2009 PWRC champion confirmed today... or not

[JAM]

Today is the day. FIA will inform the decision about the appeal lodged by the Qatar Federation for Naser's team against the disqualifying in Acropolis Rally.

The crankshaft of the Subaru engine was altered, and that was not a mistake, that kind of alteration was engeneering and mechanical work. That was confirmed by the techmical stewards on their report.

The normal situation is the confirmation of the exclusion, but we have to wait and see with our eyes. The title is virtualy won by Armindo Araujo.

[Francis44]

I hope Armindo wins of course because is a country man. But he wasn't as fast as Nasser we have to admit. Im still happy with Armindo because he developed himslef and now he can controle he's pace....When he entered PWRC he was too fast but never ended up finishing a rally :p !!!!

[JAM]

We saw why Nasser was so fast on Acropolis and why Armindo had to give up the fight and stay on 3rd in Greece. Against better engine there's no chance. And against a ilegal better engine the only chance is disqualifying.

Let's see if FIA don't discover a better penalty to ilegal engine, other than disqualifying... 5min penalty? Or 10? Or 15?

[JAM]

Well the decision was announced for today afternoon, and still nothing.

Is it so dificult to confirm the exclusion of an illegal car?!?

[ProRally]

Seems to hard...

News anybody ?

[FAlonso]

Seems that the decision is already taken but will only become public tomorrow. Guess we'll have to wait one more day. I only hope that good sense and responsability will be taken into account above all else.

[bluuford]

Court of appeal has had always such kind of politics that the decision will be announced next day during the lunchtime. As far as I remember. So, wait for at least another 3 hours:-)

[ProRally]

Still no 100% confirmed news....

[karo]

Any news yet..........or are they still flipping a coin until it lands on the right side?!?!?!

[Francis44]

Article on this....


IA's decision on the appeal team Attiyah: Here is cat?
In article published in Online AutoSport one day before the date set by the FIA for the final settlement of the Appeal of Barwa Rally Team, which puts the team run Nasser al-Attiyah, Martin Holmes stated: "Men of Prodrive, who prepared the engine Car Attiyah will follow the decision with great concern. Prodrive A source said the decision that the men of the AIF at hand is very difficult, and there may be a compromise verdict. "
FIA's decision on the appeal team Attiyah: Here is cat? --

The FIA announced the decision for the afternoon of last Wednesday and still ... nothing. Neither the president of the ASN, Luis Pinto de Freitas was successful in having maintained contacts with the FIA continues to prevail in silence ... that leaves open the possibility that they may come here for good news at the national colors.

It remains to await the publication of the decision, because by then all scenarios are possible. It is likely to be resolved to the satisfaction of Armindo Araujo, who has been waiting ... desperate.http://autosport.aeiou.pt/gen.pl?p=stories&op=view&fokey=as.stories/77552

Translation may not be perfect, i used google translate :p :!!!!

[Francis44]

Armindo Araujo confirmed champion!!!!

[ProRally]

Bit strange decision, as far as I understand it as I am no native English speaker

1. car was illegal
2. change the decision to exclude Nasser
3. new penalty, last in the event

http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressreleases/ica/2009/Pages/ica_061009a.aspx

You have a read , maybe I am wrong

[dimviii]

Bit strange decision, as far as I understand it as I am no native English speaker

1. car was illegal
2. change the decision to exclude Nasser
3. new penalty, last in the event

http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressreleases/ica/2009/Pages/ica_061009a.aspx

You have a read , maybe I am wrong
same understatement for me,even i am not so good in English :p :

[Rally Power]

Yyyyyyyyyes! :D :D :D

Justice has been made! Armindo and Miguel confirmed PWRC 2009 champions!!!!

The court has confirmed the crankshaft illegality on Nasser's Subaru and appliyed him ligther penalty on Greece (drop to last place instead of exclusion), allowing Al-Alttiya to not have further discipline sancions (moral and technical responsabilty was endorsed to Prodrive).

ICA complete decision
http://www.fia.com/en-GB/the-fia/court_appeal/judgments/Documents/06-10-2009-Decision-en.pdf

[FAlonso]

Yes it's official! Armindo is Champion! As I stated before it is very, very deserved for all that he's done throughout his career! Many congrats to him and Miguel! Bravo!

PS: The topic should be changed now that the decision is final.

[JFL]

Yyyyyyyyyes! :D :D :D

Justice has been made! Armindo and Miguel confirmed PWRC 2009 champions!!!!

The court has confirmed the crankshaft illegality on Nasser's Subaru and appliyed him ligther penalty on Greece (drop to last place instead of exclusion), allowing Al-Alttiya to not have further discipline sancions (moral and technical responsabilty was endorsed to Prodrive).

ICA complete decision
http://www.fia.com/en-GB/the-fia/court_appeal/judgments/Documents/06-10-2009-Decision-en.pdf
Congratulations to Armindo and Miguel... So .... Prodrive fuc.... it up once again? --.. ;)

[Mirek]

Strange decision (to cancel exclusion)...

Anyway congrats to Armindo!

[Wim_Impreza]

Congratulations to Armindo and Miguel.

[bowler]

Interesting decision.

I read more into it than is published.

That the crankshaft had been modified is apparent, and that it was done in a way that does not conform to the regulations is also apparent. What is interesting is that the implication is that lots of people have been doing so, and that this car was "unlucky" in that it was the one identified.

Watch for a reduction in performance as all the other teams are replacing modified crankshafts with standard ones.

This may be the reason that the "exclusion" was quashed and the penalty was changed to one that gave the same result but carried no penalty to the driver reputation.

I bet some crankshafts get checked at Wales Rally GB

[N.O.T]

Congrats to the portugese crew...they are now officially champions between nobodies....can we cancel PWRC now FIA please? the joke lasted enough i think.

[FAlonso]

Congrats to the portugese crew...they are now officially champions between nobodies....can we cancel PWRC now FIA please? the joke lasted enough i think.

Very mature post. Good on you.

[noel157]

Congrats to the portugese crew...they are now officially champions between nobodies....can we cancel PWRC now FIA please? the joke lasted enough i think.

For once in your life you have a point. PWRC has been of little significance for some years now. Andy Aigner, Toshi Arai, Nasser, Niall McShea, Martin Rowe are not exactly household names. Pity really but Armindo is now champion and well done but...... The WRC itself is not great so there's little hope for PWRC, JWRC etc.

[N.O.T]

the thing is simple

you have the worlds top championship in rallying and in that championship you have some smaller ones....one would thought that those championship should serve the purpose of "feeding" the top category with talent and not to be a platform for nobodies to be heros in their countries by defeating other useless nobodies who have nothing to offer to the sport.

Now if you are offended by the truth check your facts and the situation of those sick championships and if i am wrong i am here to discuss anything you like.

[FAlonso]

Ok fair enough. So it would be better to ban JWRC and PWRC and have World Championship rallies with 10-15 entrants being that more than half of them would be nobodies as well. National entrants shouldn´t also be allowed to participate because most of them are not even heroes in their own country let alone "nobodies" eligable to think of entering a World Rally.

I agree that both formulas (J & PWRC) aren´t spectacularly exciting. But I believe they still play an important role in a World Rally. However, I don´t think it's fair to say that drivers in those categories are s****. There's a big difference.

[Tomi]

I have never followed PWRC as a championship it self, but how new drivers manage against Arai, he is not so very good, but no crap either, but he is a good measure, if guys right away manage to beat his stagetimes or to be on par they have hope.

[Francis44]

The problem with PWRC and with Group N cars is that no mater how good you are, the cars are winner's because Evos and subarus differ way too much from one to another, you may have a fast italian evo and a same model but slow evo from finland!!!!

[Tomi]

The problem with PWRC and with Group N cars is that no mater how good you are, the cars are winner's because Evos and subarus differ way too much from one to another, you may have a fast italian evo and a same model but slow evo from finland!!!!

what is the point to go there with a slow car?

[N.O.T]

Ok fair enough. So it would be better to ban JWRC and PWRC and have World Championship rallies with 10-15 entrants being that more than half of them would be nobodies as well. National entrants shouldn´t also be allowed to participate because most of them are not even heroes in their own country let alone "nobodies" eligable to think of entering a World Rally.

I agree that both formulas (J & PWRC) aren´t spectacularly exciting. But I believe they still play an important role in a World Rally. However, I don´t think it's fair to say that drivers in those categories are s****. There's a big difference.

i am not against nobodies...but to have a separate championship for them is ridiculous....let them just be in the entry to fill spots alone.

[bowler]

i am not against nobodies...but to have a separate championship for them is ridiculous....let them just be in the entry to fill spots alone.

if they didn't have a championship to compete for, they wouldn't be there.

They would not "just be in the entry to fill spots alone".

With the PWRC and JWRC they have a target, and make good competition for classes which help develop future champions. This may not happen directly, but does at different levels in national championships, with an international benchmark to relate to.

Sebastien Loeb didn't just walk out his front door one morning and climb into a WRC car. :-)

[mm1]

The problem with PWRC and with Group N cars is that no mater how good you are, the cars are winner's because Evos and subarus differ way too much from one to another, you may have a fast italian evo and a same model but slow evo from finland!!!!
Only it`s the other way around, see PSD team :)

[N.O.T]

if they didn't have a championship to compete for, they wouldn't be there.

They would not "just be in the entry to fill spots alone".

With the PWRC and JWRC they have a target, and make good competition for classes which help develop future champions. This may not happen directly, but does at different levels in national championships, with an international benchmark to relate to.

Sebastien Loeb didn't just walk out his front door one morning and climb into a WRC car. :-)

jwrc started as a good platform but when cars became overpriced it became a nobodies class....same goes for the Grp N the cars were so different between them that became useless as well...

once FIA saw that the championships became a joke they should have stopped them but i guess the flow of money from those handless nobies was too much of a motive to keep them going

[JAM]

once FIA saw that the championships became a joke they should have stopped them but i guess the flow of money from those handless nobies was too much of a motive to keep them going

Well, thinking that way we should stop WRC itself.

A top world class championship with five teams (that in fact are two), only two diferent cars, with Peter Solberg in a Junior Team, with good drivers "being out" and bad drivers "being in"... well.

At least, in Australia we had 4 names with the oportunity of being PWRC champions. How many names we had on WRC before Catalunya? Only two, the usual two...

We should have 2nd level WRC formulas, PWRC and JWRC are it. The problem is that today the babies come to WRC with 20 years and without pass by the correct steps. The money buys the place and that's it!

Congratulations Armindo and Miguel. We waited a long time to this, but it worth!!