WRC Season ArchiveRally 

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[Nor]MclarenF1
So far it's been an interesting season. Not the Ogier one man show we've seen the last couple of years. Next year looks very promising as well. Citroën will be back in full force, and Toyota is joining the fun. VW will have to step up their game considerably if they aim to stay on top.
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I gotta say this season have been very poor, sure Ogier haven´t dominated but It´s because road order rules made it impossible for anyone in the top to win, it feels very artificial. Now we see drivers like Andreas Mikkelsen intentionally avoiding to take points just so he can have a lower road order position, and we seen mediocre drivers like Kris Meeke capitalizing on low road order position to take victories. I´m sceptical if I´m gonna watch WRC next season if they gonna keep these same rules, if they do I would bet we would see Ogier intentionally retire several times just so he don´t have to be road sweeper.
 
Simmpa
we seen mediocre drivers like Kris Meeke capitalizing on low road order position to take victories
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I don't think that anyone who wins in Finland can be called mediocre.

Simmpa
I´m sceptical if I´m gonna watch WRC next season if they gonna keep these same rules
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I seem to recall reading that Jean Todt wants to re-order the calendar to mix tarmac and gravel events up. That might help.
 
Polo wrc 2017 running in test with a new aero (hood, rear spoiler) :
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*edit new pictures + video*

Calling Kris Meeke a "mediocre" driver. :lol:
 
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prisonermonkeys
Elfyn Evans, Teemu Suninen, Ött Tänak, Thierry Neuville, Pontus Tidemand and Mads Østberg would all be good choices.
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Thierry refused the deal, Tanak is rumored to go to the official Ford Team.
Also there will be 3 cars in the toyota team next year we might see one of those names on it,
I really don't see Suninen or Tidemand without a WRC wheel next year.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if Hänninen's role is the same as the one that he had at Hyundai - third driver and development.
 
prisonermonkeys
Lappi is a good choice, but Hänninen?
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Hanninen is a great choice, he was with Skoda from the start of their S2000 program and that car became the best in its category. He also won 3 championships in 4 years at a time when IRC was almost as competitive as WRC. It's about time somebody give him a proper chance in a WRC car.
 
prisonermonkeys
He was underwhelming in the i20.
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He outperformed Paddon in the i20 (They did 4 rallies as teammates, Hanninen finished ahead in Poland and Finland, JH was quicker in Wales aside from day 1 troubles and in Italy he was leading the rally until he rolled whilst Paddon was barely in the top 10).

Paddon was given more time in the car and he turned out ok.
 
Accro2008
Toyota official WRC drivers for 2017 are Juho Haninen and Esapekka Lappi :
http://yle.fi/urheilu/3-9176929
Official announcement the 28 septembre at the mondial de l'auto in Paris.
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Mäkinen chose two Finns? Patriotic, much?

Seriously though, Hänninen has been fairly solid choice for car development and while they're racing next year Toyota still needs a driver that can help with making the car quicker. My guess is that they're running him as the number 2 driver for a year until they have a more competitive package.
 
Legro
It's only a week until the motor show so I guess we won't really know before then whether this is correct or not but right now Mäkinen denies the rumours of driver decision. Another article in a language most people here don't speak.
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First article was from Miika Wuorela, a well known rally journalist in Finland with a lot of contacts with the teams in WRC (He was in south korea not so long ago at the huyndai motorsport headquarters). He was also present on a bunch of Toyota test in Finland and interviewed Makinen a few times. If someone knows who might be in the toyota team next year it's him.
It just feels like Tommi is grumpy that someone found out about his drivers and wants to bluff :lol:
or maybe he has a real surprise for us. :D
We will have to wait and see.

Anyway the 2017 season already feels exciting.
 
Autosport are also tipping Lappi and Hänninen for Toyota:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/126305/finnish-pair-set-for-toyota-2017-wrc-seats

A third car will most likely be entered at selected events from the fourth round (which will probably be Corsica, as the rally needed to move to survive and the FIA wanted to break up the surfaces from round to round; this year there were six gravel rallies followed by three and a half tarmac events). No word on who might drive the third Yaris, though.
 
Simmpa
I gotta say this season have been very poor, sure Ogier haven´t dominated but It´s because road order rules made it impossible for anyone in the top to win, it feels very artificial. Now we see drivers like Andreas Mikkelsen intentionally avoiding to take points just so he can have a lower road order position, and we seen mediocre drivers like Kris Meeke capitalizing on low road order position to take victories. I´m sceptical if I´m gonna watch WRC next season if they gonna keep these same rules, if they do I would bet we would see Ogier intentionally retire several times just so he don´t have to be road sweeper.
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Few things here,

- Mikkelsen has most certainly not "intentionally avoided taking points"

- Kris Meeke mediocre? In my opinion he's been the best driver this season so far. He had to retire the first two events from the lead of the rally, he won rally Portugal and Finland. Where does mediocre come from any of this?

- Intentionally retiring? There's nothing to gain from this. They intentionally lose points to get a better road position in the next rally? That they may not even finish? You're crazy if you think people actually wouldn't take the points when they can.
 
Kamuifanboy
Few things here,

- Mikkelsen has most certainly not "intentionally avoided taking points"
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"On the Power Stage we will go easy. I promise. I want to be third on the road in Poland."
- A quote from Andreas Mikkelsen just before the power stage in Italy

"I went slow here so I can have a better start position in Poland. Not such fun for the TV but these are the rules."
- A quote from just after the power stage in the same rally, the points he deliberately didn't try for ensured he dropped behind Sordo in the championship.

Meeke is a talented driver and has done a very good job, but those rallies would probably been won by Volkswagen without the road order rules (Even Breen got 3rd in Finland!). The rules holding Ogier back are similar to saying Messi can play football only if he ties his boots together.

Edit: Mikkelsen won Poland with his starting position advantage...
 
GOTMAXPOWER
"On the Power Stage we will go easy. I promise. I want to be third on the road in Poland."
- A quote from Andreas Mikkelsen just before the power stage in Italy

"I went slow here so I can have a better start position in Poland. Not such fun for the TV but these are the rules."
- A quote from just after the power stage in the same rally, the points he deliberately didn't try for ensured he dropped behind Sordo in the championship.

Meeke is a talented driver and has done a very good job, but those rallies would probably been won by Volkswagen without the road order rules (Even Breen got 3rd in Finland!). The rules holding Ogier back are similar to saying Messi can play football only if he ties his boots together.

Edit: Mikkelsen won Poland with his starting position advantage...
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Ok, I didn't know about the quotes.

Mikkelsen won Poland because Tanak got a puncture.
 
Kamuifanboy
Few things here,

- Mikkelsen has most certainly not "intentionally avoided taking points"

- Kris Meeke mediocre? In my opinion he's been the best driver this season so far. He had to retire the first two events from the lead of the rally, he won rally Portugal and Finland. Where does mediocre come from any of this?

- Intentionally retiring? There's nothing to gain from this. They intentionally lose points to get a better road position in the next rally? That they may not even finish? You're crazy if you think people actually wouldn't take the points when they can.
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1. When what happened in Sardinia? He skipped taking power stage points.

2. With that logic we could call Robert Kubica the best driver of all time because he have been leading rallies many times. I also have a feeling you didn´t read my entire post, road order position put him with a massive advantage. I would have a very different opinion on Meeke if the took his wins on tarmac or he was placed very close to Ogier in the road order position.

3. There is certainly advantage depending on the situation, maybe you are only gonna take 6 points but figure not taking any at all will put you at better road position if that next rally is very rough.
 
Hard to say Meeke has been the best driver this season when he has barely been a part of it and when he is he has the advantage of running order for being soo low in the points due to not doing the rallys.

The impressive thing though is he isn't screwing up when in prime position like he usually does so thats a start.
 
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C3 wrc running with a new aero, front aero (flaps) and new rear spoiler.
Really cool to see how the all the cars evolve test after test.

In other news Toyota will be testing on tarmac from now on.
 
prisonermonkeys
I wouldn't mind if more events are run like Corsica, with only a handful of long stages. I hate it when rallies are loaded with short, spectator-friendly stages where there is no time to be won or lost barring a mistake.
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The downside is if just one stage is cancelled a big part of the rally is shortened. Remember last year in Corsica? 3 stages of only 9 where cancelled because of rain.
 
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