WRC Most liked posts in thread: WRC - 2016

Steve · Dec 18, 2015

The 2016 calendar:

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3

Round Rally Date

1. Rallye Monte-Carlo 21 - 24 January

2. Rally Sweden 11 - 14 February

3. Guanajuato Rally MÃ©xico 3 - 6 March

4. Rally Argentina 21 - 24 April

5. Vodafone Rally de Portugal 19 - 22 May

6. Rally Italia Sardegna 9 - 12 June

7. LOTOS 73rd Rally Poland 30 June - 3 July

8. Neste Oil Rally Finland 28 - 31 July

9. ADAC Rallye Deutschland 18 - 21 August

10. Rally China â€“ Beijing 8 - 11 September

11. Tour de Corse Rallye de France 29 September - 2 October

12. RallyRACC Catalunya-Costa Daurada 13 - 16 October

13. Wales Rally GB 27 - 30 October

14. Coates Hire Rally Australia 17 - 20 November

Round 10 is a bit of a surprise.

Steve · Dec 30, 2015

Monte in just over 3 weeks. Here's the entry list.

RallyMini370 · Dec 30, 2015

I'll just finish watching 2015 WRC just before 2016 starts LOL I'm waiting for Toyota to crash VW's party but I still live in the past for 2012 with the Mini.

Steve · Dec 30, 2015

And it's not just Toyota coming back in '17, Citroen's works effort will return the same season after a year off developing their new car for the same new technical regs.

RallyMini370 · Jan 1, 2016

I believe the Homologation runs for around 7 years from date of issue which is found here .http://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/toutesvoitures_24.07.2015.pdf the Homologation runs out in 2018......then they will be cheap enough for me to buy on Ebay LOL

Crashton · Jan 1, 2016

Better start a go fund me & start bidding Chris.

Crashton · Jan 19, 2016

The first cars I remember popping & farting were the Quattro's. They had more of a loud bang on the overrun. With the sound of the Polo's you'd think they were powered by atomic chipmunks. Them's some fast little critters. :arf:

Steve · Jan 21, 2016

Just two night stages today. Here are the results after the first.

Ogier says he drove cautiously and Meeke says he lost about 7sec to a spin...

Steve · Jan 21, 2016

Well, Meeke will be happy with his first day.

Stage 2 results (L) and overall (R).

Steve · Jan 21, 2016

Meeke powers to early Monte Carlo lead (crash.net)

21 January 2016

Kris Meeke has kicked off his 2016 World Rally Championship campaign in fine style to take an overnight lead on the Rallye Monte Carlo after two stages.

Having set the pace in shakedown on Wednesday, though the Abu Dhabi Racing Citroen DS3 driver's rally began inauspiciously with a spin early on â€“ one that he felt lost him eight seconds -, he quickly recovered ground to end the Entreveaux-Rouaine test just 4.1secs shy of initial pace setter Sebastien Ogier.

However, Meeke would make no such mistakes in the Barles-Seyne SS2, powering through the stage 11secs faster than Ogier, allowing the Briton to bridge the deficit and go 6.9secs clear of the Frenchman to lead at the end of Thursday play.

Behind Ogier, his VW team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen rounds out the early top three, 20secs shy of Meeke and ahead of Thierry Neuville, the Belgian tempering a cautious approach in the new Hyundai i20 with otherwise solid pace.

Indeed, with the event beginning under the cloak of darkness, the variable stage conditions would create some tyre choice headaches, but all WRC class drivers would make it to the end of the two stages without any major problems, though seventh place Jari-Matti Latvala â€“ having been fourth fastest in SS1 â€“ is already 38secs adrift after hitting a rock in SS2 and slowing as a precaution.

His problems would promote Hayden Paddon into a fine fifth place heading into Friday, the Kiwi not only competing on his first Monte Carlo Rally this weekend but is doing so at the wheel of the previous generation i20, while Mads Ostberg follows up in sixth position as he made his competitive return to the M-Sport Ford team.

Robert Kubica got his Rally Monte Carlo off to a solid start with an unflustered run to eighth, ahead of Meeke's Citroen team-mate Stefan Lefebvre, who may have been higher but for time lost in SS1 by what he believed was a puncture. Dani Sordo rounds out the top ten in the second of the new Hyundais, the Spaniard complaining of a lack of confidence to slip almost a minute adrift already.

Outside the top ten, Ott Tanak ended the day 11th fastest in the DMACK-shod Ford Fiesta, ahead of M-Sport newcomer Eric Camilli and fellow Frenchman Bryan Bouffier.

In the WRC2 class, Quentin Gilbert has taken an early lead, ahead of Julian Maurin and Armin Kremer, but Elfyn Evans is forging a rapid route back into contention after a time sapping puncture on SS1. Indeed, after proving 26secs quicker than Gilbert on SS2 â€“ not to mention faster than Camilli -, he is already back to within 41secs of the class lead.
Click to expand...

Article here.

Steve · Jan 22, 2016

Kubica had an unrecoverable slide off the road...

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5Saaxw2RTU"]CRASH KUBICA RALLYE MONTE CARLO 2016 - YouTube[/ame]

Then, to add insult to injury (so to speak, no one was hurt), Evans nudged his car a bit further down the hill! On the plus side, Kubica's car may have saved Evans from his own retirement.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8_gmsh6EME"]Elfyn Evans hits Robert Kubica - SS3 Rally Monte Carlo - YouTube[/ame]

Crashton · Jan 22, 2016

Looks like the same corner to me. That did not look like a hard hit, but man it wonked out the rear suspenders real good. Lots of rear toe out maybe 6 inches of it.

Angib · Jan 23, 2016

I think it was last year that one driver was using studded tyres on two diagonal wheels and soft slicks on the other two, to cover all conditions, which is a pretty wild mix.

Steve · Jan 24, 2016

Predictable result is predictable...

Ogier opens 2016 with third Monte win (wrc.net)

24 JAN 2016

SÃ©bastien Ogier achieved a childhood ambition by winning Rallye Monte-Carlo for a third consecutive season on Sunday afternoon.

The Frenchman joined an exclusive club of drivers to have won the legendary event, the opening round of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship, three times in a row. Only Sandro Munari, Walter RÃ¶hrl, Tommi MÃ¤kinen and SÃ©bastien Loeb have done likewise.

Ogier, who was born in the rally base of Gap, was greeted by his parents at the finish of the final speed test in the mountains above Monaco to celebrate a 1min 54.5sec victory in his Volkswagen Polo R.

Team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen finished second with Thierry Neuville overcoming transmission troubles to secure a debut podium for Hyundai's new-specification i20, a further 1min 23.4sec back.

"This rally is the most important of the season for me and it's so emotional to win here for a third time," said Ogier. "I've been dreaming of this since I was a kid. To win such a difficult rally three times in a row is fantastic, and a real team effort from everyone."

Ogier and Kris Meeke swapped the lead on several occasions during the first two days on mountain roads in the French Alps that ranged from clear asphalt to snow and ice. Ogier edged clear in yesterday's third leg and the outcome was decided when Meeke damaged his gearbox after hitting a rock and retired.

Ogier eased through the final leg, which included the famous Col de Turini, one of the highlights of the WRC season, and ensured maximum points from the first of the 14 rounds by also winning the final live TV Power Stage.

Norwegian Mikkelsen survived a high-speed spin on Friday to start the final leg 12.5sec ahead of Neuville. But a broken propshaft bearing troubled the Belgian all day and he limped through the final stage with only two-wheel drive.

Mads Ã˜stberg finished fourth in a Ford Fiesta RS on his return to the M-Sport squad, ahead of StÃ©phane Lefebvre, for whom fifth was a career-best result. Dani Sordo overcame handling and suspension problems to complete the top six in another i20.

Ott TÃ¤nak finished seventh, despite rolling on Friday, with WRC 2 winner Elfyn Evans, Esapekka Lappi and Armin Kremer completing the top 10.

Broken suspension sidelined Jari-Matti Latvala and Bryan Bouffier while Robert Kubica and Eric Camilli both retired after accidents.

The championship heads to Karlstad next month for Rally Sweden (11 -14 February), the only pure winter round of the championship.
Click to expand...

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAc5tTOTKwc"]Highlights - 2016 WRC Rallye Monte-Carlo - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 24, 2016

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQq15B9ALVU"]Crash StÃƒÂ©phane Lefevbre Monte Carlo 2016 WRC - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 24, 2016

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSR-h4cBhUM"]WRC Rallye Monte Carlo 2016 day 3 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 24, 2016

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIuKJeTBkMc"]WRC Rally Monte Carlo 2016 day 3 HD - YouTube[/ame]

Crashton · Jan 25, 2016

Holy carp that boys flying..... :arf:

Nice win for Ogier. I think we are going to see another VW year in WRC.

Steve · Jan 26, 2016

MAXRALLY Monte Carlo wrap (maxrally.com)

by Anthony Peacock / 26th January 2016

Another season rolls by, but the icons of Monte Carlo, such as the famous Casino that forms an over-worked metaphor for the rally as a whole, remain exactly as we know them. Or do they? The Sporting Club, an elegant Art Deco building that for many years housed the media centre (as well as a number of high class art galleries â€“ this is Monaco, after all) is gone, replaced by an enormous hole. The magnificent view over the square to the Casino itself is blighted by what appears to be an oversized fungal infection â€“ but these are in fact mushroom-shaped designer outlet â€˜podsâ€™ (thereâ€™s no better way to describe them) selling top marques from Bulgari to Rolex.

Even Monaco is not immune to change: an inevitable result of the fact that every square metre of land is worth the equivalent of a county in most countries. Therein lies the fundamental appeal of the place of course, which is why the rally start ceremony is still held there, despite the inconvenience of having to traipse down from Gap (which is nonetheless considerably less inconvenient than the former charmless â€˜homeâ€™ of the Monte Carlo Rally, in Valence).

True, there were a few decent bars and restaurants even in Valence, but the same can be said of most French towns. The best thing about the Monte Carlo Rally is that whatever happens during the day, thereâ€™s always dinner to look forward to.

Sebastien Ogier may have been strangely downbeat in the build-up to the event â€“ saying that it didnâ€™t seem too long since the end of last season, and a longer break would have been nice â€“ but when it mattered most he acted like a man reborn. And the insouciance he displayed at the start of the rally was replaced by a genuine joy at winning in Monte for the third time in a row. Not many people have done that, and those who have are all legends â€“ weâ€™re talking about names like Loeb, Makinen and Munari (now thereâ€™s a three-piece beat combo that would produce some interesting soundsâ€¦)

Maybe Ogierâ€™s joy was also relief that heâ€™s going to have an even easier time of things this year. Itâ€™s enough to look at the stage times to realise that Volkswagen still enjoys a notable technical advantage and good for them: theyâ€™ve worked hard to achieve it. Thatâ€™s at least one bit of good news for VW after what has been a pretty terrible year for the Germans, thanks to a group of Californian tree huggers who got upset about a bit of carbon monoxide and provoked the biggest scandal the automotive industry has ever seen. Jost Capito maintains that his decision to move to McLaren (which is likely to happen some time in May) has nothing to do with that whatsoever, although itâ€™s worth noting that the last time Jost quit a top-level job in rallying (with Ford) the manufacturer pulled out not long afterwardsâ€¦

In any case, Volkswagen has already started work on its 2017 car, with â€˜Bosseâ€™, also known as Marcus Gronholm, doing much of the testing. The happy problem that Ogier faces for now is not having any real opposition. Once again, because of the Poloâ€™s speed, the biggest rivalry for Ogier is going to come from within his own team. And Jari-Matti Latvala has taken an interesting step backwards.

Itâ€™s fine to take it easy on the Monte: in fact, thatâ€™s a very good idea. Itâ€™s even fine to go off, although obviously more embarrassing when you go off despite taking it slowly. But when you take it easy, go off, and then start hitting spectators, it all starts to look a bit amateur.

To be fair to Jari-Matti, he didnâ€™t hit the person in question hard at all and there was no intention to be reckless: to quote Jost Capito, this is a man who cries if he hits a fly with the windscreen. However, the sort of publicity that a suspended ban brings is hardly the ideal way to start a season that Jari said was going to be his by dint of a new and more measured approach that just concentrated on finishing rallies well.

So Jari has already shot himself in the foot. And while the other Volkswagen of Andreas Mikkelsen makes fewer mistakes, itâ€™s clear that he hasnâ€™t quite got the pace to beat Ogier over the course of the season â€“ especially with a new co-driver on board (who, by the way, did an astounding job). But two minutes behind at the end is still two minutes behind.

So really, thatâ€™s Ogierâ€™s two biggest rivals on the back foot already. And this leaves only one other person who is capable of challenging him on pace: Kris Meeke. A lot has been said about Kris, but one thing you cannot take away from him is his sheer speed, exhibited once again on the icy roads â€“ actually not so icy this year â€“ around the Principality. What happened to him was odd and unfair, making it very unclear where (if with anyone) the fault lay. Was it Kris misjudging the line? Was it Citroen engineering a weak point into the car? Or was there even some foul play on the part of spectators? Weâ€™ll never know.

Meeke has the pace to take the fight to Ogier â€“ but heâ€™ll be doing an absolute maximum of 10 rallies, and more likely six or eight. So we can rule him out now as a championship contender.

Whoâ€™s left? Hyundai? The new car made a good debut with a podium place thanks to Thierry Neuville â€“ but it was more than three minutes behind Ogier. With a bit more development it might get there, but itâ€™s certainly not an overnight game-changer.

This season already feels like more of a dress rehearsal for 2017, when the new generation cars come along. If we judge on previous form, when Citroen are officially back next year they will actually turn up with a car that can beat the Polo. Michel Nandan at Hyundai also says that the new model i20 is a work in progress: the 2017 car is what theyâ€™re aiming towards. Even Tommi Makinen and Toyota are making promising noises.

They are all clever people and no doubt they will produce some pretty amazing cars, helped by new rules that level the playing field. The more pertinent question is, will these cars be matched to drivers who have the capability of beating Ogier? So far, crazily enough, itâ€™s only Meeke who has consistently demonstrated that it might be possible. Maybe Sweden will convince us otherwise.
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 28, 2016

Kris Meeke SS1 onboard. It's a night stage. I can't imagine having that much confidence in pace notes.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-FKg1JhfIo"]WRC 2016 - Monte Carlo SS1 - Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle Onboard - YouTube[/ame]

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Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
Round	Rally	Date
1.	Rallye Monte-Carlo	21 - 24 January
2.	Rally Sweden	11 - 14 February
3.	Guanajuato Rally MÃ©xico	3 - 6 March
4.	Rally Argentina	21 - 24 April
5.	Vodafone Rally de Portugal	19 - 22 May
6.	Rally Italia Sardegna	9 - 12 June
7.	LOTOS 73rd Rally Poland	30 June - 3 July
8.	Neste Oil Rally Finland	28 - 31 July
9.	ADAC Rallye Deutschland	18 - 21 August
10.	Rally China â€“ Beijing	8 - 11 September
11.	Tour de Corse Rallye de France	29 September - 2 October
12.	RallyRACC Catalunya-Costa Daurada	13 - 16 October
13.	Wales Rally GB	27 - 30 October
14.	Coates Hire Rally Australia	17 - 20 November

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