WRC Most liked posts in thread: WRC - 2016

Crashton · Jan 22, 2016

A close battle it is. Still a long way to go. I don't wish Ogier bad luck, but I do wish Meeke better luck. :arf:

Crashton · Jan 22, 2016

Poor Kubica what a terrible feeling to under-steer off the road. Looks like he busted the rad. At least Kubica helped keep another Ford on the road. That road looks slicker than shirt.

Crashton · Jan 22, 2016

Nothing slicker than wet snow or ice with a bit of water on top. I'm thinking tire choice is making a big impact here. Looks like they are using tires for the lower elevations where it is dry & slipping like crazy on the high parts of the stages.

Crashton · Jan 23, 2016

Yes I remember that. Wonder if we'll see a mismatch of tires this year. Whatever works I say.

Steve · Jan 23, 2016

Kris Meeke retired after Stage 12. He finished the stage, somehow only just over 2sec slower than Ogier, but this (see video, below) caused damage they couldn't repair.

[ame=http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3o0jt5_image-d-ci-tv-kris-meeke-arrache-son-protege-carter_tv]Image D!CI TV : Kris Meeke arrache son protÃ¨ge carter - vidÃ©o Dailymotion[/ame]

From Meeke's website:

... things went wrong in SS12 when Kris took a typical cut at an innocuous-looking right-hand corner. There was a sizeable rock lurking in the mud and it was solid enough to launch Krisâ€™s DS 3 into the air when the car clipped it. The DSâ€™s sump guard was ripped off in the impact but more seriously, the gearbox suffered damage too, and although Kris tried to cure the problem at the regroup that followed the stage, he was forced to admit defeat and retire â€“ a cruel result after a stunning drive that had drawn praise from the entire WRC service park.

Worst still, there is no Rally 2 service facility in Monaco this evening, so Kris will not be able to rejoin the event tomorrow morning or contest the Power Stage that closes the rally.

Kris said, â€˜The TV crew caught footage of the incident and I think if you look at it youâ€™d have to say we were unfortunate, to say the least. We seemed to be following the same line as everyone else but there was some piece of exposed bedrock and whichever way I happened to catch it, it pulled the sump guard off and damaged the intercooler and the gearbox.
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 23, 2016

So, no surprise Ogier now has a comfortable 2min lead.

Angib said: ↑

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.
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Yup. Neuville tried this today and won two stages (12 & 13).

Stage 9:

Stage 10:

Stage 11:

Stage 12:

Stage 13:

Steve · Jan 24, 2016

The officials didn't like that Latvala just drove off after hitting that photographer.

Latvala gets suspended ban for spectator incident (motorsport.com)

By: David Gruz

WRC frontrunner Jari-Matti Latvala has been handed a suspended ban and a 5000‎â‚¬ fine by Rally Monte Carlo stewards, who put him at fault for not checking on the spectator he hit in Saturday's Stage 11.

The Finn spun out to the spectator zone after sliding into a water ditch and collided with a photographer at low speed.

He carried on driving - and, after the stage, claimed he didn't know he had knocked over the photographer, blaming low visibility.

However, after hearing testimony from WRC TV reporter Julian Porter and viewing Latvala's onboards, the stewards concluded that it was "not plausible" that the Finn had been unaware of the collision - as the spectator "could be seen quite prominently on the bonnet and right in front of the windscreen".

As such, for failing to check on the photographer as per regulations, Latvala was given a suspended ban for one WRC rally, which will come into force should he commit a similar infringement.

In addition, Latvala and his co-driver Mikka Anttila were jointly fined 5000â‚¬.

Latvala was forced to retire at the end of the stage, having taken too much time to repair the suspension damage he had picked up in the incident.
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 24, 2016

Here's another view of the incident that landed Latvala in hot water.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHjFxoB_Rqg"]WRC Rallye Monte-Carlo 2016 - Crash Jari-Matti Latvala SS11 - YouTube[/ame]

RallyMini370 · Jan 31, 2016

and you can buy a used WRC Mini for $216,000 bargain!

Steve · Feb 8, 2016

Rally Sweden is this weekend.

Now for the bad news...

Rally Sweden slashes stages due to warm weather (crash.com)

8 February 2016

Rally Sweden organisers have been forced to cancel eight stages on safety grounds with the revised itinerary avoiding large sections of public roads.

The traditionally all-snow event, which is set to host the second round of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship on the 11-14 February, has been monitored closely by organisers after higher than average temperatures across Scandinavia has seen ice and snow melt in huge volumes with large pools of muddy slush bogging up routes.

It is feared if WRC cars were to thrash on the thawed-out public roads it would cause damage to road surfaces making it unsafe for both competitors and recovery vehicles and as a result organisers have heavily modified the route.

Organisers have submitted a revised route to teams with the 21 scheduled stages reduced to 13 and the competitive distance cut from 331.21km to 241.48km.

Thursday's Super Special Stage Karlstad opener has been scrapped while both loops on Kirkenaer [SS5 and SS6] is also cancelled. The recce has been moved to Wednesday and Thursday while the shakedown has also been called off. The historic rally has also been binned.

Saturday morning's Rammen stage has been cancelled but will remain in the afternoon itinerary while Fredriksberg will be driven in the morning but not afternoon. The short Hagfors Sprint stage has been also been scrapped.

Finally, Sunday will only see a single pass through LesjÃ¶fors and the live TV VÃ¤rmullsÃ¥sen Power Stage.

Studded tyres will still be compulsory in the recce and the rally despite concerns spikes would damage the defrosted roads and make them unusable.

Clerk of the Course Rune Kjernsli had previously stated that safety is paramount for the FIA and WRC Promoters and the changes have been made to minimise any risk to competitors, race officials and fans.

â€œIt is first and foremost the safety of the competitors and the spectators that decides if a stage is run or not,â€ he said. â€œIf we find the road dangerous we cannot use it.â€

Last weekend the FIA European Rally championship season opener Rally Liepaja in Latvia had to be cancelled a week in advance due to warm conditions defrosting roads and making the event unsafe to run.
Click to expand...

minirab · Feb 9, 2016

Who are they going to blame for the little ice age, some poor guy sitting

around a camp fire in Scotland? I bet the Camp Fire Police will get his ass.

Steve · Feb 9, 2016

The stages, those they haven't had to cancel, still look like rally stages but they don't all bear much resemblance to what you want to see on Rally Sweden.

Examples.

Stage 2:

Stage 4:

Stage 12:

Crashton · Feb 9, 2016

The studs will eat those roads alive. Wonder how much damage they'll do. Cars toward the back will be mud bogging it.

Steve · Feb 10, 2016

If they're willing to consider things as drastic as dropping groups of stages and maybe even cancelling the entire rally, I don't understand why they aren't talking about dropping the studded tire requirement instead. Seems obvious to me. What am I missing?

Ogier calls for Rally Sweden to be cancelled (crash.net)

10 February 2016

Defending World Rally Champion Sebastien Ogier has called for Rally Sweden to be cancelled this weekend as he feels the majority of the conditions are unsafe to race on.

The traditionally snowy event has come under sustained pressure after warm weather has melted snow and ice across Scandinavia, with Ogier stating the paths in Sweden are completely bare of snow and ice. The problem this causes is with studded tyres the WRC challengers will thrash out and damage the public roads without a protective layer of ice.

Rally Sweden has already seen eight stages slashed from the itinerary while the shakedown has also been cancelled so the recce can take place on Wednesday and Thursday.

Speaking to local newspaper Varmlands Folkblad the Volkswagen Motorsport driver, a two-time winner in Sweden, says it isn't safe to run the revised rally and feels it should be cancelled.

"The only routes we can run are in Norway. We can run a short sprint rally there, that's okay, but the rest is a gravel rally and it would be completely unsafe to try,â€ Ogier said to Varmlands Folkblad. â€œIf we try to run the race, we'll lose the studs immediately and then it becomes really dangerous. I do not understand why we're conducting the recce. We are destroying the roads for no reason.â€

Ogier says he sympathises with WRC promoters and event organisers who have desperately tried to get the event on schedule but feels safety should be the paramount concern.

"I know it's a really difficult decision for everyone, but it's simply not possible to run this time. I'm sorry for all the trouble it would mean, but it would be too dangerous to try to drive on gravel roads where the studded tyres are not suited."

Earlier this month the European Rally Championship opener in Latvia, Rally Liepaja, had to be cancelled due to the same lack of snow and ice and has since been rescheduled for mid-September.
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00Mini · Feb 10, 2016

Not being knowledgeable on WRC stuffs , I never realized they had to race on ice with studded tires. I would have just guessed they would pick the appropriate tire for the conditions they were facing.

Steve · Feb 10, 2016

I agree. I know it's a rule, maybe for Finland also, I don't know, but I don't know why it's not as you mentioned.

But ignoring the why/wherefore and origin of the rule, I'm especially confused as to why adhering to that one rule is apparently more important than holding the rally.

00Mini · Feb 10, 2016

Steve said: ↑

I agree. I know it's a rule, maybe for Finland also, I don't know, but I don't know why it's not as you mentioned.

But ignoring the why/wherefore and origin of the rule, I'm especially confused as to why adhering to that one rule is apparently more important than holding the rally.
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Agreed. A business that has no product to sell just might start having some problems.

Steve · Feb 11, 2016

Rally Sweden to go ahead (best-of-rallylive.com)

11/02/2016 8:15 pm

The 2016 Rally Sweden kicked off with this eveningâ€™s start ceremony in Karlstad and action is due to start tomorrow morning (Friday) with â€˜Torsbyâ€™, followed by â€˜Rojdenâ€™ and â€˜Svullryaâ€™, two stages in Norway that have escaped cancellation.

Generally, the Thursdays of WRC rounds are given over to shakedown, last-minute fine-tuning of the carsâ€™ set-ups and PR activities. This week, however, changes to the initially-planned schedule resulted in todayâ€™s programme being dedicated to day two of recce for the crews and a long wait for the teams.

The atmosphere at the new service park on Karlstadâ€™s harbour side was a long way short of the championshipâ€™s usual bustle of activity. The teamsâ€™ facilities have been in place since the beginning of the week and the cars have been ready since Wednesday, so things were very quiet as everyone awaited the outcome of a late-afternoon meeting between the FIA, the teams, the organisers and the promoter to decide once and for all whether the 2016 Rally Sweden would happen or not.

Yesterday, after the first day of recce, several drivers expressed concerns after discovering the conditions, and they werenâ€™t really reassured by what they saw today after practicing the Swedish stages.

Team bosses and teams managers consequently gathered in Hyundaiâ€™s facility at 4pm to share their opinions ahead of a meeting with the FIA, the outcome of which was that the rally would go ahead in accordance with the revised itinerary published on Monday.

Meanwhile, the organisers have been doing a huge job regrading â€˜Torsbyâ€™ and â€˜Varmullsasenâ€™, in addition to resurfacing â€˜Fredriksbergâ€™, â€˜Vargasenâ€™ and â€˜Rammenâ€™. Their untiring efforts deserve recognition.

Expected colder temperatures (minus 7/8Â°C) are effectively likely to provide a stable, icy base for the first cars into the stages, but the surface then promises to worsen for the drivers â€“ and their tyres â€“ running further down the order.

As a result, the FIA has accepted to add four extra tyres to the original quota of 24 per WRC driver and 22 per WRC2 driver. Furthermore, an additional Tyre Fitting Zone has been included after Fridayâ€™s opening test (SS2, â€˜Torsbyâ€™) where teams will be able to take along two fresh tyres.

The organisers will reconvene tomorrow to decide whether further changes have to be made to Saturday and Sundayâ€™s programmes.
Click to expand...

Steve · Feb 11, 2016

I don't think we're going to see much snow this year - other than the stages in Norway, apparently there's some snow on the roads there - but here's the preview video made when they assumed a normal Rally Sweden. Drivers talking about using the snow banks, etc, too bad.

I've also seen a few videos from pre-event tests. Most, if not all, wasted time given they were done on snowy roads.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBE-4DV7FYA"]WRC - 2016 Rally Sweden - Preview - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Feb 12, 2016

Remember when Meeke was taken out on the Monte by a rock in the road? Well, he had a bit of trouble in Sweden today as well. Here's a hint...more to come.

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