Ok, what are your predictions for the WRC in 2005 and the F1 2005 Season?

I think Ford will win the WRC next year, provided they get some good drivers!
And I hope everyone closes the Gap on Ferrari and BAR wins the F1 Crown!

you know what i think for 2005 WRC....

if i had £500 i would put it on Skoda... why?

because Audi technitions are working on the car, and on the verge of a 3rd development of the car, and with a very strong chance of Colin McRae driving for them (he drove the car in Spain for testing) and the young up-and-coming Kris Meeke.

I think this year is gonna be green!

http://www.wrc.com/ULImages/Photos/france-gallery-schwarz-webo.gif

Ok, bye bye £500 IMO. :wink:

I think Ford will win, cos they have a good car and Duval may stay!

Can anyone tell me why Duval wants to leave Ford. Because i think it's very stupid idea.

Can anyone tell me why Duval wants to leave Ford. Because i think it's very stupid idea.
well when i saw him, he was not very happy, fed up of problems with his car, and being 2nd driver, he did not get full 100% attention to the car, even though they now operate the Flexi-Service.

He is looking for a new drive and new car to be able to compete with, one with hopefully less problems, remembering that in 2 consecutive rallies where he was doing really well, up front in podium place, he retired through the fault of the car! i know i wouldnt be too happy :(

I think Mclaren and BAR will really battle it out in 2005. Lets just hope Mclaren doesn't have a repeat of 2004 :eek:

well when i saw him, he was not very happy, fed up of problems with his car, and being 2nd driver, he did not get full 100% attention to the car, even though they now operate the Flexi-Service.

He is looking for a new drive and new car to be able to compete with, one with hopefully less problems, remembering that in 2 consecutive rallies where he was doing really well, up front in podium place, he retired through the fault of the car! i know i wouldnt be too happy :(

I wouldn't be happy either but he is young and IMO he should be more patient. And change team only when he will get really good offer.

I think Mclaren and BAR will really battle it out in 2005. Lets just hope Mclaren doesn't have a repeat of 2004 :eek:Don't forget Ferrari, imo they have still the biggest chances for the campionship. And i'd like to see it happen the McLaren has a repeat of 2004:D:p
If BAR continous like this they will have a big chance. But it is not sure that they do.Look what happened to Jordan, they were candidates for the championship in 1999, now they're struggeling to stay in F1

Duval wants to stay in the WRC with Ford now because he thinks the Focus is more reliable and he will become no1 when Markkos leaves.

Don't forget Ferrari, imo they have still the biggest chances for the campionship. And i'd like to see it happen the McLaren has a repeat of 2004:D:p
If BAR continous like this they will have a big chance. But it is not sure that they do.Look what happened to Jordan, they were candidates for the championship in 1999, now they're struggeling to stay in F1Man, I don't count Ferrari. They dominate F1 too much. It's always the cars that come in after Ferrari that are in the true race.

Yeah, I agree. If Ferrari run away with it thies year, then just ignore them and whoever gets 2nd place can win the World Championship IMO. BAR are currently my Fav.

WRC 2005 means the end of PSA - Peugeot and citroen.
That means Ford and subaru's will be the main dogfight, i reckon Ford will recruit Loeb and Gronholm more likely than Subaru because of similarity of the car dimensions between the Focus and their previous ones and also the handling and and power output are very similar.
Question- because the 2 manufacturer's are not going to continue as far as we know does that mean 2 others have to join?
F1 - Dunno probably Ferrari again, but i tip Toyota to become a more successful team and possibly gain a few podiums.

I heard that Duval have signed contract with Citroen for 2005, is that true?

I heard that Duval have signed contract with Citroen for 2005, is that true?Yup, that's right.

Duval signs for Citroenhttp://www.wrc.com/images/shim.gifAustralia - Citroën - François Duval - 17/11/2004 10:00:54http://www.wrc.com/images/shim.gif

Citroen has confirmed that Ford driver Francois Duval and co-driver Stephane Prevot will join the team next year. The pair, who will replace retiring rally legend Carlos Sainz and Marc Marti, have been linked to the outfit’s second seat for some time.
Sainz announced ahead of his home event, the Rally Catalunya, that he would be retiring at the end of this year and Duval was one of the first names linked with his seat as he had been released by Ford from his contract for 2005 after the outfit couldn’t guarantee its plans for next year.

The Belgian’s move to partner 2004 champion Sebastien Loeb at Citroen is a surprise, though, as the French manufacturer has announced that it will quit the World Rally Championship at the end of 2005, which makes Duval’s deal likely to be for just one year only. Ford was keen to offer him a four-year deal to lead the team as part of its renewed commitment to the sport.

In a statement, the Citroen team said: “For the young Belgian driver, the move marks a return to his origins in the sport since he began his rallying career in 1999 with victory in Belgium’s Citroen Saxo Challenge. It’s also with Citroen that Stephane Prevot first competed as a co-driver, in the 1988 Citroen AX Challenge. Having sat alongside Bruno Thiry on a number of events, including notably the European Rally Championship driving a Citroen Xsara Kit Car, he has partnered Francois Duval in the WRC since 2003.”

With Ford team-mate Markko Martin still expected to go to Peugeot, despite the news that the French team will join Peugeot by leaving the WRC at the end of next year, today’s news begins to firm up the driver line-ups for 2005. It also narrows down the options for drivers to the second seat alongside 2003 champion Petter Solberg at Subaru, the two Ford seats and the second seats alongside Gilles Panizzi and Armin Schwarz at Mitsubishi and Skoda respectively.



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Ford will have two new drivers in 2005, Leob is staying at Citroen, Peugeot keeps Gronholm and Subaru keep Solberg. (Please excuse the spelling)