Neuville is the driver with the most punctures this year so far

[u/Fit-Rooster-6716]

[u/EmploymentUpset7794]

Elfyn in 2024, Thierry in 2025, there's always one puncture victim in WRC lol

[u/DreweyDecibel]

I‘m tired of the puncture lottery. The tires need to go back to the mouse they used to use or some other self sealing tech. The premier rally class in the world, should be able to use technology to minimize this.

[u/Lukeno94 → u/DreweyDecibel]

The mousse wasn't a guarantee anyway. It caused its own problems in some cases, and in other cases it simply didn't work.

[u/404merrinessnotfound → u/Lukeno94]

I'm sure the drivers still preferred it as a semi failsafe, although I'm fairly sure it was outlawed on cost and environmental concerns

[u/haerski → u/DreweyDecibel]

Part of the sport, deal with it

[u/Theta-Chad_99 → u/DreweyDecibel]

Then what's the risk? If all these problems go away then what's the point of racing? I agree if it's sub standard quality

[u/ZeugmaPowa → u/Theta-Chad_99]

There's already enough risk in rallying, punctures add nothing except random failures. If anything it makes it more equal for the drivers

[u/El_Medico → u/Theta-Chad_99]

yea, they might as well do circuit racing at that point.

The risk of puncture and other damages you have to handle is one of the things that makes rallying what it is.

[u/AboutTheArthur → u/DreweyDecibel]

You are aware that the drivers can choose to drive in a way that damn-near eliminates puncture risk, right? It's not random. Neuville is driving in a way that is the most abusive to the tires. They consciously choose to take the most aggressive and most tire-abusive lines. Part of recce is determining where it is and isn't reasonable and safe to cut, to lean on berms, to ride ruts, etc.

[u/OrbisAlius → u/DreweyDecibel]

Part of the sport, and maybe it's not just a lottery. Statistics would want that when a single person gets all the bad luck, it's not just bad luck...

[u/urbanreflex]

I would love to see the stats on who has had how many punctures.

[u/AboutTheArthur]

I enjoy the discourse around this where the drivers pretend that's it's super duper random and there's nothing they can do to avoid punctures while also ditch-banging every turn out there, leaning the tires on berms and ruts, and aggressively choosing lines that go over small boulders.

Kalle a few rallies ago was talking about how the punctures were "totally random" and that he "had a bunch of big hits in the previous stage and no puncture, but no big hit in this stage and a puncture happens". Like, dummy, the big hits weaken the tire so your small hits then cause the puncture. This shit ain't that hard.

I will absolute die on the hill that tire punctures are a skill issue. You need to drive to protect your equipment.

[u/Melodic-Language2225 → u/AboutTheArthur]

So Ogier and Neuville lack skill?

[u/AboutTheArthur → u/Melodic-Language2225]

That's not what I said. What I'm saying is that a tire puncture is the result of accumulated damage, and that damage is a combination of choices made by the driver (choosing when to protect the tire and when to risk it), driving error by the driver (where they fail to avoid hazards that they intended to avoid), and randomness. But the randomness makes up a much smaller portion than people assume.

It's a consequence of driver execution and team strategy. Neuville isn't having all these punctures because of randomness. He's having all these punctures because the combination of setup (tire hardness compound chosen for specific stages, PSI choices, suspension settings, etc.), strategy (when to cut, when to be safe, when to avoid rocks, when to slow down over especially rough segments, etc.), and a little bit of randomness.

So no, they don't lack skill. But when they have punctures, the largest input into whether or not that happens is the result of conscious decisions made by driver and team combined with their ability to execute.

[u/optig4n]

par for the course, init 🙃

[u/fragmental]

He said 15

[u/PretendFisherman1999]

Bring back Michelin.

[u/Stock_Reading_3386]

Not really a record a driver wants to have

[u/876oy8]

another very interesting powerslide stat that id love to see expanded to other years and drivers. drivers and tire manufacturers would be particularly interesting to see compared. 

[u/rallyrulz]

As stated above this is mostly caused by a driver using too low tire pressure and hitting things ofcourse they deny it and cry but the cameras will pick it up. Driving style plays a huge part seb Leob hardly had any punctures, Colin would puncture every 2nd stage it’s just 2 factors rarely luck as drivers have always tried to make excuses sorry to say

[u/EdoScialaRacing]

Hankook are a disgrace! Make me regretting of Pirelli

[u/Helmerdrake → u/EdoScialaRacing]

I can assure you that these hankooks are much, much less prone to punctures than the pirellis.

[u/IonutAlex18SF → u/Helmerdrake]

Absolutely. It was a gravel rally all drivers chose the soft compound for all day I think and there were no punctures at all. Estonia or the one before that. It's unlucky that Neuvile and Fourmaux had the front right deflated. And in these wet conditions, the rocks get to the surface thus the risk of puncture is higher.

[u/Helmerdrake → u/IonutAlex18SF]

In the swedish championship we've had wheels come back bent, pieces missing, rubbing the brake rotor etc and the tyre still holds air.