WRC Most liked posts in thread: WRC 2014

Crashton · Jun 26, 2014

Robert knows his stuff. If you are going to roll, make it an easy one & do it at a spectator point.

Steve · Jun 28, 2014

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57W2QnNKXOY"]Leg 2 - 2014 WRC Rally Poland - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jul 1, 2014

Steve · Jul 1, 2014

How?

Looks like at least a bit of loss of control to me but he manages to both correct for the next turn and stay on it the whole time. I really thought he would go over the side on that next corner. Impressive. (Ogier, by the way)

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-eF_fc4n7M"]WRC | OS Stare Juchy 1 | Sebastien Ogier | Autor Aleksander Holender - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jul 4, 2014

Yumps!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yP51ifMqa8"]BIG JUMPS WRC Rally Poland 2014 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jul 11, 2014

The best compilation of clips from Poland I've seen yet.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtyQ5NuE9dw"]WRC 71 Rajd Polski 2014 | 71 Rally Poland - Action by MaxxSport - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 2, 2014

Videos!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fCVQUn9uPY"]Leg 2 - 2014 WRC Rally Finland - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYXK2V__6n8"]WRC jump compilation | 71 Rally Poland - YouTube[/ame]

Bit of a moment for Ogier:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo8VRgsYmGM"]Sebastien Ogier at Rally Finland 2014 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 3, 2014

Fearless Latvala clinches Finland win (WRC.com)

03 Aug 2014

Finland celebrated on Sunday afternoon as Jari-Matti Latvala kept his nerve to claim a thrilling first home victory at the countryâ€™s FIA World Rally Championship encounter for four years.

Latvala dominated most of the four-day Neste Oil Rally Finland but a brake problem yesterday evening threw his win into doubt. However, he held off a determined charge from Volkswagen team-mate SÃ©bastien Ogier to win by 3.6sec.

Latvala, conscious of the lack of home success in a country where rallying is a national sport, said he was motivated to fend off Ogier by the support from his fans. He was embraced by father Jari after finishing the final RuuhimÃ¤ki special stage.

â€œIt was so hard to take this victory,â€ he said. â€œI had a fantastic feeling with the driving but when I had the brake problem yesterday I was in a difficult position. I was so close to losing the victory but I fought back. I was nervous today but managed to hold it together."

Latvala won 13 of the opening 19 stages to build a 31sec lead over the first three days but broke the front right brake caliper on his Polo R when he hit a large hole. Ogier, who had earlier conceded victory, seized his chance and slashed the margin to under four seconds.

But with the Finnâ€™s car restored to health today, Ogier had to settle for second. The Frenchman gained maximum bonus points by winning the live TV Power Stage and heads Latvala by 44 points in the title battle with five rounds remaining.

Kris Meeke drove perhaps the best rally of his career to take third in a Citroen DS3. It was the third podium of the season for the Northern Irishman.

â€œA podium is pretty special on the biggest rally of all. But weâ€™re still not near perfection yet. Jari-Matti was the epitome of perfection all weekend in how to drive a rally car on these roads. Until I get there and try to win this rally some day, weâ€™ll have to keep trying for perfection,â€ he said.

Andreas Mikkelsen retained third in the championship by finishing fourth in another Polo R but the Norwegian was more than a minute adrift of Meeke. Mikko Hirvonen finished fifth in a Fiesta RS after a frustrating weekend for the former winner.

Power steering problems today deprived Kiwi Hayden Paddon of sixth. He slipped behind both Hyundai team-mate Juho HÃ¤nninen, who bounced back from a second day roll, and Elfyn Evans. Henning Solberg and Karl Kruuda completed the leaderboard.

Craig Breen was todayâ€™s only major retirement. A heavy landing over a big jump in the first pass through RuuhimÃ¤ki left him with severe back pain and he withdrew.

Kruuda claimed WRC 2 victory while prize drive winner Teemu Suninen, wrc.comâ€™s pre-event One to Watch, took WRC 3 honours. Martin Koci won the JWRC category.
Click to expand...

Rally Finland: This podium is more special, says Meeke (crash.net)

3 August 2014

Kris Meeke puts in a â€œsuperb performanceâ€ on Rally Finland and takes a â€œbig step forwardâ€ with third podium of year

Kris Meeke feels his podium on Rally Finland is even more special than those taken in Monte Carlo and Argentina earlier this year.

Meeke ran in the top-three throughout the four-days in Jyvaskyla, setting top-five times in every single test in his Citroen DS3 WRC car, including winning SS7 on Friday.

He also overhauled Sebastien Ogier and took second at the end of day two, and while he couldn't stay ahead of the 2013 World Rally Champion on Saturday, he was still very encouraged by the result and his pace.

â€œI'm delighted to be on the podium on one of the biggest events in the championship. I was on the podium in Monte Carlo and in Argentina, but this one feels more special â€“ it feels like I've earned it,â€ Meeke explained.

â€œI wasn't gifted this, we got it with good speed. Jari-Matta [Latvala - event winner], when he's on formâ€¦ we all know his speed. To be close to him, with my experience, I'm very, very happy.

â€œYesterday we were ahead of Seb after two days [too]. We held on in the morning [on Saturday], but when we dinked the front-right and got a big vibration, we lost three or four seconds to Seb and then he got back in front in Himos where we had a big moment and I lost another five seconds.

â€œAt that point, to think about catching another 10 seconds would have been a bit much for me. I came here wanting a strong, consistent weekend and we have done that â€“ that's the most important [thing].â€

â€œI only have a one-year contract,â€ he added, â€œand I need to finish to get the contract [renewed] for next year. In that position you never open yourself 100 per cent to the road, but I felt really free in the car and it was happening quite simply.

â€œI was chatting to Jari on the road section and he said if you try hard on these stages, the time disappears; you have to rely on the feeling and letting that feeling come to you. Even today we were able to let it come to us, even though we weren't defending third place. This gives us good confidence going into the second half of the season.â€

Meeke's co-driver Paul Nagle meanwhile believes they have taken a â€œbig step forwardâ€.

â€œIn Monte Carlo, it was a difficult rally. We weren't flat out and we needed to be clever and drive on our own pace,â€ he continued. â€œIn Argentina we were in a good position after day one and after that we had to drive very slowly for the next two days.

â€œHere, from the first corner, we were on the pace and then we were second or third fastest â€“ I think it was only two times that we were out of the top three. And we were able to continue all weekend. It's a great satisfaction to get close to these boys. It's building.

â€œOkay, there was a blip in Portugal, but this has been coming even since Mexico, Sardinia and Poland. It takes time, it's not going to happen overnight. This is a big step forward this weekend.â€

Citroen deputy team principal Marek Nawarecki was also very pleased with Meeke's form: â€œKris produced a superb performance, combining consistency an speed. He managed to make the most of the experience acquired in 2013 and the pre-rally testing,â€ he noted.
Click to expand...

Steve · Aug 6, 2014

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMtzSasUUiw"]WRC Rally Finland 2014 Maximum Attack On The Limit Jumps - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 12, 2014

Until you realize a lens (and/or other effect) was used to capture/create this image, it looks like VW figured out how to overcome the laws of physics.

Crashton · Aug 23, 2014

Damned lucky it didn't slice the roof off the car. They are a couple of lucky guys.

Steve · Aug 24, 2014

Another pic of Latvala's car.

Dave.0 · Aug 28, 2014

Steve I do agree.

Steve · Sep 11, 2014

Only 3 stages done but ... Go, Kris!

Meeke moves ahead in Australia (WRC.com)

12 Sep 2014

Leg 1: Friday – SS2 Bellingen 1 (10.72km) and SS3 Newry 1 (24.91km)

Both tests were identical to 2013. Bellingen threaded through forests on narrow roads, with trees close to the edge. It was undulating with plenty of dips and jumps. Newry was fast and flowing but rough in places, with narrow sections in the forests.

Two consecutive fastest times for Kris Meeke promoted the Citroen DS3 driver into the lead of Coates Hire Rally Australia midway through Friday’s opening leg.

He climbed from third to first after winning the Bellingen and Newry tests, returning to service in Coffs Harbour with a 2.4sec advantage over Andreas Mikkelsen’s Volkswagen Polo R.

Meeke, eighth in the start order, made the most of roads swept clean of gravel by those ahead and said: “I did the best job I could. When you are eighth on the road you like to think you can lead. We’ll soldier on and see what happens in the second pass.”

Tyre selection was the big talking point. Mud in the opening stage gave way to drier conditions and the choices were varied as drivers searched for the best mix of Michelin’s hard and soft compounds for the inconsistent grip.

Mikkelsen was unsure whether hard rubber was the best choice but the Norwegian was 0.9sec clear of Mikko Hirvonen’s similarly-shod Ford Fiesta RS overall. Hirvonen was edged out of fastest time by just 0.3sec by Meeke through Newry.

Early leader SÃ©bastien Ogier found the drier conditions more difficult as road opener and the Frenchman dropped more than 10sec in Newry to slide to fourth in his Polo R, 8.4sec off the lead.

He was 0.6sec ahead of team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, who bled the brakes before Bellingen to fix his opening stage issue. Thierry Neuville climbed to sixth after his earlier overshoot with top four times in both stages, with Hayden Paddon, an out-of-sorts Mads Ã˜stberg, Robert Kubica and Chris Atkinson completing the leaderboard.

Elfyn Evans dropped 15sec after stalling his Fiesta RS at a Bellingen hairpin, the Welshman admitting he was struggling for confidence.

Yazeed Al Rajhi leads WRC 2, despite a second stage stall. He is 7.3sec clear of Nasser Al-Attiyah with Jari Ketomaa third, the Finn going off briefly in Newry after pushing too hard to compensate for a turbo boost issue. Ott TÃ¤nak is more than three minutes back after a front differential problem.
Click to expand...

Steve · Sep 12, 2014

Meeke:

Steve · Sep 27, 2014

Full Rally Australia Stage 3 on-board: Kris Meeke.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kLm0TmB3WY"]Onboard: Kris Meeke SS03/ Rally Australia 2014 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Oct 1, 2014

France is next, 3-5 Oct.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PygSzsWZ7DE"]Preview: Rallye de France-Alsace 2014 - YouTube[/ame]

Rallye de France-Alsace (WRC.com)

Info

Rallye de France-Alsace
Start Date: 03.10.2014
End Date: 05.10.2014
Timezone: UTC 1
Category: WRC3
WRC2
WRC
JWRC
Stages: 18 (303.63 km)
Distance: 1232.9 km
Servicepark: Strasbourg
Website: Rallye de France Alsace

Route

Historic Strasbourg, nestled on the German border between the Vosges mountains and the Black Forest, is the hub for a fifth year.
It is the shortest round of the season with just over 300km of stages. The opening leg visits the Bas-Rhin and Vosges mountains while the second day journeys further south into the Haut Rhin, with remote service in Colmar.
Sunday is based around the town of Saverne, replacing the traditional final dayâ€™s action around SÃ©bastien Loebâ€™s home town of Haguenau.
The Strabourg city stage, which ends outside the European Parliament, has been moved back 24 hours from Thursday to Friday evening.

Challenge

Inconsistent roads traverse both narrow and fast sections.
Cold temperatures and rain likely, creating plenty of tyre choice dilemmas.
Working efficiently with safety note crews, who drive the stages ahead of competitors, to have up-to-date information about road surface and weather.
Vineyard stages are wider than those used in Rallye Deutschland.
Speeds top 200kph on undulating forests roads, steep climbs and long corners in the Vosges mountains.

Car spec

Asphalt suspension but set-up is a compromise for different types of roads in the same group of stages.
Hard compound rubber available for warm and dry conditions, with soft option for wet or cold weather. Roads are not abrasive so tyre wear is not an issue.

History

Franceâ€™s WRC round was held on the stunning island of Corsica from 1973 to 2008.
After a yearâ€™s absence due to rotation, the rally moved to Alsace in 2010.
Alsace is SÃ©bastien Loeb country and he secured his seventh world title at the end of a street stage through his home town of Haguenau that year.
Loebâ€™s final WRC event was here last year. Even the great Frenchman shed a tear.

Whatâ€™s new for 2014

Almost half the stage distance has never been used before.
A completely revised street test in Mulhouse ends Saturdayâ€™s action.
Sunday â€“ everything is new for 2014.

Donâ€™t miss

Visit Strasbourgâ€™s ZÃ©nith arena where the service park is based. Itâ€™s the best of the year with loads to see, loads to do and a buzzing atmosphere.
Remember Petter Solbergâ€™s trip through the vines in 2012? Take another look: (below)
Click to expand...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5m_qi4HVKc]Petter Solberg SS9 Crash WRC 2012 Rally France - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Oct 2, 2014

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz4wOw4_K64"]Shakedown - 2014 WRC Rallye de France - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Crashton · Oct 3, 2014

I'm going to cut his co-driver some slack. Such a hard job, a co-driver can't win a rally, but can be blamed for losing one. It happens, but not often at the pointy end of the grid.

Steve · Oct 4, 2014

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rCCAxjZigk"]Leg 2 - 2014 WRC Rallye de France - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

MAXRALLY Turbo Tweeet (France, Saturday) (MaxRally.com)

by Giles Wade / 4th October 2014

It’s Saturday night in Strasbourg, time to take a look at the highs and lows of day two on Rallye de France Alsace. All in 140 words.

Volkswagen’s Jari-Matti Latvala has been on sublime form today, winning five of the seven stages run around the town of Colmar. The Finn eased his Polo R WRC clear of team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen to ensure he starts the final day with a near half-minute advantage over the Norwegian. Having been in a similar position in Germany, however, Latvala is taking nothing for granted as he heads for a potential dream result tomorrow. Citroen’s Kris Meeke is third, taking no chances with a 48-second cushion over Hyundai’s Dani Sordo in fourth. Robert Kubica made it stick on Saturday, moving from seventh to fifth on the first two stages and he’s now just nine tenths off the back of the Spaniard. Mikko Hirvonen is 12 seconds behind in sixth with Mads Ostberg seventh after hitting trouble late in the day.
Click to expand...

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