2004 World Rally Championship Talkback Thread (Spoilers)

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

New year, new thread!

To start off the year with something from the "now you know" files, here's an interesting article from wrc-online.net: Choose your numbers for 04.

It's all about how the numbers that appear on drivers' cars are chosen. As anyone can guess, champion Petter Solberg will have number 1 on his car throughout the season, but this article explains how everyone else gets their numbers.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

For those who want a chance to see Colin McRae racing this year, be sure to watch coverage of the 2004 Dakar Rally! The 6,500 mile, 7 country event began today and runs all the way till the 19th. Colin will be driving a truck for Nissan. Hopefully they air lots of footage involving he and co-driver Tina Thorner!

For full programming details on SPEED, see their Dakar page here.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Well, I watched the first night of Dakar coverage on SPEED tonight, which included a couple of short interviews with Colin McRae. He's quite pumped about it, understandably. After the first two of seventeen stages, he's in ninth place overall in his group.

Colin is driving a small red Nissan truck identical to that of his teammate Ari Vatanen! I had no idea about that. Vatanen is himself a former WRC champion, and also a four time Dakar winner! That's quite a team!

Team Mitsubishi with its Pajero truck looks to be the team to beat, though, as they introduced the new truck last year and won convincingly.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

To any who are interested, check out the official Dakar site. It is updated regularly.

And here is Nissan's driver line-up: Nissan Rally Raid Team. There's lots of interesting stuff at the site, including driver and co-driver interviews as well as a detailed look at the pickups they're using this year.

Here's a picture of the pickup and one of the stars who's driving it:

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Well, I hope I'm not the only one of the regular WRC watchers that is also enjoying the Dakar rally. It's really something to see those huge trucks plowing through the sand dunes. And you can almost feel the frustrations of the drivers when they get stuck or come across problems. They're stuck in the middle of nowhere! Thankfully, though, they look out for one another and if someone is stranded, passersby will check to see if everything is alright and offer assistance; even to those who aren't on their team. I really like the fact that there is still competition, but much more relaxed than in other sports. When you're driving for 18 days, you can certainly afford to stop for a few minutes to help someone, especially since there's a chance that you'll need it sometime down the road as well.

One thing that is really striking about the Dakar in comparison to the WRC is the timing. For example, the current leader in the bike category, Nani Roma, has raced over 31 hours so far and has a lead of 3 minutes and 33 seconds over second place Richard Sainct. In the WRC, a 3:33 lead is absolutely gigantic, but in Dakar, it's absolutely nothing! When they get stuck and lose 30 minutes to an hour, which is very common, or deal with other problems like crashing, mechanical and electrical failure, or just getting lost, 3 minutes is nothing to get confident about. To show how tough things are, after only 9 stages, over 50% of the bike riders have retired from the rally.

We'll have to wait until Tuesday for new action, as Saturday's and Sunday's stages have been cancelled due to security risks. Here's what the Nissan Dakar site says about the situation: "It appears that the Mopti region is occupied by uncontrolled rebel groups, and to avoid any potential problems, and after consultations with the authorities in France and Mali, it has been decided that the itinerary should be changed." This weekend, they'll simply be driving around the danger spot, so no competitive driving for two days. They'll be taking off straight from the rest site in Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso on Tuesday, as Monday is planned as a rest day, but that might change.

Colin McRae report: Colin and Tina are currently in 18th place, though they were up as high as 3rd a couple of days ago, which is very encouraging news! They then had rear differential and traction problems, which dropped them down the leaderboard. It's still very early, though, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the top 5 sooner than later.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

There's good news for Richard Burns' fans, as reported on by co-driver Robert Reid. Check it out here: Reid: Burnsie says don't worry.

And here's a bit of news for the Brits: ITV bags UK television deal. The move from Channel 4 to ITV sounds like it will benefit British fans immensely. Congratulations!

[Frozen]

I personally have mixed feelings about ITV getting the UK coverage.

On the one hand we'll be getting a guaranteed afternoon slot on Sunday (as opposed to Channel 4's bizarre migratory scheduling...), but on the other at least C4 gave us at least 30 minutes a day for each rally, plus a preview show, whereas ITV seem to be proposing just the one 60 minute show... So we've effectively lost a) thirty minutes of coverage, and b) the great sense of an epic event spread over a number of days.

Still, if there's a at least half the chance that this means the god-awful Jeremy Hart won't be commentating anymore, then it may be a gift from God...

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

ITV seem to be proposing just the one 60 minute show... So we've effectively lost a) thirty minutes of coverage, and b) the great sense of an epic event spread over a number of days.

I completely understand the part about it being spread over a number of days, because SPEED used to do that; showing an hour of coverage on each day of the rally. Then they switched to a same-day 2-hour show on Sundays. With Nicky Grist working for them and everything, though, I have little to complain about.

In that article about ITV, you may have missed this quote: "ITV1 will also broadcast a 30-minute magazine show previewing and reviewing each rally and extended coverage of Wales Rally GB." Hopefully they deliver on that!

Still, if there's a at least half the chance that this means the god-awful Jeremy Hart won't be commentating anymore, then it may be a gift from God...

Heh, I'll take your word for it. What's he like? And what's Murray Walker doing nowadays? Haha.

[Frozen]

What's he like? And what's Murray Walker doing nowadays? Haha.

Jeremy Hart is bloody awful. Now, I know I've got a (ill deserved) reputation for bad puns, but Jeremy Hart's commentary is full of 'em - the type that really make your teeth grind...

And Murray Walker? Well, He's spreading his time between writing, retirement, book signings and the odd interview here and there. F1 still isn't the same without him... His replacement on ITV isn't quite as bad as Jeremy Hart, but he's nearly there...

[Boy Wonder]

Its basically a rally in the sand. Awesome stuff.

Anyway, I want more Subaru wins this year. With Petter and his team "Hercules", Subaru will clinch the manufacter's title this year.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

With Petter and his team "Hercules", Subaru will clinch the manufacter's title this year.

While Petter is a shoe-in to have a great year, I hope Mikko Hirvonen does well for them. He showed a lot of potential with Ford last year driving their 2002-spec car and Subaru will need him to do well if they have any hope of winning the manufacturer's title. That would be very impressive if they do.

Colin McRae report: Colin won his first Dakar stage yesterday! In fact, Nissan swept the first 3 spots, with teammates Giniel de Villiers and Ari Vatanen coming in second and third places respectively. For Colin, this comes on the heels of having to drive around 1000 miles straight after being stranded on Friday's stage 9. I guess he managed to get some rest somewhere.


Vatanen, McRae and de Villiers

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Colin McRae report: A day after winning his first stage, Colin took 2nd place on Thursday. He now sits in 16th place, having jumped 4 places in the standings. Only three days remain, but anything can, and will, happen!

There was also some unfortunate news for Nissan on Thursday, as Ari Vatanen was forced to retire from the rally. He hit a bump going very fast, lost control upon landing and couldn't avoid hitting a tree due to the high speed, crushing the front of his truck in the process. He and co-driver Juha Repo are alright physically, but obviously disappointed. Ari could only blame himself for the accident.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

BIG news for British fans, as the satellite channel British Eurosport has signed a deal to show WRC coverage this season. Their coverage sounds quite thorough and will be on a daily basis, which is great!

Here's a breakdown of their coverage for each event:
- 26 minutes preview before each event
- 26 minutes daily highlights on each of the three days of every event
- 52 minutes review on the Wednesday after each event
- 15 minutes highlights after each of the seven Junior World Rally Championship rounds and Production World Rally Championship rounds

Check out the full details here: British Eurosport to show 2004 WRC.

Do you or someone you know have satellite TV, Frozen?

Also, ITV has announced its commentary team: "Former Rugby World Cup and UEFA football presenter Angus Scott will become the new front man of the WRC shows. He will be supported by former Channel 4 host Jon Desborough and ex-rally star Robbie Head." I hope this is good news.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Colin McRae report: Unfortunately, after two excellent days of driving, Colin had a huge problem on Friday's stage 15. Around 140km into the stage, his front prop shaft broke! They had no choice but to wait for a repair truck to bring spare parts. Because of this, they finished in 40th place on the stage; over 7 hours off the leader's pace. This setback has only dropped them three places in the overall standings to 19th, but with only two days left, it's not looking good...

[Boy Wonder]

Of course McCrae won't win. Besides, there is one guy who went straight to Dakar Rally and won first time out. Anyway, McCrae is doing a good job for some untravelled terrain.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Anyway, McCrae is doing a good job for some untravelled terrain.

Yeah, he won't win, but I'm sure he has impressed everyone, most importantly Nissan. He has already said he wants to do it again, and I have no doubt they'd consider signing him up next year. He has proven he can do very well and he may just be one of the hottest free agents for the rest of the year.

As it is, in his first Dakar, he won a stage, came in 2nd on the next stage and was even up to 3rd place overall at one point! The thing about the Dakar is, just finishing the whole rally is an accomplishment. No matter how low in the standings someone is at the end, at least they know they conquered the hardest race on Earth. And when someone like Colin can actually finish stages with such quick times, you know his competitive juices will be flowing. If he's really enjoying this rally as much as he says, he'll be chomping at the bit for the next one!

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Colin McRae report: Not a good day for Colin and Tina on Saturday's stage 16, the second-last of the rally. They finished in 15th place, dropping one spot to 20th overall. This position is not likely to change much, as Sunday's stage is only 27km long. But...he'll most likely finish the rally; something that his teammate and four-time Dakar winner Ari Vatanen cannot do this year, unfortunately.

[Frozen]

BIG news for British fans, as the satellite channel British Eurosport has signed a deal to show WRC coverage this season.

Eurosport showed the WRC last year too, and, whilst not as woeful as its horrendous CART coverage, it was still hit and miss. Eurosport and British Eurosport seem to think a "schedule" is something to ignore and blithely alter their line-up hourly, leaving frustrated viwers like me who've tuned in to see, for instance, the Toyota Grand Prix from Long Beach watching three hours of cycling instead...

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Final Dakar report

The final stage of the Dakar was run yesterday; a mere 27km. Guess who won it! Yes, Colin McRae won the last stage, leaving him in 20th position overall. In his rookie Dakar, he took two stage wins, 2nd place in another stage, and was up to 3rd overall at one point! Very encouraging. I can only imagine how he would have done if the car would have been reliable all the way through.

As for the winners, here they are in their respective categories:

Bikes: The bike category also has categories for production bikes and quads, but the big winner was Nani Roma on his KTM bike, finally winning the Dakar after having come close in previous years, but not making it to the end. He is the first Spaniard to win the event.

Cars: History was made this year as Stephane Peterhansel drove his Mitsubishi Pajero to victory, becoming only the second driver to win both in the car class and the bike class! He previously won in the bike class a staggering six times! Amazing.

Trucks: These are the huge, lumbering beasts you see as airport firetrucks, and the winner this year was Vladimir Tchaguine in his Kamaz truck, who won for the fourth time, adding this victory to ones in 2000, 2002 and 2003.

I throughly enjoyed the Dakar and I'm kinda sad that I have to wait almost 11 months for the next one! But, I won't have to wait too long for more rally action, as the WRC season starts this weekend! I'll probably be posting a preview for Rally Monte Carlo on Thursday.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Here's a nice article from the BBC's website regarding Colin's Dakar experience and his wish to return next year driving for Nissan again: McRae eyes Dakar return.

I hope to have a preview for this weekend's Monte Carlo up either tomorrow or Friday, so I'll see you then.