2022 WRC News & Rumours

[AnttiL]

...and if they use Barum for both ERC and WRC once a day?

I don't understand this post, but I think FIA/Promoter is looking forward to rotating rallies between ERC and WRC. It would increase the value of ERC by having old WRC events in the series and allow more rallies to be in the WRC event organizer "pool" but not sure if it will work out on the long run. Using a WRC organization to arrange an ERC event is shooting a fly with a cannon, as we say in Finland.

[AnttiL]

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/loube...-with-m-sport/

Loubet in a Puma from Croatia onwards

Croatia, Portugal, Italy, Estonia, Finland (or the to-be-confirmed event in August), Acropolis and Spain.

[Danny0405]

Sponsored driver but still a young one with some potential so not bad to see him having a half-time program.
Quite a bad year last year but M-Sport could benefit that he is not a rookie anymore to expect a step up from him.

[Danny0405]

Also good to see that we will have an interesting 4th M-Sport car for most of the year (Loeb in MC, Loubet for half of the season, it also lets one or two more rounds for Loeb).
Maybe not New Zealand and Japan considering the cost (+ Sweden with Bertelli) but probably all the rest

[Mirek]

...and if they use Barum for both ERC and WRC once a day?

That won't happen anyway.

[PLuto]

Sponsored driver but still a young one with some potential so not bad to see him having a half-time program.
Quite a bad year last year but M-Sport could benefit that he is not a rookie anymore to expect a step up from him.

He is quite talented driver, but he has chosen not the best way for progress in his career. He is making too big steps too early...

[Fast Eddie WRC]

But as for M-Sport, I believe they still have their PET days for Rally Sweden available. Hyundai also visited Finland with the first iteration of i20 Rally1 in the summer.

Just stating that they also tested the PUMA in Finland before it was homologated and weren't restricted to Greystoke and the M-Sport Vehicle Evaluation Centre (as they are now).

Hyundai have only tested the confirmed iteration of their I20 in France on ice/tarmac (until Neuville crashed it).

[Danny0405]

He is quite talented driver, but he has chosen not the best way for progress in his career. He is making too big steps too early...

I don’t agree totally on this.
It’s really difficult for a young guy to even reach the level of obtaining WRC/Rally1 drives in an official team and it’s all the more difficult now with only 2 manufacturers + M-Sport.
So, when you have an opportunity to obtain a good amount of drives, I think you have to take it. With Tidemand and other youngsters, we have seen that when you wait too long, one can never reach the main class.
The issue then is to show something in terms of consistency and, after that, showing some speed; the issue for a young guy is not to forget priorities.

I have the same idea about Camilli in 2016 even if, in his case, it was really early. The same for Fourmaux (but M-Sport was more cautious with him).

Here for Loubet, he had more than 10 drives to see what is the level of WRC cars. Now it is time to deliver and he has taken the best car for this.

[PLuto]

I don’t agree totally on this.
It’s really difficult for a young guy to even reach the level of obtaining WRC/Rally1 drives in an official team and it’s all the more difficult now with only 2 manufacturers + M-Sport.
So, when you have an opportunity to obtain a good amount of drives, I think you have to take it. With Tidemand and other youngsters, we have seen that when you wait too long, one can never reach the main class.
The issue then is to show something in terms of consistency and, after that, showing some speed; the issue for a young guy is not to forget priorities.

I have the same idea about Camilli in 2016 even if, in his case, it was really early. The same for Fourmaux (but M-Sport was more cautious with him).

Here for Loubet, he had more than 10 drives to see what is the level of WRC cars. Now it is time to deliver and he has taken the best car for this.

Camilli, Fourmaux, Loubet -- same story. For all of them it was too early to step up so high... On the other hand Tidemand is quite different story...

[Danny0405]

Camilli, Fourmaux, Loubet -- same story. For all of them it was too early to step up so high... On the other hand Tidemand is quite different story...

I can understand your opinion but still I do not agree.
With such a low number of manufacturer drives, I cannot criticize a young driver that wants to take the opportunity because he may never have it again.

The only one in the list whose choice was maybe not good is Camilli stepping up in WRC with only one season of R5 whereas there were more manufacturers at that time.

+ the competition is really high in R5 so staying in R5 may be a stagnation (exactly what happen to Tidemand).
Staying in R5 longer may make you more ready for main class but it may also cause a drop in your rating among WRC teams and, later, they may not offer you the opportunity again.