Photo Credit: Hyundai Motorsport We've had snow. We've had ice. We've had engine-sapping mountain gravel and we've had three different winners. What does round four, the first all-asphalt test of the 2017 World Rally Championship season, have in store for us?
Flick through the history books of Corsica's inclusion in the WRC and it points to an exciting rally. From dominant performances (Sebastien Loeb, 2005, winning every stage) to momentous accidents (Colin McRae, 2000, down a revine) and exceptional circumstances and performances (Elfyn Evans, storm hit 2015 event), the rally of 1,000 Corners has produced it all. The event has moved from its October date to April for 2017 to settle the bias towards gravel events at the start of the year. Home favourite Sebasiten Ogier will open proceedings as championship leader in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC. The defending champion got his season off to the best possible start by winning the Monte on his M-Sport debut, and has since claimed further podiums in Sweden and Mexico. Make no mistake, the man who hasn't necessarily been the quickest this season will be looking to settle that score on the tricky Mediterranean island. Jari-Matti Latvala and the Toyota Yaris WRC have been the surprise package of 2017. If nobody expected the Finn's conservative approach on round one to net a debut podium, we simply weren't prepared for Latvala to take Toyota's first win in 18 years on just their second rally back in the sport. Mexico was a trying weekend with engine problems on the opening stage hindering performance for the rest of the event, but as a previous winner in Corsica Latvala will be out for a podium. Ott Tanak and new co-driver Martin Jarveoja have had a stellar start to 2017, finishing third in Monte-Carlo and second in Sweden before a sensible fourth in Mexico. The Estonian has proved he has the ability to now mix his exceptional raw speed with good consistency and reliability, making him Malcolm Wilson's ultimate number two to Ogier as he is good enough to be a number one. That first WRC win can't be far away, but could it be just a week away? It's unlikely, but you certainly can't rule Tanak out. Fourth is where we find Spanish sensation Dani Sordo in the 2017 drivers standings after the first quarter of the season. And fourth is where we found him in the rally results in the French Alps and the Swedish forests. Consistency really is Sordo's forte. We saw more raw pace in Mexico after he fought back from engine issues that plagued all three i20 Coupe's, but a stronger result should be on the cards next weekend as tarmac is Dani's speciality. Two points back are Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul, who have been the lead Hyundai crew pace-wise on all three events this year but have only finished as top i20 in Mexico, in third. The season has been one of frustration for the Belgians and their Hyundai Motorsport team, with the phrase "what could have been" coming to mind when you reflect on their 2017 season so far. Twice Neuville led on Saturday but to throw it away on the day's final stage. On the one hand it's promising as the pace is clearly there, but on the other, stronger hand, it's a massive opportunity wasted. So much so that despite common opinion that the i20 Coupe is one of if not the best car in the service park just now, it is the only one not to have won a WRC round. In the hands of Neuville that could all change next weekend though. Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle were many people's tip for the 2017 World Rally Championship before the sport's new and exciting era got underway. Niggling set-up and handling issues spoiled their first two rallies, and had a VW Passat CC been parked just a few yards back in the Mexican wilderness the pair could have found themselves down at the job centre. That Power Stage moment was hairy, lucky and dramatic to an extent I don't think we've ever seen, but Meeke got the job done with an important and dominant victory in which he defeated Ogier in a straight fight and won an event he isn't particularly fond of. Kris showed promising speed in Corsica last year but had a couple of accidents, which need to be avoided on his Citroen team's home event. Craig Breen sits seventh in the championship despite sitting out Mexico, and excitingly joins Meeke and Stephane Lefebvre in a C3 WRC with the squad running three cars for the first time this season. The Irishman is very quick on asphalt, which is just as well since team principal Yves Matton has said he wants two cars in the top five in Corsica. Elfyn Evans has returned to the WRC in impeccable fashion. The results he has scored may not suggest this, but the pace and maturity the Welshman now has after a step back to the British Rally Championship last year is clear to see. Corsica is the scene of his best ever result in the WRC, second, but in truth Evans will just be hoping for a clean run: something he hasn't had all season through no fault of his own. Hayden Paddon has had a difficult start to 2017, after a first stage crash on the season opener ruled him out of competitive action. Given the nature of the accident, it took the New Zealander a while to rediscover his form and confidence in Sweden, before a stronger rally in Mexico saw him net fifth place. Team mate Sordo has been helping Paddon learn the art of driving quickly on the black stuff, with Hayden getting further practice in on Rallye Sanremo this weekend in a Hyundai i20 R5 alongside Seb Marshall, who will replace current co-driver John Kennard in August on Rally Germany. Stephane Lefebvre has had a slightly underwhelming start to 2017. The Frenchman put his C3 off the road early on the Monte, didn't challenge in Sweden largely because he was in last year's DS3, and put it off again in Mexico despite it being a small mistake. Corsica will be about finishing, and hopefully finishing well. "Well" is a word you couldn't use to describe Juho Hanninen on round three though: the Finn was feeling under the weather to the extent that he was being sick between special stages. Ironically though Mexico was his best result and performance of the year, so Hanninen will look to build on that on an event he has decent experience of as he looks to assist Latvala in Toyota's push in the manufacturers championship. There'll be no Mads Ostberg in Corsica. The Norwegian missed Monte-Carlo as he didn't have his Fiesta RS WRC at that point, took part in Sweden, earning the Colin's Crest Award for jumping the furthest, but missed Mexico as his partner gave birth. Mads will miss Corsica as he hasn't had enough time to test the car, an applaudable approach for the Jipocar One Bet World Rally Team man who seems a lot more relaxed this year not in a factory environment. Andreas Mikkelsen returns to competitive action and the WRC2 support categoryin a Skoda Motorsport Fabia R5 after his dominant category win in Monte-Carlo, with Jan Kopecky partnering him in the team in France. The rumour mill is in full swing about Skoda potentially entering the WRC in 2018, and Mikkelsen's inclusion in the squad does little to dampen this gossip. Picking a winner from the quality 2017 field on the Tour de Corse is tricky, but I think if it all goes to plan for everyone your top three will be Ogier, Meeke and Neuville. In what order they finish, I'll let you decide.
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Photo Credit: Citroen Racing The 2017 FIA World Rally Championship has lived up to the reputation it promised, with Kris Meeke becoming the third different driver in the third different car to win a rally this season by taking the win on Rally Mexico at the wheel of a Citroen C3 WRC. That means that despite the evident pace of the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, it is now the only current car not to have taken a WRC victory.
Was that the real story of the weekend? It certainly would've been, but for 30 seconds of madness to totally change the post-event interviews in what was one of the most dramatic finishes to a WRC event in memory. Meeke was just a minute away from victory when after leaping over the famous El Brinco jump, he attacked the fast right hander that follows the crest, only for his C3 to catch a bump in the middle of the corner and fly off into a field which was being used as a spectator car park. There were incredible scenes as Meeke and Nagle looked for a way out of the field which they did, and despite a front puncture caused by swiping a spectator's car they managed to win the rally by 13 seconds from Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia. "I'm a lucky, lucky boy" remarked Meeke to the live TV cameras, before later looking up to the sky and saying "thank you." It what was a bizarre ending to what was a flawless and much needed weekend and result for Meeke and the Citroen Racing team after the problems and scrutiny they faced after the opening two rounds. World Champion Sebastien Ogier continued his impressive start to the season with second place in the Americas. The Frenchman is continuing to adapt to the Fiesta RS WRC, but might be slightly disappointed to lose 10 seconds to Meeke over Saturday when road positions were equal, that gap being exaggerated by a costly spin for the Frenchman. Still, he regained the championship lead and three podiums from three starts isn't exactly bad-going. Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul claimed Hyundai Motorsport's first podium of the season in a rather lonely third place. It wasn't third time lucky for Neuville but nor was it a case of bad things happening in threes, as the Belgian didn't throw away a winning position but nor was he really ever in such a position. His charge was hampered by overheating issues that plagued all three i20's on Friday, but these were much needed points for driver and team. Ott Tanak continued his fine start to the 2017 season with his first non-podium of the season in fourth overall. The result further outlines the Estonian's potential as a future WRC winner with consistency being added to his raw speed, and also cements M-Sport's position at the top of the manufacturers standings. Hayden Paddon and John Kennard would more than likely have finished third had they not lost a minute in the famous Guanajuato street stage on Friday night with engine woes, but the confidence and determination was clearly back on the Kiwi's preferred surface of gravel. Any title aspirations Paddon may have had pre-season look all but over, but he can still grab rally wins and play a crucial role in bringing the manufactures title to Hyundai's German base. Jari-Matti Latvala and Juho Hanninen brought their Toyota Yaris WRC's home in sixth and seventh places repsectively, a result which was the worst of Latvala's season but the best of Hanninen's, despite the experienced Finn feeling ill for the entirety of the weekend. For Latvala, who lost two minutes in the opening stage, the rally instantly became a test session for him and the new team, but he still holds second in the championship behind Ogier. Nobody could have expected or predicted that after three rallies. Dani Sordo got a podium stripped off of him in Mexico last year, and he was robbed of another strong finish due to Hyundai's engine problems on Friday this year. He did however get a 10 minute penalty overturned for upsetting the schedule of Friday night's super special stages, with eighth place the reward for his efforts. However, the Spaniard was a man possessed on Saturday morning, taking out his anger (on the penalty that at this point was still lingering over him) on the stages setting two fastest times. If only we could see this raw speed on a more consistent basis, as it clearly is still there. Elfyn Evans and Daniel Barritt endured another trying rally in Mexico after issues that have plagued them in both Monte-Carlo and Sweden. This time, the engine in the DMACK Fiesta had to be changed between shakedown and the rally's first test in Mexico City, meaning he was five minutes down before he had even started. However, he still set three fastest stage times over the weekend, and with Corsica up next (the rally he has previously done best on) the future looks rosy if all stays well for the young Welshman. Stephane Lefebvre finished down in 15th after a learning weekend in Citroen's second C3. A rather innocuous error led to the Frenchman getting stuck in a bank and retiring for the day on leg 3. WRC2 leaders Pontus Tidemand and Eric Camilli finished tenth and eleventh for Skoda Motorsport and M-Sport. The Swedish and French stars had the best battle of the weekend, trading stage wins to be just seconds apart heading into Sunday. However, Camilli hadn't been able to recce Sunday's stages which gave Tidemand the edge, stretching the gap out to 42 seconds by the end to sit top of the championship with two wins from two starts. So, what can we take from Rally Mexico? Well, it turns out the 'luck of the Irish' is certainly a statement that holds true, and this year's WRC is more exciting and fascinating than we could have hoped for. However, it is early days I know, but I still don't see anybody taking Sebastien Ogier's mantle from him. Now that the cars are equal, he is right at the sharp end but is most definitely not alone there, to an extent that he probably won't be considered the favourite on his home event next month. But Ogier has four titles under his belt and therefore knows what he's doing. Raw speed needs to be held back at times in favour of consistent and strong finishes as that's how championships are won. There is no finer example to the opposite effect of this than Thierry Neuville's 2017 campaign... Photo Credit: Hyundai Motorsport It feels like a wee while again, but the World Rally Championship returns next week as the re-born series heads to Mexico for the third round of the 2017 season. Rally Guanajuato Mexico is considered one of the tougher rallies of the year, so the onus will be as much on reliability as it will outright pace as we try to work out who has done the best job at adapting to the new and exciting 2017 regulations.
The changes made to the WRC for this year were meant to aid the spectacle among other things, and that it certainly has done. The cars are faster, more dramatic and sound better, and despite the obvious loss of VW in the sport, the field is more competitive than it has been in at least ten years. The first obvious example of this comes when you cast your eyes over the start order for day one in Mexico. Sebastien Ogier won't start as first car on the road on Friday for the first time in three years, with Toyota's Jari-Matti Latvala leading the championship courtesy of a second in Monte-Carlo and a debut win for his new team in Sweden last month. Latvala is unlikely to repeat those incredible performances in Mexico with the added challenge of opening the road, but it is clear that the Yaris WRC is one serious package. Latvala's pre-season test suffered a little hiccup with a low speed roll, but the confidence is back within the Finn and that is a scary thing for his rivals. Quadruple champion Sebastien Ogier will start second in Mexico, after winning the opening round of the season and finishing third in Sweden. Ogier has established himself as the best rally driver in the world with his blistering pace and consistency, but the Fiesta RS WRC is still relatively new to him so we haven't seen him setting the timing screen alight this year just yet. A podium if not a win will be the Frenchman's target, but he'll just be happy not to be cleaning the road for those behind him. M-Sport team mate Ott Tanak has had a brilliant start to 2017, joining Latvala and Ogier on the podium on both of this season's rallies. Sweden was another sign that it is a case of when and not if the Estonian will win his first World Rally, and in theory there's no reason to suggest that he can't do that in Mexico next week. Dani Sordo has fulfilled the role that we have come to expect from the Spaniard at the wheel of his i20 Coupe WRC already this season, finishing a consistent but occasionally distant fourth overall on the tarmac of the Monte and snow and ice of Sweden. Sordo finished third last year in Mexico only for him to be hit with a post-rally penalty that demoted him to fourth for using 29 tyres instead of the allocated 28. He may not be the quickest, but consistency goes a long way in America. Craig Breen is in the perhaps unexpected situation of being the highest placed Citroen driver in the championship after two rallies. After having conducted the most pre-season testing of any of the teams, it is the French marque that at this point in the season find themselves lagging behind a touch. Breen was ultra-impressive in Monte-Carlo in a DS3 though before opting for a safety first approach after a troubled Friday in Sweden, but unfortunately for the likable Irishman Citroen are only yielding two factory C3's in Mexico, and Breen won't be in one. A man who had a point to prove at the start of the year is Elfyn Evans, and the Welshman will be looking to continue his good form in the DMACK Fiesta on his return to the sport's top level. The defending British Rally Champion has been dogged with small issues on each event, so rest assured there is a lot more to come from the Evans and DMACK package. Stephane Lefebvre has had a mixed start to 2017. An off road moment on Thursday night wrote off any chance of a strong result on the season opener before a rally in last year's DS3 put him at an obvious disadvantage in the Swedish forests. However, the promising French star is the only Citroen driver to claim a stage win in the WRC's new era, which in all honesty says more about the car than it does Lefebvre, but it's still an encouraging sign. What to say of Thierry Neuville? In many respects the Belgian has been the class act of 2017, storming into an early and commanding lead early on both rallies so far this season. But come the final stage of Saturday, on both occasions he has thrown it away. More than anything else, Neuville needs a finish next weekend in Mexico, but expect that to be a high one given his apparent speed, the capability of the Hyundai and his low starting position. Starting just behind him on the road and one point behind in the championship is Hyundai #4 Hayden Paddon. Paddon's season got off to the worst possible start with the Monte getting the better of him on just the very first test. Due to the nature of the accident, Sweden was all about building his confidence back up. Having got a rally under his belt, Hayden will be relishing the return to gravel. The man with the most to do though is Northern Irishman Kris Meeke. 2017 has been nothing short of a disaster for the Ulsterman, who many had tipped as their favourite for the title. Already that seems unlikely, with mistakes in Monte-Carlo and Sweden that were part driver error and part down to a lively and unpredictable rear-end on the C3 WRC. Citroen will more than likely have at least tried to remedy the issue in Mexico, as their star driver was let's just say, less than impressed with his car in Sweden. If you haven't seen Meeke's onboards from Sweden, go check them out on WRC+, but a word of warning. The language does get a little fruity... Juho Hanninen has crashed his Toyota into a tree for two rallies in a row. With Latvala already proving the car's potential by leading the championship, the pressure is already mounting on the Finn, especially with reserve driver Esapekka Lappi waiting in the wings and an increasingly frustrated Andreas Mikkelsen sidelined without a drive. Mads Ostberg won't be in Mexico due to the birth of his child, and I want to pass my congratulations on to him and his wife. Rally Mexico has never been a particular favourite of mine, but after this event we may well get more of an idea of who will be at the very sharp end of the pack in 2017. I'm going for a Neuville win, but let me know in the comments who you think will take the top step in the high altitude of Mexico. |
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January 2018
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