[WRC] News & rumours (part III)

[WUff1]

Don´t think they would stay with their actual drivers.

[Ounin]

it is better to go out of the WRC... their effort is not serious since Loebs retirement... plus their last sentence about china shows they move towards that decision.

If they've made the final choice for rally and therefore canalized the budget, concentration is back, why not. And with some lobbying there could be a WRC China soon. It's known that Citroen is not happy with WTCC.

[Rally Power]

A great part from Citroen WRC budget comes from Abu Dhabi partnership. Does anyone know when Abu Dhabi contract expires?

So DS goes to FE and Citroen will probably stay in WTCC, then Peugeot could have an excellent opportunity to come back to WRC, avoiding to maintain their uncompetitive Dakar program (that probably is even less popular in China than WRC).

[AndyRAC]

With very little competition in the WTCC, and no VW Group team to outspend them, it would make sense to stay in the WTCC.

[RS]

Don´t think they would stay with their actual drivers.

I don't see any alternative for Citroen unless Latvala gets the boot from VW.

Meeke is still too accident prone but did win this year and whilst Mads is clearly slower than Meeke and a bit whingey he does collect the points.

[PLuto]

I don't see any alternative for Citroen unless Latvala gets the boot from VW.

Meeke is still too accident prone but did win this year and whilst Mads is clearly slower than Meeke and a bit whingey he does collect the points.

JML will be available after this season

[EightGear]

Can you elaborate?

[Rally Power]

JML will be available after this season

No one would be surprised if VW would let Latvala go at the end of the season. Mikkelsen is proving to be a reliable nº2 and they could pick up Latti from Skoda to their 3rd car.

On the other hand if Citroen intends to leave WRC they probably won't change drivers in their last season.

Ford has Tanak that's as fast (and as inconsistent) for a fraction of JML cost and Hyundai balanced group of drivers just need to get a faster car to get closer to VW.

It would be great to see Latvala associated with Toyota, using 2016 as an intensive development year in order to return as Toy nº1 driver in 2017...

[AL14]

I don't think Latvala will be happy at his age to have a 1 year break. I think he would do it only if it would be his only option.
Btw, I could say a stupid thing but I suspect he needs a car like Citroen, maybe a bit faster than it is now but still a car that would force him to change his driving style like Ostberg did.

[dimviii]

Tommi Makinen is expected to be announced as team principal of Toyota's new-look World Rally Championship effort on Tuesday.

The four-time WRC champion has been linked to Toyota since building a private GT86 rally car for Toyota Motor Corporation president and CEO Akio Toyoda last year.

Makinen has remained close to Toyoda since and sources in Japan say the Finn's new deal will be inked in Nagoya this week.

He has run Tommi Makinen Racing, building and selling Group N Subarus, for a number of years.

Toyota Motorsport GmbH - TMC's wholly owned motorsport subsidiary - is understood to have been sidelined in the new deal.

Nobody from TMG was available for comment when AUTOSPORT contacted Cologne, but sources within TMG say the company will continue with its development programme of its own Yaris WRC.

The news of Makinen's new position is expected to come from Gazoo Racing - TMC's motorsport arm in Japan - but the programme is still set to have a European base.

A source in Japan said: "There is no indication the programme will be based from Japan, this is not the best way for the logistics. It must be Europe."

Toyoda confirmed Toyota's 2017 return to the WRC at the start of the season, ending a 17-year absence from a series the firm once dominated.


http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/119871