Kubica injured in rally crash - Now rallying again...

Robert Kubica was reportedly involved in a secret test in France very recently with (drumroll, please!) ...
Petter Solberg, Jari-Matti Latvala and the Ford World Rally Team.
Whether or not anything more comes of this remains to be seen.
 
Kubica in WRC? That'd be awesome :) If he can't make a return to F1, I'd be just as happy to watch him in WRC, where he'd beat everyone not named Seb :lol:
 
Fitting. Considering the man is already 90% bionic, he'll be easy to fix if he crashes.
 
The Speed commentators mentioned that his final goal is getting back to Formula 1. That just isn't gonna happen.

The only people to do a comeback are Raikkonen and Schumacher, who were the best at their time. Kubica has some good results, but not nearly the same as the 2 mentioned before.
 
He said in an interview before the race that he will try to get back in F1 maybe in 2014 only if he is fit to drive F1 car. I guess we have to wait and see about that but todays win is a good start even if it is only in a small rally.
 
hawkeye122
The Speed commentators mentioned that his final goal is getting back to Formula 1. That just isn't gonna happen.

The only people to do a comeback are Raikkonen and Schumacher, who were the best at their time. Kubica has some good results, but not nearly the same as the 2 mentioned before.
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?, Raikkonen and Schumacher retired from tbe sport by choice. Kubica was forced out due to an injury which he's still recovering from.

Prior to the injury the rumor was that he was in talks with Ferrari for 2012 (or 2013 (can't remember all the details)). He received a lot of praise from his fellow drivers, and I'm pretty sure it was Alonso who said he was one of the top 3 in the sport, prior to the accident. The only reason he's not in F1 now (or for 2013) is because his wrist isn't yet capable of doing all the movements neccesary to drive an F1 car. His preformance at this rally suggests that he hasn't gotten any slower/lost confidence (like what happened to Felipe), which would mean that a comeback will mostly depend on his physical ability. Personally, I really hope he'll be back soon, as he's without a doubt capable of being a world champion :)
 
If Kubica has the psyhical ability to drive a Rally Car he could also drive an F1 car. There's a lot more hand movement in a Rally Car I think.
 
nissman
If Kubica has the psyhical ability to drive a Rally Car he could also drive an F1 car. There's a lot more hand movement in a Rally Car I think.
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even if the movements were completely identical the difference between doing the same movements in an open and confined spaces are pretty significant though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kONSQIW30vY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXV3sEH7PU0

look at the huge difference in the wrist bend. There is a lot more arm power at your disposal in rallying.
 
nissman
If Kubica has the psyhical ability to drive a Rally Car he could also drive an F1 car. There's a lot more hand movement in a Rally Car I think.
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Don't forget G-Force endurance.

And how an F1 race is longer than a Rally Stage.
 
nissman
If Kubica has the psyhical ability to drive a Rally Car he could also drive an F1 car. There's a lot more hand movement in a Rally Car I think.
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That's not the problem.

The problem is that when a driver sits in a Formula 1 car, he is quite literally pinned into position. He is strapped into the seat, and the sides of the cockpit and bodywork around his shoulders hold him in place. His only real range of movements come in his ability to steer the car, and with the shouldesrs fixed in position, the range of movements in the elbow is critical. Thus, if Kubica does not have a full range of movements in his elbow, he will not able able to handle a Formula 1 car.
 
Personally I'd rather see him test for Pirelli next season, to get used to the tyres and I guess they'll have the new engines as well. A leg up on the competition could go a long way.
 
Tom
Personally I'd rather see him test for Pirelli next season, to get used to the tyres and I guess they'll have the new engines as well. A leg up on the competition could go a long way.
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There's no guarantee of that. Pirelli recently admitted that they were very confused as to why their 2012-spec tyres weren't actually performing the way they were intended to perform, producing very sensitive compounds (though they admitted being very pleased with the results). They put the problem down to their current test chassis, the Renault R30 - which is two years out of date. There is no guarantee that they will be able to secure a current-generation car any time soon, which could produce markedly different results once more.
 
Kubica's been rallying the ex-Subaru WRT Impreza again, this time in "Rallye San Martino di Castrozza" featuring some big names such as Andreucci and Basso, Kubica hasn't had the best of weekends though:
bum.jpg
 
prisonermonkeys
That's not the problem.

The problem is that when a driver sits in a Formula 1 car, he is quite literally pinned into position. He is strapped into the seat, and the sides of the cockpit and bodywork around his shoulders hold him in place. His only real range of movements come in his ability to steer the car, and with the shouldesrs fixed in position, the range of movements in the elbow is critical. Thus, if Kubica does not have a full range of movements in his elbow, he will not able able to handle a Formula 1 car.
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Sky Sports F1 did a piece on him recently, I think it was Ted Kravitz who pointed out that you need very good dexterity to be competitive in F1 which he has probably lost. It's a shame but I doubt that we will ever see him looking competitive in an F1 car.

EDIT: Here it is if anyone's interested http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8hQSTD-gLU
 
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avens
So he finally accepted his injuries are permanent. He bluffed for years about being recovered, but in the end it was accurate that he couldn't hold a glass of water when he was supposedly karting.
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But he did say he was planning to do GT/touring car racing and carry on rallying. So at least he can carry on racing at a high standard and the injury wasn't completely career ending.
 
Reports out of Poland are suggesting that Ford and Citroen have approached the FIA and requested permission to make special examples of the Fiesta RS and DS3 WRC cars that are outside the homologated model. They reportedly want to move the gear shift paddle from the right hand side of the car to the left. Such requests are rare, but not unheard of. If granted - both teams will apparently hear from the FIA before 14 December - it would pave the way for Kubica to join the WRC. He's apparently told Polish media that he doesn't want to start a programme in any form of motorsport in 2013 without knowing what he is doing in 2014, suggesting he wants a long-term deal with someone.
 
Looks like Rob is getting a go in a DTM Car.

From TcT

http://www.touringcartimes.com/article.php?id=8519

Robert Kubica set for Mercedes DTM test

Robert Kubica is going to test a DTM Mercedes in Spain next week according to Autosport.
The test is going to take place on the 25th of January at the Valencia circuit, alongside regular drivers Gary Paffett and Roberto Merhi.

The Polish racing ace has not raced since his rally crash two years ago where he injured his right hand and arm.

While Kubica is going to test for Mercedes, it remains to be seen whether it could be turned in to a full-season drive for the Pole as he is set to take part in the European Rally Championship this year.
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Kinda bummed he's testing for Mercedes, rather than BMW... but never mind.
 
As much as I admire Robert's optimism about a Formula One return, I personally can no longer see it happening. For starters 2013 is going to be his third season out of action at the sports highest level, while all the time younger drivers with plenty of potential, are coming through the ranks. Also Robert's great form in his rallying return actually gives little indication of how he'll do, getting back in the driving seat of an F1 machine. It could turn out that he can still drive an open-wheeler as, or nearly as quickly, as he did before his accident, albeit being more error prone in the process. It could even turn out that due to the extended away from actual racing, his race craft has deteriorated. So I can not see why an F1 team manager would take a risk on Robert, when they could give a lesser uncertainty a chance. All that said, I hope I am wrong.
 
I think at this point Kubica is going to join the "what-ifs?" of F1. We will never know if he was going to be WDC.
Hopefully he can rise to success in a top series though still. It would be awesome to see him rise to the top in the WRC.

I'd hate to see him limited to DTM. I think he can still achieve more than that.

Having said that, I once again wish the WRC would sort its 🤬 out. Its ridiculous now how poorly covered it is, its actually gone backwards to the days of the 60s or something - barely if ever even mentioned on TV. Fortunately the internet allows us to follow it a bit and get some video coverage and highlights....
 
Ardius
Having said that, I once again wish the WRC would sort its 🤬 out. Its ridiculous now how poorly covered it is, its actually gone backwards to the days of the 60s or something - barely if ever even mentioned on TV. Fortunately the internet allows us to follow it a bit and get some video coverage and highlights....
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I could have sworn the series was going to be promoted by Red Bull this season? But I'm yet to see any effect it is having, that is if it has even begun taking place yet. Still seeing as this is a Kubica thread, I won't go too much into that matter.
 
was it here that I posted all these months he was lying about his condition then got flamed by everyone else? I think so, and time proved me right after one whole year and counting.
 
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