I can't wait to see this getting thrashed by Esapekka Lappi in the ERC.

Of course he will, he's in for a new season with VW. And Monte Carlo is always an epic event.

Of course not.

Now, the even scarier thing is that Dacia produced this car until 2004. Though it recieved headrests after a while, I can imagine it wasn't much safe to drive.

I don't think he was satisfied with ending his rally career with a retirement, so he wants a win. I mean, he has to do better than Mikko Hirvonen.

The new sedan is a successor to the old 159, pictured above, and was originally set to be called the Giulia like Alfa's old sport sedans and coupes but will likely receive a new name. Ten bucks says it will be an alphanumeric to compete with other luxury cars.

Of course it does. But he never dominated that event like he did with other events.

Not to take anything away from Loeb, he was good at all surfaces, but he never dominated Sweden like he did in other events. Still, like someone else mentioned here, he was the first non-scandinavian to win the event.

Though Loeb has won Rally Sweden once (2004), you'd be better off with a Scandinavian driver. Tommi Mäkinen, Marcus Grönholm or Jari-Matti Latvala would be a better choice, since they all dominated this event at some point.

The Suzuki Jimny, modified by Arctic Trucks (The same guys that built the Hiluxes Top Gear drove to the North Pole). The founder of the company was asked the same question, and he had to answer the Jimny even though he thinks it's a silly car. I think the key here is that it's lightweight and has a large footprint for…

Mikko was overdriving as well, taking out the Michelin-banner at the finishline of one stage:

This is why we love Jari-Matti.

It has to be said that it is in some way easier to get top level experience in the WRC, as you can enter rallies as a privateer. That is impossible in F1. Some WRC-drivers have even made a career there without being in a factory team, with Henning Solberg and Manfred Stohl as the best recent examples.

Let's see then, when some of the current WRC drivers had their debut:

Of course, but I don't think age was the main reason why he quit, because he's younger than both Loeb and Solberg. Both of them are still active and successful, although not in rally. But he might have had to become a privateer in 2006, and I don't think he was motivated for that after what happened in Wales.

But really, the best design in BTCC might be the Renault Laguna fram the same era:

Markko Märtin is one of my favourite drivers from the first half of the 00's, and I love that RS-livery so I had to include that! I can't help thinking about the way his WRC-career ended though, at least at this part of the year. He was one of the few drivers of that generation that could challenge Loeb.

The last good looking rallycar, there's something about the lack of huge wings everywhere. Yeah, the Impreza WRC looks cool and all that, but the Focus looks a bit smarter. More old-school.

Scott Speed tried to do a Petter Solberg move there. I guess he needs a bit more practice. But a decent performance by Block, would love to see him do some WorldRX as well.

I actually saw another video from that trip a few days ago, when he went fast instead of sideways. I have to admit, 8.26 is pretty good for a 30+ year old Toyota Cressida.