That was very cool. Kris is learning and not just show boating. Question: If they had to stick with the tires they chose, when Dani had a puncture, a change was necessary. Could they had switched from soft to hard then or did they have to stay with their choice? What if they did not have any more of the soft ones? Jim
As far as I know, if you have a puncture you have to make do with whatever spare(s) you took with you in your own car when you left the last service.
Highlights video. I can't understand why people think they need to add musical soundtracks over things like this but at least that dies out after about a minute and a half. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVt5-itJy9w]RALLYSUPPORT.NL - WRC RALLY SPAIN 2011 - YouTube[/ame]
Hey guys, not a problem. I'm trying to keep up because I'm interested myself and then I post the best of what I find. Speaking of which ... Carlos is a smart guy, maybe he's been coaching Kris Meeke on the value of calming down and learning ... and finishing. Del Barrio: standby for more Sordo MINI joy (wrc.com)
The dust was a problem on the first day but a problem that they all had, save the first car (Loeb) through. So Dani listen to your team, patience and consistency will in the end win the day. Whilst the Minis are very good they are not YET the fastest.... But the team does seem on pace to becoming the best!!!
Video of Kris Meeke's winning run on the Power Stage. His MINI even gets a sip of champagne at the end.
Another good highlights video (HD): [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9idTlS01KGg]WRC Rally de España 2011 - Rally Spain 2011 [HD] - YouTube[/ame]
I quite liked the advert below in British newspapers today - I find most Mini ads just plain embarrassing, but this line shows how clever copywriters can get. Nice to see the Minis doing well, but I thought the thing to see was Latvala's driving on the second day. The in-car footage from him was mesmerising. He has clearly 'clicked' with driving on tarmac - and anyone who beats Loeb on tarmac has reached superhuman skill levels.
That is clever. You're right about Latvala too, he definitely has Loeb's attention now. Seems to me Dani Sordo does his best work on hard surface stages as well. I think he has more time to gain on loose surfaces and if he can just up that side of his game so he's consistent on all surface types he'll be a regular podium contender.
I went back and read the "Service" thread you posted. A complete change of Wheels & Tires would be allowed at the mid-day service, so I guess they could have switched from the hard/soft combo then. Any work done in remote service or road side, has to be done with only the parts carried in the cars. I remember reading, in this rally, that some drivers carried one spare tire and others two. I'm guessing MINI had to carry two, due to the two types on the car, which would have been a weight factor. This is very cool stuff. Jim
Dani started out, like Loeb, as a tarmac specialist and to some extent he's never lost it - he could challenge Loeb on tarmac in the same car, but not on gravel. On the other hand, pretty much all the Finns all start out as gravel specialists and then acquire more tarmac skills as they do more international rallies - Latvala commented that he has had some training from Mika Salo, Finnish former F1 driver (currently driving Aussie V8s), so that's where he says his new tarmac speed has come from. What distinguishes Loeb is that he has not only become a superlative gravel driver, he has even won Rally Finland twice, which is very much a case of teaching your grandmother to suck eggs - though it took him five years of international competition before he managed it, which shows you hard it is for a foreigner to do - just look at how few non-Scandinavians have done it. And now back to our regular programming....
Right, but in this case they left the mid-day service with the mixed hard/soft tire combo. I believe each driver carried two soft spares since the softs were the most likely to puncture. They struggled when the predicted rain didn't come but it rained a bit before the final stage and they each put on their two good soft tires replacing the hard tires. This is why they were able to run so much faster than anyone else in the Power Stage, they were both on full soft tires which were better for the road conditions.
Thanks Steve, I did not realize they left mid day with that combo. There is a lot of second guessing and what if, that goes on in the WRC game. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don't. There is more going on here then just simply driving the fastest and that is really neat. Fast driving and THINKING is required. I like it and might have to buy that #52 hat after all. Jim