2019 Rallying Thread (WRC, ERC and all other)!

[Pericoloso]

Jerry Can said:

there's a lot of news about this. I'm a bit meh! about it. Retired driver returns, hasn't driven a rally car in what? 10 years? is given the Toyota test hack and we're supposed to be amazeballs by the news. Couldn't care less! He'll do well to finish in the top 10, but I suspect he'll be out on SS2 with engine failure...

He's done some testing here and there and probably driven his own teams WRX Hyundai a fair bit.

If he doesn't bin it into the snow banks ,I'd see him in the top 10 easily ,with regular drivers using rally2 to continue.

[RyanTank]

DelicaL400 said:

Times must be hard at M-Sport, looks like they couldn't afford an iron for Elfyn and Teemu's shirts!

I read an interview with Rich Millener earlier, I didn't realise the championship winning team received no prize money at all.

Thats just stupid! wtf are they paying entry fees and all that for? I'd be asking where all the money is going.


I knew I'd seen the citroen livery somewhere before! going throwback or just lazy?

[ArnageWRC]

I can't see the money in the WRC is anything massive and I doubt any of the TV deals raise much cash (compared to F1 and major global sports). It just isn't a big enough sport - so those at the top need to cut their cloth accordingly.

[Allyc85]

Well Hyundai picked a beaut of a test stage today. So much so me and rally mates have already agreed to revisit the Monte in 2020, before we’ve even booked our flights for Sardinia this year

https://youtu.be/kGQqYd-GLuc

https://youtu.be/NNxkT6DkpeY

Edited by Allyc85 on Saturday 19th January 20:40

[Bandit110]

Great vids!

I've no idea about cameras but that looks like it was made with something very good

[Slippydiff]

Loeb looks to be well fired up for the Monte, though I watched this last night :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNfvoFJOS2w

it appears to show the car looking a bit of handful, poor traction/grip and poorly suspended, and Loeb driving it in a fashion more akin to Neuville than the super smooth Loeb of old.

A day later and normal service has been resumed : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo0fyz4qG14

The car looks better suspended with improved traction/grip, and Loeb looking smooth (look at his exit from the hairpin at 55 seconds).

And have just found this whilst Googling for images of the 2019 Hyundai ...

https://www.rallye-sport.fr/loeb-une-voiture-assez... (use Google translate)

Those of you who are regulars on here will know I'm a big Ogier fan, but I can feel my allegiance rapidly swinging towards Loeb. He has to be the underdog on the Monte despite his previous tally of Championships. It'll be interesting to see if SO has got a better handle on the Citroen compared with Loeb and the Hyundai.

Incidentally, does anyone else think the Hyundai is now the best looking of the current crop of WRC cars ?



The Toyota always was comical/ugly as sin and hideously mis-proportioned, a function of its relatively narrow track origins and the need for aero :




Whilst the 2019 Fiesta just looks a mess plain and simple :



And the Citroen ? Well I've never liked the lighting arrangements from day one...

[GravelBen]

Slippydiff said:

Incidentally, does anyone else think the Hyundai is now the best looking of the current crop of WRC cars ?

In terms of shape and the aero bits being relatively cohesive with the rest of the car I'd agree, but the paint job is just a mess - it looks much better in plain white for testing.

The Ford is the other way - the aero bits look like a tacked-on afterthought from a different car, but it has a much nicer/cleaner colour scheme.

Toyota is a bit ugly but in a cheeky characterful "because racecar" way (like a 6R4 but better), and the livery suits it - I'd probably rate it the best overall.

Citroen is an ugly blob of car with a boring unimaginative colour scheme, but at least the aero looks reasonably well integrated.

You know what they say about opinions...

[Slippydiff]

GravelBen said:

In terms of shape and the aero bits being relatively cohesive with the rest of the car I'd agree, but the paint job is just a mess - it looks much better in plain white for testing.

Great minds .... I think the 120i looks waaaaay better in “Testing White”, I tried to find a decent picture of the car testing in white, but couldn’t, but thought it would have given the car an unfair advantage in the looks stakes had I been able to find one anyway !!

From Planet Marcus

Edited by Slippydiff on Tuesday 22 January 09:40

[GravelBen]

They couldn't even find matching wheels to put on it for the show! Must have spent the budget on Thierry's new glasses instead.

Edited by GravelBen on Tuesday 22 January 10:25

[Slippydiff]

GravelBen said:

They couldn't even find matching wheels to put on it for the show! Must have spent the budget on Thierry's new glasses instead.

Well the wheel paint budget obviously went on Thierry’s glasses for the last 3 years or so, but now it looks to have been diverted to Daniel’s race suit material supplier
That’s a lot of pies ... SL will have to drive on the ragged edge to overcome the weight disadvantage

[confucuis]

In other news, Breen is doing my local rally in an R5 Fiesta, should be good to watch. Pity it isn't the 6R4!

[DelicaL400]

GravelBen said:

it looks much better in plain white for testing.

I reckon the Fiesta looks better in plain white also:





I sneaked a couple of shots before Teemu got it dirty

I'd much rather the cars all had bulbous arches rather than the boxes and also none of the aero at the back which looks daft and also costs a fortune to replace when it breaks.

[GravelBen]

I think less of the aero add-ons overall would be a good move for WRC in future - while the cars might not look as 'dramatic', they would be less planted at speed making them at least as exciting to watch if not more so, they would look much more like the related production cars, and it would be a big step towards reducing costs which the teams are always complaining about.

[DelicaL400]

Another argument around costs is the ability of teams to sell cars to customers. M-Sport sold several of the previous generation of WRC cars a year. They've sold two of the new ones in two years. That's a huge dent in their income.

I think we need to get back to how the cars looked when the WRC category was launched, when they weren't too far removed from the road car.

[Slippydiff]

DelicaL400 said:

Another argument around costs is the ability of teams to sell cars to customers. M-Sport sold several of the previous generation of WRC cars a year. They've sold two of the new ones in two years. That's a huge dent in their income.

I think we need to get back to how the cars looked when the WRC category was launched, when they weren't too far removed from the road car.

Agreed, but only from a looks perspective (as it’s a long, long time since any WRC car that was competitive bore ANY resemblance to its roadcar brethren mechanically) but a large part of the problem is that all those aero parts mean the man in the street can’t and won’t relate to a Citroen/Hyundai/Ford hatchback bedecked in spoilers, and that sounds nothing like anything else on the road.
As I suggested some years ago, one way forward would be a European or Worldwide Tarmac series based on GT3 cars or Porsche Cup /Ferrari 458 Challenge/Lamborghini Trofeo car’s. Normally aspirated, two wheel drive, lots of horsepower, control tyres, sealed engines/gearboxes etc.

Everyone loves a supercar, and whilst the man in the street may not be able to relate to them, they KNOW supercars are supposed to be loud and look/sound outrageous.

I love the current WRC cars (looks apart) but I’d much rather watch any of these on a European Tarmac stage ... :

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=isrj64NLgp8

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jrMo5I4D7PQ

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kB_vsIt93sI

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix55GVyFn_4

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CCl84Lm4STE&list...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3SavgQTwVa4&inde...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RmfPegqTu0E

Edited by Slippydiff on Wednesday 23 January 02:47

[Alex Langheck]

Count me in for a GT based Tarmac series; the ERC isn't really doing it as a 2nd tier series. Imagine something like a Blancpain GT series, but for rallying.

I often feel too many involved in rallying live in a bubble - and aren't aware of what is going on outside.



Also, this weekend sees the Monte, the Rolex 24 & another Formula E race from Chile - I know which will receive the least interest.

[chunder27]

Yes, Formula E, its garbage

[GravelBen]

chunder27 said:

Yes, Formula E, its garbage

Formula E will pay a bunch of media outlets lots of money to cover it... and hardly anybody who is actually interested in cars will care, because its about as exciting as watching a motorway.

[chunder27]

It has its place, just not in my life I am afraid.

[LimaDelta]

Anyone going this weekend? I'm heading up for SS14/16.