WRC 2021 • Silly season

[the sniper]

I see some rumors about Solberg to Toyota (quality = dubious)

Sounds wrong to me for multiple reasons...
- running 6 cars while developing new car in less than a year and with both Rovanpera and Katsuta learning?
- why learn this car when next one in 1 year will be quite different (powertrain and centerdif)
- he still needs rally experience on a lot of rallies, learning it with R5 is so much cheaper

Maybe the rumors means that he will be somehow connected/employed by Toyota, not that he will drive WRC with them next year. (Katsuta was "at Toyota" and drove Fiesta R5)

I think the biggest problem with being in a Toyota is being in the same car as Kalle, inviting unwelcome comparisons between them when Oliver will still be trying to learn the rallies...

Surely there'll be less difference between a WRC 2021 and WRC 2022 than an R5/Rally2 and a 2022 WRC?

[mknight]

Surely there'll be less difference between a WRC 2021 and WRC 2022 than an R5/Rally2 and a 2022 WRC?

I am not so sure

- the powersystem with electric low-rev (I guess) power will be different to both

- aero will be "same" on WRCs

- active center diff will disappear just like it's missing on R5, this has a lot to say on how you drive the car in slow corners imo

[Morte66]

Do we know Neuville's contract status?

[EstWRC]

for details you must contact Adamo or Pernasse but he contracted till the end of 2021 as far as i know

[Morte66]

for details you must contact Adamo or Pernasse but he contracted till the end of 2021 as far as i know

Thank you. So if Ogier is doing one and only one more year at Toyota, that creates an obvious possibility...

[er88]

If true, Toyota might be jumping the gun a little on Solberg - but like Kalle - he's probably worth it (if they did sign him up from next season).

Could help run him in an R5 (Skoda/Ford/VW) for a lot of the events, test the current and new WRC car, drive a few rounds in the WRC car in 21 and then be in a place to take the 3rd driver role in the main team when Ogier retires.

You couldn't blame any of the teams trying to lock him down early on a long term contract, due to the massive potential he has. Shame Malcolm is more concerned with his racetrack rather than good drivers thesedays, as I feel Solberg growing & developing for a few years at Msport under Malcolm would be a slightly less pressurised environment for him, than in the Toyota main team next to Evans and particularly Kalle. Would rejuvenate the whole Msport team too, as currently they are sleepwalking.

[Steve Boyd]

Surely the answer is clear - Solberg will do WRC in a Toyota R5/Rally2 car!
Pass that one on to the "rumour mill".

[mknight]

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/breen...m-yet-in-2021/

So far it's just Dirtfish speculation, but for sure it's likely, I guess they can adopt how many events Sordo and Breen does "flexibly" trough the year. There is no clear candidate elsewhere either (Lappi?, Adamo clearly doesn't like Mikkelsen (based on preferring Breen for Australia last year, not to mention Sweden)).

Anyway again we get this:

Breen drove the factory World Rally Car twice this season, finishing sixth in Sweden

He was 7th...
With only so few rounds trough the year one could hope those journalists that get paid for this either remember or bother to use 5s to check.

D. Evans has been doing these kind of "stupid" mistakes in every other article at least for last 2 years.

[Sulland]

And Mikkelsen does not like the car, so no worries there.

[EstWRC]

#WRC Cheering megaphone 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣
@OfficialWRC
line-up Star-struck

@DaniSordo and @Craig_Breen will share a third Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC during the season. @OttTanak and @thierryneuville will contest all rounds of the 2021 season!

#HMSGOfficial

https://twitter.com/HMSGOfficial/sta...72985760063491