<Insert Comment about how Solberg is "Fighting Back" here>
<Insert news about another decisive victory by Loeb>
<Mutterings about Subaru Tire Choice>

*repeat*

<Insert "go Petter!" remark>

love the title :lol:

Ok, I just gotta give props for the title. :lol: :lol:

-Biggly

One week later:
Solberg: "I....uhhh....just didn't have that feeeeling..."

Please Loeb, DNF! (love the title!)


-Mark
MAPmotors.com

I have funny titles planned for all the Rallies :D

Is it going to be on at the right time this go-round?

I'm still pissed about the last one. (missed it by 1 hr.) :mad:

This could very well be the turning point, if Petter Wins. If Loeb wins again we could be looking at a long season.

Come on Petter!

Get your act together.

Solberg wants Greek win

2003 world champion Petter Solberg has said he'll be going flat-out for victory in next weekend's Acropolis Rally in Greece as he aims to close the ever-widening 13-point gap to defending champion and current title leader Sebastien Loeb. The Norwegian has struggled in the last few rallies with technical and tyre problems.

Solberg, who won last year's Acropolis event, led the standings early in the year, but has dropped back as Loeb and his Citroen team have hit their stride and taken advantage of a Michelin tyre that appears equally dominant in either hot weather or mixed conditions. Solberg has admitted that nothing less than a win will do in Greece as he looks to revitalise his title attack after a string of four wins in a row for Loeb.

"I'm heading to Greece to win," Solberg said. "I'm ready for a big attack. I expect to take a few risks, but I'm planning to do all I can to take 10 points. I'm not going there for second place. The whole team is determined to win now that we have the same goals - win the next rally, get back on track and get the winning spirit.* I like the event a lot. It's rough and rocky, but that's normally good for Subaru and Pirelli, I think they have a good formula in the conditions and I hope the combination will be successful."

Subaru team boss David Lapworth admitted he share's Solberg's desire to get back to winning ways, but warned that the Norwegian still had to try and pick up points. "Strategically, the season is starting to get interesting for us," Lapworth said. "After Cyprus and Turkey, most*teams will be well prepared for this event and tend to be less conservative. Because this is the third rough event in a row, and drivers have got a good feeling for the pace, the car, tyre wear and so on, there shouldn't be any surprises, and you'd expect that drivers would push a little harder than normal.

"We're going to be pushing hard for a win, but we have to balance the level of risk carefully. Of course Petter has to start taking some risks if he's to win the title, yet he can't throw caution to the wind. We can't afford to score any more zeros. What's clear is that at this stage of the season, consistency is still the main priority."


Well gee, I certainly hope so!

Is it going to be on at the right time this go-round?

I'm still pissed about the last one. (missed it by 1 hr.) :mad:

Ditto; When is it on Speed?

According to Yahoo, it's on at 8pm Pacific.

Check out some of the best tarmac stages from the Donegal Rally in Ireland. Not the WRC yet..... www.abhusanseo.com

Petter can go as flat-out as he wants but unless Pirelli can counter the *tyre-company-not-to be-named* product, he's gonna have to settle for seconds.

Maybe the unnamed tire company will complain about the unsafe speeds of the rally and ask the FIZ to handicap Pirelli.

Rumor is Subaru's cars may be excluded for being underweight after SSS1 along with both Mitsubishi's. Loeb won the super special as if anything else would happen.


*******
From Autosport:

Four factory cars could be excluded from the Acropolis Rally if they are found to be underweight.

Autosport-Atlas understands that four cars were found to be under at least one of the WRC's minimum weight criteria at the end of today's Athens Superspecial.

Cars must weigh more than 1,380kg with the driver and co-driver included, and more than 1,230kg without the crew.

The cars will be re-weighed on their return to the Service Park in Lamia tonight, and if they are found to be underweight then a report will be made to the stewards.

The stewards would then meet tomorrow afternoon to decide any possible sanction, which could include recommending the cars' expulsion from the event.

The FIA declined to comment on the matter.

*********

From Subaru:

“So far we have three different answers, so we have to wait and do some more checks. There is something we don’t understand about the differences. Anything is possible,” Subaru World Rally Team Director David Lapworth said.

“It feels like putting a knife through my heart,” Solberg said.

I'm hearing they decided to just fine the teams now. Wonder what would have happened if it had happened before the USGP..

Maybe they forgot to put the spare mudflaps on. :lol:

Whoa... As of SS3, Mikko is in second, 2.9 seconds behind the lead! I think it would be pretty cool if he could lead the rally.

(I think it would be cooler if he could finish in a decent position. But we will see.)

Go Peter! But if he goes all out, it may equal him crashing the car resulting in another Loeb victory.

reference underweight Subaru's and Galli's Mitsubishi:
from www.rally-live.com

The Subarus and Galli's car penalised
Acropolis : underweight cars

The Stewards have been informed that competitor cars No 5 (Petter Solberg), 6 (Chris Atkinson), 10 (Gigi Galli) and 21 (Stephane Sarrazin) were not technically conform to the regulations during the rally.

These cars were under the permitted weight and the Stewards decided to impose the following penalties: on the Entrant Subaru World Rally Team for car No 5, 30.000 Euro, for car No 6, 20.000 and for car No 21, 10.000 Euro, as also on the Entrant Mitsubishi Motor Sports for car No 10 a penalty of 10.000 Euro.

The four drivers will be allowed to compete in the race and no time penalties will be added to the financial sanctions given to the two teams.

Well, Leg 1 isn't even over and Solberg is 3 minutes down to rally leader Loeb. Looks like Solberg has driveshaft problems...:rolleyes:

Solberg 06'!!


-Mark
MAPmotors.com

SS7 "bad news"
Special stage commentary :
Stephane Sarrazin retired (broken suspension).
Chris Atkinson retired with an engine problem.

I'm hearing they decided to just fine the teams now. Wonder what would have happened if it had happened before the USGP..FIA would have tossed them from this rally, and the penalties may not have stopped with that.

Look what happened to the BAR team when found to be underweight a few weeks ago @ the San Marino GP... Not only were their results DQ'd from that race, FIA banned them from the next two races, and placed them on "probation" for the rest of the season. (BAR is the prodrive team in F1, btw.)

Or just look at WRC recent history... they have not hesitated to toss cars from the rally for infractions like this.

This is really strange!

If they disqualified one of the few drivers that stood a chance of beating Loeb, there goes more viewership. I'm sure they're losing viewers w/ every Loeb win. Not that Loeb's not great, but it's not as much fun to watch a race series if it's always the same guy winning. And ultimately its about money. And viewership is money.

So it's the whole entertainment vs. sport dealio again...

In this case, if you happen to believe that rallying is more entertainment than sport, or your a fan of anyone besides Loeb, it was good that officials slapped the offenders on the wrist and let 'em continue to run for points.

But if you believe that WRC should be more sport than entertainment, and/or you're a Loeb / Peugot fan, this will seem like the wrong decision.

Sort of a lose, lose situation for the officials in both at Acropolis and Indy... 'cause no matter what they decide, someone's gonna be mad.

This penalty is already being portrayed as a gift to Subaru on the wires...
http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/050624/3/bs5d.html.

As a scooby owner, I wish we had not been gifted this one... It is not sporting, it is not proper.

You are right, OnTheGas. My questtion is: For a higher entry fee (penalty) can any team run a lighter car in the future? Petter's car was 12 kg lighter, so for 100000 EU, he could run a 40 kg lighter car? That would be kind of interesting. Or would it?

Looking at the link below, Subaru obviously needs to redesign the Impreza to allow a steeper approach angle (raising an uproar when its NHTSA classification changes to "Light Truck").

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/050624/ids_photos_sp/r1030637958.jpg

On the weight thing... At the moment it is not a clear-cut question of the cars being underweight. The cars were weighed on Wednesday as part of scrutineering on one set of scales and were found to be within legal weights. The underweight issue was discovered on a different set of scales. The cars were weighed again on the scales in the service park and they were unable to get the same reading as the scales at the superspecial. There is now a question of if the scales at the superspecial may not have been calibrated correctly. Given that, there is a reasonable doubt as to whether the cars actually were underweight or not.

As for why a fine was imposed rather than time penalties or exclusions, it's the same as when fines were imposed for all the guys who did engine swaps after shakedown in Mexico. It's easier to recind a fine later on down the road if it is discovered that no rules were violated. But it's hard to go back and say "oops, we should have let you run the rally." The FIA can always apply time penalties or exclude drivers afterward if they so choose. (Though given the current results there is a certain question of why bother?)

Oh, and the decision to impose fines rather than penalties was not made by the FIA. The Acropolis Rally Stewards made that call.

That makes sense. Unfortunatly for for Subaru "why bother?" is a sad reality...

Day 1 info...:mad:

Rally Acropolis Leaderboard:

1. S. Loeb / D. Elena Citroen 1:24.37,6
2. M. Grönholm / T. Rautiainen Peugeot +0:06,1
3. C. Sainz / M. Marti Citroen +0:14,0
4. T. Gardemeister / J. Honkanen Ford +0:17,7
5. M. Hirvonen / J. Lehtinen Ford +0:48,8
6. H. Rovanperä / R. Pietiläinen Mitsubishi +1:08,3
7. H. Solberg / C. Menkerud +1:10,7
8. G. Galli / G. DAmore Mitsubishi +1:37,8
9. M. Märtin / M. Park Peugeot +1:49,7
10. T. Johansson / K. Lindström Subaru +2:01,4
11. K. Sohlberg / T. Hantunen Subaru +2:12,3
12. J. Paasonen / J. Vainikka Skoda A8 +2:19,4
13. X. Pons / O. Julia Citroen A8 + 2:20,8
14. P. Solberg / P. Mills Subaru +3:07,8
15. A. Vovos / E. Em Subaru +3:20,8


Leg One News

Despite having the worst of the road conditions, Sebastien Loeb (Citroen)
ended the day with a 6.1sec advantage over Marcus Grönholm (Peugeot).
Grönholm had the upper hand for most of the day, despite having to switch to
a manual gearchange system this morning, but the Frenchman moved ahead with
a blistering time on the final stage. Carlos Sainz (Citroen), competing on
his final WRC rally, kept out of trouble to claim third, just 3.7sec ahead
of Gardemeister. Behind Hirvonen, Harri Rovanperä (Mitsubishi) held sixth
despite handling problems on both runs through the long stage at the end of
each group. Petter Solberg (Subaru) is 14th after struggling with handling problems when he lost his car's spoiler after going off the road on the second stage. Then a broken rear driveshaft this afternoon cost almost three minutes. Team-mates Chris Atkinson and Stephane Sarrazin retired after stage six with engine and rear suspension problems respectively. Team-mates Armin Schwarz and Janne Tuohino (Skoda) were early casualties. Schwarz stopped with engine problems while Tuohino was sidelined with gearbox troubles.



-Mark
MAPmotors.com

yeah it's not looking too good for subaru.

darn my lack of speed channel.

Solberg constantly DNFing and having problems is depressing me :(.

At least place in the top three, man!

So I was at the service park Fri afternoon and I saw an interesting guest in the pits. Colin McCRae. We need to get a better team. Things are going to be very interesting if PSA completely withdraws next season

I was standing in pit row and could see all the techs getting things ready; gearbox, rear diff, LR alxe, both rear knuckles, steering rack and some kind of badass steering rack brace/mount. supposedly from running in a ditch? I really like him and all, but it seems he is always pushing to hard. Even at the Super Special Stage, he was in the wall the whole time. Easy buddy, easy. I guess the loyal fan in me just wants to blame it on the tires!

I was standing in pit row and could see all the techs getting things ready; gearbox, rear diff, LR alxe, both rear knuckles, steering rack and some kind of badass steering rack brace/mount. supposedly from running in a ditch?

I assume you're refering to Petter? He slid into a ditch on the first real stage of the rally and took off the trunk lid. Though my understanding that the damage, while detrimental to the handling, wasn't that extensive. I wonder if that wasn't when the rear drive shaft broke?

It seems to me that at the moment Petter is really frustrated, and that does tend to make him over-drive. I'm kind of hoping that after having yet another poor result maybe he will finally be frustrated enough to stop thinking about the Championship and just drive. Because when he does that, magic happens. (And until he does, ditches happen.)

Rally Acropolis Leaderboard:

1 LOEB/ELENA Citroen 2:54:28.8
2 GARDEMEISTER/HONKANEN Ford +01:24.6
3 SAINZ/MARTI Citroen +01:32.3
4 GRÖNHOLM/RAUTIAINEN Peugoet +02:44.1
5 HIRVONEN/LEHTINEN Ford +02:50.3
6 ROVANPERA/PIETILAINEN +03:17.2
7 GALLI/DAMORE Mitsubishi +03:54.4
8 MARTIN/PARK Peugeot +04:19.6
9 SOLBERG/MILLS Subaru +05:27.3
10 JOHANSSON/LINDSTROM Subaru +05:32.4

Leg Two News

Championship leader Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) dominated the leg as the
Frenchman closed in on a record-breaking fifth consecutive victory. He was
fastest on all eight stages to extend his advantage to 1min 24.6sec. Marcus
Grönholm (Peugeot) was his closest challenger throughout the morning but he broke a driveshaft early on the second stage of the afternoon loop and
dropped more than two minutes in the remaining three tests to slide to
fourth. Carlos Sainz (Citroen) punctured four tyres on the opening loop but
lost no time and punctured two more when he left the road briefly on the
final stage. Sixth-placed Harri Rovanperä (Mitsubishi) struggled for grip
during the afternoon while team-mate Gigi Galli dropped 40 seconds this
morning after losing turbo boost. Jani Paasonen (Skoda) retired after
crashing on the second stage while Petter Solberg (Subaru) climbed back to ninth after yesterday's problems.

Looks like Solberg is staying there, unless something happens.
Subaru

Petter Solberg endured another tough time on today's second Leg of the
Acropolis Rally of Greece. Starting this morning from 14th place overall,
after problems on yesterday's first Leg, his opportunities to fight back
were badly affected by a poor starting position.
Despite running as the second car through the sandy and slippery stages,
Solberg made up five places during the day and holds ninth place overnight.
Re-starting the rally today under the Superally system, Stéphane Sarrazin
enjoyed a trouble-free Leg in his Impreza WRC2005. On only the second gravel rally of his career, the Frenchman grew in confidence throughout the day and traded stage times with other far more experienced WRC drivers.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "It's been a very difficult day. Running so close
to the head of the field meant we had the worst possible road surface, and
we simply couldn't go any faster. There was a lot of fine, sandy gravel out
there and it was very, very slippery. I did my best, and the car has been
perfectly reliable, but it was never going to be enough to make up for the
road position. It's frustrating to be so uncompetitive on stages that I won
last year - but I suppose not entirely unexpected in the circumstances. We
made a few adjustments to the car set-up at the mid-point service, but
somehow the package didn't come together properly. For tomorrow we'll keep
fighting, keep doing our best, and aim to take away as many points as
possible."


-Mark
MAPmotors.com

Frustrating weekend for Subaru
Acropolis : Subaru World Rally Team - Finish
Solberg disappointed by his result

After three difficult days of competition, Petter Solberg finished the Acropolis Rally of Greece in ninth place this afternoon. Despite a determined effort on today's stages to close the gap on the cars ahead, Solberg was unable to make up the time lost earlier in the rally.

Stéphane Sarrazin delivered an impressive performance on only his second gravel rally. Despite the disadvantage of running as one of the first cars through today's four slippery stages, the Frenchman grew in speed and confidence throughout the event.

Petter Solberg
"As you'd expect I'm disappointed with my result, it's not the one I was hoping for. In fact, I have been disappointed about my results on the last few rallies, that's for sure. But we have to put this aside and look forward to Argentina now. There are plenty of reasons to feel confident about the next rally; I know I can win it. We've reached the mid-point in the Championship and yes, I would have liked to have closed in on Seb, but it's certainly not over yet."

Stéphane Sarrazin
"I had a few problems with punctures and tyre choices on Friday and Saturday which interrupted my rhythm on this rally, but re-starting on Saturday allowed me more time to think about the car set-up and I think that was quite a benefit. Generally I'm very pleased with my performance. I think I am making good progress and I'm feeling confident about the future."

David Lapworth, Team Principal
"This has been a character building event for the whole team. It's been frustrating for Petter not to have a clean run against his rivals. After problems early on, it was difficult for him to fight back from his position. He's not really been able to show what he can do on these stages. It would be very easy to under-estimate Stéphane's performance here, as he doesn't have a great deal to show for all of his efforts. But his times on the latter stages were impressive, considering his position on the road, and if he continues to make progress like this he'll be a serious contender on gravel as well as asphalt."

Teams cross the Atlantic for round nine of the 2005 World Rally Championship, the Rally of Argentina. In contrast to the recent run of hot and rough Mediterranean events, South America's round of the WRC is a smoother, faster rally that takes place in the cooler temperatures of the Argentine mid-winter. Run in the countryside around the host town of Carlos Paz, close to the city of Cordoba, the rally begins on Friday 15th July.

Press release
Subaru World Rally Team

SPOILER....9th place :furious: no telling what FIA is going to do for a penalty

This rally season is unwatchable. Loeb winning the last 5 rallies leaves the manufacturer's title as the only interesting race. Maybe it isn't so bad that I no longer have the speed channel. :(

~~Quentin

Prodrive is doing rather pathetic lately.

This rally season is unwatchable. Loeb winning the last 5 rallies leaves the manufacturer's title as the only interesting race. Maybe it isn't so bad that I no longer have the speed channel. :(


I wouldn't call it unwatchable. It's never the most exciting thing when there's no real championship chase, but the SpeedTV footage has not become the Seb Loeb show. There was plenty of good action last night.

However, I do find it ironic that, with Loeb running away with WRC and Rossi running away with MotoGP, the only competitive action is in F1. When does that ever happen?

Wish I could go.

This season is about as exciting to watch as a Chess tournament.

Shoot, maybe I shoud start watching NASCAR. or something :lol:

I wouldn't call it unwatchable. It's never the most exciting thing when there's no real championship chase, but the SpeedTV footage has not become the Seb Loeb show. There was plenty of good action last night.


I agree. I think the WRC broadcast has done a pretty good job of concentrating on the other battles going on instead of the lead Loeb has walked away with.

There has been other years when a driver has dominated, for example Gronholm used to win everything

In other news I heard that Loeb is in talks with Ford. I think next year will be pretty interesting if they do away with active diffs. My theory is that Loebs driving style is helped out by the active diffs and he may be a bit less suited to less grip. We'll see

Nonetheless about the diffs. Loeb looks to be unstoppable, for now. Its kinda like the old days of Herman Mairer, before that wreck he had on is bike, he was unstoppable, but even now, after almost losing his leg he still in the top 3. But now its the time of Bode Miller :banana: :banana: USA USA USA :banana: :banana:

I'm really looking forward to next year. I'm interested in how next year will lay out w/ Peugeot and Citreon leaving. It'll be interesting to see which teams Loeb, Martin and Gronholm will join.

I wonder if Subaru will pick any of them up. Or if any of them might bring the likes of Skoda and Mitsubishi into real contention for the championship. Wasn't there some talk of Suzuki getting into the WRC too?

I'm really looking forward to next year. I'm interested in how next year will lay out w/ Peugeot and Citreon leaving. It'll be interesting to see which teams Loeb, Martin and Gronholm will join.

I wonder if Subaru will pick any of them up. Or if any of them might bring the likes of Skoda and Mitsubishi into real contention for the championship. Wasn't there some talk of Suzuki getting into the WRC too?

I have heard from good sources that Gronholm will be retiring
Also Hyundai should be back as well

This rally season is unwatchable. Loeb winning the last 5 rallies leaves the manufacturer's title as the only interesting race. Maybe it isn't so bad that I no longer have the speed channel. :(

~~Quentin
Wha? Speed is on basic cable here!


Was Solberg's car underweight because he lost his trunk/spoiler/taillight on SS1?

-Matt

This is just a bunch of random ramblings, but I really get the feeling that the Subaru is just not competitive to the Citroen and won't be until a drastic change. Is this the hatchback that the news and rumors forum has been talking about for 2007? Perhaps...

But the reliability just isn't there, and while I'm obviously biased towards Petter, I really don't think he's THAT much "worse" of a driver than Loeb, but Loeb has such a fantastic car and tire package (funny how Michelin is being blamed for the end of the world of F1 last weekend, yet in Rallies they have been doing quite well this year!)

Petter can't be competitive without a fantastic car and I love Subaru as much as the next guy on here, but I think the WRC2005 is showing its age against its competitors. I'm really just talking out of my ass and have no real information to back this up other than gut feeling and my own perception.

Or, as all n00b WRX drivers used to say after putting their new cars into telephone poles, "Maybe the tires caused the accident..." Who knows, but it seems like this year will end similar to last- a SLIM chance of victory if everything goes right from here on out and "unlucky" incidents for Loeb, otherwise, it's pretty much over.

Seems like with Solberg it's either DNF (or damned near close) or 1st place.

Wha? Speed is on basic cable here!


Was Solberg's car underweight because he lost his trunk/spoiler/taillight on SS1?

-Matt
Nope. Basic cable is through channel 29, while Speed is on channel 72. It is like $10 a month for the basic package.

~~Quentin

Seems like with Solberg it's either DNF (or damned near close) or 1st place.

How do you figure?

Solberg took 3rd in New Zealand, 2nd in Turkey and 2nd in San Remo.
Loeb has either won or DNF'd every rally, except for Mexico, where he took 4th.

How do you figure?

Solberg took 3rd in New Zealand, 2nd in Turkey and 2nd in San Remo.
Loeb has either won or DNF'd every rally, except for Mexico, where he took 4th.
Yeah - you're right about this year, i was just bummin' because I was just extending last year into this year in my mind- I mean, look at the last half of 2004 starting with NZ:
1st, 4th, 1st, 3rd, DNF, DNF, DNF, 1st, 1st, 1st, 5th, 5th, DNF.

Look at Loeb's year over the same period:
4th, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, DNF, 1st.

Like I said, I'm as much of a Subaru + Solberg whore as the next guy and would LOVE to see him battle back to take the drivers championship this year. My humble and very unscientific opinion is that Solberg is on par with Loeb as a driver, but I don't think Subaru is on par with Citroen as a team or car. Just my .02

well done Mikko.

Prodrive have no involvement in BAR anymore.

the larger ? is what will be happening to FIA WRC over the next 2 years. As much as we love Subaru, the top 2 teams(Peugot/Citroen) are leaving, while that can allow the other teams to pick up some awesome drivers, I am not thrilled to see a line up of Subaru STi 9 WRC, Mitsu Evolution IX WRC, Ford Focus RS WRC, and whatever the hell Skoda is going to run as its WRC.

AFAIK, those are the only commited manufacturers, i hope Hyundai is willing to enter, but every other manufacturer is gearing their motorsports team to something else. Audi has stated they will w/ their current focus in their motorsports program.

I hope that Gp N is not going to turn out to be the last bastion of world wide rally competetion. And considering teh new engine designs mandated by FIA, will subaru bolt too. I think thats for the best. I think other manufacturers will follow them. and a larger focus may be towards events in the eastern hemisphere as Peugot/Citroen are no longer in teh mix.

Will there be a manufacturers league entering more cars per manufacturer at teh top level, and possibly a larger gap between them and the privateers or any competitir from Gp N.

Should Gp A be brought back as tier in between the manufacturers and the have nots?

Hell, I didn't even think i'd see Sainz in a WRC car again...
questions, problems, complaints?

All I can say is that it isn't looking good for Subaru this year. Oh, than and that crow is best served well cooked, that was a determined and mature drive from Mikko so I shall now eat my negative words towards him....with a bit of Tabasco Sauce. It is unfortunate things went wrong for him with Subaru, maybe they did let go of a budding talent?!?!?

Jon

PS: Good lord Sebastien can drive, I am in awe.

Prodrive have no involvement in BAR anymore.

I was refering more to their crappy Le Mans results.

What was up with Speed's over use of the "virtual spectator" crap? It's horrible! The old system of showing the in-car approaching the finish with the time of the car they want to beat shown against their time was great! Why do we want to see computer models of the "action?" Are we so lacking in imagination that we have to be shown what it would look like if it were NASCAR style racing? ;)

I can't believe they filled the Olympic Stadium for the super special. I don't think they filled the stadium for any Olympic events other than opening and closing ceremonies!

I was refering more to their crappy Le Mans results.

Whose crappy LeMans results? I thought the Astons did admirably for their first year at LeMans, but we must have been watching a different race. Lets not forget the Prodrive Ferraris beating Chevy so badly they could pull into their pits to wash the car before they won.

Jon

Lets not forget the Prodrive Ferraris beating Chevy so badly they could pull into their pits to wash the car before they won.

Jon

Yes, and that just validates how bad Prodrive is recently compared to how they were.

AFAIK, those are the only commited manufacturers, i hope Hyundai is willing to enter

IIRC, Hyundai is fully committed to running a team for the 2006 season.

[QUOTE=Car #187]What was up with Speed's over use of the "virtual spectator" crap? It's horrible! The old system of showing the in-car approaching the finish with the time of the car they want to beat shown against their time was great! Why do we want to see computer models of the "action?" Are we so lacking in imagination that we have to be shown what it would look like if it were NASCAR style racing? ;)

QUOTE]

Agreed. The commentating was also directed at a 4th grade level. They have dumbed it down for a less knowledgeable audience. The female's comentary was especially bad. "There's some fans waiting at the end of the stage" Really?

I was refering to a previous post in this thread by OnTheGas, bemani.

Nice bit of pie eating there Jon. :)

I was refering to a previous post in this thread by OnTheGas, bemani.


:shrug: I wanted to vent about Prodrive anyways :furious:

What was up with Speed's over use of the "virtual spectator" crap? It's horrible! The old system of showing the in-car approaching the finish with the time of the car they want to beat shown against their time was great! Why do we want to see computer models of the "action?" Are we so lacking in imagination that we have to be shown what it would look like if it were NASCAR style racing? ;)



Agreed. The commentating was also directed at a 4th grade level. They have dumbed it down for a less knowledgeable audience. The female's comentary was especially bad. "There's some fans waiting at the end of the stage" Really?

:rolleyes:

You mean to tell me you haven't noticed the improvement from Ralf Shehee? This year's coverage has been *EXCELLENT* easily the best WRC cover ever in the US, period. I am completely satisfied with the female commentator, she knows the sport and does a great play-by-play. Nicky too, he's a bit of a tool, but does a great job with on location color commentary.

The VS was a bit too much in a few places, but for the most part it was used very well, and they really only animated the finish line for a few stages. Love it or hate it, at least they are making an effort. Sorry for the rant but I for one always try to be appreciative that I get to see this stuff at all, in all likelihood NASCAR drivers playing poker would get better ratings for SPEED....

==========
*whew* with that out of the way, about the rally:

That opening stage in the Olympic stadium is the coolest thing I've ever seen, they need to do that for more events, 70,000 rally fans in one place at one time? Amazing!!

Hirvonen did a remarkable job, I guess I have a little crow to eat as well on that one. Very impressive! Too bad for the gearbox trouble he had.

Loeb, how good is this guy? Is there any stopping him? As much of a Solberg fan as I am, I cannot begrudge SL at all, because he is just so damn good at what he does. It will be very interesting to see how he gets on next year in a different car. My guess is he'll be just as good, and that we are looking at a legend in the making, but changing cars can be quite tricky in Rally, so we'll have to see....

More dazzling driving from Gigi again in this event, he is so exciting to watch. And it looks like the Mitsu is gradually finding some form as well.

Sorry for the rant but I for one always try to be appreciative that I get to see this stuff at all, in all likelihood NASCAR drivers playing poker would get better ratings for SPEED....

:lol: :lol: :lol: , Agree.


Loeb, how good is this guy? Is there any stopping him? As much of a Solberg fan as I am, I cannot begrudge SL at all, because he is just so damn good at what he does.

It looks so easy for him. Watching him drive the stages, he looks like Sandra Bullack driving around the LA airport in Speed.

:rolleyes:



Loeb, how good is this guy? Is there any stopping him? As much of a Solberg fan as I am, I cannot begrudge SL at all, because he is just so damn good at what he does. It will be very interesting to see how he gets on next year in a different car. My guess is he'll be just as good, and that we are looking at a legend in the making, but changing cars can be quite tricky in Rally, so we'll have to see....



What team is Loeb going to next year? I always hit the news sites and don't remember anything about that. Why would you want to leave a team as good as Citroen?

What team is Loeb going to next year? I always hit the news sites and don't remember anything about that. Why would you want to leave a team as good as Citroen?

You've been asleep, eh?





Citroen is pulling out of rally next year along with Peugeot

Nothing has been announced about Seb as to where he is going, but I have heard he is talking with Ford, but that is just the rumor going around the WRC people

:rolleyes:

You mean to tell me you haven't noticed the improvement from Ralf Shehee? This year's coverage has been *EXCELLENT* easily the best WRC cover ever in the US, period. I am completely satisfied with the female commentator, she knows the sport and does a great play-by-play. .

.

No the best coverage was from 98-2001 when they had a week or so to edit the show, they were works of art, and IMO far better than the current shows


Nicky too, he's a bit of a tool, but does a great job with on location color commentary

:rolleyes: Do you know Nicky personally? I do, and he is definitely not a tool. He is actually a blast to hang out with



http://www.morgansegal.com/images/grist.jpg

*Edit, double post

No the best coverage was from 98-2001 when they had a week or so to edit the show, they were works of art, and IMO far better than the current shows


They were great, and that old announcer is still the best, however 90 min on sunday night > 30 min a week later.



:rolleyes: Do you know Nicky personally? I do, and he is definitely not a tool. He is actually a blast to hang out with

http://www.morgansegal.com/images/grist.jpg
[/quote]

No I don't know him personally, but I think that pic proves my point. :devil: I wouldn't be surprised if he is a great guy to hang with, I'm just saying he always struck me as having a very big head in his career as codriver. You don't know Michael Schumacher, but I bet you have an opinion on him, same deal here.

Prodrive have no involvement in BAR anymore.Yes, and I stand corrected!

Honda bought into BAR after last season, and tossed out Dave Richards' and the Prodrive management contract. Nick Fry's Prodrive history confused my memory of that...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/4025815.stm

They were great, and that old announcer is still the best, however 90 min on sunday night > 30 min a week later.
.


Less is more. Get results from the internet anyways, so there is no surprise. When I watch the old shows (still have them on tape) I get way more excited about rally, the new shows are boring in comparison

You don't know Michael Schumacher, but I bet you have an opinion on him, same deal here.

Actually, I don't have an opinion about Schumacher, I ignore F1 for the most part ;)