if the other one crashes/retires. Similarly Citroen could still have done it in Sweden cause they don't care about manu points.

[Morte66]

It would be better if the teams and drivers agreed that "We'll stop doing it if you stop doing it".

Too much to ask...

[doubled1978]

Time penalties don't matter when the cars are last WRCs running. Not sure it's possible to realize the "moving them to back of the starters" part in practice.

Removing manu points might help, but for example here Hyundai could then still do it with one of the two cars and risk that they don't score if the other one crashes/retires. Similarly Citroen could still have done it in Sweden cause they don't care about manu points.

The problem is the rule is there currently to penalise a bit guys who are genuinely late to a time control, not ones who are using the rules to gain an advantage for either themselves or a team mate. How do you distinguish between the genuine one, and the tactical one...very difficult in practice to say the guy stopped with his bonnet up on the road section is playing games.
If you move anyone late to the back, they can’t influence one car more than another...