2022 WRC News & Rumours

[AnttiL]

I think that Brexit actually made M-Sport services cheaper for EU customers.

OK, good then but why?

[ouvreur]

I think that Brexit actually made M-Sport services cheaper for EU customers.

Unfortunately not. Whatever currency change there has been is nowhere near enough to outweigh the fact that it now takes significantly longer to ship things to and from the UK, with additional paperwork (that often causes issues) and cost. Plus, the company's ability to hire from outside the UK is now much harder and more complicated.

[Mirek]

OK, good then but why?

After the referendum results were announced in 2017 the GBP exchange rate crashed and it didn't recover till today but on the other hand there was no such crash after the Brexit actually happened in 2020 (there was a certain loss of value but it was later partially recovered).

[Mirek]

Unfortunately not. Whatever currency change there has been is nowhere near enough to outweigh the fact that it now takes significantly longer to ship things to and from the UK, with additional paperwork (that often causes issues) and cost. Plus, the company's ability to hire from outside the UK is now much harder and more complicated.

OK, thanks.

[becher]

That's good to hear. Remember that R2 (which is Rally4) is something else than Rally2 (which is R5)

Lets face it soon enoigh everyone will forget about it and will shorten it to R1,2,3,4,5.

[WRCStan]

Lets face it soon enoigh everyone will forget about it and will shorten it to R1,2,3,4,5.

Those Rs stood for Rallye in the first place, Rallye 3 are now a different class (RC4) than Rally3 so don't intentionally confuse people. Tell them Rally 2 is the old new Super Rally, which isn't the Super 2000-Rallye which R5 was brought in to restart the rules when Super 2000-Rallye were retired. Rally 2 or Super Rally is now Restarting after a Retirement, and Rally2 is a restarted name for R5 (which the term is now retired). Rallye 2, restarted as Rally4, might also be confused with Rally2-Kit which is the restarted name for R4-Kit, which wasn't the R4 before it.

Obviously you all know this but the layman doesn't. People will really thank you if you explain this whilst stage-side.

[mknight]

..because they told the world they had the means to try and attract at least one of the top top drivers which would've been millions in salary + a financial commitment to maintain proper development for a few yrs. In fact, Malcolm even said it would be his dream to have 3 strong drivers like he did with Ogier/Evans/Tanak....

So either they lied to their fans about that, or they've waved the white flag because they couldn't get (Tanak/Evans/Neuville), and decided to go into money making mode instead of employing the next best available drivers.

I am also undecided yet whether they lied from the start or changed their mind.

Anyway changing their mind is kind of ok. I can understand they won't tell for PR reasons.

What's a bit sickening is how they then PR push Greensmith and similar picks as top drivers. Note that this started as a deliberate PR effort before Greece.

What's even worse is the holy cow attitude displayed by some people. They lie you in the face and you congratulate them for it.

Yes they did extremely well on the start of the 2017 era. So it should outrage real fans that they will start the new era without seemingly having a chance.

[AnttiL]

M-Sport wanted a title contender, even names were mentioned: Ogier, Tänak, Neuville or Evans. They all either announced quitting or signed early for next year so M-Sport didn't get any of those. Then you are mad at M-Sport for not signing driver X. I don't understand.

I tried to explain this earlier. If you go to the car store to buy a Ferrari, you don't spend your money on a Fiat Uno if that's all they had that day, you save your money until the day Ferraris are available again.

(although hiring Breen defies this logic, but maybe that's now their title contender)

[AnttiL]

What's a bit sickening is how they then PR push Greensmith and similar picks as top drivers. Note that this started as a deliberate PR effort before Greece.

It's just team spirit lifting, and also could even be a part of their contract. They don't want Greensmith to take the money elsewhere. Imagine if they wrote "next up Greece...our drivers won't likely even make the top 5 but hey at least they pay us a decent amount of money!"

[ouvreur]

What's a bit sickening is how they then PR push Greensmith and similar picks as top drivers. Note that this started as a deliberate PR effort before Greece.

What are they supposed to do, in your opinion? Say absolutely nothing? Or even openly criticise a driver whose presence basically ensures the team still exists? It’s 2021, everyone is on social media, and I’m sure they’d get a kicking for being negative or silent.

For all his backing / family money, the man is a human being, one who has paid his dues to be in the position he’s in - whether you like it or not. He isn’t stealing a seat, or limelight from someone else. The hate he gets is vastly disproportionate to what he’s ‘done wrong’ in the eyes of people who just don’t seem to be able to understand the way the world / motorsport actually works.

Yes they did extremely well on the start of the 2017 era. So it should outrage real fans that they will start the new era without seemingly having a chance.

It is a shame that the amount of money it costs to be competitive in world rallying is so high. What’s outrageous is that the way things are set up has left us with only two ‘full’ manufacturer efforts, and little prospect of enticing any others to join in.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - the fact M-Sport are even willing to try should be praised. Any good results they earn are, in the face of the €€€€€ spent by Hyundai and Toyota, miraculous. I would hope that ‘real fans’ could see that.