2020 Rallying

**BertMk2** · 27 Nov 2019, 11:32 (Ref:3943168)

So with the 2019 WRC season over we can start looking ahead to 2020 - what do we know already?

No Citroen
Neuville, Tanak, Loeb and Sordo at Hyundai
Ogier, Evans and Rovanpera at Toyota

Any M-Sport annoucements yet?

S griffin · 27 Nov 2019, 11:54 (Ref:3943175)

Already less seats than usual, let’s hope enough people get seats

**BertMk2** · 27 Nov 2019, 12:12 (Ref:3943178)

Quote:

Originally Posted by S griffin

Already less seats than usual, let’s hope enough people get seats

The WRC is certainly looking a bit thin for next year - we've got to hope M-Sport can get the funding together, they struggled this year after all. If they don't make it then it's going to be a very poor year.

tbtstt · 27 Nov 2019, 13:53 (Ref:3943200)

So Ogier, Evans and Rovanperä confirmed at Toyota, where do we think the rest of the field will fall?

I'd love to see Meeke and/or Breen at M-Sport, but I wonder if they have the funding to make it happen?

cg7aa · 27 Nov 2019, 21:49 (Ref:3943284)

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbtstt

So Ogier, Evans and Rovanperä confirmed at Toyota, where do we think the rest of the field will fall?

I'd love to see Meeke and/or Breen at M-Sport, but I wonder if they have the funding to make it happen?

How cow, I didn't see that coming! I thought Meeke and Latvala were probably out the door come season's end but I hadn't really contemplated who might take their seats. I would like to see Meeke in at M-Sport with Suninen, with Paddon and/or Breen in a 3rd car. Probably asking too much in terms of costs.

As someone else said, there's a dearth of seats and in my opinion, a dearth of talent coming up too. Maybe this is what will depress the sport more than anything in the end. Is there anybody coming up through the ranks we are avidly following and excited to see them progress to WRC aside from perhaps Rovenpera Jnr and Solbery Jnr? If you were a manufacturer coming in for the long haul where will you find drivers now?

hoffman66 · 28 Nov 2019, 17:39 (Ref:3943448)

I would say Meeke has had more than enough chances, he seems to be able to run up front, but can't keep it together, his slow pace is not enough.

Coming up, Obviously Oli Solberg is one, I would be signing Lappi over anyone else like Latvala or Meeke. I can also see maybe one of the De Mevius lads coming through soon, but not yet they are still not quick enough in Belgium.

GasperG · 29 Nov 2019, 12:18 (Ref:3943648)

Does any one know what is the story with Lappi? Why he left Toyota in the first place and apparently there was no seat for him in the coming year. From driving perspective I would take him over Evans. Personal reasons?

crossfades · 29 Nov 2019, 13:28 (Ref:3943673)

Quote:

Originally Posted by GasperG

Does any one know what is the story with Lappi? Why he left Toyota in the first place and apparently there was no seat for him in the coming year. From driving perspective I would take him over Evans. Personal reasons?

He and Mäkinen had a fallout of sort back in 2018.

cg7aa · 1 Dec 2019, 21:13 (Ref:3944131)

The latest headline on the official WRC website should make the championship organisers ponder the future of the sport (Eight drivers, one seat: https://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/nove...4--12-12-.html).

Where is it all headed in the long term? Will the future regulations be attractive enough for more manufacturers to jump in? What about the spectators and what they wanna see?

Anyway, in the short term, I'm hoping for some fireworks from Elfyn next season in the Toyota. I have a feeling, he's going to fly. Tanak may take a little while to get the best out of an understeering Hyundai.

hoffman66 · 1 Dec 2019, 21:35 (Ref:3944137)

To be honest my belief is that the sport has had a nice little holiday with the modern cars, but there needs to be something cheaper.

Now Citroen have gone we are down to two maybe three.

Like the old days, it is always priced out of the market.

I think there will be a lull before the hybrid regs come out, then a regeneration again.

Manufacturers are only now interested in motorsport if it follows their green agenda.

For me, means I follow non top level stuff a lot more.

Sadly

**BertMk2** · 20 Dec 2019, 10:44 (Ref:3947702)

The Toyota new boys have been out testing - I've not seen much from Hyundai or M-Sport - have they been out and about? If so who was driving (particularly interesting for the M-Sport seats).

Given the lack of entries in the WRC would the championship be better off dropping the current cars and running as an R5 championship? The works teams could continue (do Toyota have an R5 Yaris though?) and potentially you could run with a lot more local and privateer entries.

crossfades · 20 Dec 2019, 12:25 (Ref:3947717)

Tänak, Neuville and Loeb tested for Monte Carlo some week ago. M-Sport I haven't seen anything from.

For 2022 there will be hybrids so R5s would fill a gap until then I guess since Citroen dropped out now. That would however leave out Toyota. Personally I don't see much sense in it, unless another manufacture drops out and Toyota has an R5 by then.

hoffman66 · 20 Dec 2019, 22:12 (Ref:3947803)

I think if you ran R5, then entries would go through the roof, those cars are run all over the world and are perhaps the biggest success story of modern rallying.

the WRC cars are insanely expensive, and once you get past the aero pretty much the same as the last batch,

The only way you keep manufacturers is to offer them what they want and that's electro/hybrid, whether you like it or not that is what they want and they wont stay if they don't get it.

I would be happy with an R5 series with perhaps an R5+ very heavily restricted with a bit more power for the factory teams

cg7aa · 24 Dec 2019, 17:16 (Ref:3948440)

A nice short documentary about photographing our sport. I quite enjoyed it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHDpZXhPexg

**BertMk2** · 2 Jan 2020, 12:19 (Ref:3949500)

M-Sport have announced their lineup:

https://www.m-sport.co.uk/single-pos...-TEAM-FOR-2020

Lappi, Suninen and Greensmith. I quite like the look of that lineup - hopefully Lappi will be happier than he was at Citroen and Suninen and Greensmith can continue to improve.