2017 World Rally ChampionshipRally

[Pete05]

The Press-on-Regardless Rally in Michigan was part of the inaugural WRC season in 1973, and returned for 1974. The '74 event was infamously cut short when a local sheriff chased a Lancia Stratos into a special stage while trying to apprehend the driver for speeding.
After that, there was no US round until 1986, when the Olympus Rally in Washington state was added. That '86 round is often overlooked as the final time that the Group B cars ever ran. With the mandatory switch to Group A in 1987, the rally's already small popularity dwindled even further and it was dropped after one more try in '88.

I would've loved to see the Sheriff trying to keep up with the Stratos.
"I can't see squat but I know where this road goes."
*Bins it at the next corner.

Summbitch!

 

[prisonermonkeys]

How many championships has he won?

He has won the last four, all of them with Volkswagen. The all-time record is nine, held by his predecessor (and one-time team-mate), Sébastien Loeb.

Why is he getting a 22 point penalty for a gearbox?

He isn't. He faces exclusion for a technical infringement. If that happens, he loses the twenty-two points that he scored in Mexico.

 

[GroupB]

So the Sheriff chased a rally version of the Startos, why? I mean I get the speeding, but was it speeding in a place it wasn't suppose to or what is part of the Rally and the bumpkin sheriff never heard of no rally racing.

Reportedly was trying to make up time on a road section and went flying through said sheriff's town at 140 mph. Stratos got to the start of the SS and went in. Sheriff arives later and is so enraged he goes barreling in too.

 

[Kamuifanboy]

Reportedly was trying to make up time on a road section and went flying through said sheriff's town at 140 mph. Stratos got to the start of the SS and went in. Sheriff arives later and is so enraged he goes barreling in too.

I hope he had a good Co-Driver xD

 

[prisonermonkeys]

The Tour de Corse entry list has been published, with Citroën having a third C3 WRC ready for Lefebvre. Mads Østberg is back in a Fiesta WRC, but there is still no Yaris for Esapekka Lappi; at this point, he probably won't start until Portugal as the trip to Argentina is a big one.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Ogier keeps his Mexico finish
https://www.motorsport.com/wrc/news/ogier-retains-mexico-result-after-gearbox-investigation-884375/

 

[Simmpa]

Ogier keeps his Mexico finish
https://www.motorsport.com/wrc/news/ogier-retains-mexico-result-after-gearbox-investigation-884375/

Wich means if he loose the WDC we won´t have people who moan he only lost because of being disqualified

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I know but if they're cancelling stages now they may as well cancel the whole of Rally Finland.

Well, it looks like Finland have found a solution to the problem: shorter stages. They have published the rally route, which is 315km over twenty-five stages.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Autosport Plus look at what happened to Volkswagen Motorsport after withdrawing from the WRC and what might happen now that Petter Solberg is with them in World RX:

http://www.autosport.com/premium/feature/7464/volkswagen-hasnt-disappeared-completely

 

[Simmpa]

Well, it looks like Finland have found a solution to the problem: shorter stages. They have published the rally route, which is 315km over twenty-five stages.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/128784/finland-set-to-slow-stages-for-2017-cars

Put chicanes on every straight, sigh these new faster cars will not bring much excitement with FIA ruining all the fun.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It's a safety thing. You can hardly fault the FIA for wanting to protect crews, spectators and marshalls.

 

[UnkaD]

I don't get it. Why are they so focused on average speeds? How much of that is due to actual top end as opposed to higher corner speeds from downforce and acceleration on exits?
I can see a concern if they were talking about the cars reaching scary speeds on straights, but what is the point of making the cars overall better if they're afraid of the obvious performance gains that come with it?

 

[Simmpa]

It's a safety thing. You can hardly fault the FIA for wanting to protect crews, spectators and marshalls.

Well then what was the point of increasing the horsepower?

 

[Pete05]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/128784/finland-set-to-slow-stages-for-2017-cars

Put chicanes on every straight, sigh these new faster cars will not bring much excitement with FIA ruining all the fun.

Yes, I agree.
Make the cars faster but then slow them artificially. That makes sense
I can't help but feel this is an FIA overreaction to the fatality in Monte Carlo where the car was travelling at well under 100km/h.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I can't help but feel this is an FIA overreaction to the fatality in Monte Carlo where the car was travelling at well under 100km/h.

The rule stating that the maximum average speed for a stage is 130km/h has been around for decades. It has less to do with the speed of the cars and more to do with preventing rally organisers from creating ridiculous stages.

what is the point of making the cars overall better if they're afraid of the obvious performance gains that come with it?

To attract new manufacturers and to update regulations that have been used since 2011 (and largely unaltered since 2004).

Why are they so focused on average speeds?

Because if you throw in a few hairpins, you lower the average top speed. In order to raise the average top speed, you then have to have cars running at higher top speeds and for longer. Ott Tänak won the first pass over Knon - the stage that got cancelled in Sweden - and he said that it was so fast it was absolutely terrifying.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Kalle Rovanperä has been refused a dispensation to compete in Rally Finland as he does not hold a valid driver's licence (in Finland, you can get a driver's licence up to a year early under certain circumstances, but Rovanperä won't be of age until October):

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/128800/rovanpera-denied-rally-finland-wrc-debut

He is, however, expected to compete in Wales, either in a Fabia or 208 R5.

 

[Simmpa]

If Hyundai wins in Corsica I think it will be first time 4 different manufactures win in a row

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Volkswagen won't run the 2018 Polo R5 as part of a factory team like Škoda Motorsport with the Fabia R5:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/128803/vw-rules-out-factory-team-with-new-wrc2-car

 

[boiltheocean]

Kalle Rovanperä has been refused a dispensation to compete in Rally Finland as he does not hold a valid driver's licence (in Finland, you can get a driver's licence up to a year early under certain circumstances, but Rovanperä won't be of age until October):

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/128800/rovanpera-denied-rally-finland-wrc-debut

He is, however, expected to compete in Wales, either in a Fabia or 208 R5.

I wonder if that was introduced before or after Solberg got suspended during Rally Sweden.

 

[Simmpa]

Kalle Rovanperä has been refused a dispensation to compete in Rally Finland as he does not hold a valid driver's licence (in Finland, you can get a driver's licence up to a year early under certain circumstances, but Rovanperä won't be of age until October):

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/128800/rovanpera-denied-rally-finland-wrc-debut

He is, however, expected to compete in Wales, either in a Fabia or 208 R5.

Will be very interesting when he will get a seat, consider Safari Rally will likely return in 2019 and he is born year 2000 in October. So he will be 19 if Safari will take place before his birthday, imagine a 19 year old tackle that rally assuming the stages will be just as long as in the past.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Meh, we used to think a 17-year-old wouldn't be able to control an F1 car, let alone score a lot of points...

 

[Simmpa]

Meh, we used to think a 17-year-old wouldn't be able to control an F1 car, let alone score a lot of points...

Driving round and round on a track is alot easier than driving several kilometers where every single corner is different, there is a reason the average age of rally drivers are alot higher than F1 drivers.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Yep, the reason is that you can practice e racing on kart tracks and join motor racing series' from like 14-16 after a lot of experience. For rallying, you have to be able to drive on the roads, unless you own your own private rally stage. Therefore 15-18 or whenever your country allows you on the roads, is the earliest you can start.

 

[Pete05]

Young Rovanpera has been ready for a debut for at least a couple of years.
Have a look on YouTube at what kind of car control this kid has & tell me he's too young.

Too many people are obsessed with tying in maturity with a number/age.
I've met guys in their 20's I wouldn't let drive a Road car!

 

[Jimlaad43]

I'm not saying there's a talent barrier, I'm saying there's a legal barrier.

 

[Simmpa]

4 stages and Kris Meeke have a 10 second advantage over Ogier, if he wins now we can really talk about going from zero to hero

 

[boiltheocean]

I'm not saying there's a talent barrier, I'm saying there's a legal barrier.

Not really. Plenty of young rally drivers in national series have the co-driver do road sections because they don't hold a drivers licence. It's a very small barrier to overcome.

I assume the FIA rule that all occupants must hold a drivers licence is a safety measure more than anything else.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It's because the events use public roads. They're closed for the rally, but are still public.

 

[Katiegan]

The cars drive on public roads between stages too, I'd imagine that's got something to do with it as well.

 

[Accro2008]

Kris following the path of Colin who started his rallying career, In the same flamboyant way.