[WRC] Ardeca Ypres Rally 2022

[mknight]

About the Lefebvre penalties... Alain Georges of DG Sport isn't too happy about the apparent 'setting up' of the complaint. Toksport had sent someone to film the corner at Wijtschate, both on SS11 and SS15. They had told all their drivers not to cut that corner. You can indeed see that Mikkelsen avoids the cut, which is clearly the fastest and safest line to take. Especially on SS15 the asphalt was filled with gravel. You can see the corner on the onboard from Lefebvre from 6 minutes 10 onwards. Lefebvre takes a very deep cut indeed. Four wheels off the road.

But it's the intent that disturbs Alain Georges the most. And I can follow him. He says that it sets a very bad precedent for other teams in years to come. Do we want positions getting changed because teams send cameramen out to 'catch' their adversaries doing a cut that's too deep? It's not the spirit of (this) rally.

I don't like it and it would've been a real shame if Mikkelsen won this way.

You mean that Toksport somehow managed to pursue Lefevbre to take 4 wheels off the road on both passes even though everyone was reminded before the start not to do it and no other P1-driver (WRC+WRC2 top) did it (says so in the stewards decision, I checked Tanak, Rossel, Ingram and MIkkelsen). Epic skills they have.
Clearly fastest and safest way that half of the field in Monte 2021 got penalized for, starting with Mikkelsen.
Btw. I thought it was the corner at 4:50 where Lefevbre is also much deeper than anyone else, one second here and one second there...

Besides trolling:

I agree that it was good that they didn't change the results with penalties. If the penaly happened Saturday evening it would be ok but not after everyone is finished. If Toksport timed the decision to happen first after finish they are both nasty and stupid (stupid cause after finish there is much lower chance they will change results), I am not 100% sure when they submitted it.



As for Toksport I think there is some bad blood in their squad, a bit for Monte 2021, but mostly for Liepaja 2021.

In Liepaja 2021:
- Franceschi (Toksport Clio) got penalty for some TC confusion that would have cost him a win, except they then excluded Seks for homologation issues (Liepaja was stewards fun party).

- Mikkelsen got 1 minute penalty after confusion on the startline of SS2. At that time there were COVID rules where co-driver doesn't get written starttime on timecard, just shown. The codriver either didn't get it clearly or forgot it. With 15s left on the clock he asked for starttime/confirmation again and didn't get it, instead getting new time one min later and 1 min penalty.
They appealed and Mikkelsen got startposition as if the penalty was removed for Sunday, with decision to take place later. Fought with "Team MRF" for virtual 2nd place whole Sunday and narrowly beat them on speed. Then after the finish (and before podium) codriver from that same team that fought for 2nd place was a witness that testified the start crew did everything correctly on SS2 and penatly was kept.... leading to first ever podium of MRF tires.
So they basically indicated they would remove the penalty (with the start position) and then kept it anyway based on the "loosing" team that got a position from it.


To follow your conspiracy levels:
The co-driver witnessing in Liepaja was somehow present near the startline of that stage even though they were starting 10 cars later. I don't think this had anything to do with it or was planned in any way, just like I don't think Toksport told their drivers not to cut there just so they could penalize Lefevbre (How do you convince Lefevbre to do something illegal?, also Ingram cut deeper than Rossel for example). According to stewards decision they watched the vid of all P1 drivers and nobody cut like Lefevbre.
In Ypres just from watching this one stage Lefevbre is much deeper on multiple corners sometimes with 4 wheels off.