2019 Rallying Thread (WRC, ERC and all other)!
Discussion
Yep Greensmith is in the full fat WRC! Hopefully he can gain some good experience and do a better job than Tidemand did at the start of the year.
It's hard to look past a Toyota win, even with Tanak running 2nd on the road tomorrow, maybe it's Kris's weekend to take his 1st win for the team?
Ingram is doing a great job at the moment, given his lack of budget and testing time. Think he is something like 1 point off of the main championship lead and can win the juniors (£100k prize) at the next round.
It's hard to look past a Toyota win, even with Tanak running 2nd on the road tomorrow, maybe it's Kris's weekend to take his 1st win for the team?
Ingram is doing a great job at the moment, given his lack of budget and testing time. Think he is something like 1 point off of the main championship lead and can win the juniors (£100k prize) at the next round.
Big Robbo said:
Meeke is starting to look and drive desperate. He's been unlucky but this win or bust mentality is doing him no favours.
To finish first, first you have to finish!
I don't think this was bad luck - this was bad judgement and poor mind management.To finish first, first you have to finish!
The first spin occurred at the same point Lappi had previously spun and rolled. So there is something missing about using a little judgement to back off at that point. Then he's filled with rage as you can see from the stage end interview, which I think causes him to try too hard (cutting a corner and hitting the tree stump) which led to the roll. I did initially think it was a pacenote problem, but if it was, he would surely have hit it on the previous run.
I would dearly love to see Meeke win regularly, but now it's obvious that, at best, he *can* be as fast as the top 3 (Tanak, Neuville and Ogier) but is a long way back when it comes to managing a whole event. Unless Tommy MacKinnon can work some mind magic (and he hasn't with Latvala in 2.5 years) then I'm afraid I don't see Kris Meeke getting any better than he is now......which begs the question whether he can keep his set when Rovanpera moves up.
thepawbroon said:
Big Robbo said:
Meeke is starting to look and drive desperate. He's been unlucky but this win or bust mentality is doing him no favours.
To finish first, first you have to finish!
I don't think this was bad luck - this was bad judgement and poor mind management.To finish first, first you have to finish!
The first spin occurred at the same point Lappi had previously spun and rolled. So there is something missing about using a little judgement to back off at that point. Then he's filled with rage as you can see from the stage end interview, which I think causes him to try too hard (cutting a corner and hitting the tree stump) which led to the roll. I did initially think it was a pacenote problem, but if it was, he would surely have hit it on the previous run.
I would dearly love to see Meeke win regularly, but now it's obvious that, at best, he *can* be as fast as the top 3 (Tanak, Neuville and Ogier) but is a long way back when it comes to managing a whole event. Unless Tommy MacKinnon can work some mind magic (and he hasn't with Latvala in 2.5 years) then I'm afraid I don't see Kris Meeke getting any better than he is now......which begs the question whether he can keep his set when Rovanpera moves up.
df76 said:
Agree. Would love him to do well / better, but just don't see what he offers Toyota now. He's not quite quick enough for overall wins and not consistent enough for solid points.
which Kris Meeke are you referring to?5 WRC wins, in a declining Citroen team and a difficult car - even Ogier is struggling with it, and as for Lappi.....
Up until Portugal he was one of only 2 drivers to finish all the events this year without Rally 2
He made a small error in Portugal and is generally not totalling the cars with his mistakes like last year.
He is in a new team and new car and has outpaced JML.
I get the impression that most of the time he is driving at 99%
OT is on another level to everyone at the moment, but still Meeke can occasionally best him in a stage.
It'll be JML that leaves at year end, Toyota don't need two Finnish drivers from a marketing perspective, and the UK is a large market to have some representation within.
I think he has improved a lot this year with his consistency, and will win a couple of rallies before year end. (Germany and Aus)
Edited by Jerry Can on Wednesday 5th June 07:56
Jerry Can said:
df76 said:
Agree. Would love him to do well / better, but just don't see what he offers Toyota now. He's not quite quick enough for overall wins and not consistent enough for solid points.
which Kris Meeke are you referring to?5 WRC wins, in a declining Citroen team and a difficult car - even Ogier is struggling with it, and as for Lappi.....
Up until Portugal he was one of only 2 drivers to finish all the events this year without Rally 2
He made a small error in Portugal and is generally not totalling the cars with his mistakes like last year.
He is in a new team and new car and has outpaced JML.
I get the impression that most of the time he is driving at 99%
OT is on another level to everyone at the moment, but still Meeke can occasionally best him in a stage.
It'll be JML that leaves at year end, Toyota don't need two Finnish drivers from a marketing perspective, and the UK is a large market to have some representation within.
I think he has improved a lot this year with his consistency, and will win a couple of rallies before year end. (Germany and Aus)
Edited by Jerry Can on Wednesday 5th June 07:56
Do you not just thin he is not quite good enough? He has had a damn good crack at the whip and I think right now he is trying to drive at slightly less than 100% Any more and he bins it routinely but can beat and match the aliens, which I bracket as Ogier, Tanak and Neuuville, with tothers at time able to match if things are 100%
I prefer this meeke, and teams will too.
I prefer this meeke, and teams will too.
Some harsh criticism of Kris i feel. None of us has said a thing about Loeb's stupid mistake on the same stage that ripped a wheel off too, a much less expected mistake from a 9 time world champion no, or are we letting him off as hes still getting used to the car as only completed 5 of the 7 events this year? It could be a combination of the ruts pitching the Yaris into the line it did, it could've just been him playing the team game by trying to maximise points to deny Seb and Thierry gaining anything on Ott. neither he or the team has said, but he has admitted it was his mistake.
Kris is one of the only drivers able to best Ott in the car imho. Can we not write him off like Citroen did last year as the guy has had a torrid career in the WRC from the start. He desperately wants to be there and competing at the front and just needs confidence and to change the mind set that his career is on the line for every minute that passes in a WRC car.
The Polo has been a tad incendiary, not ideal!This looks mighty impressive imho. I like that they haven't gone the same route as Skoda with the central bumper mounded exhaust. Not sure how much that's contributing to the spontaneous combusting Fabia's. Isnt it something like 5 new Fabia's burnt to a crisp?
They've nailed this R5 Fiesta, especially the launch livery
Kris is one of the only drivers able to best Ott in the car imho. Can we not write him off like Citroen did last year as the guy has had a torrid career in the WRC from the start. He desperately wants to be there and competing at the front and just needs confidence and to change the mind set that his career is on the line for every minute that passes in a WRC car.
GravelBen said:
DelicaL400 said:
And hopefully less flammable than the Polo R5.
The Polo has been a tad incendiary, not ideal!
They've nailed this R5 Fiesta, especially the launch livery
Err the reason no-one has said anything about Loeb is that because he has won more rallies than anyone else, more titles than anyone else and proved beyond anyone really who drove against him. He is part time, for years and is more than likely to mess up, and really can buy the odd mistake with that record.
Meeke has done none of those things, not even close.
Meeke has done none of those things, not even close.
Great news - the iconic Beatson's Mull Rally is back - the route has just been announced:
https://mullrally.org/route/
I'm pretty sure this is the longest tarmac rally in the country this year, and the 3rd longest stage rally of all (after the Roger Albert Clark and the Wales Rally GB). It's also, probably, the only stage rally in the country where the majority of the stage mileage is in the dark.
cheers, Duncan
https://mullrally.org/route/
I'm pretty sure this is the longest tarmac rally in the country this year, and the 3rd longest stage rally of all (after the Roger Albert Clark and the Wales Rally GB). It's also, probably, the only stage rally in the country where the majority of the stage mileage is in the dark.
cheers, Duncan
Allyc85 said:
Block stopped on Ss2 after hitting a bank!
Yes, I did laugh at that! He went down into a ditch, no damage but no spectators on hand to get it back out. Back today and is still going quite strong. I'll be very interested in his youtube videos on this. I've found the wider world doesn't really know of Irish rallying and its' quality.At the front Sam Moffet currently leads Breen by 6 seconds after 12 stages, both in Fiesta WRC's. Breen is renting the car just for this rally.
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