WRC News on 2021 should go here.
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WRC News on 2021 should go here.
Calendar chat here too!
Interesting.. Especially the Hyundai part :(
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/delay...eadline-moves/
No Rally Mexico in 2021
https://rallymexico.com/2020/10/08/e...a-2022-y-2023/
WRC 2021 without rounds from outside of Europe in first months
Rally Mexico with contract to 2022 and 2023
Rally del Bajío 2021 will be held in middle of 2021 to national competitors
There are rumors Opel and Subaru will return to WRC. Just as I miss Subaru, I'd love to see Opel coming back with their rally car. More manufacturers mean more drivers and excitement.
By the way does anyone know anything about Rally of Poland coming back to WRC?
Yes, that would be great. Everybody knows about Subaru victories in WRC and ERC, but very few know that Opel also has a great hisory in rallying:
https://www.motorsportforums.com/sho...Rally-Comeback
No talks about it here in Poland, so very unlikely.
Without further ado, the WRC Calendar for 2021:
http://planetemarcus.com/le-nouveau-...ison-wrc-2021/
Say hello to Chile & Estonia (once again), and welcome....Croatia(.....) and Japan...
I’d bet on a tarmac event in Ireland, otherwise we’d have too many gravel events.
At long last they've announced it officially FIA World Rally Championship: https://www.fia.com/news/fia-announc...l-decisions-19
The 2021 FIA World Rally Championship calendar has been approved with 12 events including nine in Europe and three long-haul rallies. The calendar has been created against the backdrop of the unprecedented challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
24 January 2021 Monte Carlo
14 February 2021 Sweden
25 April 2021 Croatia
23 May 2021 Portugal
6 June 2021 Italy
27 June 2021 Kenya
18 July 2021 Estonia
1 August 2021 Finland
22 August 2021 United Kingdom
12 September 2021 Chile
17 October 2021 Spain
14 November 2021 Japan
Additionally, events in Turkey, Latvia, Belgium, Argentina, the Acropolis in Greece and Monza in Italy will offer alternatives as “contingency events” in the perspective of on-going COVID-19 related issues.
Amendments to the FIA WRC Sporting Regulations include the possibility for competitors entered with a Rally2 car to use previously homologated parts after applying a joker with the view to reduce costs, as it is practice in the Regional Rally Championships.
As for GB (from WRC.COM):
'WRC Promoter is in discussion with the UK governing body, Motorsport UK, which is working to confirm the required government funding. An announcement is expected to be forthcoming.'
i like this calendar, now we have finally at least 3 fast events. i suppose croatia is tarmac, no? i remember when the rumours begin then it was meant to be tarmac and then we would also have 3 tarmac ones.
I read this exact calendar a few days ago on a website, except it said Rally Ireland for Rally GB.
Re the prospect of Rally GB in N.Ireland - when Lappi drove there in the ERC a few years ago he raved about the roads there:
"The stages are fast but technical and difficult, too. I really love them."
NI are going to have a major job on making this cash appear during the height of a pandemic.
Hope to be proven wrong but I wouldn't hold much hope for that event. It's a perfect storm of contracts winding down, changing sensibilities and priorities in government (sustainability/environmental factors). Coupled with poor and unengaging leadership at Motorsport UK and COVID as the big t*rd on top. As far as I can see rallying in the UK is in real trouble.
I also think unless a vaccine appears over the winter the entire calendar is going to be a moving target once more in 2021.
Guys, what's going on with GR Yaris WRC?
https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/1...n-ireland-move
Those who have backed moving Rally GB from Wales to Northern Ireland include current WRC points leader Elfyn Evans, nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb and Irishman Craig Breen.
"I really think that it needs to be here," said Breen.
"We definitely have so much to offer: the fans, the environment and more importantly we have the stages - the roads are out of this world."
Evans + Ogier at the Hemicuda Rally to prepare for Ypres
The Ypres Rally Belgium, which won its place in the world rally championship this year, to overcome the many cancellations following the Coronavirus health crisis, has special stages which are still unknown for many WRC drivers. To overcome this lack of driving and knowledge of the terrain, Toyota Gazoo Racing has decided to send two of these drivers at the end of the month to the Hemicuda Rally in Koekelare.
On the weekend of 24-25 October, current WRC driver championship leader Elfyn Evans will be there accompanied by Sébastien Ogier both at the wheel of their respective Toyota Yaris WRCs.
http://planetemarcus.com/evans-ogier...reparer-ypres/
I hope Dirtfish and the other naysayers are proved wrong and N.Ireland can rescue Rally GB and British rallying from the abyss.
As those great N.Irishmen the Undertones once sang, "I need excitement and I need it bad - and it's the best I ever had."...
Along with the two factory Toyota Yaris WRC’s, Hyundai’s WRC2 drivers Ole Christian Veiby and Nikolay Gryazin will both also contest the Hermicuda Rally next weekend (October 24-25), as will Hyundai junior Greégoire Munster.
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/ogier...ypres-warm-up/
I don't have a problem with Norn Iron having a WRC round; in fact I'm sure they'll put on a great show - but it ain't Rally of GB.....
My problem is that Rally GB (and many other WRC events) have been run for the last 10+ years exclusively for the benefit of the WRC......when most of it's history is before/outside the WRC. In a perfect world, the event would take place whether in the WRC, or not.
While it would be great to see NI get a round, it will be a loss to the WRC not have Wales and the challenge it presents. There are no other rallies like it in the championship.
https://www.nesterallyfinland.fi/en/...peration-ends/
Neste won't be the main sponsor of Finland's WRC event anymore, after 26 years of co-operation.
Not much tal about Croatia, it is said that the contract will be for 10 years which is incredible to believe in these times. What is known is that the rally will be based around Zagreb, the capital, and it will be an asphalt event. I reccon that roads used will be the ones used for INA Delta rally, the most famous Croatian rally.
The roads are combination of Corsica, Alzace and Monte Carlo. Howeever, that can be adjusted in the recent months so I'm eager to find out about the itinerary and hoping for a bright future of the event.
Funny story; about 20-25 years ago, on 1st January, one of the UK daily newspapers had a calendar of sporting events for the coming year; this was when the WRC still had some mainstream exposure. Anyway the WRC calendar listed; Nestle Rally Finland - I assume the person proofreading thought Neste was a mistake, and added a 'l'.