The 2006 campaign kicks off in roughly a week with the Rallye Monte Carlo. This season could be the most wide open in years due to the number of team and rule changes. The biggest news is that only two manufacturer teams will compete, Subaru and Ford. Citroen and Peugeot had previously announced their intentions to take a year’s sabbatical from the championship, but in the off-season, Skoda and Mitsubishi also announced they would not field teams in 2006. The news was the greatest shock to the Mitsubishi drivers, as they had received no word of the news, and therefore could not shop their services. In reaction to this news, the FIA announced changes to the rules for the manufacturer’s championship, thus allowing privateer teams to score points in the championship. The drivers market was a mad scramble, with no factory seats open in the offseason (both Ford and Subaru had set their rosters prior to close of the 2005 season), and several top drivers will not have a consistent seat throughout the season.
The factory teams will look like this:
Subaru
Petter Solberg
Chris Atkinson
Stephane Sarrazin
Ford
Marcus Gronholm
Mikko Hirvonen
Two privateer squads have announced their rosters for the season:
Kronos Total Citroen
Sebastien Loeb
Xavier Pons
Dani Sordo
Red Bull Skoda
Gilles Panizzi
Andreas Aigner
Mattias Ekstrom
The Kronos squad will have many of the factory Citroen team’s support crew, so don’t discount Loeb’s chances to repeat as champion because he is not on a factory team.
The Mitsubishi squad, Harri Rovanpera and Gigi Galli, will be driving privateer Lancers for Monte Carlo and Sweden, and it is likely both will compete most every round of the championship. Former Citroen driver Francois Duval will drive a First Motorsport Skoda Fabia in Monte Carlo, but neither the team nor Duval have announced plans for the remainder of the season.
Former Peugeot ace Markko Martin was left without a drive for 2006 and will instead run a team in his native Estonian national series. Martin’s situation was partly his own choosing, after the death of co-driver Michael Park in Great Britain last season.
While Loeb will compete for the driver’s crown, it’s unlikely the rest of the Kronos team can put the team in contention for the make’s crown. The manufacturer’s championship will come down to the two factory teams, and Ford, with its more experienced drivers, should be the favorite to win. If Atkinson can have a consistent year, Subaru can challenge, but his inexperience will likely hold him back.
Another rule change for the upcoming season is that all cars are required to use passive differentials rather than active. The FIA instituted this to lower the overall cost of running a car in the championship. This means that every team will be running a 2006 spec car at the Monte, since all 2005 factory cars would be excluded due to their active differentials.
So, now, crystal ball time. The driver’s championship will come down to Loeb and Solberg. Yes, Gronholm is still quick, but he’s been behind the wheel of a Peugeot for seven years, so the switch to Ford will hinder his championship chances this season. That said, I think Ford has the best chance to win the make’s championship, as Gronholm and Hirvonen should be in the points nearly every rally. Solberg’s chances hinge on the Impreza–it has been fast enough to beat Loeb in the past, but will the 2006 spec car be able to outpace the Xsara? Loeb will not likely dominate as he did last season, but he should be consistent enough to take the crown for the third year running.
Top 3 Drivers
1. Sebastien Loeb
2. Petter Solberg
3. Marcus Gronholm
Top 3 Teams
1. Ford
2. Subaru
3. Kronos Total Citroen
Posted on 11 January 2006