2017 Rallycross Thread. World RX/GRC/national championshipsRally

[The Stig Farmer]

Rallycross TouringCars will no longer be a part of the Euro RX schedule (following 2018). Alas the entry numbers are dwindling and those that do enter only represent Norway; hardly an international championship in the eyes of the FIA. Certainly a shame that the championship loses its only RWD category, as they put on quite the show.

 

[[Nor]MclarenF1]

There's no stopping this man is there...

 

[The Stig Farmer]

3rd in Q2 certainly isn't disappointing

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This is a very good picture

 

[[Nor]MclarenF1]

It's like the incident never happened. He continues where he left off by the looks of things.

 

[Silver Arrows]

Two pronged announcement. Ford is done with rallycross at the end of the year, and as a result, Andreas Bakkerud is done as a team driver.

I would not be surprised if this means the end of Hoonigan Racing as a team as well, considering they fed pretty voraciously off of Ken Block's partnership with Ford.

 

[The Stig Farmer]

Very bad news, losing one factory team (Audi) this year was effectively going to be undone in the next (with Renault joining). At least Peugeot and Loeb are sticking around.

Bakkerud will be picked up in no time by anyone with a seat going spare, the guy is a wheelman. But one wonders what Ken will do next year, if anything full time at all. Blast all the sand out the RX43 Fiesta perhaps? M-Sport will probably hold onto the Focuses.

 

[Silver Arrows]

Very bad news, losing one factory team (Audi) this year was effectively going to be undone in the next (with Renault joining). At least Peugeot and Loeb are sticking around.

Bakkerud will be picked up in no time by anyone with a seat going spare, the guy is a wheelman. But one wonders what Ken will do next year, if anything full time at all. Blast all the sand out the RX43 Fiesta perhaps? M-Sport will probably hold onto the Focuses.

I wouldn't be surprised if Ken just closes up shop and waits for what Ford says. Again, Hoonigan and by extension Block feeds pretty well off being what essentially amounts to a defacto factory team, at least in spirit.

 

[AMPMROCKETFANN]

Two pronged announcement. Ford is done with rallycross at the end of the year, and as a result, Andreas Bakkerud is done as a team driver.

I would not be surprised if this means the end of Hoonigan Racing as a team as well, considering they fed pretty voraciously off of Ken Block's partnership with Ford.

Hoonigan will survive and possibly, remotely even return to GRC. The question for me in all this is why? Wasn't it just practically yesterday that rallycross as a whole was on the upswing and all the factories were flooding into the new "youth thing"? How has it gone so bad as it was just getting good?

 

[[Nor]MclarenF1]

Ford pulling out of RX could maybe be a sign that they're planning a return to WRC as a full works team.

Audi pulling out was probably due to someone higher up deciding one VAG works team was enough.

 

[The Stig Farmer]

Oh well, Mr. Block is going to spend 2018 rallying a 1993 1991 Cossie WRC...



Wonder if Ford'll step back into RX once the electric cars show up. With the amount of factory teams entering electric racing it must be difficult to convince the higher-ups about pouring money into them there backward combustion engines.

 

[Suzumiya]

Doubt Ford will do WRC just based on this. Somehow even a GRC return is very unlikely as demand there is like nothing

 

[[Nor]MclarenF1]

How is a 7-speed period correct?

 

[The Stig Farmer]

How is a 7-speed period correct?

Because it did have a 7-speed in period. lol

Anyway it's a '93 Group A with an upgraded '97 WRC motor. He's also planning on getting in an R5 Fiesta and bringing Gymkhana Grid back to the US. But back to rallycross, and the opening round of the 2018 British championship will inaugurate the new track

 

[[Nor]MclarenF1]

You learn something new every day I guess.

 

[EngieDiesel]

Wonder if Ford'll step back into RX once the electric cars show up. With the amount of factory teams entering electric racing it must be difficult to convince the higher-ups about pouring money into them there backward combustion engines.

I think this may be more a result of Ford announcing they're moving away from the passenger car market and concentrating on SUV's and trucks. Wouldn't surprise me to see their overall motorsport presence be greatly reduced over the next couple years.

 

[Suzumiya]

VW Andretti win teams championship and Speed wins drivers in GRC.

In other news, the sky is blue, and grass is green.

 

[2clicks]

Had the privilege of attending the WRX season finale at Killarney here in Cape Town. Atmosphere was electric, and hot. I never expected there to be so many followers of the competition; the motorsport scene down here is by no means niche, but the level of knowledge and enthusiasm from the fans was so pleasantly surprising (Sorry I couldn't get up close with the cars here. Better luck next year I suppose):

Newly-crowned champ Johan Kristoffersson, the eventual Final winner, during practice 1 on Saturday.

Ken Block going maximum attack to win Semi Final 2, before being disqualified for running his car underweight.

Local boy Mark Cronje, who would've made it to the knockouts had it not been for a ruptured differential which cost him a victory.

At the end of the day, despite the Peugeots putting up a fight, it was Kristoffersson who claimed victory at the inaugural event in SA.

(No paddock access, but still managed to catch a shot of second runner-up Ekstrom pulling into the garage from parc ferme. )