The 2016 Rallying thread (WRC, ERC, RX, etc)

[Allyc85]

Anyone off to the Wyedean forest rally tomorrow? Looks we will be out spectating on stage 1/4.

[DelicaL400]

Allyc85 said:

Anyone off to the Wyedean forest rally tomorrow? Looks we will be out spectating on stage 1/4.

One of the worst rallies I have been to for idiot spectators. I wonder how many stages will be canned by the MSA safety delegate?

Good to hear that there are plans to bring the Roger Albert Clark rally back next year, I hope it gets enough entries to run.

[Allyc85]

It is a huge event for the Wyedean organisers, one muppet could literally end the event. Hopefully some will have been put off by it not being a BTRDA event and its timing close to Rally Gb. Hopefully..

[Pwig]

On other notes, strong rumours Ogier to MSport on a 1 year deal..

Wonder is Malcolm is getting Henry to pay the wage bill?

[DelicaL400]

Pwig said:

On other notes, strong rumours Ogier to MSport on a 1 year deal..

Wonder is Malcolm is getting Henry to pay the wage bill?

Ogier is already getting paid by VW next year so may do a one year "cheap" deal with Malcolm with a better paid option for year two if the Fiesta works well? I guess he might be heading for Greystoke again once the WRC is over.

[Alex Langheck]

Could signing Ogier tempt Ford to return officially? Perhaps not.....

Maybe WorldRX is enough to promote the RS brand? The reason they left was because the promotion of the WRC was poor. Have things really & honestly improved? Marginal I'd say....

[S0 What]

I caught the arse end of this today, awsome sites and sounds ! got overtaken on the road by a row of 8 70's rally cars, ni on wet myself ! god they sounded great !!!

Edited by S0 What on Sunday 13th November 00:34

[Allyc85]

S0 What said:

I caught the arse end of this today, awsome sites and sounds ! got overtaken on the road by a row of 8 70's rally cars, ni on wet myself ! god they sounded great !!!

Edited by S0 What on Sunday 13th November 00:34

Even with the drizzle it was a most enjoyable day. Nice selection of cars on show and some great car control too. How Callum Black got his Fiesta stopped for Junction 29 of stage 4 I'll never know!

My pictures are here..

https://www.flickr.com/photos/allyc85/albums/72157...

[Blayney]

First rally I've bothered with this year after all this "designated area" stuff had to be brought in.

I was a bit miffed with no stage maps and a big lack of speccy info... but no marshals stopped me going where I wanted to and I enjoyed the whole day.

My and the group of guys I was with did look on with dismay as two marshals let a bunch of speccys stand on the outside of a fast hairpin... thankfully the course car told them all to move! It was an idiotic place to stand and anyone who's been to a rally or even has a basic understanding of physics would not have stood there.

Anyway... I did a video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzUDeDzBuiY

[K50 DEL]

Enjoyed spectating on the Wyedean immensely this weekend... was very worried that it would be nothing but officious marshals trying to herd everyone into silly little pens miles from the action.
In general nothing could have been further from the truth, we walked to a decent vantage point and were left alone to enjoy the spectacle.

[fttm]

Anyone else following The Silver Fern Rally ? 3000kms of gravel stages

[GravelBen]

Yip, keeping an eye on updates (I know the bloke in second overall) and might pop out to some of the local stages thurs/fri if I can escape from work.

Edited by GravelBen on Tuesday 29th November 05:09

[velocemitch]

I'm keeping track on it too, pleased to see the Yorkshire Mafia are leading at the moment too!.

[Allyc85]

I think I preferred the 2017, i20 Wrc in plain white..

[GravelBen]

Frequent video updates from the Silver Fern on their facebook page if you haven't found them already:

https://www.facebook.com/SilverFernRally/?hc_ref=N...

I got out to a couple of stages yesterday and one this morning, good fun.

[Allyc85]

Latvala has signed for Toyota..

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/127424...

Good in a way that they have signed an experienced driver, but normally you want a reliable one!

[Alex Langheck]

Where's my not surprised face? Finnish driver signs for Toyota Team Finland; because, let's face it, that's what it is. Quite a contrast to the Toyota WEC team.
Soon as Makinen got the contract, we all knew Latvala was going there.

[GravelBen]

Though Jari and Tommi have apparently both denied that a deal has been signed, maybe its just attention-whoring reporters jumping the gun again.

Edited by GravelBen on Tuesday 6th December 23:17

[GravelBen]

Alex Langheck said:

Soon as Makinen got the contract, we all knew Latvala was going there.

Horsest, we all thought he was staying at VW at that stage.

[Slippydiff]

Latvala and Team Makinnen sounds like a recipe for disaster, though TBH the whole Toyota WRC effort sounds somewhat farcical. Hopefully I'll have to eat my words this time next year, but my guess is it'll bring Latvala's career to a premature end.

I'm no accountant, but it would seem sensible to try and recoup some of the 2017 VW Polo WRC's costs by selling the cars and technical back up to a satellite team to run for a couple ? of years until the "heat is off" the VAG Group.
Letting Ogier go would be foolhardy in the extreme to my mind.

Interesting Citroen aren't letting/won't let SO get behind the wheel of next year's car. Kris Meeke flexing his muscles ? or perhaps Citroen know Ogier has other WRC options that we're not aware of ?

'