2022 Crystal Ball Predictions

[Rallyper]

Looks like you will get all 5 wrong

but still nice try!

Not all wrong... One correct so far.

[Hüttünen]

So when Kalle will secure his first WDC? In New Zealand or maybe later in Catalunya? What kind of predictions made about this before the season? 🤔

[Eli]

So when Kalle will secure his first WDC? In New Zealand or maybe later in Catalunya? What kind of predictions made about this before the season? ��

Looks like New Zealand, unless Tänak can pull something special out of the bag.

[AnttiL]

NZ is still a quite long shot. Basically Kalle's only 100% sure way is to win the rally and power stage. Otherwise it depends on what Tänak does, and Kalle must have 8 more points than Tänak. Not easy with them having a similar road position, whether it's good or bad.

[Eli]

NZ is still a quite long shot. Basically Kalle's only 100% sure way is to win the rally and power stage. Otherwise it depends on what Tänak does, and Kalle must have 8 more points than Tänak. Not easy with them having a similar road position, whether it's good or bad.

It will all come down to if it rains or not before/during the event, the roads in NZ are similar in style to Finland, minus the jumps, so it could like you said go either way, hopefully both cars won't run into technical issues so we'll have a straight fight from the start until the end.

[AnttiL]

the roads in NZ are similar in style to Finland, minus the jumps

I would disagree by average speeds the fastest stages in NZ are on the same pace as the slowest ones in Finland. I think the difference is down to the grip level and also more sinuous roads in NZ. But the similar thing with these two rallies is that the surface of the road is hard and durable for rallying, whereas all other gravel rallies are either rough, soft or muddy. NZ also has a lot less variance within the road profiles, it's more or less the same, whereas in Finland there's a clear difference of small/rough/slow roads and wide/firm/fast roads.

[Eli]

I would disagree by average speeds the fastest stages in NZ are on the same pace as the slowest ones in Finland. I think the difference is down to the grip level and also more sinuous roads in NZ. But the similar thing with these two rallies is that the surface of the road is hard and durable for rallying, whereas all other gravel rallies are either rough, soft or muddy. NZ also has a lot less variance within the road profiles, it's more or less the same, whereas in Finland there's a clear difference of small/rough/slow roads and wide/firm/fast roads.

Yes average speed, it goes without saying, although it's relatively fast to what we just had in Greece but it has a natural flow like in Finland in it's wide/firm roads.

[AnttiL]

Yes average speed, it goes without saying, although it's relatively fast to what we just had in Greece but it has a natural flow like in Finland in it's wide/firm roads.

Yes but we're still in a different league in NZ. More like "smooth Portugal" or "Mexico without the altitude and rocks" or "Wales without mud".

[ferrial]

1. Tänak WDC
2. Tänak retires after this season
3. Toyota wins manufacturer´s title
4. There will be atleast 5 different rally winners in rally1 category this season
5. Breen beats Neuville in driver standings

1. wrong
2. Time will tell
3. correct
4. correct - Loeb, Rovanperä, Tänak, Neuville, Ogier
5. wrong

So, at the moment 2 correct answers out of 5, maybe 3.

[WRCStan]

1. Evans/Martin/Toyota Champions
2. Round 9 will be Germany
3. New Zealand will be cancelled
4. More than 10 stages will be red-flagged for spectators in dangerous positions and nobody will agree with the decisions
6. All season people will be confused about JWRC, WRC3 Junior and WRC2 Junior.

Replaced: 5. Near the end of the season FIA will announce new Rally1s for 2025.

On the brightside 4/5.

1. Correct! Evans or Martin or Toyota were champions.
2. Almost correct!
3. Partly correct! (WRC3)
4. Correct! Such that the FIA cancelled the tech the prediction was based on.
6. Likely Correct! Looks like FIA will be renaming WRC3 Junior back to Junior WRC (going off the regional changes announced yesterday)

(5. Correct (substitution made)!)

In reality 0/5.