WRC 2016 : All Chat Here

[Graham]

His 2015 matt green livery but with gloss M-SPORT graphics would look great. Shame it'll never happen, I'd imagine M-SPORT will want to run more sponsorship than Lorenzo did

if someone paid enough money they would run a team of day glow pink cars with no text on them !

 

[DC.]

Ott Tänak to drive a DMACK Fiesta in 2016.

Tänak to drive for new DMACK team in 2016 - wrc.com

 

[DC.]

Mads Østberg back to M-Sport along with Eric Camilli for 2016!

M-Sport confirms Ostberg and 'surprise' Camilli | WRC 0

 

[Staff@BWG]

Ostberg/Camilli in, Evans dropped

Ostberg secures return to M-Sport for 2016

 

[Liam Shaw]

We'll finally see the true potential of the fiesta with Mads in it. I hav a feeling Evans will find a deal somewhere although it might not be a full program. Time will tell. Eager to find out the craic with Meeke though

 

[svensktoppen]

Hard to see Evans in a factory team anywhere other than Ford. Nice enough chap, and done well enough this year, just not quite there it seems. No idea if he has the money to buy a few private outings. Fingers crossed though he finds something.

 

[DC.]

There was talk of a Pirelli backed M-Sport team in 2016 with Kubica & Evans but haven't heard anything recently.

 

[Liam Shaw]

I'd like to see a Pirelli team. I remember a Pirelli sponsored 307 but I can't remember who drive it. Gigi Galli possibly? Can't see Kubica in it unless it's only a 6/7 round program but it would be good to see him. He attracts a lot of people to the WRC. Especially people who would normally be more interesting in circuit racing.

Remember DMACK have another seat to fill yet. The more of these privateer teams the better. Bertelli and Breen could still get a seat too. Plenty of money with them.

 

[Sam.]

 

[Cess]

@Liam Shaw Bertelli has a seat with M-Sport. Whether that team is called M-Sport2 or whatever remains to be seen. It's as third driver or second string.

Essentially Bertelli and Ostberg are pay drivers and funding Camilli's seat in a roundabout way.

Dmack may or may not have another car. The 2 driver team was speculation from the press, but never confirmed by them. But I could well have missed something on that front last week. Happy to be corrected.

 

[Gaza_r]

I remember reading an article in Motorsport News about the TMG Yaris WRC project. They signed Camilli as he is one of the best development drivers around.

So no doubt Wilson signed him to help with the 2017 Fiesta.

But makes you wonder why Tommi Makinen didn't get Camilli to continue working on Toyota WRC project.

Got to wonder what's going on with Toyota's WRC comeback. When the man that's done most of the development work just walks away to a rival team.

 

[Graham]

Unless Tommi has Meeke lined up for a years testing followed by a deal ?

 

[DC.]

If I was Kris I would be interested to know what the plan is for Citroen & Toyota over the next 2/3 years.

They both need an experienced driver for 2017.

 

[Graham]

Agree fully, as said before he is regarded highly as a development driver and on the back of that i can see him in 2016 testing with a long term contract thereafter.

However it's whoever puts up the most attractive deal that he needs to be going to.

ie. the most seat time pre 2017 and the longest deal after that with the nod of approval for the team to be balls deep in the project and not half assed

 

[Gaza_r]

Unless Tommi has Meeke lined up for a years testing followed by a deal ?

Dunno mate, I don't think Tommi's the best man to oversee that project.

They're supposidly struggling to attract staff because Tommi insists on keeping the team base at his home (in the arsehole of no where) rather than move it closer to Helsinki.

 

[Cess]

Yep. I'd be avoiding Toyota like the plague. TMG got the project taken off them and given to TMR under the Gazoo banner.

TMR decide to move the entire operation to Finland, despite having no premises. TMG are thrown off the engine development by Tommi, who then asks Pipo to build one for the Yaris. Pipo go 'Soz Tommi, we signed an exclusivity deal with Hyundai.'

So I'd love to know how much of a rally car they've actually got.

Re: Camilli. Apparently TM wants Finns. Bear in mind Camilli's contract was with TMG not TMR, so once they lost the gig, Eric had nothing. Whereas Malc was praising him to high heaven all this season, plus the FFSA tend to back their talent.

 

[svensktoppen]

Not sure where you would do rally development anywhere near Helsinki though, would be like doing rally development around Dublin or something. Everywhere not lived on is used for commuting.

And I imagine there is plenty around Tommy's place, and all manner of conditions too. Can easily see Tommy preferring Finnish drivers too, no shortage of them either.

It is the far side of nowhere though, for sure.

 

[Cess]

Teams very rarely test where they are located. Look at all the YouTube videos. Tends to be France for tarmac, Spain or Portugal for gravel and Sweden for snow. Facilites and connectivity are everything. Puuppola is even further north than Jyvaskyla and that's not a big town! Bloody lovely though.

 

[Gaza_r]

Teams very rarely test where they are located. Look at all the YouTube videos. Tends to be France for tarmac, Spain or Portugal for gravel and Sweden for snow. Facilites and connectivity are everything. Puuppola is even further north than Jyvaskyla and that's not a big town! Bloody lovely though.

Nail on the head Cess.

You gotta question Tommi's business decisions.

I mean he relocates the HQ to rural Finland and wonders why none of TMG staff want to move there. What did he expect.

Then Toyota source a suitable site in Helsinki and he still demands it stays on his farm.

You gotta wonder if this is just one big vanity project for Tommi and Toyoda.

It was doomed the day Tommi got involved. I'll happly eat my words if he masterminds a car that beats VW, but I can't see it.

This a multi-million pound gig, he's not building clubman spec Impreza's anymore.

 

[DC.]

Bertelli test for RMC '16 w/ m-sport:



Neuville test for RMC '16 w/ new i20WRC:

 

[DC.]

Østberg test for RMC w/ m-sport:

 

[DC.]

Possible 3 car entry for Toyota in 2017:

Toyota eyes three cars for 2017 return - wrc.com

 

[svensktoppen]

Excuse my ignorance, but are there big rule changes or something for 2017?

 

[Graham]

Excuse my ignorance, but are there big rule changes or something for 2017?

Yeah

Wider cars, More aero allowed and More POWERS !!!

 

[svensktoppen]

So like F1 then, 2016 basically a test year before new rules in 2017 to hopefully shake things up a bit?