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Going OTT - F1 and Motorsport 2020

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    Going OTT - F1 and Motorsport 2020

    Dakar is up and running, with Alonso safely through stage one in 11th. And WRC Monte Carlo is only a few weeks away. Time for a new thread.

    Starting with the WRC, we've got the world champion we've been waiting for in Ott Tänak, who took pretty much every race by the scruff of the neck last year - never looking to ease his way into a rally, Tänak attacked from the off and forced his rivals to chase the whole weekend.

    However, we have issues. Ogier has left Citroën for Toyota and so the Citroën WRT has packed up. Tänak is at Hyundai now with Neuville and Sordo/Loeb while M-Sport have a youthful trio of Greensmith, Suninen and Lappi. Ogier's Toyota team mates include Evans among others.

    So a lot of WRC standard drivers don't have top level drives. We may see some very competitive R5 action this year as a result I suppose.

    Also missing from WRC 2020 is Rally Chile. Due to unrest, the calendar is currently only 13 rallies long. However the good news is that this includes the return of Safari Rally Kenya and a Japanese Rally.

    In F1, there are about as many changes to the calendar as to the grid. Only two driver changes with Ocon coming back - replacing Hulkenburg at Renault. Williams have let Kubica go and bring in Latifi. There's one team name change as Toro Rossi are now Alpha Tauri, named after Red Bull's clothing range. Not to be confused with Alfa Romeo of course.

    There is to be a Dutch GP at Zandvoort and a Vietnamese GP on a Hanoi street circuit. Neither captures the imagination from a sporting perspective unfortunately but fingers crossed. Only Germany has gone so we are up to a whopping 22 Grands Prix this year.
    Last edited by Kevin S; 06-01-2020, 09:11.

    #2
    Well done Kev. Zandvoort has some nostalgia value at least.

    I really haven’t followed WRC for decades, maybe I should make an effort, this Tänak sounds like a page out of the Henri Toivonen book. Without the same fate I hope, clearly.
    Last edited by Sits; 06-01-2020, 10:00.

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      #3
      Ott Tanak: The Movie
      https://netikino.ee/index.php?page=movie&id=6#

      There's a couple of trailers you can see down the right there to give a brief sense of the guy.

      I guess the big change is that the WRC cars themselves are incredibly powerful and advanced machines now. The wings and vents on them look spectacular and they are seat-of-the-pants fast. And presumably much safer too. The downside is that they are mega expensive things. There are very few (read: two, now) manufacturers who are willing to fund a full time team and fewer still (read: one) who work with a privateer. Sticking a roll cage and extra lights on your Escort Mexico isn't going to cut it any more.
      Last edited by Kevin S; 06-01-2020, 10:11.

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        #4
        So they’re back up to Group B level again?

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          #5
          No, not really - the WR cars are based on small hatchbacks rather than sports cars. But they are kitted out like this:




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            #6
            Marvellous. They were thirty years ahead with the Metro 6R4.

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              #7
              From the live Dakar text it looks like Alonso was racing off in stage two but has been at a standstill for some time, suspect it's retirement for him.

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                #8
                Zandvoort is going to be really interesting. They're making shockingly few changes to the circuit. Banking the final Arie Luijendijk corner, pinching in the hairpin that almost touches the pitlane, banking some other corners. Widening some gravel -- not asphalt, gravel -- traps. The original claim was that DRS could be enabled through the final corner, which is a big ask but would certainly mean hard braking into Tarzan and ergo a genuine overtaking opportunity. And the circuit is going to be short, so they'll be running into Tarzan over 70 times.

                In the past few years, F1 has generally pulled back from wholesale circuit renovations, preferring tweaks like widening runoff, changing kerbing, etc., but this is the biggest project yet. If they can deliver a raceable Zandvoort without Tilke-izing it, then a lot of older tracks could become viable F1 venues in terms of layout.

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                  #9
                  Ah, let's hope that helps. Ricciardo had said last year that while the course was fantastic to drive, he couldn't see any decent passing places on it and feared a procession.

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                    #10
                    It’s worth remembering the 2021 cars are supposed to not need an runway-length straight to pass each other, so it’s possible Zandvoort will be better next year.

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                      #11
                      I just registered that 2020 is the 50th anniversary of Jochen Rindt's posthumous Formula 1 title.

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                        #12
                        I know that's not a 1970 pic, I just like it.

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                          #13
                          You don't see F1 cars getting much air these days. And probably rightly so.

                          Alonso and Coma managed to get the car back up and running after a couple of hours. They are 4th on the cars GC, and ahead of several really experienced Dakar veterans and former winners. Quite incredible really.

                          Meanwhile I realise that TrL did an excellent post on rallying on the end of the 2019 thread, and I didn't reply over Xmas, so I'll bring it forward to here.

                          Originally posted by Third rate Leszno View Post
                          Been meaning to write stuff about rallying for months, but don't seem to have found the time.

                          WRC 2020 calendar has already taken a hit with Chile cancelling their event due to the political unrest in the country. Lots of chat about a replacement but the vacant slot in the calendar, the fact that it was situated close to Argentina for logistical reasons and the length of time it takes to organise an event on WRC scale mean that that the series will probably run one event short.

                          Driver line ups still not publicly finalised, even though we've passed the cut-off date for entries to be lodged for the opening round.

                          What we do know is that Toyota will have Ogier, Evans and Rovanpera doing all events, with Katsuta doing all the European rounds plus Japan, and J-ML doing Sweden, Finland and hopefully a couple of other European rounds if he can raise more private funding (reputedly 300,000€ per event to hire a 'factory' WRC car).

                          Hyundai have their dream team of Tanak and Neuville, with part seasons again for Sordo and Loeb. Breen has got some sort of role with the team (testing and developing their new R5 car) but whether that leads to WRC entries is unclear. There's been talk of a B team entry for him and Mikkelsen, but the rules for that would preclude either of them stepping up to the A team for events that Sordo or Loeb didn't do, and where they could help with manufacturers championship points - so it's all a bit blurry...

                          M-Sport have Suninen contracted to do the full season and Greensmith will definitely do 'some' events... but whether Gus steps up to be the no.3 driver and does a lot of events is not certain. Meanwhile the no.2 slot seems most likely to be filled by Citroen refugee Lappi, but again there is no white smoke coming from Cumbria to confirm this.

                          Meeke has said that he's not doing WRC in 2020 but will pursue 'other interests'. He's big into off-road bikes, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him try something endurance based in that field. Paddon has said he's sticking with Hyundai NZ to do other projects, including development of an electric vehicle, and will obviously be desperate to snag a WRC seat for NZ when it returns to the calendar. Ostberg is doing stuff with Citroen, but rumours that he'll run a private team with the C3 WRC look improbable. Citroen had tested an improved aero package on the car late in the season but don't seem to have been able to homologate it before they withdrew, so although the cars are available if anyone wants to run them, they'd probably have to run with the old aero which was proven to be fairly shit for a number of events.

                          Elsewhere, Pirelli have won the tender to be sole tyre supplier for all WRC categories from 2021, British ERC Champion Chris Ingram is trying to find the funding to step up to WRC2 or 3 - the support series' having been renamed for 2020 with WRC2 PRO now being called WRC2 (for manufacturer teams), and privateer R5 crews now competing in WRC3 (formerly WRC2). Rallying really doesn't help make itself easier for the public to understand sometimes....

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                            #14
                            What do you think of the 2020 paint job?

                            M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRCs will be adorned with a striking new livery this year – Graphic Designer Phil Dixon delivering another eye-catching creation for the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship.

                            Dixon’s designs are eagerly awaited and the Cumbrian’s work attains fan-favourite status year after year. This season his vision drew inspiration from print designs of the early-to-mid 90s, and the Fiestas will carry a modern-retro theme as the team look to the future with a young and ambitious new line-up.

                            The 2020 colour scheme offers a largely white design with highlights of blue and green to represent the close partnership with Ford as well as increased support from Castrol – as facilitated through the Blue Oval’s global alliance. Existing partners MS‑RT, Michelin, Sparco, OZ Racing, NGK, Lazer, Stilo, Acronis, Endless, Audes, Eibach and SWP are also proudly displayed within the design.

                            The Cumbrians are also looking to the future closer to home, and the official photos were taken in the M-Sport Evaluation Centre which is fast taking shape and due for completion this autumn. Having constructed a 2.5 kilometre test track last year, the experts at Northern Developments are now focused on the adjoining 10,723 m2 workshop. Progressing at pace, 550 tonnes of structural steelwork is already in place and all of the external precast concrete walls have been fully installed. Once complete, this extensive multi-million-pound development will mark a new era for M-Sport – with a truly unique centre of engineering excellence on the edge of the Lake District National Park. The project was made possible with investment from the UK Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) as well as Growth Fund investment provided by Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP) – and will ensure Cumbria plays its part to boost local economy, skills and innovation within the Northern Powerhouse.

                            Graphic Designer, Phil Dixon, said: “My initial inspiration came from François Delecour’s 1995 Ford Escort RS Cosworth. White cars have always been popular, and with the increased support from Castrol that colour scheme was spot on. In general, the whole design has a nod to the early-to-mid 90s. The patterns and fashions of the era are really prevalent at the moment, so I was interested to create something in that style whilst still being on-trend and relevant today.”

                            Team Principal, Richard Millener, said: “Phil is a real talent so it’s not surprising to see his designs become fan favourites year after year. This year he’s captured a sense of nostalgia in something totally modern and inventive, and I have to say that it’s one of my favourites! It’s great to see our close relationship with Ford well represented, as well as the increased support from Castrol. Many of our existing partners are also proudly displayed, and the livery looks even better close up. I hope many of you will be able to get out into the forests and service parks to see it for yourselves!”

                            Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said: “Like every rally fan, I look forward to seeing our new livery and I have to say that the team have done a fantastic job this year. Rallying is at the heart of our business, and we have built a team that I am immensely proud of. But if we want to continue it’s important to diversify, and the M-Sport Evaluation Centre offers exactly that. Northern Developments are making great progress, and we are creating a fantastic facility where industry leaders from the motorsport and automotive sectors will have everything they need to follow a concept from design to production. I truly believe that we have something special at M-Sport, and this new development is only going to build on that – promoting Dovenby Hall as a unique centre of engineering excellence."




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                              #15
                              Reminds me of the old Rothmans’ sponsored sportscars.

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                                #16
                                It's tidy, but to be honest I liked last years darker livery. With two Finns driving it, there's a few people observed that it's fitting for the car to be turned out in the same colours as the Finnish flag.

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                                  #17
                                  Have just seen the new Hyundai livery but they've not changed it at all really.

                                  However, more excitingly, the entrants list for Monte is out.

                                  https://twitter.com/OpensTightens/status/1216820301138419712?s=19

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                                    #18
                                    I've not been following Dakar since it moved to Saudi, but I did see that one of the top bike racers, Paolo Goncalves has died following a fall - terrible news.

                                    Decent R5 entry for Monte in the WRC - Gryazin and Veiby have got drives in the 'works' Hyundai R5s, while promising Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux and ex-motocrosser Rhys Yates are in the M-Sport backed Fiestas, and Mads Ostberg has a PH Sport run DS3 R5. Amongst the privateers it's obviously worth keeping an eye on Oliver Solberg, while Yohan Rossel and Nico Ciamin should improve as they gain more experience - and there's former factory WRC drivers Camilli and Sarrazin in there too, so it should be ultra-competitive.

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                                      #19
                                      Likewise on Dakar but had to post this here after it appeared in my timeline. In the comments it suggests they're continuing without the windscreen.

                                      https://twitter.com/iLEBsa/status/1217341766564749312?s=19

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                                        #20
                                        Sainz wins his third Dakar

                                        Three different manufacturers (Volkswagen, Peugeot, Mini)

                                        Two different venues (South America and Saudi Arabia)

                                        Still hasn't been within 1000 km of Senegal to the best of my knowledge
                                        Last edited by ursus arctos; 20-01-2020, 14:13.

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                                          #21
                                          Smoooooth Operatoooorrrr

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                                            #22
                                            Gentle bump to remind anyone interested that Monte starts tomorrow, BT Sport have some live action from the atmospheric night stage (and presumably so do RBTV).

                                            While I'm on, an interesting new media presence in the world of rallying is Dirtfish, who I was vaguely aware of as a US Rallyschool based near Seattle. They've signed up Ott Tanak and 'Voice of rally' Colin Clark as partners and seem intent on making an impact in reporting/publicising rallying and rallycross, both WRC level and the domestic scene in north America. Will be interesting to see if they ruffle a few feathers along the way.

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                                              #23
                                              SS1 goes to Ogier, SS2 to Neuville, with the Belgian leading the rally by about 0:20 already. Very tight between chasers Ogier, Tänak and Evans with the fastest Ford about a minute down. We restart about 0730 our time.

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                                                #24
                                                Huge crash for Ott Tanak this morning on his Hyundai debut. He has been on twitter since so seems ok thankfully.
                                                https://twitter.com/SebLoebMLDC/status/1220634796482793472?s=20

                                                Apparently the Fords have had trouble with leaves collecting on the grille and causing the engines to overheat too.

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                                                  #25
                                                  At the red and white keep right sign there seems to be a very small crest. It's just enough to knock him off line and for his right wheel to go over. Ouch.

                                                  Evans won both SS3 and 4, and leads the rally by 3 seconds from Neuville.
                                                  Last edited by Kevin S; 24-01-2020, 09:57.

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