H&H-103

s e k a r b d Han s n i p r i a H & he world your insight into t

2009 Issue 103 October

of rallying

Cover

Interview with Matthew Wilson

inside this week:

Events

Pastrana wins season finale

Features

Latest kit for 2010 season

Contents / Issue 103 Welcome to H&H! News • • • • • •

Rossi to enter WRC Rally Mexico in ‘10 Who won the “Beef” trophy?

New WRC Sporting Regulations out New era for Toyota Motorsport M-Sport tests new Fiesta S2000 in UK FSTi in final round for 2009

Welcome to issue 103 of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, your FREE weekly insight into the world of rallying!

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

Yours in Rallying, Evan Rothman

Features • • • •

Essentials: Stuff Taking no prisoners Ground-breaking live coverage!

Rally America launches Rally Cross!

Event Reports • Lake Superior Performance Rally • Toyota Dealer Rally Gauteng • WRC Rally Great Britain

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Com plete range of N ew ton F uel caps available

To place your order contact us on the following numberTelephone +27 11 6708400 E-mail – info@ats-motorsport.co.za Website : ats-motorsport.co.za

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The world’s latest rally news SEND YOUR TEAM’S NEWS, PRESS RELEASES OR UPDATES TO EVAN.HHMAG@GMAIL.COM!

Valentino Rossi plans assault on WRC Rally Mexico in Ford Focus in 2010 MotoGP superstar Valentino Rossi is planning to contest next season’s Rally of Mexico, which returns to the World Rally Championship calendar for 2010, in a Ford Focus WRC, according to Eurosport.

“It is the last chance to race in WRC before new rules in 2011.

I can’t let the opportunity escape me,” said Rossi in Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

The 30-year-old Italian has previously contested three WRC rounds in Britain and New Zealand and is considering a permanent switch to four wheels at some point in the future.

- Credit: RallyBuzz.com

Michael Park “Beef” Trophy awarded this week to star co-driver The Michael Park ‘Beef’ Trophy is awarded annually in memory of Michael Park, who died in a tragic accident during Wales Rally GB in 2005 while co-driving for his long-term partner Markko Martin.

Michael is much missed by the entire World Rally Championship (WRC) community. To perpetuate his memory a group of friends and colleagues - inspired by Vincent Laverne - commissioned the trophy. The bronze bust was created by French artist François Chevalier and has been donated to his wife, Marie, and children, William and Victoria.

Each season a smaller replica trophy is awarded to a WRC co-driver who has best demonstrated the overall qualities associated with Michael during his career, taking into account overall performances, attitude, commitment and other specific actions or achievements.

The decision is made by a jury selected from the WRC community. In 2006 the inaugural trophy was presented to Daniel Elena from Monaco, in 2007 the trophy was awarded to Finland’s Timo Rautiainen and in 2008 to Denis Giraudet of France.

Jarmo Lehtinen (Finland) This year the award goes to Jarmo Lehtinen, who was chosen as the fourth winner of the Michael Park ‘Beef’ Trophy at a presenation before this weekends RallyGB. Lehtinen achievements in rallying include the following: Four WRC victories during the 2009 season and 11 during his WRC career, which started with the Rally of Finland in 1997.

Consistent and competitive all season with 10 podiums, four wins, four second places and two third places. Has competed in over 100 world rallies and has partnered Mikko Hirvonen since 2002.

Jarmo and Mikko have led the 2009 World Championship since winning in Poland in June and start the Rally of Great Britain leading the championship and fighting to become world champions.

A highly professional and charismatic co-driver who is universally popular in the WRC community and was greatly respected and admired by Michael Park as someone who continually demonstrated the true spirit of rallying. Jarmo and Mikko were team-mates in the Ford team with Michael and Markko Märtin in 2003.

The trophy was presented to Jarmo at BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s Happy Hour media reception on Wednesday 21st October in the service park in Cardiff by Paul Turner (Michael’s and Markko’s manager).

New WRC Sporting Regulations released this week for 2010 Following the meeting of the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) on Wednesday 21st October the following WRC Sporting Regulations decisions were confirmed for 2010.

There shall be no minimum or maximum individual special stage distance. However, there shall be a maximum of 80 kilometres of special stages between service halts. The special stage distance of a World Rally Championship event has been revised to become between 300 kilometres and 500 kilometres.

Throughout the rally there shall be one main service park.

For 2009 the jury comprised: Paul Turner Robert Reid Simon Long Vincent Laverne

Organisers may however submit to the FIA promotional justification to support relocation during the rally.

All competing cars, including existing WRC cars, are eligible for the FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers.

Registered Manufacturers must enter two WRC cars in all rounds and use 2009 homologated cars.

They had to choose between five nominated co-drivers: Phil Mills (Great Britain) Julien Ingrassia (France) Marc Marti (Spain) Jan Tomanek (Czech Republic)

WRC Teams (formerly Manufacturer Teams) must participate in at least eight nominated rounds, including one outside the European Economic Area and Turkey, with one or two cars of any eligible class. They may enter one or two cars

THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF RALLYING Featuring European rally championships, British rally championships, Rally America events, international rally results and videos, as well as S2000 and WRC news.

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homologated prior to 2009.

Promotional activities may be scheduled during reconnaissance and events may also specify PR activities involving mandatory driver or team participation. Crews will also be required to attend autograph sessions at the mid-day service.

Organisers will be encouraged to arrange scrutineering as entertainment for the public and a visual opportunity for the media.

“Sebastien is a great champion and it would be a shame to risk his image. The two disciplines are so different,” he added.

- Credit: GMM and RallyBuzz.com

Ari Vatanen withdraws legal action he initiated against the FIA Ari Vatanen on Tuesday agreed to end legal action against the FIA.

The service park can be redesigned to permit access from the rear of each team’s service area. This will allow spectators to be closer to the action.

The presidential candidate last Friday petitioned Paris’ Tribunal de Grande Instance to “impose a number of measures” ahead of this Friday’s FIA elections.

Subject to satisfactory levels of safety, night stages are permitted but must not form the whole itinerary of the day.

Shakedown may take place on part of a stage of the rally.

The maximum lateness between two time controls has been extended from 15 to 30 minutes. However the lateness for the day remains at 30 minutes.

The 57-year-old had questioned the trustworthiness of the apparently democratic process, but the FIA protested that its own procedures “already provide more safeguards than those he is asking the court to impose”.

Cars that are certified by ASNs, and which are based on those eligible to enter the WRC, shall be permitted and identified in a National classification. Entries for all World Championship rallies will close four weeks prior to the start of the event.

It was agreed to defer the introduction of the following amendments to the regulations: The possibility of the Manufacturers’ Championship becoming a Teams’ Championship is deemed more appropriate for 2011, when the new World Rally Car technical regulations are introduced.

Vatanen, as well as his opponent Jean Todt, met with the incumbent Max Mosley on Tuesday, and “Ari Vatanen has withdrawn his court application”, the FIA said afterwards in a media statement.

“Both candidates endorsed the fairness of the FIA’s proposed voting procedure,” the governing body added.

- Credit: GMM and RallyBuzz.com

New era for Toyota Motorsport in South Africa from 2010 onwards

Further debate is required on the merit of changing Shakedown to a promotional and media opportunity, and the possibility of it becoming a start order for the top crews.

The motor sport operation of Toyota SA will enter an exciting new era from next year following an extensive restructuring of the current Toyota Motorsport team.

The option of two tyre compounds remains under discussion with the single tyre supplier.

From 1 January 2010 the technical, operational and business side of Toyota Motorsport will not reside with Toyota SA Motors any more, but will be outsourced to a company specialising in the development, preparation and running of competition vehicles.

The principle of pump fuel use in the long term has been accepted by teams and the WRC Commission.

A podium at the end of each day is pending the resolution of a Bonus Points system.

A further study is required for the Drivers’ World Ranking to be compatible with the current Championship points listing.

- Credit: fia.com

Loeb will not participate in Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix nesxt weekend Sebastian Loeb will definitely not be on the Abu Dhabi grid next weekend.

The multiple world rally champion has been musing for some the possibility of a one-off debut with Toro Rosso.

But a spokesman for his rally team Citroen on Tuesday was carrying the message that Frenchman Loeb, 35, does not have the necessary super license.

“Seb had requested that he have the answer (about the license) today,” said Citroen Racing’s Marie-Pierre Rossi.

The news was met with scepticism in the French press, however, with some suspecting Loeb simply was not offered a seat, or elected not to take the risk of pitting himself against the world’s best single seater drivers.

This new company will be headed up by Glyn Hall, former motorsport manager of Nissan SA. Hall, through his company Hallspeed, has established himself as a major player within the South African motor sport industry, with an enviable record of success not only in local motor sport, but also internationally, notably in the world famous Dakar Rally.

Hall has been a key contributor in the development of many championship winning vehicles and has enjoyed success in rallying, circuit racing and off road racing.

Toyota SA has a long history and proud record of achievements in South African motor sport. Since 1966 the company has participated in virtually every local category of motor sport.

It has become the most successful team in the country, boasting more than 50 national and class championship victories in circuit racing, more than eight national off road championship titles and 17 Manufacturers championships in the SA National Rally Championship.

“Motor sport has over a period of more than four decades always formed an integral part of the marketing strategy of Toyota South Africa,” says Andrew Kirby, Senior Vice President: Sales and Marketing.

Four time F1 world champion and fellow Frenchman Alain Prost backed Loeb’s decision.

“The restructuring of our motor sport operation does not alter this in any way but actually enhances it,” says Mr. Kirby.

“It will improve efficiencies within the team and create new opportunities. It will also give it the flexibility of operation that is not always possible within a rigid corporate environment.”

“Motor sports fans were very curious to see what Sebastien might be able to do in Abu Dhabi,” Prost told Europe 1 radio, “but, really, sense prevails.

Mr. Kirby emphasized that strong privateer support has always been one of the strengths of Toyota’s motor sport efforts and that this will continue under the new dispensation.

“We welcome Glyn to Toyota Motorsport. His illustrious record of motor sport achievements speaks for itself and we are convinced that he will lead the team to even greater heights,” says Mr. Kirby.

“We look forward to an exciting new era for Toyota Motorsport and an interesting season next year.”

HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein delivers strong message to motorsport In a crucial week for the future of motoring, HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, President of the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) and Chairman of Jordan Motorsport, has delivered a clear message at a key sporting conference that sport can help to unify the world’s divided communities.

Speaking as a panel guest at the Global Sports Industry Congress in London ahead of flying to Paris for Friday’s FIA Presidential elections, HRH Prince Feisal said that sport can “unite people from across the divides”.

HRH Prince Feisal is running as a Vice President Sport (Middle East) in support of Ari Vatanen’s Presidential bid and has been vocal in calling for unity and fair representation across the motoring world.

Underlining his growing credibility across the sporting spectrum, he made his second high-profile appearance this month following a well-received speech delivered at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Congress in Copenhagen to reiterate his vision and belief of the more important role that sport should play.

“In many parts of the world, communities are divided within themselves and from each other,” he said. “In good times and bad, sport is the glue which binds communities together. Sport provides a sense of identity and of social cohesion.

“As founder and Chairman of the global initiative Generations for Peace, I believe passionately in the power of sport to unite people, to create a common sense of purpose values. To create community where none existed previously and to recreate community when old values have been under threat.

“Our objective at Generations For Peace is to harness the power of sport in some of the world’s most disadvantaged and divided communities. We aim to empower youth from conflicted communities and use the power of sport to unite children and youth from across divides.

and other key market players for a broad discussion on the ‘business of sport’. Among those joining HRH Prince Feisal on the inspiring guest list are Sir Craig Reedie, Member, IOC; Member of the Board, London 2012 Organising Committee; Peter Kenyon, CEO, Chelsea Football Club, and Eduardo Paes, the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro which was last week confirmed as the host city for the 2016 Olympics.

HRH Prince Feisal will travel on to Paris in support of former World Rally Champion Vatanen, who is running against Jean Todt in Friday’s ballot to elect the most powerful position in motoring.

- Credit: RallyBuzz.com

M-Sport’s new Ford Fiesta S2000 completed first tests in the UK M-Sport’s new Ford Fiesta S2000 has successfully completed its first phase of preliminary asphalt and gravel tests in the UK. After undergoing initial systems checks on Tarmac close to M-Sport’s Cumbrian base with Matthew and Malcolm Wilson sharing the driving duties, the car has covered over 1200kms on gravel in Greystoke Forest with Matthew Wilson behind the wheel.

Continuing the close relationship between M-Sport and Ford’s product development teams, the Fiesta S2000 will be taken to Ford’s proving ground at Lommel, Belgium at the end of the month where it will undergo kinomatic and compliance testing at the company’s state of the art facility.

This technology, also used to test Ford’s road cars, will be used to assess the stiffness of the suspension and the centre of gravity of the Fiesta S2000.

Since the announcement that M-Sport would be building an S2000 car in April this year, the team of designers and engineers have stuck to a tight schedule allowing the development team to have two cars simultaneously undergoing testing.

Following the testing in Lommel the test programme moves to Spain where the cars will undergo thorough trials on both gravel and tarmac.

The Fiesta S2000 is due for homologation in January 2010 and will be aimed at competitors in the WRC World Cup, IRC and national rally championships around the globe.

“In that way we can play a role in achieving sustainable peace and social cohesion and to enhance the lives of today’s youngsters and those of future generations. And we do so by enabling members of those communities to learn a range of teaching, coaching and technical skills which will allow them to teach others the lessons of leadership, respect and tolerance, empowerment, teamwork and responsibility.”

M-Sport Technical Director Christian Loriaux said: “I am very happy with the way that the first phase of testing has gone. We got the initial shakedown and debugging done to schedule and we have been able to put over 1200kms on the car during four days of gravel testing. To be able to do 300kms per day is very good with a brand new car and a testament to the hard work that the designers and engineers have put in. It is very encouraging that we have already done all this mileage without any major problems. I am looking forward to the next phase of testing continuing in the same vein.”

The Global Sports Industry Congress brings together sports administrators, executives, investors, contractors, suppliers

Driver Matthew Wilson said: “Testing has gone really well so far with minimal problems, and

each time I get in the car it is just getting better and better.

The general feeling is that, for a car that’s come straight out of the box, it is absolutely awesome. I think that is has massive potential and it has been fantastic to drive so far.”

- Credit: M-Sport

Ken Block plays down rumours of WRC drive for 2010 n an interview (which you can view here: http://www. rallybuzz.com/block-says-ford-wrc-drive-rumours/) during the first leg of the 2009 Lake Superior Rally, Subaru Rally Team Driver Ken Block has played down speculation linking him to a three-year deal with Ford and his sponsor Monster Energy Drink in the WRC from next season.

Block states that he looks forward to being with Subaru again next year and that he is hopeful of renewing his contract with them, but did also say that he was exploring options with his sponsors who would like to see him do a bit more around the world.

- Credit: Video uploaded by RallyAmerica; RallyBuzz.com

Final round of nail-biting Fiesta SportTrophy International in Wales The Fiesta SportTrophy International reaches its thrilling climax at the final round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Rally GB, this weekend with two drivers battling for supremacy in the hotly contested one-make series. Germany’s Patrick Anglade and Irishman Craig Breen enter into the sixth and final round of the competition locked in a gripping battle for the overall title.

Anglade currently leads the championship after victories at Rally d’Italia Sardegna and Rally Poland, but Breen, who kicked off the season with a win at Vodafone Rally de Portugal, has fought back in the second half of the season, taking to the top step of the podium at Neste Oil Rally Finland.

Overall victory in FSTi would complete a hat trick of FST victories this season for the County Kilkenny teenager and co-driver Gareth Roberts (22), adding the FSTi title to the FST Ireland and Kick Energy FST UK titles already under his belt. However, Anglade currently tops the FSTi table with 143 points, 34 points ahead of Breen, having completed two more rallies than the Irishman.

The FSTi scoring system allows all drivers to drop their worst two scores at the end of the year, with only their four best scores counting towards the title, meaning that, in reality, the gap between the two rivals in much smaller. With one point earned for each stage win on top of the points for overall position, there are a maximum of 46 points on offer to either driver. Breen however, must finish in order to take the championship.

Adding an extra element of interest to an already fascinating battle is the fact that Breen will be behind the wheel of the new Fiesta R2 while Anglade and co-driver Peter Loth will be in the familiar Fiesta ST that the German has driven all season.

With the R2 expected to be around 1.5sec/km faster on the Welsh gravel than the Fiesta ST, Breen could hold the trump card. But Anglade has relatively more experience in the ST and will hope his tactic of putting his faith in the tried and tested car will pay dividends.

While Anglade and Breen are the only two drivers competing for the overall title, they will be ably supported in what is sure to be an exciting rally by six entrants looking to stamp their mark on the competition before the end of the season.

Ahmed Al Mansoori is battling for third place with his Team Abu Dhabi team-mates Majed Al Shamsi and Bader Al Jabri.

Meanwhile, Castrol Team Türkiye drivers Emre Yurdakul and Burcu Çetinkaya will be aiming to get the best out of their new Fiesta R2s after gaining valuable experience in Spain. Finn Atte Alanen completes the field returning to the FSTi for the first time this season.

As in previous years, the series winner plus one ‘wildcard’ will be put forward to the FST International Shootout to compete against drivers from other FST championships around the world in order to win a year’s residential contract to work at M-Sport.

FSTi leader Patrick Anglade said: “In Spain we saw that the Fiesta R2 is much faster than the Fiesta ST. Nevertheless, we were able to keep some of them behind us. This was not a bad start at all, but the stages in Wales are quite difficult and we have to give our best. At Rally GB especially, a mistake can occur quickly; we want to use the chances we are given. Even if the ST is not as fast as the R2, we still want to fight. In contrast to Craig [Breen], two of our results have to be dropped since we had taken part in all six FSTi legs, so at least we have a ‘cushion’ of points - Craig definitely has to finish the rally or he will not have enough results to win the championship.”

Another FSTi crew to watch is: Burcu Çetinkaya (TUR) had a crash in Spain that put her out of the rally early on, so the female crew will be aiming to find their form again in Wales to end the season on a high note.

- Credit: M-Sport

Featnsuigrhteinsto the world of rallying your i

ESSENTIALS: STUFF Stuff you never knew you needed

LOUD AND CLEAR PELTOR INTRCOM AMPLIFIER This is Peltor’s top-of-the-line intercom for the best possible communication. It has been designed to resist interference from other electric signals in your rally car.

Other key features are that it is easy to manoeuvre through touch controls, boasts easy-to-read LEDs that provide information about settings.

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STILO EMERGENCY KIT STILO WRC HEADSET The WRC headset from Stilo offers excellent noise protection while on road sections as well as maximum comfort. Ease of use is one of its key features: simply connect them to a Stilo WRC or Stilo ST30 intercom for driver and co-driver communication. A flexible metal microphone boom guarantees that the microphone is never far away from your mouth.

Available at: ATS-MOTORSPORT.CO.ZA

Stilo has an Emergency Kit available. This little product is a genuine must-have. Reviewers of this product have all stated that this is like having an emergency helmet in the co-driver’s bag.

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WRC INTERVIEW: MATTHEW WILSON ICON OF THE SPORT

TAKING NO PRISONERS!

It isn’t everyday that one has the opportunity to interview a World Rally Championship driver... When an e-mail popped into my inbox offering me just such an opportunity, I immediately responded: Matthew Wilson, he of Stobart VK M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, was to be interviewed EXCLUSIVELY by Handbrakes & Hairpins ahead of his assault on his ‘home’ rally in WRC Rally GB this weekend. Interview by EVAN ROTHMAN; Images

by Stobart Motorsport.

H&H: Driving in the world’s most prestigious rallies and competing with the world’s best rally drivers and codrivers must be your dream come true. What are your thoughts and feelings whenever you climb into your rally car?

MW: Rallying is all I have really wanted to do since the age of about seven or eight, so to be doing what I dreamed of when I was a kid is fantastic. It’s always exciting getting into the car at a rally and to be competing against the world’s best drivers is amazing.

H&H: With over 50 WRC starts to your name, do you still get nervous before the start of a stage?

MW: I don’t get nervous before every stage, but if you didn’t get butterflies before the start of a rally then there’s something wrong. I still get that nervous feeling before the first stage of every event I do however well I know the event or however long I have been out of the car for.

H&H: 2009 has been your best season in the WRC to date. With small, but concrete, improvements each year, what do you think it will take for you to eventually reach the podium and to then win a WRC event?

MW: It was always part of the plan to start slowly and build up my experience in my first two years competing in the WRC. During 2008 and 2009 I have gradually upped the pace and 2009 has been our best year so far. The aim now is to carry that momentum into next year, improve again and really start to fight for podiums. That would be the natural progression for us. I think the biggest element of being successful in the WRC is having the experience, so it has been really important for me to gain that.

Matthew Wilson is the Great Britain’s top-rated professional

rally driver in 2009. With fellow Briton Kris Meeke winning the prestigious Intercontinental Rally Challenge series earlier this month, the united Kingdom can be mightily pleased with their two sons’ rally efforts this season. Matthew has tackled a full season of the WRC, and has been competing in the WRC since 2004 at the age of 17 years. Still five years younger than the youngest WRC Drivers’ Champion (Sebastien Loeb at 27 years of age), Matthew is well onto his way to conquering all in the world of rallying.

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

MW: Portugal was really the best and the worst moment all rolled into one. We were setting great times and were on for a brilliant result and for it to end how it did, crashing out on the very last stage, was obviously incredibly disappointing. In terms of pace that’s been one of our best. Norway stands out because we had no testing on the ice before the rally and still set some really good times. I also really enjoyed Australia. We didn’t have the best start there, but we battled back and set some really good times during the second half of the rally.

H&H: One rally remaining this season, and it’s on your home turf. What is your aim for Rally GB? MW: The aim is simple really, it is to go as fast as we can - flat out from the word go - and obviously to finish as high as we can. It’s going to be a really tough, competitive event because everyone in the top eight has something to aim for. Obviously Mikko and Sebastien are battling for the title. Dani and JariMatti have nothing to lose. Petter wants to win and make his mark in his new car. And then me, Henning and Sebastien Ogier are all battling for positions in the championship. There’s a lot to play for.

H&H: As the top professional British rally driver in the WRC, the pressures and expectations on you must be enormous…

MW: I think that the pressure and expectation was worse when I first started in the WRC. Colin McRae and Richard Burns had finished rallying and in Britain we had gone from having two drivers fighting for the WRC title to having none. There was a lot of pressure for me to come in and fill that gap straight away which wasn’t realistic. But then I think people realised what we were trying to do, building the experience and learning gradually and the expectation lessened.

With an estimated one million spectators lining the forest stages in Wales in 2008, that number is sure to increase considerably thanks to the WRC Drivers’ Championship fight going down to this final event... And with Britons out in force to cheer on their favourites, many will be donning the colours and bearing flags of Matthew and his Stabt VK M-Sport Ford World Rally Team.

H&H: Whom do you respect in rallying and in the WRC? MW: You can’t help but respect Sebastien Loeb. He’s the most successful rally driver ever and I’m competing against him which really makes me raise my game. I have a lot of respect for Mikko Hirvonen as well. To see the improvements that he has made over the past couple of years and the point that

he has got himself to now where he is challenging for the championship demands respect. But there are a huge number of people involved behind the scenes who I respect a lot. I think that one of the great things about rallying is that there is a lot of mutual respect between the drivers and other people involved with the teams.

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

Who do you think will be the next star rallying fans and competitors should look out for?

MW: I think the person that stands out currently is Sebastien Ogier. He has improved so much this season and we have had some fantastic battles with him. He is obviously very strong on Tarmac and outpaced us in Spain so we’ll be aiming to get back on terms with him in Wales.

In terms of British rallying, it is hard to see where the next star is going to come from. There are a few schemes in place like the Pirelli Star Driver shoot-out so hopefully those will help bring on the talent that is out there.

Matthew’s first rally was as a co-driver for his famous father, Malcolm, in 2003, in which they sailed to an overall victory. His first WRC event was the WRC Rally GB in 2004, and Matthew then went on to be crowned the youngest ever winner of a British Rally Championship even in 2005, won the Rally of Ireland later that year, joined the MSA British Rally Elite training scheme for young British drivers in 2005, competed in Rally GB in 2005 (finished 15th overall), signed for the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford World Rally Team to contest the 16-round WRC season in 2006, and finished 11th overall in the WRC Drivers’ Standings in 2007, and finished 10th overall in 2008.

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

MW: I think that the main attribute you have to have is adaptability. We’re not driving around circuits all day and switching constantly between snow and ice and gravel or Tarmac is really challenging. Then you add in outside elements like the weather where you deal with extreme heat in Greece for example and freezing temperatures in Norway or Sweden and you have to be really flexible to deal with that.

H&H: You have a great driving style. What tips can you offer young rallying drivers in terms of setting quick and consistent stage times?

MW: First of all I think you have to have the natural talent there in the first place. You can’t just jump in a car and learn to go fast. But the thing that I would recommend to all young drivers is to take any chance you can get to sit in the car with other drivers. I’ve done that with Mikko Hirvonen, Jari-Matti Latvala, Marcus Gronholm amongst others and you always learn something from it.

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

And why?

MW: It has to be New Zealand. It’s a shame that we weren’t there this year but I’m looking forward to going back next year.

I love the nature of the stages there and think it’s a fantastic event. And of course it’s always great to finish the season off with my home event.

That’s a real high point of the season for me.

Driving a 2008-spec Ford Focus RS WRC, Matthew has in excess of 300bhp and 550Nm of torque available at 6 000rpm at his right foot. The 1 998cc Duratec WRC engine has four cylinders, 16 valves, boasts a Pi electronic engine management system, a Garrett turbocharger (with the FIA required 34mm inlet restrictor), an air intercooler and a catalytic converter.

Laying that power to the surface is the job of the permanent four-wheel drive system featuring M-Sport’s own designed active centre differential. Once again, Pi electronics abound to control the differential units, while an M-Sport/Recaro fivespeed sequential gearbox with electro-hydraulically controlled shifting is incorporated. It also features an M-Sport/Sachs multi-disc carbon clutch.

The front and rear suspension system consists of MacPherson struts (front) and a Trailing-Arm (at the rear) with Reiger external reservoir dampers that are adjustable for bump and rebound. It also houses fully-adjustable fabricated steel links, and front and rear anti-roll bars. Interestingly, the wheel bearings are ceramic.

The highly important brake system is set-up in the following manner: Gravel (front and rear): 300mm Brembo ventilated discs with Brembo four piston monoblock calipers.

Asphalt (front and rear): 370mm Brembo ventilated discs with Brembo eight-piston monoblock calipers.

An hydraulic handbrake, with adjustable front/rear bias, provides that added driving feature.

The Ford Focus RS WRC08 has a length of 4 362mm, a width of 1 800mm and a wheelbase measuring 2 640mm. A weight of 1 230kg (minimum) allows this car to be nimble through corners and accelerate faster than many supercars!

H&H: The glory days of the current WRC cars are numbered. From 2010, they will be running S2000+ rally cars. What are your views on this?

MW: Anything that attracts manufacturers back to the WRC is good as far as I’m concerned. In a way it’s a bit strange to be taking a step backwards towards cars that are more low-tech. But it’s all part of bringing the cost down and that’s really important at the moment. I’m all for it if it works. It will be a shame to leave the current cars behind. There’s so much technology on them and they are just brilliant to drive. But with the way the WRC is at the moment there are really only four factory drivers available (two at Ford and two at Citroen) so we need to do whatever it takes to grow the championship and ensure its future.

H&H: Rallying is enjoying great popularity around the world. What does rallying, and the WRC, need to do to attract the enthusiasts and spectators of the 1980s when rallying was in its heyday?

MW: I think it comes back to getting more manufacturers involved to make it as exciting as possible for spectators. At home, I think it is time to move Rally GB out of Wales. They have done an absolutely fantastic job over the past couple of years, but I think we’ve exhausted all of the routes there.

It would be good to see Rally GB in a more central location, or perhaps further north in England so that all of the really enthusiastic Scottish fans can get to it more easily. I was talking to a fan in Spain who said that it was cheaper for him to travel from the UK to Spain to watch the rally than to go to Rally GB this year. That’s something we need to look at.

This weekend, Matthew and his Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Focus RS WRC travel to the Welsh forests for the final round of the 2009 World Rally Championship. In what is regarded as one of the most anticipated rallies on the WRC calendar, the WRC Rally GB is comprised of 16 special stages that are held on narrow but fast privately-owned gravel tracks that are more commonly used by lorries transporting timber. The rally is six weeks earlier than last year and a continuation of the dry and warm autumn in Britain could remove the event’s traditionally most difficult challenge – unpredictable weather. Weather reports today for the area have predicted rainy conditions for the weekend, with the Shakedown stage drenched in the usual wet Welsh conditions.

Tree-lined sections high in the hilly forests contrast with wide-open stretches and while ice and snow is highly unlikely in October, fog could be present if the weather worsens. In gloomy conditions it hangs between the trees, while also throwing a white blanket across exposed areas on higher ground.

HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS will be cheering for the young Wilson once again this weekend!

IRC: TV COVERAGE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF THE SPORT

GROUND-BREAKING LIVE COVERAGE!

Eurosport Events, the promoter of the IRC (Intercontinental Rally Challenge), and ACM (Automobile Club de Monaco) have revealed at Sportel in Monaco the broadcast plan for the 2010 Rallye Monte-Carlo on 20 - 23 January, which will be the most televised rally in the sport’s history.

The ground-breaking coverage will bring live action throughout the event, totalling 14 hours of live coverage from the stages. These broadcasts full of innovation will reflect the prestige of the event, which will open the 2010 IRC season for the second consecutive year.

The Rallye Monte-Carlo, founded in 1911, is one of the world’s most famous motor sport events in any discipline. It is famous for taking competitors through the snow and tricky asphalt stages in the Alpes Maritimes before reaching its ceremonial finish on the glittering streets of Monaco.

The unprecedented live action from the stages, including the epic Col du Turini stages run at night, will be using a mixture of aerial shots, on-board footage and land-based cameras, and will bring television viewers closer to the Monte Carlo Rally than they have ever been before.

Géraldine Filiol, Managing Director of Eurosport Events, said: “This is a world premiere in rallying, a tremendous bonus for the millions of fans around the world. We are naturally proud to open the IRC season in 2010 again with the Monte Carlo Rally and I am sure that our ambitious plans are worthy of a mythical motorsport event like this. What viewers can look forward to is witnessing the story of the Monte Carlo Rally unfold live over the three days of the event. This pioneering development is set to bring the sport to new standards of TV coverage”.

Rene Isoart, General Commissioner of the ACM, added, “We have found within this IRC all the necessary ingredients to allow the Rally to return to the fundamental values of the sport and to see amateurs driving side by side with professional drivers, and this is very important for us. With this incredible TV coverage, we believe that our next rally will be again a great edition, with lots of participants and fantastic live images on TV as we have experienced in last January”.

This unmatched live action will enable rally fans to see all the action thanks to a unique international media coverage, including live extensive broadcasts on Eurosport’s channels (Eurosport, Eurosport 2 and Eurosport Asia-Pacific), complemented by coverage on EurosportNews and the Eurosport network of websites.

The IRC, organised and promoted by Eurosport Events, is an all-action cost-effective series which has seen seven manufacturers doing battle in 2009. With a full field of highly competitive machines crewed by a mixture of up-and-coming talent and established stars, the IRC delivers the very best of the sport’s traditions in a dynamic format for a new era.

Rallye Monte Carlo 2010 – Broadcasting Plan: Wednesday 20 January: 4 Special Stages - LIVE Thursday 21 January: 6 Special Stages - LIVE Friday 22 January: 4 Special Stages - LIVE - Credit: IRCSeries.com

RA: REDEFINING MOTOR SPORT SHAPING THE FUTURE OF THE SPORT

RALLY AMERICA LAUNCHES RALLY CROSS!

While many motorsports sanctioning bodies are looking for ways to shrink and save, Rally America, Inc., the premier sanctioning body for performance rally competition in North America, is expanding and growing.

boasting 450+ horsepower, highly modified engines and rally-style suspension.

Both categories include vehicles currently being used in the Rally America National Rally Championship. There will be one departure; rally cross is a driver-only competition. There’s no need for a co-driver to help navigate the car around the one-mile course.

“The Rally America National Championship has experienced constant growth in the past couple of years,” Niday continued. “The sport of rally cross has taken place successfully in Europe for many years and draws tens of thousands of spectators to each and every event. The excitement of wheel-to-wheel racing action for high-powered rally cars should work well here in the United States as it takes place on a closed-loop course that allows spectators to take in all the highspeed racing action from a single vantage point.”

Rally America today announced three European-style rally cross events in 2010. The three events will be run as exhibition events in 2010, but there may be more on the calendar in 2011.

European-style rally cross combines disciplines from road racing, short-course off-road racing and X Games-style rally car racing. It’s the action sport of motor racing.

“We’ve experienced dramatic growth in spectator interest the past three years,” said J.B. Niday, managing director for Rally America, Inc. “We’re confident American rally spectators would like to add this wheel-to-wheel competition to their plate of national championship rallying. Our championship is among the most respected in the world. This will make it more so.

It’s a logical move for the growth of rally here in the United States.”

All three Rally America events will take place in the fall of 2010 at New Jersey Motor Sports Park in Millville, NJ. The course will be a combination of pavement and gravel surfaces totaling about one mile in length. It will include jumps, un-banked turns, hills and transitions between pavement and gravel that promise to unsettle the cars and drivers. The three-minute sprint heats will see competition between six cars on the track at once. The winners advance through the day to the main event finale. It promises extreme challenges and extreme excitement for spectators and drivers alike.

The rally cross format is extremely popular in Europe. You can experience the excitement through on-demand video highlights at www.Rally-America.com.

There will be two classes of cars in Rally America’s initial year of competition. The faster, all-wheel-drive cars will resemble those used in current Rally America competition including the AWD Subarus used by four-time American rally champion Travis Pastrana and Internet gymkhana video star Ken Block. The second category of rally cross cars will be two-wheel-drive. That includes the various body styles from manufacturers such as Ford, Mitsubishi, Dodge and Honda

In addition to European-style rally cross competition at the New Jersey Motor Sports Park in the fall of 2010, Rally America will resume its National Rally Championship series beginning with Sno*Drift, the traditional championship kick off in January 2010 and one of the only American national championship motorsports events run in real snow on real roads with real cars.

The 2010 championship, however, will be compressed to allow more spectator and media interest during the season. It ensures that every event will have greater import in the chase for the Rally America Championship. The 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship Schedule: 01) 02) 03) 04) 05) 06)

January - Sno*Drift Rally - Atlanta, MI February - Rally of the 100 Acre Wood - Salem, MO April - Olympus Rally - Olympia, WA May - Oregon Trail Rally - Hood River, OR June - Susquehannock Trail Rally - Wellsboro, PA July - New England Forest Rally - Newry, ME

Three rally events that were on the calendar in 2009, the Ojibwe Forests Rally in Bemidji, MN, Rally Colorado in Steamboat Springs, CO, and the Lake Superior Performance Rally in Houghton, MI, will be changed to regional-level rally events and will not be included in the 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship.

“After a great deal of consideration and review of the past three seasons, we’ve decided to reduce the Rally America National Championship from nine to six events to help reduce team costs and increase competition,” said Mike Hurst, the Rally America competition director. “The 2010 championship schedule will include two national-level rally events on the west coast, two on the east coast and two in the central portion of the United States. The six-event schedule will not only make it more affordable for the teams, but allow for better competition as well as allow Rally America to introduce European-style rally cross competition in the fall.”

- Credit: TEXT By Rally-America.com; Images by Andrew Comrie-Picard.

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Evenll etvsent previews and reviews the fu

RA: LAKE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE RALLY 16 - 17 October 2009

PASTRANA TAKES FINAL RALLY WIN

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana wrapped up his winning 2009 Rally America season with yet another victory this weekend at the year-end Lake Superior Performance Rally.

“This was a great rally for us,” said Pastrana. “It’s one of my favorites because it’s a more technical rally than some of the others on the circuit and it’s great to drive.”

Heading into this event, Pastrana had already secured the Rally America driver’s title for 2009 and said his objective was to earn as many stage wins as possible. With nothing to lose, he admitted he drove hard and took plenty of risks to win all but two stages – falling only about four seconds short of an outright sweep over more than 120 miles of racing.

In second place were Canadians Antoine L’Estage and codriver Nathalie Richard. The team occasionally competes south of the border, largely in pursuit of the North American Rally Championship, which counts events from both Canada and the U.S. Despite a two-minute penalty for a jumped start on Friday, the team put in a consistent performance to land on

the podium.

“I’m happy overall,” said L’Estage. “Now we’re going into the final Canadian event of the year leading the North American Rally Championship and that’s what we’re here for.”

In third place overall and taking the Super Production class win, despite an ailing engine, was the Subaru Rally Team USA crew of Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino. The duo have been running in a borrowed Super Production class car for the final rounds of the championship after a bad wreck that put their Open class Subaru out of commission.

“It’s been a horrible year for us,” said Block, who finished the season fourth in the points. “Blown turbos, car overheating, mechanical issues… I’ve been driving the best I ever have and I feel I just can’t get anything to go my way.”

The crowded Super Production class saw Heath Nunnemacher and co-driver Mike Rossey take second place, followed by Pat Moro and co-driver Ole Holter in third. The podium finish wasn’t enough for Moro to overtake Jimmy Keeney in the points for the 2009 class win. Keeney and co-driver Melissa Keeney finished fourth in class at this event to take the Rally America Super Production class championship for 2009.

A stroke of bad luck saw Piotr Wiktorczyk out of the hunt for the class title before the race could begin; his engine blew during practice.

The Polish team of Andi Mancin and co-driver Maciej Wislawski battled engine trouble at this event to finish in fifth-place overall. The result wasn’t what Mancin had hoped for, but it was enough to earn him runner-up status in the 2009 championship after challenger Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and co-driver Jeremy Wimpey suffered a blown engine late on Day 1. ACP wound up third in the Rally America standings for 2009.

In two-wheel-drive, 17-year-old driver Dillon Van Way locked up the two-wheel drive Rally America title with a start here this weekend.

All results are considered informational pending official race processes.

FINAL RA Lake Superior Performance Rally CLASSIFICATION: 01) T. Pastrana/C. Edstrom (Subaru Impreza WRX STi) - 01h 43m 15,1 0s 02) A. L’Estage/N. Richard (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) + 04m 25,9s 03) K. Block/A. Gelsomino (Subaru Impreza WRX STi) + 09m 29,4s 04) H. Nunnemacher/M. Rossey (Subaru Impreza WRX STi) + 11m 29,0s 05) A. Mancin/M. Wislawski (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) + 12m 03,6s 06) P. Moro/O. Holter (Subaru Impreza WRX STi) + 12m 48,3s 07) M. Fox/J. Blattner (Subaru Impreza) + 13m 28,7s 08) A. Gruszka/L. Wronski (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) + 16m 21,6s 09) J. Keeney/M. Keeney (Subaru Impreza WRX STi) + 17m 13,8s 10) H. Krolikowski/C. Krolikowski (Subaru Impreza) + 18m 17,5s

The autumn colours are brilliant in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula at this time of year. It was cold and drizzly on Friday as cars headed out for the opening stages, with snow reported in some areas. It was a picture-perfect autumn day when the rally finished Saturday.

Considered the extreme sport of automobile racing, rally car racing is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their codrivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Among the marques typically represented in Rally America events are Subaru, Mitsubishi, Dodge, Ford and Volkswagen.

Top teams in the Rally America National Championship series are also invited to compete in ESPN’s annual Summer X Games competition, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN. Rally competition resumes 29 - 30 January with the 2010 Rally America season opener, Sno*Drift, in Atlanta, Michigan.

- Credit: Text by Rally-America.com; Images by Subaru Rally Team USA and Rally-America.com.

SANRC: TOYOTA DEALER GAUTENG RALLY 23 - 24 October 2009

FANS IN FOR SPECTACLE IN GAUTENG

After 79 special stages covering 1 197,8km of spectacular high-speed gravel rally action and travelling in excess of 3 700km to criss-cross South Africa in pursuit of the 2009 Sasol South African Rally Championship, there is a tie at the head of the leaderboard that has never happened before in the history of the South African National Rally Championship series!

Gauteng rally fans are set to witness one of the closest battles ever seen as the defending champions Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries (BP Ultimate Volkswagen Polo S2000) go wheelto-wheel with their season long arch-rivals Johnny Gemmell/ Peter Marsh (Castrol Toyota Auris S2000).

Making the Sasol Rally Championship more intriguing is the dropped score rule where crews count their best seven results from the eight event series. Going into the Toyota Dealer Rally Gauteng, both have accumulated 145 points, but Fekken has to discard 14 points against Gemmell’s worst score of 15, leaving the BP Ultimate Volkswagen team one point ahead.

The championship scenario is that if both Fekken and Gemmell finish inside the top four, whoever is ahead will be crowned champion. If Gemmell is fourht or lower, he must finish two places or more ahead of Fekken otherwise the final tally will be a tie again and Fekken will become the champion on a countback to second place results as they both have three wins each.

While the focus will be on the championship fight, Cronje and Paisley can still finish third in the championship if they win the Toyota Rally. Cronje will help Gemmell in the title fight but will go all-out for the win should the battle take place lower down the overall order.

Habig and Judd have been remarkably consistent and would still like to end the season with a win as does the Kuun/ Hodgson combination. Kuun has bounced back from a lacklustre first half of the season with two seconds and a third in the last three rounds and would like to improve on those results. Any of the top five are capable of winning and championship aside, are equally hungry for wins.

In the non-factory ‘second-division’ S2000 class, Schalk Burger Jr/Armand du Toit, the 2008 Northern Regions Rally Champions will make their debut in an ex-works Toyota RunX S2000 with backing from Land Rover and Volvo Witbank.

Not to be outdone in the privateer S2000 stakes, Volkswagen can count on Theuns Joubert who will have Drew Sturrock from the UK guesting in the left hand seat of the Salom Group Volkswagen Polo. Drew is the 19-year old son of Bill Sturrock who created the route notes in use in SA rallying. The Mokopane driver has been very consistent and finished 10th or better in six of the seven rallies.

Lola/Megan Verlaque will have another outing in their Rally Chicks Volkswagen Polo S2000 in a season that saw them take on the rigours of the African Rally Championship as their main campaign and may get up to the top ten.

Class A7, the top two-wheel drive class, has seen a major reversal of fortune with the 2009 Off Road special vehicles champion Evan Hutchinson/Elvene Coetzee (Motorite Toyota RunX A7) going into the final round with a seven point lead from the early season pace-setters Stevan Wilken/Greg Gericke (Pannar Seeds/Triton Express Volkswagen Polo A7).

With dropped scores taken into account, Hutchinson’s lead is 3 points (the difference between 1st and 2nd), so Wilken must win with Hutchinson second or lower. In the event of a tie,

Wilken will take the class title with a greater number of wins.

Add in the resurgent form shown by the current champions Chris de Wit/Dean Redelinghuys (Team Total Toyota RunX A7) who claimed their first win of the year on the Osram Rally and Class A7 is set to be a hard-fought three-way fight for the silverware.

The Class A6 trophies are already nestling on Mohammed Moosa’s mantelpiece having wrapped up the title last month.

He and co-driver Grant Martin can enjoy their Team Total Toyota Auris A6 one more time without the usual pointsgathering concerns and show their and the car’s full potential.

Six points separate the Class A5 title rivals, team-mates Gugu Zulu/Carl Peskin and Andre Cleenwerck/Des de Fortier in identical BP Ultimate Volkswagen CitiGolfs. Zulu leads with 4 wins to two with two non-finishes on each scorecard. This fight has been immensely close all year and the Toyota Rally will be no different.

Leon Marais/Riaan du Preez (Ergosaf Toyota Tazz A5) and Erik de Jager/AN Other (MDJ Motorsport VW CitiGolf A5) are both young hotshot teams from the Northern Regions series and will be out to prove a point to the regular runners.

The Production Car chase should be fought out between Tjaart Coetzee/Etienne Lourens in their Midas Subaru Impreza STI N4 and Murray Lloyd/Ralph Lehman (MLC Computer Solutions Subaru Impreza GT N4). Coetzee stood on the bottom step of the podium on the Sasol Rally and should have had a few more but reliability problems have stopped them in their tracks.

The newly crowned 2009 Northern Regions Rally Champions Rod Hering and Henry Dearlove (Randburg Raceway Toyota Tazz) head up the class S20 entries and fans will be keen to see how he gets on against the national runners. Gavin Harrison/Paul Leslie (1-Time Toyota Corolla), Mohammed Hassim/Natalie de Gouveia (VW Golf) and Nico Higgs/AN Other are set to add to the spectacle.

The Toyota Dealer Rally Gauteng starts at Barloworld Toyota, Fontein Street, Middelburg on Friday 23rd October at 11h30 and heads straight to the Duvha power station area for three fast and flowing gravel stages before returning to Barloworld Toyota for the second service of the day. A tarmac SuperSpecial stage on the outskirts of Middelburg starting at 15h45 completes Friday’s action.

Saturday’s pressure cooker route starts at 07h00 with two gravel SuperSpecial stages at Rallystar after which the teams tackle the first run over Tweefontein Farm, which finishes in the Rallystar complex.

A 45 minute lunch-break and service precedes two short Bapsfontein stages before tackling the 23km Tweefontein stage for a second time. Two humdinger SuperSpecials end the season on a spectacular note with the first car due to finish at 16h00.

The total route comprises 12 stages and 155km of hard racing mileage while the total route covers 302 km.

- Credit: SASOL Oil.

WRC: RALLY GREAT BRITAIN 21 - 25 October 2009

LAST GASP EFFORT FOR MIKKO AND SEB

The 2009 World Rally Championship comes down to this very last event: two drivers, two manufacturers and 16 gruelling stages... This is undoubtedly one of the most thrilling and nerve-wracking season finales the WRC has experienced WRITES EVAN ROTHMAN.

After 11 rallies, 219 stages and 3 774,37km of close competition, Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen (BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team) and Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen Total World Rally Team) will challenge each other in a fierce head-to-head battle at this weekend’s WRC Rally Great Britain.

I don’t feel any pressure. It will be a hard fight and I don’t underestimate the job I need to do. But I have no expectations and because of that I’ve taken the pressure off myself and put it to one side,” he said.

With a slender one-point advantage going into this event, Mikko Hirvonen will not be able to rest easy until the final stage of the rally on Sunday is completed. Irrespective of where Hirvonen and Lehtinen finish in the rally, whichever driver is the highest on the leaderboard when the rally ends in the Welsh city of Cardiff will lift the coveted WRC Drivers’ title crown.

“Although I’ve won there before, this rally hasn’t always been kind to me, but I do enjoy the roads in Wales and know them well. They’re fast and flowing, even quicker than my home event in Finland in places. If I had to choose a rally on which to fight for the title then Finland would be my first choice. But Britain would be second on the list. I love driving there and the roads really suit me. At this time of year they won’t be covered in ice or snow, so they should be perfect,” added 29-year-old Hirvonen.

Will it be five-times WRC champion Sebastien Loeb, or will Hirvonen join the long list of Finnish super stars to win a WRC title? Not even Hollywood’s best scriptwriters could have penned a more exciting season ending!

“Unless the weather takes a real turn for the worse, I’m pleased to say there is little chance we will face the prospect of having to tackle icy stages on gravel tyres, as we did last year,” said Sebastien Loeb.

All of the 16 special stages are held on narrow but fast privately-owned gravel tracks, more commonly used by lorries transporting timber. The rally is six weeks earlier than last year and a continuation of the dry and warm autumn in Britain could remove the event’s traditionally most difficult challenge – unpredictable weather. Weather reports today for the area have predicted rainy conditions for the weekend, with the Shakedown stage drenched in the usual wet Welsh conditions.

“That said, the cocktail of rain, mud and fog – especially in the dark – has a habit of making this a very tough event.

But even then, it’s a great rally which I thoroughly enjoy.

Unlike the conditions, our mission in Wales is pretty much straightforward, though,” continues Loeb. “We will need to finish ahead of Mikko Hirvonen, and in the points. The two of us will obviously be under a great deal of pressure, and even a small mistake could put either one of us out of the running for the title. I don’t want to dwell too much on the stakes, however, otherwise we run the risk of not being able to put one foot in front of the other! As far as possible, I will try to put all that to the back of my mind and simply get on the fight.

Mikko and I have enjoyed some particularly close scraps this year already – in Norway, Finland and Australia – and I hope we will see another exciting battle in Wales.”

Tree-lined sections high in the hilly forests contrast with wide-open stretches and while ice and snow is highly unlikely in October, fog could be present if the weather worsens. In gloomy conditions it hangs between the trees, while also throwing a white blanket across exposed areas on higher ground.

Hirvonen, who has four wins to his credit this season, remains calm about the challenge ahead. “I feel really excited about the situation and can’t wait for the rally to start, but

Place your bets, ladies and gentleman. The WRC Rally GB is going to be a humdinger!