[WRC] News & Rumours (part V) 2017

[AL14]

LOL Sordo just went in on Colin Clark. Again he's just rumouring and making assumptions.

Badly google translates to this - @voiceofrally @AMikkelsenRally At the moment... Australia and GB you you are inventing! Or is it that you like to clear. A smartass tila come tomato!

Maybe someone who speaks Spanish can properly translate. Seems pretty funny.

I got this For now ... Australia and GB you're making it up !! Or is what you would like clear. Come, tomato, a smart guy!

I think the last is a spanish way of saying or something. Waiting to some fellow member to understand the meaning. It sounds quite rough actually.

[Eli]

https://www.rallye-magazin.de/wrc/ar...rsetzt-paddon/ and it mentions, well that Matton mentions that Mikkelsen is already confirmed for Hyundai next year, anyone here can confirm it? (although it does seem very likely by now).

[Simmi]

Sordo's had another chip at Clark about Meeke. This is awesome:

Replying to @voiceofrally
Cuando bajaron a tu ídolo Meeke no estabas tan eufórico! ����

@voiceofrally When they fell to your Idol Meeke you were not so elated! ����

[AnttiL]

Rumours that Mikkelsen drives a Hyundai in spain.

Instead of Paddon?

Wouldn't surprise me at all, they want to take points away from Ogier.

None of this is true.

[BigWorm]

Sordo's had another chip at Clark about Meeke. This is awesome:

Replying to @voiceofrally
Cuando bajaron a tu ídolo Meeke no estabas tan eufórico! ����

@voiceofrally When they fell to your Idol Meeke you were not so elated! ����

I'm with Sordo on this, Colin can do one

[er88]

While I agree that for some reason Tommi does not rate Mikkelsen high, I think it's just about impossible that Citroen didn't sign Mikkelsen without signing Ogier already.

The only option would be that Mikkelsen got more money from Hyundai but I don't think that's likely.

This is the current Citroen managed by Matton we are talking about, anything is possible . Mikkelsen didn't do anything in his starts this season that would've changed Mattons mind on him, if he wasn't already convinced (which seems to be the case). If Andreas had set rally leading stage times from the off, ran at the front of all the events and showed Meeke was the main problem and the car was good, he would've been signed up and Meeke would've been dropped for good I'm sure.

Mikkelsen served a purpose for Citroen but that was all in the end. He showed the team that he couldn't get near rally leading pace on gravel with the car (reaffirming it's very difficult to drive on that surface), showed (like Meeke) that the car is quick on tarmac, and reaffirmed what Meeke had been pushing for in terms of what changes needed to be made to the car.

Seems like Citroen wanted another opinion from a proven rally winner about where they needed to homologate new parts, before they trusted what Meeke had already been pushing for. This is probably another reason why Meeke felt he didnt have the full support of certain people within the team. It's almost like they didn't trust their main driver who has now openly admitted he wanted an experienced test driver alongside him in 2016, and pushed for the changes to the car long before they were finally implemented after Andreas' input. Just screams of bad management to me.

And yes, if Ogier isn't more of less signed up it's a baffling decision for Citroen to not offer Andreas a deal. Mikkelsen, Meeke and Breen is a lot better than what they could be left with if Ogier stays at Msport. I cannot see Loeb doing a full season unless it's for an obscene amount of money, and even then, Loeb isn't exactly motivated by money.

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[Fast Eddie WRC]

Sooo Hyundai are re-jigging to fight M-Sport... too late boys !

[AnttiL]

With 4 cars anything could be possible, event a M-Sport WRC lineup with Sunninen, Camilli, Rovanperä and Tidemand lool

Rovanperä is too young to do most of the WRC events next year and is anyway still better off collecting experience in WRC2. But I could see M-Sport going with Evans, Camilli, Suninen. Østberg in the fourth car? Or Tidemand?

[RS]

While I agree that for some reason Tommi does not rate Mikkelsen high, I think it's just about impossible that Citroen didn't sign Mikkelsen without signing Ogier already.

The only option would be that Mikkelsen got more money from Hyundai but I don't think that's likely.

Or having driven the Citroen, Mikelssen would rather sign with Hyundai.

Seems like a gamble for Ogier.. leaving a car he can win with for one which is, err, sub-optimal at best.

[Simmi]

Or having driven the Citroen, Mikelssen would rather sign with Hyundai.

Seems like a gamble for Ogier.. leaving a car he can win with for one which is, err, sub-optimal at best.

It would be pretty crazy wouldn't it. Moving to the assumed worst car for 2017 and then doing the same thing again in 2018.

Of course with hindsight we know the Fiesta wasn't the worst car. I'm sure with a good winter of hard work and Ogier lighting a few rockets under Citroen they can get the C3 right.