This year, the main forces of the teams will be cast at creating and bringing to mind the new model cars — trained technical requirements effective from 1 January 2017. But despite this, the fight in the season-2016 has not been canceled. So what awaits us in the coming year? What will be the World Rally Championship 2016?
One thing is for sure — the racers, the speakers are not on the Volkswagen Polo R WRC, vanishingly small chances to win the championship. And there is nothing offensive — it was too good was the Volkswagen in the past year, and in the off-season it is unlikely at least something has changed for the worse. During the holidays, engineers and mechanics team had some work by increasing the body structure and improving the reliability of the engine.
The pilots of the German team remained the same — a disadvantage for the opponents. It is possible that the three-time world champion Sebastien Ogier, fast Jari-Matti Latvala and progressing with each step Andreas Mikkelsen and can not leave his rivals a chance to win at certain stages.
However, and in the sun there are spots. In 2015, the Frenchman stumbled in Spain, the Finn has repeatedly made mistakes, and Norwegian is not only wrong, but also changed the navigator!
Mnogohodovki, which resulted in the Norwegian riders swapped navigators, as follows. Co-driver Jonas Andersson Mads Ostberg suddenly joined the crew Pontus Tidemanda. Skipper Andreas Mikkelsen Ola Floene resigned from Volkswagen and this year will sit in the right seat Ford Fiesta RS WRC Ostberg. A Mikkelsen will be assisted by Andreas Jaeger.
As a result of all this, Ostberg and Mikkelsen be at a disadvantage in relation to competitors situation — their crews had not yet rolled into 100 per cent and, at least in the Monte Carlo Rally, it will not be easy.
But the difficulty does not end Mads Ostberg. Returning under the wing of Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport team Norway has at its disposal last year's car, which is unlikely to be updated in the course of the season — the British team is currently on the principle of «not to fat — to be living.» Sponsors not, Ostberg and his teammate Eric Camilli hardly brought any huge budgets — their commercial performances Evgeny Novikov is long gone. In this regard, Mads — if he decides to try to fight with Ogier associates — will have to jump over your head...
By the way, his colleague Eric Camilli is so far the main mystery among pilots — no one knows what a Frenchman. Last season he played at an average level in WRC 2, and is now testing a prototype Toyota Yaris WRC, now sent to the company museum. The objective for the season is Camilli set of experiences, but whether it was appropriate to do it at the level of a pilot factory team? We think not, but Malcolm Wilson always had a peculiar attitude to young riders — he likes to hand out generous advances.
The Korean team worked tirelessly. Its experts were engaged in projects in parallel and two cars in the offseason spent a generational change. Instead of the old three-door version of the new five-door is now. Its potential is yet a mystery to all, even to the Koreans. Something will become clear only after the first three stages of the championship. But judging by the many movies to test new products, we can not say that she showed some exorbitant rates. So Sebastien Ogier could not worry. Probably.
Especially as Hyundai Motorsport will retain the same crews. This is both good and bad. Good, because Thierry Neuville is extremely fast; Dani Sordo is quick on asphalt and has extensive experience as a drive on the gravel, and fine-tuning of new cars; Hayden Peddon certainly talented and Kevin Abbring is a great «reserve» player. But there are downsides to this composition. Neville had 2015 badly, he made mistakes, and constantly faced with technical problems. Peak Sordo's career seems to be over — it is hoped that he will open a second wind. Peddon fast, but not the greatest experience of playing on a WRC car, coupled with increased psychological stress — the team plans to regularly declare it as a factory pilot — can play a trick on him. A task-based debugging will Abbring Hyundai i20 R5, and performances in the World Cup — only secondarily.
Left the world rally championship factory team Citroen Racing has left a satellite — formally «private» team Abu Dhabi Total Racing. Machines are the same — Citroen DS3 WRC, the truth in the press releases of the new team name carefully thrown Citroen. The riders also remained essentially the same — Kris Meeke, Stephane Lefebvre and Khalid Al Qassimi. Crews will be performing at selected stages of the WRC, combining performances in the championship with an active test work on the new car. Therefore, to talk about any serious influence pilots Citroen (ie Abu Dhabi Racing) to fight for victory in the championship probably impossible. It's a pity…
Robert Kubica will start in Monte Carlo and Sweden, and about the future plans of trying not to spread. Ott Tyanak DMACK joined the team and will play in all phases of the rubber of the Chinese company — is a serious drawback. The scion of fashion designer Miuccia Prada Lorenzo Bertelli likely go the entire season, as well as Valery Gorban — Ukrainians will play at Mini JCW WRC. And finally, in the World Rally Championship returns charismatic Yazeed Al-Rajhi, we have missed without his green Ford Fiesta RS WRC.
Well, we are ready for the start of the World Rally Championship. And you?
