Ott Tänak’s departure from M-Sport raises a question, will there be any other big moves this WRC silly season?
Toyota
Toyota doesn’t seem like a candidate for any big moves this silly season. As it seems Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans will stay with Toyota. Sebastien Ogier has already confirmed he will stay with the Japanese manufacturer. Takamoto Katsuta also likely isn’t leaving Toyota next season. Keeping all their current drivers seems like Toyota’s preferred option. As they currently hold three of the top five drivers in the championship. Along with the youngest champion in WRC history that is only getting better.
Hyundai
As for Hyundai, Thierry Neuville was the only driver for next season who had a contract before Tänak and Ogier received theirs. Dani Sordo, Esapekka Lappi and Teemu Suninen are all question marks. As with only three confirmed cars for next season, and two of which are occupied by Tänak and Neuville that leaves one car for the three drivers. Most likely Lappi and Suninen will split the car next season. However that all depends on Sordo. If Sordo wants the seat he will get it. Leaving Suninen or Lappi without a seat. In that scenario, Suninen will most likely get the seat. There has been talk of Hyundai getting a fourth car for next season. However, that likely won’t clear up this issue. As the fourth car will likely be used to help a young driver learn the ropes in a Rally1 car like Emil Lindholm.
M-Sport
M-Sport has no drivers confirmed for next season, and nobody is really tied to a Rally1 drive. As it sounds like the relationship between M-Sport and Pierre-Louis Loubet isn’t good and likely won’t continue. Adrien Fourmuax will likely return to Rally1 action next season with M-Sport. Other than that it’s been surprisingly quiet from M-Sport. Andreas Mikkelsen may get a drive with the team. However, it sounds as if M-Sport wants to go down the route of giving younger drivers the opportunity to drive a Rally1 car.
To Answer The Question
To put it simply, no there likely won’t be any other big moves this WRC silly season. Unless one comes out of nowhere which is unlikely. You could say the Tänak move back to Hyundai was unexpected so anything can be expected. However, that isn’t necessarily true. As it was suspected Tänak would leave M-Sport at the end of the 2023 season if a better opportunity presented itself.
What Drivers Could Move Around?
As for drivers who could actually move around this off-season, there’s a short list of them that are expected. To get the previously mentioned drivers out of the way, Esapekka Lappi, Pierre-Louis Loubet and Adrien Fourmuax are all candidates to be moved. Along with that trio, there are WRC2 Drivers Andreas Mikkelsen, Grégoire Munster, Oliver Solberg, Gus Greensmith and Emil Lindholm are moved up to a Rally1 car. To be clear, not all the WRC2 drivers mentioned can move up to a Rally1 drive as there are only so many seats. However, it’s hard to know who will get a seat if any of them will. It’s also worth noting there may be a driver that wasn’t listed that moves up unexpectedly.
With Pierre-Louis Loubet switching co-drivers it raises a larger question, does the Frenchman have a spot in the WRC next season?
Loubet’s 2023 Season
Pierre-Louis Loubet hasn’t necessarily been living up to expectations this season. Although it is only his first full WRC season, the Frenchman showed some promise in 2022. As Loubet finished top five twice last season and was on pace to win EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. That was until a mechanical issue ended his hopes. Loubet hasn’t managed to finish top five at all this season. With his highest finishes being sixth at Rally Sweden and Rally Estonia. Loubet has suffered a mechanical issue or crashed out of 6 of the 11 events so far this season. His 2023 season is reminiscent of Adrien Forumaux’s 2022 season. As both drivers are talented they just haven’t been able to find themselves in the top level of the WRC.
What Could Be Next?
Loubet likely won’t continue with M-Sport next season. As Loubet has made some unfavorable comments about the team and started a large rumor about the team leaving the championship next season. Loubet may get the same treatment as Oliver Solberg, Gus Greensmith and Adrien Fourmuax are getting this season. That treatment is the WRC2 treatment. As Solberg, Greensmith and Fourmuax all got pushed down to WRC2 at the end of last season to help them develop and find themselves. Something Loubet needs to do. WRC2 may not be a bad thing for Loubet. As it will allow him to work out his kinks in a car that is much simpler to drive and handle compared to the Rally1 car.
Who Could Loubet Drive For?
If Loubet and M-Sport part ways and Loubet wants a WRC2 drive he will likely get a good bit of interest. Chances are Loubet will end up with one of Toksport, Toyota, some Citroen team or go back to Hyundai. Sköda and Toyota would give Loubet the best chance at winning. However, Loubet has more experience in Hyundai rally cars. As he drove a Hyundai i20 WRC before joining M-Sport.
It’s been reported that the new tire supplier for the 2025 World Rally Championship season and beyond will be decided later this week.
When Will It Be Decided?
The decision on what tire supplier the World Rally Championship will use for the 2025 season and beyond will be decided during the FIA Motor Sport Council on October 19th. It’s unknown if the new tire supplier will be announced at the same time. Although it likely will be, the WRC promoter may choose to keep it secret for the time being, however. As the 2024 World Rally Championship calendar is also rumoured to be coming out around that time.
Who Are The Candidates?
The full list of candidates for the new WRC tire supplier is unknown. However, we do know of three at this point in time. Those being MRF Tires, Hankook and Michelin. Michelin was the tire supplier for the WRC up until 2020. It was favoured by many of the drivers including Sebastien Ogier who isn’t a fan of the Pirelli’s that are used now. MRF Tyre has been successful in the European Rally Championship. Winning the team’s championship the last two seasons. Hankook hasn’t found much success in any FIA Rally Championship to this point.
Why Only One Tire Supplier
The main reason the World Rally Championship uses one tire supplier is to create fairness between all teams. It wouldn’t be fair for a team with more budget like Toyota to use a higher quality tire than a team with less money like M-Sport. This way it ensures every team will have the same choice of tires at any given event. It’s also easier for the WRC promoter to work with one tire supplier to build the best possible tire for the championship. Sure you could make the case that more suppliers would be better for the WRC in some ways. But that would be another way for teams to get a leg up on one another.
Pierre-Louis Loubet has announced he and Nicolas Gilsoul have parted ways just 11 rounds into the 2023 WRC season.
That Was Fast
Pierre-Louis Loubet brought on Nicolas Gilsoul as his co-driver at the beginning of the 2023 World Rally Championship season. Unfortunately for Loubet and Gilsoul, they haven’t been able to get the results they were hoping for. As Gilsoul was hoping to help Loubet become the WRC star that he could be. However, the highest the duo finished this season was sixth at both Rally Sweden and Rally Estonia. It’s disappointing for Gilsoul who is a 5-time vice champion co-driver in the World Rally Championship. Gilsoul was the former co-driver for Thierry Neuville before the duo parted ways at the end of the 2020 WRC season.
What Went Wrong?
What went wrong between Gilsoul and Loubet is unknown. It is known the Belgian co-driver messed up a pace note at Rally Chile BioBio ending Loubet’s event. However one miscall isn’t likely enough for Loubet to consider another co-driver, especially mid-season. Gilsoul is an extremely talented co-driver and Loubet is a talented driver. So why the duo didn’t work out as expected is unknown. Sure Loubet’s Puma hasn’t been reliable but that isn’t Gilsoul’s fault. Truthfully we will probably never know why the two parted ways. It could just be a case of Loubet wanting to try another co-driver. However, why he would do it less than two weeks before the start of the Central European Rally is unknown.
When Could Loubet’s New Co-Driver Be Named?
Pierre-Louis Loubet didn’t name a new co-driver but he likely will sometime in the next week. As the Central European Rally starts in just 13 days. Loubet likely already has a general idea of who his next co-driver will be, and I personally wouldn’t be surprised if it was somebody French. However, that’s just a guess. There is also a chance Loubet will use a co-driver for the Central European Rally and then swap to the co-driver he plans on using in 2024 for Rally Japan to end the season. As most good co-drivers are likely tied up and with such short notice Loubet wouldn’t have many options.
With Rally Poland confirmed to be returning to the World Rally Championship next season, did the WRC make the right choice?
Why Poland Is Returning
The answer to why Rally Poland is returning to the World Rally Championship is quite simple. They needed another event for the 2024 calendar, but why? There were rumors that Saudi Arabia and the USA were options for the WRC next season. However that changed, as the USA event is still a work in progress, but will likely be on the 2025 calendar. Rally Poland serves as a filler round for the year. As it’s unlikely it will run on the WRC calendar in 2025. Was Poland the right choice of rally for this?
Why It Was
Rally Poland is the second oldest rally in history, with Rallye Monte-Carlo being the first. For the WRC in its 51st season history is important. That isn’t necessarily why Rally Poland was chosen, however. It has more to do with the event being ready to go, and in Europe. It also fits the opening in the calendar perfectly. As it will run just one week after Safari Rally Kenya ran this year. With Safari Rally Kenya being run in March for the 2024 season they needed a rally that fit the time frame perfectly. Rally Poland was the event that could do that. It’s also an event both the WRC and FIA have experience with. As Poland has been a mainstay on the European Rally Championship for years now and was a WRC event from 2014-2017.
Why Rally Poland Wasn’t The Best Choice
Rally Poland suffers from being too similar to other events on the WRC calendar. The event is fast gravel roads, something that Latvia and Finland already provide, so why add another? It doesn’t make sense, especially seeing as the events will be run back-to-back-to-back. If Poland wasn’t so similar to Latvia and Finland or if it was run at a different time point it wouldn’t be much of an issue. But to run three similar events in a row it can get boring for fans. Especially when there are other countries that should get a WRC event.
What Other Events Should’ve Been Added?
There’s gonna be many different viewpoints to this, as there always are when talking about what events the WRC should add. Personally, I have a few picks. I would’ve liked to have seen the WRC split up the gravel mid-season with a tarmac event, and I’m not even a huge fan of tarmac events. Ypres Rally Belgium would’ve been a good option for the championship that runs in June like Poland will. There are also events like the Tour De Corse, and RACC Rally Catalunya that could’ve been run. Sure they would be run outside of the normal timeframe for those events so they may not have been the best choice. Sticking
with Gravel the WRC also had options there, namely an event in Ireland or the UK. Something that fans have been asking for since the event went off the calendar in 2019. One of those events would have given the WRC calendar a bit of change in between the two fast events. It also likely would’ve brought a lot more eyes to the sport itself.
Adrien Fourmaux seems like a lock to get a Rally1 drive again next season, but has he done enough to earn another chance?
Fourmaux’s 2023 Season
Adrien Fourmaux has had a decent season in WRC2 and a great one in the British Rally Championship. Fourmaux currently sits 6th in the WRC2 Championship. Having competed in all 7 point-scoring rounds he’s allowed, Fourmaux can only go lower. The French driver only claimed 1 podium this season, which was a 2nd at Secto Rally Finland. He was on pace to win the class at the Rally Italia Sardegna, however, an accident would stop that from happening. In the British Rally Championship Fourmaux won all 5 events he competed in to take home the championship. Becoming the first French driver to win the championship. Fourmaux will compete at the Central European Rally later this month to gain experience as he can no longer score WRC2 championship points.
Has Fourmaux Earned A Chance?
On the surface, Fourmaux seems like he still has a bit to go to get another chance in a Rally1 car. He wasn’t really competitive in WRC2. Sure he was around 5th place consistently at every event, but nothing has really stood out to say he should be the first in line to get another chance. Guys like Andreas Mikkelsen and Oliver Solberg should likely get a chance before Fourmaux does. However, Fourmaux seems like a lock to drive for M-Sport next season. As the team needs drivers, Pierre-Louis Loubet will likely stay with the British team. However, from there, it’s all open.
WRC2 Isn’t Rally1
Even if his WRC2 stats haven’t been something that screams he should get another chance, he will likely get a chance. Which isn’t a bad thing and nobody will hold it against Forumaux. As at the end of the day, nothing done in WRC2 really matters for Rally1. The gap between the cars is night and day, you could drive a perfect season in WRC2 and then go and not even finish top five in a Rally1 car the next season. The Rally1 cars are hybrid and have much more aerodynamics than the WRC2 cars. The only way Forumaux will become a good WRC driver is by driving a Rally1 car. WRC2 used to be a decent scale on whether or not a driver would do good in a top car. Now it really isn’t. Truthfully Fourmaux has the skill and ability to be a good top-level driver in the WRC. He just needs to get experience with the car and at the events.
Lia Block will drive her late father’s Ford Escort Cosworth “Cossie” Version 2 at the Lake Superior Performance Rally this weekend.
The Youngest ARA Champion
Lia Block won the O2WD Championship in the ARA this season. By doing this Lia has become the youngest driver in American Rally history to win a championship. As she was just 16 years old when she took home the championship. Lia drove a rear-wheel-drive Subaru BRZ this season and she was unstoppable. Winning 4 out of 5 events she competed in this season. Beating drivers who had years more experience than her almost instantly. Joined by 3 time American Rally Champion Co-Driver Rhianon Gelsomino, Lia had all the pieces to win the championship. It was up to her to make it happen. She did that and made quite a name for herself in the process. As World Rally Teams have started to take notice of the now 17-year-old. Lia is bursting at the seams with natural skill.
Driving A Icon
Her father Ken Block is a pretty large name in the world of Motorsports. Creating the Gymkhana series, and being one of, if not the greatest American rally drivers in history are a few reasons why he is such a large name. One of Ken’s most iconic cars is his Ford Escort Cosworth. Nicknamed the Cossie, Ken used this car throughout 2019 at select events across the world. The Cossie V2 was created after the first version of the Cossie caught fire at the 2018 running of the New England Forest Rally.
Ken was able to take home first in the M6 class at Rally Legend in 2019 and 2020 with the Cossie V2. In 2021 Ken returned to the ARA full-time to chase his first rally championship. He didn’t use the Cossie that season, however. The last rally action the Cossie had seen before this weekend was the 2021 running of NEFR with Jax Redline behind the wheel. Lia will drive this legendary vehicle this weekend at LSPR.
Her First Time
Lia Block has driven 4WD cars competitively before. Driving in both NRX NEXT and Extreme E. However she has never driven a 4WD in a rally before. Making this weekend her first time, and what better car to do it in? Lia likely won’t push the car to the same limits Ken did. As she has a lack of experience as previously mentioned and the car itself is basically priceless. It’s not something you’d want to risk destroying.
What’s Next For Lia?
Lia Block’s future in rally is uncertain at this point. As she has made it known she has an interest in circuit racing and has her foot in multiple other series. However, if she does choose to continue her rally career she will likely have a good one. As she has loads of natural skill for Rally and is an incredible driver already. If she were to go to the WRC there’s a good chance she could be one of the better drivers in the championship. I mean she was already challenging Brandon Semenuk on stages while she was in a 2WD car. With Semenuk in an open class top of the line rally car. Doors are open for Lia and she will likely have a tough decision ahead of her.
The full route and location list for EA Sports WRC has been revealed. Find out everything you need to know below.
Locations
EA Sports WRC will feature 18 unique rally locations. Including all 13 rounds of the 2023 World Rally Championship season. However, the Central European Rally will not be in the game for the November 3 launch date. It will be added later in a free update for all players shortly after launch, however. Along with the 13 WRC events, there will be 5 other events. Those events are Rally Mediterraneo, AOC Rally Pacifico, Fanatec Rally Oceania, Rally Scandia and Rally Iberia. Mediterraneo looks like it’s pretty much the Tour De Corse Rally which takes place on the island of Corsica in France. AOC Rally Pacifico is set in the Eastern part of Asia. Fanatec Rally Oceania is set in New Zealand and Australia. Rally Scandia is set in Norway. Finally, Rally Iberia is set in Spain.
What Will The Routes Look Like?
For EA Sports WRC Codemasters are using pretty much all real stages. However, some don’t use their real-life stage names. The total kilometres of stages in the game adds up to around 370 km. Some stages are more than 30 kilometres in length. You will be able to drive all 204 stages in the four different seasons. You will also be able to drive them in any car. Say you want to take the legendary Subaru Legacy for a spin at Rally Finland like Colin McRae did all those years ago, you can do that. You could even take the Lancia Delta S4 to the Safari Rally, something the car never did in real life. The choice is completely up to you.
Full Stage List
I could write the entire stage list in this article, however, that would be rather clunky. As a result of putting 204 stages in an article and trying to make it look good isn’t easy. However, I will give you a link to the article from EA themselves that has the complete list of stages.
Rally Poland will return to the World Rally Championship next season for the first time since 2017. Find out more below.
Making A Return
It has been confirmed that Rally Poland will return for the 2024 WRC season. The fast gravel roads of Poland last appeared in the World Rally Championship in 2017. Before it was taken off the calendar due to issues with safety. The event has a long WRC history, with it first being run in 1921, although wasn’t on the WRC calendar at that time. As the WRC didn’t exist at the time. Poland first appeared on the WRC calendar in 1973 as a one-off event. It would remain absent until 2009 when Mikko Hirvonen won the event. Then Poland was absent again until 2014 when it made 4 consecutive WRC appearances. Sebastien Ogier won in both 2014 and 2015, while Andreas Mikkelsen won in 2016 and Thierry Neuville in 2017.
When Will Rally Poland Be Run?
The date for the event is the 27th through 30th of June 2024. This means it’ll run at basically the same time Safari Rally Kenya ran this year. Rally Poland will run as one of three consecutive high-speed events. The other two are Rally Latvia and Rally Finland. Latvia also joins the WRC in 2024, after being an ERC mainstay. If you’re wondering about Safari Rally Kenya don’t worry the event will still be run.
When Will The 2024 WRC Calendar Be Released?
Now that we know all 13 rounds that will be on the 2024 WRC calendar, where is it? The simple answer is, that it still has yet to be approved by the FIA. However there is a date the calendar has to be approved by. That date is the 19th of October before the FIA World Motor Sport Council on that day.
The entry list for the Central European Rally has been released. Grégoire Munster is set to compete for the second time in a Rally1 car at the event.
Another Chance
Grégoire Munster will get another chance in a Rally1 car at the first-ever Central European Rally. Munster got a chance to drive a Rally1 car at Rally Chile BioBio courtesy of his friend Jourdan Serderidis. Why is Munster getting another chance? And what does this mean for the Luxembourgish driver?
Why Is Munster Getting Another Drive?
The car Munster drove in Chile and will drive at the Central European Rally is owned by Serderidis. Meaning it’s his choice who drives the car and when. Munster had a decently good showing at Rally Chile BioBio. Sure he was still seconds off the pace of the other Rally1 drivers, besides Alberto Heller who was also making his Rally1 debut at the event. Munster probably would’ve had a top-10 result if it wasn’t for a double puncture on the second day of the event. Coincidentally Munster will be the only Rally1 driver with experience at the event’s three locations. As Munster has competed at rallies in Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic.
What This Means For Munster
What another drive in a Rally1 car will mean for Munster will be determined in some time. However, we can make some guesses as to where it will lead. Munster has said he is using the events in the Rally1 car to gain knowledge to become more competitive in WRC2. As he is lacking top-class knowledge that guys like Oliver Solberg and Andreas Mikkelsen have. On the flip side what could come from this may have nothing to do with WRC2 at all. As M-Sport has no signed drivers for next season, so there may be a spot for Munster on the team next season. It’s probably a long shot, as Munster isn’t the most experienced driver available. However, M-Sport could bring in Munster on a part-time drive and have him compete in WRC2 at events he’s not driving a rally1 car. Jourdan Serderidis could also give Munster this opportunity.