WRC 2019: All chat here

DC.

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Craig Breen has been given another chance at Hyundai in place of Andreas Mikkelsen for Rally Australia. Hope he makes the finish in one piece this time.
 

DC.

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Citroën have pulled the plug on the WRC programme. Expect Seb Ogier to head to Toyota for 2020…probably alongside Elfyn Evans.
 

svensktoppen

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I think Elfyn is a bit underrated. He's usually doing really well in cars that are not quite up there. He just needs that last bit of edge and consistency.

Don't think he comes with money though, has always had a deal with Ford hasn't he?

If he goes to Toyota, what happens to Kris?
 

Graham

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I do think KM will retain his seat at Toyota.

EE has from his junior days, been in a Ford if memory serves me right.

Will the likes of PH Sport take on the ex-Citroen fleet and run a team like Malcolm has managed?
 

DC.

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Ogier, Evans and Rovanpera will be announced by Toyota on Monday.

Lappi trying to get an M-Sport seat alongside Suninen.
 

cormac81

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Saw that, blaming the fact that with Ogier leaving their team they will have no longer have a top class driver that and have to leave the championship.

Sad to see a manufacturer go but good riddens.
 

DC.

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Any new manufacturer looking to enter would have the pick of drivers; Meeke, Latvala, Mikkelsen, Breen and now Lappi.

But there is nobody looking to enter 😞
 

FM155

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They have had a bad culture in that team for a while now but it's not good for the championship to see 1 of only 4 teams withdraw.
 

Graham

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Any new manufacturer looking to enter would have the pick of drivers; Meeke, Latvala, Mikkelsen, Breen and now Lappi.

But there is nobody looking to enter 😞
Speaking of whom, who do you think won't have a seat next year, bearing in mind the latter three are almost certainly bringing a large purse.
 

svensktoppen

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There's obviously something very wrong with the sport...

I don't know if it's just that the cars are too good (and too expensive!), like F1, and very little drama even though they're ridiculously quick?

Or if it's just that it's not worth it for manufacturers when everyone is used to instant entertainment at their fingertips and can't be bothered standing in the forest, or follow TV coverage on random channels at random times?

We'll see what the likes of the new "safari rally" will be like. It won't be like the good old days, lol, but maybe different enough?

Either way, when they go hybrid the sport will really die. There will only be two teams left who can afford that. And for no reason at all...
 

Crow555

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Some might scoff but I reckon WRC lost its appear when it dropped homologation rules and moved to WRC spec. Back then manufacturers had to make so many examples (800? 2000? can't remember) of a certain car matching closely to what they intended to compete in. It's for this reason cars like the Lancia 037 or the Lancer Evo could be bought.

After WRC spec came in, there was no requirement for this, hence why we don't have 350bhp 4wd Yarises (Yarai?) or Fiestas now. Getting back to my point, if you saw an Impreza Turbo/STI, Evo or Integrale years ago you immediately recognised it as something similar to the competition variants in the WRC. There's nothing like that now. Even if someone did recognise a Fiesta ST over its pensioner base-spec equivalent, they aren't going to think "Didn't Ogier use to drive one of those?".

TL:laughing:R - WRC the sport is less visible because homogolation died.
 

Graham

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Some might scoff but I reckon WRC lost its appear when it dropped homologation rules and moved to WRC spec. Back then manufacturers had to make so many examples (800? 2000? can't remember) of a certain car matching closely to what they intended to compete in. It's for this reason cars like the Lancia 037 or the Lancer Evo could be bought.

After WRC spec came in, there was no requirement for this, hence why we don't have 350bhp 4wd Yarises (Yarai?) or Fiestas now. Getting back to my point, if you saw an Impreza Turbo/STI, Evo or Integrale years ago you immediately recognised it as something similar to the competition variants in the WRC. There's nothing like that now. Even if someone did recognise a Fiesta ST over its pensioner base-spec equivalent, they aren't going to think "Didn't Ogier use to drive one of those?".

TL:laughing:R - WRC the sport is less visible because homogolation died.
I'd agree, once they dropped to 1600cc it lost a lot of it's charm.

But that's the era I knew, so maybe I'm less accommodating to change lol
 

Crow555

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But that's the era I knew, so maybe I'm less accommodating to change lol
Same. I was perhaps a bit young for the Group B and early Group A stuff. I got into it with the likes of Celicas, Imprezas, Lancers and Escorts floating about. Tie-in stuff like the McRae games helped but it was seeing an Evo 6 for the first time on the roads (for example) that really endeared me to the sport.
 

cauld1

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Anyone who thinks it hasn't been exciting the past few seasons hasn't watched coverage of it.

Admittedly the coverage isnt as prevalent as it once was, but it's been a bloody good watch, particularly this last year.

I don't think wrc has lost its spark to be honest, as much as I do prefer historics (not Irish spec mk2s all the same, as there's not much historic there). Also group a was better than group b imo, F2000s were unbelievable too!
 

Crow555

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I'm not saying it's less exciting. It's just there's now a bit of a disconnect with the sport that was once there. To paraphrase the US saying "Win on sunday, sell on monday" doesn't seem to be as important as it once was and the manufacturers know this.
 

svensktoppen

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So where are all the manufacturers then if everything is tickety-boo? They should all be queuing up surely?

Not even Ogier and his cash could keep Citroen in it.

Down to two now who could realistically win it.
 

DC.

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Depends on the new regs that include the hybridisation of the cars, large expense for any new manufacturer. But it would be the ultimate proving ground for their product.

I don’t see any new ones entering anytime soon. Maybe Skoda could step up.
 

cauld1

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I'm not saying it's less exciting. It's just there's now a bit of a disconnect with the sport that was once there. To paraphrase the US saying "Win on sunday, sell on monday" doesn't seem to be as important as it once was and the manufacturers know this.

In fairness that's been there since around 1997, maybe more prevalent since mitsubishi and subaru left, but it's not a new thing.

The group a wrc era was about the only time homologation was taken seriously. In group b it was very much a case of make as few as possible cars and hope that the FIA inspectors don't notice that half of them are shells.

That's notwithstanding that most people now want creature comforts rather than actual homologation specials or fun cars it seems sometimes unfortunately, so likely to be even less tempting to manufacturers if that was the case I think.
 

bob

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So where are all the manufacturers then if everything is tickety-boo? They should all be queuing up surely?

They've been down to three manufacturers before, even two - I wouldn't say just because Citroen left that there is something very wrong with the sport.

What else do you see wrong with it? I thought this year was fantastic, the current cars are something else and it's more accessible than it's ever been.
 

svensktoppen

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This year it's all been hidden away in specialised apps, it's not actually that accessible at all. If you're really interested then yes you will dig that out and settle in for the weekend. But if you just want to dip in and see how it went then it's a bit of a palaver. There was only part cover on FTA, again squirrelled away on a channel way down the channel list where sometimes it's actually broadcast and sometimes not.

Which is a shame because, as you say, the actual championship has been close. There were only ever two teams and two drivers in it though. Sebastian did a fantastic job in the Citroen but even for him it was always going to be a very long shot in that car.

Now Citroen are gone and we are down to realistically two. Ford is never going to challenge, they're effectively a privateer team.

The hybrid move will just make that worse. To make that work competitively will require full manufacturer support. And there are only two teams with those resources.

And even they are only going to stay at it if they get a return. Without wide coverage and multiple competitive teams they won't get that.
 
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