Whats been happening?

[GTchampion]

I havent watched Rally in a long time can someone fill me in on whats been going on?

 

[jizzmirk]

Short bits:

2002

• Gronholm is 2002 WRC Champion
• Peugeot takes Manufacturer's Cup
• No big surprises over the season
• FIA takes note of the points blowout of the season at the hands of Peugeot.

2003

• McRae and Sainz leave Ford for Citroen
• Mitsubishi opts out of the 2003 season for car development
• Makinen announces retirement from the sport
• Points race is neck and neck until the final rally in the UK
• Burns passes out on a recce - is diagnosed with a brain tumor
• Petter Solberg beats out Sebastian Loeb for world title by two points
• Citroen take Manufacturer's cup in it's first full year (and I still don't like the team, but that's me)

2004

• Burns to sit out season to recover from brain surgery
• Sweeping rule changes: mostly minor, but the biggest shocker is that each team's third driver cannot have had a podium finish in the past three years.
• Driver moves abound: Panizzi goes to Mitsu, Burns goes to Subaru (but due to tumor sits out the season) - is replaced by Hirvonen, Duval and a newcomer support Martin at Ford, Loix goes to Peugeot (as they ditch Rovanpera), elder McRae takes a year off as Citroen decide to keep Sainz
• Peugeot, Ford, Skoda and Mitsu sport new cars for the season
• Hyundai is out of the WRC and Skoda and Mitsubishi are running a limited program
• Last of the big news is that Japan and Mexico both have seats in the WRC. The Corona Rally of Mexico is in March and Rally Japan is in November.

 

[Sleek Stratos]

That second rule of 2004 got overwritten seeing as how there can only be 2 manufacturer backed cars.
Oh and Loix just might be replaced full time by Rovanpera. Frankly I thought it was mighty stupid of Corrado Provera to just slice him out of Peugeot's program.

 

[GTchampion]

cool cool i am wathing it agagin gnow so yay

 

[Bill-182]

Petter won by one point, not two to Seb.

 

[jizzmirk]

hehe - Sorry Bill. Five fingers on a hand, and I can't even count to one.

Living in San Diego, I for one am very happy that Mexico's got a seat on the championship. It's just a 300 mile trip down to Leon. I figure I'm going to let the Leon WRC committee work out the kinks this year and go for the 2005 season - Ford better still have a rally team that year!

 

[Seito4Counter]

i feel the exact same way to that ^^^

 

[Hell Patrol]

Why the hell they WRC go to Mexico, NOT USA?

 

[jizzmirk]

If I remember correctly both Mexico and Japan were interested in obtaining WRC seats when news of the possibility that Austrailia might lose their spot in the WRC tour.

Those two countries elected commitees to pitch why their locations would make prime suitors for a spot on the tour. Mexico had a rally event that Peugeot sent Harri Rovenpara to early last year and he raved about it. If I remember correctly, that's what got the wheels turning for that location. As for Japan, WRC and Japan have always wanted a rally there, with Subaru, Mitsubishi (and formerly Toyota) calling Japan home.

I think it all boils down to the fact that Mexico and Japan tried harder for seats than we did. Maybe they chose better locations than the US, maybe they indexed a lower operating cost than the US (very likely), maybe Mexico used the Carlos Sainz as a trump card. In the end, who knows exactly what factors went into it.

But look at it on the bright side, if you're a diehard enough fan, at least you don't have to cross the pond to see a live WRC event.

 

[LegacySTI]

Why the hell they WRC go to Mexico, NOT USA?

Can you imagine the lawsuits if some spectator is hurt or killed on the event?

Basically you are at your own risk sitting close to the stages but in America, it doesn't work that way, lawyers will find a way to sue.