H&H-191

s e k a r b Hand s n i p r i a H & of rallying ld r o w e h t o t in t h your insig

Issue 191 • 13 July 2011

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Volkswagen Rally takes centre stage Start Ramp Service Park Parc Ferme

Team TOTAL takes on the forest stages Ford launches new rally Fiesta models Rally Estonia preview

“This month’s WRC Neste Oil Rally Finland, one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the world’s motorsport calendars, featues a total of 20 WRC cars” - p8

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Contents Issue 191 • 13 July 2011 04 START RAMP 04 Start Ramp - News Shorts

06 SERVICE PARK 06 08 08 09 09

Team TOTAL heads to coast for forest stages 2011 WRC Rally Finland’s entries Meet the Ford Fiesta RRC and MS1 Molly takes on Estonia Countdown to Ulster Rally begins this week

12 PARC FERME 10 12 13 14 15

SARC Volkswagen Rally preview IRC Rally Azores preview RA New England Forest Rally preview APRC International Rally of Whangarei Rally Estonia preview

EDITORIAL INFORMATION Editor Evan Rothman

Photojournalist Eva Kovkova

Contributors Liga Stirna, 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

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Event News Breaking News

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Threat of rain looms for final day of IRC Rally Azores 2011 Words: Staff Writer Crews contesting this week’s Sata Rallye Açores, round six of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, could be in for a shock when the event concludes on Saturday (16 July).

Although the forecast is mainly for sunshine, albeit with patches of cloud on Friday, there is a 60 per cent chance of isolated showers on the final day of the island contest.

While the rain won’t be anywhere near as heavy as in 2009 when a couple of stages had to be axed due to a sudden downpour, it could yet influence the outcome of the rally.

“The stages range from extremely twisty to very fast, but they are generally narrow and slippery in the wet,” said Bruno Magalhães, the winner in the Azores last season.

Even if it rains on Saturday, ambient temperatures will hover between 20 and 21˚C. H&H

Magalhaes: Rallye Azores remains special Words: Staff Writer Bruno Magalhães says Sata Rallye Açores will always have special place in heart.

The Portuguese ace, who celebrated his 31st birthday last weekend, claimed his maiden Intercontinental Rally Challenge victory

on the event last season in his Peugeot Sport Portugal 207 Super 2000.

He said: “This event is special for me because it brought me my first IRC win. I was very proud of that performance because I had to push from start to finish, while at the same time keeping my driving very smooth.

I had to take risks without making any mistakes.”

Magalhães, who is co-driven by Paulo Grave, is braced for a tough fight to repeat his victory of 12 months ago but hopes that a successful two-day test with Peugeot Sport will help his bid.

“My aim is to win again this year,” he said. “That will require another faultless run. Thanks to Peugeot Sport, I was able to benefit from two days of testing which helped me find my marks again on the loose. That helped boost my confidence so I should be able to hit H&H the ground running.”

Sandy stages will test 2WD crews in Azores, says Hunt Words: Staff Writer IRC 2WD Cup competitors will find it tough going on Sata Rallye Açores this week according to defending champion Harry Hunt.

The Briton was speaking following the two-day reconnaissance on the mid-Atlantic island of São Miguel where round six of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge will take place this week.

“It’s rough in places with deep gravel that will cut up,” said the 22-yearold from London. “It’s also quite sandy so it will be hard for the two-wheel-drive cars especially finding traction out of the slow corners.”

Hunt, currently 12th in the IRC 2WD Cup standings, plans to begin Thursday morning’s shakedown with a

similar set-up to the one he used on his last appearance on gravel in Argentina at the end of May. “We will start with that and make changes from there,” said Hunt.

“We had a bit of a disjointed recce with a few problems with our recce car but we got through all the stages. They’re not as difficult to [pace]note as on some other rallies like Monte-Carlo and Sanremo so we’re in good shape. I’m H&H quite happy.”

In-car with Petter Solberg on WRC Rally Greece 2011 Words: Staff Writer The wonderful source of official World Rally Championship news and information, and the official carrier thereof, http://www.wrc.com has released four videos from the recent WRC Rally Greece to YouTube.

Petter Solberg and co-driver Chris Patterson (Petter Solberg World Rally Team) didn’t win this event, but did wow rlaly fans with their pace and poise throughout the weekend. Now, watch the action from inside the car. To view the videos, please click one (or all) of the video blocks in the above “Media Dashboard.” It is well worth the effort to watch! H&H

Issue 191 • 13 July 2011 • Page 05

Petter Solberg and Volkswagen in WRC? Words: Evan Rothman Picture: Citroën Racing The latest news to emerge from the World Rally Championship’s rumour mill, is that negotiations between Nasser Al-Attiyah and Volkswagen Motorsport have broken down.

Nasser Al-Attiayh, the 2011 Dakar Rally winner, is reportedly disappointed with Volkswagen’s withdrawal from active participation in the Dakar Rally. The multiple Middle East Rally Champion ‘s sponsors insist on Al-Attiyah’s participation in the Dakar Rally and have entered into discussions with BMW and MINI to contest the 2012

marathon rally.

Volkswagen entered into plans with Al-Attiayh to join their WRC campaign until 2013 with a view to the talented driver competing in the Polo R WRC in the 2013 WRC season.

It has now emerged that Volkswagen is now eagerly intensifying discussions with seven times World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb to head their WRC campaign. Interestingly, Loeb’s contract with Citroën Racing expires on 31 December 2011. A more established situation is one in which Petter Solberg joins forces with the giant motor manufacturer. Solberg has reportedly already participated in

chassis development tests with Skoda Motorsport, and has also been in talks with Volkswagen.

French development engineer guru Francois Xavier Demaison has been linked to the Volkswagen Motorsport campaign, as the first tests of the Polo R WRC are scheduled for the end of November in Spain.

Carlos Sainz is also a vital cog in the steering of this campaign, and he is reportedly to have also engaged in discussions with the French rally ace.

Solberg and Volkswagen rumours are growing strongly each week, and it will be intriguing to see this story unfold in H&H coming weeks and months.

Service Park

Interviews Features

Profiles Technical

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Team TOTAL heads to coast for forest stages Words: Evan Rothman Pictures: Evan Rothman The Challenge: Little compares to listening to a rally car being driven on its limit in a forest stage. The screaming exhaust note echoes through the trees, the spectators grow silent as all ears turn to the fast-approaching car. Then, coming into view through twists and turns is the sight of a Team TOTAL rally machine in full flight. This is what sets rallying apart from other motor sports.

Six of the event’s 12 stages are played out in the Longmore Forest, and Team TOTAL heads to the Nelson Mandela Metro this weekend for the Volkswagen Rally to add more silverware to its ever-growing trophy cabinet.

Team TOTAL is the largest privateer rally team in the South African

Rally Championship with its four-car squad. The Volkswagen Rally is usually a happy hunting ground for the home team, the BP Volkswagen Rally Team, but their supremacy on this event will come into question this weekend with strong competition from Toyota and Ford crews.

A total of 19 Class S2000, ten Class S1600 and three Class S1400 entries will take to the start ramp on Friday, to do battle in the forest speed tests. Severe rain in recent weeks wreaking havoc on the roads, the slippery conditions in the Longmore Forest will be even more intimidating this time round. Full commitment and bravery in bucketfuls will be required for this technical yet high-speed event.

With two cars in the premier Class S2000 and two in the hotly contested Class S1600, Team TOTAL looks to set tongues wagging this

weekend when it unveils its new livery.

The Class S2000 crews of Jean-Pierre Damseaux/Carolyn Swan and Mohammed Moosa/Grant Martin have a big surprise for their rally fans this weekend. All will be revealed at the start ramp at noon on Friday at Volkswagen’s AutoPavilion centre in Uitenhage.

The Expectations: Mohammed Moosa (#9 Team TOTAL): “We are on a learning curve at the moment, and in Port Elizabeth we will be going out to find our feet. This rally’s route is great. Forest stages are wonderful for rallying in. Also, the compact nature of the route allows for spectators to see more action, is easier for crews and teams in terms of logistics and we can push it over the repeat stages.”

Issue 191 • 13 July 2011 • Page 07

Jean-Pierre Damseaux (#10 Team TOTAL): “This event is always an interesting one, and the recent rains will make it even more so. The route is similar to that of 2010, and we know the stages well.

The long stage in Longmore Forest, the 34km test, will be the event’s decider.

It will be especially important to avoid punctures and to post a good and clean run through that stage on Friday and Saturday. I’m looking forward to this event!”

Junior Championship contenders Craig Trott/Robbie Coetzee (#52 Team TOTAL) and Stefanie Botha/Angela Shields (#60 Team TOTAL) will continue their assault on the Class S1600 title. The experienced Trott, former multiple Class Champion, will be aiming to drive his Team TOTAL Toyota RunX to the podium once more this season. Teammates Botha and Shields are looking to the forest stages to re-assert their speed on

Championship standings.

The Route: The rally’s action kicks off at noon on Friday from the Volkswagen AutoPavilion and heads immediately for three stages in the Longmore Forest before returning to Uitenhage to take on two tar Super Special stages. Competition on Day One will end at 18h00.

Day Two starts at 08h00 from the Volkswagen AutoPavilion once more with crews heading to the PE Oval Track for the day’s first gravel stage.

Friday’s three gravel tests will then be repeated before teams head to a brand new stage at the Nelson Mandela Bay football stadium in Port Elizabeth’s North End. The final stage of the event is the traditional shoot-out on the King’s Beach parking lot, with the event finishing at 15h00.

Follow Team TOTAL: For news, stage times and photographs

live from the event, visit us on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/pBFCpZ and on Twitter at http://bit.ly/jBLu4j. You may also download this event’s Spectator Guide at http://bit.ly/q4FTSb. H&H

Issue 191 • 13 July 2011 • Page 08

2011 WRC Rally Finland’s entries Words: Evan Rothman Picture: Citroën Racing This month’s WRC Neste Oil Rally Finland, one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the world’s motorsport calendar, is set to feature a bustling entry list of 20 WRC cars.

This is the biggest field of new generation World Rally Cars yet seen this season, and sees entries from Ford, Citroën and MINI. Apart from the regular entries from the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, Citroën Total World Rally Team, M-Sport Stobart Ford Rally Team and the Petter Solberg World Rally Team, local rally aces Matti Rantanen and Mattias Therman will contest the event in MINI John Coopers Works WRC machines.

There will be six of these new-for-2011 cars on the entry list, with factory drivers Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke headlining Daniel Oliviera and Armindo Araujo.

Jari Ketomaa and Janne Tuohino have both signed up to compete on this most iconic of rallies in Ford Fiesta RS WRCs, and both are potential points finishers on their home event.

Another local star drawing even more fans and attention to the event is Kimi Raikkonen in is Citroën DS3 WRC. P-G. Andersson, former Suzuki World Rally Team drivers, has entered this event with a Subaru Impreza R4-spec machine after his exciting WRC Rally Sweden appearance at the start of the 2011 rally season where he lead for much of the specialised event.

The full entry list for the WRC Neste Oil Rally Finland boasts 124 crews for this two-day event. The event’s route has been revised and is more compact to boost the event’s excitement and to allow for improved television coverage.

Will Sebastien Loeb and his Citroën DS3 WRC conquer the unique conditions and stages, beating off Finnish stars Hirvonen and Jari-Matti H&H Latvala? Only time will tell.

M-Sport delivers new Fiestas: Meet the RRC and MS1 Words: Staff Writer Picture: M-Sport M-Sport has added two new models to its already successful line of Fiesta rally cars. With these two models launched last week, the Cumbria, U.K. based company offers customers a truly comprehensive package to suit rally crews from Class S1600 to WRC. The Fiesta RRC and the Fiesta MS1 are aimed at two different segments, yet highlight this car’s adaptability.

The new Fiesta RRC is based on Ford’s Fiesta RS WRC which claimed a podium clean sweep at the FIA World Rally Championship season-opener in Sweden earlier this year. Both cars share the same DNA, but the Fiesta RRC features a 30mm engine restrictor and aerodynamic modifications to qualify for the regional regulations. The RRC is supplied as a WRC variant with a kit of parts to enable it to be converted to WRC specification in six hours. The Fiesta RRC is aimed at rallying’s most experienced drivers and marks the next step for drivers in their career after the highly successful Ford Fiesta S2000.

This car is built to comply with FIA regional rally regulations and the versatility of the car allows it to not only compete in national championships in its RRC guise but also in the World Rally Championship in its WRC variant.

Also available for sale following successful initial testing in the UK is the new Ford Fiesta MS1. The Fiesta MS1 will complement the Ford Fiesta R2 and become the first step in Ford’s ladder of opportunity.

Now with the introduction of the Fiesta MS1, drivers can successfully progress their career with a series of

Ford cars starting with the MS1 and then moving onto the Fiesta R2 followed by the Fiesta S2000, the Fiesta RRC and finally the Fiesta RS WRC. The basic specification conversion kit offers the same personal safety and underbody protection kit as the successful Ford Fiesta R2, but uses standard engine and transmission components. The MS1 offers competitors the option to upgrade their car piece by piece to be able to create a Fiesta R2 as resources allow.

The MS1 is intended as the first step for drivers in global markets including the USA, China, India and South America.

M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said: “We are delighted to introduce the new Ford Fiesta RRC and the Ford Fiesta MS1 as both cars offer competitors more flexibility to help further their rallying career. M-Sport have been looking to expand the range of rally cars available to our customers and the latest additions have allowed us to provide two extra rungs to Ford’s ladder of opportunity.

The Fiesta MS1 offers drivers an introduction to rallying at an affordable level whereas the Fiesta RRC/WRC provides experienced drivers with the highest level of rally car but also includes the necessary components to convert it into a regional rally car. I look forward to revealing our new cars to the world rallying scene and to monitoring their performance in regional championships across the globe.” H&H

Issue 191 • 13 July 2011 • Page 09

Countdown to Ulster Rally begins this week in UK Words: Staff Writer

Molly takes on Estonia Words: Staff Writer Picture: Molly Taylor Motorsport Australian rally driver Molly Taylor is looking forward to being back in the forest this weekend, as she tackles Auto 24 Rally Estonia as part of her world rally championship preparation plan.

Molly and new co-driver – experienced WRC co-pilot, Seb Marshall – are now in Estonia, preparing for reconnaissance (Thursday and Friday) before the event kicks off in earnest late Friday.

Competitors will tackle 160km of competitive stages on Friday and Saturday and Molly is not the only driver using it as a shakedown for Neste Oil Rally Finland, the WRC round being run at the end of this month.

“I’m so excited about getting out on some proper forest stages with Seb. From the footage I have seen, the roads look amazing, and apparently they are very similar to the roads we will be using in Finland.

“It’s just ideal to have this opportunity so close to Finland after such a big gap since our last WRC Academy outing in Sardinia in May.” Several of Molly’s rival WRC Academy competitors will be out in the forests this weekend as well as a number

of the new generation World Rally Cars.

Mads Ostberg will be driving the new Ford Fiesta WRC while Kris Meeke will have the Mini John Cooper Works WRC in action, up against Markko Martin in an old formula Focus WRC. The event, which is based at Martin’s home town of Tartu, has attracted many competitors who will be going on to the WRC round in Finland, as the Estonian rally is an authorised chance to set up their championship cars.

Molly and Seb will be driving the Ford Fiesta R2 that Molly has been using for all non-WRC rounds this year.

It’s an identical car to the one she and all the WRC Academy drivers use in the Academy cup events.

Finland is the third of six rounds the young drivers are contesting as part of a one-make, development series aimed at bringing the best young rally talent in the world to elite levels. Molly is one of six of the drivers on a fully funded scholarship for the year, covering all her WRC expenses.

She comes into the Estonian rally, and the round in Finland, fresh from a prestigious ‘Driver of the Day’ award at the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed, where she did demonstration laps and took VIPs for rides. H&H

The Todds Leap Ulster Rally, incorporating Rally NI, will be held on the 19 - 20 August and will host the premier UK and Irish Rally Championships including the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship, the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, the MSA British Historic Championship and the BRC Challenge. Hot on the heels of the official press launch comes the confirmation that the entries are now open for this award winning event.

The event Regulations and Entry Form documents can now be downloaded from the competitor page at http://www.ulsterrally.com and competitors have a choice of five events.

Entries can be secured using the Online Entry System which will again be available as an option for all five events and competitors are recommended to make use of the system which will greatly streamline and speed up the process of placing an entry in the required event.

The early closing date for entries is 27th July and entries will finally close on the 3rd August; so competitors are urged to secure their place now for the 2011 event.

To assist competitors plan their participation on the event, the organisers have produced Ulster Rally Guide 1 which can also be downloaded from the event website.

Rally NI is a two day event, covering 127 competitive miles (203km) H&H over 14 closed road stages.

Parc Ferme

Event Reports Results

Many potential winners in Volkswagen Rally Words: Staff Writer Pictures: Evan Rothman With no less than 19 entries in the premier S2000 Class for modified 2,0-litre four-wheel drive cars, picking an overall winner of the South African National Championship’s Volkswagen Rally in the Eastern Cape on 15 and 16 July is as easy as winning the Powerball lottery.

The factory pairing of Johnny Gemmell/Drew Sturrock (Castrol Team Toyota Auris S2000) won last year ahead of the factory BP Volkswagen Polos of Enzo Kuun/Guy Hodgson and Jan Habig/ Ralph Pitchford and the privateer Green Fuel Ford Fiesta S2000 of Zimbabweans Conrad Rautenbach/Peter Marsh.

Gemmell, runner-up in last year’s championship, hasn’t won a rally since, with a best result this year of second behind Toyota teammates

Leeroy Poulter/Elvene Coetzee in the Sasol Rally in Mpumalanga in April, while Rautenbach has two victories to his credit in the four events run so far. He and new French co-driver Nicolas Klinger triumphed in the season-opening Total Tour Natal Rally and the HMC Rally.

Poulter/Coetzee have impressed in their first season in the premier Class after claiming their maiden win and taking Toyota’s tally of National Championship rally successes to a remarkable 100 since 1968.

The factory Volkswagen team will be keen to reverse their fortunes so far this season in their home event. Kuun/Hodgson have been more consistent than fast, and their best results to date have been two fourth places with just one stage win. Habig/ Robert Paisley have had five stage wins and was second in the Total Tour Natal, but uncharacteristically has had two non-finishes since.

The other two members of the four-strong official VW squad, Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries and Giniel de Villiers/Ralph Pitchford are also seeking their first win of the year. Fekken/Arries have been consistent performers but unusually have yet to crack a top three finish and only have a single stage win to their credit.

Mark Cronje/Robin Houghton have been the combination to beat in terms of sheer pace this year in a Sasolsponsored Ford Fiesta S2000, but have not always translated this into good results.

Former Production World Rally Championship driver Jon Williams and Cobus Vrey in the second Sasol Ford have also won a few stages this year as Williams gets to grips with his new car.

Charl Wilken/Greg Godrich have been consistent front runners in the Basil Read/bizhub Ford and are looking for their first win since the final event last

Issue 191 • 13 July 2011 • Page 11

year, the Toyota Dealer Gauteng Rally.

Other privateers to watch out for in the S2000 field are the Team TOTAL Toyotas of Jean-Pierre Damseaux/ Carolyn Swan and Mohammed Moosa/ Grant Martin, the Pirtek Peugeot 207s of Hein Lategan/Johan van der Merwe and Visser du Plessis/ Gerhard Snyman and the Volkswagen Polos of Nicolas Ryan/Armand du Toit (Grandmark International) and Japie van Niekerk/Simon Vacy-Lyle (New Africa Developments).

Heading a strong ten-car entry in the S1600 Class for 1,6-litre twowheel drive production cars and vying for overall Junior Championship honours (Classes S1600 and S1400 combined) are brother and sister combination Christoff and Celeste Snyders (Sabertek Volkswagen Polo). They can expect stiff competition from the likes of Craig Trott/Robbie Coetzee (Team TOTAL Toyota RunX), Ashley Haigh Smith/ James Aldridge (React Ford Fiesta), Tjaart Conradie/Kes Naidoo (Silverton

Engineering Toyota Auris) and Guy Botterill/Schalk van Heerden (Yato Tools Toyota Yaris).

The S1400 Class is a threeway battle between the all-woman crew of Megan Verlaque/Lirene du Plessis (BP Volkswagen Polo), the Q8 Oils Volkswagen Polo of Henk Lategan/Pierre Jordaan and the Toyota Yaris of Ian Young/Henry Dearlove.

As always, there will be plenty of opportunities for the fans to see the cars in action. The rally starts from the Volkswagen AutoPavilion in Uitenhage at 12h00 on Friday 15 July, and heads immediately for three intimidating stages in the Longmore Forest near Hankey. Competitors will then return to Uitenhage for two tar Super Special stages, which will end the first day at around 18h00.

Saturday’s action starts from the Volkswagen AutoPavilion at 08h00 with the first stage on gravel at the PE Oval track. Then Friday’s three gravel stages in the Longmore Forest

are repeated before the rally moves to a brand new tar stage at the Nelson Mandela Bay soccer stadium in Port Elizabeth’s North End. The final stage is the traditional shoot-out on the tarred parking area at King’s Beach in Port Elizabeth, with the event expected to finish at around 15h00. H&H

Issue 191 • 13 July 2011 • Page 12

Magalhaes to shine in Azores in 2011?

Words: Staff Writer Pictures: IRC Media With the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) reaching its halfway point the focus switches to gravel for Sata Rallye Acores, Round Six of the 11-event all-action series.

Based on Sao Miguel, the largest of nine islands that make up the Portuguese-speaking archipelago, the rally marks the first loose-surface round of the season. Just like last year, the organisers have resisted the temptation to make major changes to the route that will take in 17 stages over a competitive distance of 205km.

The Azores, which was formed through a series of volcanic eruptions, is located equidistant between London and New York in the Atlantic Ocean and enjoys a variable climate with warm sunshine that can be replaced moments later by rain.

The event is centred on Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel’s largest town, in the south-west of the island where the rally headquarters and harbourside permanent service park are housed.

The rally’s medium-speed stages use narrow gravel tracks lined by stone walls or, in some places, huge drops, meaning there is little margin for error. Small sections of asphalt increase the challenge facing the crews due to the reduced grip levels they will encounter running with gravel set-ups and tyres on Tarmac.

Despite a consistent sandy gravel surface, stage layouts could not be more contrasting. The Grupo Marques spectator superspecial, which runs on Thursday evening and again on Saturday afternoon and requires drivers to compete against each other in pairs, is a purpose-built facility located in a quarry. However, the Sete Cidades stage in the far west of the island runs around the rim of a non-active volcano. The lush landscape and scenery is dramatic but the stage represents a huge test for the drivers who charge through narrow tracks above huge drops.

Starting position will be a major factor on the event due to the effect of road cleaning. Bryan Bouffier is the

highest-seeded driver on the entry, so will start first on Day One. He will therefore be tasked with forging a clean line for the drivers behind through the loose-surface gravel, which reduces traction and braking performance and benefits those running further down the order.

For Day Two’s nine stages, the top five runners after Thursday’s second stage will start in reverse order, meaning some drivers might opt to drop a few places on the Coroa Da Mata stage to gain a more advantageous road position for Friday. The same procedure will apply for Saturday when the rally draws to a close following a further five stages.

Bryan Bouffier has never competed in the Azores before and admits that his running on gravel is limited compared to asphalt.

Hanninen is second on the 42strong entry in his SKODA Motorsport Fabia S2000. The Finn, 29, is only contesting a selected programme of IRC rallies this season but has won on two of his three starts this term. Renowned as a master on gravel, Hanninen is a firm favourite for victory.

Jan Kopecky completes the factory SKODA line-up and will be anxious to make up lost ground after failing to start the previous round in Ypres when his co-driver Petr Stary broke his right collarbone in an accident during shakedown. Stary has since recovered, while Kopecky, who crashed out of the lead on the final stage in the Azores last season, will be out for revenge.

Like Bouffier, Guy Wilks is another Azores newcomer in his Peugeot UK 207. But the Briton learned his trade driving on gravel and showed a strong upturn of form in Ypres only to lose out on a seemingly certain podium finish with a spate of punctures.

SKODA UK Motorsport’s Andreas Mikkelsen makes his second visit to the Azores. The Norwegian was fourth overall last year and could have finished higher up the order had he not encountered a herd of cows standing on a stage.

Patrik Sandell is back on IRC duty after skipping the previous round in

Belgium. The SKODA Sweden star rates gravel as his preferred surface having amassed significant experience driving on the loose. Following a lacklustre showing on his previous two IRC appearances on asphalt the Swede has promised to show his true pace in the Azores, despite never having competed there.

Bruno Magalhaes claimed his maiden IRC success in the Azores last season and will be determined to emulate that performance this year at the wheel of his Peugeot Sport Portugal 207.

Julien Maurin completes the list of S2000 runners in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta. The Frenchman says he relishes any chance he can get to drive on gravel and was in action when Sata Rallye Acores appeared on the IRC calendar for the first time in 2009.

Toshi Arai and Fumio Nutahara will be hard to beat in the battle for IRC Production Cup honours in their R4specification Subaru Imprezas.

The IRC 2WD Cup is set to produce a close fight between current leader Jean-Michel Raoux and defending Class Champion Harry Hunt. But with both drivers competing in the Azores for the first time, local aces such as Paulo Antunes and Carlos Costa will prove hard to beat.

Patrik Sandell said: “The rallies on Tarmac have not been good but on gravel it will be a different story. I have no knowledge of the stages but I have a good starting position for the first day and that could really help me.” H&H Event Essentials: Base: Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel Starts: Thursday 14 July Finishes: Saturday 16 July Entries received: 42 IRC appearances: Two 2010 winners: B. Magalhaes/C.Magalhaes (Peugeot 207 S2000) Surface: Gravel Number of stages: 17 Special stage distance: 205.09km Liaison distance: 538.45km Total distance: 743.54km

Issue 191 • 13 July 2011 • Page 13

NEFR set to conclude 2011 Rally America season Words: Staff Writer Picture: Tim Williams With the first five rally events of the 2011 Rally America National Championship in the record books, top Regional and National rally teams from around the world will make their way to Newry, Maine for the New England Forest Rally (NEFR), home to the Sunday River Resort, for the final round of the sixevent 2011 championship.

Set for Friday and Saturday, 15 - 16 July, as many as 50 top-level rally teams will compete on some of the most difficult gravel and forest roads in the country for top honors at this alwayspopular rally event. The NEFR is the last chance for teams to make a final push for Championship points.

At the top of the Rally America national points championship is Subaru Rally Team USA’s David Higgins from Mid Wales, U.K., who strung together three wins in a row in Washington, Oregon and Pennsylvania after struggling early in the season.

Mitsubishi Rockstar driver and 2010 Rally American Champion, Antoine L’Estage closely follows Higgins by ten points. The pressure is on Higgins to finish NEFR lest he open the door to

L’Estage for a come-from-behind win.

The Super Production (SP) Class has made news all year with Travis Hanson and his father/co-driver Terry Hanson leading the Rally America Championship early and locking up the SP class with NEFR still left on the calendar. Even with the Class championship decided, there will still be drama in the category in New England.

Second and third place in the SP Class promises to be a battle to watch in New England. Only one point separates Ramana Lagemann in second place from Lauchlin O’Sullivan in third place.

Lagemann, in fact, is coming on strong in the second half of the season.

He’s won the last two SP Class events in Oregon and Pennsylnvania to move into second in the Super Production category.

Wyatt Knox is on the verge of securing his first-ever 2WD National Championship on his home turf. The Mazda Speed3 driver commands a 20point lead over Ford Fiesta rival Dillon Van Way, but Knox also needs to avoid an event-ending crash to guarantee his Championship.

Both Knox and Van Way face a sizeable local competitor in Chris Duplessis, driving the country’s first 2011 Ford Fiesta R2. Duplessis is a

consistent top ten finisher and could be the spoiler in the 2-Wheel Drive category.

This year’s New England Forest Rally will host a large contingent of Regional two-Wheel-Drive rally teams from across the Northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada. These teams will be competing for their share of $15,000 in prize money as the New England-based rally will be the second of three unique rally events in the United States that make up the three-round Danza del Sol MaxAttack! Championship for 2011. The other two rally events on the calendar are the Olympus Rally in April and the Lake Superior Performance Rally in on October 14 - 16.

Although the NEPR will be contested over two days and 120kmplus of gravel and forest stages for the National competitors, the Regional rally teams will compete on the very same roads, but in two separate single-day Regional rally events run simultaneously with the National rally. H&H

Issue 191 • 13 July 2011 • Page 14

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Multi-national line-up revealed for International Rally of Whangarei Words: Staff Writer Seventy-six teams from nine countries have confirmed their entry for the International Rally of Whangarei which runs from 15 to 17 July on roads through the Kaipara and Whangarei districts.

Heading the entry list is Japan’s Katsuhiko Taguchi who drives a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X and is one of 22 teams contesting the event as fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC).

The International Rally of Whangarei also counts as the fourth round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) which includes local competitors in the Group N production car categories. A subsidiary event for NZRC Open, Kiwi 2, Historic Class and Clubmans competitors makes up the rest of the 76-strong field.

“Our APRC competitors are seeded according to their international ranking, and are followed by local competitors based on their position on the championship points-table. Other drivers are then seeded based on past or potential merit,” explains the event’s sporting manager Willard Martin.

“This means Taguchi, as the defending APRC champion, starts day one of the rally first on the road. He’s followed by Australia’s Chris Atkinson in a Proton Satria Neo, Indian Gaurav Gill in a Mitsubishi Evo X, Scot Alister McRae in the second Super 2000 category Proton Satria Neo and Australian Brendan Reeves, as the four drivers entered with FIA seedings.”

Top-placed New Zealand team and current NZRC points’ leader, Masterton’s Richard Mason, has accepted a deal to drive for the Chinese Soueast Motor Kumho Team headed by driver Fan Fan, meaning he’ll be driving for the overall rally win, prestigious APRC points for the team, and also for points in his usual New Zealand Rally Championship category. Rather than his usual Subaru, Mason will be driving the Mitsubishi Evo X that Brit Mark Higgins took to victory in the APRC event in Queensland, Australia in May. “It is an opportunity with a quality team,” says Mason, a two-time NZRC champion. “We have been to China a number of times and admired the way Fan Fan ran his team. We have always been keen on doing some form of event with them and it worked out being a good time to do it at Whangarei.”

Emma Gilmour will also be looking to score APRC points as the Dunedin driver is entered by India’s MRF Tyres team. Gilmour is expected to have a similar benefit as Mason, when she starts among the APRC competitors further up the running order.

Malaysia’s Karamjit Singh, the 2001, 2002 and 2004 APRC champion, also returns to New Zealand, this time driving a two-wheel-drive Proton Satria Neo. “It’s great to have a mix of familiar and new faces from such a range of countries,” added Martin. “New Caledonia’s Jean-Louis Leyraud (Subaru) and Daniel Palau (Subaru), Indonesians Rifat Sungkar (Mitsubishi) and Subhan Aksa (Mitsubishi), and China’s Fan Fan (Mitsubishi) and Hao Yuan (Mitsubishi) show the range and interest the APRC has attracted this year.”

“The strong international lineup also offers an opportunity for New Zealand teams to pace themselves against drivers from the different countries in a greater variety of cars than we’re normally used to.”

Four Kiwi teams have selected by the APRC executive as wildcard entries for the rally.

“The wildcard entrants are nominated by their country’s governing sporting body, up to four at each event, to give drivers the chance to run among the international competitors and score APRC points,” said APRC series coordinator Murray Brown.

This year, New Zealand’s four wildcard entrants are Whangarei’s Ben Jagger (Subaru STI), Rotorua’s Sloan Cox (Mitsubishi Evo X), Nelson’s Ben Hunt (Ford Fiesta ST150) and Christchurch’s Matt Jansen (Subaru STI).

The field for this year’s International Rally of Whangarei also includes current top-ranked Kiwi driver Hayden Paddon, from Geraldine in a Subaru STI. Also among the toprunners in the NZRC Group N production category is defending NZRC champion Dean Sumner from Rotorua (Mitsubishi).

“The premier NZRC production class also includes the four-wheel-drive Ford Fiesta of Auckland’s Dave Strong as well as two other international drivers, Japan’s Seiichiro Taguchi (Mitsubishi) and Indonesia’s Sanjay Ram Takle (Proton),” adds Martin.

The International Rally of Whangarei commences with pre-event testing and promotional activities on Friday 15 July, with the event based at

Whangarei’s Quayside Town Basin. The rally action on Saturday and Sunday takes competitors as far south as Maungaturoto and back to Whangarei for the super special stage at Pohe Island before wrapping up with the ceremonial finish at the town basin on Sunday afternoon. Teams cover 301.12km of gravel road broken into 16 special stages over the two-day event.

Regularly-updated news, the rally itinerary and spectator information are available from the event website http://www.rallywhangarei.co.nz. H&H

Issue 191 • 13 July 2011 • Page 15

Star-studded entry list for Rally Estonia Words: Staff Writer Picture: Eva Kovkova Mads Ostberg, Kris Meeke, Martin Prokop and Denis Kuipers have all entered the Rally Estonia (taking place this weekend) as part of their respective build-ups to Neste Oil Rally Finland that followa two weeks later. Markko Martin is also down to contest the event driving a Ford Focus WRC. Ex-WRC factory driver Markko Martin from Estonia (Subaru, Ford and Peugeot driver) was last year’s Rally Estonia winner. He will be hoping to repeat that success this time round in a former-generation Ford Focus WRC despite opposition from a long list of 2011-spec WRC cars and S2000 machines. Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) and Kris Meeke (MINI John Cooper Works WRC) have both confirmed their attendance. The Norwegian was 12th overall on the recent WRC Acropolis Greece Rally after losing ground with an off and is determined to repeat the sort of strong run in Finland that he

produced in Sweden at the beginning of the season. Briton Kris Meeke was at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed where he gave a track ride in the MINI John Cooper Works WRC to a spectator whose name was drawn at random.

Rally Estonia’s fast dirt stages in the south of the country (the event is based 220km from Tallinn) are similar to those of nearby Finland and MINI WRC Team will use the event as a full-scale dress rehearsal. The event will also star certain S-WRC regulars, including the Czech Republic’s Martin Prokop (Fiesta S2000) and Estonia’s Karl Kruuda (Fiesta S2000). Markko Martin’s protégé Ott Tanak has had to withdraw, however, after destroying his car in Greece last H&H month.

Event Essentials Length: Special stages distance: 162km (gravel) Super special stage: 5.3km (asphalt) Itinerary: Friday, 15 July 15:30 - Start from Otepää Tehvandi Ski Stadium 16:15 - SS1(18.4km) 17:55 - SS2 and SS3 Otepää city stage (10.6km)

(Historic cars pass once and the race cars pass twice over specially-built jumps in the middle of the test in carousel system).

18:20 - First historic car into service park 19:30 - First race car into service park 20:30 - Sky Plus entertainment programme – Estonian artists 21:00 - Press conference 23:00 - End of Day One Saturday, 16 July 9:15 - SS4, SS5 and SS6 (66.6km) 12:30 - Historic service area 45 min 13:15 - End of historic race 13:45 - service area of race cars 45min 14:45 - SS7, SS8, SS9 (66,6km) 18:00 - Podium and awards 20:30 - Sky Plus entertainment programme – Estonian artists 22:00 - Star guest – foreign performer 23:00 - End of event.