H&H-170

s e k a r b Hand s n i p r i a H & f rallying

he world o t o t in t h ig s in r u o y

Cover

HIRVONEN AND FORD DRAW FIRST BLOOD IN SWEDEN

ISSUE 170 • 17 FEB 2011

Service Park

Cassidy and LDR action, P9 Ostberg on the podium, P10 Ice driving WRC style, P6

Off-Road rumours, P7

Solberg’s speeding, P7

http://wp.me/pkXc

Start Ramp

Parc Ferme

BRC and Irish rally news

RS, R S S, P14

USA rallying snippets snip

PC, P C P15

WR and IRC WRC news updates new

Novikov’s new livery, P9

Michelin in the WRC, P11

DOCUMENTATION 04

Editorial Information

Editor Evan Rothman

Photojournalist Eva Kovkova

Contributors RallyBuzz, Motorpics, Newspress, Liga Stirna.

All content copyrighted property of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, 200711. 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

WRC Rally Sweden EXTRA Chatsworth Rally Show cancelled Fan Foto Framed

06

Features

06 07 07 08 08 09 09 10 10 11 11

What do retired WRC Champions do?

Silly season effects in off-roading Solberg speaks out on Swedish speeding Classic car rallying returns to Adelaide Citroen to enter rallying in South Africa?

Cassidy at the Rally Perce Neige 2011 Novikov previews 2011 WRC livery Ostberg storms to podium for Stobart New look for UK Junior series Jansen unveils his new Subaru Michelin returns to WRC

12

Events

12 14 15 16 17 17

WRC Rally Sweden review Bredasdorp Rally review PWRC Rally Sweden review Rally Sarma 2011 review SRC Snowman Rally preview Magic Bullet Stages Rally preview

Contact E-mail us evan.hhmag@gmail.com Call us +27 83 452 6892 Surf us http://wp.me/pkXc To receive your FREE weekly HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS eMagazine, or if you’d like to share this with a friend please send your e-mail address to evan.hhmag@gmail.com.

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Welcome to H&H! Welcome to issue 170 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

s e k a r b d n Ha Hairpins

&

e world of rallying

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START RAMP Team & Event News

H&H AT THE WRC RALLY SWEDEN 2011

Videos

Fan Foto Framed

For this space this week, you’ll find more photographs from WRC Rally Sweden that took place on this past weekend. All photographs were taken by our photojournalist Eva Kovkova.

Here’ll you’ll find photos that grabbed out attention.

THIS WEEK’S BEST VIDEO << Tim Williams represented HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS at the opening round of the 2011 Rally America season. This talented photographer also filmed the cars in action, and here is his series of video clips: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2uq 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

Issue 170 • 17 Feb 2011

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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 Gareth Williams.

CHATSWORTH RALLY SHOW CANCELLED Words: Staff Writer Picture: Newspress After four successful years of running The Rally Show at Chatsworth in Derbyshire, it has been mutually agreed that variations available from the estate roads to provide a suitable rally stage have been for the time being, at least, exhausted. Thus the Rally Show at Chatsworth will not happen later this year.

Instead, the Rally Show will run just once this year, at a new venue in Cornbury Park on 14 15 May 2011.

Speaking about this decision, Malcolm Neill, the event director, said: “It is sad that we seem to have used all the possible combinations at Chatsworth. Last year, we had to use a stretch of artificial metal road to make the course viable, which is not really the kind of thing you would normally encounter on a rally. We want the Rally Show experience for our competitors, participants and spectators to be totally authentic.”

The Rally Show provides an exciting mix of actual rally events, demonstrations of rally cars both old and new, and static displays of cars. In addition, there are personalities from rallying’s past and stars of today, all of whom join in the activities.

Away from the actual rally stage, with its almost continuous action over the two days, there are plenty of other things to do, such as getting behind the wheel of a trials car, having a meal, or taking the family to the fairground.

For further information, please go to their website at http://www.therallyshow.org. H&H

Download H&H’s FREE January Rally Calendar: http://bit.ly/hdWp0A

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SERVICE PARK Interviews

Exclusive columnists

In-depth articles

WHAT DO RETIRED WRC CHAMPIONS DO FOR FUN? Words: Evan Rothman Pictures: Newspress Bowing out of a sport that you are at the pinnacle of is not something many do. Some athletes, hailed as legends and icons, remain in the sport only to be outshone by younger talent, and become more of an obstacle than a challenge for competitors. This is not so for Finland’s four-time World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen.

After hanging up his rally gloves and helmet, he has had a few forays into the sport but not with aims of re-igniting a career but for personal pleasure. Of course, exhibition appearances help pay the mortgage. Not one to take his retirement easy is Kankkunen. Last year we witnessed him power through the Finnish forests in Ford Focus RS WRC in a one-off WRC appear and he posted relatively competitive stage times to rival the bottom half of the top ten.

Walter Rohrl, the iconic driver of the Audi Quattro S1 Group B machine and World Rally Champion in the 1980s is now a famous and experienced Porsche test driver. A great day job, me thinks. Not to be outdone, the Finn is now sorting out the Bentley marque.

Kankkunen drove a Bentley Continental Supersports convertible to a record-breaking 330.695km/h (205.48mph). That speed, while

excessive and dangerous, was not why Bentley called in the driving master. This speed test was performed on “hazardous frozen waters of the Baltic Sea,” said the press release. That speed is a confirmed world record for driving on ice.

What was under the bonnet of that Bentley? A 6-litre, 12-cylinder run on biofuel to push out over 600bhp to its four-wheel drive system.

The “road” - and I use that word in a very loose manner - is 16.5km in length and only 70cm thick. Only 70cm separated him from the icy Baltic Sea. Kankkunen, then, was the only man able to take on this challenge.

For the technical boffins out there, the actual top speed runs were calculated in a 1km measured distance with the speed certified by officials from the Finland Traffic Polics (where were these speed-hungry cops when PEtter Solberg was nabbed in Sweden for doing 112km/h in an 80km/h zone?). The top speed was based on the average of two runs in opposite directions with measured speeds ratified by a representative of The Guinness Book of Records.

“The last time, I narrowly missed the magical 200mph mark in a Bentley Continental GT,” said Kankkunen.

“When I heard about the Supersports I was determined to go record breaking again with the Bentley Boys. This time, with over 600bhp under the bonnet, a

Quickshift transmission and the security of the all-wheel drive system, the Supersports convertible was the perfect car to go for the record.”

“200mph came up after 5km on sheet ice. Then it was just a question of getting everything right in the timing zone and hoping the snow kept away.

There’s nothing to beat driving a Bentley at these speeds; the conditions may be perilous, but the car responds so well to the slightest adjustment which gives you the confidence to push even harder.”

In the age of “Health and Safety” procedures and regulations, Kankkunen had to outfit his standard Bentley with a “fully-welded, heavy-duty safety roll-cage, along with Pirelli winter tyres (Pirelli SottoZero II 275/40R20) and a rear bumper-mounted parachute provided reassurance in case of an emergency; front and rear spoilers provided optimum high speed stability on the treacherous surface.” I’m sure he’d have attempted the run sans the safety equipment: he is, after all, a fourtimes World Rally Champion! H&H JUHA KANKKUNEN: BRIEF CV • Born 1959 in Laukaa, Finland • Four times rally World Champion: 1986, 1987, 1991, 1993.

• 23 times World Rally Winner • Won Dakar Rally in 1988

Issue 170 • 17 Feb 2011

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PLENTY SILLY SEASON EFFECTS IN OFF-ROADING Words: Staff Writer Pictures: Motorpics There has been plenty of “silly season” activity as teams gear up for the opening round of this year’s Absa Off Road Championship, the Adenco 400, in Darling, in the Western Cape, on 11 and 12 March.

There have been comings and goings in both the Production Vehicle and Special Vehicle categories with one or two major developments. The behind the scenes manoeuvres have added a little spice to pre season proceedings, and there are high expectations for another hugely competitive series.

On the Production Vehicle front the factory Toyota team will be out in new double cab Toyota Hilux entries and have lost stalwart co-driver Robin Houghton. After nearly two decades with the Toyota team, during which he won multiple championships with Apie Reyneke, the versatile Houghton leaves to link up with former Toyota factory driver Mark Cronje in the South African Rally National Championship.

Replacing Houghton alongside Anthony Taylor, who rounded off their partnership with a win on the RFS Magalies 400 last season, will be the experienced Chris Birkin who makes a return to the Toyota fold. Birkin previously teamed up with Cronje.

Other developments among the Production Vehicles will see Christiaan du Plooy and Henk Janse van Vuuren campaign a second RFS BMW X3, while teenager Lance Woolridge and experienced Ward Huxtable will move into Class D in a factory Ford Racing Ranger. Du Plooy and Janse van Vuuren will compete in the RFS Toyota Hilux in Darling and will then join team-mates Hannes Grobler and Hennie ter Stege in BMW entries.

In his first full season of

national racing Woolridge, son of former SA champion Neil, last year just missed out on the Class E championship. A back injury saw him miss the final event of the year and Pikkie Labuschagne crept in the back door to take the driver’s title with Huxtable clinching the co-driver championship.

There have also been some intriguing developments in the Special Vehicle category. Topping the list is the move by Class P champions Johan van Staden and James Rossouw into Class A in a new Spec 5 BAT. The Pretoria pair dominated Class P last season and made history when they became the first Class P crew to win a national event overall.

The pair will again campaign under the Atlas Copco umbrella.

There is a move in the other direction for the father and son pair of Nick and Ryan Harper. They leave the Atlas Copco team to link up with former South African champion Evan Hutchison in the Motorite team. Hutchison will also have a new co-driver in Danie Stassen with the Motorite team dropping out of the SA National Rally Championship top concentrate on the Absa series.

Hutchison and Stassen will run the Motorite Revo 4×4 while the Harpers will be out in a BAT. There will also be at least one new team in Class A. Daniel and Louw Zeelie will be out in a Porter and will be watched with interest.

The Adenco 400 always provides an interesting start to the season. This year will be no different and the organisers have found some new sections of route. The Donaldson Prologue will be a 45 kilometre affair on March 11, with the race on March 12 to be run over three loops of around 120 kilometres. Race headquarters, the start/finish and the designated service point will all be at the Darling Club. H&H

SOLBERG SPEAKS OUT ON HIS SPEEDING INCIDENT IN SWEDEN Words: Staff Writer Picture: Eva Kovkova Press release from Petter Solberg regarding speeding incident: “I had an incident in connection with the service Friday pm which delayed my departure from the service station. I was of course eager to arrive at the next start in time, hence I drove too fast and was caught in a police speed check. The police clocked me at a speed of 112km/ hour whereas the speedlimit was 80 km/ hour.

“I was stopped by the police officer and immediately declared myself guilty as charged which meant that the police withdrew my drivers licence.

However I, like everyone else, had the right to drive a car for 48 hours after the drivers licence was withdrawn. I was therefore allowed to keep on driving until 14h00 on the Sunday but not thereafter. Therefore I and my co-driver Chris Patterson changed place in the car.

“After my drivers licence was taken until Sunday 2 pm my co-workers tried to get an exemption so that I could drive the last stage as well but this did not work.

“I have admitted my fault and will pay the fines. As with all foreign citizens I will be prohibited from driving in Sweden, but only in Sweden, for one to two months. So there are no worries, my dedication to the continued WRC will remain in full force.” H&H

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Issue 170 • 17 Feb 2011

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

CLASSIC CAR RALLYING RETURNS TO ADELAIDE Words: Staff Writer Rallying is experiencing a boost in growth in Australia over recent months, as their domestic rally championship gears up for its 2011 season and the World Rally Championship makes a trip to its shores later this year.

Its been announced this week that the streets of Adelaide will come alive this September with classic vehicles making a return to South Australia for a new annual rally.

Tourism Minister John Rau has announced that the State will play host to a new classic car rally called Classic Targa Adelaide, which will be held this year from 15 - 18 September.

The Classic Targa Adelaide event will be open only to classic cars and will be part of the classic series, the Australian Targa Championship, which includes the prestigious rallies, Targa Wrest Point, Targa Tasmania and Targa High Country.

The Classic Targa Adelaide will be run by global sports and event marketing group, Octagon, and will mark the triumphant return of classic cars to the streets of Adelaide since the Classic Adelaide Rally ended in 2009.

“South Australia has an excellent track record for staging major events,’’ Mr Rau said. “I am proud to say we can now include the Classic Targa Adelaide on our exciting calendar of events.’’

A course for the rally has yet to be finalised, but there are plans to incorporate Adelaide and regions including the Adelaide Hills, Barossa and the Fleurieu Peninsula.

“Events like this are a great addition to South Australia’s tourism offering,’’ Mr Rau said. “They provide valuable media coverage, attract participants to the State from interstate and overseas and provide a great spectacle for the public, whether they are from Australia or overseas.’’

Minister for Motor Sport, Kevin Foley, said he was thrilled a classic car rally would once again grace the streets of South Australia.

“We are committed to motorsport as a tourism drawcard and we are extremely delighted to see a classic car rally back on the streets of South Australia,’’ he said.

The South Australian Tourism Commission, through its events arm Events South Australia, went through an extensive process to ensure the company heading up the new classic car

event would add value not only to this event but to the State going forward.

Octagon manage AUS$3 billion in rights fees and activations over 400 events and 800 athletes globally. They also have a 27-year history in Australia, including 22 years of motorsport experience.

Octagon’s Australia Managing Director, Sean Nicholls, said the company was “delighted to be working with Events South Australia and the SA Motor Sport Board to bring a Targa event to South Australia. The event will be a unique addition to the Australian Targa Championship as it will be the only event that is 100 percent dedicated to Classic cars.

Octagon, which has offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, will soon open an office in Adelaide.

The Classic Targa Adelaide will be held on 15 - 18 September 2011. This will be a week before the Bay to Birdwood Classic event on 25 September, making September a fabulous month for classic car enthusiasts to be in South Australia.

Although routes and participation details will be finalised in the coming month, parties can register their interest by visiting: http://www.classictargaadelaide.com.au.

H&H

CITROËN TO ENTER SOUTH AFRICAN RALLYING? Words: Evan Rothman Pictures: Jakob Ebrey Photography A strong rumour now circulating around the South African rallying circles is that French car maker Citroën is said putting together a programme to support four (or more) C2 R2 MAXs in in this fiercely contested domestic rally championship. A three-year programme has apparently been confirmed by Citroen, which includes substantial prize monies supporting a “Citroen Challenge” within the South African Super 1600 Class (formerly Class R2).

The cars are believed to be underpinned with the R2-spec chassis with a incredible 190hp enginet at the weight of 1030kg, equipped with a 5-speed sequential gearbox and state-of-the-art Boss shock absorbers (3-way adjustable).

According to sources, one of South Africa’s local rally teams spent some time in Europe in last 8 months finding out more about this project.

A quote from Dave Ledbitter’s website RallyWorld.Net: “It is indeed a low cost maintenance rally car. We had the opportunity in getting involved with teams in Europe to find out more about the running costs of the C2 R2 Max, and to our surprise the endurance and development of this car along the past few years has made it a tough little monster platform that no more has to prove itself.

It’s definitely a winner especially with the involvement from Citroën SA,” he said. Already two teams are said to be committed with two cars and another two are close to signing a deal.

There are talks of a national team supported Citroën South Africa in the near future. H&H

Issue 170 • 17 Feb 2011

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CASSIDY CLIMBS TO 15th AT RALLYE PERCE NEIGE 2011 Words: Staff Writer Picture: Peter MacDonald/PeterMac.ca The Last Ditch Racing rally team began their 2011 season by sliding their Subaru Impreza WRX STi onto the podium of the Ontario Provincial Rally Championship portion of the 46th edition of the Rallye Perce Neige, round one of the 2011 Canadian Rally Championship.

Driver John Cassidy and codriver Dave Getchell drove through the forests of Quebec during the epic event that spanned approximately 15 hours. The weekend began on a difficult note for the crew when neither the rally car nor the service vehicle would start while Cassidy and Getchell were out on recce. What was meant to be a fairly relaxed day for the LDR crew was spent troubleshooting both. “Each rally presents some sort of adversity - we’d find it all on the stages, but the crew had their fair share as well,” said Cassidy.

“To say that Rallye Perce Neige is a challenging event is an understatement.

This was our first Canadian winter event in three years, and there was definitely

a bit of rust. We struggled to find pace early on.”

The crew found tyre choice to be difficult, using three types of tyres during the day with mixed results. The stages were often just two clear lines of sheer ice with a small amount of snow in places. Adding to the challenge was that surface conditions changed often on the famously long stages.

Starting 17th on the road, the team dropped down the order before floating back up to an overall finish of 15th in the National field. “The field was extremely deep at Perce Neige and if there’s one thing Canadian drivers know, it’s how to drive in the snow,” said Cassidy. On the second passage through the long Kitigan-Zibi stage, the crew passed cars, and were passed in turn. “It was surreal to spend 30min concentrating, pushing as hard as we could all the while looking at cars we were catching up and keeping an eye on the rear view mirror!”

Last Ditch Racing’s next event will be the Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs in New Richmond, Quebec in July, 2011. H&H

NOVIKOV PREVIEWS 2011 LIVERY Words: Staff Writer Picture: ALM Rally Evgeny Novikov’s proposed livery design for the Ford Fiesta RS WRC that the Russian driver will campaign during the 2011 World Rally Championship.

Novikov plans to start his WRC programme with Rally Mexico in March.

He said: “At the end of January we were planning to start our season with Rally Portugal, but the mediterranean stages require thorough study. The utmost care is needed during recce and on the event.

The 3D profile of the stages showed a lot of negative camber corners with freshair drops, which don’t forgive mistakes.

Also M-Sport were unable to provide a car for Portugal - at the time of our inquiry all the new Fiestas were already allocated.

“It will be my first time at Rally Mexico, but the sooner I try the car in action the quicker I can get into a rhythm, making it easier for me in Europe.”

Full details of Novikov’s 2011 WRC programme will be revealed in due course. H&H

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Issue 170 • 17 Feb 2011

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

NEW LOOK FOR BRITAIN’S ONLY JUNIOR RALLY SERIES Words: Staff Writer

ØSTBERG SETS STORMING DEBUT PODIUM FOR STORBART AT RALLY SWEDEN Words: Staff Writer Picture: Eva Kovkova Mads Østberg has made a fairytale debut for the M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team by finishing runner-up at a nail-bitingly close FIA World Rally Championship season-opener in Sweden this past weekend.

The 23-year-old Norwegian driver shone from start to finish in the all-new Ford Fiesta RS WRC and led the snow-laden rally for nine out of 22 stages – a remarkable achievement considering Østberg had completed only one short test in the new car prior to Sweden.

At the end of the second day, three Fiesta RS World Rally Cars held the top five spots in the Rally Sweden leaderboard, and with only 15.8 seconds separating all five contenders, Sunday was expected to be an action-packed finale. Østberg and co-driver Jonas Andersson started the final day just 7.4sec behind rally leader, Ford Abu Dhabi’s Mikko Hirvonen. Eager to catch their fellow Fiesta RS WRC driver, the young Norwegian showed an impressive show of speed which saw the gap between Hirvonen and Østberg reduce to a slender 4.9sec. However, with the final stage at just 4.16km long, the young driver decided that he did not want to risk pushing too hard and Hirvonen took the rally win by 6.5sec. Østberg’s previous best result on a WRC event was sixth at

2009’s Rally Portugal and the talented driver has smashed two records for the M-Sport Stobart Ford team this weekend: on Friday he was the first Stobart driver to lead a rally at the end of a full day; and, his second-place finish is the highest ever final result in the squad’s six year history.

This is the ninth podium finish for the M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team since their inception into the WRC in 2006. The last time the Cumbrianbased squad were on the podium was at 2009’s Rally Poland when Henning Solberg finished third overall.

Mads Østberg said: “I could never have imagined to finish this rally in a podium position – it feels very, very good! I was on the absolute limit today – if I went any faster, I would have made a mistake and I did not want to risk the fantastic result that we already had. It has been a brilliant weekend and to have won the first full stage in the new Ford Fiesta RS WRC is a record nobody can ever take away from me. The car has been fantastic and it is of great credit to the car and to Jonas [Andersson] who have played such a big part in helping me to achieve my first WRC podium. At the start of today I was thinking that it would mean everything to me if I could walk away with a podium position. Even though I was so close to catching Mikko [Hirvonen], he was pushing too hard and there was not enough stages to be able to catch him up. I was up against the best drivers in the world this weekend, so to finish second is a dream come true.” H&H

Britain’s only rally championship open to drivers aged between 14 and 16 years is to return with a bright new image for its third season in 2011.

The 2010 season saw the Junior 1000 Championship go from strength to strength, not only gaining a record amount of competitors but impressing on a public level as well breaking onto the international scene with visits to Finland and Germany during the latter half of the year.

A new year sees a clean slate and the new season is to dawn even brighter. Rafts of changes have been made over the off season, the biggest of which being the title of this Championship. The Formula 1000 Club, the club responsible for the running of the series, is proud to announce that the Championship is to be named the “Kick Energy Pirelli Junior 1000 Rally Championship.”

For the 2011 season, Kick Energy shares the Championship title with Pirelli, a new tyre deal signed over the off season.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Roskirk Stages (Three Sisters) Lee Holland Memorial Rally (Anglesey Circuit) Corinium Stages (Down Ampney Cirencester) TSH Stages (Portreath) Jack Neal Memorial Rally (Blyton Airfield) Midsummer Stages (Caerwent) Enville Stages (Anglesey Race Circuit) Brawdy Stages (RAF Brawdy) Centenary Stages (Barkston Heath) Woodbridge Stages (Woodbridge Airfield) Peter Lloyd Stages (Pembrey) Glyn Memorial Rally (Anglesey Circuit) Hall Trophy Stages (Blyton)

With more drivers joining the Junior fray in 2011, the new season is set to dawn as exciting as the last with more than five crews ready to challenge double Junior Champion Cameron Davies’ reign at the head of the field.

For further information on the Kick Energy Pirelli Junior 1000 Championship please visit http://www.formula1000.co.uk H&H

Issue 170 • 17 Feb 2011

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MATT JANSEN UNVEILS HIS PRODRIVE SUBARU FOR 2011 Words: Staff Writer Picture: http://www.matt-jansen.com 2009 Rookie and Junior New Zealand Rally Champion, Matt Jansen, will be behind the wheel of a new version of his successful Mitech Welders Subaru for the 2011 rally season.

The 23-year-old Cantabrian has just taken delivery of a Prodrivebuilt 2010 N15 model Impreza WRX that is virtually brand new, having only contested a handful of tarmac rallies in Portugal last year.

“We are delighted to have been able to get such an up-to-date version,” said a very happy Matt, “and to get one that has been built by Prodrive – renowned for their experience with Subaru in the World Rally Championship – is a real bonus…”

“We thought long and hard about the options of building a new car ourselves or buying an existing one, but when I found this one for sale on an international website, it didn’t take long to decide which way to go.”

Matt plans to have the car out on as many rallysprints and hillclimbs as possible, with his first full rally being at Westland on 19 March.

“The new car is left-hand-drive, so it is vital that I get as much time behind the wheel as I can to be ready for Otago [Rally Otago - the opening round

of the New Zealand Rally Championship in early April], and to give the guys [the PMT Motorsport Service Crew] plenty of opportunity to familiarise themselves with how it works too.”

“Last year we never quite got ourselves onto that all-important podium pace that is our current NZRC goal, but we know that this investment will give us the best shot at achieving that….”

This year’s NZRC campaign would not be possible without the dedicated support of Mitech Welders, PMT Motorsport , Armstrong Subaru , Blue Bridge & Strait Shipping, Proflex Suspension, HGM Construction, Dunlop Tyres , Pagid Brake Pads, and ScottSpeed Performance Engines. H&H

MICHELIN RETURNS TO THE WRC Words: Staff Writer Picture: Eva Kovkova The 2011 World Rally Championship marks the beginning of a major new period in the history of the discipline.

On one hand, it heralds the debut of a brand new class of cars, and on the other it corresponds with the commitment of the FIA to curb costs.

With regard to tyres, this year’s series permits open competition between different tyre manufacturers, while the number of tyres used for each round will come down further still from 2012.

Michelin is always keen to be involved in motorsport so long as the regulations permit open competition between tyre companies. In addition to enhancing the quality of the show, it is precisely this sort of competitive rivalry that enables technologies of the future to be developed.

Michelin’s longstanding commitment to rallying, as well as to circuit racing, dates back to motorsport’s pioneering days. The life-size test bench these disciplines provide them with gives them a chance to validate advanced innovations in extreme conditions before they find their way onto our road tyres.

Lastly, Michelin seeks to profit from its involvement in the WRC to showcase its technological knowhow, just as it has done in other major motorsport championships and events for more than a century. H&H

Event Reports & Results

Action Photography

HIRVONEN, OSTBERG AND LATVALA REWARD FORD Words: Evan Rothman Pictures: Eva Kovkova After more than 12 weeks of waiting, rally fans in Sweden were the first in the world to witness the new era of the World Rally Championship. And, were they in for a spectacular rally treat!

The biggest WRC rules change since 1997 saw the new technical rules bring the rally action closer, making ofr intense competition and more committed driving drom the WRC stars.

None were more so than the eventual winners Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen (Ford Abu Dhabi WRT), for they edged out privateers Mads Ostberg/ Jonas Andersson (M-Sport Stobart Ford WRT) and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala/Miika Anttila to also reward the M-Sport and Ford brands with a debut win for their new 1.6-litre turbocharged machine.

As was expected, according to events passed, this rally has become a happy hunting ground for Ford, but in no way did Ford expect to claim a clean sweep of the podium here with a gaggle of Citroen DS3 WRCs and win-hungry crews on board.

This was Hirvonen’s first time on the top step of the podium since he

won here last season. Once he took to the lead on Day Two, it was unlikely that his closest rivals would challenge him for the win such was his commitment on the final stages.

“It was an amazing weekend for the whole team and a fantastic feeling to stand on the top step of the podium for the first time for 12 months, surrounded

by Ford colleagues,” said Hirvonen.

“Technically, the car was fantastic and I didn’t need to change the set-up once. It’s early days with the car, but I’m really starting to understand how it behaves now. The car and I are learning together.”

For HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS it was Norwegian star Ostberg who produced the biggest surprise to not only lead the event from Day One and half of Day Two, but to finish an impressive second overall. Unable to reel in those handful of seconds thatr separated him from the leader on Day Three, Ostberg settled for second place but put on a display of controlled driving for his fans.

It is also encouraging to see a privateer steer a new WRC machine to the podium amidst all the factory cars and crews around him.

Jari-Matti Latvala, who was the fastest of the Ford drivers this weekend as he yo-yoed up and up-and-down-and-

up the leader board. The young Finn had a few heavy brushes with snow banks, ripping off more front and rear bumpers of this Ford than any other driver this weekend.

“It was the most eventful rally weekend of my life and, after so many ups and downs, I’m really happy with third,” said Latvala. “I was close to the top of the leaderboard so many times, but then I found another snow bank to hinder me. A podium didn’t look likely this morning but I didn’t give up, I kept fighting and got my reward. Now I can breathe easily.”

Petter Solberg/Chris Patterson (Petter Solberg World Rally Team) were the quickest of the Citroen DS3 WRC crews, running in the top three for much of the event. Unfortunately, this all changed on the final stage of the rally.

Solberg literally cruised through the final stage, some 51sec off the stage winner’s pace. Upon closer inspection at the stage end, it was co-driver Chris Patterson who was behind the wheel with Solberg in the co-driver’s seat.

Solberg was caught speeing on a public road (see report on page 7) and local traffic authorities banned him from driving on their roads, and thus to complete the rally Patterson had to drive the DS3 WRC. It was his first attempt

Issue 170 • 17 Feb 2011

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at driving a rally car, too, giving him a baptism of fire.

“I take my hat of for Chris,” remarked Solberg. “He has never driven a rally car before, still he managed to set a good time on that stage.”

Solberg/Patterson brought their new car home in fifth, despite a 20sec time penalty, a front end damper problem and the final stage drama. “I think we have done good this weekend and everything has worked well,” remarked Solberg. “Even with 20 seconds time penalty I think we had a chance for a podium. But with the damper problems this morning, we lost too much time.”

The first of the Citroen crews to finish on the leader board was the Citroen Total World Rally Team’s Sebastien. That is, Ogier and not Loeb!

This only the young gun’s second outing in Rally Sweden, his pace was encouraging and confidence-building.

“I’m pretty happy with the result on only my second outing in Rally Sweden,” said Ogier. “We’ve got a lot of positive conclusions to draw from this event. Despite the difficulties, we’ve shown that the Citroen DS3 WRC is quick. I can’t wait to race on gravel where the car looks like it’ll run well.”

The Power Stage is a new addition to the WRC program. It is a televised stage where the winner of the test earns three points, second takes two and third on the stage has an extra point added to his tally. While Ford controlled the overall rally it was

Citroen’s Ogier’s turn to shine on the final stage as Loeb finished close in second place while Latvala rounded out the top three for the extra point.

The ever quick and precise Loeb suffered a dismal rally, according to his WRC form. Leading the field on Day Oen he had to contend with duties as road sweeper and lost valuable time to the hard-charging Fords. His weekend suffered a further blow when on Day Two he was knocked by a puncture.

Loeb was unable to recover the handful of minutes that was needed to reach the podium, and he recorded his second worst ever placing in his WRC career in sixth position. For the record, his worst placing came at Rally Jordan in 2008 when he finished tenth overall. Such is this Frenchman’s skill that he has consistently finished amongst the top three for so many seasons we find it difficult to imagine that Loeb can have a poor weekend behind the steering wheel too.

P-G. Andersson (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) made a strong start to the weekend by winning SS1, but an early scare left him to rue what could have been down in seventh place. Behind him it was Kimi Raikkonen/Kaj Lindstrom (IceOne WRT) who drove well to claim eighth ahead of Matthew Wilson (M-Sport Stobart Ford WRT) and Khalid Al Qassimi (Ford Abu Dhabi WRT) in tenth.

However, the drive the weekend in my books has to be Patrik Sandell/ Staffan Parminder (Skoda Fabia S2000)

who drove their Skoda like they stole it, mixing it with the faster and more powerful WRC cars all weekend. Sandell came home in eleventh after running in the top ten all weekend. H&H

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION 01) M. Hirvonen/J. Lehtinen Ford Fiesta RS WRC - 03hr 23m 56.6s 02) M. Ostberg/J. Andersson Ford Fiesta RS WRC + 6.5s 03) J-M. Latvala/M. Anttila Ford Fiesta RS WRC + 34.0s 04) S. Ogier/J. Ingrassia Citroen DS3 WRC + 47.7s 05) P. Solberg/C. Patterson Citroen DS3 WRC + 01m 31.2s 06) S. Loeb/D. Elena Citroen DS3 WRC + 02m 30.3s 07) P-G. Andersson/E. Axelsson Ford Fiesta RS WRC + 06m 22.0s 08) K. Raikkonen/K. Lindstrom Citroen DS3 WRC + 07m 02.3s 09) M. Wilson/S. Martin Ford Fiesta RS WRC + 10m 11.5s 10) K. Al Qassimi/M. Orr Ford Fiesta RS WRC + 10m 31.1s DRIVERS’ STANDINGS 01) M. Hirvonen - 25 pts 02) M. Ostberg - 18 pts 03) J-M. Latvala - 16 pts 04) S. Ogier - 15 pts 05) P. Solberg - 10 pts 06) S. Loeb - 10 pts 07) P-G. Andersson - 06 pts 08) K. Raikkonen - 04 pts 09) M. Wilson - 02 pts 10) K. Al Qassimi - 01 pt MANUFACTURERS’ STANDINGS 01) Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team - 40 pts 02) Citroen Total World Rally Team - 22 pts 03) M-Sport Stobart Ford Rally Team - 18 pts 04) Ice 1 Racing - 08 pts 05) Team Abu Dhabi - 06 pts 06) Ferm Power Tools World Rally Team - 04 pts 07) Monster World Rally Team - 02 pts

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Issue 170 • 17 Feb 2011

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DAMSEAUX WINS ACTIONPACKED BREDASDORP RALLY Words: Patrick Vermaak Jean-Pierre Damseaux and Cobus Vrey expectedly found themselves in an unchallenged first position overall on the opening round of the 2011 Western Cape Rally Championship when they dominated the Tata Dealers/Kwikfit Bredasdorp Rally on Saturday in their Team Total S2000/S5 Toyota RunX. Traditionally the shakedown for the national rally campaign, this pairing treated this event as a full blown attack on the S2000 challenge and the Team Total RunX provided a fantastic spectacle to the appreciative audience present in the Overberg.

Ashley Haigh-Smith had Cindi Harding calling the notes in Bredasdorp and slowly dialled in the pace to finish second overall by a solitary second, and also second quickest on three of the eight stages of the event. The world’s first right-hand-drive M-Sport Class A6/ S3 Ford Fiesta R2 1600cc did not miss a beat, and this car will undoubtedly be a serious contender for the National 1600cc crown.

Sebastiaan Klaasen had Kesevan Naidoo step in as navigator in the Vuurwerk Gp N4/S5 Subaru Impreza WRX, and they clearly understood each other from the word go as consistent times saw them second fastest on three stages and third overall could so easily have been second as just one second separated them and the Haigh-Smith Ford Fiesta.

John Peiser/Craig Gray made their debut as a team (Gp N4/S5 Subaru Impreza GT) to claim fourth overall. This also was a milestone as this was the first time since 2007 that Peiser had finished an event off the podium.

Clinton and Keenan Sassman possibly delivered the performance of the rally by placing their E30 S4 BMW 325i fifth overall to deservedly record their best-ever result. This very popular father-and-son crew have been trying hard and somehow the package never clicked until this past event.

Paul-Hendrik Franken/Uwe Pey were another combination to draw attention on their debut in their A6/S3 Toyota Corolla RXi 1600. The Gansbaai youngster Franken impressed with a mature drive to sixth overall.

Steven White/Patrick Vermaak literally had their React Marketing Gp N2/S2 Mitsubishi Lancer GT 1600 ran out of rear shock absorbers after SS1. Every

rough section became a challenge and each landing a lucky dip, but as always this small car with the big heart stuck it out to come home in seventh position overall.

Divan de Goede/Henry Köhne returned in 2011 in their Gp N2/S3 Toyota Corolla RXi 1600, but found the new engine down on power, forcing them to settle for eighth place at the finish.

Shaun Jones/Mark Avice du Ruissni (S4 Volkswagen Polo TDi) finished in a strong ninth overall.

Gavin Grierson/Paul van Greunen enjoyed a pleasant early season run in their S4 Nissan Skyline 2.8 GTX to finish tenth overall. Elevnth overall and first in S1/A5 went to another new combination in the form of Benjamin Johnson and Christoff Löttering in their ex-factory Volkswagen CitiGolf 1.4i.

André George/George du Toit simply could not get the 2010 Junior Championship-winning Flying Fridgesponsored Class A6/S3 Toyota Conquest RSi 1600 to fly this weekend as they had to accept a frustrating 12th overall result. Justin and Brian Hoskins, filling thirteenth spot in their Class S1/A5 Volkswagen CitiGolf 1.4i, were the final finishers on this event.

Thorsten Pey/Mark Palmer started the event in their 2010 Senior Championship-winning Class S4 BMW E46 325i strongly to run as high as second overall after the first four stages.

Pushing hard to maintain second spot, the pairing crashed heavily when a tie-rod snapped in a tricky third gear corner. Fortunately, the crew emerged unscathed from the car but this really was the last event for their faithful Winning Business Solutions/Forsdicks Tyger Valley BMW rally machine.

Charl Strydom/Sakkie Bosman were another team to suffer misfortune when their Sabre Paints Class A6/S3 Volkswagen Polo 1600 retired with a blown gearbox after just three special stages. Winston Neethling/Garth Ritsch shed some weight from their Class S5 Nissan Sentra by attacking a fence with their car’s rear end before finally retiring as a result of engine maladies.

Michael Ramshaw/Tinus Claassen did not have the dream debut every crew hopes for. Their Gp N2/A6 Toyota Corolla RXi 1600 cried enough early in SS1, only for the crew to discover that it was simply the coil wire which had come undone. More serious engine maladies would however see this new combination retire on SS3.

Most encouraging was the fact that the combination of the Tata Dealers Western Province (Dan Esterhuyse) and Kwikfit Bredasdorp (Anton and Jurgen Lesch) had certainly provided the Witzenberg Motorklub the opportunity to raise the standards and just the quality of the silverware was impressive. Providing Tata vehicles to fulfil the various official tasks during the event provided great exposure to the sponsor and looked professional. Starting and finishing at Kwikfit with prizegiving at the Buzz Bar was another winner. Laureen Newman (Manageress Tata Tygerberg) stating that we might even see a Tata rally car present soon.

Bredasdorp requires marshals to cover quite a distance to spend the day standing in the dust and sun for the benefit of the competitors, and these individuals deserve a great big “Thanks You.” The Radio Marshals and Medics are rarely seen, but just knowing they are there puts competitors at ease whilst the friendly face of the scorer, Brian King, is always a great asset to every event.

Johann and Petra Zulch (00), Martin and Brendan Esterhuyse (0), Lance and Rosemarie Maytham (FollowUp) and Theo Croy (Arrowing) did a sterling job on the route. That is until John Peiser removed the stakes and Steven White managed to gift wrap his Lancer on SS8. H&H

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION 01) J-P. Damseaux/C. Vrey Toyota RunX S2000 (S5) - 45m 55s 02) A. Haigh-Smith/C. Harding Ford Fiesta R2 (S3) + 05m 20s 03) S. Klaasen/K. Naidoo Subaru Impreza WRX (S5) + 05m 21s 04) J. Peiser/C. Gray Subaru Impreza WRX (S5) + 06m 26s 05) C. Sassman/K. Sassman BMW 325i (S4) + 07m 40s 06) P. Franken/U. Pey Toyota Corolla RSi (S3) + 09m 48s 07) S. White/P. Vermaak Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 (S2) + 10m 47s 08) D. De Goede/H. Kohne Toyota Corolla RXi (S3) + 12m 02s 09) S. Jones/M. Avice du Ruissni Volkswagen Polo TDi (S4) + 12m 11s 10) G. Grierson/P. Van Greunen Nissan Skyline GTX (S4) + 13m 37s

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SEMERAD CLAIMS FIRST WIN Words: Evan Rothman Pictures: Eva Kovkova Martin Semerad, Czech rising rally star, showcased once more to the world his speed and skill when he claimed victory in the PWRC category of the Rally Sweden this past weekend.

Semerad (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution) was one of the first talents to be discovered by the Pirelli Star Drivers campaign in 2009, and he has grown from strength to strength, to where at 20-years-old he is now the youngest ever series winner in the PWRCs history.

The figh to the finsh ramp wasn’t as straightforward as that though, with the snow and ice of Sweden providing its share of action for World Rally fans. At the end of Day One Patrik Flodin (Subaru Impreza) was excluded from the event and the Day Two mechanical retirement of Anders Grondal (Subaru Impreza) paved the way for Semerad to take the lead.

Favourite to win this round of the series was Flodin. Grondal proved to be hot on his heels in early stages, too. Norwegian Rally Champion Grondal did shock the establishment when he stormed through the morning loop of Day One’s stages to a comfortable 01min lead over Flodin et al. Grondal eased his pace in the afternoon loop, looking to cement his authority on the PWRC category. However, Flodin was able to reel in Grondal’s lead in the afternoon to reduce his advantage to a little over 20sec at the end of Day One. Unfortunately, Flodin’s rally came to a shuddering halt when the Stewards excluded him from the event because the rims used on his Subaru Impreza did not comply with the FIA’s Sporting Regulations.

Semerad was then lying in third place at the start of Day Two’s

speed tests, with over 04min between himself and the leader Grondal. Russian rally driver Dmitry Tagirov (Subaru Impreza) was also ahead of Semerad by over 03min, but a run-in with a snow bank on SS8 saw the PWRC newcomer drop 08min to his rivals and saw him slip down the leader board. This also promoted Semerad one position up on the podium.

Grondal continued on his charge for the victory on Day Two, but SS11 changed all that. Engine problems cruelly struck Grondal and left his Subaru Impreza parked at the side of the road. Semerad inherited first place thanks to his consistent stage times.

The new rally leader concentrated on setting bankable stage times through the remainder of Days Two and Three, and sailed to the finish with three stage wins (SS15, SS17 and SS18) and pockected 25 PWRC points.

Yuriy Protasov (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution) claimed second position on his PWRC debut and Nicolas Fuchs (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution) from Peru won the final podium position to give Mitsubishi a clean sweep of the podium in the PWRC. The Ukranian Protasov battled through the opening stages of the Rally Sweden as he acclimatised to the unique rally conditions. He experienced a number of close shaves in SS4 and SS5, but he persevered to push his way through the rally to even win SS13 on his way to second overall.

Fuchs also experienced a challenging event, also having never driven in the snow before. In SS2, Fuchs was already over 06min off the rally lead after he hit a snow bank and had to be dug out by spectators. He never put a wheel wromng after that, and powered to his impressive third place.

Category winner Martin Semerad said: “Consistency and

patience paid off. Patrik [Flodin] or Anders [Grøndal] were more deserved of the victory, but the points are ours and we are stoked about it. It wasn’t very enjoyable driving so carefully, but it’s a great start to the season.”

Second-placed Yuri Protasov commented: “We are very happy with this result. It’s only my second snow rally and I’m very pleased to come second.”

Peruvian star Nicholas Fuchs, who finished third overall in the PWRC standings, was overjoyed with his podium performance: “I’m so happy it was a long event and it was my first time competing in the snow. It’s been a good weekend for me. I’m very excited to be on the podium in my first PWRC event. Now, I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and new challenges.

I have a great team I’m working with and I hope that this year we can achieve great things together.” H&H

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION 01) M. Semerad/M. Ernst Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution - 03hr 46m 59.8s 02) Y. Protasov/A. Aftanaziv Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution + 05m 17.3s 03) N. Fuchs/R. Garcia Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution + 06m 44.7s 04) V. Gorban/E. Leonov Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution + 06m 49,5s 05) G. Linari/A. Cecchi Subaru Impreza + 27m 45.5s 06) D. Tagirov/A.Zavershinskaya Subaru Impreza + 34m 53.6s 07) O. Saliuk/P. Cherepin Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution + 35m 52.7s 08) M. Al Shamsi/K. Al Kendi Subaru Impreza + 42m 52.8s DRIVERS’ STANDINGS 01) M. Semerad - 25 pts 02) Y. Protasov - 18 pts 03) N. Fuchs - 15 pts 04) V. Gorban - 12 pts 05) G. Linari - 10 pts 06) D. Tagirov - 08pts 07) O. Saliuk - 06pts 08) M. Al Shamsi - 04 pts 09) P. Flodin - 0 pts 10) A. Grondal - 0 pts

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Issue 170 • 17 Feb 2011

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GOD’S FROZEN GIFT IN LATVIA Words: Liga Stirna Pictures: Kriss Karnitis/Rallyemotions.lv A week ahead of the second round of the Latvian Rally Championship, the Rally “Sarma” 2011, snow was melting throughout Latvia and weather was quite warm. However, the day before the recce, a big cold hit our country and on Valentine’s Day eve we could hold a proper winter rally, which was later won by Estonians Georg Gross/Raigo Mõlder (Ford Focus WRC).

The Estonians were the last entrants signed up, but their names were impressive: it included the previous winner of first Estonian Rally Championship round, Kaspar Koitla, Georg Gross in his ex-Matthew Wilson machine, and last year’s Pirelli Star Driver talent Ott Tänak. In total the entry list was pleasantly long with 75 cars.

The Rally “Sarma” is one of the oldest rallies in Latvia, always held in winter, and we joke that the organiser of this event, Mr. Vilis Sniedzāns, has mighty special friends up above as this rally is always covered by cold and real winter conditions. This year wasn’t an exception and Sunday morning saw -20˚C. The first two stages were held on Saturday night and they proved once again how much Latvians love rallying: despite a really cold night, there were thousands of spectators standing on the snow banks in the stage that were run twice in “zip” format.

After the first two stages, rally

fans decided that fastest driver, Estonian Ott Tänak (Ford Fiesta S2000) is positively crazy, he was fastest not only in Class N4, but he also left behind the WRC car of his compatriot Georg Gross to take the overall lead!

The Second day’s stages suited the Ford Focus RS WRC more than the S2000 of Tänak, but at the end of the day just 0.93 seconds separated winner Gross, from second placed Tänak. It was a battle of the two, but Ott admitted that this event was more like training for him before his WRC campaign and he didn’t suffer being “just” second.

Fastest of the local crews was Andis Neikšāns/Pēteris Dzirkals (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X) who won the first round of Latvian Rally Championship in Lithuania. In the Rally “Sarma” they finished third overall, but won the Latvian classification. “We didn’t even try to catch Tänak and get first place in N4, as he had an S2000 car which is absolutely different from our Evo X,” said Andis. “Even in WRC they belong to two different classes – PWRC and SWRC. In Latvian classification we were fastest and that is more important.”

Second place went to Jānis Feldmanis/Anrijs Jesse Zicāns (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X) who achieved this result in the very last stage by inheriting the position from the misfortune of Māris Neikšāns/Ringolds Bērziņš who had a puncture only 3km from finish, and defeating Jānis Vorobjovs/Guntars Zicāns (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X). At the end of the rally, Feldmanis and Vorobjovs were separated by just 0,8sec...

In the Latvian Rally Championship, there will now be a break until May when the summer season will begin with “Rally of Champions, BTA Rally TALSI. Why “Rally of Champions”?

Because the organisers of this event invite reigning Class N4 champions from neighbouring countries to compete. The entry list of the Rally TALSI has seen such names as former British champion Guy Wilks, Finnish Rally Champions Jari Ketomaa and Juha Salo, Swedish Champion Jocke Nyman and Norwegian Champion Andreas Mikkelsen, who then compete with Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian champions. By the way, guests have never won this event. H&H

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION 01) G. Gross/R. Mõlder (EE) Ford Focus WRC - 01hr 01m 09.87s 02) O. Tänak/K. Sikk (EE) Ford Fiesta S2000 + 0.93s 03) A. Neikšāns/P. Dzirkals (LV) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X + 02m 07.03s 04) J. Feldmanis/A. Jesse (LV) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X + 02m 25.33s 05) J. Vorobjovs/G. Zicāns (LV) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X + 02m 26.16s 06) R. Jeets/A. Toom (EE) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX + 03m 13.18s 07) M. Svilis/A. Aizsilnieks (LV) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII + 03m 15.83s 08) D. Jocius/G. Žliubas (LT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX + 03m 32.83s 09) R. Kisiels/A. Ronis (LV) Mitsubishi Lancer WRC + 04m 18.74s 10) J. Dūcis/A. Anevics (LV) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX + 04m 24.07s *EE – Estonia *LV – Latvia *LT – Lithuania

Issue 170 • 17 Feb 2011

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ARMSTRONG AND BOGIE HEADLINE “SNOWMAN” FOR THIS WEEKEND Words: Staff Writer A high quality field headed by last year’s winner Jock Armstrong and reigning champion Davie Bogie will line up in Inverness for the opening round of the MSA Scottish Rally Championship on Saturday. Some 100 crews have entered for the ever-popular Arnold Clark/Thistle Hotel Snowman Rally, which will be played out over 44mi (70km) of forest stages north of the Highland capital.

As well as a roll-call of SRC regulars, the event sees the return to competition of former BRC front-runner/ turned TV rally pundit Robbie Head. As always, conditions will be key to the outcome of the opening round. Twelve months ago Armstrong and co-driver Kirsty Riddick mastered the ice and snow to post an emphatic victory in their Subaru Impreza. This season, reigning Group N Champion Armstrong will compete in the “open” class as he challenges for the Scottish title after losing out to Bogie in 2010.

For his part, the Champion will use the “Snowman” as a shakedown for the following weekend’s Rallye Sunseeker, the opening round of the British Rally Championship.

The 23-year-old, who will again be partnered by co-driver Kevin Rae, sat out last year’s SRC opener, but is targetting a strong finish this time around in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. “I’d like a clean run on the Snowman, and get some points in the bag,” commented Bogie. “I’ve done it twice before, and it’s a fantastic event.”

Fellow south-west of Scotland driver and third-seed Mike Faulkner is also on a mission to push for top honours this season in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI, alongside longtime navigator Peter Foy. Their 2010 season was dogged by mechanical woes, with Faulkner finishing fourth in the drivers’ points. “As ever, you start the season with only one aim and certainly everything we’ve done over the winter has been about how we can win the championship,” said Faulkner.

“We’ve stripped the car right back and rebuilt it, gone through everything with a fine toothcomb, hopefully to get the reliability as well as the speed.”

The Cumbrian crew of Paul Benn/Richard Cooke return to action in their Ford Focus WRC 01 as fourth

seeds, ahead of the Evo IX of leading Borders driver Euan Thorburn.

In 2009, Reay Mackay notched up a famous “Snowman” victory in an MG Metro 6R4. This time out he will contest his home event in a Subaru Impreza WRC - the car in which Mackay won the final round of last year’s Scottish Tarmac Championship.

Hotly tipped young driver David Wilson was pushing for podium places throughout last season - taking a well-deserved third place on the RSAC Scottish. He resumes his SRC challenge with top navigator Dave Robson from Jedburgh.

The stages around Tain and Lairg will again resound to the bark of local favourite Andy Horne’s Metrobased DAM 4100 Gti, as he and co-driver Jim Howie look to build on successes achieved last year, following a dismal season in 2009.

They are followed off the start line by the respective Evo IX’s of SRC regulars Donnie Macdonald/Keir Beaton and Malloch Nichol/Robert Lumgair, who round off the top ten seedings.

There is much anticipation about the return of Robbie Head at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evoliution IX, partnered by experienced Bordersbased navigator Claire Mole. The Lanark driver last competed in Scotland on the Speyside Stages in 2005, finishing fourth.

In the words of Mike Faulkner: “Robbie will bring a new dimension to the championship, which can only add to the quality of the series. It’s really good to have him in the mix.”

There will be plenty to whet the appetite as crews are flagged off from rally HQ at the Thistle Hotel in Inverness. However, it will also be a time for reflection, as competitors, officials and spectators remember Jimmy Girvan, who lost his life on the McRae Stages last September.

The “course car” will be the distinctive Subaru Impreza in which the popular Invernessian and Highland Car Club stalwart won the second of his two Scottish crowns in 2008. Details can be found at the event website http://www.highlandcarclub.co.uk. H&H

BIGGERSTAFF TO LEAD AT MAGIC BULLET STAGES RALLY Words: Staff Writer Reigning Hankook MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Champion Stuart Biggerstaff heads the entry for this Saturday’s Magic Bullet Stages Rally, which will be held at County Down’s Kirkistown Race Circuit.

The event marks the opening round of the 2011 Northern Ireland series, and Hankook is back on board at title sponsor for the ten-round championship.

The series kicks off at Kirkistown this Saturday, where more than 80 crews, including five former Northern Irish Champions in addition to the reigning Champion, will contest six stages at the County Down venue.

The event, which is organised by North Armagh Motor Club Ltd, will feature a mixture of loose and sealed surfaces, providing competitors with plenty of challenges.

2010 champion Biggerstaff and navigator Damien McCann will lead the field away in an S9 specification Subaru Impreza WRC. The 22-year-old Kinallen driver, who is the youngest ever winner of the series, will drive the same car which he used to clinch last year’s title, albeit with a new graphics scheme.

Starting at number two is former champion, Kenny McKinstry. The Banbridge driver will be in the hunt for victory on this occasion, having lost out to Derek McGarrity and Connor McCloskey in 2009.

McGarrity, who is another former champion, is also returning to the venue with his production category Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, and could be one to watch with his Group N mount.

He starts at number three ahead of former champion George Robinson, while Connor McCloskey, the 2008 champion, returns to the series with an Impreza WRC. Gary White, John McGaffin and Sean Haveron - who is another former champion - complete the top eight seeds.

Competitors will tackle six stages before the winner is crowned at the champagne finish in Kirkistown Race Circuit. More details, including a full entry list, can be found online at http://www.nirally.com. H&H