The 2014 WRC Thread
Discussion
Cut the number of dry, dusty gravel events - and spread them out over the year. There was a year or 2 when we had about 4/5 similar events back to back. Ridiculous.
This year we've waited until August for the first pure Tarmac event - do these people have brains? Evidently not.
Why Motorsport feels the need to 'handicap' the top drivers really annoys me. If they're too good - Tough!! Is Usain Bolt going to run 110m with lead boots in his next 100m race - just to give the others a chance?
The constant meddling with rules/ formats just emphasises the sports chiefs have no confidence, and/or are clueless about promoting the sport.
This year we've waited until August for the first pure Tarmac event - do these people have brains? Evidently not.
Why Motorsport feels the need to 'handicap' the top drivers really annoys me. If they're too good - Tough!! Is Usain Bolt going to run 110m with lead boots in his next 100m race - just to give the others a chance?
The constant meddling with rules/ formats just emphasises the sports chiefs have no confidence, and/or are clueless about promoting the sport.
Stupid shootout idea rejected 
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115830
Please now stop the idea of penalising the championship leader on the first 2 days please!
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115830
Please now stop the idea of penalising the championship leader on the first 2 days please!
Great news!!
I don't see an issue with running in reverse order like they use to do a while back after day 1. But put a 10 second penalty for any car deliberately slowing/stopping at the end of a stage for better position on day 2.
In other news. WRC Australia first day ended as -
I don't see an issue with running in reverse order like they use to do a while back after day 1. But put a 10 second penalty for any car deliberately slowing/stopping at the end of a stage for better position on day 2.
In other news. WRC Australia first day ended as -
iRally said:
At the end of Day 1 at the Coates Hire Rally Australia, it is Sebastian Ogier that now leads overnight. His VW Polo R WRC leads his team mate Jari-Matti Latvala by just 0.4sec. Third is the sister VW Polo R of Andreas Mikkelsen just 3.5secs behind Latvala. Fourth is day long leader Kris Meeke, in the Citroen DS3, just 0.6sec behind Mikklesen, with Mikko Hirvonen 7.9secs behind the Ulsterman.
Meeke lead for most of the day, but think he dropped seconds to the VW's in the Super Special The question of running order is probably as old as rallying itself really!
I recall one series (I forget whether it was NZRC or WRC) used to let the top 10 drivers chose their road position for the following day - first place chooses, then second chooses from whats left, etc.
Marble draws for top 10 running order have also been done in the past, should stop certain drivers whinging about it.
I recall one series (I forget whether it was NZRC or WRC) used to let the top 10 drivers chose their road position for the following day - first place chooses, then second chooses from whats left, etc.
Marble draws for top 10 running order have also been done in the past, should stop certain drivers whinging about it.
I still think the qualifying set up we had for the last few seasons worked. Drivers give it flat out even before rally start, better spectacle for spectators too.
WRC Australia news. Meeke has been slapped with a stewards decision costing him 1:01s
No info on why just yet but here's the top 10
1. S. OGIER M 2:03:55.3
2. J. LATVALA M. +11.8
3. A. MIKKELSEN +25.3
4. K. MEEKE M +26.8
5. M. HIRVONEN M +1:27.2
6. M. OSTBERG M. +2:08.2
7. H. PADDON T +2:15.5
8. T. NEUVILLE M +3:52.4
9. E. EVANS M +3:59.0
10. R. KUBICA T +4:59.2
WRC Australia news. Meeke has been slapped with a stewards decision costing him 1:01s
No info on why just yet but here's the top 10
1. S. OGIER M 2:03:55.3
2. J. LATVALA M. +11.8
3. A. MIKKELSEN +25.3
4. K. MEEKE M +26.8
5. M. HIRVONEN M +1:27.2
6. M. OSTBERG M. +2:08.2
7. H. PADDON T +2:15.5
8. T. NEUVILLE M +3:52.4
9. E. EVANS M +3:59.0
10. R. KUBICA T +4:59.2
Thats pretty harsh - I saw the cut (well I presume it was that one) in the highlights vid, it was big but not dangerous and not that much further off the road than a few other drivers. He's been driving very well.
Someone got fined for a big cut at an event earlier this year didn't they, anyone remember details?
Someone got fined for a big cut at an event earlier this year didn't they, anyone remember details?
Edited by GravelBen on Saturday 13th September 13:39
Did he really gain that much time by cutting the corner? I've not seen today's highlights yet.
A fair penalty for cutting would be maybe 5-10s. Not the bizare 1.01 he got!
Here's a vid of Toyota Tarmac testing the Yaris with Stephane Sarrazin.
It looks and sounds good imho!
http://youtu.be/IMYHarNyakY
My only concern now tho is if Toyota do join full time again, M-Sport are going to quickly get left behind factory supported teams if Ford still only supply the cars, and it's a shame and a kick in the teeth for Malcolm Wilson for sticking with the championship the way he has!
A fair penalty for cutting would be maybe 5-10s. Not the bizare 1.01 he got!
Here's a vid of Toyota Tarmac testing the Yaris with Stephane Sarrazin.
It looks and sounds good imho!
http://youtu.be/IMYHarNyakY
My only concern now tho is if Toyota do join full time again, M-Sport are going to quickly get left behind factory supported teams if Ford still only supply the cars, and it's a shame and a kick in the teeth for Malcolm Wilson for sticking with the championship the way he has!
It sounds like the penalty was to drop one place, which as Hirvonen just happened to be 1 minute behind meant a penalty of 1:01. If Hirvonen hadn't lost so much time on that stage, Meeke would have had a smaller penalty and might have still finished on the podium. He might have gained 1-2s from the cut?
In other words using a quite irrelevant factor to decide a bloody stupid penalty which put him out of podium contention - did VW decide the penalty?
In other words using a quite irrelevant factor to decide a bloody stupid penalty which put him out of podium contention - did VW decide the penalty?
Edited by GravelBen on Sunday 14th September 07:28
RyanTank said:
Did he really gain that much time by cutting the corner? I've not seen today's highlights yet.
A fair penalty for cutting would be maybe 5-10s. Not the bizare 1.01 he got!
Here's a vid of Toyota Tarmac testing the Yaris with Stephane Sarrazin.
It looks and sounds good imho!
http://youtu.be/IMYHarNyakY
My only concern now tho is if Toyota do join full time again, M-Sport are going to quickly get left behind factory supported teams if Ford still only supply the cars, and it's a shame and a kick in the teeth for Malcolm Wilson for sticking with the championship the way he has!
Malcolm & M-Sport will be fine - building and running the Bentley GT3's is going well, that seems to be were their focus is.A fair penalty for cutting would be maybe 5-10s. Not the bizare 1.01 he got!
Here's a vid of Toyota Tarmac testing the Yaris with Stephane Sarrazin.
It looks and sounds good imho!
http://youtu.be/IMYHarNyakY
My only concern now tho is if Toyota do join full time again, M-Sport are going to quickly get left behind factory supported teams if Ford still only supply the cars, and it's a shame and a kick in the teeth for Malcolm Wilson for sticking with the championship the way he has!
As for the penalty, 1:01 is bizarre. So, if Mikko was 2 secs behind it would have been 3secs? I :e handing a place back for 'gaining an advantage' - it's a circuit racing penalty that has no place in Rallying.
RyanTank said:
Did he really gain that much time by cutting the corner? I've not seen today's highlights yet.
A fair penalty for cutting would be maybe 5-10s. Not the bizare 1.01 he got!
Here's a vid of Toyota Tarmac testing the Yaris with Stephane Sarrazin.
It looks and sounds good imho!
http://youtu.be/IMYHarNyakY
My only concern now tho is if Toyota do join full time again, M-Sport are going to quickly get left behind factory supported teams if Ford still only supply the cars, and it's a shame and a kick in the teeth for Malcolm Wilson for sticking with the championship the way he has!
You beat me to posting that - my only problem is that it looks like another WRC small hatch clone - you're only going to be able to tell what car is battering towards you through the forest by the colour of the sponsor logos. This is probably more an issue of modern car design than WRC rules to be fair.A fair penalty for cutting would be maybe 5-10s. Not the bizare 1.01 he got!
Here's a vid of Toyota Tarmac testing the Yaris with Stephane Sarrazin.
It looks and sounds good imho!
http://youtu.be/IMYHarNyakY
My only concern now tho is if Toyota do join full time again, M-Sport are going to quickly get left behind factory supported teams if Ford still only supply the cars, and it's a shame and a kick in the teeth for Malcolm Wilson for sticking with the championship the way he has!
Alex Langheck said:
Ridiculous decision - leave these decisions for circuit racing. This is Rallying, totally different sport. The Mikkelsen one earlier in the season was stupid, and so is this one.
Just were do they get these stewards from? They're a bunch of muppets who need to get a life.
Colin would be turning in his grave. Loose surface rallying without cuts, ridiculous.Just were do they get these stewards from? They're a bunch of muppets who need to get a life.
RyanTank said:
M-Sport are going to quickly get left behind factory supported teams if Ford still only supply the cars, and it's a shame and a kick in the teeth for Malcolm Wilson for sticking with the championship the way he has!
Hirvonen has come in for a lot of stick this year which - to a certain extent - is deserved but I see he is fourth in the standings and best of the non-VW's. Surely that's not too bad? I would say the biggest disappointment has been Mads Ostberg, just 8points from the last 4 rallied and getting his butt kicked on pace by his team mate who had less experience of most these rallies. Hope that this is posted in the right place!
I'm thinking of getting Wales Rally GB 'Rallyfest' tickets for the Saturday for me and my son. Is the Chirk stage a 'super special' type stage and is this ticket a good one for young-uns i.e. access to cars, attractions etc.
Thanks in advance!
Steve
I'm thinking of getting Wales Rally GB 'Rallyfest' tickets for the Saturday for me and my son. Is the Chirk stage a 'super special' type stage and is this ticket a good one for young-uns i.e. access to cars, attractions etc.
Thanks in advance!
Steve
Steve vRS said:
Hope that this is posted in the right place!
I'm thinking of getting Wales Rally GB 'Rallyfest' tickets for the Saturday for me and my son. Is the Chirk stage a 'super special' type stage and is this ticket a good one for young-uns i.e. access to cars, attractions etc.
Thanks in advance!
Steve
Blimey, is it that time of year already?! I can't help you with that stage - I went to RallyGB for the first time in ages last year and the stage I went to was great - easy to get into, well organised - I just can't remember the name of it! Tempted to go again this year, but I don't have a 4x4 car any more, which despite being a hairdresser's Audi TT Mk1 got me into the emergency overflow parking without hassle when all the BMWs (which I have now!) got stuck! I'm thinking of getting Wales Rally GB 'Rallyfest' tickets for the Saturday for me and my son. Is the Chirk stage a 'super special' type stage and is this ticket a good one for young-uns i.e. access to cars, attractions etc.
Thanks in advance!
Steve
Just a thought, last year there was a RallyGB thread running - not seen one this year yet, but worth a look.
http://www.fia.com/contact-us
All fans should flood the Media enquiry portal. Just querying MSA about the regulations (or the equiv in other countries will just dilute the message and it won't be guaranteed to be passed on
http://www.volkswagen-motorsport.com/index.php?id=...
Fill in the above address VW contact page, heading the comment FAO J Capito (idiot 1st class)
Text should say how much you deplore VW being part of this lunacy and how it will stop you buying their products in future
Too late for you Ally, I know but putting the wind up VW might make them wind their employee's neck in!
Feel free to copy and paste this on all other forums
...this is what I wrote to V
Ich möchte über die anhaltende Aktivität der Herr J Capito in dem Versuch, eine grob idiotisch Wechsel in der Führung der Weltmeisterschaft Rallyes machen beschweren.
Wenn er mit seinem Versuch, eine letzte Stufe "Shoot-out" vorstellen persisrts wird er den Sport zerstören. Wenn er erfolgreich ist, wird es meiner Meinung nach negativ beeinflussen von VW für immer, und ich werde aktiv versuchen, andere vom Kauf abhalten VAG Produkte
Es ist noch Zeit für VW, ein Ende zu setzen diesen Unsinn, nutzen Sie die Möglichkeit, dies zu tun
All fans should flood the Media enquiry portal. Just querying MSA about the regulations (or the equiv in other countries will just dilute the message and it won't be guaranteed to be passed on
http://www.volkswagen-motorsport.com/index.php?id=...
Fill in the above address VW contact page, heading the comment FAO J Capito (idiot 1st class)
Text should say how much you deplore VW being part of this lunacy and how it will stop you buying their products in future
Too late for you Ally, I know but putting the wind up VW might make them wind their employee's neck in!
Feel free to copy and paste this on all other forums
...this is what I wrote to V
Ich möchte über die anhaltende Aktivität der Herr J Capito in dem Versuch, eine grob idiotisch Wechsel in der Führung der Weltmeisterschaft Rallyes machen beschweren.
Wenn er mit seinem Versuch, eine letzte Stufe "Shoot-out" vorstellen persisrts wird er den Sport zerstören. Wenn er erfolgreich ist, wird es meiner Meinung nach negativ beeinflussen von VW für immer, und ich werde aktiv versuchen, andere vom Kauf abhalten VAG Produkte
Es ist noch Zeit für VW, ein Ende zu setzen diesen Unsinn, nutzen Sie die Möglichkeit, dies zu tun
Edited by Trophybloo on Friday 19th September 17:27
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