2022 Motorsports thread

[Steadfast]

Hi everyone,

 

As it's the eve of the Monte Carlo, I thought I'd kick of this thread to discuss things non F1 for the year. WRC, BTCC, Extreme E, Cross Country Rallying, Truck Racing, Gymkhana, Aussie Supercars, Rallycross and any other non F1 series, feel free to bring them to the table. Let's see some close racing, crazy off road action and hopefully have our eyes open to a new series or two.

I'll just leave this here, this will be the live stream for the shakedown for Monte Carlo tomorrow morning.

 

I'll be following the rally via Dirtfish on their website at dirtfish.com and their YouTube channel. If anyone is a rally fan and hasn't checked their website out, it's well worth a look. Lots of exclusive stories interesting insights.

 

Jo

[LNERandBR]

ooh yes, excellent idea for a thread. I'm very much looking forward to Monte this year what with the new Rally1 cars coming in and all.

 

I have found Dirtfish to be very good for keeping up to date with things. However, for watching the Rally you can't do better than the All Live WRC+ service. Back in 2017 when the last generation of cars launched I watched the coverage on Red Bull but by the end of the year I got so annoyed with how 'bitty' it was so took the plunge. The All Live subscription does cost a bit but I really enjoy it. Even when I've missed stages live I'm still able to catch up.

 

Very much hoping that Elfyn Evans does well this year, although part of me will also be rooting for the M Sport boys

[SR71]

Posting so I can find again. As with F1 I don't want to follow lest I find out results before I have watched.

 

BTCC fan here.

[Steadfast]

17 minutes ago, LNERandBR said:

watching the Rally you can't do better than the All Live WRC+ service. Back in 2017 when the last generation of cars launched I watched the coverage on Red Bull but by the end of the year I got so annoyed with how 'bitty' it was so took the plunge. The All Live subscription does cost a bit but I really enjoy it. Even when I've missed stages live I'm still able to catch up.

 

Very much hoping that Elfyn Evans does well this year, although part of me will also be rooting for the M Sport boys

Yes WRC+ is a great service, I'm not around at weekends often enough to justify it for watching the rally live, so if I'm working or otherwise unavailable at a weekend Dirtfish keeps getting refreshed along with their end of day videos, before the highlights on ITV the following week.

 

Likewise regarding Elfyn, Craig Breen runner up and Gus to get a podium or two? M-Sport for the manufacturers so everyone gets something. Next few years could be a good tussle between Craig and Elfyn.

 

Onto BTCC matters, a chap I work with reckons Plato is BTC racing bound. Would be good to see him back in a competitive car.

 

Jo

[SR71]

1 hour ago, Steadfast said:

Yes WRC+ is a great service, I'm not around at weekends often enough to justify it for watching the rally live, so if I'm working or otherwise unavailable at a weekend Dirtfish keeps getting refreshed along with their end of day videos, before the highlights on ITV the following week.

 

Likewise regarding Elfyn, Craig Breen runner up and Gus to get a podium or two? M-Sport for the manufacturers so everyone gets something. Next few years could be a good tussle between Craig and Elfyn.

 

Onto BTCC matters, a chap I work with reckons Plato is BTC racing bound. Would be good to see him back in a competitive car.

 

Jo

 

Interesting. I saw it mentioned several times that he owned that Astra personally which is why it sat out 2020.

 

I think we are in for a different champion this year. I can't see Sutton doing well in his first year fwd. I also have doubts about his and Cammish's compatibility.

 

No WSR drivers named yet other that independent Jake hill. I wonder if Turkington will be moving on after so many seasions recently of being the nearly man?

 

Given he's been the development driver for the new regs I would have thought Andy Jordan could have his pick but he may be contractually prevented. I know he's said he wouldn't have time while also running his historics business.

 

I guess more announcements will be imminent as we get into February. Maybe L Hamilton has decided to spend his sabbatical closer to home...

[ERIC ALLTORQUE]

Loeb is turning into the new Stig,just a natural talent to start with.

[LNERandBR]

Glad that Gus's issue in the first run was fixed for the later ones.

 

Looking forward to when the first stage starts this evening 

[Invicta Informant]

Sportcar racing should become interesting with the convergence of cars built to Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) and Le Mans Daytona hybrid (LMDh) rules agreed to by the ACO and IMSA.

 

So far, Toyota, Glickenhaus, Peugeot and ByKolles have built cars to LMH rules with Ferrari to follow hopefully next year. Manufacturers committed to the LMDh rules include Acura, Alpine, Audi, BMW, Cadillac and Porsche.

 

Peugeot's new car which has no rear spoiler, the 9X8, will hopefully be racing this year in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), with its blue ribbon round, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, on 11th & 12th June.

 

I can see the GT2 cars used in the GT classes in the WEC and at Le Mans being replaced by comparatively cheaper GT3 cars.

[Steadfast]

For those that want it, here's the lunch time update from day one. Off to a good start.

 

@Invicta InformantI totally forgot about endurance racing! It'll be interesting to see how things develop under the new regs, it'll be great if we have races with more than one or two manufacturers vying for the win.

I tend to follow the GT3 more closely, as it's more recognisable cars, and I get behind stuff built by a certain engineering firm in Banbury, so was glad to see them get a podium in the Dakar, even though I couldn't stand Loeb when he was at Citroen in the WRC. It's shame Aston canned the works program, they've had their ups and downs but it's been a pretty successful program. I guess the money had to diverted to the F1 team.

 

Jo

[Steadfast]

Weird to see the cars leaving service so quietly! Watching the Toyotas after they reverse out, it looks like there's no power steering in electric mode?

 

It's not my cup of tea, but I've just seen that channel 4 will be showing Formula E for the next few years.

 

Jo

[LNERandBR]

I've really enjoyed the first full day of Monte action. 

 

Really happy to see M-Sport on top thus far, it's a shame Fourmaux crashed out but seeing Gus finally get that first stage win was brilliant. I feel Craig is also driving well, he lacks the experience to get the most out of Monte even though it's not a full on Snow/Ice/Dry mashup like many other years. Therefore, he's driven sensibly unlike Fourmaux who's basically done like Suninen did last year and put it off the road though trying too hard.

As for Loeb, I will admit I never really liked him but his Monte experience is shining though here and you have to admit it's amazing he can suddenly come back to the WRC and be in the lead.

 

As for Toyota, Seb is doing what he does with the Monte and I fully expect it will be a Seb vs Seb dual to the end. Really happy to see Elfyn is keeping in touch though being best of the full timers will be good for his championship hopes although I'm sure he'd want to be higher up. I do hope that Kalle is able to get a better feeling in the car for tomorrow, he certainly seems out of sorts. Same goes for Taka to be honest. 

 

As for Hyundai I have to admit I've never really liked their driver swapping and wish that Tanak hadn't moved to them. However, lets see if they stick to the same 4 drivers with Oliver and Danni sharing the third car instead of suddenly dropping another driver in. It's good to see Oliver getting time in a Rally1 (must get used to saying that  ) so I hope he's not bumped out at all. It was a shame to see him having intercom issues and that strange smoke in the car that he mentioned a few times.

 

On the full electric mode, I have to admit it's strange when you are watching the Media Zone as the cars move around so quietly. It's especially odd for the presenters who turn around and say 'oh another car is here' after one has sneaked in. There was a few times they got caught out by a car wanting to get by and they were stood talking to the camera with no idea it was there! 

 

It was also really interesting to see so many big gaps in time on the first few stages, both last night and this morning. Things then closed up on the more easier conditions and then opened up again when the tricky on off frosty stages were ran. A big difference to many rallies last year when the top of the field were separated by tenths of seconds most of the time.

 

Overall, roll on tomorrow. They keep mentioning one stage with a bit of snow so we'll see how that affects things

 

[Steadfast]

Totally agree with everything there, @LNERandBR. Been a really good day, and I'm looking forward to seeing a bit of Monte Carlo's snow.

 

Every clip I've seen of the cars on the stages, they look noticeably quicker. Hopefully we'll get some more manufacturers attracted to sport over the next few years with the blend of th spectacle and the relevance of the hybrid cars. Give it a few years and I'd love to see some blue cars with gold wheels back in the sport. Go on then, chuck some fluorescent yellow stickers on them too if you must ... Max McRae and Oliver Solberg for the ultimate throwback team? Sorry, back to 2022.

 

Jo

[Chris116]

My first live motor racing will be on 20th February at the Aldershot raceway featuring 2 Litre Hot Rods, Superstox, Ninja Karts and Bangers. My personal favourites are the Superstox but always enjoy the Hot Rods and Ninja Karts. 

 

Getting to the track gives me a ride on SWR from Wimbledon to Aldershot and a 30 minute walk to the track gives me some exercise.

 

I have watched circuit racing at Brands Hatch and Crystal Palace but never got into it. The BTCC on TV is normally entertaining.

[LNERandBR]

9 hours ago, Steadfast said:

Give it a few years and I'd love to see some blue cars with gold wheels back in the sport. Go on then, chuck some fluorescent yellow stickers on them too if you must ... Max McRae and Oliver Solberg for the ultimate throwback team? Sorry, back to 2022.

 

Regarding throwbacks, the sounds of the new cars when in stage mode are very reminiscent of the past. Especially the overrun with pops and bangs. 

 

The Puma was even throwing a bit of flame from it's exhaust on the night stages

 

[LNERandBR]

Well, a day of ups and downs on the Monte!

 

Have to say, I'm gutted for Elfyn really glad he was able to get going but he's down in 26th so I don't think he'll be able to climb back up to the top ten in the distance remaining. It's a real shame as he's gone from looking to have an excellent start to the championship to basically getting nothing but Power Stage points. 

 

Another driver in trouble I felt gutted for was Oliver, still with this smoke problem in the car which they really need to get sorted. For him though I was really glad the spectators managed to get him back on the road. He needs the steat time and experience especially on the snowy stage.

 

And what a snowy stage it was. So much drama with the different tyre choices and spotting which drivers had turned off the Hybrid and which had kept it on. I have to admit, I think the Studs that Elfyn had contributed to his off but it was clear having no studs was the cause of Ott's crash which put him out for the day. Had to feel for Taka tho, he really beats himself up when he has an off but it was one that was so easy to do in tricky conditions.

 

One thing I'll mention here, the WRC+ service coverage has new graphics for this year and I quite like them. Lots more information coming up in clear and concise ways. Not sure if that's carrying over to other coverage mediums or not but it's a step in the right direction I feel.

 

So onto the Up's, it was lovely Kalle getting his car into a setup he was happier with and starting to pump in those stage times now. I don't think he'll do enough to climb the leaderboard from here unless there's more drama for those in front. 

It's great to see two Ford's in Podium positions, sorry to see the Seb's swap over but it makes sense for Ogier to have gone better given his more recent Monte experience. However, it is really good to see Craig in third, it does feel like he's gotten more and more downbeat as it became clear he's not going to extract the most of the car under him. Maybe a little too much expectation put on him given he's not been to Monte for a few years and he's never done it in a WRC car before. I think he's driving very well and keeping sensible instead of overdriving it, hopefully he will still be in 3rd come the end of Sunday.

 

Really need to mention Gus too, whilst he's had issues he's still in 5th place which isn't too bad at all. Granted, it's taken some bad luck from those ahead of him but sometimes just sticking with it and getting to the end is enough. Certainly, that's what Neuville is doing in keeping his car together as best he can really thought his rally was over a few times today!

 

So, last day of Rally action from Monte tomorrow. Let's see who the final winners and losers are. For sure, there will be a few 'sunday drives' on the earlier stages before the Power Stage. I do wish they'd have a Tyre fitting zone before the Power Stage to stop that.

 

[Sidecar Racer]

It's nice to see Craig Breen finally being rewarded with a full time

top team drive , I been very impressed with his results in the past .

 

 He's very handy in any car he gets in , look him up on Youtube in anything

from a Metro 6R4 on Irish tarmac to Escort Cossie in San Marino and a BMW

again I think Ireland, he always does well .

[Steadfast]

On 22/01/2022 at 09:15, LNERandBR said:

 

Regarding throwbacks, the sounds of the new cars when in stage mode are very reminiscent of the past. Especially the overrun with pops and bangs. 

 

The Puma was even throwing a bit of flame from it's exhaust on the night stages

 

I'm glad it's not my imagination, I thought the cars had an extra something this year, although it's the same engines as last year they seemed more raw.

 

Great result for Seb, after second on the Dakar a few weeks back to now becoming the oldest WRC winner, proves experience is worth a lot in rallying! As mentioned previously I was never a fan in the Citroen domination days but what an achievement and great to see M-Sport back on top. 

 

Hyundai seem to be off the boil, especially with weird issues like Oliver's fume filled car, perhaps down to a lack of testing? To early to call, but the early form is definitely Ford Vs Toyota, great to see the pace so similar.

 

Jo

[LNERandBR]

Well that's it for this years Monte and I completely agree that it's an excellent result for the older Seb. Similarly, I never liked him when he dominated the sport with Citroen but you have to give him credit for coming back and winning. Especially after he's just done Dakar too, it's quite an achievement. 

Credit must also be given to Isabelle Galmiche for sitting beside him. Like most motorsport it's not often you see women competing at the top level and we need to see that change. She's done an excellent job and it was good to see her on the roof next to Seb. 

 

I am also really glad to see M-Sport on top, their drivers are all saying the Puma is a good car so the last two years of not developing the Fiesta have paid off. I'm really hoping that the tamac pace can be translated to the Snow in Sweden next time out and gravel.

 

Actually, may as well talk about Craig and Gus here as they both looked to be in 'bring it home' mode. Little surprised Craig didn't have more of a push on the Power Stage but then if he's in a comfortable rhythm then pushing that little bit more could have been dangerous. He mentioned last year that lack of seat time stopped him pushing that last little 5% that makes the difference so I do hope he gets on better when we get to events he's done more of recently. In fact, I forget if he's done Sweden (or Arctic Rally last year) or not these last few years.

As for Gus, I'm not at all surprised that he didn't push it in the Power Stage, he's still at the beginning of his career and hopefully now he's able to start proving the critics wrong. He's got the stage win he wanted, time for a podium!

 

Onto Toyota, for Seb Ogier, well it just seemed to come apart a little. First the tyre and then the jump start not sure what more to say really. I suspect he'll want to be back for next year's Monte now that him and Loeb are tied on Monte wins. I think it's clear we'll be seeing Lappi in Sweden to give Seb his long awaited break.

Kalle really was the comeback kid wasn't he. Not only bagging 4th place but also winning the Power Stage after Ogier's penalty was applied. He's now the de facto leader of the championship with those bonus points. 

Which brings me onto Elfyn, that costly and, in his words, silly mistake yesterday really has put him on the back foot. I have to admit I was sorry to see Kalle outdo him in the Power Stage. I suppose Elfyn's puncture earlier on the first run of the stage hampered his preparation for it. So yes, time to reset for Elfyn and try and remember his pace from Sweden 2020 and pull that though to 2022.

 

Finally, Hyundai do very much seem to be the team on the back foot, not sure if their Rally1 car is completely at blame though. Ott's retirement was due to a driver error which caused damage to the car not the car failing on him. That said, it does seem like it could have inherited the suspension issues their previous car started having in 2021 given Neuville's issues.

 

Oliver's problem however I feel was serious but I don't think lack of testing would be the cause. It seemed each Team had a single chassis for that which was shared between the Drivers. However, it's clear that something was wrong with his car and despite their efforts in service they couldn't fix it. It'll probably be something they've got to do a full strip down to fix.

There's some horrible comments come out from Neuville though as it seems he's upset that Oliver retired. I will admit, Neuville is my least favourite driver and coming out with comments like he has don't really indeer me to him. That said, it was clear he was completely drained after the power stage. Not quite sure if he tried to drive off or if his foot slipped off the clutch during his stage end interview.

 

Overall, the Rally1 era is fully upon us now and it's been an excellent start. All the cars look and sound amazing and I do think the Hybrid systems have added to the show here and not taken away from it. If anything they make more noise now then before which is the opposite to F1.

Really looking forward to Sweden and seeing how the new cars handle on Snow

 

[Steadfast]

14 minutes ago, LNERandBR said:

Oliver's problem however I feel was serious but I don't think lack of testing would be the cause. It seemed each Team had a single chassis for that which was shared between the Drivers. However, it's clear that something was wrong with his car and despite their efforts in service they couldn't fix it. It'll probably be something they've got to do a full strip down to fix.

There's some horrible comments come out from Neuville though as it seems he's upset that Oliver retired. I will admit, Neuville is my least favourite driver and coming out with comments like he has don't really indeer me to him. That said, it was clear he was completely drained after the power stage.

That was clumsy wording on my behalf about Oliver's car, that's was meant in addition to the lack of testing issues. When we hear about fumes in a top level rally car the consequences don't hear thinking about. Of course one of the theories surrounding Henri Toivonen's death is that he'd passed out from conditions on board the Lancia. Whether true or not, we may never know.

 

Fair play for Craig Breen to bring the car home, it was a podium and as his first rally in the new car on an event he wasn't 100% with is a solid start for the season. Hopefully Elfyn gets a good run in Sweden. Bring it on!

 

Jo

[LNERandBR]

 

Think this needs leaving here

[LNERandBR]

One thing I've fogotten, road sweeping will be a thing in Sweden. Therefore, Craig not taking powerstage points works in his favour. He'll be second on the road behind Kalle.

 

Roll on the next WRC round and the start of other championships outside of F1

 

[PaulRhB]

I always liked Seb Loeb even when he dominated the championship because he was always laid back. Ogier always just seemed a bit more aloof and I rather enjoyed this weekend with the old guard giving a lesson  

Great to see a new pairing also being the ones on the top step  

[LNERandBR]

Have to admit this is mad.

 

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/ludicrous-spectator-actions-almost-ruined-the-monte/

[LNERandBR]

A vlog about the Monte on Oliver Solberg's channel.

 

 

[LNERandBR]

And finally, something other than WRC! 

 

 

Although it's still Rallying