2022 WRC News & Rumours

[cali]

That was then, now is different. The sport is more intense and the top guys are on so high level that it’s hard to compete against them.

BTW who privateers in group B era?

As for more cars on the start line, the WRC2 is a great place for privateers and the cars are not as unspectacular as Gp N as a support class

Please look for VHS rallies. Plenty of private local entries in gr B (fyi Tabaton etc). Not gonna argue much but it's not any better now.
And the arguement isn't that past is better or the opposite but we are missing competent privateer field which was giving us far more diversity. Today we get 3-4 top guys and sponsored drivers.

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[AnttiL]

Please look for VHS rallies. Plenty of private local entries in gr B (fyi Tabaton etc). Not gonna argue much but it's not any better now.
And the arguement isn't that past is better or the opposite but we are missing competent privateer field which was giving us far more diversity. Today we get 3-4 top guys and sponsored drivers.

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There might have been some Italian privateers in Sanremo, but not much other competitive ones. And some of them were like semi-factory drivers, just doing a national series.

[cali]

There might have been some Italian privateers in Sanremo, but not much other competitive ones. And some of them were like semi-factory drivers, just doing a national series.

Well we got Serderidis now

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[AnttiL]

Well we got Serderidis now

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Or Greensmith and Loubet

[cali]

Or Greensmith and Loubet

They are in the official team, scoring even team points. True privateer is Serderidis and in some scale yes, Loubet.
Greensmith is a factory driver and been in that position for a couple of seasons, although not by merit.

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[AnttiL]

They are in the official team, scoring even team points. True privateer is Serderidis and in some scale yes, Loubet.
Greensmith is a factory driver and been in that position for a couple of season, although not by merit.

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Loubet does not score team points, neither does Greensmith when Loeb is driving.

[cali]

Loubet does not score team points, neither does Greensmith when Loeb is driving.

That's a great list of privateers even if you count that way (sarcasm alert)

[WRCStan]

Greensmith is a factory driver and been in that position for a couple of season, although not by merit.

How then?

True privateer to me enters themselves, ideally running their own car. Serderidis was entered by M-Sport Ford WRT in a car he owns so he must leases it out to M-Sport to use. Greensmith brings the family businesses as sponsors. These are more like investors than privateers.

On Group B and A, manufacturers were forced to build 200 or 5000 extra cars for sale or use.

[AnttiL]

On Group B and A, manufacturers were forced to build 200 or 5000 extra cars for sale or use.

Street model cars. Even in Group B. Only 20 rally cars were mandatory to make.

[focus206]

There might have been some Italian privateers in Sanremo, but not much other competitive ones. And some of them were like semi-factory drivers, just doing a national series.

From the top of my mind, I recall these small programs (from ewrc-results, I wasn't even born during Group B):
Lampi, Eklund, Grissmann, Buffum (Audi)
Vudafieri, Biasion (Lancia, even though Jolly Club was a sort of semi-works team)
Turiani, Recordati, Iwase (Opel)
Eklund (Austin Rover, I don't know how official was his entry)
Meylan, Iwashita (Nissan)
many Citroen Visa

Most of them could only dream of competing with top teams, but could achieve top 5 places when there was high attrition. Actually some group A cars, especially works Golf of Eriksson, could achieve the same good results with high attrition or lower entries.