News and Rumors Open Thread

[TWRC]

Nokia has ended its sponsorship immediately. Looks like they really are in a so bad situation that they can't afford continuing down the line with the WRC, and obviously this is bad news for both sides, but I hope that it can only get better from this point... Maybe Toyota's future return can add back some lost credit to the WRC.

[rv65]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/100020

More issues with the WRC.

[RonSkoda]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/100020

More issues with the WRC.

Monte back to IRC please!

[ChrisB]

100% agree! And for those asking for Sardinia being replaced by San Remo and a return of the Tour de Corse, please no, they are better events in IRC too! Especially Tour de Corse with their annually changing route (interesting btw that absolutely none of the competitors complained about the total lack of central service).

[rv65]

I do not think Sanremo will return, but another event on the Italian peninsula will be on the calendar. The reason is that Sardinia will no longer host the WRC anymore. Monte will be on the 2013 WRC calendar. Calendar might not be announced until later this month, but July is a possibility. FiA is still negotiating with the organizers on things such as timing and what not. I do not expect Tour de Corse to comeback to the WRC. I could very well see a merged France/Germany event, if the FiA goes with their endurance rally philosophy.

[ChrisB]

Well, I would think Tour de Corse would simply be stupid to go back to WRC, as they would lose their new found freedom and event identity in IRC. San Remo similar. San Remo could do more with their layout, go into Toscany again, but again, since the formation of the IRC San Remo has found a welcome home there when the WRC didn't want them any more, I just could not picture the San Remo organisers to be so unloyal to leave the IRC. Alsace and Deutschland Rallye combined is not on the cards at the moment, and despite the brilliant idea of more endurance style events I can't see how this could work. Although the events are close to each other, they would need a 300km road section and move the whole base. For IRC this would not be a problem (see Tour de Corse) and events as Dakar and Tour de France enjoy a huge TV interest exactly for this type of flexibility, but the WRC with all their VIP monstrosities are too much stuck in their ways.

I think at the end of the day the big question could be around the FIA's new idea with increasing event charges to 240.000 Euros for still uncertain TV in return and when they all have their own working timing and tracking equipment. I don't think Tour de Corse and San remo are willing to pay this, when they do have a home in IRC, Deutschland and Alsace would struggle too, and Monte Carlo, that fee surely was not part of their ideas for the WRC return.

To be honest, I would laugh my head off if VW, Hundei all make a fuzz of joining the WRC and all the sudden all the good events, Monte, GB, Deutschland, are all gone!

[rv65]

http://insiderally.com/2012/06/07/dans- ... e-the-wrc/

Interesting blog article from a rally blogger. He talks about the current state of the WRC, but he tries to be a little positive towards the end.

[ChrisB]

It looks like the FIA has eventually found a way to make the WRC less expensive to run. The best bit of it all is: There won't be less WRC on TV than there is now!

Situation is known. The FIA has asked the rally organisers to accept an extra 100.000 Euros fee to be part of the WRC and the organisers were given little over a week to sign. If they won't sign, they will be kicked out of the WRC. This evolved now that none of the organisers has signed, therefore the calendar of the 2013 WRC is as follows:

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[AndyRAC]

Yeah, what's to stop the FiA cancelling the WRC next year?? Remember, there have been times when there were no WTCC, WSC/WEC......So why shouldn't there be no WRC??

I can't see it happening, but I would still expect some of the better run events to run, WRC or not; i;e Monte, Finland, Deutschland....

[mof]

Why is it the FiA hate motorsports so much. Gouge money out of manufacturers, events, promoters to such a degree that it becomes unaffordable for any involvement.
And what do they provide in return - nuthin'.

Utterly bewildering.

[rv65]

FiA has announced the 2013 WRC calendar at this months WMSC. It is identical to this years calendar, but NZ will be replaced with Australia. 2014 is when WRC will allow for new candidate events.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/wmsc ... 04755.html

FiA will announce the promoter at the next WMSC in September.

[rv65]

http://www.speedcafe.com/2012/06/21/toy ... turn-2014/

Toyota is planning on a WRC program in 2014, though some rumors say 2013. Toyota has tested a 1.6T in their dyno in Cologne, so the program is likely going to happen. SportsCars/Le Mans and WRC sounds like a good combination. Toyota has to relearn how to build a good rally car, since many of those who have worked on the Corolla WRC have moved on to other projects. It also confirms that the Yaris will be their WRCar, but Toyota is thinking about a R3T and maybe a R5 as well. There is also a R1 version for those who need a budget rally car. With all these new manufacturers, it sounds like the WRC could be on the right track, or maybe not.

[rv65]

Latvala has had two offers on the table, but nothing signed. He finds it frustrating to have a bad year and only a 1 year contract. He has had offers from VW and Ford, but he did say that Malcolm Wilson is doing a great job with developing a competitive car on a small budget.

[AndyRAC]

With VW already having Ogier, do they need another top driver? Surely somebody who will be consistently in the points, I;e Sordo, would be a better No2. Will they run a Junior team, or even a 3rd car? Their resources are massive.
There has to come a time when Latvala puts it together. Or will he always be like that? Even McRae wasn't this in-consistent. I doubt VW would have put up with those kind of performances - it's not their way.

[rv65]

TMG is working on a Yaris RRC and it will come out next year. The focus is on RRC and then possibly a WRC. TMG feels that RRC is a better car than R4T/R5 and they feel confident that they can make money on this program. A factory WRC program is a possibility, but TMG would have to get the approval from Japan (Toyota Motor Corporation). I think maybe Toyota will have a RRC for next year and then maybe a WRC for 2014. This is a likely possibility that ties in with the rumors that have popped up lately.

[ChrisB]

On Toyota RRC rather than WRC & R4TR5: It makes sense in a way. I think the RRC is going to be faster than the R4TR5, but it will cost much more too. Not sure what is the sense in having both categories, and I secretly hope the R4TR5 with less technology but bigger air restrictor provides more spectacle than any of the current cars. That said, many people seem to have doubts about the new categories. Apparently Skoda and others have frozen their R4TR5 projects until Peugeot has come out with theirs and see if Peugeot puts shame to their name or not.

With VW already having Ogier, do they need another top driver? Surely somebody who will be consistently in the points, I;e Sordo, would be a better No2. Will they run a Junior team, or even a 3rd car? Their resources are massive.
There has to come a time when Latvala puts it together. Or will he always be like that? Even McRae wasn't this in-consistent. I doubt VW would have put up with those kind of performances - it's not their way.

That is a good question. What you hear from that corner there will be a VW Junior Team and they keep naming Andreas Mikkelsen as one of their junior team drivers. I personally don't understand that. I would think Mikkelsen already has the speed of Latvala and Sordo. I would think a combination Ogier/Mikkelsen is what VW should go for and use the junior team for real newcomers. Then enter frame the stupid WRC 2-car teams no drop score points system. Sorry to say it that harsh, but in this light VW would be stupid to take Latvala. Hirvonen may be less exciting and not win much, but he is the ideal #2 driver in the rules as they are, Sordo would be a good #2, but then Mikkelsen surely is as fast as Sordo, if not faster.

[rv65]

VW is rumored to have 3 cars, but Autosport said only 2 cars next year.

[ChrisB]

They are not allowed to have 3 cars by stupid WRC rules! If there is more than 2 then they have to do it via some kind of a Junior team.

[rv65]

Your scenario seems to be the most likely.

[rv65]

http://www.maxrally.com/news/entry/the_ ... s_a_yaris/

Toyota is developing a Yaris RRC with the possibility of a Yaris WRC for 2014. Such a decision would have to be made in Japan, but Kinoshita kind of confirmed that Toyota would like to do WRC. Le Mans is a 3 year program, and hopefully Toyota does develop a Yaris WRC. Toyota did file for a waiver to allow them to use a Yaris as their base car. Apparently, the FiA has granted such waiver, so this could be the next 206 WRC. It might not be for a while, but there have been rumors of a Yaris WRC program in Japan for quite some time. Now the European media is finally covering such rumors.