Silly Season 2022

[Mackie]

The thing is he was on an upward, in 2016. Then he used 2017 to get back into a new team. Problem was he did not gel with the Hyundai, especially on tarmac (ring a bell?). So he got screwed again.

What is often overlooked is that Mikkelsen is a man working for the team. I have followed his vlog on Youtube, and he has a very emphatic behaviour towards his team. He traveled by car to Catalunia to celebrate with the team, and when it was clear that he was going to win he went to some shops and bought plastic glasses and some champagne. Which he assembled and poured himself. Small things.

When he was ousted from Hyundai he had a contract. He could have tried to force his right to participate in Catalunia, but he said to gain the team (and probably his chances) he wouldn't do that. Adamo is ruthless, which some people like. I like team principals who stand by their drivers.

His approach to this year has been steady pace in a safe manner, probably something his team wants. A bit Ogier-like, not faster then what is needed. This isn't what he said at the start of the season, but it is what is wise. I believe a team would by happy to have him on their side, but it is not looking bright.

[mknight]

Look how Tanak stagnated in Hyundai, especially on tarmac where he is now regularly the slowest Hyundai. Right now he can at best get 4th in the championship. Brings some perspective.
Does that prove Tanak is a level below or that he is on the way down?

Before that in VW Mikkelsen was clearly on the way up, slowly compared to say Rovanpera, but he was. In Rally2 this year there was a clear change of approach after Sardinia and then a step up from Estonia onwards. Note the Dirtfish article saying he needs to step up and win rallies before Greece, since then he won all 3. So downward trajectory not so much , more like up and down. Note that he is same age as Breen and their number of starts in rallies is starting to become similar ad well.

Thing with Mikkelsen is that he never was a driver that wins many stages by large margins. It's always "steady pace", once he gets some gap he starts controlling it rather than pushing on. ( see Estonia this year, Greece, Fafe). For some this shows that he "barely" has the pace to win. "Mcrae/Meeke" style of winning one stage big then crashing on next is more popular, even by team bosses, just look at Solberg, Lukyanuk or even Fourmaux.

[EstWRC]

Look how Tanak stagnated in Hyundai, especially on tarmac where he is now regularly the slowest Hyundai. Right now he can at best get 4th in the championship. Brings some perspective.

you know very well why he is 4th in the championship but somehow you always forget these reasons. Put the 50 points to his score that he lost with certain wins in Portugal and Sardegna and he would be third the championship just behind Evans and not so far from Ogier.

Yes, stagnated on tarmac, with that i agree.

BTW Tänak got the same amount podiums + win with last years short season than Mikkelsen got with two full seasons in Hyundai. Brings some perspective.

[Tom K]

Wuorela suggesting Huttunen would be testing the Puma on Thursday

https://mobile.twitter.com/miikawuor...980388871?s=21

Huttunen wrote in social media that he won't be in Hungary, so...

[AnttiL]

Huttunen wrote in social media that we won't be in Hungary, so...

https://twitter.com/huttunenracing/s...019113987?s=21

[Andre Oliveira]

[Mackie]

you know very well why he is 4th in the championship but somehow you always forget these reasons. Put the 50 points to his score that he lost with certain wins in Portugal and Sardegna and he would be third the championship just behind Evans and not so far from Ogier.

Yes, stagnated on tarmac, with that i agree.

BTW Tänak got the same amount podiums + win with last years short season than Mikkelsen got with two full seasons in Hyundai. Brings some perspective.

When Mikkelsen doesn't feel the car does what it should, he backs off. Tänak tries to push trough. Sometimes he crashes because of it, some times he gets better results. Tänak did this after Mikkelsen was denied changes he wanted. Tänak is very vocal when things are bad, I wonder what he would have said if he had gotten the car Mikkelsen was driving in 2018. The perspective is not that clear, but it looks clear on paper. I think the Rally1 concept will suit Tänak better the WRC i20, and i think Neuville knows this.

[AnttiL]

Thing with Mikkelsen is that he never was a driver that wins many stages by large margins. It's always "steady pace", once he gets some gap he starts controlling it rather than pushing on. ( see Estonia this year, Greece, Fafe). For some this shows that he "barely" has the pace to win. "Mcrae/Meeke" style of winning one stage big then crashing on next is more popular, even by team bosses, just look at Solberg, Lukyanuk or even Fourmaux.

When Mikkelsen doesn't feel the car does what it should, he backs off. Tänak tries to push trough. Sometimes he crashes because of it, some times he gets better results. Tänak did this after Mikkelsen was denied changes he wanted. Tänak is very vocal when things are bad, I wonder what he would have said if he had gotten the car Mikkelsen was driving in 2018. The perspective is not that clear, but it looks clear on paper. I think the Rally1 concept will suit Tänak better the WRC i20, and i think Neuville knows this.

Mikkelsen also crashed. For example Australia 2017, Finland 2018 or Monte 2019.

Problem was he did not gel with the Hyundai, especially on tarmac (ring a bell?). So he got screwed again.

Mikkelsen was actually doing quite well in the Hyundai, especially on technical gravel. Instantly in his first three events he was leading Spain and Australia after first days. It was quite often technical problems or punctures ruining the rallies (like Argentina and Sardinia 2018, retired from lead). But in some rallies he was just lost and off the pace. All tarmac rallies, as well as Chile, Wales and Spain 2019.

Difficult to say why he's not getting a seat instead of others. Maybe team bosses don't see him as a future prospect or maybe he demands a higher salary than "future prospects".

Also it's wrong to bring someone like Fourmaux into the comparison, we haven't seen yet what he can do. And AFAIK Lukyanuk doesn't have a deal from any team boss, he's constantly gathering budget.

[Mackie]

Mikkelsen also crashed. For example Australia 2017, Finland 2018 or Monte 2019.

Mikkelsen was actually doing quite well in the Hyundai, especially on technical gravel. Instantly in his first three events he was leading Spain and Australia after first days. It was quite often technical problems or punctures ruining the rallies (like Argentina and Sardinia 2018, retired from lead). But in some rallies he was just lost and off the pace. All tarmac rallies, as well as Chile, Wales and Spain 2019.

Difficult to say why he's not getting a seat instead of others. Maybe team bosses don't see him as a future prospect or maybe he demands a higher salary than "future prospects".

Also it's wrong to bring someone like Fourmaux into the comparison, we haven't seen yet what he can do. And AFAIK Lukyanuk doesn't have a deal from any team boss, he's constantly gathering budget.

Mikkelsen crashes, and they are weird. He had an off in the Skôda this year coming out of a corner when the car suddenly twitches both ways. He ends up on his side, and can continue. But the roll cage has some how gotten to much damage. Other offs are are small in itself, but enough to rip off a tyre/suspension og puncture both tyres on one side... He is like a slower Ogier with sudden Meeke-moments, but the bad ones on a smaller scale.

[mknight]

you know very well why he is 4th in the championship but somehow you always forget these reasons. Put the 50 points to his score that he lost with certain wins in Portugal and Sardegna and he would be third the championship just behind Evans and not so far from Ogier.

Yes, stagnated on tarmac, with that i agree.

BTW Tänak got the same amount podiums + win with last years short season than Mikkelsen got with two full seasons in Hyundai. Brings some perspective.

Number of competetive teams (and drivers) in championship. After 2019 it went from 4 teams and 8-ish drivers to 2 teams and 4-5 drivers.

Mikkelsen was actually doing quite well in the Hyundai, especially on technical gravel. Instantly in his first three events he was leading Spain and Australia after first days. It was quite often technical problems or punctures ruining the rallies (like Argentina and Sardinia 2018, retired from lead). But in some rallies he was just lost and off the pace. All tarmac rallies, as well as Chile, Wales and Spain 2019.

You forgot retiring from 40s lead over Tanak in Turkey 2018 due to mechanics not doing their job in service (Neuville retired from lead on same rally due to that as well and mechanics got fired (from Nandan)).

On tarmac that point about not pushing (and crashing) stands well, only Monte 2019 doesn't fit. He had basically two bad non-tarmac rallies as you say. In that period Neuville had quite a few bad rallies in same car as well though, like Sardinia 2019. In fact as was mentioned, Mikkelsen got as many points as Neuville from the rallies he entered after getting kicked for Portugal (Sardinia, Finland, Germany, Turkey, GB), even though this run included 2 "bad" rallies and he explicitly wasn't allowed to push on any PS.