WRC: 2011 post-season

Steve · Nov 23, 2011

Another article claims Carlos Sainz pushed VW into hiring Ogier when it became obvious he was without a new contract. He calls him one of the "world's three best drivers."

Justa Jim · Nov 23, 2011

That contract had to cost VW a chunk of change. :eek6:

Jim

Steve · Nov 23, 2011

I just read he signed for 10M Euros for three years.

Justa Jim · Nov 23, 2011

Steve said: ↑

I just read he signed for 10M Euros for three years.
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On second thought, with the Euro in trouble, that might not have been smart. :lol:

Jim

Steve · Nov 24, 2011

Ogier to contest full 2012 WRC season (maxrally.com)

24th November 2011 | By Anthony Peacock

Far from putting his feet up next year, Sebastien Ogier has confirmed that he will be driving in all the rounds of the World Rally Championship with a Skoda Fabia S2000 as well as taking part in around 20 tests with the new Volkswagen Polo WRC. He also suggested that the Polo's competition debut could come as early as next year.

"Taking part in the 2012 WRC will enable me to stay match fit and familiarise myself with those events that I don't know so well," said Ogier. "The test work will help me follow the Polo's development from A to Z. That's a very exciting challenge. I'm not ruling out the possibility of competing in the Polo towards the end of the year if the team believes we are sufficiently ready."

The five-time rally winner in 2011 said that Volkswagen's long-term stability in the WRC tipped the balance for him when deciding between the German giant and Ford.

"We looked at both opportunities," said Ogier. "However, Ford's future in the sport wasn't as certain as that of VW. When I added together all the plusses and minuses, Volkswagen emerged as the best choice."

Ogier's first official appearance as a Volkswagen factory driver will be at the Race of Champions in Dusseldorf from 3-4 December.
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Justa Jim · Nov 24, 2011

Will that be a VW sponsored car?

Jim

Steve · Nov 25, 2011

jbewley said: ↑

Will that be a VW sponsored car?

Jim
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I bet it will. They want him to be as ready for their 2013 launch as possible.

Steve · Nov 25, 2011

Portugal adds night stages for 2012 (maxrally.com)

25th November 2011 | By Anthony Peacock

The Rally of Portugal has confirmed that it will run with three night stages next year, which is bound to provoke a reaction from all the drivers who concluded that gravel and darkness don't mix on the Rally of Spain earlier this year.

In Catalunya, hanging dust on the night stage caused visibility to be dramatically reduced after the first car had passed, a situation that Mini's Kris Meeke â€“ among many others â€“ called "crazy and completely stupid."

However, the Rally of Portugal organisers maintain that they have put safety first on the three stages in darkness, held on Thursday night: Gomes Aires, Santa Clara and Ourique.

A statement from the organisers said: "The organisation took into account all the security challenges that these stages present and reduced the overall length, with an average of just 12km, approximately half the average of the remaining stages. However, this also halved the usual distance between radio posts, allowing quicker detection of any problem. In addition, there will be a helicopter ambulance with night-flying capabilities."

Next year's Rally of Portugal runs as round four of the world championship from 29 March-1 April. On the Friday of the event, the rally returns to the Tavira region for the first time since 2007.
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Justa Jim · Nov 25, 2011

The night-flying, emergency helicopter is reassuring.

Jim

Crashton · Nov 25, 2011

Rally has always had night stages until a few years ago when they changed the whole format of rally. They used to run them before pace notes too. I'm very glad to see the adventure of night time rally back.

Steve · Nov 27, 2011

Some pretty good video from Rallye Du Var (it was this weekend I think), the final round of the 2011 French Rally Championship. I think the MINI is Pierre Campana.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfIr0vEACj8]Rallye Du Var 2011 [HD] - YouTube[/ame]

Justa Jim · Nov 27, 2011

Good stuff Steve. There was even a privateer MINI in the mix.

Jim

Steve · Nov 28, 2011

"The podium finishes were really special." (minimotorsport.com)

27 November 2011

Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio discuss the highlights of their first season with the MINI WRC Team, the MINI WRC and how they will spend the short winter break.

Dani and Carlos, how was your first season with the MINI WRC Team?

Dani: It was a really interesting season. We only started at six rallies, ended up on the podium twice, won a few stages and were always on the pace. That is a good result considering we were a new team with a new car. With that in mind, I am happy with our season.

Carlos: I agree. It was great for me to be back in the car with Dani after seven years. The whole team did a really good job. We set very good times with a new car, and the two podium finishes were obviously really special â€“ particularly for me, as Germany was the very first time in my career that I stepped onto the podium.

Was the second place in France the highlight of the year for you?

Dani: Yes. France was great, as we were in contention for the overall victory. That is always fun.

You then moved on to Spain dreaming of the first victory for the MINI WRC Team, only for your dream of a podium finish to be as good as over after the very first stage. How disappointed were you?

Dani: We knew beforehand that the rally in Spain would be different to Germany or France. In France we were on tarmac, the car had more grip and the rally was generally faster than in Spain.

And nobody had reckoned on their being that much dust on the first special stage in Spain, meaning all the teams had to slow down considerably after the first car. Carlos, was it not possible to spot this during the recce?

Carlos: We knew during the recce that it was going to be dusty. After all, it had hardly rained for sixth months. However, you drive much slower on the recce than you do later when the race gets underway. Also, the time intervals between the individual cars were sometimes larger during the recce than they were later during the rally. In the end it was unfortunate for everyone involved.

Dani, what is your impression of the MINI John Cooper Works WRC after its first season?

Dani: The MINI WRC was very good. We now have a very good idea of how the car behaves under rallying conditions and were able to gather an awful lot of live data. We can use as a basis for next season and to further improve the MINI WRC. However, we only need to work on fine details, which is remarkable for a new car.

The 2012 season begins as early as the third week of January. What will you be up to until then?

Dani: We have media commitments and then the entire team will begin its preparations for the Monte Carlo Rally.

Carlos: And the driving teams will obviously be working on their fitness for the coming months. After that we have a packed schedule. In 2012 we will not have such long breaks between rallies as we did this season.

We already have our fingers crossed for the new season. Is there anything else you would like to say?

Dani: Yes. I would like to say a big thank you for the great support we received from the fans â€“ whether at the test sessions, during the season, or just out on the streets.

Carlos: I agree. That is one big reason why I am looking forward to racing at all the rallies in 2012. See you in Monte Carlo in January, if not beforehand.
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Steve · Dec 2, 2011

A bit of behind the scenes video:

WRC 2011: A day in the life of a rally marshal

Steve · Dec 6, 2011

Qualifying Stage details emerge (wrc.com)

06 Dec 11

Details of the new-for-2012 Qualifying Stage concept are beginning to emerge as organisers of the opening rounds of next season publish their Rally Guides, a document containing all essential event information.

The Qualifying Stage has been introduced to determine the starting order for Priority 1 and Priority 2 drivers on the first day of all loose-surface rounds of next yearâ€™s World Rally Championship.

Crews will be permitted to complete two passes of the Qualifying Stage during a two-hour window of free practice, known previously as Shakedown. Then, in championship order, crews will complete one qualifying run in an attempt to set the fastest time possible.

The P1 and P2 crews, in order of fastest to slowest, will select their starting position for the opening day of competition. A P1 or P2 driver not able to complete the Qualifying Stage will be the last to select their starting position.

In an effort to prevent the use of tactics when drivers deliberately slowing down near the finish of stages to influence starting position for the next day of an event, all P1 and P2 crews will restart in reverse order of their provisional overall classification.

The first Qualifying Stage of the season will take place on Rally Sweden with organisers planning to use the 1.9-kilometre Super Special Stage Karlstad on Thursday 9 February to determine the starting order for day one.

On Rally Guanajuato Mexico in March, the Qualifying Stage will be based in San Jose de Llanos, 50 kilometres from the service park in Leon, on Thursday 8 March where a 4.75-kilometre course will be created.

Drivers will fight for the right to select their road position for the opening day of Vodafone Rally de Portugal by tackling the 4.96-kilometre Vale do Judeu Qualifying Stage on the morning of Wednesday 28 March.
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ScottinBend · Dec 6, 2011

Now that is a rule change I like........

Steve · Dec 7, 2011

2011 recap video at WRC.com:

WRC 2011: The headlines of the year

Steve · Dec 7, 2011

I've been following this situation for a while now, trying to understand what's really going on. There are a few clues in this article. Seems there's actually something to worry about...the 2012 WRC season looks likely to occur but isn't exactly a sure thing...

FIA working on immediate plan to secure the long-term future of the WRC (autosport.com)

By Pablo Elizalde | Wednesday, December 7th 2011, 12:34 GMT

The FIA has said it is working on an "immediate plan" to make sure the 2012 World Rally Championship goes ahead as planned following the news that CSI has gone into administration.

Convers Sports Initiatives, the parent company of the World Rally Championship's commercial rights holder North One, went into receivership last month.

The man in charge of CSI, Vladimir Antonov, was arrested in London as part of an investigation into the striping of assets from Bankas Snoras.

The governing body said on Wednesday it is committed to ensuring the future of the championship and that it is working on a plan to ensure all elements are in place for the 2012 to start as planned.

"The World Motor Sport Council discussed the recent developments involving the Championship Promoter, North One Sport, and its parent company, CSI, which has gone into administration," said the FIA in a statement.

"The FIA is committed to ensuring the long-term commercial future of the Championship and will make every endeavour to provide for its future stability.

"The FIA is working on an immediate plan to ensure the fundamental sporting and safety elements will be in place for the start of the 2012 season."

As a consequence of that, the FIA said the registration date for the 2012 championship for manufacturers will be put back to 19 December.
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Steve · Dec 7, 2011

FIA to allow safer tyre compound in rallies from 2012 WRC season (autosport.com)

By David Evans | Wednesday, December 7th 2011, 13:05 GMT

The World Motor Sport Council has confirmed WRC events can include a safer compound of tyre to be introduced from next year, following calls from the drivers.

There was outcry from the drivers on Rally Australia earlier this year, when heavy rain on the opening day made it difficult to find grip from the hard compound Michelin tyres the factory cars were forced to use.

The drivers called into question the safety of driving in such conditions as called on the FIA to implement a rule to allow an allocation of rubber which would be more suited to the unexpected conditions.

The WMSC agreed with this principle when it met in India today.

The communication from the meeting stated: "The WMSC agreed that, for safety reasons, a total of 10 tyres of a different compound may be used in place of the nominated compound, when specified as an option in the Supplementary Regulations of an event. The total quantity of tyres to be used during an event will however not change."
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Full story here.

Justa Jim · Dec 7, 2011

Dang, it seems everybody these days, gets their hand stuck in the cookie jar. ut:

Jim

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