[WRC] News & Rumours (part V) 2017

[cali]

http://m.postimees.ee/section/3337/4212207

Basically at first the journo writes that TMR is moving his headquarters from Puuppola to Estonia. They are even using quote from Tommi Mäkinen. Then at the end of the article they are mentioning that TMR is opening a new base located in Estonia for logistical and tax reasons. Headquarters still stays at Puuppola. Quite strange and confusing article I must say.

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[EstWRC]

look in the toyota thread, there is the original article...they are just expanding their base here not moving its headquarters here.

[Zeakiwi]

Is there any word on whether Ingrassia has a official medical clearance?

[AnttiL]

http://m.postimees.ee/section/3337/4212207

Basically at first the journo writes that TMR is moving his headquarters from Puuppola to Estonia. They are even using quote from Tommi Mäkinen. Then at the end of the article they are mentioning that TMR is opening a new base located in Estonia for logistical and tax reasons. Headquarters still stays at Puuppola. Quite strange and confusing article I must say.

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Probably a translation from the Ilta-Sanomat (yellow press) article with a clickbait title saying they move headquarters and then quote form Mäkinen that they keep the headquarters in Puuppola. It's not mentioned in the article, but keeping the headquarters secures them unlimited testing in the Rally Finland area.

Also keep in mind that Tommi Mäkinen Racing is not Toyota Gazoo Racing.

[A FONDO]

Another reason is brand loyalty. If you have always competed in a VW you don't want to buy a Škoda (if you are a car dealer for example). Both might be VAG cars, but they are still different manufacturers.

In some countries there are separate companies who are dealers of different brands of the same factory. That's why PSA builds the same cargo vans for example. If you have been partnering with Peugeot importer for many years and PSA enters a new model only under Citroen branding, you have to go negotiate from scratch with local Citroen importer and it can fail and then you will go to Ford or Fiat and ultimately PSA factory loses you. So you can now understand that in private motorsport at regional level some people arrange sponsorship from local brand dealer and more options = better for VAG, I mean they already have the car developed and they can only change the emblem and front/rear lights and this gives them opportunity for new customers.

[RS]

Few weeks a go I met VW Motorsport customer service truck. There were all VAG brand logos on the truck except two. The two missing were Porsche and Škoda. Maybe it means nothing maybe it does. Add to that that since 1st November 2015 Škoda CEO is one of the top Porsche managers Bernhard Meier instead of VW man Winfried Vahland. Porsche position in VAG is very specific (their years long fight with Piech's people over VAG leadership or their frequent rifts with Audi are well known). If Škoda inclines more to Porsche which is currently the strongest player in VAG it may also mean that Škoda could stay somewhat aside of the named VW-Audi-Seat combo.

What would that mean in practical terms?

Doesn't this go somewhat against the assumption that the Polo and Fabia R5 will share a lot of parts?

[Mirek]

I have no idea if it means anything. We have to wait and see how it is in the future. The thing is that VW is no longer the main driving body in VAG and IMO it's not good to automatically count with something similar like VW-Audi-Seat partnership on circuits.

[Rally Power]

I have no idea if it means anything. We have to wait and see how it is in the future. The thing is that VW is no longer the main driving body in VAG and IMO it's not good to automatically count with something similar like VW-Audi-Seat partnership on circuits.

Totally agree on Porsche having a special status inside VW group, but that’s hardly the case for Skoda. It's pretty reasonable to believe that Skoda is now sharing R5 knowledge just like Seat did with TCR and it wouldn’t even be a total surprise to see an Ibiza R5 coming out after the Polo.

If VAG are pulling out Porsche from WEC already, thats quite a straight change in direction course. It means they are determined to go electric no matter what.

Hopefully, the current e-mobility bubble is going to burst (an all electrical future is not viable) and then VW, Audi and Porsche will be able to return to the motorsport lead; meanwhile, they’re using FE as a marketing tool and keeping contact with major series through 2nd level categories (R5, GT3, GTE, etc).

Btw, here’s a sharp view on FE: http://www.automobilemag.com/news/re...formula-e-yet/

[Mirek]

Totally agree on Porsche having a special status inside VW group, but that’s hardly the case for Skoda. It's pretty reasonable to believe that Skoda is now sharing R5 knowledge just like Seat did with TCR and it wouldn’t even be a total surprise to see an Ibiza R5 coming out after the Polo.

You did not get the point. Currently the whole VAG is driven by Porsche people. The process was accelerated by the dieselgate. Porsche now holds 52% of VAG and controls the most important decisive places in the management - Pötsch, chairman of the supervisory board, is Porsche man and Müller, CEO, is also Porsche man. Both replaced the old Piech's people in their role. As a result VAG is no longer driven by VW.

Aside of that Porsche thanks to the dieselgate took CEO post in Škoda from VW, i.e. simple logic tells me that Škoda probably lost a bit of its dependancy on VW. I don't say there is no sharing of technologies between Škoda and VW Motorspor departments. For sure there is but it's not on the level of rebranding or repacking a totally same car or even building it in the same facility by the same people (like PSA cars). Anyway only time will tell how it evolves.

[dupanton]

Is there any word on whether Ingrassia has a official medical clearance?

He didn't need medical clearance. He couldn't compete for 2 weeks but was than allowed to compete again without any test.