[WRC] News & Rumours 2021

[mknight]

Well Hyundai has unused car and parts from Loubet that will become (almost) useless in a month so why not.
Only negative is that it most likely will be the "hybrid" older spec.

[BigWorm]

Solans in Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC at Catalunya

Nice!! I thought he looked pretty quick in Catalunya 2019, will be interesting how he would handle a WRC car there

[Maui J.]

Rally New Zealand 2022? This article took me a bit by surprise.

https://talkmotorsport.co.nz/rally/n...er-by-the-day/

[Rally Hokkaido]

Rally New Zealand 2022? This article took me a bit by surprise.

https://talkmotorsport.co.nz/rally/n...er-by-the-day/

Thanks for the news.
I was actually told about this last week, but cautioned not to spread it around. The news about Australia not bidding until 2023 was announced by their ASN a couple of days ago.

[Eli]

Rally New Zealand 2022? This article took me a bit by surprise.

https://talkmotorsport.co.nz/rally/n...er-by-the-day/

Wasn't there a rumor already a few months ago that mentioned Australia wouldn't come back until 2023, and that NZ will try to take next year's spot? Anyhow, hope it happens this time and we get more than one round outside Europe, fingers crossed!

[AnttiL]

https://as.com/motor/2021/10/13/mas_...86_725447.html

Sordo saying next season is his last

[cali]

https://as.com/motor/2021/10/13/mas_...86_725447.html

Sordo saying next season is his last

It has been a great career in my books. Not the top of the top driver but a very solid one who could be relied upon.

In my books really great driver and I will miss him for sure.

Sent from my DN2103 using Tapatalk

[doubled1978]

It has been a great career in my books. Not the top of the top driver but a very solid one who could be relied upon.

In my books really great driver and I will miss him for sure.

Sent from my DN2103 using Tapatalk

Absolutely, as a number 2 or 3 driver he has been excellent over the years. Not quite at the number 1 level, but he has had a great career and contributed greatly to the teams he’s represented.

[Danny0405]

Yeah, quite a strange career but always at the service of his team and his tarmac level gives him the opportunity to have an even more lengthy career as a part-time driver (maybe a little longer than deserved on his career compared with other drivers that had to step back but he proved he deserved it in 2019 and 2020).
Only 3 wins, not a number 1 driver but useful many times for his team: doing the job on tarmac to help Loeb in close title fights in the 2007-2009 period and Citroen to secure manufacturer titles and a clear actor of Hyundai’s back-to-back manufacturer titles.
The most strange is that, even with not that regular results, he succeeded in making 17 seasons in WRC official teams with at least a half-time program and without paying.

Good thing that he is retiring after next year I think, he begins to drop a little, has nothing more to prove since his last two wins and the driver market is difficult for drivers currently so it could give an opportunity to another driver (even if I don’t see a good tarmac specialist in the drivers without a good drive and with or close to the WRC level except Fourmaux) or to give a full-season to a younger one. Let’s hope he can do some podiums and one win to end well.
End of an era with Ogier and Sordo soon to retire (after Latvala) even if Tanak and Neuville had made their WRC first full season against Loeb in 2012.

Not sure we will see a Spanish driver at this level for a while: the Solans brothers have not really stepped up so far, Pepe Lopez may be a little short and I see no other driver coming.

[AnttiL]

https://www.rallit.fi/teemu-suninen-...ten-ylitoihin/

This article says Suninen has been asked to do testing for Hyundai and will get a car for Monza (I presume Rally2)