WRC2 news & rumors 2024

[Morte66]

Of the WRC2 drivers who have never been in WRC1, who do you folks think are the hottest prospects on the tarmac?

[seb_sh]

Of the WRC2 drivers who have never been in WRC1, who do you folks think are the hottest prospects on the tarmac?

Probably Rossel.

[Rallyper]

Of the WRC2 drivers who have never been in WRC1, who do you folks think are the hottest prospects on the tarmac?

Or Gryazin. Pajari also.

[RS]

Lindholm also pretty decent on tarmac (think CER last year or Croatia the year before)

[Sal yet again]

Solans although he has driven a previous gen Hyundai WRC

[Mirek]

Solans although he has driven a previous gen Hyundai WRC

When it's nice clean twisty stages it's definitely Rossel. On fast, dirty, bumpy stuff I'd say Gryazin but he also makes a lot of mistakes.

[RS]

On fast, dirty, bumpy stuff I'd say Gryazin but he also makes a lot of mistakes.

Does be still? i think he’s calmed down a lot the last year or two, but maybe lost a little of his raw speed.

[mknight]

Only Solberg is a real option out of these, for multiple reasons and tarmac is his worst surface (just check Monte again this year).

(Hopefully) he will do a full proper (and paid) WRC2 this year and finally combine speed with reliability to win it. Then he will be hot candidate for any Rally1 team next year.

Else I find it funny how people want to replace Mikkelsen after first Rally1 rally with one day of testing. Specially given last years Lappis tarmac results in same car (one good rally out of 4), not to mention Suninen and Sordo.

[Mirek]

Only Solberg is a real option out of these, for multiple reasons and tarmac is his worst surface (just check Monte again this year).

Read the original question. He asked for a prospect who hasn't been in WRC1. Solberg was.

[Jarek Z]

Lindholm also pretty decent on tarmac (think CER last year or Croatia the year before)

Yes, he used to be a racing driver before he switched to rallying:

But you started racing on circuits first, why there?
Yes, the circuits were really where I started racing. In 2012, I was racing first on circuits in Finland and then I got into the German Audi TT Cup series, which is a companion series to the DTM. Then I had the opportunity to race in GT Masters with GT3 cars. But as a Finn, it was hard for me to find sponsorship support to continue. In the meantime, I also did a few rallies in Finland and Germany in 2015 and 2016, when my results improved rapidly. But the reason I was mainly driving on circuits was also because it was easier to get a permit, for which I didn't need a driving licence. In addition, from a driver's perspective, it's easier to find a job in circuit racing than in rallying, as there are more paid drivers on circuits.

Did you enjoy the circuits more than the rally?
Not really. Maybe that was another reason why I've chosen rallying. For me, rally is definitely more challenging and more varied and even if you do the same event twice, it's never the same. You have to adapt and react. Rally is definitely more fun.

How did racing on circuits help you in your later rally career?
I think the benefit to the rally was pretty big; not only on tarmac, but also on gravel. On circuits, when you're doing the same section for 200th time, you concentrate on the smallest details. You have to drive to the limit every meter of the track. In a rally, you're more focused on the overall speed throughout the rally and you don't have as much time to focus on the driving. My experience on the circuit helped me just to get the most out of the car. On tarmac, the circuit experience helps with getting the line right, but even then the rally track is a bit different.

source:
https://www.skoda-motorsport.com/en/...emil-lindholm/