WRC Most liked posts in thread: WRC - 2015

Crashton · Feb 2, 2015

Big help I'm sure, but at Monte spectators are know to shovel snow on the road just before the competitors appear. Hard to plan for such stupidity. ut:

Stinker · Feb 5, 2015

Are they being televised this year here?

Steve · Feb 5, 2015

Stinker said: ↑

Are they being televised this year here?
Click to expand...

I haven't even looked for it yet this year.

They have a thing called WRC+ this year. You have to subscribe to it but you get live broadcast and can watch playback any time you like. Not sure what else you get but I've read rave reviews. https://plus.wrc.com/about/info/

There's a channel called MAVTV that's showing...something, but I don't know what or how much. Check to see if it's in your channel listing. MAVTV - FIA World Rally Championship

Don't know whether anyone else is broadcasting. If anyone else knows, please post info.

Steve · Feb 5, 2015

Mountain biking? I hope it was worth it, Dani. Now you get to miss a rally. I'm sure that went over well with the head of the team.....

On the plus side, he's better on tarmac, clean tarmac, so I suppose Sweden is one of the rallies he's less likely to feel bad about missing.

Injured Sordo to miss Rally Sweden, Abbring gets Hyundai WRC debut (autosport.com)

Thursday, February 5th 2015, 16:21 GMT

Dani Sordo will miss Rally Sweden after sustaining broken ribs in a mountain bike crash, giving Kevin Abbring an early debut in Hyundai's World Rally Championship line-up.

With Hayden Paddon replacing Sordo alongside Thierry Neuville in Hyundai's main line-up, test driver Abbring will drive the #20 car that Paddon was scheduled to occupy for the Korean squad's secondary team.

Hyundai had announced earlier this week that ex-works Peugeot driver Abbring would contest four WRC rounds this year alongside his new test role

Team boss Michel Nandan said Sweden should be the only event Sordo misses, as he is expected to be fit for the following round in Mexico in March.

"We would like to send our best wishes to Dani for a quick recovery and we look forward to seeing him back in the car," said Nandan.

"We have decided that it's best for Dani to miss Sweden in order for him to recover and to be 100 per cent fit for Rally Mexico next month."
Click to expand...

Crashton · Feb 5, 2015

Poor Fiat. Should have let off the brake, locked wheels don't steer. I didn't click on this video earlier for the same reason as you had Steve. Thanks for the heads up, lots of really cool old cars, even Big Healey's!

RallyMini370 · Feb 5, 2015

I see they don't wear helmets and no cage in most of them. I have WRC+ but there is only WRC footage

RallyMini370 · Feb 5, 2015

I must say wrc+ is worth the $6 a month

Steve · Feb 5, 2015

Lots of good classics here. I'd like to see that black beauty at the end in the daylight. Anyone know what that thing is, exactly?

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1ciS_fPg2A"]Rallye Monte Carlo Historique 2015 par VDB - YouTube[/ame]

Crashton · Feb 6, 2015

WOW!!! Great stuff, on board with 2 of the greats. :arf:

Steve · Feb 6, 2015

B.A.D. said: ↑

To the Googles.....

I believe it is an Aston Martin DB2/4

Click to expand...

I found the registration list and it says you're right, number 314 is a DB2.

The grille doesn't look right, though, with those smaller rectangular bits on the side separated from the larger center section. The side grille is also either absent or more much more subtle on many/most. Also, the headlights are lower. But I found this example, also identified as a DB2 Coupe. Don't know why they're so different than the majority of DB2s but DB2 is correct. And, FWIW, I retract my earlier wish to see it in daylight...this version looks better in the dark...

Crashton · Feb 8, 2015

Oh boy snow rally! :arf:

Steve · Feb 8, 2015

Sweden countdown: This yearâ€™s route (WRC.com)

The second round of the FIA World Rally Championship is a harsh winter challenge, set in the snowy forests of Swedenâ€™s south central VÃ¤rmland region and over the border into Norway.

Itâ€™s a long distance and varied event, comprising a start and finish in VÃ¤rmlandâ€™s capital city Karlstad, a service hub 91km north in the town of Hagfors and stages that include frozen forest tracks, an ice-covered horse racing arena and even a ski-slope.

Approximately one-third of this yearâ€™s route is different to 2014 and of the 11 individual stages four are either new or modified. Hereâ€™s what competitors will face this week:

Thursday 12 February
After two days of reconnaissance on Tuesday (10th) and Wednesday (11th) the drivers will first get into their rally cars on Thursday, for the Shakedown test in RÃ¥da, next to the central Service Park in Hagfors. That evening the ceremonial start will be held in Karlstad, followed by a short 1.9-kilometre head-to-head Super Special on an ice-covered track normally used for horse trotting. Crews will then complete the long road section back to Hagfors and the overnight parc ferme.

Friday 13 February
The first full day is an international affair, with stages in both Sweden and neighbouring Norway. After morning service, crews will tackle two loops of four stages - starting in Sweden with Torsby (14.76km) and then over the border in Norway to RÃ¶jden (18.73km), Finnskogen (20.76km) and Kirkenaer (7.07km). The Norwegian stages will be unfamiliar to most drivers. RÃ¶jden was driven in the opposite direction the last time it featured on the itinerary in 2011. Finnskogen is also classed as new: only certain sections of last yearâ€™s stage of the same name are to be tackled this year, and in the opposite direction. Only KirkenÃ¦r is almost identical to last year. The leg will conclude with a second run on the Karlstad Super Special before the cars return to Hagfors. Crews will drive 124.54 competitive kilometres and 473.81 kilometres of liaison sections.

Saturday 14 February
Packing in 134.82 timed kilometres, Saturday is the eventâ€™s longest day and features a loop of four all-Swedish stages that are unchanged since 2014: Fredriksberg (18.15km), RÃ¤mmen (22.76km), Hagfors Sprint (1.87km) and VargÃ¥sen (24.63km). The loop will be completed twice, separated by a thirty-minute midday service in Hagfors. Saturdayâ€™s final test features the infamous â€˜Colinâ€™s Crestâ€™. The best jumps here are rewarded with the â€˜Colinâ€™s Crest Awardâ€™ â€“ the trophy named after 1995 World Champion Colin McRae.

Sunday 15 February
The final leg will feature three stages: LesjÃ¶fors (15.00km), then two runs through VÃ¤rmullsasen (15.87km), which concludes with a flat-out sprint down a ski-slope and a jump before the finish. The second pass through VÃ¤rmullsasen will serve as the live televised Power Stage, offering bonus points to the three fastest drivers. The rally is scheduled to finish at 1500hrs with the podium ceremony in Karlstadâ€™s main square.
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Steve · Feb 11, 2015

Ideal conditions for Rally Sweden (best-of-rallylive.com)

10/02/2015 6:16 pm

The Swedish stages are coated in a thick layer of ice and lined with one-metre tall snow walls – the perfect conditions for some spectacular action later this week. Competitors started recce for the 2015 Rally Sweden today (Tuesday) with visits to the stages that figure on Saturday and Sunday’s menus (Fredriksberg, Lesjofors, Rammen, etc.).

Yesterday afternoon, we were a little worried when our pilot announced a mild 10Â°C as we approached Karlstad airport.

So, after a welcome dinner and a short sleep at the BjÃ¶rn Wardhus guest house near Rada, we headed for the stages in the wake of the crews. Like them, we visited Fredriksberg, Lesjofors, Rammen and Varmullsasen, before finishing with the infamous Vargasen test.

When we got to the start of Fredriksberg, east of Hagfors, we were completely reassured since the twisty forest track was covered in a nice layer of ice and lined with the snow walls on which the drivers famously ‘lean’ round the high-speed corners.

Lesjofors, which will be tackled on Sunday morning, is narrower and bumpier, and was also rutted in places. We were stuck there for almost three hours before a local tractor owner succeeded in pulling our Skoka Yeti out of one of the aforementioned snow walls.

We then moved on to Rammen which is a truly magnificent stage that begins with a wide, fast portion. The fastest time here last year was posted at an average speed of 117kph. After our earlier misadventure, however, we preferred to stay below 80kph…

Varmullsasen, which will serve as Sunday’s Power Stage, is technically more challenging, narrow and very tricky, especially the last section down the ski slopes that look out over Hagfors.

We kept the best for the end, namely Vargasen, the rally’s longest stage and a Rally Sweden classic, the record for which is still the property of Latvala in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Here again, the conditions were perfect, with a three- or four-centimetre covering of powder snow on top of ice. The snow walls are so high that it was tough to see the corners approaching without notes. At the famous Colin’s Crest leap, the arch, all the advertising boards and the long-jump distance markers were all in place. In four days’ time, the woods will be crawling with rally fans.

After our day in the VÃ¤rmland and a quick visit to the service park, we reckoned we deserved our sauna at the BjÃ¶rn Wardhus. Tomorrow’s plan is to recce the Norwegian stages…
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mrntd · Feb 11, 2015

Steve said: ↑

Lots of good classics here. I'd like to see that black beauty at the end in the daylight. Anyone know what that thing is, exactly?

Rallye Monte Carlo Historique 2015 par VDB - YouTube
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The blue one? Opal GT

Crashton · Feb 11, 2015

Car #219 Opel GT..... :yesnod:

Steve · Feb 11, 2015

Yes, that one caught my eye as well. Took me a few seconds to realize what it was. Really wanted one of those when I was a kid.

Steve · Feb 12, 2015

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f1lATRqOcA"]Rally Sweden 2015: Preview Clip - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Feb 12, 2015

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwcjJ5QqrRw"]Shakedown - 2015 WRC Rally Sweden - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Thaw concerns for Sweden drivers (wrc.com)

12 Feb 2015

Two days of above-freezing temperatures along the Rally Sweden route have led to concerns from drivers about thawing stages.

Conditions for the championship’s winter fixture were excellent during Tuesday and Wednesday’s pre-event recce, when stages featured a hard-packed ice base and were lined with deep snow banks.

But the temperature has rarely dipped below freezing since then, and with a high today of 5ÂºC the snow is melting rapidly.

Championship leader Sebastien Ogier will be first on the road on Friday and Saturday and warned that the melting surface could quickly wear through to the gravel beneath.

The conditions were really good in the recce so we just hope that some cold is coming again and it stays okay,” he said.

“If it becomes slushy then it will be very slippery and without overnight freezing I expect conditions will be very difficult. It will be especially tricky in the afternoons when after 100 cars and the historic rally we can expect some gravel on the road.”

If the ice wears though to the gravel beneath, grip will increase, but so will the likelihood of damage to the metal-spiked tyres and the appearance of deep ruts in the road.

“We know on some stages, especially around Hagfors it’s melting quite quickly now,” added Citroen’s Mads Ostberg. “It a bit colder in Norway at the moment, and that could help the Norwegian stages. I think a lot will depend on the weather when we drive the stages - not how they look now. If it’s +0.5ÂªC it will be difficult conditions but if it’s -0.5ÂºC it will be a lot better.”
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Crashton · Feb 12, 2015

That sure looks like fun. I love snow rally's as much as rain races. :arf:

Steve · Feb 12, 2015

Just one very short stadium stage today but good to see Scandinavians are top 3 in Sweden...at least for today.

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