H&H-193

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 193 • 26 July 2011

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Molly Taylor aims for the podium Start Ramp Service Park Parc Ferme

Sandell satisfied with Azores debute Garden Route Rally excitement mounts Silk Way Rally review

“It seems like Rally Estonia has found its international niche as a good preparation round for the WRC Neste Oil Rally Finland” - Liga Stirna, p13

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Contents Issue 193 • 26 July 2011 04 START RAMP 04 Start Ramp - News Shorts

06 SERVICE PARK 06 David Higgins wins Rally America 2011 title 07 Excitement mounts ahead of Garden Route Rally

08 PARC FERME 08 11 12 13 15

Molly Taylor and the WRC Neste Oil Rally Finland Rally de la Yerba Mate review International Rally of Whangerei review auto24 Rally Estonia review Silk Way Rally, pt 1 review

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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Sandell satisfied following Azores debut in IRC Words: Staff Writer SKODA Sweden’s Patrik Sandell has declared himself satisfied with his run to fifth overall on Sata Rallye Acores despite admitting he expected to finish higher up the leaderboard on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier.

Sandell, who claimed his first stage victory in the IRC on the gravel event, had hoped his greater knowledge of competing on loose-surface stages would have enabled him to challenge for a podium finish on the event. However, a number of factors held him back.

“I wasn’t always trusting the pacenotes in the conditions because I was missing the experience of this event,” said Sandell. “The set-up wasn’t always right, I had a one-minute penalty and I was first on the road on day two so when you look at those things fifth is okay. For sure I would have liked to have been higher up but it’s not easy for a small team like us to be on the same level as the others so soon.” H&H

MINI ALL4 Racing successful on Silk Way Rally Words: Staff Writer 4000km in seven days, from Moscow to Sochi: the Silk Way Rally is a true challenge and a test ahead of the Dakar Rally – one that Stéphane Peterhansel passed in style in his MINI ALL4 Racing.

Alongside the MINI works

commitments in the FIA WRC and recently at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, the appearance of the private “Monster Energy X-raid Team” in the Dakar Rally in January 2012 is one of the most eagerly anticipated MINI outings in international motorsport.

With nine-time Dakar Rally winner Stéphane Peterhansel and his co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret at the controls of the 300 bhp MINI ALL4 Racing, the Monster Energy X-raid Team recently continued its preparations for the toughest rally in the world at the extremely demanding Silk Way Rally in Russia – and emerged with a promising result.

On 9th July, wearing green, the French duo guided its MINI ALL4 Racing over the start podium onto Moscow’s Red Square. One week later they were celebrating second place as they arrived at the Olympic Village in Sochi.

Peterhansel: “The Silk Way Rally offered a good opportunity to continue testing the MINI. The prerequisites were good: the long stages were tiring and we were under a certain pressure.” The diesel intake on Peterhansel’s car may have stuck on stage one, but he consistently worked his way through the field over the remaining stages.

For someone as used to success as old hand Stéphane Peterhansel, the fact that he fell just short of the overall victory did dampen his joy over the runner-up spot a little. However, it was encouraging to know that the result of the race was almost entirely in the hands of the Monster Energy X-raid Team. Despite this, overall victory went to the Polish/Belgian X-raid pairing of Krzysztof Holowczyc and Jean-Marc Fortin.

Team Principal Sven Quandt was happy with the performance of the MINI ALL4 Racing, but also announced his desire to further develop the car for its outing in the Dakar Rally. “We have been able to do a lot of work on the MINI,” said Quandt. “The Silk Way Rally is a good preparation for Dakar, but we

still have some work to do.”

MINI and Dakar fans alike can already start looking forward to the next outing of the Monster Energy X-raid H&H Team’s MINI ALL4 Racing.

Luca Rossetti eyes win in Rally Madeira Words: Staff Writer The European Rally Championship returns on 4 - 6 August with the prestigious Rali Vinho da Madeira, and the reigning European Champion Luca Rossetti will travel to the Portuguese island to defend his leading position in the European ranking.

This is the fourth time that the Italian driver tackles the tarmac roads of this beautiful rally: last year while he was in second place, he a hit against a rock and lost his bid for first place on the event. After the victory on the last month’s Rally of Bulgaria, the Portuguese event will again see the Italian driver at the wheel of the Abarth Grande Punto Super 2000 with his codriver Matteo Chiarcossi.

The opposition is as usual very strong and skilled, and even more numerous due to the presence of the Portuguese drivers starting with Bruno Magalhães and Vítor Sá, both behind the wheel of the Peugeot 207 S2000.

The ceremonial start of the rally is scheduled in Funchal at 16h45 on Thursday 4 August, followed by a Super Special Stage. The race will restart on Friday 5 August with the crews ready to tackle 10 special stages for a total of 148.86km. The Rali Vinho da Madeira will end on Saturday 6 August after a total of 19 special stages and 268.5km against the clock, with the arrival of the first cars planned at 17h10 on Saturday afternoon. H&H

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Service Park

Interviews Features

Profiles Technical

Higgins crowned 2011 Rally America Champion Words: Staff Writer Picture: Subaru Rally Team USA Subaru Rally Team USA driver David Higgins has won the 2011 Rally America National Championship with a second overall finish at the season finale, the New England Forest Rally, last weekend.

In a hotly contested season, Higgins and his co-driver Craig Drew piloted their BFGoodrich Tires-shod 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car to three victories and two second overall finishes in the six-event Rally America National Championship. The 2011 driver’s title is the third for Higgins in the USA having won the SCCA ProRally Championship in 2002 and 2003. Higgins also won the British Rally Championship in 2004.

“It’s amazing and hasn’t really sunk in yet,” explained Higgins at the podium celebration. “The level of competition was really fierce all year, and it was a big challenge for me to come back to the USA after seven years away and adjust to new events, a codriver I had never worked with before as well as new car. But everything meshed really well and our Subaru STI was a joy to drive fast. Driving for Subaru is every rally driver’s dream as the brand is so famous for rallying, so this is something really special for me.” ”Both David and Craig have done a stellar job the entire season

extracting the utmost performance from their STI, supported by the solid car preparation by our team,” noted James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “With the championship comprised of only six rounds against defending titleholders Antoine [L’Estage] and Nathalie [Richard] with their experience on those events makes SRT USA’s successful effort in regaining the championship that much more special. The effort of our team members and supporting sponsors has been exceptional, and the superlative performance of our STI was properly showcased.”

Higgins joined Subaru Rally Team USA at the start of the 2011 season, replacing longtime Subaru team driver Travis Pastrana who had earned the Rally America National Championship from 2006 through 2009. A season-long rivalry quickly ensued between Higgins and Canadian rally ace Antoine L’Estage, the defending Rally America Champion and Canadian Rally Champion. Higgins and L’Estage were at each other’s heels at every rally with the rivalry coming to a dramatic head last month at the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally where Higgins came from behind late in the event to beat L’Estage by a mere 1.3sec.

The victory last month in Pennsylvania earned Higgins enough of a points lead over L’Estage that Higgins only needed to finish fourth or better

at the New England Forest Rally last weekend to secure the driver’s title. A tactical fight ensued in New England with Higgins maintaining a second overall position behind L’Estage while driving just fast enough to keep the chasing pack comfortably behind him.

In addition to three event victories and the driver’s title in the Rally America series, Higgins recently won the re-born Mt. Washington ‘Climb to the Clouds’ Hillclimb. He smashed the course record by over 30sec, driving the same Subaru STI he utilized in the Rally America Championship. Higgins has little time to celebrate, earlier this month he was invited to compete at ESPN Summer X Games 17 in Los Angeles. He will compete in both the Rally Car Racing and RallyCross competitions taking place H&H on 30 and 31 July respectively.

Issue 193 • 26 July 2011 • Page 07

Excitement mounts ahead of Garden Route Rally Words: Staff Writer Picture: Evan Rothman With all the excitement and topclass racing of last weekend’s very successful Volkswagen Rally in the Eastern Cape still fresh in the memory, aficionados of the not so gentle art of special stage rallying on loose gravel roads in stately forests have some six weeks to wait for their next fix.

The Garden Route Rally, Round Six of the eight-event SA Rally Championship, marks the eagerly awaited return of national championship rallying to an area that last reverberated to the sweet sound of well-tuned highperformance racing engines some 16 years ago. The area was last used by the Volkswagen Rally when it started in George and ended in Port Elizabeth.

The elegant new Garden Route Mall, conveniently situated close to George airport and the junction of the N2 highway and Knysna Road, will host rally headquarters on Friday, August 26, and the rally will start there from Entrance 3 at 12h00 after documentation

and scrutineering.

Spectators will have a great opportunity to get up close and personal with the teams on Friday morning as they prepare for the start of what route director Joe Fourie describes as a virgin rally in terms of the special stage roads that are predominantly through forests.

The first day’s action will consist of four brand new gravel special stages covering some 70km, which will set the tone for what can be expected to be another searching test for South Africa’s top rally teams contesting what is turning out to be one of the best rally seasons for some years.

A short opening stage of 5km is situated just 400 metres from the start and adjacent to the Garden Route Mall.

It will take competitors across the N2 and on to three challenging stages in the forest between George and Knysna.

The day ends with a short 1km spectator stage in the popular seaside resort of Knysna, wedged between the Outeniqua Mountain range and the Indian Ocean.

The central service park for the national championship Garden Route

Rally will be situated at the village of Karatara, some 55km from George and 45km from Knysna.

The overnight halt and parc ferme will be at the magnificent 325-hectare Simola Estate, which boats a spectacular panorama view encompassing the full expanse of the Knysna Lagoon, the famous Knysna Heads and the ocean beyond.

The restart on Saturday morning will be at 08h00 at Simola Estate and the first of the day’s five stages, covering some 100 km, will be run after a 10min service stop at Karatara Village, another opportunity for the fans to see the cars and crews up close.

The first two stages will be a repeat of two of the previous day’s stages and will be followed by two more all-new gravel stages before the rally ends with a final spectator stage at Simola Estate at around 15h00 on Saturday. H&H

Parc Ferme

Event Reports Results

Molly Taylor and the WRC Neste Oil Rally Finland Words: Evan Rothman Pictures: Molly Taylor, Jakob Ebrey This is the fastest rally of the season, where drivers’ commitment is tested to the extreme as they drift sideways over the flat-out, treelined and blind crested stages. The WRC Neste Oil Rally Finland is the eighth event of the 2011 World Rally Championship calendar and it also takes in the third round of the WRC Academy.

There is no better-suited driver to discuss rallying and the WRC Rally Finland this week than Molly Taylor, the 23-year-old Australian creating a stir in the WRC Academy and international competition.

Born and bred in Sydney, Molly was inevitably lured into the world of motorsport by her mum Coral (a four-times Australian Rally Champion Co-Driver) and dad Mark’s rally school. Competing at national-level at equestrian eventing, she sold her horse to buy a more powerful rally car. From this moment forward, the young Aussie brought her blend of passion, love and enthusiasm to rallying.

H&H: Driving in the world’s most

prestigious rallies and competing with the world’s best rally drivers and co-drivers must be your dream come true. What are your thoughts and feelings whenever you climb into your rally car?

Molly Talyor (MT): It definitely is a dream come true and a bit surreal at times. I guess the trick though, is not to be thinking about that when you hop into the car! For sure, it’s a massive thing for me to have the opportunity to compete in the World Rally Championship but in the car the driving and focus needs to be the same as it always has been.

H&H: Your path to rallying on the world’s stages started only six years ago. Since then you’ve notched up a string of awards and championship titles, including the British Ladies Rally Champion (twice)…

MT: It’s not really until you look back and think about it like that, that you realize how crazy the whole thing has been and still is. Each year seems like a big jump in the deep-end, and the rate at which I am learning and improving gets steeper and steeper. As long as things keep moving forward like this, I am happy!

H&H: Before turning your attention to rallying, a Google search has revealed you were quite a capable horse rider, competing in nationallevel eventing arenas. You then sold your horse, Banjo, to fund a newer rally car. I don’t think I’ve ever come across another rally driver who’s done that…

MT: Probably not! From a young age I was always really keen on horses and naturally competitive, but soon found out 100 horsepower was better than 1…

Once Molly gained her rally license, she was already recording impressive results. In 2006 she was selected in the Women’s Driver Development Program run by the Confederation of Australian Motorsport (CAMS). Later that year she claimed the 2WD and 2.0-litre Class titles and rounded that up with the 2006 New South Wales (NSW) Rally Champion and the NSW Young Achiever of the Year.

In 2007 Molly made her national rally debut in the Australian Rally Championship, and won Class F16. She then repeated the feat in 2008, and then made the bold decision to relocate to the United Kingdom to

Issue 193 • 26 July 2011 • Page 09

contest the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup (a one-make sub-series of the British Rally Championship) in 2009. Winning three of the six events, Molly was aiming for the series title but a mechanical problem in the final event put paid to that goal.

She was, however, named as the British Ladies Rally Champion.

Taking to the British Rally Championship again in 2010, Molly competed in a Citroën C2 as part of the Citroën Racing Trophy. The Aussie driver finished third in the series and was then selected as one of six fully funded scholarships for the 2011 FIA WRC Academy Cup. H&H: Contesting the WRC Academy as one of six Pirelli Star Drivers, you’ve had a tricky start to the season after two events. Who do you feel about your season so far, and how do you see the remaining four events pan out for you?

MT: The season hasn’t started out as I would have hoped, but in saying that we still have plenty of positives to take away from the first two rounds. I need to be realistic about the level of learning I need to do to be able to reach the level I am targeting, but we are getting closer every rally. For me, my focus is now learning the rallies and improving my speed. At the end of the day, the stage

times need to do the talking.

H&H: In 2008 you struggled to find funding for a season in the Australian Rally Championship despite a successful 2007. Now that you are in a fully funded drive for 2011 in the WRC Academy, are you under more or less pressure to perform?

MT: Funding will always be a struggle! I think there is more pressure competing at this level, but that is all part of the challenge. Although I have the six WRC events confirmed with the Pirelli Star Driver programme, there is still a lot of work finding the budget to take part in extra testing and rallies to make the most out of the Academy opportunity.

H&H: Also competing in the British Rally Championship (BRC) in a Ford Fiesta R2, how is your season looking there?

MT: We have had a tough few events in the BRC with some mechanical issues.

We finished second in the Fiesta Trophy in the Pirelli Rally however, so was happy with that event. The British rallies were only planned for extra testing and practice so the focus now is to get some experience in Europe, which means no more BRC events for this year.

H&H: It’s also a strong field in the R2 Class, with many of the WRC Academy lads coming from the BRC too. How does this prepare you for your WRC Academy?

MT: It’s important to have people to benchmark yourself against, so its great to have a few of the Academy guys competing in the same events. It makes the whole exercise more productive.

H&H: After piloting a Citroën C2, how are you adjusting to the Ford Fiesta R2?

MT: They are both similar in many respects. They both run in the same R2 category, both 1.6-litre with a sequential gearbox, etc. The Fiesta has a longer wheelbase so handles a bit differently, but it’s not hard to adjust; just need to get in and drive it!

The FIA WRC Academy is a specially tailored training program and onemake rally sub-series. It has replaced the Junior World Rally Championship format, and its focus and direction has been streamlined: development of young drivers and providing them with a passage through to the elite levels of the sport. All the drivers compete in Ford Fiesta R2s prepared by M-Sport, and are powered by 1.6-litre engines delivering 170 PS and 182 Nm of torque through a

Issue 193 • 26 July 2011 • Page 10

five-speed Sadev sequential gearbox to its front-wheels.

H&H: In a recent TV interview of you I saw, you said Michele Mouton was your inspiration and rally role model. You are also heavily involved with the Women in Motorsport campaign run by the FIA, chaired

by Michele Mouton. Can you tell us about your interactions with her, has she offered you any insight into the sport you have found invaluable?

MT: Michele is definitely someone I look up to and it is fantastic for me to be able to work with her within the Women in Motor Sport Commission. She is also helping me personally with my rallying.

She has been a great help and very good at seeing the big picture, what is good and what is bad and what I need to change. It’s quite surreal to have someone like her, and also Fabrizia Pons, only a phone call away.

H&H: Malcolm Wilson has singled you out as the “next Michele Mouton.” Has he taken you under his mentorship, and are there any plans for you in the pipeline with M-Sport?

MT: Malcolm has definitely been a supportive boss in terms of understanding the time and traveling required for rallies, and hence the many days I need to take off work! I am

still very much at the beginning of my development and have a lot of work to do before I am in a position to make plans with a manufacturer at this point.

H&H: A lady in a man’s sport. I’m sure you’ve heard that label many times over. How does that make you feel?

MT: Yes, many times! To be honest, I have grown up with my Mum as a role model so never saw myself as any different to the other competitors. We are all doing the same thing and I have always believed if you are dedicated and professional, people will focus on what you are there to achieve.

H&H: Working at M-Sport you obviously have access to the WRC machinery and the WRC drivers…

MT: M-Sport is a fantastic place to work and be able to see how a top team runs from the inside out. However, day-today it is still a job just like any other. For sure there are occasions where I can get involved in shakedowns or similar, but there is still a lot of other, more normal jobs to get done most days.

H&H: What are your memorable rallying moments so far this year?

MT: The start of Portugal was definitely a memorable moment. The buzz and atmosphere was crazy, and also considering it was my first ever stage

of a World Rally round I will always remember that. I have also just come back from the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which was an unbelievable weekend and will be pretty hard to forget.

H&H: Moving not only continents, but from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere for your future rally ambitions, its no secret you are aiming for a WRC seat. What are the steps you need to climb to get there?

MT: There is still a lot of work to do to make it to the top level in the WRC but that is what I am aiming for. Experience of the rallies and competition is what I am working on this year and in the future. A 4WD car is the next step.

Molly’s build-up to Finland with Estonia…

Molly and a number of her WRC Academy compatriots took on the challenges of the auto24 Rally Estonia last weekend in prepation for her assault on the WRC Neste Oil Rally Finland this weekend. Driving on the “best roads ever”, Molly’s overall speed and time was hamstrung by an electrical gremlin that resulted in her car cutting out at the most inopportune moments. She lost over 30min in rally time to her rivals, but on clean stages her times were close to those of her WRC Academy runners, which was her aim for the event.

Issue 193 • 26 July 2011 • Page 11

H&H: There must also be a lot of pressure on your 23-year-old shoulders…

MT: To be honest, I think most of the pressure is what I put on myself. But at the end of the day, I will give it my best shot.

H&H: There is great talent rising up through the ranks in world rallying.

Apart from Molly Taylor, who should we be keeping an eye on?

MT: There are a lot of quick young guys in the Academy and also national championships. I would probably be giving you a biased opinion though if I started naming names.

H&H: What makes a rally driver a rally driver? What characteristics do rally drivers possess that other motorsport competitors don’t?

MT: Good question... I think the ability to be adaptable in changing circumstances is something very important for rallying. There are no two corners the same so it is always about reading the surface, judging the grip and getting the balance right.

H&H: What is your favourite event on the calendar? And why?

MT: I am biased to some events at home in Australia. The rally roads in Coffs Harbour are great and its very

exciting to see the WRC heading there this year.

H&H: How was your first outing with Seb Marshal on the recent Rally of the Midlands?

MT: Really good. It wasn’t a “typical” rally as such as most stages were short, or around a driver training complex, although Seb and I got along really well from the start. Everything seems to be clicking into place very quickly.

H&H: Of all the rally cars you have seen and driven, which one is your favourite and why?

MT: I had the opportunity to drive the Fiesta RS WRC car at a shakedown on an airfield with work and I have to say it was pretty breathtaking and opened my eyes to what a car like that is capable of. I do also have a thing for the Peugeot 205 T16…

H&H: Coming up is Rally Finland. Is it your first appearance there? How do you prepare for an important rally such as this?

MT: Yes, it will be my first time at the rally. It will be something completely new for me, so I am aware I will need to take it step-by-step. I have been working on my pace notes and I think this is really where a lot of the preparation will be most important.

For this rally, WRC Academy crews will tackle 18 speed tests and 278.28km over two days of action. WRC crews will drive on 21 stages to cover 314.39km of stages ina route of 1355.21km.

Jyväskylä’s Paviljonki exhibition centre once again serves as the rally headquarters, but the rally stages have moved to the south of the university town to Lahti on roads not used by the WRC since the 1980s. Day One’s action takes in three stages close to Jyväskylä, including the Laajauori stage around the ski jumping centre. Day Two moves to the west side of Lake Päijänne for a loop of stages there followed by a super special test at the Jokimaa trotting track.

The final’s action heads west once more to tackle stages near Keuruu, Korpilahti and Petäjävesi that were used last year.

For both the WRC Academy and the WRC Class, sticking my neck out to predict winners will be ill-judged: this event is renowned for its surprises, and an allout fight from the Ford Abu Dhabi World Team and the Citroën Total World Rally Team is going to make this an event not to be missed!

H&H

Issue 193 • 26 July 2011 • Page 12

Andreucci claims sixth Italian Rally Championship Words: Staff Writer

Villagra claims yet another win Words: Staff Writer Picture: M-Sport Federico Villaga (Ford) clinched his third success in a row in the Argentine Rally Championship after claiming the win in the Rally de la Yerba Mate, the fifth round of the national series held in Apóstoles.

For most of the drivers this was their first encounter with the red roads of Misiones, since the last time the Northern Province hosted a round was back in 2000. And the experience didn’t turn out to be as pleasant as they thought it would be.

The heavy rains that struck the region during the whole weekend made the roads almost impassable, and the slippery conditions contributed to a great numbers of spins and accidents during the race.

In the case of Villagra, he came up with a faultless and intelligent drive which enabled him to cruise on Saturday to claim a one-minute lead over Gabriel Pozzo (VW) after the first leg of competition.

“It felt like soap on the surface.

You could barely remain standing.

However, we were clever enough to find the right pace to be fast but not furious” stated “Coyote” on the Service Park.

On Sunday the scenery was even worse, up to a point where the organisers were forced to cancel the second run through the first two stages

and left for the end of the rally the Super Special Stage.

But the final chapter of this chaotic story was as dramatic as the previous ones, since Villagra had to run the 3.14-kilometre circuit with a problem in the Fiesta’s engine intake manifold which cost him more than 30 seconds and almost the victory.

This triumph enables Villagra climb to first position in the standings with a 37-point lead over his team-mate Juan Marhcetto, who dismissed this round as the current regulations st ate.

H&H Pozzo now have 95.5 points.

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION 01) F. Villagra/D. Curletto Ford Fiesta S2000 02) G. Pozzo/D. Stillo Volkswagen Gol S2000 03) A. Cancio/S. García Peugeot 207 04) R. Martínez/F. Mussano Volkswagen Gol S2000 05) I. Martin/M. Mercadal Fiat Grande Punto S2000 06) N. Díaz/G. Piazzano Mitsubishi Lancer Evo Gp N 07) F. Bassi/R. Rinaudo Mitsubishi Lancer Evo Gp N 08) O. Kovacevich/J. Kovacevich Mitsubishi Lancer Evo Gp N

Peugeot Italia driver Paolo Andreucci claimed his sixth Italian Rally Championship title with another victory on the all-gravel San Crispino Rally in Italy.

The Italian driver, who is also Pirelli’s test driver, has won all six rounds of the Italian Championship held so far – an unprecedented feat – to take his third consecutive championship with two rounds still left to go.

As well as flawless reliability from his car and excellent team work with his co-driver Anna Andreussi, the 46-year-old said that his Pirelli tyres formed a vital ingredient to his success on every surface.

“We’ve experienced a huge mixture of conditions this year, from slippery asphalt to gravel, extremely hot temperatures to black ice, but despite these challenges, our Pirelli tyres have been absolutely fantastic all season, giving us the grip, traction and safety we needed to perform to the best of our abilities,” said Andreucci.

“I feel that I’m driving better than I have ever done, and the Pirelli tyres give me the confidence to do that,” said Andreucci.

Once again, Andreucci took the lead at the very beginning of the event and held it all the way to the end to win by 43sec over the similar car of Andrea Aghini, claiming seven of the 10 stages.

“That’s actually been the story of the year,” said Andreucci.

“We’ve had perfect reliability with the tyres even on the most demanding surfaces,” continued the Italian ace. “It’s not a coincidence that in the three years we’ve been with Peugeot and Pirelli, we’ve won every time.”

Pirelli also clinched the manufacturers’ title with Peugeot and the Group N title with Mitsubishi on the San Crispino Rally.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery commented: “Paolo has created history with us by not only winning a sixth title – the fifth one that we’ve won together – but also by winning all the events held so far, which is a remarkable achievement.”

Speaking about Paolo Andreucci and his great achievement, Hembry said: “We’ve worked with some drivers who have dominated their respective fields in the past, but at the moment there’s nobody who can touch Paolo in Italy.”

The next round of the Italian Rally Championship is the Rally del Friuli e delle Alpi Orientali from 1 - 3 H&H September.

Issue 193 • 26 July 2011 • Page 13

Atkinson takes Whangerei win Words: Staff Writer Pictures: Euan Cameron Australian Chris Atkinson is the first international driver to win the International Rally of Whangarei, taking victory in the two-day event by 12.4sec from Kiwi star Hayden Paddon while Richard Mason finished third overall.

Having won the Whangarei event three times since its inception in 2007, Paddon was the odds-on favourite to take another victory on the roads around Kaipara and Whangarei, but it wasn’t to be for the popular driver.

After 301.9 muddy kilometres of competition, both outright and Asia Pacific Rally Championship honours went to Atkinson as he secured his third APRC event win this season in the distinctive yellow PROTON Satria Neo S2000.

Adding to a successful weekend for the 30-year-old were maximum APRC points to further extend his lead in the 2011 APRC series with two rounds to go.

While Paddon piloted his CR Properties/Placemakers Subaru Impreza WRX STI to collect maximum points in the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship standings, Mason maintained his lead in New Zealand’s top tier rally competition. At the same, Mason earned APRC team trophy points for the SouEast Motor Kumho Team, which had entered three cars.

Last week Sunday’s eight stages were run in finer conditions than Saturday’s, but recent rain meant roads became increasingly muddy, particularly on the second run through the repeated loop of four stages.

Overnight Atkinson had a 6.2sec advantage over Paddon, with Atkinson’s PROTON teammate Alister McRae starting the day in third. Mason

was fourth after Day One with fellow Kiwi contenders Emma Gilmour and Chris West rounding out the top six overall.

Atkinson clearly had the edge over Paddon on the final day, although the margin was slight. Atkinson won four of the day’s stages from Paddon with the pair recording an identical time on the first run through Batley, just west of Bryderwyn. Paddon won the other three stages and they both secured new stage records as the rally went down to the wire.

Atkinson said: “Obviously to get the overall win as well as the Asia Pacific Rally Championship points is fantastic. It was good fun having a fight with Hayden. Our car was working really well today and I didn’t take any massive risks, but I definitely pushed hard all day. Obviously he’s a fast driver and very quick on these roads and we had to do our very best to hold him behind us.”

Paddon also enjoyed the event: “We’ve been pushing pretty hard this afternoon. The changes we made during the service break today certainly helped.

Chris was doing an excellent job and out-drove us, but all-in-all it’s been a great weekend.”

Driving the SouEast Motor Kumho Team Mitsubishi rather than his usual BNT Subaru STI, Mason acknowledged that Paddon was always going to be hard to beat. “He’s been quick up here [on the Whangarei event] since day dot. Coming here with a new car it was unrealistic to expect to beat him here, so we never really had that on our radar. We knew that we didn’t have to win here to stay leading the New Zealand Rally Championship and we’ve been aiming for a title using our heads and it’s all going to plan as far as that’s concerned. As far as APRC goes, to be first Group N car home is really good for

the SouEast Motor Kumho Team. They have moved from third to second in the APRC Teams’ Championship so that’s a good result for them and to be amongst the S2000 cars for that side of the event has been excellent.”

Former Rally Whangarei winner Chris West, from Christchurch, finished fourth overall and third in the NZRC standings while fellow NZRC top-runner Emma Gilmour came home fifth overall.

McRae’s day didn’t run quite to plan for the former World Rally Championship driver from Great Britain.

“We had a small problem with the engine and backed off to drive it to the finish, so it’s a bit disappointing. But we had to think of the points for the Championship and we’re second APRC so that’s good.”

The APRC heads to Japan at the end of September and concludes in China in November. The NZRC concludes in Hawke’s Bay in August with three drivers – Mason, Paddon and Gilmour – H&H still in contention to win.

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION 01) C. Atkinson/S. Prevot Proton Satria Neo S2000 - 03h 01m 26.9s 02) H. Paddon/J. Kennard Subaru Impreza WRX STI + 12.4s 03) R. Mason/S. Mason Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X + 01m 48.1s 04) C. West/E. Kyle Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX + 02m 47.0s 05) E. Gilmour/B. Atkinson Subaru Impreza WRX STI + 03m 25.2s 06) B. Reeves/R. Smyth Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX + 03m 41.0s 07) A. McRae/B. Hayes Proton Satria Neo S2000 + 03m 55.2s 08) K. Thompson/J. Allen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X + 04m 31.7s 09) G. Inkster/G. Goldring Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX + 09m 27.5s 10) S. Aksa/H. Mboi Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX + 09m 30.7s

Issue 193 • 26 July 2011 • Page 14

Flat-out jumps in Estonia a good Finnish test Words: Liga Stirna Pictures: Krišs Karnītis Rally Estonia is a new event on Europe’s rally map. Well at least in name, as these roads in southern Estonia have been used for many years in national rallies. And, it seems like Rally Estonia has found its international niche as a good preparation round for WRC Neste Oil Rally Finland.

The international auto24 Rally Estonia entry list drew 77 cars, 70 cars in the national field and seven historics, bringing to the total number of cars driving through the stages to more than 150.

At least for this reason - the preparation for the next WRC round - lured all the big names to the Rally Estonia entry list: Mads Ostberg, Kris Meeke, Dennis Kuipers and FIA’s WRC

Academy drivers. Rally fans might grin and say that these drivers would make excuses ahead of the start in case the local drivers were to be faster than them, but let’s be reasonable about this: Rally Finland is the main goal for them and no-one will sacrifice their car and or themselves to fight for the win in this event just before what is most probably the most important rally of the season.

In fact, Rally Estonia’s organisers undertook massive amounts of work to make the entry list as starstudded as it was. It was a shame that the MINI WRC Team withdrew from the event at the very last minute as they had a crash while testing in Sardinia the week before Rally Estonia. But, all other promised drivers were on start podium.

Of course for local fans it was very nice to see the latest WRC cars, but main intrigue was: will Markko Martin win again? This time he had much stronger

and faster rivals than last year...

It was clear from very beginning that his biggest rival would be the young Norwegian Mads Ostberg, the runner-up in WRC Rally Sweden in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Considering that Markko drove with his favourite yet six generations older Ford Focus RS WRC, this fight couldn’t be regarded as equal... But on other hand, it’s Markko Martin; he knows these roads by heart and can set the fastest stage times even without any pace notes!

On the first day of the rally the drivers tackled three stages, one on gravel and two short city super special stages on tarmac. The Day Two start order was to be drawn up using the Day One results, and this saw tactics come into play... Being the fastest over the first two stages, Markko Martin/ Kristo Kraag clearly didn’t want to be first on the road on the second day

Issue 193 • 26 July 2011 • Page 15

and entertained spectators by doing a Panizzi-style doughnut before they finished SS3. The time they lost there was enough to drop them to third place overall, behind rally leader Georg Gross (Ford Focus RS WRC) and Ostberg.

However, Mother Nature visited overnight and left heavy overnight rain that killed the dust and made road positions more equal. Ostberg won all six stages on Day Two and was crowned the winner of the auto24 Rally Estonia 2011. But this win didn’t come easy for the Norwegian, as Martin was pushing really hard and this was evidenced in the fact that the biggest gap between them throughout the rally’s stages was just 5,6sec! At the end of the rally, Ostberg’s dominance was 24sec over Martin.

There were two extra contests in this Rally Estonia: for the biggest (in SS2/3 - the city stage) and the most impressive (in SS4/7 -Alakula) jumps.

The first was won by Georg Gross with 33.5 meters. The special prize for the

longest jump turned out to be Gross’ only prize in this rally as he rolled in very last stage while being in a safe third place overall. This position was claimed

by Junior World Rally Champion Martin Prokop (Ford Fiesta S2000) who added it to his N4 Class winner’s trophy.

The Historic Class was won

by Jari Latvala/Asko Sairanen (Ford Escort RS1800) and the National Class

by Hendrik Kers/Viljo Vider (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V). H&H

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION 01) M. Østberg/J. Andersson Ford Fiesta WRC 2011 - 01h 15m 19.9s 02) M. Märtin/ K. Kraag Ford Focus WRC 2003 + 24.0s 03) M. Prokop/M. Ernst Ford Fiesta S2000 + 03m 37.4s 04) K. Kruuda/M. Järveoja Ford Fiesta S2000 + 04m 05.5s 05) S. Pärn/K. Järveoja Subaru Impreza WRX STI + 04m 19.5s 06) K. Koitla/A. Ots Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX + 04m 22.6s 07) R. Jeets/E. Lepikson Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX + 04m 22.8s 08) D. Kuipers/F. Miclotte Ford Fiesta S2000 + 04m 53.1s 09) J. Vorobjovs/G. Zicāns Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X + 04m 53.4s 10) D. Butvilas/R. Vaitkevičius Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X + 05m 19.3s

Issue 193 • 26 July 2011 • Page 16

Silk Way Rally, pt 1: Navigation and reliability Words: Staff Writer Pictures: Eva Kovkova Running as part of the Dakar Series, the Silk Way, now in its third edition, ran from 10 - 16 July. A test for the Dakar Rally Argentina-Chile, the Silk Way Rally is in its own right one of the world’s most punishing and chalenging motorsport events.

Staged from Moscow to Sochi, this seven-leg adventure was captured

by Handbrakes & Hairpins’ talented photojournalist Eva Kovkova.

Stage One: Much to his dismay, Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel, the first driver to set off on Stage One’s 260.23km-long special stage, was the source of much excitement on this stage. After having to stop after 43km due to electronic problems with his MINI All4, the ninetime Dakar champion found himself already facing a two hour deficit to the leaders in the overall classification.

This, however, was a godsend for his main challengers, particularly two-time Russian Rally Champion Alexander Zheludov. Team Prodrive’s Russian driver and his Nissan Frontier took advantage of Peterhansel’s woes and also his 17th place starting position on the road that made it easier to

navigate through high grass and allowed him to race on a somewhat less slippery surface. He managed to win the first special stage of the 2011 Silk Way Rally and take the initial lead of the race with a 03min 13sec margin over Polish ace Krzysztof Hołowczyc. X-Raid’s new driver, who found himself the first car on the trail from the 43km marker onwards had to deal with overheating issues as a result of the high grass obstructing the air intakes of his BMW X3’s engine. Despite this, the Polish driver managed to withstand the onslaught from Ukrainian Bogdan Novitsky (Proto G-Force), who finished third overall, 04m 57sec behind the stage winner.

Overall, the top eight places in the general classification were snapped up by eight East European drivers.

In the truck category, the defending champion Kamaz drivers and crew had a perfect start to the 2011 Silk Way. Russian Eduard Nikolaev took his first special stage win with a margin of 01min 46sec over his teammate and fellow Russian Firdaus Kabirov, and enjouyed a gap of 09min 11sec over Artur Ardavichus to allow the Kamaz crews to hog the top three category positions.

The biggest losers of the day was Team De Rooy’s Hans Stacey. The 2007 Dakar Champion fell prey to a

fire in his truck’s left rear wheel, which caused him to lose over 50min to the race leaders. This is just over 08min more than the other big losers of the day was German Franz Echter (MAN).

Stage Two: How quickly things have changed for Stephane Peterhansel and his MINI All4! After losing 02h 24min to the race leaders during the first stage due to diesel supply problems (which the X-Raid mechanics were unable to detect until very early on Day Two’s morning, leading to the crew clocking in late), the Frenchman was on fire on Stage Two as he surged towards his first stage win in the Silk Way Rally.

As the eighth driver to tackle the day’s 484km timed section, Peterhansel was forced to overtake all his rivals on the trail before he was able to unleash the full power of his car. This earned him the best stage time, 14min 09sec ahead of his teammate Krzysztof Hołowczyc, who now has a margin of 2h 07min 31sec on him in the general classification.

The Pole took the lead in great part thanks to the problems suffered by Alexander Zheludov (Nissan Frontier), who lost over 50min repairing his car on Stage Two and trail the leader by 59min 31sec in the general classification.

Issue 193 • 26 July 2011 • Page 17

The surprise of the stage came from Christian Lavieille (Nissan Hardbody), who posted the third best time for the stage with his twowheel drive buggy made by Dessoude, exactly 50min behind the winner. The former multiple champion of the Bol d’Or rally was at the end of this stage 53min 53sec behind Hołowczyc in the general classification, where he stands second just ahead of Russian Alexander Mironenko (BMW X3).

The stage was also marked by the bad luck of Russian Boris Gadasin (Proto G-Force), who lit the fireworks in the 2010 edition. He had no choice but to return to the bivouac by road due to technical issues.

Russian competitors have had their share of bad luck on their way to Volgograd. In the truck category, this special stage saw the withdrawal of leader Eduard Nikolaev who was knocked out of the race by mechanical problems.

Fellow Russian Firdaus Kabirov inherited the lead. After winning the day’s special stage at the end of an awesome struggle with Dutchman Hans Stacey (Iveco), who was desperately trying to claw back some time after Stage One’s massive losses, the two-time Dakar Rally Champion ended Stage Two with a 35min 10sec lead over his teammate Andrey Karginov and 43min 25sec over Czech Aleš Loprais.

Stage Three: Peterhansel’s bad luck continued when he lost about 07min for failing to look at his rear-view mirrors. The nine-time Dakar Rally Champion was opening the trail on Stage Three and got stuck in the sand 244km into the stage. No big deal, he just needed to reverse and get back underway with a minimal time loss... But while he was hurriedly reversing, the man in the MINI failed to notice a large tuft of camel grass upon which the Mini climbed and caused its front and rear wheels to lose contact with the ground.

The crew had no choice but to get out of the vehicle, deploy the sand ladders and work hard for a while before the car was ready to get going again.

His teammate Hołowczyc (BMW X3) took perfect advantage of this godsend. After setting off on the day’s 432km long stage right after the Frenchman, the Pole saw Peterhansel having a hard time and was able to avoid falling in the same trap. This netted him his first stage win in this race and represented a leap forward towards winning the general classification, which he claimed the lead of with 01h 27min 42sec over the second-placed driver Alexander Mironenko (BMW X3). The third driver in the general classification, Alexander Zheludov (Nissan Frontier), finished the day 02h 05min 24sec back, just 06min ahead of Peterhansel.

Christian Lavieille (Nissan

Hardbody)made a series of small navigational errors that cost him not only his third place overall but also over 01h 25min during the day’s stage.

On the other hand, the day was a good day for Ronan Chabot (SMG) finished first in the 2WD category, 37min 21sec back from the winner; and Stéphane Henrard (Volkswagen Race Touareg) finished just after him, 44min 25sec back from Hołowczyc.

In the truck category, Ilgizar Mardeev’s son Ayrat (Kamaz) was the surprise of this stage. He took his first stage win in international competition, beating his teammate, mentor and fellow Russian Firdaus Kabirov (Kamaz). The third best time in the stage was posted

by Dutchman Hans Stacey (Iveco), 10min 28sec back. Aleš Loprais (Tatra) had the most disappointing performance of the third stage: after leading it with a margin of over 07min at CP2, the Czech made a big navigational mistake towards the end of the stage and ended up losing 25min (and finished the day 01h 02min 37sec off the leader). Of course the 2009 champion still leads the general classification, but his margin has now increased to 41min 31sec over his teammate Andrey Karginov (Kamaz), and 58min 59sec over Stacey (Iveco).

Next week’s issue of Handbrakes & Hairpins will feature the second half of this tough event. H&H