[WRC] News & rumours (part IV) 2016

[AndyRAC]

For me that's his main problem. Just needs to drive, stop second guessing himself and worst of all, announcing plans about how he's is going to drive this season - (take it easy first half, attack 2nd half of season, or whatever he said). He drove himself off the road thinking about all this nonsense.
Just drive, don't think so much J-M.

And all the talk of a 'mind manager' who has transformed him into a serial rally winner & WRC Title contender......or maybe not.

[Simmi]

I can't be bothered buying the digital issue of the magazine for one story. What's the news? How many rounds will Meeke do?

Citroen haven't put a number on anyone's programme it seems. I think there were some rumours Meeke had five rounds sorted but was expected to do more.

Matton quote in MN: "The idea is to give approximately an equal amount [of competition] to the three drivers. I want to keep full flexibility and I don't want to talk about who will drive on which rallies or which rallies we will compete on - just in case we make a change in our plans.

"What the drivers will do will be linked to our test programme as well. Kris will not do all of the rallies which we will do as a team."

It says China is the only long-haul event believed to be under consideration.

I'd also add don't forget Al Qassimi who is clearly having some kind of programme too this year. Possibly a case of just waiting for the entry lists to come out each event. Or maybe they will just announce their plans two rallies at a time?

[Lundefaret]

I think its important to remember, when judging Latvala, is that in a non-french-Seb-era, he would be a winner. He would in fact be a clear winner of the 2015 WRC if Ogier didn't enter. So he is no slouch, its just that the Loeb and the Ogier are so perfect, and have introduced a new way of doing things You can't really compete with unless You learn it. And driving 110% at times to follow a driver that only needs to push 95% is a big difference.

Latvala is off course an emotional guy, but in my opinion not more than Ogier. Remember 2014, and the big dispute in regards to starting positions. It clearly hampered his performances, and he was so demotivated he threatened to stop rallying. His management (V&V management at the time) was really frustrated on what to do.
But even being emotional, and sometimes a little too cocky like going of in Sweden in 2014, and at the end of 2015 giving away a victory to Mikkelsen because a laps of strategy management, when You have the right driving technique/strategy as a base, these things dont get such large effects as they do for Latvala.

I am off course surprised of how WRC teams and drivers dont see how large a difference to driving technique Ogier and Loeb are from "the others", and are able to work more closely with the drivers to change their ways, after Olav Bodilsen opened mye eyes to it, and that it isn't Latvalas psyche that keep him from being world champion, but his technique. And this can be adjusted.

[AL14]

I think its important to remember, when judging Latvala, is that in a non-french-Seb-era, he would be a winner. He would in fact be a clear winner of the 2015 WRC if Ogier didn't enter. So he is no slouch, its just that the Loeb and the Ogier are so perfect, and have introduced a new way of doing things You can't really compete with unless You learn it. And driving 110% at times to follow a driver that only needs to push 95% is a big difference.

Latvala is off course an emotional guy, but in my opinion not more than Ogier. Remember 2014, and the big dispute in regards to starting positions. It clearly hampered his performances, and he was so demotivated he threatened to stop rallying. His management (V&V management at the time) was really frustrated on what to do.
But even being emotional, and sometimes a little too cocky like going of in Sweden in 2014, and at the end of 2015 giving away a victory to Mikkelsen because a laps of strategy management, when You have the right driving technique/strategy as a base, these things dont get such large effects as they do for Latvala.

I am off course surprised of how WRC teams and drivers dont see how large a difference to driving technique Ogier and Loeb are from "the others", and are able to work more closely with the drivers to change their ways, after Olav Bodilsen opened mye eyes to it, and that it isn't Latvalas psyche that keep him from being world champion, but his technique. And this can be adjusted.

Letting your theory apart, I agree on what you said. That's a big part of what I meant to say.

[COD]

I think its important to remember, when judging Latvala, is that in a non-french-Seb-era, he would be a winner. He would in fact be a clear winner of the 2015 WRC if Ogier didn't enter. So he is no slouch, its just that the Loeb and the Ogier are so perfect, and have introduced a new way of doing things You can't really compete with unless You learn it. And driving 110% at times to follow a driver that only needs to push 95% is a big difference.

Latvala is off course an emotional guy, but in my opinion not more than Ogier. Remember 2014, and the big dispute in regards to starting positions. It clearly hampered his performances, and he was so demotivated he threatened to stop rallying. His management (V&V management at the time) was really frustrated on what to do.
But even being emotional, and sometimes a little too cocky like going of in Sweden in 2014, and at the end of 2015 giving away a victory to Mikkelsen because a laps of strategy management, when You have the right driving technique/strategy as a base, these things dont get such large effects as they do for Latvala.

I am off course surprised of how WRC teams and drivers dont see how large a difference to driving technique Ogier and Loeb are from "the others", and are able to work more closely with the drivers to change their ways, after Olav Bodilsen opened mye eyes to it, and that it isn't Latvalas psyche that keep him from being world champion, but his technique. And this can be adjusted.

He has won many events and been fast almost everywhere. That speaks strongly against you theory. It his head, and that alone that prevents him from ever being a champion

[Nornbugger]

He has won many events and been fast almost everywhere. That speaks strongly against you theory. It his head, and that alone that prevents him from ever being a champion

When Lundefaret speaks of technique he is not nessessarily talking how to make a driver faster but how to make them safer, do you consider JML to be a safe driver?

[Lundefaret]

He has won many events and been fast almost everywhere. That speaks strongly against you theory. It his head, and that alone that prevents him from ever being a champion

No, it really doesn't speak strongly against it.
This says a lot about the level of risk he needs to take to keep up with Ogier, and this again will affect his psyche.

Take Finland: This is one of the most prestigious rallies to win, and if You are a Finn, this is the one You want on Your resume. For Finns this means that 300.000 + spectators are expecting You to do great things, and cary the flag for them. Finnish drivers have won in Finland, but they have also lost big time (crashed out).
Latvala has had a very strong duel against Ogier for two consecutive years, duels (I was present in 14 with was great) that he one on the last stage. It was close.

I am not saying that Latvala has the strongest psyche known to the athletic world, I am just saying that the rallies he stumbles, is often technical events, or events with grip changes where You have to be very precise to get the victory. And its the uncertainty around not knowing how to drive these rallies safely, and having an opponent that clearly does, that takes its toll.

Latvala is an extremely good rally driver, and he has adjusted a lot the last few years, also in driving technique, but not enough to challenge Ogier for the championship.

[Lundefaret]

When Lundefaret speaks of technique he is not nessessarily talking how to make a driver faster but how to make them safer, do you consider JML to be a safe driver?

You are right.
Rally is about the ratio between speed and risk (risk in the meaning of the risk of loosing time because of a missed apex, having a puncture, having a small accident, or even crashing out).

Rally Monte Carlo is all about this, and its a "Nose End First" rally to the extreme, and very difficult to win if You have a different speed vs risk ratio than Ogier.

JML can come to stage end saying that the stage went okay with no problems and saying that he can push more (and mean in), and on the inboard You can see four or five places where he lost small amounts of time because of not optimal accelerations, or missed apexes etc, and two or three places he nearly went off (where probably most other rally drivers in the world would have gone of, he has incredible car control), so he has laid the bar where he is used to drive with just an incredible level of risk, but some how being able to get to the finish of most stages.

In Latvalas early days he was the driver that could take 30 seconds of almost anybody when he left his brain at home and let the horns grow out of his helmet, but then the risk/speed ratio was even more extreme than now.

[Rally Power]

I am not saying that Latvala has the strongest psyche known to the athletic world, I am just saying that the rallies he stumbles, is often technical events, or events with grip changes where You have to be very precise to get the victory. And its the uncertainty around not knowing how to drive these rallies safely, and having an opponent that clearly does, that takes its toll.

It was probably an exception, but Latvala also had a fantastic win last year at Portugal, and the rally had many types of SS’s (from fast to twisted routes, hard to soft surfaces) .

You all pointed important reasons for Latvala’s inconsistency, but there’s another one that’s always used to explain Ogier domination: VW team moves around the French! (as previously Citroen moved around Loeb).

There’s no way Latvala (or any other guy) can be champion in VW alongside Ogier. Latvala knows it, and that’s a huge mental pressure on him. Ogier comment on that brilliant Latvala win was “today the best driver didn’t win…”.

If after Portugal the Finn managed to start a winning series and become a real threat to the ‘numero uno’, things would get pretty ugly inside VW’s and certainly not to the Champ side.

I was hoping to see Latvala’s moving to Toyota and become their undisputed leader, but sadly it seems he’s happy to stay as second driver at VW.

[dodge33cymru]

http://nwt.se/sport/motorsport/2016/...alet-chockhojs

I didn't see this coming. If true, Sweden faces losing the snowy round of WRC to either Japan or Canada unless they find a lot more money. What's tradition got to do with anything anyway?