I haven't paid any real attention to WRC until well into this season and though I've heard about VW and MINI (obviously) entering I haven't heard anything about current manufacturers dropping out. They don't say it outright as a side-effect in this interview either but I get the feeling Wilson is trying hard not to overtly say Ford are thinking about quitting...or am I reading too much between the lines? EXCLUSIVE Q&A: Malcolm Wilson (wrc.com)
Hummmmm, I could read that as "Ford thinking about dropping out" or "Ford trying to decide if they want to pay Ogier's salary". Ford is always one of the big two at the top of the leader board and they have a very solid sales program in Europe, where WRC is "King". I would be surprised if they fold, but you never know. BTW: Steve, I had never heard of the WRC until mid this year. Thanks to you, I am a big fan now. Jim
Only two months until the 2012 season starts in Monte Carlo! 2012 calendar: January 17-22 Rallye Monte Carlo February 9-12 Rally Sweden March 8-11 Rally Mexico March 29-April 1 Rally Portugal April 27-29 Rally Argentina May 25-27 Acropolis Rally June 22-24 Rally New Zealand August 2-5 Rally Finland August 24-26 Rallye Deutschland September 13-16 Wales Rally GB October 4-7 Rallye de France - Alsace October 18-21 Rally d'Italia November 1-4 Rally de Espana
Not much down time. :eek6: I know I am dreaming here, but what an amazing thing it would be, for MINI to win Monte Carlo, right out of the box, just like the first time. :fingerscrossed: Jim
I can not see Ford leaving WRC. Heck they almost had the drivers championship this year. I think we will see Ogier in a Ford next year. MINI winning the Monte, that would really be something! :fingerscrossed:
I think my "is Ford thinking about pulling out of WRC?" question is pretty much answered in the first 45sec of this video. Ford definitely seem to be unsure whether they want to stay, or maybe they're just thinking about dropping M-Sport who apparently build all the Fords in WRC. Later he continues to talk about how as a result they can't sign anyone at the moment. That seems to be, in his opinion, the main reason Hirvonen left; his contract expired, he needed to sign with a leading team, and he couldn't afford to risk Citroen's offer slipping away while waiting for Ford to make up their minds. Also seems to be why Ogier wasn't announced as their new driver replacement for Hirvonen. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4GLy-6tPSY]Malcolm Wilson: "I'll miss Mikko" - YouTube[/ame]
Click for a short but very good BBC video report on MINI's Rally GB and the season. Mini completes rally car comeback
Great video. My old high school roommate, just retired from a position way up there with Ford. I have asked him if he can shed any light on this and will report back. Jim
For those of us still trying to get a feeling for what WRC is really like, here's a sample from the first rally in the 2011 season, Rally Sweden, 11-13 Feb. My favorite line: "In order to heat the cafeteria, we had to heat the heater, with a heater." [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPo6g4KCOo4]Ford WRC 2011 - Ford wins in Sweden! - YouTube[/ame]
The 2012 season starts in Monte Carlo in late January, here's a sample from the 2011 Rallye Monte Carlo. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS8cbFJcZDk]Rallye Monte Carlo 2011 [HD] - YouTube[/ame]
Some good video here...sorry about the soundtrack... [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmh6tU4ZLfU]WRC 2011 Highlights HD - YouTube[/ame]
VW's 2012 entry just got quite a bit more serious. Sebastien Ogier joins Volkswagen's WRC team (autosport.com)
MINI is seriously in the WRC to win and it now looks like VW is too. This could be very good for the sport by having two new names getting in in a big way. My friend said he had heard "nothing" about Ford planning to leave the WRC. That is as big for them in Europe as NASCAR is here. Jim