The WRC 2012 Thread

[ArnageWRC]

Agree with you both. The teams are the ones at fault for the current state of the sport – they have taken it down ths current direction – yet still seem to think they know best. Quite simply, they don’t. The moaning after RallyGB was laughable....If they don’t like it, go and do RallyCross or circuit racing.
The current plight of the WRC was discussed the other week on RadioLeMans – and the general consensus was that the events and current cars are the problem; 11-14 identikit events, and boring, shopping trolley based cars with 300BHP. Who honestly aspires to own a Fiesta ST or a DS3....???
It seems as though most followers of the WRC are quite happy with the current cars, whereas your general Motorsport fan thinks they are pants....

[anonymous-user]

Any TV coverage for Mexico?
My TV guide just says 'preview of Rally Mexico' each night on Motors TV, not 'All the action from round X...'

[EDLT]

PSBuckshot said:

Any TV coverage for Mexico?
My TV guide just says 'preview of Rally Mexico' each night on Motors TV, not 'All the action from round X...'

Your guide is probably wrong, they wouldn't show the preview every day would they?

Also this thread is descending back into the retarded "FIX WRC! BRING BACK GROUP B!" argument again.

[anonymous-user]

EDLT said:

Your guide is probably wrong, they wouldn't show the preview every day would they?

Also this thread is descending back into the retarded "FIX WRC! BRING BACK GROUP B!" argument again.

Its at different times though which makes me wonder.

[CO2000]

I seem to remember the Monte coming up with preview all the time on Sky's planner.

& regarding the state of the WRC it's positively glowing compared to the bore fest that is the British Rally Championship, I had to switch off after 5 mins !

[anonymous-user]

CO2000 said:

WRC it's positively glowing compared to the bore fest that is the British Rally Championship

WRC is the best rally championship by a long shot.
Some of the national events have good cars like the odd Delta or Quattro but when you go watch the WRC nothing compares.

[P I Staker]

CO2000 said:

& regarding the state of the WRC it's positively glowing compared to the bore fest that is the British Rally Championship, I had to switch off after 5 mins !

Oh I agree its full to the brim of FWD dullness, although I think the coverage (Ignore the cars) was good compared to the WRC stuff.

[anonymous-user]

P I Staker said:

although I think the coverage (Ignore the cars) was good compared to the WRC stuff.

Motors TV coverage has been surprisingly good this season IMO

[Allyc85]

Confirmation of TV deal for Mexico.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97903

And Petter Solberg was fastest in the qualifying stage for the running order.

1. P.Solberg 2min48''673,
2. Hirvonen 2min49''579,
3. Loeb 2min50''651,
4. Latvala 2min51''044
5. Novikov (Fiesta WRC) 2’52’1
6. Ostberg (Fiesta WRC) 2’52’3

[Allyc85]

The running order, with PS choosing 14th place..

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=34668100...

[sanf]

ArnageWRC said:

The moaning after RallyGB was laughable....

Absolutely spot on...

I don't think anyone is trying to say 'take the wrc back to grp B'. But more that the WRC does have some pretty major problems, so lets fix them and make it great again. The above quote is so true. After rally GB the general fans view was very favourable, and the event was heading in the right direction. But the teams, and even some drivers moaned about road mileage, too far to travel etc. Rallying is about the spirit of endurance, that's what captures the publics imagination.

1994 was the last year of open servicing on the RAC. Driving along we see Prodrive support cars in a farm yard. So we jump out, suddenly Sainz and McRae turn up for a quick service. We were able to look all round the cars and actually listen into the conversations the drivers and mechanics were having. As a 19 year old, that was amazing, something you could do in pretty much no other top level motorsport event. However slowly but surely so many of the unique factors were removed - super long stages, open servicing, night stages, events over 3 days. Spectators & fans could see this star slowly fading away, yet oddly the organisers seemed to think it was all great.

The current MINI issue sums up how big the problem is. Brand MINI & BMW with multiple champions Prodrive building the car. In it's first handful of events, the car was on the podium, set some fastest times, and in Spain got a 1-2 on the power stage. YET despite all of this Prodrive could not find a headline sponsor, and BMW aren't yet willing to put extra money in, despite the fact they could have an 18 month headstart on VW.

ArnageWRC said:

Who honestly aspires to own a Fiesta ST or a DS3....???
It seems as though most followers of the WRC are quite happy with the current cars, whereas your general Motorsport fan thinks they are pants....

I actually really like the current crop of cars, and close up they are awesome. Funnily enough two of the greatest grp B cars were based on the 205 & Mini Metro!! The issues around MINI are sad as they are one manufacturer who currentyly offer a 1.6 turbo 4x4 variant of the countryman. I would really like to see the link re-establised between road models and competition ones.

Subaru built their whole image around rallying, the fact you could buy not 1 but 2 (WRX & STi), silly fast verions of the Impreza was great when it came to watching the cars compete, then pop down your showroom and there it was ready to drive again.

The WRC could really do with a manufacturer looking to achieve the same again and finding a super fast young driver to help again, Proton maybe weighing this up, so the future does bode well, and Mr Todt does seem to have some pretty good plans, sady to get there though the WRC is having a crisis along the way!!

[EDLT]

sanf said:

I actually really like the current crop of cars, and close up they are awesome. Funnily enough two of the greatest grp B cars were based on the 205 & Mini Metro!!

Before that it was Escorts, Minis, Saabs, Skodas, a variety of small Fiats and a variety of tuned versions of normal cars. For most of its existence, rally has been about ordinary cars being driven quickly.

[Emeye]

Well, Petter's off to a good start and he goes very well here. Finger's crossed for a win from him, he deserves it!

[TankRS]

PSBuckshot said:

Any TV coverage for Mexico?
My TV guide just says 'preview of Rally Mexico' each night on Motors TV, not 'All the action from round X...'

if i remember correct, day one coverage is at 9am 2mro morning. i have Sky+ recording the programmes at 9am on Motors TV. its all a day late so dont forget to schedule the stuff in monday am too

[Allyc85]

yep all coverage is the day after at 9am

Emeye said:

Well, Petter's off to a good start and he goes very well here. Finger's crossed for a win from him, he deserves it!

Amen to that!

edit puncture for Petter on ss2 and drops a minute, Hirvonen flying!

Edited by Allyc85 on Friday 9th March 15:25

[Mini1275]

The current standings after SS8:

Autosport said:

Sebastien Loeb leads Citroen team-mate Mikko Hirvonen by 4.5 seconds after the last full-length stage of leg one of Rally Mexico.

Loeb moved ahead of the Finn on the first stage after lunchtime service today, but has was not able to pull far away on the two stages that followed.

With the second run through SS9, Ortega, cancelled after spectators threw stones at cars there this morning, the only stages remaining on the Friday itinerary are the repeat of the short Guanajuato street stage and two evening runs through the super special.

Although the Citroens lead, it is the Fords that have flown this afternoon, with Jari-Matti Latvala winning all three stages as he pushes to recover from the impact with a rock that dropped him from the lead to eighth earlier today. The Finn has now got back up to fourth, behind Mads Ostberg (Adapta Ford), while team-mate Petter Solberg - whose double puncture dropped him as low as 13th in the morning - is sixth and closing on Ott Tanak (M-Sport Ford).

Thierry Neuville had been among this group too, but crashed his Citroen Junior entry on stage six when holding an impressive fourth.

Behind seventh-placed Evgeny Novikov (M-Sport Ford), Chris Atkinson has been slightly frustrated with his pace in the Monster Ford in eighth on his World Rally Championship return.

Leading positions after SS8:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 1h20m01.5s
2. Mikko Hirvonen Citroen + 4.5s
3. Mads Ostberg Adapta Ford + 1m02.1s
4. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford + 1m19.9s
5. Ott Tanak M-Sport Ford + 1m30.4s
6. Petter Solberg Ford + 1m35.8s
7. Evgeny Novikov M-Sport Ford + 1m48.6s
8. Chris Atkinson Monster Ford + 2m39.6s
9. Nasser Al-Attiyah Qatar Citroen + 2m56.4s
10. Armindo Araujo Portugal Mini + 3m33.0s

[Allyc85]

What an absoulte disgrace that people think its ok to throw rocks at cars as they pass, how can they be so bloody stupid!?

With just 30 cars entered and spectator behaviour like this (Not for the first time I hear) it makes you wonder why the WRC bothers to go to Mexico...

[Allyc85]

Loeb beats JML by 5.5 over a 41.9k stage i.e. by bugger all, while JML beats PS by 25 seconds!

top 3...

Loeb
Hirvonen +18 seconds
Latvala +1m07.4

[anonymous-user]

Can only see a Seb win from now. He doesn't have to go flat out, just match Hirvonen...and Seb won't make a mistake...

[Mini1275]

Latest standings:

Autosport said:

Sebastien Loeb continues to lead in Mexico, while an impact with a rock further dented Jari-Matti Latvala's remote hopes of getting back in victory contention.

Despite a string of stage wins, Latvala was not gaining on the leading Citroens quickly enough to suggest he could rejoin the lead battle after his costly suspension damage on Friday. The Finn then lost another 50 seconds when he broke a wheel hitting a rock early on SS15 this afternoon, forcing him to drive 25 kilometres on a punctured front tyre.

That dropped Latvala from fourth to third, and though he regained the final podium spot from Ford team-mate Petter Solberg by winning the following Otates stage, he is now 2m09.8s off the lead.

Loeb has also continued to pull clear of Citroen team-mate Mikko Hirvonen up front, with his lead now standing at 28.7s.

Mads Ostberg (Adapta Ford) has now fallen behind both works Fords to fifth.

Ott Tanak also damaged a tyre on a rock on the same stage as Latvala, but managed to hang on to sixth - albeit now only a few seconds ahead of M-Sport Ford team-mate Evgeny Novikov.

Chris Atkinson's World Rally Championship return came to an unusual end - at least for leg two - when he crashed at the end of Otates. The Monster Ford driver completed the stage but went off at the bend after the flying finish.

The Australian's exit will move Sebastien Ogier into the overall top 10 in his Volkswagen-run Super 2000 Skoda.

Leading positions after SS16:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 3h01m10.9s
2. Mikko Hirvonen Citroen + 28.7s
3. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford + 2m09.8s
4. Petter Solberg Ford + 2m22.1s
5. Mads Ostberg Adapta Ford + 2m35.0s
6. Ott Tanak M-Sport Ford + 4m11.8s
7. Evgeny Novikov M-Sport Ford + 4m17.6s
8. Nasser Al-Attiyah Qatar Citroen + 5m39.9s
9. Chris Atkinson Monster Ford + 5m42.9s
10. Armindo Araujo Portugal Mini + 9m03.4s