2022 WRC News & Rumours

[WRCStan]

Maybe i'm wrong, but i think a team must enter 2 car to score points, but can also enter more than 2, provided that is paying the driver entry fee.

Maybe, but this goes against these clearly worded rules which would have to be changed:

SharedScreenshot.jpg

Maybe Chris Ingram, as our example, is entered in his own team which he has no choice but to sign up for. But he's not driving for teams points in Monte as suggested by https://acm.mc/en/edition-en/rallye-...registrations/ Perhaps because he doesn't have a team mate?

I hope there's an obvious moment coming where I get to look stupid. I also apologise to the poster who said it looks a mess and I asked what was so hard to understand.

[Tom K]

Let's make some order in it. What made me confused and angry is:

1) During the last 2-3 years, WRC 2 was mainly for teams. FIA and Promoter wanted to encourage manus, but failed to some extent. We had Hyundai and M-Sport (both didn't need to pay 100k) and a lot of Toksports, PhSports etc. Of course, driver/co-drivers standings were much more prestige than Toksport winning with Movisport

Toksport, Movisport, Sainteloc etc decided to enter and collaborate with two or more drivers. If they wanted drivers to pay partly this 10k fee was up to them. There wasn't any fee from FIA for drivers/co-drivers. But the main rule was, that even if you wanted to be able to score only for drivers/co-drivers, you had to be entered by registered team.

So two ways were created: Being entered by team who is willing to be in teams' table or being able to score driver/co-drivers points and give a shit on teams' table. Second way was the option taken by Ostberg and Linamae. Both had to pay 10k euro for one car.

2) In WRC 3 (where the number of crews was significantly bigger than in WRC 2) you could enter only as a name of driver/co driver

3) The most important: After merging WRC 2 and WRC 3:
a) Saintelocs, Toksports, PHSports etc still pay 10k, but they are in the teams' table and can ask drivers to participate in that cost. Drivers need to pay additional 3k euro for Open (WRCStan - open is like WRC 2 for everybody. Junior or Master can win WRC 2 Open)
b) Those who give a shit for teams' table can still pay 10k euro. Plus additional 3k euro for Open.
c) Those who were paying 3k euro last year in WRC 3, need to pay 10k euro (for nothing unless they find a friend to make a team ) and 3k euro for Open.

As I said. Last year everybody had a choice. WRC 2 or WRC 3. Now we have only one category for Rally2 cars, so forcing privateers to pay 13k euro (10k for nothing) is a bit unfair. And if final regulations really say this, it's outrageous in my opinion.

Long story short. Instead of forcing guys from my point c) to do what guys from point b) has done in 2021, they should do other way. So: If you collaborate with big team like Toksport, team will pay 10k, driver will pay 3k (I am sure FIA add this 3k for Open just to avoid Toksport, Sainteloc etc to split cost between X drivers). If you are on your own but want to register team: for example Adapta from Mads Ostberg, then you also pay 10k + 3k. But if you want to be Mads Ostberg and just score point in drivers/co-drivers then you should be able to pay only 3k euro for Open.

[WRCStan]

WRCStan - open is like WRC 2 for everybody. Junior or Master can win WRC 2 Open

I agree it includes the other two, I wasn't clear. But only if they were entered by a team, else they won't score Open Championship points. That's not an Open Championship in my view. It appears you can pay €3000 and enter WRC2 without a team and not classify in the WRC2 drivers championships, but why the hell are you when you can also enter as a non-priority driver. That's essentially the championship you are getting. Nada! Zip! Except the Masters Cup which will score points without being entered by a team.

if you want to be Mads Ostberg and just score point in drivers/co-drivers then you should be able to pay only 3k euro for Open.

I wholeheartedly agree.

We're all applying common sense which the FIA is void of. What the rules say goes, they are either correct or need fixing.

[dimviii]

Solberg and Edmondson make partnership permanent

After successful run to fifth place on Monza Rally, Solberg and co-driver stick together for 2022 WRC season


https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/solbe...hip-permanent/

[cmac]

Great to see that Loeb deal is finally public.As i said on nov 1 in this thread the deal was already done. I believe they will decide after Monte where he will next drive the puma. Malcolm would like the full season but Loeb is not keen.

Mikkelson will be watching how competitive the car is before paying for a drive.If the puma is winning potential he will definately be in the car for a few rallies.

Great seat for Elliot Edmondson with oliver. I think he has potential to be top codriver and they can gather experience together before hopefully challenging for titles in the future.

[Mirek]

Mikkelson will be watching how competitive the car is before paying for a drive.If the puma is winning potential he will definately be in the car for a few rallies.

It's Mikkelsen.

[er88]

Great to see that Loeb deal is finally public.As i said on nov 1 in this thread the deal was already done. I believe they will decide after Monte where he will next drive the puma. Malcolm would like the full season but Loeb is not keen.

Mikkelson will be watching how competitive the car is before paying for a drive.If the puma is winning potential he will definately be in the car for a few rallies.

Great seat for Elliot Edmondson with oliver. I think he has potential to be top codriver and they can gather experience together before hopefully challenging for titles in the future.

4-6events for Loeb

[AnttiL]

So if you are right, Toksport will pay entry fee for Teams, but still Mikkelsen, Bulacia, Ingram or any other need to pay 3k euro for WRC 2 Open. If you think they don't need to pay 3k euro, tell me for who these 3k euro are.


Let me clarify - I do not know if it is mistake or not (like Pluto said) and you are right. But if you are, please don't tell me it's OK, because Toksport can this or that...

Sorry for the late reply, but I was all along with the impression that drivers need to pay the 3000 although teams pay their 10 000. I just didn't explicitly express that in my message.

And I was using Skoda and Toksport merely as an example (since they are corresponding manufacturer and team, could have used also Citroen and PH Sport).

I know that it seems unfair to the guys who were driving in WRC3 last year.

[AnttiL]

1) During the last 2-3 years, WRC 2 was mainly for teams. FIA and Promoter wanted to encourage manus, but failed to some extent. We had Hyundai and M-Sport (both didn't need to pay 100k) and a lot of Toksports, PhSports etc. Of course, driver/co-drivers standings were much more prestige than Toksport winning with Movisport

To clarify this, until 2018 WRC2 was just open for private drivers. In 2019 we had WRC2 Pro which was only for drivers entered by manufacturers. I think Skoda was not happy with having to pay the big WRC2 Pro entry fee in , while Hyundai, M-Sport and Citroen got it as a bonus for doing the WRC1 championship. From 2020 to 2021 we had the latest system where WRC2Pro (now renamed WRC2) allowed also private teams (the Toksports, Ph SPorts etc).

The years 2019-2021 have also had much confusion with two series with the same class of cars and sometimes lower class cars finishing higher or higher class car getting a "podium" after being very slow. The positive thing is that we shouldn't have this anymore in 2022. But at the same time the series is now less open to privateers. To me it feels like they want to encourage drivers who are planning to do whole seasons instead of one-off wins creating confusion in the points table. Whether it's better for us spectators or not, I'm not sure. It's more interesting to follow whole-season-competition, but one-offs are also refreshing...And of course someone like Luky can still enter with non-prio and be the fastest RC2 car but not get any WRC2 points...

Could also be that FIA was disappointed in Östberg et al using the loophole of not registering for teams championship and losing a lot of 10 000 entry fees last year...It seems only five teams paid the teams entry fee last year (and two of them got it for free for being in WRC1)

[AnttiL]

Maybe i'm wrong, but i think a team must enter 2 car to score points, but can also enter more than 2, provided that is paying the driver entry fee.

In Portugal 2021 M-Sport had Suninen, Kristensson and Prokop. So that should prove that a team can enter more than two cars. Two per rally is just the minimum for scoring team points.

I believe Ingram is entered by Toksport in Monte, eligible for WRC2 drivers points, but not for WRC2 team points.