2021 Rallying Thread (WRC, ERC and national rally)

[Allyc85]

Thought I'd get this one going, starting off with the news that we'll find out if the Monte will run on Thursday.

[Allyc85]

It's a shame for a team like M-sport having to resort to someone like Greensmith as lead driver, not only is he not very quick but he comes across as smug prick too! I guess though we have to be happy that the team have entered this season. With all the redundancies they've had to make it wouldn't have surprised me if they had taken a year out to prepare for 2022.

As for the Monte, it shouldn't run with the current on going situation, and I fully expect it not to. It would probably be better if the WRC aimed for a summer start.

[Allyc85]

Rally GB replaced by Ypres on the Wrc calendar. Gutted to see it confirmed!!

[Allyc85]

That's a proper job, he took down a pretty hefty tree too.

rallycross said:

Its a shame but Rally WALES was dull, hard to get to, and blighted by nazi tactics of Welsh police.

So dull it's popularity meant you had to get there 3 hours before stage start, to save a long walk in? Yes the route was fairly predictable, but there are far more rules than the "good old days" where you could spread it around a country! Also the sign posting was very good, especially compared to other countries like Sardinia, or the Acropolis, which I did in 2012.

I'm quite tempted to visit Ypres again, of possible. Though moving the event 200 miles for sunday at Spa is ridiculous.

[Allyc85]

Indeed. It's much harder to organise tarmac rallies going through public areas, though I see it's just been announced that the Monte will go ahead. Morally I think it's kind of wrong, but I can't help but look forward to some lazy days watching Wrc+!

[Allyc85]

Slippydiff said:

Morally wrong ? Possibly, but wonderful that it is running nontheless. My other half is French, they do seem to be doing a better job of managing the virus than the UK, though at what cost to the economy and their hospitality sector, I shudder to think.

In other news, I see Thierry Neuville announced on Instagram yesterday that he and Nicolas Gilsoul have gone their separate ways after 10 years :

https://www.motorsport.com/wrc/news/neuville-split...

Seems a shame, they always seemed a good pairing.

I'm not completely against it, but it seems a little wrong to be closing roads/taking away emergency services at a time like this. I'm sure it'll be fine though.

[Allyc85]

They nearly put more dents in it, pulling out of the scenery!

https://youtu.be/EtSJ9foX-ug

Looks like Gus was driving quite "exumbrantly" at the test. Just like the van driver at the end

https://youtu.be/JqEY7iEJVxQ

[Allyc85]

df76 said:

It starts tomorrow.

[Allyc85]

My top 3..

1 Ogier
2 Tanak
3 Evans

Neuville will either win it or bin it!

[Allyc85]

Nightmare for M-Sport. They didn't need that, especially after the battle just to get to the start line. Wouldn't want to be in Teemu's shoes after that interview with the boss!

https://youtu.be/mc2jGX3A_N0

Edited by Allyc85 on Thursday 21st January 14:47

[Allyc85]

Slippydiff said:

He was quicker than Tanak at the split. Typical Monte accident IMO, luck of the draw especially when you’re going for it.

Elfyn admitted he’d almost binned it on the same corner, but he’d left a bit on the table, so he got away with it. A lesson learnt from Monza six weeks ago.
If nothing else, it proves the Ford is fast ...

Unfortunately the last thing he was told before leaving service was to finish, and not in the trees.

Greensmith has been painfully slow so far, I hope he can grab at least a couple points with others misfortune.

Anyone else getting up for SS3 tomorrow?

[Allyc85]

Amazing how many rally youtubers there are, which live close to the event

https://youtu.be/zEU00sdG9hw

https://youtu.be/emA3gt7yR5A

https://youtu.be/3g3dLqEhj6Y

https://youtu.be/P44DcNXtDKk

[Allyc85]

df76 said:

Looks great there today!

Makes my heart ache that I can't be there tbh!

Hell of a time by Neuville, but you could see the stage conditions changing all the time.

[Allyc85]

Pure class from Ogier, absolutely unbeatable, even after a puncture and a spin. Top job by Elfyn to grab and whole load of points, along with Neuville who had his new co-driver. Hyundai made a couple bad tyre calls, while Toyota were spot on. Those points lost only giving Tanak one spare could be costly at the end of the season.

[Allyc85]

I think you'd have to give it to Martijn Wydaeghe, not only for the way he stepped in at the last minute, but how he bounced back from losing his place in the notes on Saturdays first stage. It would have been easy to fall apart after that, but they went and won the next test and ended up on the podium, where he got quite a drenching!

The drives from Ogier, Evans and even Rovanpera are now to be expected really.

[Allyc85]

Bit of a mixed bag of news from the last few days.

Starting with the negative, they have cancelled the Irish Tarmac championship for 2021, but on the positive Forestry England are allowing rallying to continue in their forests. This following on from Natural Resource Wales announcing a 3 year extension recently.

[Allyc85]

Drumroll said:

True, but at least it wasn't NO, which a lot of us feared.

Exactly. Change is to be expected, when it comes to the environment etc.

I do fear about Hyundai though. But I will say that without the WRC I would never have considered buying one of their cars, just like Toyota with the Yaris. It's difficult to know which way to go with the next gen cars. The current beasts are brilliant, the stage side spectator numbers are obviously up, and viewing figures still blow Formula E out of the water, and that's still seen as the next big thing to some! But they are just too damn expensive..

[Allyc85]

Great to have some positive M-sport news after a tough few months. Is Mikkelsen still a Red Bull athlete? He would be a good fit for next year.

[Allyc85]

I've said Tanak, Rovanpera, Ogier.

Good time by Breen on the first one.

[Allyc85]

He is damn quick, and a good lad too!