The 2017 Rallying thread

[df76]

Have I missed, but surely with only two weeks to go until the start of the WRC season we need a 2017 rally thread? Entry list for the Monte has been released:

http://acm.mc/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Liste-par...

Has to be the most interesting line up for some time, and wide open.. the look of the new WRC cars are growing on me also.

[Allyc85]

Absolutely can't wait for the Monte! In 2 weeks time I should be stood in the freezing cold waiting for stage 1 to start

Part of me wants M-Sport to do well after some tough seasons, but being a Meeke fan I want to see him take the title!

Really intrigued to see Toyota's pace, it's only since JML has gotten in the car that it has looked remotely quick.

[Alex Langheck]

Lets see if this thread can improve on previous years - were the interest has been flagging. By the way some 'WRC insiders' are commenting, the WRC is the 'must see' motorsport discipline this year - I'll believe that when I see it.

Can we have everything in this thread - and no separate threads for each WRC event; which tend to reach about 1-2 pages if your lucky.

I expect Ogier to win the Title, just not as easy as in the VW; M-Sport whilst lacking proper backing and budget, can build a half decent car - it just needs a top line driver in it - and now they have that driver.
Citroen, now fully concentrating on the WRC will undoubtedly be fast - they know how to build a quick, reliable car. Hyundai have decent drivers, now can they put it all together to build a car that is fast everywhere?

As for Toyota Team Finland - I'm not expecting much; it's not the way I'd have run the programme when a purpose built facility already exists in Cologne. Bizarre....

[sanf]

just

Can't wait for the WRC to start. The cars look lovely, and the line up is really interesting. Oigier vs. Neuville vs. Tanak vs. Meeke vs. Paddon vs. Latvala with the some interloping from Breen vs. Evans vs. Ostberg vs. Sordo and Mikkelsen peddling an R5. The whole season looks very exciting. I hope it isn't a let down.

Looking forward to seeing the Fiesta's in full flow. Hopefully Citroen will prove quick and Meeke will be consistent. Evans will be interesting to watch - to see how his pace stands up against Tanak (who was on a par with in 2015) and how erratic the tyres are.

Bring it on.....been waiting for this season's ingredients to come together for a while, thanks to VW it has now.

[GravelBen]

Alex Langheck said:

As for Toyota Team Finland

I can't help but laugh at people calling them that and going on like it's some backyard project. 120 staff from 10 different nationalities, what else do you want?

Results will be interesting though, they're obviously starting from scratch with a lot less data to work with than the established teams so I wouldn't expect podiums straight out of the box.

Hopefully most of the teams are quite evenly matched to keep the competition exciting anyway.

[Alex Langheck]

GravelBen said:

I can't help but laugh at people calling them that and going on like it's some backyard project. 120 staff from 10 different nationalities, what else do you want?

That's what they started out with - Tommi's small prep building which was basically a farmyard. They've wasted time & resources setting up a new base in Jyvaskala, when a massive facility already exists in Cologne. And they've unsurprisingly gone with an all Finnish driving line up. They could/ should be coming in and doing what VW did....but that seems unlikely.

[Slippydiff]

Alex Langheck said:

That's what they started out with - Tommi's small prep building which was basically a farmyard. They've wasted time & resources setting up a new base in Jyvaskala, when a massive facility already exists in Cologne. And they've unsurprisingly gone with an all Finnish driving line up. They could/ should be coming in and doing what VW did....but that seems unlikely.

There's been some staff changes already apparently, but it is a properly funded, big budget effort. The results may not be there immediately, but they'll come ....
Ogier's decision to drive for MSport this year had all the hallmarks of "any port in a storm", if the Toyota comes good, we may yet see Ogier and Latvala back in the same team ....

[Allyc85]

Bad start to the year for British rallying, with todays news that the Mid-Wales stages has been cancelled.

[ArnageWRC]

Slippydiff said:

There's been some staff changes already apparently, but it is a properly funded, big budget effort. The results may not be there immediately, but they'll come ....

At the moment, the WEC is their No1 programme - and they haven't exactly splashed the cash with that, still running the 2 cars. The hangover from the millions wasted on the F1 effort is still being felt.

[ArnageWRC]

Allyc85 said:

Bad start to the year for British rallying, with todays news that the Mid-Wales stages has been cancelled.

Not good, and quite worrying for the sport as a whole in the UK. If the first round of our 'Premier' rally series has to pull the plug due to financial issues, then something is drastically wrong with the sport. Really, the MSA need to help to sort the sport out - so that it is run professionally & financially viable. You wouldn't expect the first round of the BTCC to get pulled...but rallying, as the poor relation has to. A real shame, as the event uses the classic Mid Wales stages.


https://twitter.com/MSA_BRC

A new first round; the Border Counties Rally on March 18th.

https://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/12766...

Edited by ArnageWRC on Friday 6th January 17:08

[Jerry Can]

Alex Langheck said:

That's what they started out with - Tommi's small prep building which was basically a farmyard. They've wasted time & resources setting up a new base in Jyvaskala, when a massive facility already exists in Cologne. And they've unsurprisingly gone with an all Finnish driving line up. They could/ should be coming in and doing what VW did....but that seems unlikely.

I think Tommi has blatantly wanted an all finnish line up. Even to the point where I wonder if he deliberately sabotaged Ogier's test by giving him a car so badly set up, that Ogier would not opt to drive it in 2017. Then miraculously it all looks a lot better now that a Finn is driving They may be the surprise of 2017. However I think Ogier for Monte and Sweden, unless the C3 is quick enough to allow Meeke to win whilst at 99%. If he has to stick it on its door handles to win, he may crash a couple of times.Will be an interesting dynamic if Ogier gets a points lead at round 2, and Meeke has the fastest car.

I strongly suspect Meeke will take the first fastest time of the rally, 25 secs up on any one else.

let's see. V much looking forward to it.

Edited by Jerry Can on Friday 6th January 17:38

[Jerry Can]

ArnageWRC said:

Allyc85 said:

Bad start to the year for British rallying, with todays news that the Mid-Wales stages has been cancelled.

Not good, and quite worrying for the sport as a whole in the UK. If the first round of our 'Premier' rally series has to pull the plug due to financial issues, then something is drastically wrong with the sport. Really, the MSA need to help to sort the sport out - so that it is run professionally & financially viable. You wouldn't expect the first round of the BTCC to get pulled...but rallying, as the poor relation has to. A real shame, as the event uses the classic Mid Wales stages.


https://twitter.com/MSA_BRC

A new first round; the Border Counties Rally on March 18th.

https://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/12766...

Edited by ArnageWRC on Friday 6th January 17:08

yep disappointing. Motor clubs really are not doing anything to help National and Club rallying. They need better people quite frankly, sure the MC members are honest and work hard, but they are political and full of people who have never really achieved in life. They love their rallying, but lack significant entrepreneurial skills. In any case, the BRC should be run, and all rallies organised, by one group of people who may then be able to make the numbers work. That is in essence the difference between rally and racing. They might even be able to be paid.

[velocemitch]

Just a thought, would it be better if we had a separate thread for UK rallying leaving this one for WRC, perhaps with an amended title.
Often feel UK rallying is not only the poor relation to the MSA it's the same on here.

[df76]

Happy to make this the International Rally thread if others think that makes sense??

Edited by df76 on Friday 6th January 19:17

[df76]

The thread deserves some photos of the WRC 2017 contenders..

[ArnageWRC]

Personally, we really only need 1 Rallying thread - the sport isn't big enough, or sadly, popular enough. Having 1 thread seems to work on the Autosport forum.

[Iva Barchetta]

What ^^^^ he said, keep one thread and try and keep it on page one of this forum.

[ArnageWRC]

Jerry Can said:

yep disappointing. Motor clubs really are not doing anything to help National and Club rallying. They need better people quite frankly, sure the MC members are honest and work hard, but they are political and full of people who have never really achieved in life. They love their rallying, but lack significant entrepreneurial skills. In any case, the BRC should be run, and all rallies organised, by one group of people who may then be able to make the numbers work. That is in essence the difference between rally and racing. They might even be able to be paid.

Have to agree with that; it's no longer the 70/80's....the top series needs to be run as a business - making a profit; rather than well meaning clubs organising each event.
Just don't say that on the BRF....you'll get shot down.

[DelicaL400]

Jerry Can said:

Motor clubs really are not doing anything to help National and Club rallying. They need better people quite frankly, sure the MC members are honest and work hard, but they are political and full of people who have never really achieved in life. They love their rallying, but lack significant entrepreneurial skills. In any case, the BRC should be run, and all rallies organised, by one group of people who may then be able to make the numbers work. That is in essence the difference between rally and racing. They might even be able to be paid.

I wonder how much rallying there'd be if all these non-achieving motor club members stopped giving up their time to put on events. None I think.

Do you recall the BRC when Mark Taylor and his chums were paid to organise/promote it?

[Slippydiff]

df76 said:

The thread deserves some photos of the WRC 2017 contenders..

'Bout time MSport had a decently logo'd up WRC car. Looks the best of the bunch at the moment