2021 Rallying Thread (WRC, ERC and national rally)

[confucuis]

Croatia this weekend, Shakedown was this morning and a replay is up on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjYLsI_opHA

Quite a time difference between the top 10 for a shakedown, Breen had a poor time and is down the starting order, it seems starting order is going to have a big effect on the times with dirty roads.

I'd really like him to do well here but going to be difficult now!

Rovanpera was quickest, then Evans then Ogier

[Skylinecrazy]

Looking forward to seeing how Ingram, Creighton & Formaux do

[Skylinecrazy]

That’s Kalle out. 5km into the first stage..

[df76]

Skylinecrazy said:

That’s Kalle out. 5km into the first stage..

Large accident. Strange given that it's such a short opening stage, not much to be gained by pushing that hard so early. And he was leading the championship..

[confucuis]

He looked to be pushing yesterday in the Shakedown.

Not a good look to be smashing the car up 5 KM to the stage (though I'd say Toyota can afford it), just look at what happened to Timo Suninen in Monte Carlo with Ford!

[Active75]

Great coverage of the Croatia rally on WRC. Those stages look pretty tricky. Will Ogier pass Neuville tomorrow?

[Allyc85]

Bit silly chucking it off on stage 1 like that, he never even looked close to making the corner, like it was a wrong note or something. Though Ogier very lucky to get away with his moment too!

Great battle at the front, could go to either 3. I'd pick Ogier as the winner if I had to.

Fourmaux has done very well from what I have seen so far. With him the upgraded engine M-Sport look much closer on stage times

[Active75]

Still very happy with the WRC coverage, but agh frustrating when the camera cuts away in interesting sections, so tricky to compare the drivers. From what I can see on the loose gravel and loose earth corners Neuville arrives quicker, keeps the car straighter and brakes harder in as straight as poss before turning in with a light trailing of the brakes then picks up the throttle. The Toyotas appear to turn in earlier. Just my view of course!

Its going to be a very close finish between all three drivers if this carries on!

[Allyc85]

1 stage to go, with the top three 8 seconds apart! With the state of the stages anything could happen!

As shown with Ogier's Road section crash this morning!!

https://twitter.com/Burgrid7/status/13862103685911...

[M5-911]

Allyc85 said:

1 stage to go, with the top three 8 seconds apart! With the state of the stages anything could happen!

As shown with Ogier's Road section crash this morning!!

https://twitter.com/Burgrid7/status/13862103685911...

I saw that this morning, very strange overtake by that BMW driver. It was like he wanted to hit Ogier's car.
Not sure how Ogier is going to get out of Croatia though? He basically tried to run over a police officer trying to stop him.

[Allyc85]

fk it!! What a finish to the rally though!!

[Active75]

What a finish! Very much enjoyed all that.

Nice to see those several thousand Croatians taking their weekend exercise luckily next to a rally stage! On a closed to spectator event.

[Mastodon2]

That looked like a great rally, the WRC needs more tarmac in the calendar. Fantastic driving from Ogier and very happy to see him clinch the win.

[M5-911]

Mastodon2 said:

That looked like a great rally, the WRC needs more tarmac in the calendar. Fantastic driving from Ogier and very happy to see him clinch the win.

Great win indeed. Another crucial mistake from Evans.

[Drumroll]

M5-911 said:

Great win indeed. Another crucial mistake from Evans.

So Evans loses by 0.6 seconds and he has made a another crucial mistake?

[M5-911]

Drumroll said:

So Evans loses by 0.6 seconds and he has made a another crucial mistake?

Evans made a mistake in one of the last corners. without it he would have win. so yes, another crucial mistake.

[Mastodon2]

Drumroll said:

So Evans loses by 0.6 seconds and he has made a another crucial mistake?

It was an incredibly competitive event. Seb Ogier had a knackered car after an incident between stages and fought his way to win. Evans had a moment on one of the final corners that he just about got away with, undoubtedly it cost him the win. He was 4 seconds up going into the final stage, was 4 seconds behind half way through and was back in the lead in the final sector. If he had driven that corner clean he'd have won.

Ogier has showed himself to be a real class act once again. He's no Seb Loeb, but he is still the best driver on the field, even though this season will probably be his last.

[M5-911]

Mastodon2 said:

It was an incredibly competitive event. Seb Ogier had a knackered car after an incident between stages and fought his way to win. Evans had a moment on one of the final corners that he just about got away with, undoubtedly it cost him the win. He was 4 seconds up going into the final stage, was 4 seconds behind half way through and was back in the lead in the final sector. If he had driven that corner clean he'd have won.

Ogier has showed himself to be a real class act once again. He's no Seb Loeb, but he is still the best driver on the field, even though this season will probably be his last.

I agree, unfortunately, driving against someone like Ogier hunting for the win, you can't make the slightest mistake. the season could be very interesting once again.

[ArnageWRC]

Driving through a red light, and then colliding with another motorist - and all he gets is a slap on the wrist......
The FiA Road Safety campaign isn't worth anything if they can't take action against one of their champions for driving like a prat on the road sections.

[Ardennes92]

I got the impression from his interview at stage end that Seb didn’t think he had done enough to take the event but think it was more an event lost by a rival rather than an outright win. Good event though but what was the matter with Tanak?