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Keith wrote:I want to see Ford finally ditch Matthew Wilson and hire Petter Solberg instead.
Matt Wilson's harmless enough, especially driving for whatever their B-team is. Moreover, Petter Solberg seems to be doing just fine on his own. I'd like to see Ford ditch Latvala and pick up Chris Atkinson.
While talking WRC it's amazing no ones mentioned this yet
http://www.rallybuzz.com/block-atkinson-wrc-monster-team/ http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79442 http://www.autojab.com/ken-block-to-compete-in-wrc/
It looks like Ken Block is close to putting together a 3 year deal with Monster Energy drinks to build a two car WRC team for himself and Chris Atkinson using WRC Focii from M sport :)
That will kick ass, a US driver in the WRC :)
Matt Wilson might be harmless - his finishing record is much improved of late, I'll give him that - but Petter could really be a good backup for Mikko. Wilson's never going to be at the pointy end of the field consistently. If Ford wants to win the world championship instead of just giving daddy's little boy a ride, that's my suggestion.
Latvala is a tougher call. He's fast until he crashes and he's maturing. Unlike Wilson, when Latvala gets himself together he's got the potential to win quite a bit. Must be driving team boss Malcolm Wilson nuts right now though.
Pastrana's run production WRC for a bit in the past. He said the jump from North American style computer-generated notes to recce-generated ones was a big step. It'll be interesting to see how Block does. Atkinson is a good solid driver. The two of them will bring some real US attention to the sport.
Keith wrote:Pastrana's run production WRC for a bit in the past. He said the jump from North American style computer-generated notes to recce-generated ones was a big step. It'll be interesting to see how Block does. Atkinson is a good solid driver. The two of them will bring some real US attention to the sport.
Don't forget Blocks already been doing a lot of PWRC events to get familiar with making notes. I don't think any one exspects him to be at the sharpe end of the field, but his presance will get exposure in the US and help put Atkinson in a competative car - something he deserves again.
The Racing Network?
carguy123 wrote:I have been recording the WRC Event Highlights off HDTV and while I'm sure the events are exciting themselves the show are filmed horribly and there is very little actual footage of the cars running. Just short excerpts and they're not all that terribly exciting.
Is there a better version I'm somehow missing?
The massive pullout of manufacturers and sponsors with the economic collapse has REALLY hurt the coverage. Definitely not as many ground units, nor helicopter coverage.
I'm still enjoying it. Well, maybe at 72%. 
I don't care what you think about the coverage, that was a great final rally in Wales. Here's hoping Petter gets a full ride next season.
It was a good rally, although I really wanted to see Hirvonen win.
Now we begin the nearly 4 months of WRC boredom. 
I wonder if Pettar is pissed that Gronholm landed the Prodrive Suby car instead of him...
Keith wrote:I don't care what you think about the coverage, that was a great final rally in Wales. Here's hoping Petter gets a full ride next season.
Yeah, notice the finishing gap between Loeb and Mikko?
Notice the gap on the stage where Mikko lost his "bonnet"? Their final positions were almost exactly as far apart as the time Mikko lost due to the hood.
He must have been KICKING himself once he found out that Loeb was having turbo problems, not just driving conservative... Despite Mikko's claims that he lost it on the second and third stages of day two, it really looks like he could have done it. He just pushed TOO hard on the last day, was too desperate for it. But I am sure he will take a lot from that and come back better for it.
Also, while I didn't see the incident Henning showed up to the last stages with a large crack against his windshield. That guys glass supplier is making a fortune.
Keith wrote:How many people would watch the Superbowl in mid-February, or Le Mans in July?
The super bowl where the Stealers stole one from the Seahawks I watched in March. I was at work for a while, they say it's more than a job, it's an adventure.
Keith wrote:Is the HD Theatre coverage the same as the Eurovision feed - 30 minutes per day of racing? I'm not cool enough to get HD, but I've been watching the Eurovision coverage for a few years. They use Virtual Spectator.
Personally, I don't get into the manufacturer battles as much as the driver battles. Since there are still just as many drivers as before, it's just as exciting as it's ever been to me. I cannot wait until Wales starts this weekend - Mikko and Seb going head to head, the fastest of the pair wins the championship.
I want to see Ford finally ditch Matthew Wilson and hire Petter Solberg instead.
matt Wilson is the product of nepotism. Petter may get a ride with Citroen....He's in their junior team now. I hope Latvalla can tidy himself up. He might end up at Ford as he is like Macrae was....Fast'n'crash.
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Latvala IS at Ford 
I think Loeb still could have taken the win even if Mikko's bonnet hadn't come off. Up to that point, Mikko had only been significantly faster on one stage. Would it have been enough to take the race to the wire? Hard to say, but Loeb has proven that he's 6-time champion for a reason, he's really fast when he needs to be.
After Mikko fell waaay back, there was no reason for Loeb to push at all. His time for the final stage could probably have been quite a bit faster.
Damnit damnit damnit, I really wanted Mikko and the Ford's to win. Loeb is beginning to make the Chin look like an underperformer.
