88. Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 2020

[Karbonyl]

and here is the crux, genuine question and not just arguing for the toss, but if the car is equipped with a device that measures the G force of a crash, would it not have automatically triggered a red flag if a car had an impact measuring 100G?

I'm sure that red flag shouldn't be automated and should rely on manual control of the rally dispatchers. From real experience the G-sensor in the monitoring unit doesn't recognise if the car hits something or just runs into a sharp hole or lands heavy on a jump, and can send false alarm despite the car continues running. If the alarm would launch the automated red flag, most of the stages would be cancelled without reason.

[masa90]

I really enjoyed the rally. Though must say I missed Citroen and having more teams on. I just feel like there was so few cars on there, bit like from 2003->2004.

[denkimi]

I'm sure that red flag shouldn't be automated and should rely on manual control of the rally dispatchers. From real experience the G-sensor in the monitoring unit doesn't recognise if the car hits something or just runs into a sharp hole or lands heavy on a jump, and can send false alarm despite the car continues running. If the alarm would launch the automated red flag, most of the stages would be cancelled without reason.

I'm sure you know, but for those who don't:

They all have a semi automated system that is activated automatically by stopping in the stage. At that point the equipe either has to push the ok button, or the sos button. If they push neither button within a minute, race control tries will suspect an emergency and should stop the stage. That is, as far as i'm aware, the theory.
In practice most cases or just codrivers forgetting to push the button when stuck or replacing a tyre, so race control will first try to contact the equipe or the mashals close by to confirm the situation.

[AnttiL]

I'm sure you know, but for those who don't:

They all have a semi automated system that is activated automatically by stopping in the stage. At that point the equipe either has to push the ok button, or the sos button. If they push neither button within a minute, race control tries will suspect an emergency and should stop the stage. That is, as far as i'm aware, the theory.
In practice most cases or just codrivers forgetting to push the button when stuck or replacing a tyre, so race control will first try to contact the equipe or the mashals close by to confirm the situation.

In 2018 Mexico Loeb changed a tyre and they forgot to push the OK button. The stage wasn't automatically red flagged, but I think they were penalized for it.

[PLuto]

Job of rally control is not easy, but they are checking informations from all possible sources - GPS, marshalls, radiopoints, onboard cameras (and I am often using also spectators-friends). Every situation is very specific and it is up to the people to decide if the stage is interrupted, red flagged, sending ambulance/rescue system or nothing...

[dimviii]

Sébastien Loeb himself decided not to participate in the second round of the World Rally Championship.

In the wake of a Monte-Carlo Rally where "the planets were not aligned", Sébastien Loeb disappeared Monday from the entry list for the Rally of Sweden, where he would normally have been present. The announcement was made by the Hyundai team, the nine-time World Champion giving way to Craig Breen without the South Korean manufacturer providing explanations other than elusive. Loeb gave them in person: his boss Andrea Adamo asked him the question directly on the evening of the Monte-Carlo and the Alsatian grabbed the pole.
Also read:

Hyundai replaces Loeb for Rally Sweden

The context is twofold for the Frenchman, who is obviously upset by this difficult first rally, painfully completed in fifth place and with times that are far too far from the best. "It was certainly not the rally we were hoping for, the whole weekend was difficult," he said. "Everything was fine until the second day but then we were overwhelmed." This poor performance is compounded by the difficult conditions that threaten the Rally Sweden. The snow is there for the moment and the holding of the event is not even assured to date. This was enough to convince Loeb to pass his turn.

"So I didn't particularly want to go there, but since it was decided like that with the team, I intended to respect the commitment," he revealed in an interview with the newspaper L'Équipe. "Andrea probably felt something and, on Sunday evening, he asked me if I wanted to do Sweden. He told me that I was doing as I felt, but that I had to decide quickly because the limit for a crew change was this Monday. It didn't take me more than twenty seconds to decide. "
Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena, Hyundai Motorsport Hyundai i20 WRC Coupe

This decision taken in his soul and conscience, Sébastien Loeb suspected that it would cause a stir until it was explained. "I knew people were going to react by saying that I was fucked outside!" loose there. Reactions that stir little the character, who preferred to trust his feelings, also recalling that his commitment to Hyundai was to "move the team forward" and that he refused to be "a brake" in such a case figure: "Going to Sweden to run in crappy conditions, while the others are going to ride like savages and it was going to have to be pinned down to try to do something, I didn't really feel it".

Sébastien Loeb's partial program is again structured around six rallies this year, and his absence in Sweden does not call this number into question for the moment. On the other hand, the Monte-Carlo came to reinforce the conclusions that the pilot was already drawing at the end of October, when he questioned his performance, which had become better on land than on asphalt. This trend could therefore provoke a change of approach to define the rest of the season. "We may be thinking about orienting the program on dirt heats, because it's obvious that I can't make time with the i20 on asphalt," concludes Loeb.

https://fr.motorsport.com/wrc/news/l...suede/4677524/

[doubled1978]

Sébastien Loeb himself decided not to participate in the second round of the World Rally Championship.

In the wake of a Monte-Carlo Rally where "the planets were not aligned", Sébastien Loeb disappeared Monday from the entry list for the Rally of Sweden, where he would normally have been present. The announcement was made by the Hyundai team, the nine-time World Champion giving way to Craig Breen without the South Korean manufacturer providing explanations other than elusive. Loeb gave them in person: his boss Andrea Adamo asked him the question directly on the evening of the Monte-Carlo and the Alsatian grabbed the pole.
Also read:

Hyundai replaces Loeb for Rally Sweden

The context is twofold for the Frenchman, who is obviously upset by this difficult first rally, painfully completed in fifth place and with times that are far too far from the best. "It was certainly not the rally we were hoping for, the whole weekend was difficult," he said. "Everything was fine until the second day but then we were overwhelmed." This poor performance is compounded by the difficult conditions that threaten the Rally Sweden. The snow is there for the moment and the holding of the event is not even assured to date. This was enough to convince Loeb to pass his turn.

"So I didn't particularly want to go there, but since it was decided like that with the team, I intended to respect the commitment," he revealed in an interview with the newspaper L'Équipe. "Andrea probably felt something and, on Sunday evening, he asked me if I wanted to do Sweden. He told me that I was doing as I felt, but that I had to decide quickly because the limit for a crew change was this Monday. It didn't take me more than twenty seconds to decide. "
Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena, Hyundai Motorsport Hyundai i20 WRC Coupe

This decision taken in his soul and conscience, Sébastien Loeb suspected that it would cause a stir until it was explained. "I knew people were going to react by saying that I was fucked outside!" loose there. Reactions that stir little the character, who preferred to trust his feelings, also recalling that his commitment to Hyundai was to "move the team forward" and that he refused to be "a brake" in such a case figure: "Going to Sweden to run in crappy conditions, while the others are going to ride like savages and it was going to have to be pinned down to try to do something, I didn't really feel it".

Sébastien Loeb's partial program is again structured around six rallies this year, and his absence in Sweden does not call this number into question for the moment. On the other hand, the Monte-Carlo came to reinforce the conclusions that the pilot was already drawing at the end of October, when he questioned his performance, which had become better on land than on asphalt. This trend could therefore provoke a change of approach to define the rest of the season. "We may be thinking about orienting the program on dirt heats, because it's obvious that I can't make time with the i20 on asphalt," concludes Loeb.

https://fr.motorsport.com/wrc/news/l...suede/4677524/

To be fair, he’s clearly being honest. As I recall he didn’t really want to do Sweden last year and I don’t blame him at all for not fancying it this year either with the potential dodgy conditions. Better to let ones of the guys with something to prove have a go.
He hasn’t been able to get the best out of car on tarmac, so best to have a go at some gravel rallies where he is comfortable with the car and with a good road position...

[mknight]

One final thought about Ogier at Monte. I read a lot of comments how he now wasn't the fastest while he won all those previous year.

Yes discounting the VW year he won in 2017-2019, but he wasn't really fastest in any of those years.
In 2017 Neuville was beating him quite clearly, even if you remove the 40s lost in a ditch.
In 2018 again Neuville was quicker most of the time (but lost lot of time in start stuck on the side of the road)
Finally last year Tanak was clearly fastest and Neuville could also have beat him if he didn't go off road on that junction.

In light of that this year's performance doesn't really stand out. The only catch there is that he wasn't clearly beating his teammate.

[AndyRAC]

I'm pretty sure he only set one fastest stage time when he won in 2009 in the Peugeot...

[br21]

According to FIA onboard accelerometers it was 35G, I don't know how accurate they are, but I believe quite good, as together with dashboard face facing camera they are used to analyze the accidents and implement additional safety features. And in this value I can believe, as he didn't hit anything solid that stopped the car (creating big G), he basically slide over those first obstacles.
Those sensors are not used for red flagging automatically, but they are additional information, together with temperature sensor (for fire), etc. So if car stops suddenly with big G then it's most likely some accident, which makes rally people more aware about the situation, comparing to stop to change a tire when crew forgets to press OK button, which happens very often...
Anyway for me it was very difficult event, like every Monte basically. Tire choice complicated in two, maybe three situations, but road conditions changed a lot from recce time, so for small teams with not much information it was tricky.