H&H-165

s e k a r b d Han s n i p r i a H & ld of rallying r o w e h t o t in t h ig your ins

Cover

Mid-point Madness!

ISSUE 165 • 13 JAN 2011

Features

http://handbrakeshairpins.wordpress.com Mikkelsen set for IRC, P11 EEvans vans vs EEvans in BRC, P9 New team in 2011’s WRC, P6

News

Events DDR, RR, P1 P12 IIRC, R P17

BRC and Irish rally news USA rallying news and updates WRC and IRC W nnews updates

Contents / Issue 165 04

Editorial Information Editor Evan Rothman Photojournalist Eva Kovkova Contributors RallyBuzz, Motorpics, Liga Stirna, Newspress.

All content copyrighted property of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, 200710. This publication is fully protected by copyright and nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the editor. While reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of information from sources and given to readers, the editor cannot accept responsibility for any inconvenience or damage that may arise therefrom.

News

04 05 05

Daily Online Updates Sordo joins MINI for 2011 WRC season Fan Foto Framed

06

Features

06 07 08 09 09 10 10 11 11

New team enters WRC fray for 2011 Two Aussie ladies set for WRC debut BRC to take bold steps in 2012 Evans vs Evans in 2011 BRC H&H’s top clicks of 2010 Enhanced WRC TV coverage for UK fans Team Scotland selected for Team UK Mikkelsen tests his new Skoda Fabia WRC Rally Sweden entry list revealed

12

Events

12 17

Dakar Rally 2011, part two IRC Monte Carlo Rally preview

Contact E-mail us evan.hhmag@gmail.com Call us +27 83 452 6892 Surf us http://wp.me/pkXc

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Welcome to issue 165 of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, your FREE weekly insight into the world of rallying.

As always, I hope you enjoy this week’s exciting edition.

Yours in Rallying, Evan Rothman

THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF RALLYING

RallyBuzz.com features European rally championships, British rallying, RallyCar events, international rally results and videos, as well as S2000 and WRC news.

www.RallyBuzz.com

s e k a r b d n Ha Hairpins

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e world of rallying

your insight into th

Bringing you the latest international rally news, extensive event previews and reviews, indepth feature and technical articles, awardwinning photography and insightful columnists, HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS is distributed to your e-mail inbox each week for FREE in the form of a high-quality 2MB .PDF file.

To receive this FREE eMagazine (in .PDF format), please send an email to evanrothman@gmail.com.

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Happy New Year!!!

Wishing you the best of luck for the 2011 season

We have a large selection of seats, harnesses, steering wheels, racewear and various other goodies arriving from middle January 2011, so remember to pop in or send us an e-mail with all your requirements and we will gladly assist.

͵Ͳ Ϊʹ͹ ͳͳ ͸͹ͲͺͶͲͲ Ȁ Ϊʹ͹ ͳͳ ͸͹͵ͷͳͺͷ Ǧ ǣ ̷ Ǧ Ǥ Ǥ

News

>>MORE NEWS For even more news, with daily updates, visit http://wp.me/pkXc

HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS

Team & Event News WRC IRC South African Rallying DAILY ONLINE UPDATES For your convenience, here are the news items in this easy-toclick menu page: WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP For Sale: Citroen C4 WRC: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2lK New team enters 2011 WRC: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2lD Solberg still a privateer: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2mX WRC Rally Sweden 2011 entries: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2mp New TV for UK WRC fans: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2ng Ostberg joins Stobart Ford WRT: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2ne 2011 WRC Season entry lists: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2nm

•Trucks are slow?: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2kW •The M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2la •Highlights of IQ Janner Rallye: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2mN •We can always rely on Henning Solberg to make us smile in the WRC: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2mi •Walter Rohrl in Audi Quattro: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2m2 •Dakar Rally from 1979 to 2011: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2lR

BRITISH AND IRISH RALLYING Evans vs Evans in BRC?: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2lu Team Scotland for Team UK: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2nq

•Solberg vs Solberg in Japan: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2kp

EUROPEAN AND INTERCONTINENTAL RALLY CHALLENGE Petter Solberg in Monte Carlo: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2lH Monte Carlo Rally’s itinerary: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2m0 Poll results: Monte Carlo Rally: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2mm Mikkelsen in testing: http://wp.me//ppkXc-2mt

•Petter Solberg’s S2000 tests: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2mV

•Highly talented Francois Delecour can still drive a car, fast: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2mc

•Audi Quattro S1 Group Bs: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2mQ •“This is Rallying”: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2m8

INTERNATIONAL RALLYING AND OFF-ROAD RACING Champion in Istanbul: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2lM Photos from the Dakar Rally: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2mZ RECOMMENDED YOUTUBE RALLY VIDEOS: •Rally Germany 2010 SS15/SS19: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2kl

THIS WEEK’S BEST VIDEO << The Group B era of rallying ended in the second half of the 1980s, but it remains the “Golden Era” of world rallying for many fans. Here is a great video for your viewing pleasure to see why: http://t.co/hbh3VvS At the top of each page, a tabbed section contains video clicks we recommend viewing. In other tabbed sections, we have linked articles posted on our website that will add more perspective and insight into the article it accompanies. Together with the videos, HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS aims to offer readers a fully-interactive reading experience.

Send evanrothman@gmail.com your favourite rally-related videos to to be featured in this section. Or, send us a twitter to @Evan_Rothman or a message on Facebook.

THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF RALLYING

RallyBuzz.com features European rally championships, British rallying, RallyCar events, international rally results and videos, as well as S2000 and WRC news.

www.RallyBuzz.com

NEWS

Features

Issue 165 • 13 Jan 2011

Events

Download H&H’s FREE January Rally Calendar: http://bit.ly/fdrmsh

Rally Germany 2010 SS15/SS19: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2kl

FAN FOTO FRAMED

Got a great shot from a rally? Send your favourite rally photograph to evan.hhmag@gmail.com to be featured here!

Picture by Jun Mizuki

SORDO JOINS MINI FOR WRC Words: Staff Writer Spanish driver Daniel “Dani” Sordo will strengthen the new MINI WRC Team in the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship. He will team up with Kris Meeke (GB) when MINI makes its return to rallying with the MINI WRC this coming season.

“There has been a great deal of excitement surrounding MINI’s return to the WRC, so to be part of this new team is a fantastic opportunity for me,” says the 27-year-old Sordo. “I’m sure MINI has a big future in the sport. I’m looking forward to working with Kris Meeke, having completed a very successful test with him in Sardinia last November.”

Dr Wolfgang Armbrecht, Senior Vice President Brand Management MINI, says: “Both Dani and Kris fit well with the MINI brand, and can offer the MINI WRC programme not only experience and speed but also the right chemistry we need to build the team.”

“Dani may only be 27, but he is already one of the most experienced drivers in the WRC and has been competing at the very highest level for the last five years,” says David Richards, Chairman of Prodrive. “I believe with the new MINI WRC and in the right environment, he can now take the next step and add to his 29 podiums with victories on WRC events and become a challenger for a WRC title.”

Dani Sordo is an experienced and successful WRC contender, having participated in the championship since 2003 and driving in the same team as Sébastien Loeb for several seasons.

He is a former Junior World Rally Champion, and to date in the WRC has secured an impressive 29 podium finishes and 102 stage wins. H&H

Download H&H’s FREE January Rally Calendar: http://bit.ly/fdrmsh

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NEW TEAM ENTERS THE WRC FRAY FOR 2011 Words: Staff Writer Pictures: M-Sport FERM Power Tools are proud to announce their entry as a new team in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) and will make their debut at Rally Sweden next month. FERM Power Tools World Rally Team will partner with Cumbrian-based M-Sport and will be headed by Dutchman Dennis Kuipers who will pilot the new Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Kuipers made his debut in the WRC with M-Sport in 2010. The 25-yearold produced a series of strong results, finishing ninth at Rally of Turkey and the first Dutchman ever to score WRC driver points. FERM Power Tools World Rally Team will register with the FIA as an official team in the WRC to compete in the FIA Manufacturers’ Championship.

Kuipers will also compete in the 2011 FIA Drivers’ Championship.

FERM Power Tools is a global producer of electronic equipment and

tools and they have embraced the WRC to help promote its brand and products worldwide. There is a natural fit between the products and the WRC. The maintenance of the car during and before a WRC event is a vital part of the rally and provides FERM Power Tools with an exciting challenge. The Dutchbased company would like to share this challenge with WRC fans worldwide, their customers and staff.

FERM Power Tools World Rally Team 2011 Calendar: February 10 – 13: Rally Sweden March 3 – 6: Rally Mexico March 24 – 27: Rally Portugal April 14 – 17: Jordan Rally May 5 – 8: Rally d’Italia June 16 – 19: Acropolis Rally July 28 – 31: Rally Finland August 18 – 21: Rallye Deutschland September 29 – October 2: Rally of France October 20 – 23: Catalunya Rally November 10 – 13: Wales Rally GB

Dennis Kuipers said: “I’m very happy to join the FERM Power Tools World Rally Team for 2011. 2010 was a very educational year and we had some good results with the Ford Fiesta S2000. I feel that the experience we gained with the Fiesta S2000 was excellent preparation for driving the new Ford Fiesta RS WRC. I’m really looking forward to next year.”

M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE said: “It is a real pleasure to welcome FERM Power Tools World Rally Team into the M-Sport family and the WRC for 2011. Dennis produced a series of consistently strong results in the Ford Fiesta S2000 in 2010 and showed considerable progression throughout the year. Dennis was a joy to work with last year and I look forward to working with him and the new team for what promises to be a successful season.” H&H

News

FEATURES

Issue 165 • 13 Jan 2011

Events

Download H&H’s FREE January Rally Calendar: http://bit.ly/fdrmsh

Trucks are slow?: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2kW

TWO AUSSIE LADIES SET FOR WRC DEBUT Words: Staff Writer Picture: Jakob Ebrey Photography Two young Australian women are set to star on the international stage as they prepare for their debut in the World Rally Championship in March.

Twenty-two-year-old Sydneysider Molly Taylor was one of the standouts in the Pirelli Star Driver Shootout that was run in Spain in late October last year, with 16 promising young drivers lining up for a chance to follow their dream of a career in the Formula One of gravel racing.

At stake were six places in the FIA World Rally Championship Academy, a specially tailored training program and one-make rally sub-series aimed at developing young drivers and providing them with a passage through to the elite levels of the sport.

Taylor won one place, and young Victorian driver, Brendan Reeves, won another. Now Taylor has chosen another young Australian woman as her co-driver for this exciting adventure.

Rebecca Smart, 24, from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, was second outright last year in the Australian Rally Championship, as codriver to her brother Ryan. They also won the Kuhmo Tyres’ Future Champions Award. Now she will partner Taylor in a hectic schedule which includes six rounds of the world championship

and selected rounds of the British and European rally series.

“I am really excited to have Beck on board,” says Taylor, who began driving rally cars just five years ago after years of training as a cross-country event horse rider.

“For sure it will be great to have an all-girl team, but more importantly she is just as determined as I am with the same ambitions. We are both committed to focus 100 per cent on this year in the WRC Academy. That is very important to me and why I am confident it will work well.

“From the little time we have spent in a car together things are very positive and I am looking forward to getting started on an event. We get along really well and have a lot in common so we have a good basis to work from.”

For her part, Smart is also excited about the new partnership.

Taylor heads back to the UK this weekend to start preparing for her first WRC round in Portugal in March. Smart will follow in a month’s time, after packing up her job as a vet nurse and her life in Australia – leaving her brother to find someone else for the passenger seat for this year’s Australian series.

“I’m really excited to be joining Molly in an all-girl team,” says Smart.

“I believe we are extremely compatible, and I’m looking forward to expanding

my co-driving experience. The WRC Academy is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’m definitely up for the challenge.”

Taylor began rallying in 2005 and moved to the UK two years ago (she has dual citizenship) to be closer to the top levels of the sport with the aim of making a career as a professional driver.

She began posting solid results immediately, taking third in the Citroën Racing Trophy (a one-make sub-series of the British Rally Championship) with several round wins to her credit, fourth outright in the British Junior Rally Championship and being awarded as British Ladies Rally Champion in 2009 and 2010.

She competes with financial support from the Australian Motor Sport Foundation and several personal sponsors, as well as her income from her fulltime job in customer sales for M-Sport, a specialist motor sport company which builds and runs rally cars for professional and privateer competitors.

Smart started watching rallying at the age of 12 with her brother before the pair launched into the sport in 2007 with a car they bought on eBay! They started out in small local events before stepping into progressively faster cars to compete in the state (Queensland) and national rallying. H&H

Issue 165 • 13 Jan 2011

News

Download H&H’s FREE January Rally Calendar: http://bit.ly/fdrmsh

FEATURES

Events

The M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2la

BRC TO TAKE BOLDS STEPS FOR RALLYING FROM 2012 Words: Evan Rothman Pictures: Jakob Ebrey Photography An interesting and bolf move has been set out for the future of the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship (BRC). As of 2012, the series will be open and focused on two-wheel drive cars.

In a BRC press release, their plan was outlined. This move is designed to re-establish and lower the cost base for competitors, engage with UK Car Manufacturers and Importers and put the BRC on a firm footing for the following five years.

This means that the 2012 championship will focus solely on competition between homologated twowheel drive cars up to two-litres engine capacities, as well as cars that are still homologated for Groups A and N and the new Class of R cars built by the likes of Renault, Peugeot, Suzuki, Citroen and Ford. It seems that other manufacturers are also interested in entering the fray with their models, and these include Mini and Skoda.

The highly popular and successful single-make series such as those run by Peugeot UK, Suzuki UK and Mitsubishi GB will continue. UK Rally, the powers that head the BRC, aim to retain the BRC’s international status, and will align their events and championships in order that the BRC drivers and co-drivers will be able to qualify for international rallies limited to two-wheel drive cars.

The British Teams Championship will become a manufacturer- and modelfeatured series, which as well as being open to factory teams will encourage participation from privately owned motorsport outfits running their own works-supported cars.

An important decision to continue the British Junior Championship has been made, and will only be open to competitors in the Rally 1 Class. This Class is a one-make series where young drivers and co-drivers can showcase their talent and will be encouraged by incentives to progress up the Group R categories.

Sky Sports has already signed for the 2012 season, and will provide High-Definition broadcasting to the sport and its followers. Pirelli will remain as the control tyre supplier, and will also continue its Star Driver campaign here.

The BRC’s spokesperson stated: “We are at a cusp in the sport and firm leadership is required. Having spent months in discussions with competitors, teams, car manufacturers and organisers, I believe this is the future for the British Rally Championship. With the loss of Group N, retaining four wheel drive cars and the rising costs attributed to that type of car is just unsustainable here in the UK. “2011 will be the final year for the four wheel drive, Group N and Super 2000 cars in the BRC. We have not made it a secret that we were going to move in this direction but with competitors looking at significant investments, I couldn’t delay the announcement any longer. One season notice gives current owners time to realise their investment whilst giving prospective purchasers a choice.

“Our focus on creating a world renowned series for potential rally champions, keeping a lid on the costs, providing good competition, camaraderie and a place where competitors have ambition to compete using the very best events in the UK, remains resolute.”

BRC Manager Mark Taylor said:

“Outside of the BRC, discussions with competitors and teams are ongoing and there is significant interest in creating a series purely for four wheel drive cars,” he said. “But UK Rally is keen to point out this will not have the British title or indeed conflict with the objectives for the BRC. Instead ideas surrounding a “Masters” series are being drawn up, based on Group A8 and Group B13 four wheel drive cars only. Whilst the series would in the main be held at rounds of the BRC, the competitors would enter stand alone events, such as the rally held in Northern Ireland for world rally cars in 2010, so as not to conflict with other rallies. It would be featured in the media as a competitive arena for past rally champions and competitors who enjoy their four wheel drive cars, seeking to compete on longer single day events with high media profile and quality television coverage. Whilst we eagerly await the outcome of the MSA’s review on stage rallying, it is hoped that more details should emerge by Easter 2011.”

The future of the BRC looks strong and is pro-active in its measures for the coming seasons. It is bold ideas and moves such as these that will steer rallying into greater popularity, success and most importantly into a sustainable future. The growth of this series, and its events, draw international attention, and with the recentl bold moves made by the RallyCar (formerly Rally America series), more Championships and sports bodies would re-look at their existing structures and implement steps for junior drivers as well as to keep competitors costs low.

The future of the sport needs this, and I applaud the BRC in their efforts and initiative. H&H

News

FEATURES

Issue 165 • 13 Jan 2011

Events

Download H&H’s FREE January Rally Calendar: http://bit.ly/fdrmsh

Highlights of IQ Janner Rallye: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2mN

H&H’S TOP CLICKS OF 2010 EVANS VERSUS EVANS IN BRC FOR 2011 Words: Staff Writer Pictures: Jakob Ebrey Photography While Elfyn Evans’ Pirelli Star Driver prize meant he and Andrew Edwards were certain to contest the 2011 BRC, there is a prospect of a father and son battle in store since 1996 Champion and 2010 runner up Gwyndaf Evans has supported the championship with an early registration.

Elfyn will use a Pirelli TEG Sport Impreza, but Gwyndaf has kept the make and model of his steed under wraps, although he has entered under the R4 category for four wheel drive cars, the same as Elfyn.

The youngster was coy about the possibility of a family tussle, but undoubtedly keen to get the season underway saying, “I’m really looking forward to it and we’re going to arrange a pre-season test in the next week or so.”

The Pirelli funded prize proved a winning one for the 2009 Star

Driver Keith Cronin, who went on to successfully defend his BRC crown at the wheel of the Impreza. But both the BRC and Pirelli competition organisers will make it quite clear that there is no such expectation of the Welsh youngster to deliver a title.

Gwyndaf’s registration was, according to him, “Just in case.”

Although when pushed further he admitted that he had, “A whale of a time in 2010.” concluding, “Nothing is in place for 2011 yet, but I’ve missed some chances in the past through not being registered and I’m working on a couple of plans. I was without a drive this time last year and look what happened – I finished second and helped JRM take the Teams title.”

Whatever happens Gwyndaf has pledged to give his full support to Elfyn in his prize drive year – whether that extends to the stages remains to be seen. H&H

Words: Evan Rothman Picture: M-Sport Throughout 2010, Handbrakes & Hairpins posted 1927 stories to its website (http://wp.me/pkXc), news articles and features to bring you rally news from around the world first. We would like to thank you for all your comments, e-mails, photographs and news stories in 2010.

Here are our top five clicks of 2011:

01) FIRST LOOK: Ford Fiesta RS WRC http://bit.ly/fh4uu7 02) The eMagazine – Issue 163 http://bit.ly/eSAcgj 03) Finland fires up Ford Fiesta S2000 crews http://bit.ly/fDBxIO 04) Ford’s Fiesta RS WRC development is on schedule http://bit.ly/egZVlb 05) Renowned ex-works Ford Escort rally car to be auctioned http://bit.ly/id0pib

We look forward to bringing you even more spectacular rally action in 2011! H&H

Download H&H’s FREE January Rally Calendar: http://bit.ly/fdrmsh

Issue 165 • 13 Jan 2011

News

ENHANCED WRC TV COVERAGE FOR UK FANS Fans of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) living in the United Kingdom will have the chance to watch more coverage of their sport than ever before thanks to a new television deal announced this week.

ESPN, the world’s leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company, has reached an exclusive agreement with North One Sport, the promoter of the WRC, to show the sport in the UK. The deal will provide motorsport fans with 4.5 hours of programming per rally – the most extensive season-long coverage of the WRC to date – with even more content appearing on ESPN’s multiple media platforms, such as ESPN Classic and ESPN.co.uk.

The coverage will begin on 2 February with an hour-long documentary ‘Road car to rally car’ which follows the development of the new MINI World Rally Car and includes exclusive behindthe-scenes footage.

Each of the 13 events will be previewed in a one hour programme, ‘Rally World’, starting on 2 February with a look ahead to the season opener, Rally Sweden, which begins on 10 February.

Thirty minute highlights programmes will be screened in the evenings of all three days of a rally, and the following week rally fans can watch ‘Access All Areas’ – a one hour look at the event showcasing the best of the action, in depth features and analysis.

ESPN will bring new elements to WRC broadcasting, including live studiohosted coverage of the new ‘Power Stages’ for up to 13 rallies (and on a same-day delay in cases of schedule conflict).

Additionally in 2011, ESPN Classic will feature 30 one-hour WRC archive programmes, as well as two brand-new documentary programmes,

and ESPN.co.uk – ESPN’s UK online sports portal – will provide news and video highlights online.

Simon Long, CEO of North One Sport said: “This is a pioneering TV agreement, not only in the UK but globally. It brings the exciting prospect of more coverage, fresh programming and more promotion than ever before.

The combination of the innovative content, production and digital promotion that ESPN offers combined with our revamped sport is extremely good news as we seek to reach out to new fans in the UK.” Specific production details for ESPN’s coverage are in development and will be announced in the run up to the start of the WRC season.

WRC joins ESPN’s growing stable of multimedia motorsports content and coverage, which includes live or delayed television coverage of DTM, FIA GT1, Superleague Formula, F3 Euro Series, VW Scirocco R-Cup and NHRA Drag Racing, as well as the ESPNF1.com – the online and mobile site providing 24/7 year-long coverage of F1. `“WRC is a superb, dynamic product with a fervent following a growing legion of enthusiasts, and fits extremely well as a key part of ESPN’s growing portfolio of motorsports from across the UK and Europe,” said Jeroen Oerlemans, vice president and channel manager, ESPN – Europe, the Middle East and Africa. H&H

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your insight into th

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Events

Henning Solberg always smiles: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2mi

Download H&H’s FREE January Rally Calendar: http://bit.ly/fdrmsh

Words: Staff Writer

FEATURES

TEAM SCOTLAND SELECTED FOR TEAM UK Words: Staff Writer The Motor Sports Association (MSA), governing body for UK motorsport, has selected Rally Team Scotland’s crew of John MacCrone and Stuart Loudon to become part of its national squad, Team UK. Team UK is a driver development scheme for the country’s most promising young drivers and represents the pinnacle of the MSA’s training structure that has been created to guide young drivers from eight years old through to world championship level.

Just three rally drivers and three rally co-drivers have been chosen to form the elite squad and the pair’s selection is testament to the dedication and commitment exhibited during their inaugural British Rally Championship (BRC) campaign in 2010.

The selection onto the Team UK squad comes at a vital point in the careers of the young Scottish pair. As they return to the British series for the second time, the support from the Team UK coaching structure will ensure they are improving every aspect of their competitive performance.

Team UK has race and rally coaches who provide specific expertise to supplement the common learning shared across all disciplines. Three-time British Rally Champion Mark Higgins is National Rally Coach while Nicky Grist is National Co-driver Coach.

MacCrone and Loudon’s busy schedule starts immediately. They will be attending the Autosport International show at Birmingham’s NEC for the official unveiling of the Team UK squad this week before the first training session at the Porsche Human Performance Centre at Silverstone on 17/18 January.

Bringing you the latest international rally news, extensive event previews and reviews, indepth feature and technical articles, awardwinning photography and insightful columnists, HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS is distributed to your e-mail inbox each week for FREE in the form of a high-quality 2MB .PDF file.

To receive this FREE eMagazine (in .PDF format), please send an email to evanrothman@gmail.com.

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News

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Issue 165 • 13 Jan 2011

Events

Download H&H’s FREE January Rally Calendar: http://bit.ly/fdrmsh

Walter Rohrl in Audi Quattro: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2m2

WRC RALLY SWEDEN ENTRY LIST REVEALED Words: Evan Rothman

MIKKELSEN TESTS HIS NEW SKODA FABIA S2000 FOR IRC Words: Staff Writer Pictures: Skoda UK Motorsport Andreas Mikkelsen completed his preevent testing for his first ever Monte Carlo Rally last weekend, with two days of driving the Škoda UK Motorsport Fabia S2000 in the south of France.

On Saturday the team, Andreas and co-driver Ola Fløene were on a short mountain road section on the outskirts of the ski resort of Allos, testing on snow and ice. The aim was to try different Michelin tyres in the slippery conditions on twisty uphill and downhill sections.

On Sunday the team moved south west to Saint Auban and onto a longer, faster and drier road to continue experimenting with the different tyres options that will be available when Rallye

Monte Carlo begins on 19 January.

“It was good to test the Fabia in the south of France for the final time before Rallye Monte Carlo,” said Mikkelsen. “This last test was basically just to try different tyre combinations, especially on the snow on Saturday, to see what we gain and what we lose with different tyres on different surfaces.

“On Sunday we moved to another area and a much drier and faster road, to make similar tyre comparisons. This will be my first Rallye Monte Carlo and of course it will be very difficult, especially selecting tyres for the changing conditions, so this has been a good test for me and I’m really happy with our preparations.” H&H

After much confusion and frustration in the days and hours leading up to the closure of entries, it has now been confirmed that Petter Solberg and Kimi Raikkonen will both be entered into the WRC’s seasonopening Rally Sweden taking place next month.

Entries for the event closed on Monday 10 January at 15h00, and organisers of this snow rally received a healthy 130 entrants from 20 nationalities. The very last entry to be received by organisers, only minutes before 15h00, was that of Kimi Raikkonen. It appears that Raikkonen will compete as part of the ICE 1 Racing WRC Team and will pilot a Citroen DS3 WRC for this event.

Petter Solberg will drive a Citroen DS3 WRC and he and codriver Chris Patterson will fly the flag of the Petter Solberg World Rally Team (PSWRT).

Along with these two competitors, the reigning World Rally Champions Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena have been entered. The Citroen Total World Rally Team will run Citroen DS3 WRCs for the champions as well as for Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia in the second team car.

The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team will once again see Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen and JariMatti Latvala/Miika Anttila challenge the mighty Citroens in their M-Sport prepared Ford Fiesta RS WRC machines.

Khalid Al Qassimi/Michael Orr will drive the team’s third car at this event.

Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team sees Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin take up the challenges presented by the snow and ice in Sweden in their Ford Fiesta RS WRC, as will Ken Block/Alex Gelsomino (Monster World Rally Team) in their Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Another Ford entrant is Dennis Kuipers/Frederic Miclotte (FERM Power Tools World Rally Team) and Norwegians Mads Ostberg and Henning Solberg both looking for a solid top eight positions at the end of this rally in their Fiesta RS WRCs. A total of 12 WRC cars have been registered, with eight of them from M-Sport (Fords) and four Citroen DS3 WRCs. H&H

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MID-POINT MADNESS Words: Evan Rothman Pictures: Volkswagen Motorsport/DPPI SS5: Calama to Iqueque Road Section: 36km Special Stage: 423km Into the dunes the Dakar Rally enters, where for many the true spirit of this adventure truly begins. For the second day in his home country, Francisco Lopez Contardo (Aprilia) dominated the Bikes category but it was Paulo Goncalves (BMW) who claimed the stage win to clinch the German marque’s first stage victory on this event since 2000 with Richard Sainct. The never-ceasing pressure from the BMW X3CC crews paid dividends, and on their favoured terrain the dunes, to see Stephane Peterhansel/

Jean-Paul Cottret claim his first stage win of the 2011 Dakar Rally. The Russian master Vladimir Chagin lost his overall lead in the Trucks category to Firdaus Kabirov (both drivers piloting Kamaz trucks).

Bikes: Lopez Contardo gave a faultless performance over the day’s 423km special stage, giving him the stage win by 01sec from Franz Verhoeven (BMW) after he took a tumble only 2km from the finish line. However, after a timing correction by race officials it was Paulo Goncalves who was gifted the stage victory. It was the first time in the history of this event that BMW won both Cars and Bikes categories on the same

stage.

Olivier Pain’s crash saw the rider retire from the event with a broken wrist, thus promoting all others behind him one place up the leaderboard. Stage winner Goncalves stopped to assist the injured Pain and was thus rewarded with a corrected time for his efforts.

At the top of the overall standings, Marc Coma (KTM) who crashed early on in the stage, lost a whopping 13min to Goncalves and Lopez Contardo, and saw his lead over Cyril Despres (KTM) whittled down to 10min 14sec. Why is Despres over 10min behind Coma? Despres received a 10min time penalty at the end of SS4, thus dropping him way off the lead pace. Had Coma not fallen, his lead would have

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been even greater over the Frenchman…

The overall Bikes leaderboard remains with Coma at the head of the field, Despres in second, Lopez Contardo in third and Goncalves in fourth (over 21min 42sec behind Coma).

Cars: Stephane Peterhansel took advantage of navigational errors made by both his closest rivals Carlos Sainz and Nasser Al-Attiyah (both in Volkswagen Race Touareg 3s). At the halfway point of the stage, Peterhansel had opened up a 02min 45sec gap over his rivals, but they started to close in on him, but the Frenchman regained his stronghold on the stage to win the stage by 01min 24sec over Al-Attiyah and 03min 15sec over Sainz.

This means that Sainz still holds the overall lead of the Cars category by a margin of 02min 26sec over Peterhansel and 02min 33sec ahead of Al-Attiyah. Giniel de Villiers (Volkswagen Race Touareg 3) is still in fourth place, but about 20min off the final podium position holder. Guerlain Chicherit (MINI) is having a Dakar Rally to forget: with his mechanical woes on SS1, he was caught in a deep rut on SS5 that cost him more valuable minutes…

Krystof Holowycz, the former champion Polish rally ace, is still holding strong in fifth place overall in his BMW X3CC over 47min behind Sainz, with Orlando Terranova (BMW X3CC) in sixth a further ten minutes adrift.

Trucks: Vladimir Chagin (Kamaz) lost over 20min in this stage to teammate Firdaus Kabirov without any real reason as to why, and also his grasp of the lead of the category. Kabirov gladly accepted the stage win, his second of 2011, and the overall Trucks lead with a 13min advantage over Chagin and 25min over Ales Loprais (Tatra).

Dakar Rally from 1979 to 2011: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2lR

10) C. Lavielle (Nissan)+02hr14m24s

Copiapo in the 2009 Dakar Rally.

Trucks: 01) F. Kabirov (Kamaz) – 17hr 39m 08s 02) V. Chagin (Kamaz) + 13m 36s 03) A. Loprais (Tatra) + 25m 20s 04) E. Nikolaev (Kamaz) + 01hr 03m 10s 05) F. Echter (MAN) + 01hr 03m 15s 06) A. De Azevedo (Tatra) + 01hr 43m 23s 07) I. Mardeev (Kamaz) + 01hr 49m 31s 08) P. Vila (Iveco) + 02hr 37m 03s 09) M. Van Vliet (MAN) + 03hr 15m 17s 10) M. Behringer (MAN) + 03hr 19m 41s

Classification over SS6: Bikes: 01) M. Coma (KTM) – 22hr 40m 20s 02) C. Despres (KTM) + 08m 48s 03) F. Lopez Contardo (Aprilia) +22m 12s 04) H. Rodrigues (Yamaha) + 27m 35s 05) R. Faria (KTM) + 39m 41s 06) J. Viladoms (Yamaha) + 49m 30s 07) J. Street (Yamaha) + 57m 36s 08) F. Verhoeven (BMW) + 01hr 01m 30s 09) J. Pedrero Garcia (KTM) + 01hr 02m 13s 10) S. Svitko (KTM) + 01hr 09m 20s

SS6: Iqueque to Aricas Road Section: 265km Special Stage: 456km In the Dakar Rally the only constants are the long days in the South American heat, sand dunes and punctures. Ask Cyril Despres, Stephane Peterhansel and Ales Loprais.

Cars: 01) C. Sainz (VW) – 20hr 39m 41s 02) N. Al-Attiyah (VW) + 02m 42s 03) S. Peterhansel (BMW) + 14m 51s 04) G. De Villiers (VW) + 31m 09s 05) K. Holowycz (BMW) + 01hr 13m 19s 06) M. Miller (VW) + 01hr 35m 53s 07) O. Terranova (BMW) + 01hr 37m 54s 08) G. Spinelli (Mitsubishi) + 02hr 17m 56s 09) G. Chicherit (MINI) + 02hr 45m 25s 10) C. Lavielle (Nissan)+ 03hr07m54s

Bikes: Ruben Faria (KTM) and Helder Rodrigues (Yamaha) romped home to the finish line, outstripping their rivals as Faria claimed the stage win ahead of fastcharging Yamaha of Rodrigues. Faria pinned his throttle open in a bid to close the growing gap between himself and his teammate Despres, and in doing so set the pace alight. Faria is Despres’ water carrier and his duty is to ride shotgun with Despres to offer assistance in any matter for the fast Frenchman.

Despres has managed to reel in 01min of Marc Coma’s (KTM) lead, reducing it to 08min 48sec. In third place is Francisco Lopez Contardo (Aprilia), but he now has only 05min over Rodrigues and 07min over Faria in the overall standings.

Classification after SS5: Bikes: 01) M. Coma (KTM) – 16hr 59m 33s 02) C. Despres (KTM) + 10m 14s 03) F. Lopez Contardo ( Aprilia) + 18m 32s 04) P. Goncalves (BMW) + 21m 42s 05) H. Rodrigues (Yamaha) + 32m 05s 06) R. Faria (KTM) + 35m 14s 07) J. Pedrero Garcia (KTM) + 40m 01s 08) J. Street (Yamaha) + 42m 55s 09) J. Viladoms (Yamaha) + 44m 23s 10) F. Verhoeven (BMW) + 49m 55s

Cars: Stephane Peterhansel (BMW X3CC) saw his march towards the top of the leaderboard come to a halt this week as the Dakar Rally 2011 reaches a rest day after this stage. Peterhansel was once again leading the way at all Way Points along the stage, but a navigational error at mid-point of the stage cost him 07min and he was beset with four punctures to drop 12min 25sec to Carlos Sainz (Volkswagen Race Touareg 3). This left Sainz to win his 21st Dakar Rally stage, with his teammates in flying formation to claim second, third and fourth in the stage standings. This promoted AlAttiyah to second place overall.

Cars: 01) C. Sainz(VW) – 15hr 45m 48s 02) S. Peterhansel (BMW) + 02m 26s 03) N. Al- Attiyah (VW) + 02m 33s 04) G. De Villiers (VW) + 21m 20s 05) K. Holowycz (BMW) + 47m 53s 06) O. Terranova (BMW) + 58m 59s 07) M. Miller (VW) + 01hr 26m 03s 08) G. Spinelli (BMW) + 01hr 33m 34s 09) J. Roma (Nissan) +01hr 44m 39s

Trucks: The seemingly unbeatable Kamaz crews headed by Vladimir Chagin and Firdaus Kabirov were treated to a display of fault-free high-speed driving performance by Tatra’s top driver Ales Loprais. The young driver won the stage by a remarkable 03min 55sec, ending a 24 stage win streak that started in

Trucks: 01) F. Kabirov (Kamaz) – 23hr 43m 40s 02) V. Chagin (Kamaz) + 19m 20s 03) A. Loprais (Tatra) + 21m 25s 04) E. Nikolaev (Kamaz) + 01hr 26m 18s 05) F. Echter (MAN) + 02hr 10m 57s 06) I. Mardeev (Kamaz) + 02hr 40m 25s 07) P. Vila (Iveco) + 04hr 16m 21s 08) M. Van Vliet (MAN) + 05hr 08m 40s 09) M. Behringer (MAN) + 05hr 40m 27s 10) A. Ardavichus (Kamaz) + 06m 31m 02s

SS7: Arica to Antofagasta Road Section: 208km Special Stage: 273km (MODIFIED STAGE DISTANCE) Organisers of the 2011 Dakar Rally drastically reduced the distance of this stage, the first stage after the muchneeded and deserved rest day, from a 631km marathon to a 273km-long stage. This, however, did not reduce the number of incidents any of the categories.

Bikes: After having his first stage win of 2011 being handed to Paulo Goncalves last week after a correction of stage times, the Aprilia team rider Francisco Lopez Contardo showed his confidence in his navigational skills and the reliability of his Italian machine to outpace his KTM, BMW and Yamaha rivals. Lopez Contardo finished the stage 02min 21sec ahead of his rivals, and he now moves closer to Marc Coma’s lead which is now 18min 27sec ahead of Lopez Contardo who lies in third place. Marc Coma (KTM) still holds the lead of the Bikes category ahead of Cyril Despres (KTM), but the margin is now 07min 24sec.

Now breaking into the top ten is Pal-Anders Ullevalseter (KTM), but this has seen Jonah Street (Yamaha) drop out of the running after suffering an engine failure. This same fate has

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befallen David Casteu (Sherco), battling with gearbox problems amongst others.

Cars: Guerlain Chicherit thrilled media and invited guests on the rest day as he showed off his MINI Countryman, but it ended in tears… Chicherit rolled the MINI, and totally destroyed the car and ruled him out of the Dakar Rally 2011.

His X-Raid teammates of Stephane Peterhansel has been unfortunate in picking up a host of punctures over the recent stages, and SS7 started off with a puncture too. Peterhansel drove more cautiously through the stage, and this was reflected in the stage times: he now stands 21min off the pace of the flying Carlos Sainz (Volkswagen Race Touareg 3) in the overall Cars standings. What is more for the X-Raid team is that Orlando Terranova crashed out of the event too, leaving X-Raid’s team boss Sven Quandt with more than just a slight headache after SS7.

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The might of the Volkswagen entries are now pushing for a 1-2-3 flying finish, with Giniel de Villiers upping his pace and closing in on Peterhansel (who is only 11min ahead of the charging South African driver).

In this stage, the Race Touareg’s scored another impressive 1-2-3 stage win, and none of their crews suffered punctures.

The stage win went the way of Nasser Al-Attiyah, who is trying to reel in Sainz and claim the overall lead of the race, although the 01min 22sec separating them will not be an easy margin to overcome.

Trucks: Ales Loprias (Tatra) is taking on the seemingly unbeatable Kamaz crews head-on, winning two stages on the trot. Loprais is showing confidence in his truck, and his skill in the dunes in undeniable. He is now sandwiched between the Kamaz crews, only 16min 22sec behind leader Firdaus Kabirov and

about the same gap ahead of Vladimir Chagin.

Classification after SS7: Bikes: 01) M. Coma (KTM) 02) C. Despres (KTM) + 07m 24s 03) F. Lopez Contardo (Aprilia) + 18m 27s 04) H. Rodrigues (Yamaha) + 33m 04s 05) R. Faria (KTM) + 40m 53s 06) F. Verhoeven (BMW) + 01hr 14m 10s 07) S. Svitko (KTM) + 01hr 16m 54s 08) J. Viladoms (Yamaha) + 01hr 20m 11s 09) J. Pedrero Garcia (KTM) + 01hr 20m 33s 10) P-A. Ullevalseter (KTM) + 01hr 37m 23s Cars: 01) C. Sainz (VW) – 23hr 21m 58s 02) N. Al-Attiyah (VW) + 01m 22s 03) S. Peterhansel (BMW) + 21m 11s 04) G. De Villiers (VW) + 32m 45s 05) K. Holowycz (BMW) + 01hr 28m 59s 06) M. Miller (VW) + 02hr 13m 44s 07) G. Spinelli (Mitsubishi) + 02h 38m 50s 08) C. Lavielle (Nissan) +03hr26m41s 09) R. Dos Santos (BMW) + 03hr 30m 40s 10) M. Kahle (SMG) + 05hr 45m 10s

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Trucks: 01) F. Kabirov (Kamaz) 02) A. Loprais (Tatra) + 16m 22s 03) V. Chagin (Kamaz) + 28m 22s 04) E. Nikolaev (Kamaz) + 01hr 43m 55s 05) F. Echter (MAN) + 02hr 25m 47s 06) I. Mardeev (Kamaz) + 03hr 04m 22s 07) P. Vila (Iveco) + 04hr 46m 07s 08) M. Van Vliet (MAN) + 06hr 21m 34s 09) M. Behringer (MAN) + 06hr 52m 06s 10) A. Ardavichus (Kamaz) + 07hr 28, 44s

SS8: Antofagasta to Copiapo Road Section: 268km Special Stage: 508km There are now new leaders in both the Cars and Trucks categories after the giant 508km-long special stage SS8, and it also overall leader in the Bikes section claim another stage victory to place himself ever further ahead of his competition.

Bikes: A very intriguing battle for the overall lead is now in the offing. Marc Coma (KTM) has the advantage over the rest of the field by 09min, but Cyril Despres (KTM) and Francisco Lopez Contardo (Aprilia) are in hot pursuit. No one knows this better than Coma, who rode a faultless stage to claim the stage victory to edge his lead ever closer to the horizon. The top three riders of the stage, in fact, were also the top three of the overall leaderboard. Lopez Contardo is 22min adrift of the overall lead, but this can all change in a single puncture for the leader. These riders raced through much of SS8 together, pushing each other’s limits and Coma and Lopez Contardo forced Despres to lead the way on the stage and thereby take charge of the navigational duties. This tactic resulted in Coma gaining an extra 01min 55sec out of Despres.

In fourth place is Helder Rodrigues (Yamaha), who is 40min behind the leader, and is only 20min adrift of third place so is still within striking range of a podium position come 16 Janaury 2011.

Unfortunately, Paulo Goncalves (BMW) retired from the rally with a broken collar bone after a heavy crash, leaving the might of BMW on the shoulders of Frans Verhoeven. Sitting in fifth place at the start of SS8, Verhoeven saw his gap to fourth place widen as he struggled with mechanical gremlins at the start of the stage. The day’s stage finish saw him drop to 26th overall…

Jonah Street (Yamaha) and Jordi Viladoms (Yamaha) dropped out of the top ten too, seeing them fight for midteen positions now.

Pal-Anders Ullevalseter (KTM) is the biggest climber on the leaderboard, moving up from 29th place to sixth at the end of this stage as the rider comes to grips with his 450cc machine.

Francois Delecour can still drive a car, fast: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2mc

Cars: Carlos Sainz (Volkswagen Race Touareg 3) lost the lead of the rally in SS8. He was not outpaced in the stage, but he made two errors in the sand dunes in the final five kilometres of the stage that dropped him valuable time to see his teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah claim the stage win and also move into the lead by 05min 14sec.

It is also a significant day for the Volkswagen team now has the top three spots on the overall leaderboard.

Stephane Peterhansel (BMW X3CC) yet again fell victim to puncture on this stage, and then to add to his woes his BMW overheated in the final 100km of the stage to force the Frenchman to continue to the finish with great caution.

Mark Miller (Volkswagen Race Touareg 3) now also moves up a position, into fifth overall, after Krystof Holoqycz (BMW X3CC) was slowed due to electrical problems and then the loss of power steering.

Trucks: In what can only be called a blitzing performance, Vladimir Chagin (Kamaz) regained the lead of the Trucks category after SS8. His performance in this stage saw him grab the fifth fastest stage time of the cars, with only the four Volkswagen Race Touareg 3s ahead of him. Chagin was also 04min quicker than Marc Coma through this stage; that is fast, incredibly fast!

The Russian now leads Firdaus Kabirov (Kamaz) by 03min 03sec after winning the stage by a whopping 32min, with Ales Loprais (Tatra) now an hour behind his rivals.

07) 08) 09) 10)

P. Vila (Iveco) + 05hr 54m 56s A. Ardavichus (Kamaz) + 08hr 28m 46s M. Van Vliet (MAN) + 08hr 48m 42s M. Behringer (MAN) + 09hr 29m 38s

SS9: Copiapo to Copiapo Road Section: 35km Special Stage: 235km It was a group start for the Bikes, changing up the traditional stage start for the Dakar competitors on this stage. It was a surprise stage victory for a Yamaha rider, and the Spanish master has pushed his Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 to its limits to catch his Qatari rival and teammate, while the Trucks category has seen a change of the overall lead once again. All this in 235km of racing!

Bikes: A group start, riders leaving in waves of ten bikes, saw the first group race off into the distance and lose concentration on their navigation. Of the ten bikes, only Helder Rodrigues (Yamaha) paid attention to his route notes.

Unfortunately, on his way to a sure stage win, at 225 (ten short of the stage finish), her ran out of fuel. It was Jonah Street (Yamaha) who started in the third wave that claimed the stage victory in fine style by winning with a margin of 03min 36s over Frans Verhoeven (BMW).

With both the lead KTM riders losing their way, the overall lead remained constant. Marc Coma (KTM) still leads Cyril Despres (KTM) by 08min 14sec and is now 23min 33sec ahead of the determined Francisco Lopez Contardo (Aprilia).

Cars: 01) N. Al-Attiyah (VW) 02) C. Sainz (VW) + 05m 14s 03) G. De Villiers (VW) + 48m 45s 04) S. Peterhansel (BMW) + 01hr 33m 30s 05) M. Miller (VW) + 02hr 32m 23s 06) K. Holowycz (BMW) + 03hr 38m 59s 07) R. Dos Santos (BMW) + 04hr 51m 29s 08) C. Lavielle (Nissan) +05hr24m55s 09) G. Spinelli (Mitsubishi) + 05hr 33m 48s 10) M. Kahle (SMG) + 07hr 06m 57s

Cars: Nasser Al-Attiyah (Volkswagen Race Touareg 3) still holds a slim advantage over teammate Carlos Sainz in the overall lead, with third teammate Giniel de Villiers in the final podium position rather comfortably now.

All eyes are on the duel up front, waiting for either Al-Attiyah or Sainz to attempt a daring attack in the final days of the Dakar Rally 2011. It’ll take only a small mistake by either to see the lead change. The dunes and soft sand of SS9 were no match for the Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 on this H&H stage, unlike the woes experienced by Stephane Peterhansel and his BMW X3CC. Peterhansel has now lost his opportunity to claim the final podium position, now almost an hour behind De Villiers.

Trucks: 01) V. Chagin (Kamaz) 02) F. Kabirov (Kamaz) + 03m 27s 03) A. Loprais (Tatra) + 29m 36s 04) E. Nikolaev (Kamaz) + 01hr 52m 28s 05) F. Echter (MAN) + 03hr 29m 52s 06) I. Mardeev (Kamaz) + 04hr 04m 00s

Trucks: Vladimir Chagin (Kamaz) lost his lead once again, to find himself 04min 11sec behind teammate Firdaus Kabirov.

Kabirov was simply too quick for the master of the Dakar, and an interesting

Classification after SS8:

Bikes: 01) M. Coma (KTM) 02) C. Despres (KTM) + 09m 19s 03) F. Lopez Contardo (Aprilia) + 22m 48s 04) H. Rodrigues (Yamaha) + 41m 42s 05) R. Faria (KTM) + 01hr 09m 59s 06) P-A. Ullevalseter (KTM) + 02hr 02m 26s 07) J. Pedrero Garcia (KTM) + 02hr 03m 01s 08) Q. Cody (Honda) + 02hr 31m 36s 09) J. De Azevedo (KTM) + 02hr 40m 48s 10) I. Jakes (KTM) + 02hr 55m 00s

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battle is now becoming more intense and thrilling as the days to the finish draw ever closer.

Classification after SS9: Bikes: 01) M. Coma (KTM) 02) C. Despres (KTM) + 08m 14s 03) F. Lopez Contardo (Aprilia) + 23m 33s 04) H. Rodrigues (Yamaha) + 01hr 01m 51s 05) R. Faria (KTM) + 01hr 21m 20s 06) P-A. Ullevalseter (KTM) + 02hr 02m 17s 07) J. Pedrero Garcia (KTM) + 02hr 04m 44s 08) Q. Cody (Honda) + 02hr 39m 40s 09) J. De Azevedo (KTM) + 02hr 42m 55s 10) I. Jakes (Yamaha) + 02hr 57m 32s Cars: 01) N. Al-Attiyah (VW) 02) C. Sainz (VW) + 03m 18s 03) G. De Villiers (VW) + 55m 51s 04) S. Peterhansel (BMW) + 01hr 42m 48s 05) M. Miller (VW) + 02hr 45m 29s 06) K. Holowycz (BMW) + 03hr 54m 08s 07) J. Dos Santos (BMW) + 05hr 26m 28s 08) C. Lavielle (Nissan) + 05hr52m54s 09) G. Spinelli (Mitsubishi) + 06hr 01m 24s 10) M. Kahle (SMG) + 07hr 43m 06s Trucks: 01) F. Kabirov (Kamaz) 02) V. Chagin (Kamaz) + 04m 11s 03) E. Nikolaev (Kamaz) + 02hr 03m 11s 04) A. Loprais (Tatra) + 03hr 14m 58s 05) F. Echter (MAN) + 03hr 55m 40s 06) I. Mardeev (Kamaz) + 04hr 30m 26s 07) P. Vila (Iveco) + 06hr 19m 59s 08) A. Ardavichus (Kamaz) + 08hr 58m 21s 09) M. Van Vliet (MAN) + 09hr 41m 07s 10) M. Behringer (MAN) + 09m 41m 07s

SS10: Copiapo to Chilecito Road Section: 686km Special Stage: 176km In this stage, SS10, competitors reentered Argentina on their way back to the finish in a few days time in Buenos Aires. With a long road section of 686km and a sprint-like 176km, this relatively short special stage saw the overall

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standings of each category dramatically change.

Bikes: Marc Coma (KTM) extended his lead over Cyril Despres (KTM) to nearly 19min and claim his third stage win. With one hand now firmly on the winners’ trophy it seems, Coma needs only to desperately avoid the pitfalls that have plagued Despres over the last two stages to claim the overall victory.

Despres lost 09min 56sec to Coma in this stage due to two mistakes: Despres chose the wrong line to an approach to a sand dune and lost time as he had to retrace his way back and then find another route over the dune; another was when he became stuck in a river bed only mere metres from the “correct” line. Its these small unfortunate mistakes that will most likely cost Despres his fourth Dakar Rally title.

Cars: Nasser Al-Attiyah (Volkswagen Race Touareg 3) was handed a boost to his aims of winning the Dakar Rally by his fiercest rival and teammate Carlos Sainz.

The Spanish master seemingly struggled in the soft sand of the dunes, becoming stuck after only 13km from the stage start and in the same valley as Despres found the going difficult Sainz took the wrong route too and lost 10min in the process.

However, the fastest driver of the stage was Giniel de Villiers (Volkswagen Race Touareg 3) who fought it out with Krystof Holowycz (BMW X3CC) and Stephane Peterhansel (BMW X3CC).

Trucks: Ales Loprais dropped off the leaderboard of the Trucks category, allowing the

two hard-charging Kamaz teammates of Vladimir Chagin and Firdaus Kabirov room to relax as they chase towards the finish in Buenos Aires.

Chagin is now stamping his authority over the field and now enjoys a 21min lead over his rivals, but this could all evaporate with a puncture or becoming stuck in the soft sand dunes that still awaits the Dakar Rally competitors.

Classification after SS10: Bikes: 01) M. Coma (KTM) 02) C. Despres (KTM) + 18m 10s 03) F. Lopez Contardo (Aprilia) + 45m 16s 04) H. Rodrigues (Yamaha) + 01hr 29m 37s 05) R. Faria (KTM) + 01hr 34m 42s 06) J. Pedrero Garcia (KTM) + 02hr 29m 24s 07) P-A. Ullevalseter (KTM) + 02hr 36m 39s 08) J. Azevedo (KTM) + 03hr 11m 06s 09) H. Knulman (KTM) + 04hr 00m 20s 10) Q. Cody (Honda) + 04hr 10m 20s Cars: 01) N. Al-Attiyah (VW) 02) C. Sainz (VW) + 12m 37s 03) G. De Villiers (VW) + 46m 57s 04) S. Peterhansel (BMW) + 01hr 39m 32s 05) M. Miller (VW) + 03hr 40m 43s 06) K. Holowycz (BMW) + 03hr 49m 37s 07) R. Dos Santos (BMW) + 05hr 48m 25s 08) C. Lavielle (Nissan) + 06hr 27m 23s 09) G. Spinelli (Mitsubishi) + 07hr 25m 57s 10) E. Van Loon (Mitsubishi) + 13hr 38m 12s Trucks: 01) V. Chagin (Kamaz) 02) F. Kabirov (Kamaz) + 17m 27s 03) E. Nikolaev (Kamaz) + 02hr 44m 06s 04) F. Echter (MAN) + 04hr 56m 26s 05) I, Mardeev (Kamaz) + 05hr 06m 10s 06) P. Vila (Iveco) + 06hr 54m 32s 07) M. Van Vliet (MAN) + 10hr 11m 33s 08) A. Ardavichus (Kamaz) + 10hr 20m 05s 09) T. Sugawara (Hino) + 12hr 56m 16s 10) M. Van Den Brink (Ginaf) + 15hr 50m 09s H&H

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PREVIEW: MONTE CARLO RALLY Words: Staff Writer Pictures: IRC Media The Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) is back with a bang. A little more than two months after the 2010 season drew to a dramatic close in Cyprus, the IRC is getting ready to celebrate its fifth anniversary on possibly the most iconic rally in the world.

Rallye Monte Carlo has defined not only the history of rallying, but also the history of motorsport as a whole.

This year is particularly significant, as the very first Rallye Monte Carlo was held in 1911, making 2011 the centenary of the event. For the third consecutive year this epic challenge marks the opening round of the IRC: the jewel in the crown of the series calendar.

Event organiser, the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), has introduced a number of initiatives to celebrate this year’s important anniversary, including free entries for the capacity 120 crews.

But, the most enduring feature is the use of traditional stages that have formed the backbone of the event including the famous Col de Turini tests that make up the climax of the competition on the Friday night (January 21).

Following three days of reconnaissance from Saturday 15 until Monday 17 January, this year’s Rallye Monte Carlo gets underway on Wednesday 19 January with the first of 13 special stages. Day One features four taxing stages in the Ardeche and Haute Loire regions, including the longest

two tests of the rally, the 36.87km Le Moulinon-Antraigues stage and the 41.06km Burzet-St Martial run, which are separated by a tyre change halt in Vals les Bains. Both stages are part of Rallye Monte Carlo legend and return to the itinerary after several years’ absence.

Thursday’s action features two loops of mountainous stages run twice north-east of Valence and separated by a service stop in the city. Following a final service halt in Valence on Friday morning, crews begin the 390km journey to Monaco via the last Drome stage, Montauban sur l’Ouveze-Eygalayes.

Upon arrival in Monaco, cars enter parc ferme while the drivers and co-drivers are able to rest before the four night stages in the Alpes Maritimes.

However, only the leading 60 competitors at the completion of the Montauban sur l’Ouveze stage will be permitted to tackle the night-time tests, in keeping with one of the event’s longstanding traditions.

The winner is likely to be known at approximately 00:30hrs on Saturday 22 January with the prize-giving taking place in the Place du Palais at 11:00hrs.

Rallye Monte-Carlo organisers have attracted a plentiful and star-studded entry that befits the event’s centenary celebrations. Indeed, such was the demand for spaces, that the original ceiling of 100 cars had to be increased by 20. After receiving more than 300 requests, the ACM made a selection to ensure both professional and amateur

drivers could take part.

Chris Atkinson (PROTON Satria Neo S2000) said: “Starting the season with the Monte is awesome. I’ve always gone well on the event, but it is really tough. You never know what’s coming around the next corner: it could be dry asphalt, wet asphalt, snow or ice.”

“This will be my second experience of Rallye Monte-Carlo,” said Bryan Bouffier (Peugeot 207 S2000).

“Like always I am confident in myself but this event is never easy with the weather changing all the time and the tyre choices always difficult to make.”

Juho Hanninen (Finland), Skoda Fabia S2000 stated: “Of course I want to win but it depends so much on the conditions and how fast the French drivers will be. If we have dry tarmac then I think it will be very difficult for me to win. If there is snow and ice then I will be much more confident.”

Event: Rallye Monte Carlo Base: Valence Starts: Valence, Tuesday 18 January Finishes: Monte-Carlo, Saturday 22 January Entries received: 120 IRC appearances: Two (2009 and 2010) 2009 winners: Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen (M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000) Surface: Asphalt Number of stages: 13 Special stage distance: 337.06km Liaison distance: 1004.69 kilometres Total distance: 1341.75km1 Juho Full event itinerary can be found on our website at: http://bit.ly/gAUuOS H&H

Happy New Year!!!

Wishing you the best of luck for the 2011 season

We have a large selection of seats, harnesses, steering wheels, racewear and various other goodies arriving from middle January 2011, so remember to pop in or send us an e-mail with all your requirements and we will gladly assist.

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