2019 WRC and Off Road Discussion Thread

Current motorsport related news, information and discussion on any series that does not fit in the above or below categories
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Everso Biggyballies
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2019 WRC and Off Road Discussion Thread

#1

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Start the thread with two great bits of news.......

Firstly it is almost Dakar time again.

The 2019 event to be run only in Peru, will start in Lima on January 6th. Just 3 weeks away. WooHoo . :thumbsup:

Better news though is that forum favourite Robby Gordon is returning after missing the last two events, and will be entering a 3 car team. :twothumbs:

Carlos Sainz, last years winner, with the demise of the Peugeot Works Dakar Project over, is entered for 2019 in an X Raid Mini, as are Monsieur Dakar himself, Stéphane Peterhansel, and Cyril Despres.

Sebastian Loeb is driving a Privately entered Peugeot... in fact it is the ex works car he used in 2017.
Otherwise all the usual top car drivers are entered, AL Attiya in a Toyota, De Villiers, Roma, Prokop, Ten Brinke etc etc.

Full listing of all Car, bike, Truck and Buggy runners can be found here: https://www.dakar.com/en/competitors

The event this time round is run exclusively in Peru, starting/finishing as I said in Lima.

Usual spot for news, the route etc etc https://www.dakar.com/en
Last edited by Everso Biggyballies 5 years ago, edited 2 times in total.

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#2

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

In other (WRC) news....

Loeb has confirmed he will be joining Hyundai on a 2 year contract.

Hyundai will field Thierry Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen for the full WRC season next year, with Loeb and Sordo sharing a third car in which Sordo will contest the eight events Loeb is missing. Loeb will start with the season-opening Monte Carlo. He will also do Sweden with Sordo not running until Mexico.

Hayden Paddon's future with Hyundai is uncertain.

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#3

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Dakar is just a couple of days away now

In the lead up Carlos Sainz is cooncerned over his ride's potential unreliability over other 4 wheel drive machinery. (Sainz is running in a Mini buggy with I presume from the article might be 2 wheel drive. :dunno: ?)
Defending Dakar champion Carlos Sainz Snr is worried about the reliability of the still relatively new Mini buggies going into the 2019 edition.

Sainz, Stéphane Peterhansel, and Cyril Despres, have all come across to compete with the X-Raid Mini JCW Team after Peugeot closed its Dakar program.

The Mini buggies debuted in last year’s Dakar after a hasty development timeline, and Sainz has reservations about reliability 12 months on.

The Spaniard pointed to the experience which Toyota Gazoo Racing has with its Hilux, which is likely to be a contender through Nasser Al-Attiyah in particular.

“I’d say we have every chance,” said Sainz.

“Lucas (Cruz, co-driver) and I are happy since we joined forces and entered this new project to race the Mini buggy.

“Since the first test in Morocco in June until now the car’s evolution has been huge.

“But we have to keep in mind that it’s a car that’s very new to raids, as it made its debut in last year’s Dakar.

“That means that it doesn’t have years of development like the Toyota or the four-wheel drive Mini.

“That, whether you like it or not, is one of the things that worries me – reliability.

“Not because of a lack of work, but because of a lack of experience for the car itself in competition.”

Sainz also suggested that the 2019 Dakar Rally will be even more gruelling than the last despite comprising only 10 stages instead of the 14 of 2018.

Peru will be the sole host this year, the first time the event has been held within a single country, and the two-time World Rally Champion believes that the dominance of dune terrain will be a major challenge.

“I expect an intense, complicated Dakar,” noted Sainz.

“Even if it’s shorter, the percentage of dunes is very close to 100 percent, so a 300-kilometre stage will take us around five hours, with a trap every minute and huge stress in every stage.

“The stress this year is going to be higher and the amount of accidents too.

“Every day, every kilometre, things are going to happen. Until the final kilometre and until you are at the finish, you won’t be able to relax.

“If you have a 20-minute advantage on the final day and there’s dunes ahead, you can’t be relaxed.

“There could be many surprises. Last year we saw how hard Peru was over the first five days, when just two drivers were left in contention for the win.”
https://www.speedcafe.com/2019/01/03/sa ... liability/

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


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#4

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

For those wishing to see Dakar highlights, Red Bull TV are broadcasting daily highlights:
Peru, South America
See daily highlights from Peru and go behind the scenes with teams, drivers and rally legends to experience the jaw-dropping beauty and brutality of the most prestigious off-road rally on the planet.
A full schedule is shown below: For Aussies it will be shown at 11.00am AEDT

Info on this link. It auto showed my local broadcast time so I presume it will do the same for other time zones.

https://www.redbull.com/int-en/tv/live/ ... akar-rally
UPCOMING
Preview show – Dakar Daily
Mon, Jan 7th – 11:00AM AEDT
,
UPCOMING
Stage 1 – Dakar Daily
Tue, Jan 8th – 11:00AM AEDT
,
UPCOMING
Stage 2 – Dakar Daily
Wed, Jan 9th – 11:00AM AEDT
,
UPCOMING
Stage 3 – Dakar Daily
Thu, Jan 10th – 11:00AM AEDT
,
UPCOMING
Stage 4 – Dakar Daily
Fri, Jan 11th – 11:00AM AEDT
,
UPCOMING
Stage 5 – Dakar Daily
Sat, Jan 12th – 11:00AM AEDT
,
UPCOMING
Rest day – Dakar Daily
Sun, Jan 13th – 11:00AM AEDT
,
UPCOMING
Stage 6 – Dakar Daily
Mon, Jan 14th – 11:00AM AEDT
,
UPCOMING
Stage 7 – Dakar Daily
Tue, Jan 15th – 11:00AM AEDT
,
UPCOMING
Stage 8 – Dakar Daily
Wed, Jan 16th – 11:00AM AEDT
,
UPCOMING
Stage 9 – Dakar Daily
Thu, Jan 17th – 11:00AM AEDT
,
UPCOMING
Stage 10 – Dakar Daily
Fri, Jan 18th – 11:00AM AEDT
Lots of extra videos on the same link.

It will obviously be centred around the Red Bull entries, of which there are many.... but better than a poke in the eye with a pointed stick as they say. :wink:

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)

* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
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#5

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

For when Dakar starts, here is a live tracking service for all competitors, with links there to all categories.

http://www.trackingdakar.nl/en/stage-1/cars/waypoints/
This website is brought to you for free by Mischa Visser. I started this website, because it is very difficult to follow the participants of the Dakar rally during the stages on the official website. On this site you see a full live ranking, so you have a good view of how your favorite participant is doing against the competition. This way you can see if anyone will make great leaps in the standings during the stage.

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#6

Post by Cheeveer »

Live stream from the start podium tomorrow evening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xi4kfiSElA
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#7

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Yay, there is interest from others.... I was beginning to think I was alone in my interest. Thanks for the link @Cheeveer :thumbsup:

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#8

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Out of interest, Mark Webber, who since retiring has said motor racing is over for him, knocking back GT appearances at the Bathurst 12 hours and many other suggestions, has today admitted that the Dakar Rally would be one of the few events that could tempt him out of retirement.
He has spoken to 2 time winner Carlos Sainz about the event. The big hurdle to any return to motor racing one offs like the Dakar is it seems coming from his now wife (long term partner he has recently married) Ann Neal. As such he said this event (Dakar)was the one thing that might.... but was unlikely.

FWIW and unrelated he also said he had considered the Indy 500 / Indycar back before his F1 career was established.
Neal proved an instrumental figure in Webber’s career, guiding him from Formula Ford to F1 while overseeing much of his management affairs.

“I don’t think she’d be too happy with me getting my helmet back out,” Webber admitted.

“‘You’re just boring, move on, boring you washed up old racing driver, do something else,’ she says. ‘Stop being a has been.'”

The veteran also ruled out a start at the Indianapolis 500, but admits he came close before his F1 career took root.

“It’s too dangerous,” he suggested.

“The late ’90s there was a small chance I could have gone to Indy with Forsythe, but it wasn’t to be.

“I like watching it, but I don’t particularly want to race in it.”
https://www.speedcafe.com/2019/01/05/we ... kar-start/

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#9

Post by Cheeveer »

Everso Biggyballies wrote: 5 years ago Yay, there is interest from others.... I was beginning to think I was alone in my interest. Thanks for the link @Cheeveer :thumbsup:
:thumbsup:

I hope there will be more live coverage this year. The TV package has never done the Dakar justice.
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#10

Post by erwin greven »

Start Dakar rally.

Brian Redman: "Mr. Fangio, how do you come so fast?" "More throttle, less brakes...."
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#11

Post by Cheeveer »

***Some say you should live each day like it was your last... but who wants to live each day in wild panic and extreme death anxiety?

The universe, look at the hugeness of it... it is a dizzying thought that little ol' me is the centre of it all!***
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#12

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Al Attiyah is looking strong in the Toyota, albeit only after stage 1 so too early to tell I guess.... maybe the others are just finding their legs, getting a handle on the sand and conditions, not to mention cars. AA seems to be on his usual 100% all the way 'win it, break it or bin it' approach.

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#13

Post by Cheeveer »

de Villier leading after stage 2, which Loeb won. Peterhansel lost 15 minutes with some issue there.
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#14

Post by kals »

Erm...
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#15

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

That was a bit plotless!

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