2017 World Rally ChampionshipRally 

  • Thread starter Accro2008
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Accro2008
Concerning Ogier testing the C3 wrc. I think he might actually have tested it.
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I wouldn't be so sure, myself - one of the reasons why Citroën have been unwilling to let Ogier test without a contract is that it will eat into their allocated testing days. They probably don't want to waste a day or two on a driver who might not end up competing for them. More to the point, they're already trying to juggle Meeke, Breen and Lefebvre (al'Qassimi is also under contract, but apparently hasn't driven the car). Giving testing days to Ogier takes them away from the three drivers they have signed, which may put them in a sticky position as to satisfying their contractual obligations. After all, Citroën lost Ogier in the first place by playing favourites, so making exceptions for him now may have consequences later - especially since Meeke is doing a full season while Breen and Lefebvre are sharing a car until a third can be built; taking Ogier would mean that Breen and Lefebvre would have to wait for a fourth car, which could be months away.
 
Here is the 2017 ford fiesta wrc :
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prisonermonkeys
I prefer the i20, but suspect that the Fiesta will look better with a full livery.
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I actually thought the i20 looked amazing in the psycho livery for testing but only looks average in their livery. The Fiesta also looked better in Psycho livery. Maybe they need that kind of livery the entire year haha

05XR8
I didn't realize these cars are up to 380hp. Nice.
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It's going to be scary. The cars from 2016 are already quite a bit quicker than the Group B cars. The 2017 cars have more aero, more power, and I believe wider tires. Going to be super fast!
 
As good as it would be to see the 2017 Polo R saved, I have a feeling that it won't happen. Who would drive it? Andreas Mikkelsen for one, but what about the other? I can't see Nasser al-Attiyah coming back, and I very much doubt that anyone who buys into the operation would want to run a single car (especially since Volkswagen were building three).

Kamuifanboy
I actually thought the i20 looked amazing in the psycho livery for testing but only looks average in their livery. The Fiesta also looked better in Psycho livery.
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Psycho livery? Do you mean the testing livery, the one that makes it hard to distinguish the individual lines of the car? I don't think that would make the cars look particularly good in motion.
 
Some big WRC news from Red Bull is coming up soon:


The insiders seem to think it will involve Ogier/Mikkelsen and a 2017 Polo.

EDIT: 1 Minute later I'm totally wrong. Ogier signs for M-Sport


EDIT 2: An extra little piece of news, Ott Tanak will return to the M-Sport team after his season at DMACK. Elfyn Evans will probably replace him there.
 
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Hmm... So now that (presumably) M-Sport will have the Red Bull sponsorship money, and a top driver, do you think Ford will make a return? Or perhaps some other manufacturer will make a deal with M-Sport?
 
So Ogier and Tänak at M-Sport and Evans at Dmack? What happens to Ostberg? Will he join a second car at Dmack? Last piece of the puzzle would be where Mikkelsen would go.
 
Remember this video from November ?
Never say never. :D

Accro2008
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Accro2008
"I admire Malcolm and one of my regrets is not having worked with him, but who knows what the future holds, never say never."
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A great news for the wrc and for ford.
I think we will see a very happy belgian M-sport engineer (currently working on the bentley gt3) back in the wrc next year. :cheers:
 
German Automakers love to quit Motorsports at the last second possible, BMW Sauber comes to mind.

I think if Mikkelsen does a season in RX or something for a year he could come back in 2018 with a Factory ride, the only issue this year was everything was already locked up when VW pulled the plug.
 
prisonermonkeys
Curious that it came from Red Bull, given that Red Bull said that they were in no hurry to recommit sponsorship to the sport following Volkswagen's withdrawal.
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He probably has a personal sponsorship agreement with them beyond the one connected to VW rally.

As it looks now, with Ogier now officially signed by m-sport, I'd say Mikkelsen has a better chance of getting that vacant seat at Mercedes than a drive for the 2017 WRC season. His last string of hope seems to rely on whether or not there will be a privately sponsored VW team - which doesn't seem all too likely atm.
 
[Nor]MclarenF1
He probably has a personal sponsorship agreement with them beyond the one connected to VW rally.
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Possibly, but Red Bull's media division had a story about it before Autosport. I wouldn't be too surprised to see M-Sport in Red Bull colours next year.

[Nor]MclarenF1
His last string of hope seems to rely on whether or not there will be a privately sponsored VW team - which doesn't seem all too likely atm.
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I also found it odd that the initial promise of breaking news tipped Ogier and Mikkelsen in private Polos, only for the news to be about Ogier signing for M-Sport and a private Volkswagen entry being a dim prospect.

That said, I think that the possibility of private Polos is pretty distant - but I wouldn't be surprised to see Mikkelsen in the WRC Trophy until a car becomes available. Malcolm Wilson says that they want to have six Fiestas by mid-season, but only three will be ready for Monte Carlo. I think that we could see Mikkelsen, Østberg and Camilli in the WRC Trophy and promoted to 2017 cars as they become available based on their performance.
 
Red Bull actually have a quite a huge part in a lot of official driver contracts from Thierry Neuville to Elfyn Evans, they pay up to a certain percentage of their salary every year (from 10% up to 50%). Not really surprising they were one of the first to know/announce the Ogier deal since they have the biggest contract with him in wrc.
However that doesn't mean M-sport will or wont have a sponsorship deal with Redbull next year, especially if Ford does indeed bring back official support.

Looks like I was right, it looks like it is a new generation of Yaris (especially from the back view) :
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Latvala, Hanninen confirmed for official toyota drivers in 2017.

Update 1 : Lappi confirmed too as a test driver for the moment, third driver later in the year.

Update 2 :

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full gallery here : http://toyotagazooracing.com/release/2016/wrc/1213-01.html
 
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I have very mixed feelings about this car. I love how aggressive it looks, yet there is something that not sitting well with me. Maybe it will grow on me over time.
 
It looks nice but I don't have high hopes based on the quotes of those who have driven it. Hopefully they can turn things away quickly, Hyundai went from a blank sheet of paper to championship favourites in 4 years, hopefully TMR can do the same.
 
GOTMAXPOWER
It looks nice but I don't have high hopes based on the quotes of those who have driven it. Hopefully they can turn things away quickly, Hyundai went from a blank sheet of paper to championship favourites in 4 years, hopefully TMR can do the same.
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Remember it's a brand new platform, and it's Toyotas first venture into WRC in almost two decades. 2017 will be a development year for the car and the team.
 
Another great news for rallying

WRC signs broadcast deal with RedBull :
http://www.crash.net/wrc/news/235606/1/wrc-signs-broadcast-deal-with-red-bull.html
On both Friday and Saturday a round-up show lasting 20-30 minutes will be broadcast at 10pm CET, plus on Saturday the action goes live from midday CET. Sunday evening will show a complete highlights package last 30-40 minutes and all shows will be available on demand on Red Bull TV after the event. It will be available to watch entirely free on RedBull TV, via mobile, laptop or smart television, or on the Red Bull TV app.

Mark Webber will be the host for Rally Monte Carlo.

No excuses to not follow wrc anymore. :D
 

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