Rally WRC Most liked posts in thread: WRC - 2017

Crashton · Feb 12, 2017

That had to be one huge code brown moment. :eek6:

papa-j · Feb 12, 2017

Yeah, the course was not kind, but was fast. Yes I am subscribed to WRC+

Steve · Feb 12, 2017

Latvala wins and gives Toyota their first win after just 2 rallies.

Emotional win for Latvala (wrc.com)

12 FEB 2017

Jari-Matti Latvala won his fourth Rally Sweden on Sunday afternoon as Toyota celebrated victory just two rallies into its comeback following a 17-year absence from the FIA World Rally Championship.

It was the Finnâ€™s 17th career victory, but one of his most emotional. He faced a season on the sidelines after his Volkswagen team withdrew from the sport at the end of last season, before finally joining the Japanese manufacturer in a late deal.

Latvala began the final leg with a slender 3.8sec lead over Ott TÃ¤nak after long-time leader Thierry Neuville crashed last night. He won all three snow and ice-covered speed tests in his Yaris World Rally Car to extend the margin to 29.2sec.

He claimed maximum bonus points from the Power Stage and, after finishing second in the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo, holds a four-point lead in the driversâ€™ standings.

It is the first time any driver other than four-time champion SÃ©bastien Ogier has led the championship since February 2014.

Itâ€™s amazing. A new team, a new car, our second rally and weâ€™re winning. I have no words to describe it, Iâ€™m so emotional. Weâ€™re at a good level but now we go forward and it gets more difficult. Mexico is next up and Iâ€™m really motivated for the championship,â€ he said.

TÃ¤nak, driving a Ford Fiesta, had the upper hand on Latvala yesterday when he closed in. The Estonian was unhappy with his carâ€™s handling today and after conceding seven seconds in the opening special stage, he settled for second, matching his career-best result.

Team-mate Ogier was also in the victory fight but a spin in the first corner of the opening test ended his hopes and he finished 30.3sec behind TÃ¤nak.

Dani Sordo was the top Hyundai finisher in fourth following Neuvilleâ€™s accident. The Spaniard finished 39.7sec ahead of Craig Breen, who struggled to perfect his CitroÃ«n C3â€™s set-up but banked good points from a solid debut in the car.

Elfyn Evans was sixth in another Fiesta, despite losing nearly a minute with an engine misfire in todayâ€™s opening stage. The Welshman made repairs and the car was restored to full health for the final two tests.

Hayden Paddon was just 4.6sec behind in a Hyundai i20 Coupe, with StÃ©phane Lefebvre, WRC 2 winner Pontus Tidemand and Teemu Suninen completing the leaderboard.

Neuville eventually finished 13th after restarting today, just behind Kris Meeke whose disappointing weekend culminated with a penultimate stage spin.

The new-era World Rally Cars take on the challenge of high temperatures and dirt roads for the first time next month when LeÃ³n hosts round three at Rally Guanajuato Mexico (9 - 12 March).
Click to expand...

Steve · Feb 12, 2017

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZK_c95qmTQ"]Highlights - 2017 WRC Rally Sweden - Michelin Motorsport - YouTube[/ame]

Crashton · Feb 13, 2017

Great to see Jari-Matti & Toyota on top. I do feel sorry for Thierry, it has to be hard to throw away a win. Those new cars look fast. Makes me wonder how VW would have done had they been there. Next up Mexico.

Steve · Feb 13, 2017

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoIqeuuFtkg"]WRC - Rally Sweden 2017: HIGHLIGHTS / REVIEW - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Feb 16, 2017

I forgot about the cancelled stage.

New WRC cars 'too fast' says FIA (pistonheads.com)

Dan Trent | February 16, 2017

Swedish stage cancelled after FIA says new faster WRC cars are ... too fast

Remember how much we were looking forward to the new, faster and more wild looking WRC cars and the promise of a return to Group B style pace? Looks like it could be a case of 'careful what you wish for' in the case of the latter, the FIA cancelling the second running of the Kron stage on safety grounds in an ominous echo of the safety concerns that killed off that same Group B era. At least in that instance we got a four seasons of iconic action to enjoy - in the case of the new WRC cars it's lasted just a couple of rallies!

Times have changed of course and rallying in the early 80s was very different from the modern era, not least in terms of crowd control and the safety of the cars. And nobody wants to see anyone get hurt. But having launched the new era of WRC specifically on the promise of bringing back a sense of the speed of Group B cars it seems ironic for the FIA to then immediately seek to slow the cars down again.

The problem came when Ott Tanak's M-Sport Fiesta clocked an average speed of 85.65mph through the first running of the stage. This was declared too fast by the FIA and the second run on the same stage - SS12 - was cancelled, the governing body since reported by Motorsport.com to be "considering regulatory changes to ensure average speeds do not exceed 80mph".

Apparently the FIA's rally director for the event Jarmo Mahonen raised concerns about the speed of the stage after even the 'old' WRC cars that lack the extra power, aero and technology of the 2017 ones were clocking over 80mph. As such the problem would seemingly be attributed to the configuration of the stage, not the cars specifically. But the fact the FIA seems keen to make WRC cars run slower - by whatever means - does rather fly in the face of the widely applauded initiative to restore some of the spectacle absent from the sport in recent years.

Any attempt to impose restrictions - perceived or actual - on WRC's speeds will come as a blow, especially given the season has already shown competitive pace among all the top teams and a closely fought battle among manufacturers not present under VW's domination of the championship. Toyota's Jari-Matti Latvala won the Swedish event, the Yaris taking victory in only its second WRC event and providing Toyota with its first win in 17 years. With multiple stage wins by Neuville's Hyundai, Tanak's Ford and another by Sordo in the Hyundai it would seem the new cars are all on the pace and the stage is set for a proper battle as the season unfolds. Assuming the FIA doesn't make them weave through bales to keep the speeds down...

[Sources: Autosport.com, Motorsport.com]
Click to expand...

Crashton · Feb 17, 2017

If you watch some on the ERC rallies you will see chicanes built with hay bales on the long straights. It lowers the average speed of the stage, but really doesn't make the cars slower. Watching the videos from Sweden you can see how fast they really are.

minirab · Feb 17, 2017

Were the Group B cars faster than the current 2017 WRC cars? These new cars sure haul ass.

Crashton · Feb 17, 2017

Good question, I'm not sure, but I'd guess these new cars are every bit as fast. The crowds are not as crazy, but they are still there if something goes wrong.

Steve · Feb 19, 2017

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs2PNlWagdQ"]WRC Rally Sweden 2017: Friday JUMPING HIGHLIGHTS - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Feb 19, 2017

If you'd like to watch all 8 agonizing min (+) of Meeke stuck in the snow...

He got a lot of help from bystanders but without that particular loss of time he would have finished the rally 4th (or maybe just a few seconds out of 4th, can't remember).

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeA4qQ1J1-8"]Rally Sweden 2017 SS14 Meeke crash - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Feb 19, 2017

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Onyg-rEWHI"]WRC Rally Sweden 2017 - Motorsportfilmer.net - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Feb 20, 2017

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7HNT2xXptc"]WRC - Rally Sweden 2017: TECH CHECK Studded Tires - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Feb 21, 2017

Double fun in Mexico City (wrc.com)

21 FEB 2017

Organisers of the WRCâ€™s opening gravel round of 2017 have added a second pass of the 1.57km special stage in the city centre square, a location perhaps best-known for the dramatic helicopter fight in the opening scene of James Bond movie Spectre.

They expect a massive crowd to pack the square in the worldâ€™s fifth-largest city for one of the biggest occasions in WRC history, and teams have supported the plan to double the fun at the Thursday evening asphalt stage.

â€œWe wanted to make a bigger and better show in Mexico City for the fans and for live television,â€ explained rally director Patrick Suberville.

â€œIt seemed a shame to make the huge effort to go all the way to Mexico City from LeÃ³n to have the cars run just once. The city gave us a timeframe for the square, we looked at it and thought letâ€™s have two stages instead of one. Itâ€™s better entertainment for everyone.â€

Suberville said the response to the plan to have World Rally Cars competing in the square, more accustomed to receiving foreign heads of state and hosting national celebrations, had been incredible.

â€œWeâ€™re delighted to have been invited there by the authorities in Mexico City. The country is so passionate about motorsport. Formula 1 has been in the square and WEC has been in the square, but WRC is the first to have cars actually competing there. Weâ€™re very proud,â€ he said.

Non-priority drivers will tackle both stages before the WRC 2 entries complete the tests. Leading Mexican drivers Benito Guerra and Ricardo TriviÃ±o will drive them next before the headline World Rally Car drivers.

Cars will be transported by road to and from Mexico City on Thursday for the stages. Crews and teams will fly to and from the capital.
Click to expand...

minirab · Feb 21, 2017

Sorry, can't get excited about ANYTHING from Mexico.

mrntd · Feb 24, 2017

Looks like Toyota is going to see a street version of their car with a supercharged 1.8L 4 at about 200hp. If they sell it in the US would you buy it? It is a 2 door Dave O.

Crashton · Feb 24, 2017

It needs to be awd otherwise why? I really can't see them selling that thing in the US of A.

RallyMini370 · Mar 3, 2017

Well folks you know I was trying to get the Mini to Mexico but for various reasons this did not happen. I'm looking at Argentina but so far this is a long shot.

The good news is that over the past year I have made quite a few contacts in WRC and Mexico. Therefore I will be going to the rally to watch. The cost? zero! The flights from Boston to Costa Rica(work) were $29 more via Mexico so a no brainer. The hotel and transportation costs are going to be covered by one of the teams competing in the rally. I will miss the start because I'm traveling with the service crew on Thursday up to Leon. I have a service area day passes to all the top teams so I hope to snap some exclusive photos for you guys. 1986 was the last WRC event I was at .

00Mini · Mar 3, 2017

Sounds like fun !! Looking forward to your photos

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