2022 Rallying Thread (WRC, ERC and national rally)

[Jon_S_Rally]

Less than three weeks until Monte Carlo, so seems like a good time to get this going...

Any predictions anyone?

Toyota look tough to beat I reckon. While Ogier has said he won't do the full season, if he wins in Monte, I wonder if he'll be tempted to go for number nine.

I'm still unconvinced by the new cars, but we'll see.

[Jon_S_Rally]

fttm said:

Grizedale Stages cancelled , still problems after storm Arwen plus half the entry pulled out after the previous date change .

A shame to see this, but I thought the statement from the organisers was a bit unprofessional. I understand that they're frustrated, but it felt like they were having a few digs at competitors. The unpredictably of covid has made it difficult for them to run the event, but it can also make it difficult for competitors to commit when they don't know what's going on. All felt a bit ill-tempered and unnecessary.

[Jon_S_Rally]

Skylinecrazy said:

https://dirtfish.com/rally/podcast-the-vision-for-...

Interview with the new El Presidentè.

Speaks a lot of sense. Whether he can make any of it happen is something different though.

[Jon_S_Rally]

Hyundai have shown their 2022 car and livery. No surprises with the latter of course. I still don't like the rear three quarter vents. I see they haven't bothered including the rear doors too. Rear bumper looks to stick out miles from the hatch. Would be interesting to see it sitting next to a normal i20 to see if it's been scaled much.

[Jon_S_Rally]

3anascooter said:

I see Brands hatch is hosting rallying this Saturday using parts of the circuit, Paddock and rally stage (normally used by punters having a go in a rally car)
As long as its not raining I will go along and see my first live motorsport of the yesr (and for some time). A day out for £20

Circuit rallies are really good in my view. While some don't view them as "proper", they're a nice way to access the sport without having to trudge miles to get into a forest stage. They always attract good entries and nice cars too, so well worth watching.

[Jon_S_Rally]

M5-911 said:

So we are looking at 2 semi retired guys destroying the rest of the current field. Future of WRC drivers is a bit bleak.

Ogier is the current champion and is as match-fit as any of the full-time drivers. He is also on his home event, driving on roads that aren't that far from his home town (though not as close as the last few years). To describe him as semi-retired is rather doing him a disservice. Loeb's performance has been exceptional though, especially considering he is only just back from Dakar.

As for the future, Evans, Neuville, Tanak, Rovanpera are all extremely talented drivers, so I don't think we have anything to worry about.

[Jon_S_Rally]

Deeply impressive from Loeb, especially given the lack of pre-event prep and the fact he'd been driving round the desert for a fortnight.

Unlucky for Ogier though. He looked gutted at the end. Decent start to the season for Breen. Didn't look that fast, but kept a cool head and picked up points, which is what it's all about.

So much for hybrids ruining rallying anyway.

[Jon_S_Rally]

Mastodon2 said:

When you've got the two Sebastiens making everyone else look a bit st, it must be a bit of a dampener for whoever wins the title this year knowing they really only got it by being the best of the B tier drivers.

Well done Loeb, he is the greatest of all time.

I'm not sure that's true. Evans, Tanak and Neuville are certainly not B-tier. Evans has run Ogier close twice in the last two seasons, and Tanak has beaten Ogier to a championship.

Ogier's dominance was helped significantly by the Polo being the best car. Don't get me wrong, he is still a fabulous driver, and I would argue for him being the GOAT since he has gone on to win with both M-Sport and Toyota, but whoever wins it this year will 100% deserve it.

Dynion Araf Uchaf said:

I am not convinced by Oliver Solberg, there's something about him that cries 'not tough enough' He's has everything given to him, and his parents enthusiasm has rubbed off on him but if you have a chance in a WRC car you don't park it because it's too difficult. As Keke Rosberg once said about Stefano Modena after he parked his car in a race one time. 'it doesn't matter who you are, how much experience you have, you carry that car across the line if you have to'. Stefano didn't exactly set the world on fire thereafter.

I predict 3 years of underachievement and retired at 24.

I do understand your reservations about Solberg. I think he still has a lot to prove.

However, I think the comments about this weekend are slightly unfair. If the issue with fumes was making him feel unwell, then it was right to retire the car. If he had gone off the road because he couldn't fully concentrate, we could have been looking at a very different story.

[Jon_S_Rally]

Also, on Loeb, I think a lot of people underestimated him to be honest. His performances in the Hyundai weren't that inspiring at times, but I think it was a bit harsh for some to suggest that he had "lost it".

When he did Mont Blanc last year, he set a fastest stage time and was right in amongst the leaders for the entire rally, and that was in a 306 Maxi against the latest R5 cars. While the drivers weren't necessarily WRC calibre, I think that shows that he very much still has the pace. He may not have the energy/desire to do it over a full season anymore, but he is still capable of wins and podiums on odd events, especially on tarmac.