The 206s aren't invincible! Solberg takes his first win!!

  • Thread starter -Fred-
  • 11 comments
  • 546 views
-Fred-

-Fred-

This is a custom title
Staff Emeritus
24,884
Canada
Somewhere.
http://www.swrt.com/246412.html

couldn't be happier for the guy. he fought hard all year, to climb on the podium on a few occasions, and it finally paid off for him!


Let's hope this win will be the first of many to come, and who knows, maybe those two big blue cars will be on the podium a few times together next year? :D they won the season opener, and the season's finale, after all!
 
I'm really pleased for Solberg - I think he's got genuine talent, and I'm surprised Ford let him go.

That said, I think Makinen's a spent force now.

Sad for Sainz too. It seems like Rallying is changing the guard.
 
Do you think he'll kick on now he's got the monkey off his back? He's more than held his own against Tommi this year.

I concur on changing the guard - McRae's probably the last of them still near his game. Maybe the next big rivalry will be Solbery and Gronholm - mind you, I'm starting to think Marcus might be a bit of a genius, this event not withstanding.
 
Originally posted by vat_man
Do you think he'll kick on now he's got the monkey off his back? He's more than held his own against Tommi this year.
Click to expand...

Definitely. More than that though, I think that the team will believe in him more now. With Makinen sinking ever deeper into the mire of indifference, the team need something to believe in to drive the Impreza development forward, like they did in the McRae/Sainz days. Now they have that in a proven winner. It's not just the fact that Solberg inherited the victory from Gronholm, more that he totally annihilated Martin on the way.

Originally posted by vat_man
I concur on changing the guard - McRae's probably the last of them still near his game. Maybe the next big rivalry will be Solbery and Gronholm - mind you, I'm starting to think Marcus might be a bit of a genius, this event not withstanding.
Click to expand...

It's funny, that when Makinen was at the top of his game, everyone said he was lucky. I'm not saying that Gronholm's offs in Australia and Rally GB (the shunt notwithstanding) didn't have an element of fortune about them, but it is true that he recovered from the situation, and that he knew exactly what he needed to do, and did it at the right time. That's not luck, it's skill. Gronholm's talent was initially masked by the superiority of the 206, but on gravel he's destroyed his team-mates, and that's got to be an indicator of real class. I'm beginning to like him more and more, especially his use of language. Did you catch his "Marcus has rolled. We can not continue. We are both OK. But the car is not OK" That was pure comedy!

Also, in Rally GB coverage, did you see McRae's second run through Rheola on the in-car footage? That was scary. How that man kept it on the road simply defies belief. That said, I think McRae is in the Last Chance Saloon in 2003. It will be very interesting to watch him and Loeb.
 
I really don't know what the Makinen hype was all about this year . Throughout the year I told my dad , that blonde driver who always drives with his mouth open is much better than Makinen


Just my 3 cents
 
Well, much of it was about the fact that Makinen had been tooling about in an off-the-pace Lancer, and many thought that if you put him in a proper, developed, WRC, then he would start flying. This was justified by his 2nd place (later promoted to the win) at the first round of the championship.

Since then, it has become apparent that that was something of a fluke, and that the Subaru team, are not able to give him the feeling that he needs to perform at his best. He's had some massive accidents recently, and I have to say that he's showing fragility in the face of a faster team-mate.

He sometimes seems to lose his head when he's being beaten too, remember last year's Rally Sweden exit? That was a biggie, and I remember watching him at the start of the stage, thinking "He's going to go off here". He duly did, and in a big way, too.
 
I've liked Markus for quite a while now. You mention his talent being masked by the superb 206, but it shows in his calm demeanor during the in-car shots. The most you'll ever see him do is raise his eyebrows a little during the scary bits; plus he rarely makes spectacular mistakes. He interviews well, too; he may come off as a bit cold (with the implication of arrogance) but I think he's just very collected. From what I've seen he doesn't seem to talk much trash. McRae on the other hand always seems to be impatient in his talk and in his driving.
 
Originally posted by neon_duke
I've liked Markus for quite a while now. You mention his talent being masked by the superb 206, but it shows in his calm demeanor during the in-car shots. The most you'll ever see him do is raise his eyebrows a little during the scary bits; plus he rarely makes spectacular mistakes.
Click to expand...

That's not really what I meant. I meant that everyone thought that the reason that the Gronholm Peugeot was doing so well was more to do with the Peugeot than the Gronholm, but that time has shown this impression to be incorrect.

Originally posted by neon_duke
He interviews well, too; he may come off as a bit cold (with the implication of arrogance) but I think he's just very collected. From what I've seen he doesn't seem to talk much trash. McRae on the other hand always seems to be impatient in his talk and in his driving.
Click to expand...

Gronholm's interview technique is fantastic: "Aah. Yes. It's our new strategy. Just to go slower than everyone else."
 
Originally posted by neon_duke
From what I've seen he doesn't seem to talk much trash.
Click to expand...

The only time he talked trash in the car during a rally, was last year. After that moment he immediately apologized to the inboard camera in front of him.

I am a fan of Marcus, and i think he is a true gentleman, in- and outside the car.
 
Originally posted by made in holland

I am a fan of Marcus, and i think he is a true gentleman, in- and outside the car.
Click to expand...
That's more what I meant about talking trash... having to do with being a good winner and a good loser. When he's ahead, he just says "yes, things are going well", and when he's behind, it is simply "well, we've got to catch up!" No blaming when things go wrong, no boasting when things go right.
 
Here here. Marcus is probably one of my favorite drivers, in attitude alone. :)

Least favorite in that catergory: that weasel Colin McRae...
 
I think the next big drivers to compete against each other would be Markko and Petter ;)

But you've got to love Marcus' personality in front of the camera :lol:

BTW i just watched the GB rally :)
 

Latest Posts

Back