[WRC] News & Rumours (part V) 2017

[pantealex]

Can we translate this as hint that VW are actually returning next year?
If what Capito is saying is true (and I think it is), they should be competitive next year as well.

Capito is not working for VW anymore, how could he give clues for their 2018 plans ?

So, no his statement is not hint for 2018 comeback.

[Eli]

Capito is not working for VW anymore, how could he give clues for their 2018 plans ?

So, no his statement is not hint for 2018 comeback.

https://www.rallye-magazin.de/wrc/ar...wagen-zurueck/

Wrong, according to this he is back in VW (but in a different department).

[Watson]

Can we translate this as hint that VW are actually returning next year?
If what Capito is saying is true (and I think it is), they should be competitive next year as well.

I can find no hint of them returning next year in this article whatsoever.

[jparker]

I can find no hint of them returning next year in this article whatsoever.

Well, maybe not hint, but attempt to point the fact that thay have the car ready without the need for any new investment. This may help some big bosses change their minds about WRC.

[Rally Power]

But if a team like Stobart/OMV - or Onebet Jipocar - would register as a manufacturer team (paid the entry fee)? Will the 2017 Polos be available for rallying next year or have all the cars already been converted to rallycross?

Currently a team has to be officially designated by the manufacturer in order to get manufacturer team status

Only a car manufacturer can promote the homologation of a WRC car; they supply the base model and it’s their name that’s behind the bureaucracy, even if the rest (project, development and running) can be done by an outside team, officially designated by them. Most manus uses in-house structures but Ford is still the exception; MSport runs a WRC team on their behalf since ’97, even if after ’12 Ford’s name was kept out of the manu team label.

Manus are also obligated to run (or making run on their behalf) a new homologated WRC car during one complete season in a two cars team formation, otherwise homologation gets expired. That’s why the ’17 Polo wasn’t homologated.

[Gregor-y]

I'm just trying to think it's not that black and white, there's factory teams, non-factory professional teams (M-Sport, Stobart, OMV etc) who run for manufacturer points and then there's privateers.

I would normally think of privateers as any non-factory team, regardless of driver. Of course using that logic M Sport is a strange case as was Citroen's season with Kronos.

[denkimi]

I would normally think of privateers as any non-factory team, regardless of driver. Of course using that logic M Sport is a strange case as was Citroen's season with Kronos.

to me it's simple: if a driver is asked to drive a manufacturers car, and is being payed for it, he is a factory driver. if he has to pay to drive, he's a privateer.

[KiwiWRCfan]

FIA considering further changes to long haul testing rules for 2018 http://www.rallysportmag.com.au/home...ing-considered

[KiwiWRCfan]

https://www.rallye-magazin.de/wrc/ar...wagen-zurueck/

Wrong, according to this he is back in VW (but in a different department).

Here is VW media release in English on Capito's new role https://www.volkswagen-media-service..._auth=NaB976Kj

[AnttiL]

Currently a team has to be officially designated by the manufacturer in order to get manufacturer team status

Only a car manufacturer can promote the homologation of a WRC car; they supply the base model and it’s their name that’s behind the bureaucracy, even if the rest (project, development and running) can be done by an outside team, officially designated by them. Most manus uses in-house structures but Ford is still the exception; MSport runs a WRC team on their behalf since ’97, even if after ’12 Ford’s name was kept out of the manu team label.

Manus are also obligated to run (or making run on their behalf) a new homologated WRC car during one complete season in a two cars team formation, otherwise homologation gets expired. That’s why the ’17 Polo wasn’t homologated.

Thanks for this information, I wasn't aware of it. So could we have, for instance, a second Ford Team run by Stobart anymore?