Monkeyman707 Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Paddons fuming about the Hyundai driver line up according to an interview with the paper here in New Zealand. Apparently the team hasn't even talked to the drivers about the plans for next year, and it sounds like they are still going three cars at this point. Sounds like a crappy situation all round really. Being in a bad head space wont be good going into rally wales.It will be very interesting to see how this progresses given how much Paddon does for Hyundai particularly here in NZ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbtstt Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 I'd like to see Ogier take at least one more win this year to really "earn" the title. Wales looks like it's going to be epic though, wish I was going to be there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dytut Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Shakedown times are trickling in. As usual not saying too much, but Elfyn's times are encouraging for him :-) Both him and DMACK seem to feel that Wales is the event where their tyres will shine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyDriven Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Holy. Fucking. Shit. Those cars are fast. Videos don’t do it justice. The corner speeds are unreal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dytut Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 I'll be keeping tabs on the WRC2 class this rally also, will be a real fight with all those very talented drivers. Hope it'll stay tight and not be a 1 minute gap between them as happen way too often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juu1ius Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Evans is the one to beat in Wales, afaik DMack brought special tire for this event :) I'm predicting all M-Sport podium, but I wish Ott and Thierry could close cap with Seb, championship decisive last round would be great end for this awesome year :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyDriven Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 I’m so glad I changed my plans last minute and went to shakedown! Get to see all the drivers 3/4/5 times, and I got to move about and watch from a few different corners. Passed Mads and Kris on the way back to the service park so I gave them a little beep and a wave. As my brother is doing the national event I got a guest pass so that I can go in the competitors entrance, which is cool because all the wrc cars are just casually driving past you!Cant wait for more tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecraicbear Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 I spent my day on the Costa Del Sweet Lamb yesterday. The sun was out and it was glorious. It's by far the best weather I've experienced on a Rally GB weekend, and I've been going near enough every single year since I was a boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sqdstr Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 I presume it's spectacular to watch, looks like a full on fight for the championship with the top 3 drivers in the standings in the top 4 positions atm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyDriven Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 Gartheiniog today was amazing! Helicopters flying overhead chasing the cars made for an incredible atmosphere!i also got told off for using my special guest pass entrance to give Elfyn a beep and a wave as he came out of service! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sqdstr Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 What a fight in Wales this year. Evans is in the clear for sure but the rest behind him, it's all about seconds.If Mikkelsen & Tanak keep up this pace, Ogier's 3rd place is under serious threat and if Latvala can go just a little bit faster, even he can still catch Ogier.I really hope they do overtake Ogier so the championship will be decided in Australia and we can enjoy such a battle again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dytut Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Looks like Ogier will get that 3rd place, so if he gets 1 point in the power stage he'll take the championship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevM Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Hope he takes a wheel off. Just to spice things up a little Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecraicbear Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 YES M-SPORT! So Happy for Wilson, and the team. Incredible effort in a competitive and challenging season. Manufacturers Title, Drivers Title, and Elfyn with the home-rally win! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpa Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 It's Ogier then. He surely deserved it but I hoped we'd see a fight for the championship up until the last rally. Congrats to him, he did a great season and he's been very consistent. Awesome that M-Sport have won the constructors, hopefully they'll convince Ford to support them now so they can keep Ogier. Fight's on for next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scyy Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 KevM said: Hope he takes a wheel off. Just to spice things up a little Probably helps that he wasn't driving an i20 for that. Anyways this is a golden opportunity falling right into Ford's lap. They would have to be fools not to open the purse strings just a little to keep Ogier in a ford next year. Ogier, Elfyn, and Suninen would be another team to beat next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juu1ius Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 I'm so happy for M-Sport! Well deserved titles and win on their home rally! Also Dmack - they got what have been robbed from them before :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingOfCoins Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 While I’m happy for both Ogier and M-sport (modstly m-sport) I cant help but to feel a bit disapointed that the championships are wrapped up now. Now Rally Australia will feel even more pointless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpa Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 KingOfCoins said: While I’m happy for both Ogier and M-sport (modstly m-sport) I cant help but to feel a bit disapointed that the championships are wrapped up now. Now Rally Australia will feel even more pointless. Hard to say a World Rally feels pointless when you think the next one will be the Monte in 2018 ;) I know that feeling tho, I'm a Ferrari fan in F1, Neuville fan in WRC, Toyota fan for the LeMans 24h and I was hoping for Alonso to win the Indy500. Now I'm left hoping for the impossible to happen at Valencia so Dovizioso can win in MotoGP otherwise I could rename 2017 "The Year of Broken Promises" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevM Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Neuville has always had a Championship in him. I feel he’ll take a new-found confidence into 2018 & be hard to beat. He deserves to be the one to take Ogiers crown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbtstt Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Fantastic result for Evans and M-Sport. I was torn on Ogier winning at the start of the year, but he hasn't run away with the Championship and it's been a great title fight: though it is a shame to see it over with a round to go! That said, with the title secure, I'd like to Ogier go for broke in Australia. Difficult to make any guesses for 2018 until we figure out who is going where, Neuville is surely going to be determined to beat Ogier though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevM Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Ott will certainly be in the mix too! If Mikkelson stays Hyundai, things will be interesting. I just wish Citroen would come to the party Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juu1ius Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 If Ogier stays with M-Sport, it will be between him and Neuville and maybe Latvalas (his last chance) for championship. 2018 will be difficult for Ott, new car and no setups from last year, even though he's brilliant with engineers, i'm not hoping for much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dytut Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Ogier's eyes tearing up at the finish line says it all. This year's title was something special :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyDriven Posted October 30, 2017 Share Posted October 30, 2017 Such a good 4 day’s in Wales! Walked miles, driven even further! I’ve got tonnes of videos I’m trying to put together at the moment! Found a nasty little corner on Gwydir yesterday, was surprised it didn’t catch any wrc drivers out, but it wasn’t long until a couple of wrc2 drivers had some big moments, and then this happened:https://youtu.be/9MMHdSLv2PwBoth were ok and managed to carry on straight away, they were busy restarting the car when I opened the door to check they were ok! had an R2 Peugeot go straight on and ended up right on top of the bank which we had to push off, and a Subaru in the nationals did the same but managed to keep going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfRally Posted October 30, 2017 Share Posted October 30, 2017 KevM said: Ott will certainly be in the mix too! If Mikkelson stays Hyundai, things will be interesting. I just wish Citroen would come to the party Dump Citroen, bring back VW. Love to see Meeks (if there is a 2018 season for him) in a VW. But chances of this happening .. ever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMaiso99 Posted October 30, 2017 Author Share Posted October 30, 2017 Citroen car Will be competitive next year, next year Will be really balanced like this year between the manufacturers, in 2019 they have more jokers to develop the Cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madhun1967 Posted October 30, 2017 Share Posted October 30, 2017 once the Yaris' problems get ironed out,Toyota will be very competitive .I just hope they stay in it and im hoping for Subarus return eventually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dytut Posted October 30, 2017 Share Posted October 30, 2017 Madhun1967 said: once the Yaris' problems get ironed out,Toyota will be very competitive .I just hope they stay in it and im hoping for Subarus return eventually I don't think we have to worry about Toyota staying the course, I read somewhere that they're looking to make a homologation special Yaris just to make the car more competitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiRTKiNG808 Posted November 1, 2017 Share Posted November 1, 2017 Really late post but I'm glad that M-Sport could take both championships. It's awesome they use the Ford cars and I hope they get manufacture support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madhun1967 Posted November 1, 2017 Share Posted November 1, 2017 just saw a video of Sarazzin testing Toyotas R4 :) very happy ................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwkGravey Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 Noooo Mikkelsen. :cry: You can finish a rally on two wheels, I do it all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMaiso99 Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 He had 3 wheels to finish the loop, Huttunen did it with the R2, you lose the race but you keep fighting, not the right choice for Mikkelsen in my opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpa Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 Up until you have a drive wheel still attached to the car you can drive! DiRT Rally teached me this... the harsh way.Well you can drive with a punctured tyre but it's very hard, almost pointless and extremely dangerous. Then again I love Gilles Villeneuve because he tried Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyDriven Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 Mikkelsen didn’t need to though. He’s not fighting for anything, he’s already got a contract for next year and now he’s proved that he can be quick in the car too. There was no need for him to struggle on and damage the car even more!Shame to see Latvala, Breen and Lefeberverbr all go out on the last day, Craig’s was a nasty crash too, glad they were ok. Luckily Citroen have a team of people that are very good at fixing roll damaged C3’s!Glad to see Paddon get a podium after a difficult year. I can’t believe that he’s not got a full time drive for next year! Especially when people like (no offence to the man) lefebreverebe do who are no where near as fast! Paddon is easily capable of winning rallies for Hyundai, whereas I just don’t see Sordo leading or winning an event. Also a good win for Thierry. I predict he will be world champ next year! Even if Ogier stays at M-Sport (ford?). Think Mikkelsen could be a good contender for the title too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
versedi Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 I don't know the laws in Australia but here in Europe I am sure you can't drive road sections on a flat tyre. He had only 1 replacement so he was automatically out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dytut Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Yeah I think the WRC cars are required to have 4 wheels on the road sections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dytut Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 So the plot thickens. Citroën publicly says talks with Ogier stopped in november from being outbid. And Ogier has looked very calm but a bit sneaky about the whole ordeal lately, and Malcolm has also looked quite relaxed. Are they waiting for the dust to settle after the season and getting ready for revealing they're becoming Ford again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpa Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Dytut said: Yeah I think the WRC cars are required to have 4 wheels on the road sections. I think that's a fairly common requirement for road cars, unless you're driving a Reliant Robin of course Dytut said: So the plot thickens. Citroën publicly says talks with Ogier stopped in november from being outbid. And Ogier has looked very calm but a bit sneaky about the whole ordeal lately, and Malcolm has also looked quite relaxed. Are they waiting for the dust to settle after the season and getting ready for revealing they're becoming Ford again? I really hope so. I'm quite sure Ogier is going to stay with M-Sport and I think Ford would be missing a huge opportunity if they don't support them now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dytut Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 It's time for a new thread methinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMaiso99 Posted November 22, 2017 Author Share Posted November 22, 2017 I think a new thread is pointless, it has been here since November 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dytut Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Oh? I thought the thread was kind of messy so figured a new one was due. Wanted to read our predictions before 2017 and it took ages to find since it was buried somewhere in the thread. But if we want to stick with this thread it's fine by me, admins can merge them while the new one is short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruben Correa Alves Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 If OP can put a link to page 110 we'll always be able to find the start of 2018. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMaiso99 Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 I edited the first post, adding links from where 2017 silly season started and also page 110 (2018 Season) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dytut Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 I believe Ogier will stay at M-Sport, and I'm 50/50 if it's going to be full Ford or M-Sport but with a lot more Ford backing.As for the title, I do think it'll be Neuville next year since he's had the speed but lacked somewhat in consistency this year and I think he's learned his lesson. But there are quite a few contenders now.Ogier, of course. He's the man to beat, and he's smart about his driving.Mikkelsen will probably suffer a bit due to not having been in the car enough and do some overdriving, so don't think he'll be in it for the full season. But if he finds a good feeling in the car, he might be a challenger.Meeke might be up there, but even if the Citroën gets better next year I still doubt he has the consistency to do it.Both Latvala and Tänak could do it, but the Yaris needs a bit of a boost in reliability and some extra speed on their slow rallies for it to happen.So Neuville and Ogier as the heavy hitters slugging it out for the whole season, but Mikkelsen, Latvala and Tänak right on their heels for any mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dytut Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Wonder what'll happen to the WRC2 guys just waiting behind the curtain next year aswell. Hyundai already has 4 drivers so they won't have room for testing new drivers. M-Sport usually run an extra car here and there if they get some sponsors in, so they'll probably let Suninen have a few rounds.Citroën might have room for a new driver on a round here and there, either letting Lefebvre sitting out a few rounds if he underperforms or using a 4th car.Toyota seems to like younger drivers, but I doubt they'll let anyone sit out a round. Might be that they've got the budget to run a 4th car on a few rounds, so let's hope for that.Both Citroën and Hyundai have their new R5s, so they might try to lure a prospective future WRC driver into their WRC2 team for next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogani Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Tidemand really deserves a shot. Regularly outpacing Suninen in WRC2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMaiso99 Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 Tidemand is good, but he is in WRC2 since 2013 if I am correct, I have to check it, while Suninen in 2013 was in karting, Suninen has much more potential, and his adaptability to the WRC17 was awesome, also in 2016 Suninen vs Tidemand in Skoda R5, Suninen kicked his ass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMaiso99 Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 Dytut said: Wonder what'll happen to the WRC2 guys just waiting behind the curtain next year aswell. Hyundai already has 4 drivers so they won't have room for testing new drivers. M-Sport usually run an extra car here and there if they get some sponsors in, so they'll probably let Suninen have a few rounds.Citroën might have room for a new driver on a round here and there, either letting Lefebvre sitting out a few rounds if he underperforms or using a 4th car.Toyota seems to like younger drivers, but I doubt they'll let anyone sit out a round. Might be that they've got the budget to run a 4th car on a few rounds, so let's hope for that.Both Citroën and Hyundai have their new R5s, so they might try to lure a prospective future WRC driver into their WRC2 team for next year. Huttunen (confirmed) and Bonato I think Will be Hyundai and Citroen WRC2 drivers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dytut Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Fedemaisonnave said: Tidemand is good, but he is in WRC2 since 2013 if I am correct, I have to check it, while Suninen in 2013 was in karting, Suninen has much more potential, and his adaptability to the WRC17 was awesome, also in 2016 Suninen vs Tidemand in Skoda R5, Suninen kicked his ass Yeah Suninen has been a notch over Tidemand in WRC2, but this season Tidemand has beaten Suninen when both have been in WRC2 in the same rally. So I really hope he gets the chance to at least get one or two rallies in a WRC to test the waters at least.Has anyone heard any rumours as to how the M-Sport team will look next year at all? We know Evans will be there, but that's it. We also know that DMACK won't run a team next year.So if Ogier stays and they're strapped on cash I'd reckon the team will be:OgierEvansØstberg - in his "own" car with more backing from M-Sport unless Ford comes in full time.(4th car run as a loaner/hire/ with Suninen as often as possible)If Ogier retires:EvansØstbergSuninen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.