real life 2020 FIA World Rally Championship

[F2CMaDMaXX 486]

Ha, nah, it's more joking and legalities, WRC as a licensee are asshats, so we call things by top class international rally so as not to infringe. 

[ColinMcRae:DiRTFanNo.1 68]

OK, I understand. I just thought it would be like swearing, in example that you go to a supermarket but you shout the name of another supermarket inside of it. That’s an example of the swearing I am talking about.

DiRTFanNo.1

[SRD_SimVansevenant 750]

Looks like it's an interesting battle once more. It's shaping up to be another very interesting year in WRC!

Let's see what the final power stage has in store for us.

[tbtstt 2,267]

Real shame for Suninen, was hoping to see him hold on to the lead (for both his and M-Sport sake). 

Tanak seems untouchable now, but the scrap for the following positions is tougher to call. 

Impressive driving from Ogier yesterday, he surely would have been up there if it hadn't been for his earlier woes. 

[SRD_SimVansevenant 750]

Waaauw that was close. Neuville was 4.1 sec up on Lappi on the penultimate split but the power of that Citroën made up a bit in the end.

And what a Power Stage from Tanak! Three way race for the crown for sure. Great rally once again!

[RallyDriven 396]

I think we should rename Sweden the rally of 1000 spins! Seriously, how many times did people go off and spin this weekend? I think Tanak was the only one to get away with it!

[Dytut 72]

Great round in Sweden, would've been even better if Suninen and Latvala had kept on the road to give Tänak som opposition. Great battle for the rest of the positions, love when it's still rather open for the last day.

Tänak impressed, as he usually does. Begs the question if anyone will be able to stop him this year.
Ogier was really fast but that off cost him dearly. 
Best of the rally for me was the Neuville fightback and Lappis response to it, that was a back and forth and it was fun to see Lappi being able to hold his ground at the end.

Mikkelsen went OK, he still doesn't seem like he can get up to speed. Still a decent result for him. 

It was interesting to see how Tidemand did. He had some decent speed at some stages, but I still feel like he would've needed to show more to really impress enough to get more drives this year. 

[RallyDriven 396]

I thought neuville was out, watching his comeback to third was my highlight of the rally. Shame the battle for the lead was lost early with sunninen going off, Evans, Lappi, Nueville and Mikkelsen all had a good fight for position

[juu1ius 5]

Ott is in great shape and pushing even on PS. Let's see how good he's in Mexico starting first on the road. Too bad for Sunninen, a podium finish would have been great for him and M-Sport. oioioi til next time!

[juu1ius 5]

OH MY! https://twitter.com/voiceofrally?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author according to Colin Clrak twitter, Neuville, Loeb and Sordo will be drving in Corsica. Mikkelsen compleatly out or just partial program now? 

also, new trailer for Ott Tänak movie was just released - pretty emotional movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z5mwq1NwDY

[Dytut 72]

4 hours ago, juu1ius said:

OH MY! https://twitter.com/voiceofrally?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author according to Colin Clrak twitter, Neuville, Loeb and Sordo will be drving in Corsica. Mikkelsen compleatly out or just partial program now? 

also, new trailer for Ott Tänak movie was just released - pretty emotional movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z5mwq1NwDY

Just saw the news. I'd expect Mikkelsen to drive gravel rounds still, but I doubt he has a future at Hyundai next season. 

[Rallywil1 26]

Is there any news about Mitsubishi/some new team coming to rally?

 

What happened to Qassimi? Why he is not part of any team? I quess Ford or Citroen would need sponsor like he is.

[Dytut 72]

No news, and I doubt any new team will join before 2022 when the new regulations kick in. If WRC/FIA can manage to deliver regulations this year as promised I wouldn't be surprised to see some new teams sign up for when it (most likely) goes hybrid in the next gen. Mitsubishi would be a prime candidate, among others.

[juu1ius 5]

10 hours ago, Dytut said:

No news, and I doubt any new team will join before 2022 when the new regulations kick in. If WRC/FIA can manage to deliver regulations this year as promised I wouldn't be surprised to see some new teams sign up for when it (most likely) goes hybrid in the next gen. Mitsubishi would be a prime candidate, among others.

Same here, we woun't see any newcomers before the new regulations will be place. maybe someone will announce that they'll commit to WRC starting from 2022, but nothing more. Still, every manufacturer who has hybrid in their model list,  will be interested, example additional to current teams BMW, Mazda, Honda, Fiat? Interesting if FIA will restrict aero and maybe some other expensive parts so the development costs would be attainable. Also how or how fast WRC2 will change, I guess at first R5 will stay the same - I don't think that it will make sense to change the whole championship at once.

[carpa 293]

On 2/19/2019 at 10:53 PM, Dytut said:

No news, and I doubt any new team will join before 2022 when the new regulations kick in. If WRC/FIA can manage to deliver regulations this year as promised I wouldn't be surprised to see some new teams sign up for when it (most likely) goes hybrid in the next gen. Mitsubishi would be a prime candidate, among others.

Both Mitsubishi and Subaru were said to be interested in a comeback, with newly developed cars created specifically with a rallying destination in mind. Toyota invited them both to come back in WRC, saying it would be good for the sport and for Japan. 

On 2/20/2019 at 12:47 PM, juu1ius said:

 Also how or how fast WRC2 will change, I guess at first R5 will stay the same - I don't think that it will make sense to change the whole championship at once.

R5s are supposed to be "economic", well sort of, so there's no way they're switching those to hybrid in the near future. It's a technology too costly and complex for privateers

[juu1ius 5]

Mexico rally entry list contains only 24 cars according to eWRC https://www.ewrc-results.com/entries/54450-rally-guanajuato-mexico-2019/, why oh why is this rally in the championship. I hope Canada can get their chance.

[SRD_SimVansevenant 750]

There is some fantastic news for those that will come to Ypres this year.

They've created a separate rally called the Ypres Rally Masters:

https://powerslide-magazine.be/thierry-neuville-met-de-hyundai-i20-coupe-wrc-aan-de-start-van-de-ypres-rally-masters/?fbclid=IwAR0curxtaM90QEKoFq1ZcQGIqbmQWfwzRZdczQXSNTuaglO9gE6vkkQ8NU4

 

The article is in Dutch but I will summarise it:

 

In the Ypres Historic Rally we have reached a point where 4x4 Gr. A cars etc compete with Escorts, Asconas and Porsches to just name a few. This isn't really fair because the 4x4 Gr. A cars are a lot quicker than the Escorts.

So the Ypres Rally Masters is for the 'youngtimers' which includes the BMW M3 E30, Forrd Sierra Cosworth, Subaru Legacy RS and Lancia Delta. The category will be expanded with 4x4 Gr. A's and Kit Cars. For the first edition they will invite 15 drivers in order to see if it is something worth expanding in the future.

One absolutely fantastic surprise is the entry of Thierry Neuville with the Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC!!!!

This will be epically amazing!!!!

[Pfei 106]

I took this pic of forum member @Fedemaisonnave this morning near the end of SS2 Las Bajadas - Villa del Dique, Rally Argentina 2019.

[SRD_SimVansevenant 750]

So Rally Chile is up next. Any predictions? Neuville is always quick in new rallies so he's going to fight for the win. Tanak is quick no matter what but he just needs a bit more luck.

 

On a sidenote:

Neuville isn't the only person driving one of the latest generation WRC-cars at the Ypres Masters this year. The dad of a friend of mine was able to come to some sort of an agreement with M-Sport. Bouffier will enter the rally driving the latest Fiesta WRC. It will be spectacular to see those beasts on the narrow Ypres roads. 😁

[juu1ius 5]

have you heard about this already https://mobile.twitter.com/OfficialWRC/status/1135234077274058752 ? Apparently Adomo asked Dani to stop ON THE STAGE and re-start in front of Kris, Dani refused. WRC is getting more and more like F1 😞 

Anyways, I just cant get what Kris was thinking doing two stupid mistakes 😮 - i mean, was he trying to catch Ott before that spin and on was he going for 5 PS points when he cut too deep and breaking the car. Instead doing his job and bringing points home for the team. 

[SRD_SimVansevenant 750]

49 minutes ago, juu1ius said:

have you heard about this already https://mobile.twitter.com/OfficialWRC/status/1135234077274058752 ? Apparently Adomo asked Dani to stop ON THE STAGE and re-start in front of Kris, Dani refused. WRC is getting more and more like F1 😞 

Anyways, I just cant get what Kris was thinking doing two stupid mistakes 😮 - i mean, was he trying to catch Ott before that spin and on was he going for 5 PS points when he cut too deep and breaking the car. Instead doing his job and bringing points home for the team. 

If those allegations are truthful, it is definitely not the way things should be done. However teams are known for using (dirty) tactics in order to get an advantage. Using team tactics to gain an advantage points-wise should not be allowed full stop. It has happened on numerous occasions that the second driver would enter service 'late' due to a 'technical issue' on the road resulting in him receiving a time penalty which places him just behind his number one teammate. Tactics like this create a situation where not the driver's skills result in him being a world champion but the driver's skills and the team's ability to 'cheat' basically. It's also a bit hypocritical of Ogier to come out with this as he himself uses tactics, like the one I mentioned before, to get an advantage in the championship. If he uses tactics, he says it's the way the sport works. However, when he is the 'victim' of other teams using tactics, he can't accept it in most cases and complains about out and calls it a shame that the competitors do something like that. In my opinion, team orders should only be allowed in a situation where a team wants their drivers to stop fighting amongst each other for the win, to make sure the team ends up with a large amount of points, no matter which driver in front of the other. Both, or all three drivers, should agree to that tactic as well.

I still remember these two situations. Two of the best drivers in history clearly don't agree with the use of team orders. Eventually they did make the decision to follow them for the 'greater good'. 

(And that leads nicely into the second topic. Ooooh I'm so good at my job 😄 )

Speaking Colin McRae (see what I did there...), you do realise that he's Meeke's mentor, right? Meeke's mentality and approach to rallying is a copy paste version of Colin's. --> It's all or nothing! Something in between does not exist.

Edited June 2, 2019 by SimVansevenant

[juu1ius 5]

Off the stage tactics (dirty or not) are fine, not nice but part of the game, but no one has ever deliberately screwed up other drivers SS times. The plan was to stop Sordo on the stage - let Neuville pass and then start right in front of Meek - giving Thierry dust free air and making things more difficult for Kris.  

Mr. Adaome doesn't talk about the situation, but Sordo gave his comment - https://www.rallyssimo.it/2019/06/03/wrc-dani-sordo-ogier-ha-parlato-di-qualcosa-che-non-e-successo-hyundai-non-ha-voluto-infastidire-nessuno/. May be there was discussion, to stop Sordo on the stage, but everybody agreed that it crosses a line. 

Meek comparison to Colin is fair, but it was his best drive since he got kicked from Citroen. With one year deal, it would be smart to please your boss. Spin was acceptable - it happens, even with best. But second mistake was too much I think. Great rally thou - drama and surprises through out the weekend. 

[SRD_SimVansevenant 750]

2 hours ago, juu1ius said:

Off the stage tactics (dirty or not) are fine, not nice but part of the game, but no one has ever deliberately screwed up other drivers SS times. The plan was to stop Sordo on the stage - let Neuville pass and then start right in front of Meek - giving Thierry dust free air and making things more difficult for Kris.  

Mr. Adaome doesn't talk about the situation, but Sordo gave his comment - https://www.rallyssimo.it/2019/06/03/wrc-dani-sordo-ogier-ha-parlato-di-qualcosa-che-non-e-successo-hyundai-non-ha-voluto-infastidire-nessuno/. May be there was discussion, to stop Sordo on the stage, but everybody agreed that it crosses a line. 

Meek comparison to Colin is fair, but it was his best drive since he got kicked from Citroen. With one year deal, it would be smart to please your boss. Spin was acceptable - it happens, even with best. But second mistake was too much I think. Great rally thou - drama and surprises through out the weekend. 

I'm sure there has been at least one situation in the past where a team did something like that. I can't pinpoint when exactly but I do remember reading about it once.

Why are off the stage tactics acceptable as a way of cheating and on the stage not? Both should not be allowed because it gives the number one driver an unfair advantage over his rivals. It should be the driver's skill that wins him the crown and not a combination of his skill and the team's ability to 'cheat'.

Also, why did Ogier come out with this news? Lots of options were probably discussed but if everybody disagrees with that suggestion there is no problem. I'm sure similar tactics have been discussed in other teams as well but were always quickly put to rest. 

He should have reported that rumour, which it was at that time, to the FIA directly and not during a press conference. Spreading that news during the press conference was completely unnecessary as he only had someone's word and no evidence. It was a deliberate move in my opinion to either put pressure on the FIA to punish Adamo or the team (main rivals), or just to create speculation amongst the public o that an investigation would start in order to distract the competition and prevent them from fully focussing on the next round, which is in less than two weeks.

I think he might have been ****** because of the tactics used by Hyundai. It's his way to get even.

This is purely from a psychological point of view. I am well-versed in the psychological behaviour of people in high-level competitive situations.

[sqdstr 99]

Ogier is and has always been a big whiner about everything, Just because he's been world champion now 6 times he thinks he can just do whatever he wants and he can't take it when others then do the same to him. His last 2 titles were only won because Ford did nothing but tactical games to give him as many advantages as possible.

[juu1ius 5]

4 hours ago, SimVansevenant said:

I'm sure there has been at least one situation in the past where a team did something like that. I can't pinpoint when exactly but I do remember reading about it once.

Why are off the stage tactics acceptable as a way of cheating and on the stage not? Both should not be allowed because it gives the number one driver an unfair advantage over his rivals. It should be the driver's skill that wins him the crown and not a combination of his skill and the team's ability to 'cheat'.

Also, why did Ogier come out with this news? Lots of options were probably discussed but if everybody disagrees with that suggestion there is no problem. I'm sure similar tactics have been discussed in other teams as well but were always quickly put to rest. 

He should have reported that rumour, which it was at that time, to the FIA directly and not during a press conference. Spreading that news during the press conference was completely unnecessary as he only had someone's word and no evidence. It was a deliberate move in my opinion to either put pressure on the FIA to punish Adamo or the team (main rivals), or just to create speculation amongst the public o that an investigation would start in order to distract the competition and prevent them from fully focussing on the next round, which is in less than two weeks.

I think he might have been ****** because of the tactics used by Hyundai. It's his way to get even.

This is purely from a psychological point of view. I am well-versed in the psychological behaviour of people in high-level competitive situations.

Tbh there is quite clear line - on stage tempering, like the one they were planning, can cause accidents, it can go as far as some one ramming other car out or pulling deliberately putting rocks on the stage. I've heard stories where spectators have tried to help their favorite or local drivers by messing with competition (lowering flags or trowing rocks at cars) - I hope these are just some stories and not true, but you get the point. While off stage tactics the driver knows exactly what is going on and can cope with that or expect it and maybe even work against it like it has happen before. I agree it's stupid both ways, but it's hard to close all the loop holes. Also, Ogier has been part of the team tactics on both sides - helping Loeb and other helping him for long time, so I don't believe he was ****** at Hyundai.