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Issue 188 • 24 June 2011
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Ogier wins a dramatic Greek clash Start Ramp Service Park Parc Ferme
Loix tipped for success in IRC GEKO Ypres Rally Travis Pastrana enters X Games 17 ARC Safari Rally review
I have so many great memories from earlier events in Greece, so I’m happy we are back here this year and, of course, I am aiming for the podium!” - Petter Solberg, p14
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Contents Issue 188 • 24 June 2011 04 START RAMP 04 Start Ramp - News Shorts
06 SERVICE PARK 06 07 08 08
The spotlight’s on you, kid! Gronholm and Foust win for Ford Andreucci wins five from five What’s in a team?
10 PARC FERME 10 12 13 13
WRC Rally Greece review SWRC Rally Greece review APRC Rally New Caledonia review ARC Safari Rally review
EDITORIAL INFORMATION Editor Evan Rothman
Photojournalist Eva Kovkova
Contributors Liga Stirna, Tor Andre Borresen, Patrick Vermaak, RallyBuzz, Motorpics, Newspress. All content copyrighted property of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, 2007-11. 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.
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Start Ramp
Team News Videos
PROTON dominant in Rallye Nouvelle Caledonie for APRC Words: Staff Writer PROTON Motorsports dominated Rallye Nouvelle Caledonie, which finished in Noumea on Sunday. The Satria Neo S2000 proved unbeatable for the second FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship round this year. Chris Atkinson and Alister McRae finished first and third in the Pacific island event and are now one-two in the APRC standings – with PROTON leading the Manufacturers’ title race. After making the perfect start to the APRC season with a winning double podium on the Malaysian Rally, PROTON was aiming for a repeat of that performance on the 19-stage event. And Atkinson and McRae duly delivered. Atkinson’s second victory of the year – and PROTON’s third win from the last four APRC rounds (including McRae’s APRC win on the China Longyou Rally, the final round of the 2010 series) highlighted the performance the Satrias. New Caledonia was always going to be one of the biggest challenges for the PROTON Motorsports
team this season, with Atkinson only having competed there once before and McRae never having travelled to the island rally. The notoriously fickle weather delivered plenty of rain just before the start of the event, leaving the switchback dirt roads extremely muddy and slippery for the region’s finest and fastest rally drivers. Atkinson built a comfortable lead at the front of the field and rarely looked troubled as he progressed to his second success in this year’s series. His win on the beautiful Pacific island is enough to return him to the lead of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship Drivers’ table. He is ten points ahead of McRae, who completes PROTON’s perfect one-two in the mid-season table. With three rounds down and three to run, PROTON Motorsports is enjoying huge success in this year’s series – the most important and highest profile in the Asia-Pacific region. Beyond the drivers’ race, PROTON is also leading the FIA Asia-Pacific Championship for Manufacturers and the APRC Teams’ Trophy. H&H
Hänninen tips Loix for home glory in IRC’s Geko Ypres Rally 2011 Words: Staff Writer Juho Hänninen says Freddy Loix’s vast GEKO Ypres Rally experience will ensure he’s on top of the leaderboard when the Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier finishes in the Belgian market town on Saturday night. Loix is a six-time winner of the demanding asphalt rally and Hänninen, the defending IRC champion and current title leader, believes the 40-year-old from Belgium will be the driver to beat in his BFO Skoda Rally Team Fabia. “It will be difficult for Freddy because Thierry Neuville can be strong but I am still counting for Freddy because he as that big experience,” said Skoda Motorsport driver Hänninen, who won’t be competing in Ypres as it does not form part of his schedule of events for 2011.
Hänninen ordinarily chooses not to follow rallies he is not competing on but says he will make an exception for the Ypres Rally. “I will be working on my farm in the day but in the evening I will look at the times of my team-mate Jan Kopecký,” said Hänninen. “I will also talk to Jan before the rally because I am interested to know how is testing went and what set-up he will use.” H&H
Event News Breaking News
MERC tunes up for Cyprus in July 2011 Words: Staff Writer With the inaugural Pafos International Rally just weeks away, the organizers of Round Four of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) have confirmed the itinerary for what promises to be a memorable event in the Cyprus sun. To be held from Friday 1 to Sunday 3 July, the Pafos International Rally succeeds the acclaimed Troodos Rally and will see competitors from across Cyprus and the region battle it out on the island’s renowned special stages. The event will be centred around the lively coastal resort’s attractive harbour. Pafos’ harbour square will provide the venue for the Ceremonial Start of the event on Friday evening at 19h30, which will give fans their first chance to see the competing crews amidst a variety of entertainment. The Service Park and Rally HQ will be located close by. The rally proper gets underway at 10h00 the following morning from the Service Park, with the first car entering SS1 (Monashilakas) at 11h03, SS2 (Foinokli) at 12h06, and SS3 (Argaka) at 12h59. Crews will return to the Service Park at 14h14 and then head out again at 14h44 to tackle the afternoon loop of stages: SS4 (Monashilakas) at 15h47, SS5 (Foinokli) at 16h50, and SS6 (Argaka) at 17h43. Saturday will see drivers tackle a total of 386.06km, including 119.94km of special stage action. Crews will cover a further 346.88km on Sunday, including 132.26km of Special Stages. Parc Ferme out is at 09h00 on Sunday morning, with the first car entering the first stage of the day SS7 (Anadiou) at 10h08. The first car enters SS8 (Galataria) at 11h16, and SS9 (Agios Nikolaos) at 11h59. Crews then return to Pafos harbour for Service at 13h14. Crews will then head out at 13h44 for the last three stages of the event: SS10 (Anadiou) at 14h42, SS11 (Galataria) at 15h50, and finally SS12 (Agios Nikolaos) at 16h33. Cars will return to the Service Park for final service at 17:41. H&H
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Issue 188 • 24 June 2011 • Page 05
Travis Pastrana to compete in a Subaru at X Games 17 Rallycross Words: Staff Writer Picture: Subaru Rally Team USA announced this week that they will be teaming up again with action sports icon Travis Pastrana to compete in the Rallycross competition at X Games 17 this summer. Pastrana will pilot one of the team’s new 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rallycross cars on the streets of LA as part of X Games 17 Rallycross competition. Pastrana, who drove for Subaru from the very start of his rally career, had amassed four consecutive Rally America driver’s championships and over twenty victories at the wheel of a Subaru before leaving the sport at the end of 2010 to try his talents in NASCAR. Pastrana will pilot the latest evolution of the team’s new STI Rallycross car which has been tested and developed extensively by Subaru Rally Team USA drivers David Higgins and Dave Mirra this season in the Global RallyCross Championship. Subaru team driver David Higgins finished second overall this past weekend at the third round of the Global RallyCross
Championship held at Pikes Peak International Raceway near Colorado Springs. Pastrana’s X Games week will be a busy one as he plans on competing in Freestyle Motocross at the X Games in Los Angeles on 28 and 29 July, then he’ll fly to Indianapolis for his NASCAR Nationwide debut, then return to Los Angeles for the X Games Rallycross competition on Sunday 30 July. Pastrana’s STI livery for X Games 17 was recently revealed online in this video: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=vNnLNf0OZrE “We’re pleased that Travis will be driving one of our Subaru Impreza WRX STI cars at X Games later this summer,” noted James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “As a four-time Rally America Champion with SRT USA and X Games gold medalist many times over, he’s well-equipped to make a run for gold in the RallyCross event. Certainly, his fitness level and athletic versatility will be put to the test that weekend, but I doubt Travis would want to have it any other way.” For the first time at X Games
the rallycross competition will be held on the streets of downtown Los Angeles in front of the Staples Center. A dirt and tarmac course featuring X Games’ 70-ft gap jump is planned. In its ninth year in Los Angeles, X Games 17 will feature more than 200 athletes at competition venues and event spaces including STAPLES Center and Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in an effort to further consolidate events to one area and better enable fans to catch all the X Games action H&H from downtown Los Angeles.
Service Park
Interviews Features
Profiles Technical
The spotlight’s on you, kid! Words: Evan Rothman Picture: Evan Rothman Experience comes with age. And, age brings with it experience. These adages are never truer than when contextualised in rallying: speed is not the most important ingredient in success. What is the key ingredient to success, then? From the looks of things in the South African Rally Championship, it is youth. A few years ago, I’d have said that the sport in this corner of the world was severely lacking in young blood. There was a distinct absence of young drivers, with only two or three competing at national level. But, for 2011, this cannot be farther from the truth. At the head of the South African Rally Championship after four rounds is Conrad Rautenbach, only 27 years old but with heaps of experience thanks to his invaluable years competing in the World Rally Championship. A contender for the inaugural Junior Championship title (and reigning Class A5 Champion), Ashley Haigh-Smith is fresh out of high school. At 19 years of age he has few seasons of National rally competition under his belt and is showing the potential and determination to make it to the top in this sport. He pilots a Ford Fiesta R2 at national events and regularly drives a mighty Toyota Corolla RXi in Western Cape Regional Rally Championship events. He is the youngest National Class Champion and also the youngest overall rally winner in South African history. This Capetonian will undoubtedly add more accolades to his list of growing accomplishments. Morne Janse van Rensburg, who is a little over 21 years old, is also making his presence felt in the hotly contested Super 1600 Class this season. He has also stepped up from the former Class A5 in 2010, and is literally driving
the wheels off his GC Diesel Volkswagen Polo Vivo S1600. Of course it is only natural to compare: so far, Haigh-Smith holds the edge over his rival, with Janse van Rensburg failing to finish an event in 2011. Also showing potential like Janse van Rensburg, Chase Attwell is a natural rally driver. At 22 years of age this Zimbabwean (and former winner of the demanding Zimbabwe Challenge Rally, is taking on the factory machines in Class S2000 in a bid to be make his mark in South African rallying. A series of mechanical woes, and over-exuberance on his part, have seen his speed not being converted into strong results as yet this season. New to South African rally enthusiasts is Wilro Dippenaar, an 18year-old from Namibia. Competing in Class S2000, Dippenaar has recorded respectable finishes and set impressively quick stages times over the past four events in his Toyota RunX S2000. He is creeping up onto the heels of vastly more experienced Class S2000 campaigners, and is building up for a top ten overall result this season.
And the ladies? Without giving away their ages (and suffering the inevitable retribution that would surely follow) are Stefanie Hugo and Megan Verlaque. Both ladies are in their mid-20s, yet both have been involved in rallying for many years already. Hugo competes in Class S1600 in a Toyota RunX S1600, and has seen her first season in this Class marred by mechanical gremlins. Verlaque (driving a Volkswagen Polo Vivo S2000) is already popular thanks to her duties as co-driver to sister Lola when they contested the premier Class S2000 before the young lady turned her hand at driving. She is current Class N3 Champion and is aiming to clinch the Class S1400 title this season too. However, she will need to defeat her Class rival and the youngest of them all: Henk Lategan. Still in school and too young to legally drive a car on South African roads, Lategan is campaigning his first full season of National rallying in 2011 in a Volkswagen Polo Vivo S1400. This 17-year-old youngster is leading the Class and is recording ever-impressive H&H results.
Issue 188 • 24 June 2011 • Page 07
Gronholm and Foust win for Ford Words: Staff Writer Picture: Ford Media Friday afternoon Marcus Gronholm finished second in the SuperRally competition to Tanner Foust. The second-place podium served as an inspiration for the two-time WRC champion. The next day, Gronholm came out to dominate: he topped qualifying and led the final race flag-to-flag to deliver Fiesta another Global RallyCross Championship victory in the AWD RallyCross, this time at Pikes Peak International Raceway in the United States. “It was a good finish,” said Gronholm. “Everything is about the start here and I made it in front of Tanner and therefore I could turn in first into the corner and that was the key. “Once you are in front you can do your own driving and I knew that we were fast and I could choose my own lines. Plus we were lucky in that we didn’t hit anybody. I saw that Tanner had fallen behind, but I didn’t know that he had crashed at the finish line.” GRC championship leader Tanner Foust claimed second after his Rockstar Fiesta was punted across the timing line by Michael Jernberg. At first there was uncertainty if either car had finished but RallyCross Race Control confirmed Foust the second place finisher giving Ford and Fiesta a 1-2 finish, a result which is currently under review. Foust’s epic battle with Jernberg in the RallyCross finale was an embodiment of RallyCross as a sport.
It appeared Foust had narrowly topped the Swedish driver, when the Fiesta won a hard-fought battle into the final turn. However Jernberg’s desperation move spun both cars off the track as Foust brushed past the finish line, knocking over the scoring pylon as he went. In the normal post-race confusion that was enhanced by the spectacular collision at the finish line, after Global RallyCross race control confirmed Foust as the second-place finisher and the podium celebration continued. Shortly thereafter Global Rally Cross Race Control put the result under official review pending a review of available video and photographical evidence. That review is ongoing and official results are not expected until Sunday or Monday. “That was not the ideal finish,” said Foust the defending X Games champion who narrowly missed clinching the GRC championship this weekend. “We all knew that part of the track had some danger built into it as the cars came together. “ I saw Jernberg coming I could hear Ted (Foust spotter) in the microphone screaming “push, push push.” I came through and I tried to stay in my lane but I knew I had a nose on him at least. “He caught my back tyre, he said he came through ‘a little bit hot,’ and we both ended up shooting off the side of the track. Unfortunately there was a big concrete wall off the side of the track. I went off and saw the concrete wall and I learned some new words in Swedish from my spotter on the radio. The Fiesta bounced on the
wall and kind of pirouetted and then it landed. Luckily it didn’t go over. They say the car is fixable for X Games. So I claimed second place backwards. We will take it.” In March Gronholm swept the season-opening weekend at Irwindale and after missing Round 2 in Snoqualmie, Wash., the WRC legend returned in his Best Buy Fiesta. Gronholm’s second-place finish to Tanner Foust in the Friday SuperRally, was the first time the native of Finland had lost a heat in the GRC. He quickly regained his form on Saturday. Gronholm came back with a vengeance and posted a qualifying lap of 52.51 seconds as he crushed the competition in qualifying, edging his teammates Foust (52.9 sec.) and Brian Deegan (53.47 sec.) who were second and third overall. When the AWD A Main Final started Gronholm was quickest off the line and drove away running a flawless race en route to his second RallyCross and third win overall in the GRC. Brian Deegan qualified third for the A Main Final and was running in the top four when a mechanical issue sidelined his Metal Mulisha Rockstar Fiesta. He finished eighth in the final race. The Global RallyCross Championship will return to action at X Games 17 July 28-31 in Los Angeles. Invitations to X Games are expected to be issued in the next ten days and Foust, Gronholm and Deegan are all expected to participate. H&H
Issue 188 • 24 June 2011 • Page 08
Andreucci wins five from five Words: Staff Writer Paolo Andreucci has made it a remarkable five wins out of five events on the Italian Rally Championship. Andreucci’s latest victory on the Rally del Salento means that his Peugeot Italy team is now just one point away from clinching a second consecutive manufacturers’ title with three rounds still left to go. Using Pirelli’s PZero RX asphalt tyres, Andreucci overcame the many hazards of the all-asphalt event in the south of Italy to win by 19.1sec. The Italian, who is also Pirelli’s official test driver, won the first two stages at the La Conca karting circuit before taking the lead again with three stages to go. Completing a clean sweep of the top results was a Group N win for Maurizio Angrisani in a Mitsubishi Lancer thanks to seventh overall. Just behind him was the top Junior competitor: the Citroen Italia DS3 R3 of Simone Campedelli in eighth, claiming his fourth consecutive podium in the category. Ivan Ferrarotti won the Pirelli-backed Renault Clio R3 Trophy, underlining the performance of the Italian tyres on an extremely wide variety of machinery. Once again the 45th Rally del Salento was hot and challenging, with 150km of slippery stages flanked by stone walls that can frequently catch out even the most talented drivers. Andreucci, who now has a 62point lead over his closest competitor, commented: “Winning again here is obviously a great joy for myself and my co-driver Anna Andreussi. With the advantage that we had coming into the rally, we didn’t have to go flat-out from the very beginning, but when we saw that we had the chance to win the rally we were able to push hard and benefit from the capabilities of the tyres, which performed perfectly over this very demanding route. The nature of the roads on this event means that punctures are always a risk, but we had no problems whatsoever.” The Italian Rally Championship now switches to gravel for the Rally San Crispino from 14 - 16 July, using Tuscan stages that were previously a highlight of Italy’s round of the World Rally H&H Championship in the 1990s.
What’s in a team? Words: Evan Rothman Picture: Citroën Racing Causing a stir once more in the World Rally Championship (WRC) this past weekend was the role that team tactics played in the outcome of a rally. The events of this weekend’s WRC Rally Greece didn’t, however, create tension between the sport’s biggest protagonists, the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team and the Citroën Total World Rally Team. Rather, it was in-fighting in the latter team between its two Sebastiens. Over recent events Sebastien Ogier has supported his teammate Sebastien Loeb (the current series leader). For this event though, those same tactics have seemingly worked against Loeb to hand Ogier victory. In fairness to Ogier, he drove a storming rally from SS1 to the Power Stage to record his third win of the 2011 season. After a duel with Petter Solberg and then with his teammate, Ogier powered to the top of the leader board. Loeb, on the other hand, was unable to push as hard as he would’ve liked thanks to his road-sweeping duties on the final day. In fact, Loeb claimed second spot by only 03sec from Mikko Hirvonen.
It seemed that Ogier (and team boss Olivier Quesnel) used those same tactics to provide the young Frenchman with the edge needed to secure victory in Greece. Ogier was, to be honest, not in a sensible position to assist or support Loeb as his lead and the chasing Hirvonen made this situation all the more complicated. It would have been silly had Ogier slowed over the final speed tests to allow Loeb to score the maximum number of points in his bid to win his eighth Drivers’ title. To boot, Loeb’s ultimate speed was retarded by his road position. What was also clear from his reaction was that the initial team tactics employed by the team were for Ogier to heed to his teammate. Ogier was somewhat exonerated of blame in this situation. H&H
Parc Ferme
Words: Evan Rothman Pictures: IRC Series Greece in summer is hot. And dusty. This year temperatures soared few degrees higher than normal, thanks to unseasonably hot air blowing from the Service Park of the WRC Rally Greece. Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia (Citroën Total World Rally Team) romped to victory, their third of the season, ahead of teammates Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena. Rounding out the podium, and very nearly snatching second place, was Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen (Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team). This event, always rough and tough for crews and competitors alike, was no different this time: rocks the size of footballs littered the tracks and fine dust hung in the air like a thick morning mist. Once more it was the Citroëns
Event Reports Results
who were fastest, with Petter Slberg/ Chris Patterson (Petter Solberg World Rally Team) showing the way on Day One. Sadly as the rally wore on and his role as road-sweeper on Day Two, his lead evaporated and he had to settle for fourth overall come Sunday afternoon. Loeb and Ogier were blisteringly quick on Day Two, but it was Loeb who ended the day’s stages with a 02.2sec lead over his teammate. Ogier did what he does best: flat-out! He leapfrogged the seven-times World Rally Champion to open up a healthy lead while Loeb struggled in the afternoon loop of stages. In fact, Loeb had to drive the wheels off his Citroën DS3 WRC to keep the Power Stage ‘hero’ Hirvonen behind him on the final classification. And then, as the cars’ engines were switched off, the aforementioned hot air descended on the Service Park. The final press conference of the rally delivered some truths.
“We have done some strategy, but it is part of the regulations, but this helped me,” said Ogier. This strategy/ team tactics (of which there is more written about in H&H on page ) seemed to have shaped the rally’s outcome and for this event it favoured Ogier. “That’s how it is. The regulation is like this, it is close between everybody and we have to use everything. It’s not very good for the sport, but it’s like that. It’s normal; everybody in my situation would do the same. Next year, with the new regulations, will be better.” Ogier is very competitive. And this answer on his current Championship position illustrates his intentions beautifully: “It’s looking, not good, but not so bad. It’s better than before we started. We are 22 behind Séb. Yes, we are closer to Mikko [Hirvonen], but Mikko is not the target. We will continue to put the pressure on them.” The interviewer also had a few hard-hitting questions for Hirvonen:
Issue 188 • 24 June 2011 • Page 11
“Mikko, third position – brilliant times today which put you almost within touching distance of the win. Where were these times on Friday and Saturday?” And Hirvonen’s response was: “I don’t know. I really tried today and took a lot of risks. We made changes to the car to get more grip and traction, maybe that helped. In the end we were close, but this position was not what we wanted, but it’s points.” And then he said: “For sure we have to work hard. Everything is possible, but it’s frustrating that three rallies we have been close but we haven’t been able to win. That has to change.” With WRC Rally Finland coming up late next month, the most iconic event on this year’s calendar, there will be lots of hard work to be completed for the Fords to catch their French counterparts. Even though JariMatti Latvala (Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team) was quickest on four of Day Three’s speed tests, without the frustrating earlier mechanical problems
on the event his ninth place would most certainly have instead of been in the top three. Petter Solberg finished the event fourth overall, one position ahead of his brother Henning (M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team), with teammate Matthew Wilson claiming sixth (and bringing his points-scoring runs to six so far this season). Kimi Raikkonen (ICE 1 Racing Team) finished seventh overall after a steady performance in this demanding rally. FERM Power Tools World Rally Team’s Dennis Kuipers snatched the final Drivers’ Championship point, and brought home his Ford Fiesta RS WRC home in a strong position. Father Rene Kuipers, co-driven by Annemieke Hulzebos in a similar Fiesta RS WRC, finished 17th overall in their first WRC start. The always-smiling Federico Villagra was forced out of the event on Day Two with power problems, while Daniel Oliviera (Brazil World Rally Team) retired on Day Three’s opening stage
due to mechanical woes.
H&H
OVERALL CLASSIFICATION 01) S. Ogier/J. Ingrassia Citroen DS3 WRC - 04hr 04min 44.3sec 02) S. Loeb/D. Elena Citroen DS3 WRC - 04hr 04min 54.8sec 03) M. Hirvonen/J. Lehtinen Ford Fiesta RS WRC - 04hr 04min 57.8sec 04) P. Solberg/C. Patterson Citroen DS3 WRC - 04hr 05min 23.1 sec 05) H. Solberg/I. Minor Ford Fiesta RS WRC - 04hr 10min 09.0sec 06) M. Wilson/S. Martin Ford Fiesta RS WRC - 04hr 11min 39.0sec 07) K. Räikkönen/K. Lindström Citroen DS3 WRC - 04hr 13min 13.7sec 08) J. Hanninen/M. Markkula Skoda Fabia S2000 - 04hr 16min 19.0sec 09) J-M. Latvala/M. Anttila Ford Fiesta RS WRC - 04hr 17min 53.1sec 10) D. Kuipers/F. Miclotte Ford Fiesta RS WRC - 04hr 19min 54.4sec
Issue 188 • 24 June 2011 • Page 12
Hänninen powers to SWRC victory in Greece Words: Staff Writer Picture: Newspress Finnish pairing Juho Hänninen and Mikko Markkula expertly navigated their Skoda Fabia S2000 to victory on the fourth round of the 2011 FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship this weekend at the Rally Greece. A confident Day One left Hänninen lying in second and thrown into competition once again with then leader Ott Tänak (Ford Fiesta S2000). After a phenomenally quick time through SS1, 2011 Dakar winner Nasser AL-Attiyah (Ford Fiesta S2000) enjoyed an early lead but the Qatari lost his power steering and thereby allowing Tänak to storm ahead. Straight off the back of a mesmerising win in Italy, Tänak wowed crowds on his Greek debut with the relentless pace for which he has become renowned, ploughing sideways across the rocky terrain unphased by the difficult and unfamiliar stages and ending the day with a lead of nearly 30sec. Determined to pursue his own rally and refusing to be tempted into a battle for the lead that might risk damage to his Skoda, Hänninen sat in second unconcerned by his young rival’s early pace. When Tänak then rolled on SS7, the opening stage of Day Two, the Estonian lost over 15min and despite completing the stage, he had to retire on the road section to SS8 when dust blocked his car’s air filter. This promoted Hänninen into the lead and from then on the experienced Finn didn’t look back. Powering through each stage of Day Two, Hänninen’s focus never faltered and he ended the day over 04min ahead
of second placed Bernardo Sousa (Ford Fiesta S2000). Free of competition, Hänninen focused hard on the final day not to lose concentration and swept through the stages to victory, winning by nearly 05min, picking up maximum SWRC points, finishing eighth overall to claim four WRC points and sealing a 14-point lead in the SWRC standings. After victory in Jordan, his first nominated round of the 2011 SWRC season, Sousa unfortunately retired in Italy but returned this weekend focused on claiming as many Championship points as possible and determined to make it through the challenging stages unperturbed by the difficult conditions. He did just that; he put in strong times throughout, refusing to succumb to distractions such as a rear left puncture on SS7 or a broken rear left driveshaft three corners into SS13, Day Two’s night stage. Fortunately, he even escaped with only superficial damage when he lost the road on SS8 and scraped the front-right of his Fiesta on a tree. The 18 SWRC points he earned himself for finishing in second moved him into third in the SWRC standings despite having contended one less round than second placed Martin Prokop (Ford Fiesta S2000). The final place on the podium went to six-times Hungarian Touring Car Champion Frigyes Turán (Ford Fiesta S2000). After back-to-back retirements on his first two nominated rounds of the SWRC season, Turán came to Greece with the same strategy as Hänninen and Sousa – drive his own event and conquer the tough Greek stages to make it to the end of the rally. He successfully achieved this, but not without a battle with
young Skoda driver Hermann Gassner (Skoda Fabia S2000). When Tänak’s retirement was followed by then-fourth placed Eyvind Brynildsen’s (Skoda Fabia S2000) retirement from Day Two due to a broken suspension on SS11, Turán and Gassner jockeyed for position throughout the remaining tests. It was the Hungarian who triumphed, but Gassner was pleased to finish fourth on his Greek debut and gain vital experience on the treacherous stages. While Tänak was the only one of the ten strong field to retire from the event completely, 2009 JWRC Champion Prokop was the final SWRC competitor to complete all the stages without retirement, coming home fifth and earning 10 vital SWRC points to retain second position in the Championship standings. Meanwhile the sheer speed of Al-Attiyah, whose Day One trials left him in sixth in the SWRC at the end of the rally, made it impossible for him to go unnoticed as he topped both the series sprinter standings and picking up 12 stage wins out of 18. H&H
OVERALL CLASSIFICATION 01) J. Hänninen/M. Markkula Skoda Fabia S2000 - 04h 16m 19.0s 02) B. Sousa/A. Costa Ford Fiesta S2000 + 04m 54.6s 03) F. Turán/G. Zsiros Ford Fiesta S2000 + 06m 17.3s 04) H. Gassner Jr/K. Wüstenhagen Skoda Fabia S2000 + 07m 08.7s 05) M. Prokop/J. Tománek Ford Fiesta S2000 + 08m 58.4s 06) N. Al-Attiyah/G. Bernacchini Ford Fiesta S2000 + 10m 04.9s 07) E. Brynildsen/C. Menkerud Skoda Fabia S2000 + 21m 22.5s 08) K. Kruuda /M. Järveoja Skoda Fabia S2000 + 50m 03.1s 09) A. Llovera/D. Vallejo Abarth Grande Punto + 54m 31.5s
Issue 188 • 24 June 2011 • Page 13
Atkinson back on top in APRC Words: Staff Writer The third round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) was held on the beautiful Pacific island of New Caledonia, however it proved to be no holiday for the drivers. Retirements and crashes took out several of the top runners. First to go was local man Jean-Louis Leyraud who went off at high-speed and although his Subaru was undamaged, beached the car on top of a bank trying to return to the road. Gaurav Gill was, as always on the ragged edge and never far away from snatching the lead. However, the Indian driver came unstuck on SS11 with a high-speed crash that severely damaged his MRF Mitsubishi Lancer and put him out of the event. Gill restarted on Day Two bagging the bonus points for fastest driver of the day. Australian driver Nathan Quinn was doing an amazing job to hold second place overall with an old car and very few spares. Unfortunately, on the first stage of the second morning, Quinn clipped a rock on the inside of a corner, ripping off a wheel and forcing instant retirement. On the same stage, fourth placed Katsu Taguchi landed heavily after a huge jump smashing the oil cooler. There was little the Japanese driver could do, other than switch off the engine and walk home. Day Two retirements continued with fifth placed Subhan Aksa out near the beginning of the next test with a broken gearbox. At the head of the field the event was initially led by Indonesia driver Rifat Sungkar, that is until getting his Pertamina-Cusco Mitsubishi Lancer stuck on SS6. Co-driver Scott Beckwith managed to push the car back on the road, but the incident dropped them down the order to sixth. Sungkar pushed hard through the rest of the event elevating the Pertamina Mitsubishi back to second overall. “Certainly being here last year was an advantage, but mainly it was having a good car and great team,” said an elated Sungkar at the finish. Well in charge and with an incident-free run was Australian Chris Atkinson who bought his PROTON home
in first place. At the finish podium Atkinson commented: “Everything went according to plan, we built a lead and when we did have a small problem, could afford to drop a few seconds to preserve the car. Stephan did an awesome job all weekend and this result is great for team.” Team-mate Alister McRae didn’t fair so well with an overheating engine, but by continually filling the radiator with water and sensible driving third place was his just reward. Atkinson now leads the Drivers’ Championship with 70 points, while Gill and McRae are tied for second on 60 points each. Sungkar is next on 45 and fighting over fifth place is Green on 23 points, Fan Fan with 22 and Taguchi 21. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Mitsubishi and PROTON are joint leaders with 93 points. Sungkar leads the Pacific Cup 13 points ahead of Atkinson. The 2WD Class is now very tight with Karamjit Singh 78 points versus Guna Rajoo’s 77. Akiro Bamba slips to third on 67 points after not running in New Caledonia. The next event is the Rally of Whangarei in New Zealand on 15 - 17 H&H July.
OVERALL CLASSIFICATION 01) C. Atkinson/S. Prevot PROTON Satria Neo S2000 - 03h 01m 18s 02) R. Sungkar/S. Beckwith Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X + 01m 38s 03) A. McRae/B. Hayes PROTON Satria Neo S2000 + 07m 35s 04) B. Green/F. Pedersen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX + 14m 00s 05) F. Fan/J. Fang Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X + 25m 03s 06) H. Yuan/H. Pan Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X + 26m 34s 07) K. Singh/J. Farmer PROTON Satria Neo 2WD + 31m 29s 08) G. Rajoo/J. Singh PROTON Satria Neo 2WD + 01h 14m 56s
Rally video action from this week!
Safari Rally 2011 success for Carl Tundo Words: Staff Writer Carl Tundo savoured his thirdcareer KCB Safari Rally victory as curtains came down on “The World’s Toughest Rally.” In winning the 59th edition of the KCB Safari Rally 2011, the son of former Safari veteran Frank Tundo, achieved his third Safari success with previous victories achieved in South Coast in 2004 and 2009 in Nairobi. “The game plan in the Safari was to get points, because you know if you don’t score points your Championship is kind of over,” said Tundo. “So went in with a sensible head from the first day and on the third stage we realized we were leading by over a minute. We spent lots of time in preparations and made sure everything was running well.” Ugandan Jas Mangat secured his career-best second overall position despite trailing Tundo by a massive 08min 43sec as 1994 WRC Safari Rally winner Ian Duncan sealed the podium dash in 02hr 52min 48sec. “It feels great, it hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Mangat. “We knew the Safari would be a long and rough rally. Towards the end, we were like four or five people fighting for the third position and at the end of the first stage in the morning they had all caught up with us, so it was a major decision to either push and get a reward or just hang around.” Behind Tundo was a spirited FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) battle pitting Champion Jamie Whyte and his Zimbabwean counterpart Conrad Rautenbach. Kenya’s former Pirelli Star finalist Raaji Singh Bharij relished a fifth career-best Safari finish with Conrad Rautenbach settling for sixth overall. But Rautenbach romped home second in the ARC class. However, Whyte had to contend with playing second fiddle to Rautenbach who consolidated his lead in the ARC fray. After four rounds, Rautenbach leads the ARC class with 93points with Jamie waiting to pounce with 76. H&H
OVERALL CLASSIFICATION 01) C. Tundo/T. Jessop Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX - 02h 43m 45s 02) J. Mangat/G. De Silnva Subaru Impreza N12 + 09m 43s 03) I. Duncan/A. Slatch Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX + 10m 03s 04) J. Whyte/P. Archenoul Subaru Impreza N10 + 13m 29s 05) R. Bharij/R. Chaggar Subaru Impreza N10 + 13m 55s 06) C. Rautenbach/N. Klinger Ford Fiesta S2000 + 14m 39s 07) Q. Mitchelle/T. Challen Subaru Impreza N16 + 15m 11s 08) H. Rehsi/R. Soni Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX + 17m 51s 09) J-Y. Ranarivelo/R. Ranaivomamiani Subaru Impreza N12 + 18m 19s 10) I. Mogul/M. Marimba Subaru Impreza N10 + 18m 57s
Issue 188 • 24 June 2011 • Page 14
Geko Ypres Rally: IRC’s other iconic tarmac event Words: Staff Writer Picture: IRC Series A mainstay of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge since the series’ inception in 2007, the Geko Ypres Rally is one of the highlights of the IRC season. Based in the historic market town of Ypres in northwest Belgium, the event’s central location and compact route makes it a must for competitors and fans alike. At first glance the asphalt stages appear tame by comparison to the rock-lined Tarmac tests on the previous IRC round in Ukraine. But, appearances can be deceptive. Despite consisting mainly of long, narrow and flat straights and 90-degree junctions through areas of open farmland, the competitive route is littered with hazards waiting to catch out the unwary driver. Drainage ditches and telegraph pylons pepper the roads, which can become notoriously slippery due to mud and gravel being dragged onto the surface by drivers taking ‘cuts’ through corners. With changeable weather conditions and stages run at night adding to the challenge, not to mention a condensed timetable, the Ypres Rally tests crews and their teams to the limit. The proliferation of long straights and tight corners put the onus firmly on driver commitment and accurate pacenotes. With top speeds of up to 180km/h being recorded, drivers have to judge their braking points to perfection to maximise the amount of speed they carry into and out of corners,
meaning it’s not just the competitor with the most powerful engine and strongest brakes that wins. While drivers such as Luca Rossetti and Kris Meeke won on their Ypres Rally debuts in 2007 and 2009 respectively, local knowledge is considered essential, particularly knowing where to cut the tight corners and when to play safe by taking a more conventional line to avoid punctures. Belgian hero Freddy Loix is testament to that theory with a record six wins to his name. The rally itself is condensed into a 30-hour period with the action getting underway late on Friday afternoon and concluding on Saturday night. Friday’s itinerary features three repeated stages north and southwest of Ypres, separated by service in the town. The route includes the new Dikkebus-Westouter stage, which is a merger of the two tests. The first car is due to reach the overnight halt just before 22h30. Action resumes on Saturday morning with two stages based around the town of Poperinge to the west of Ypres. In total there are five repeated stages plus two stand-alone tests on Day Two, including the Lille-Eurometropole stage, which straddles the French border. With the final stage not getting underway until 21h56, it won’t be until the early hours of Sunday morning when all crews have completed the finishing formalities. With upwards of 30 pacesetting S2000 cars on the capacity 124-car entry, predicting a winner in Ypres will be
a tough call. Skoda will be represented by IRC Championship regulars Jan Kopecky, Freddy Loix, Andreas Mikkelsen and Toni Gardemeister, while Thierry Neuville, Bryan Bouffier and Bruno Magalhaes will take up the challenge for Peugeot. PROTON will also be in action with their Satria Neo S2000s piloted by PG Andersson and Giandomenico Basso. Luca Rossetti, winner of this event on his first outing here in 2007, will compete in a Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000, making a welcome return to this series. A brace of M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000s will be headlined by Polish star Michal Solowo and Frenchman Julien Maurin. The IRC Production Cup has attracted 23 entrants with Belgians Alexandre Romain and Jonas Langenakens the highest seeds in their Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancers. However, Florian Gonon – a two-time IRC Production Cup winner this season – will be tough to beat in his Subaru Impreza. Sixty-one crews will be in contention for IRC 2WD Cup drivers’ championship points in Ypres with Kevin Abbring, last season’s Class winner, set to pose the biggest threat. Other notable names include Ghislain De Mevius, the son of Belgian rallying legend Gregoire, in a Kronos Racing-run Peugeot 207 RC. Promising young Belgian Matthias Boon will drive a Skoda Fabia R2, while Martin Kangur will start his third IRC event of 2011 in his Honda Civic Type R. Defending IRC 2WD Cup champion Harry Hunt will return to the series after H&H missing the last round in Ukraine.
Issue 188 • 24 June 2011 • Page 15
All set for “Scottish” showdown Words: Staff Writer David Bogie is aiming to further tighten his grip on the MSA Scottish Rally Championship with a second successive victory on his home event this weekend. He goes into the RSAC Scottish Rally this Saturday with an 11-point advantage over Euan Thorburn in the overall Drivers’ Standings, and is oddson favourite to take his fourth SRC win of 2011. Bogie and co-driver Kevin Rae head a strong field of more than 100 crews for the fifth round of the series, which will be played out over the classic forest stages to the east of Dumfries. The defending Champion will be back in his more familiar Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, after a dominant victory on the Jim Clark Reivers Rally at the wheel of his family’s MG Metro 6R4. “We’ll be out to win the “Scottish” and take maximum points, that’s for sure”, said Bogie. “Obviously, when it’s your home event, it gives you an extra incentive. It’s been a dream first half of the season for us, but we need to keep up the momentum.” Although his name does not appear in the seedings as published, Euan Thorburn has submitted a late entry. With Paul Beaton on the notes, he has been runner-up to Bogie twice this season in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. “We were happy enough with our second place on the Reivers, despite losing some time with the odd spin here and there. But David was in a class of his own, and we need to push and get another good result in Dumfries to stay in the hunt”, said Thorburn. Mike Faulkner, who won the “Scottish” in 2009, and was second to Bogie on last year’s event, currently lies third in the Championship, one point behind Thorburn. “Obviously, David is dominating the sport at the moment and leading both the Scottish and British championships. However, he hasn’t won the SRC yet so all we can do is try to put the pressure on him, and keep going until we can’t win it”. “The pace in the Scottish Championship is relentless this season. It’s not just the top two or three who are quick, but the whole top ten has serious pace. It’s so close. There’s no easing
yourself into an event - it’s absolute maximum attack from the word go”, said Faulkner. Jock Armstrong bounced back from a disappointing couple of rounds to take a hard-earned third place on the Reivers in his Subaru Impreza and currently sits sixth in the Championship, 41-points adrift of Bogie. With navigator Kirsty Riddick, Armstrong will be aiming to make amends for a non-finish twelve months ago following a mechanical glitch on the opening stage, but admits he will need some luck as the Championship enters the second half of the season. Robbie Head has been “Mr Consistency” since returning to competition this season after a long lay-off, and currently sites fourth in the overall Drivers’ Standings, 20 points shy of Bogie. Co-driven by Claire Mole, Head opened his account with a seventh place finish on the Snowman, and has since had three sucessive fifth place finishes in his Station Garage/DMack Tyres Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. Donnie Macdonald will be relieved to get back onto gravel after enduring a tough Reivers’ Rally in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. Nevertheless, he finds himself fifth in the Championship and has a good recent record on the “Scottish” - eighth last year and ninth in 2009. Barry Groundwater has two seventh-place points finishes and one tenth place result to his name this season. With Neil Shanks co-driving, he will be looking to repeat or better his fine fifth overall on the 2010 “Scottish”. Quintin Milne, co-driven by Martin Forrest, heads the Escort MkII contingent - Milne currently sitting second in Class 8. One to watch will be Liam Harkness who has steered his MkII to second in the Junior rankings after four rounds, and leads the Red Junior Challenge. He will again be co-driven by Kenneth Marchbank. After sitting out the Reivers, 2010 Scottish Junior Champion Peter Stewart/Phil Shortt (Ford Fiesta ST) will be back in action on their home event. They will aim to consolidate their overall lead in Class 7, with Stewart also topping the Clubmans 2-Wheel Drive rankings. The fight for honours is just as intense for SRC-registered crews in Classes 1 to 5, who, as is traditional
on the “Scottish”, will start behind the dozen or so Historic entries, and ahead of the 4-wheel drive competitors. In Class 4, Thornhill’s Jim Robertson and George Myatt hold a slender two point advantage in the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ Standings over fellow Citreon C2R2 pairing of Gareth White (who also leads the SRC Juniors) and Mike Dickson. However, Paisley’s Alasdair S.Graham, with Kenny McGuire on the notes, is breathing down their necks, having won the class on the last two rounds in his Vauxhall Corsa, while the Honda Civic crew of Graeme Schoneville/Michael Hendry will also be aiming for a strong result as they push for both class and Brick & Steel Ecosse Challenge honours. The husband and wife team of Tom and Sue Hynd (Peugeot 205 GTI) are breaking off from a holiday in France to compete on the “Scottish” in the hope of consolidating their lead in both the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ Standings in Class 3. However, they will face stiff competition from, among others, the second-placed crew of Iain Haining/Mairi Riddick, who chalked up three class wins in succession over the first three rounds, and will be out to impress in front of home support in their Vauxhall Nova. In Class 2, the crew of Alex Pirie and David Law have built up a commanding lead in their Vauxhall Corsa but will continue to be pushed by second placed Tevor Longhurst/Michael Cruickshank (MG ZR). Local fans will be cheering on teenager Greg McKnight, who with dad Chris on the notes, took an impressive class win in his Vauxhall Nova on only his second rally, the Border Counties, back in March. As well as being the fifth round of the SRC, the RSAC Scottish is also a round of the the Brick and Steel Ecosse Challenge, the Borders Rally and Five of Clubs Rally championships, and the Motoscope Northern Historic Rally Championship. The “Scottish” also marks the return of the British Army Rally Team, who have had a long association with the event. They have entered six Land Rovers, for what will be their first competitive outing in more than a year. The first Historic will be flagged away from Dumfries town centre at 08h30 on Saturday, with the first H&H 4-wheel drive at around 10h00.