Ya i don't have it. So i sometimes turn my friends down when they want to get together because i have to be there to cut out the comercals.

IS2Scooby, i've seen your posts before but didn't know you live in Hawaii. I thought you lived in the small town of Paradise in nor cal.

I really hope Skoda can work out their bugs. I think with that wheel base and same suspension as the Ford it could do really good. Plus the driver line-up of Didier and Toni ain't bad either

 

Well, you're right, just like Ford's new Focus, Skoda needs to find and fix their bugs or problems, but the only way you find out what needs to be improved is by putting it to the real test--The WRC Rallies.
Cody

 

Maybe they'll pick up Harri Rovanpera in the off season (sha, right. and monkeys might fly out of my butt) and by next year the car will be better so they can start gettin podiums.

 

i don't think that Skoda needs a differant driver lineup to get on the podium, they just need to do some work on the car. when he's got the feel for a car, and is on, Didier Auriol is FAST. Gardemeister isn't in the same leauge as Auriol, but then again as a second drive you don't really expect him to be. i'm of the opinion that if Skoda can start finishing rallies, and getting more data about the car they could finish on the podium by the early to mid part of next season. i don't think that they have the budget of some of the other teams, which is part of why it'll take them longer than Ford to make the new car competative.

speaking of new cars, has anyone seen or heard anything about what Mitsubishi is going to be bringing for next year? i know they left the championship the year before last with a new WRC spec lancer, but it was getting it's **** kicked and technology has moved on quite a bit since then. i'm wondering if it'll be a new Evo 9 or just an update on the Evo 8 WRC car they were running two years ago with Makinen and Allister McRae.

 

I don't know what's up with mitsubishi. But i can't wait to see if they're going to be fast or not.

And yes i know Didier is WAAAYY fast when he's on. He is an ex-world champion after all.

 

i'd expect Mitsubuishi to come back with a competative car, i just don't see how they could afford not to. i just hope that they set their sights high enough in the development of the new car. i'd hate to see them come in with a car that's behind the Focus and the 206, which are today's benchmark.

i don't know if you saw one of the other threads that i posted today, but wrc.com has Panizzi close to announcing a deal with Mitsubishi. i'd love to Panizzi win a world championship. he is such a charecter compared to some of the other drivers, and is always quite animated on camera. oh yeah, that and he's fast as hell.

 

That would kick SOOOOO much a$$. I'd love to see him there driving for the championship. Mitsubishi deserves to have that kind of tallent.

poor poor Hyundai....will they ever have a competitive car? I even feel sorrier for Freedy and Armin. They are both good drivers and should be higher up the board.

 

Hyundai does have a rough time of it don't they? i wouldn't worry about Loix though, he seems set to head to Peugot. if you're driving a Hyundai you've got an excuse, but not if you're in a 206.

 

That's great news for Freddie. I wish him all the best.

 

I think that if Hyundai had some money to dump into a new car they would be competative, but honestly, an accent? That's as bad as Toyota putting an echo into the WRC. But yes, both Freedy and Armin are good drivers, they just lack a good car.
Cody

 

Hyundai would be a lot more competative if they had the budget to actually a) test their car, and b) develop new parts for it. hell, given a big enough testing and development budget, just about any car could become competative no matter what it looks like. WRC cars share very, very little with their retail counterparts.

 

Any of the WRC teams still using a floor-mounted shift mechanism are at a distinct disadvantage on any but the shortest of rally stages, unless it has no corners. I think I saw the Hyundai (or was it the Skoda) still using the floor shifter. Gosh, what a distraction it must be to take a hand off the wheel on a gravel surface at speed.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

<BUMP> nothing to say just yet, but just didn't want it to slip away.

 

pretty much everyone in the WRC uses a shift mechanism that is a whole lot closer to the driver than any normal car. even Hyundai uses a level thats about two and a half feet long so that it sticks up right by the driver's right hand. paddle style shifters on the wheel are great, but i don't think that they're anywhere near enough for Hyundai to make up the time they're losing by going to a paddle system. ford did just fine last year with a high mounted shift lever.

 

"you are correct onc again. Last year Ford was still kickin butt."