2017 World Rally Championship - Page 4

chunder · 1 Dec 2016, 13:39 (Ref:3692694)

Indeed, are their on/off road cousins listening!!!

crossfades · 2 Dec 2016, 19:49 (Ref:3693171)

Great news! VW will be homologating its 2017 car anyway and is considering letting privateer teams run them.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/mo...y-championship

S griffin · 2 Dec 2016, 21:46 (Ref:3693198)

Maybe the organisers had a dickie bird with them

tbtstt · 5 Dec 2016, 11:12 (Ref:3693843)

The i20 testing on tarmac:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzZt...ature=youtu.be

The car looks rather loose at the rear!

GaryMitchell · 5 Dec 2016, 11:40 (Ref:3693854)

Without the works VW team it will open the 2017 championship rite up for a number of teams and drivers. Neuville will be in with a great chance, but Meeke will have to be the one to watch if he can keep himself calm and pointing in the right direction.

S griffin · 5 Dec 2016, 19:41 (Ref:3693965)

I too am looking forward to hopefully a close competition this season. Will be hard to predict the championship

tbtstt · 6 Dec 2016, 17:33 (Ref:3694230)

Latvala confirms seat at Toyota:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report...oyota-wrc-seat

Alex Langheck · 6 Dec 2016, 19:40 (Ref:3694278)

Well what a surprise. Finnish driver signs for Toyota Team Finland. As soon as Makinen got the contract, I think we all knew Latvala was going there - even after a poor year. It seems the only requirement to join Toyota is a Finnish passport. Quite a contrast with their WEC team which is international.

crossfades · 6 Dec 2016, 20:11 (Ref:3694285)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Langheck

Well what a surprise. Finnish driver signs for Toyota Team Finland. As soon as Makinen got the contract, I think we all knew Latvala was going there - even after a poor year. It seems the only requirement to join Toyota is a Finnish passport. Quite a contrast with their WEC team which is international.

Well Latvala has proved in the past the he is a fast driver. This season didn't go well, true. But it is not like he all of a sudden has become worthless. He is among the better drivers in the WRC and an environment change maybe can do him some good.

Besides, who else should they sign really? I would take a driver that has proven he has a winning capability rather than someone that will never challenge for the victory. That pretty much leaves only Mikkelsen and Lappi for the seat IMO. Even if Lappi is unproven, he is still a big talent.

I can understand your critique when it comes to Hänninen though. Thought he was done for in the WRC and then he gets a factory seat ...

**BertMk2** · 7 Dec 2016, 09:35 (Ref:3694438)

Quote:

Originally Posted by crossfades

Well Latvala has proved in the past the he is a fast driver. This season didn't go well, true. But it is not like he all of a sudden has become worthless. He is among the better drivers in the WRC and an environment change maybe can do him some good.

I think Latvala is probably the most disappointing driver in the WRC - when he burst onto the scene he was 'the next big thing' and he's always had so much promise. He's just never delivered consistently enough - the speed is there but he just makes too many mistakes (often rally ending mistakes). This year in particular was poor - he was comfortably beaten by Mikklesen (who I'm not convinced is all that good).

chunder · 7 Dec 2016, 11:00 (Ref:3694465)

The weird thing about WRC is that a Verstappen type effect is very rare.

I think the last person who really roused an interest was Neuville in his Ford year, but he has not done much since then.

Then Kubica came in and caused a ruckus. Other than that, who has really come in and done anything interesting?

Camilli has been average, Lefevbre too. Breen has been good, but again not world aligning.

Just seems to be the way WRC is now, teams go safe and proven and never take risks.

S griffin · 7 Dec 2016, 12:46 (Ref:3694489)

Latvala to Toyota. Be interesting to see where Ogier goes now

**BertMk2** · 7 Dec 2016, 13:48 (Ref:3694512)

Quote:

Originally Posted by chunder

I think the last person who really roused an interest was Neuville in his Ford year, but he has not done much since then.

Neuville has been inconsistent as well - some weekends he's right up there, others he's anonymous.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chunder

Then Kubica came in and caused a ruckus.

Kubica was a big name but I don't think there was ever any expectation he'd be a world beater. If anything his driving style replicates that of Latvala - fast or crashed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chunder

Other than that, who has really come in and done anything interesting?

Camilli has been average, Lefevbre too. Breen has been good, but again not world aligning.

Just seems to be the way WRC is now, teams go safe and proven and never take risks.

Camilli doesn't have much experience, hopefully he'll improve. Lefevbre and Breen also need more time in the car before judging them. Both have impressed at times but they've not really done enough events to get a clearer picture.

Are there any drivers out there you'd put in a top seat that haven't been mentioned so far?

chunder · 7 Dec 2016, 13:55 (Ref:3694521)

Rumour seems big Arab money putting a VW team together, if that's the case, season over I expect!

They will pick up the program and if it is development funded they will likely be hard to beat.

Drivers I would look at? I don't know enough about the junior classes in WRC. Breen deserves a full time ride. I don't really rate Lefebvre. I actually though Elfyn did a decent job.

Maybe the young lad in Norway, is it Borjesson or Brynildssen? Not sure of his name, but hardly ground breaking.

NaBUru38 · 10 Dec 2016, 12:36 (Ref:3695129)

There has been speculation that Nasser Al-Attiyah will get Qatar and Red Bull backing to enter a privateer Polo. They might attempt to hire Ogier as well.

WolfsburgRS · 12 Dec 2016, 18:02 (Ref:3695565)

Ogier to M-Sport

http://www.autosport.com/news/report...sport-for-2017

thlbtcc · 12 Dec 2016, 18:54 (Ref:3695578)

Quote:

Originally Posted by WolfsburgRS

Ogier to M-Sport

http://www.autosport.com/news/report...sport-for-2017

Excellent news.

S griffin · 12 Dec 2016, 19:08 (Ref:3695581)

Will be interesting to see him in a less than dominating car

WolfsburgRS · 12 Dec 2016, 19:42 (Ref:3695597)

Yeah with the dissolution of the factory VW team it could level the playing field for a really great season. I hate to see VW gone, but if it makes for a more varied championship it's not all a bad thing.

1975DCS · 12 Dec 2016, 21:51 (Ref:3695624)

As long as the Polo's are their in semi-private hands I am ok with it, but the more car variety the better

tbtstt · 13 Dec 2016, 09:13 (Ref:3695734)

Quote:

Originally Posted by WolfsburgRS

Ogier to M-Sport

http://www.autosport.com/news/report...sport-for-2017

A fortnight ago I was cursing VW for their withdrawal from the WRC. Now I think they might, inadvertently, have given us the most interesting Championship fight in over a decade.

chunder · 13 Dec 2016, 09:17 (Ref:3695738)

AS someone has mentioned on another forum I would imagine VW are paying Seb';s wages for 2017 as his contract as probably already signed.

ANd he is a Red Bull athlete, so he will retain that backing though I am not sure the car will be Red Bull backed.

The Fabia he used was subtly liveried, so that would be nice. But Malc will want to capitalise on signing the number 1 man.

thlbtcc · 13 Dec 2016, 11:38 (Ref:3695771)

Video from this morning's Toyota Launch, via Colin Clark. https://www.facebook.com/voiceofrall...0596225436377/

We knew it anyway, but confirmation of Juho Hanninen and Jari-Matti Latvala as the 2 lead drivers on every round, with Esapekka Lappi as 'test driver'.

Also, the final livery and aero design. You can see that the road-going Yaris will also receive another facelift too, judging from the WRC design.

Alex Langheck · 13 Dec 2016, 13:10 (Ref:3695804)

Quote:

Originally Posted by thlbtcc

Video from this morning's Toyota Launch, via Colin Clark. https://www.facebook.com/voiceofrall...0596225436377/

We knew it anyway, but confirmation of Juho Hanninen and Jari-Matti Latvala as the 2 lead drivers on every round, with Esapekka Lappi as 'test driver'.

Also, the final livery and aero design. You can see that the road-going Yaris will also receive another facelift too, judging from the WRC design.

So, Toyota Team Finland then.....

S griffin · 13 Dec 2016, 16:40 (Ref:3695881)

Be interesting to see how Hanninen and to a lesser extent Lappi go against a multiple race winner in the same car

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