[WRC] News & Rumours (part V) 2017

[Rally Power]

A nice piece on Mahonen’s foolish plan, by Motorsport Monday rally editor: http://mmuk.realviewdigital.com/?iid=157021#folio=32

[macebig]

Meeke ahead of JML/Lappi and Breen?Ridiculous...

[sonnybobiche]

A nice piece on Mahonen’s foolish plan, by Motorsport Monday rally editor: http://mmuk.realviewdigital.com/?iid=157021#folio=32

Very, very wise words from this guy.

[RS]

Meeke ahead of JML/Lappi and Breen?Ridiculous...

Meeke did win two rallies (could have been three) in what was probably the worse car.

Bit strange to have Breen ahead of Lappi though, who did win Finland.

[BigWorm]

Regarding Meeke: ''Like Tanak, there's a degree more calm about Meeke these days and that's showing in the results''. What results? The results that have been exactly like his previous seasons?

While Tänak took a massive step and improved his 2016 points with 103 points, Meeke improved his with 13. Quite a big difference to draw such a conclusion. Meeke also drove 5 more events in 2017 than what he did in 2016 so he definitely had the opportunity to improve with more than 13 points.

Rest of the list is spot on, but I would give Meeke 7th. At best.

[ESTR]

Bit strange to have Breen ahead of Lappi though, who did win Finland.

Breen had six 5. places, no podium or either win. But still most of the time ahead of Paddon, Sordo, Hanninen, Meeke, Evans, Lappi... Only he keep the team together... They would be even lower (which is not even more possible) without him.

Then Lappi often finish behind him, yes he win and drive a way less events than Breen but still finish 2 points behind him. So I think That they are both very good drivers, shame just that Breen maybe is in the wrong team (they are joking with his career)...

[AL14]

Meeke did win two rallies (could have been three) in what was probably the worse car.

Bit strange to have Breen ahead of Lappi though, who did win Finland.

The more you were born near UK the more you are likely to have a good ranking there.

[AL14]

Breen had six 5. places, no podium or either win. But still most of the time ahead of Paddon, Sordo, Hanninen, Meeke, Evans, Lappi... Only he keep the team together... They would be even lower (which is not even more possible) without him.

Then Lappi often finish behind him, yes he win and drive a way less events than Breen but still finish 2 points behind him. So I think That they are both very good drivers, shame just that Breen maybe is in the wrong team (they are joking with his career)...

Man, Lappi went in a WRC plus car after a couple of day of testing in the middle of the season, Breen developed the whole car all the year before.
It was a debut year for Lappi and not for Breen.
Since when Lappi started to compete in the championship he gathered 61 points. Breen 31.
Lappi won 16 stages, Breen I think never won one since Lappi was there, but he won 4 total stages in WRC counting 2016 as well.

There is no point to put Lappi behind him.

Also Meeke is laughable. Latvala had his best season so far performance wise and only techincal problem stopped him most of the time (we can argue that those technical problems were caused by his drive but still...).
I have appreciate Evans season but I bet that if he was born in Macedonia he would have been ranked no more than 6th.

[steve.mandzij]

Since we dont have many news and nothing to talk in next couple of days i thought i will post here our beloved David Evans this years TOP10 drivers

10. Hayden Paddon/Dani Sordo

Impossible to choose between these two. Both have struggled terribly for the sort of form that made them winners in the past, but they're on the list because there have been flashes this season.

A handful of fastest times and second overall in Poland was as good as it got for Paddon. For Sordo, the asphalt was disappointing - particularly his early bath at home in Spain - but a pacey Portuguese podium was the highlight of his year.

9. Esapekka Lappi

Such is the importance of Rally Finland to the WRC that it's impossible to compile a list of the season's top 10 drivers and not have the winner in here. Lappi's season didn't start until Portugal, but by the time he got to the final day in Porto he was showing some serious form.

He continued that speed through Sardinia - where he posted his first ever scratch time in a car missing first gear! The highlight of the year was, of course, at home, where he took his maiden WRC win in his rookie season.

8. Craig Breen

It's hard to believe this was Breen's first season with a factory team at the pinnacle of world rallying. He looked like he'd been there for years - a consideration underlined by the fact he was top Citroen driver in the points for most of the season.

Like Meeke, Breen's fortunes were tied to the capricious C3 but, when everything worked, he was able to turn in some superb stage times. On top of that, he kept the car on the island and picked up six top-five finishes. Not bad for a rookie.

7. Andreas Mikkelsen

Left on the bench with only the occasional Skoda Fabia R5 outing to keep him busy at the start of the season, Mikkelsen never lost sight of his goal and, when he was thrown a lifeline by Citroen and then Hyundai, made the most of each opportunity and returned himself to the top of a category that he should never have had to leave in the first place.

Were it not for two punctures, a second consecutive Rally Australia win would have been the perfect way to end his season.

6. Jari-Matti Latvala

Latvala was reckoned to be drinking in the last-chance saloon when he stepped aboard the Yaris WRC, but the Toyota deal has been the making of him. Gone is the look of a forever-number-two, and back is the sort of spark that's been missing for too long.

His Sweden win was superb, but what was more pleasing than anything about his year was his reaction to his Finland retirement: steering-wheel-thumping fury. Save the tears, it's more of this that we need to see. The boy is back.

5. Kris Meeke

Meeke's speed was never in doubt. But his temperament had always been in question. Until now. Like Tanak, there's a degree more calm about Meeke these days and that's showing in the results. He learned some fairly tough lessons this season, but he's emerged a more complete driver.

Taking him out of the car in Poland wasn't the right thing to do: the performance that followed in Finland was easily his worst of the year. But in Spain - like in Mexico and Corsica - he was untouchable.

4. Elfyn Evans

Without a shadow of doubt the most improved driver of the past couple of years. A true gauge of Evans's performance remains slightly confused by him being the sole user of DMACK tyres, but as his M-Sport team-mate Ogier said, you've still got to drive the car. And Evans did that superbly.

His whole approach was different. Finally, he feels like he belongs, which he absolutely does. The pain of missing victory in Argentina by seven tenths was eased by the bliss of a home win.

3. Thierry Neuville

He was the fastest. He led for the longest. He won the most rallies. So what, you might ask, is Neuville doing at number three? Simple. Too many mistakes.

Admittedly, the car wasn't up to the job of making him world champion, but stupid errors, like when he damaged the steering in Sweden, can't happen if you're going to be best in the world.

He was magnificent in Poland and Australia, but shocking in Finland, where he wasted the chance to take a clear lead in the drivers' championship.

2. Ott Tanak

Last year you still didn't know if he could really do it, still didn't completely trust him. Yes, Tanak had the natural ability to be faster than anybody on his day, but it remained a 50:50 gamble if he'd win or stick it in the trees.

This year he came of age and dramatically lessened those odds in favour of finishing first. Somebody flicked a switch in Tanak, and that somebody was his team-mate Ogier.

Following Ogier's lead, Tanak has won twice and become the complete driver. Not to mention a big threat for next year's title.

1. Sebastien Ogier

He wasn't the fastest. He didn't lead for the longest. He didn't win the most rallies. So what, you might ask, is he doing at number one? Simple. Ogier was still the best driver across the spread of the season.

Yes, the pack has closed up considerably, but still he was the best. Points came consistently and wins were there when the opportunity arose, but most importantly the mistakes were kept to an absolute minimum. That is the mark of a champion. And that's why Ogier still tops this table


The TOP6 drivers were also included in Autosports Best 50 Drivers of the year with Latvala 44, Meeke 38, Evans 36, Neuville 19, Tänak 12 and Ogier in 5th place.

No way that Meeke and Evans had better seasons than Latavla. I'd have placed JML ahead of Neuville as well, to be honest. Save for Australia he didn't put a foot wrong all season and had it not been for the Yaris' gremlins he'd have been a title contender till the end.

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[sonnybobiche]

No way that Meeke and Evans had better seasons than Latavla. I'd have placed JML ahead of Neuville as well, to be honest. Save for Australia he didn't put a foot wrong all season and had it not been for the Yaris' gremlins he'd have been a title contender till the end.

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To be fair he did roll in Portugal, when he was deathly ill and later hospitalized. And also he did make one or two small mistakes in Sardinia that cost him a couple of points. But I would agree that he did get most or all of the Yaris' reliability problems, often when he was leading or fighting for the lead.

He had major car failures in Mexico, and then four rallies back-to-back in Poland, Finland, Germany, and Spain. There were probably 100 points to be had between those five rallies, particularly in Finland where he was almost certain to get the win and a handful of PS points. And had he been in the fight for the championship in Australia he would have kept his 2nd place rather than gambled, so there's another 18 points.

I think Latvala was the unsung hero of this season. I just hope he can do it again in 2018 with a similarly competitive car but just a bit more reliability on his side.