H&H-85

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09 Edition 85 June 20

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Cover

Fekken blasts to victory in Ermelo!

inside this week:

News

IRC Ypres Rally action hots up!

Features

WRC Rally Greece full REVIEW!

Welcome to HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS

04 11 12 14 16 17

Welcome to issue 85 of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS!

The world’s latest rally news

Motorite Racing looking for debut win in TDR 1000!

Fekken blasts to easy win and championship lead!

Hirvonen steps up to take first win of 2009!

Lawless/Sharkey win Rally Tennessee in grand style!

IRC heads to Belgium for famous Ypres Rally!

DIARY JUNE EVENTS International Rallies: 10 - 14 June: WRC Acropolis Rally Greece 18 - 20 June: IRC & ERC Ypres Westhoek Rally

In last week’s issue, I incorrectly stated that the Toyota 1000 Desert Race was to take place last weekend. In fact, it is being held this weekend!

I apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused, especially to those crews who contacted me in panic… Good luck to all competitors in THIS WEEKEND’S Toyota 1000 Desert Race!

Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries romped home to victory in last weekend’s Rally of South Africa.

In what was a tough event, the BP Volkswagen Polo S2000s finished first and second as Jan Habig and Douglas Judd chased their teammates to the finish line.

The ever-impressive Toyota Auris S2000 machines showed a great turn of speed, and in upcoming events this year they will surely be the pace-setters…

Conquering not only the rock-strewn gravel roads and heat, Mikko Hirvonen also beat off his main rival Sebastien Loeb to win the WRC Rally Greece-Acropolis. It was a rally of attrition with many big name crews falling by the way side.

This past weekend was an exciting motorsport one, and this weekend will be too: the IRC heads to Belgium for the Ypres Rally. The likes of Freddy Loix, Jahu Hanninen, Giandomenico Basso and Kris Meeke will battle for the win around the slippery and narrow asphalt roads.

It is favourite event on the rallying calendar the world over.

As always, please enjoy this week’s read!

Yours in Rallying,

South African Rallies: 12 - 13: NATIONAL: Rally of South Africa 19 - 21: Toyota 1000 Desert Race 27: CPMCC Rally

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Evan Rothman

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Higgins narrowly miss out on victory in Chinese Rally

drivers’ championship, he has picked up second place points for the WY Rally Team in the teams’ championship which he has helped them win in the past.

David Higgins and Ieuan Thomas have narrowly missed out on victory in the opening round of the 2009 Chinese Rally Championship, the Jiangning Rally.

The Huairou Rally takes place from 3rd to 5th July.

The crew thrilled spectators by fighting with event winner, Jussi Valimaki from Finland, from the start, until David hit problems on Saturday.

“We finished second by 36 seconds, but we lost 45 seconds on Saturday with a problem otherwise things could have been different,” said David at the finish. “We broke a rear shock absorber and lost the time over the next three rough stages.

The roads on the event were quite rough with big rocks throughout.”

It had been seven months since the last round of the Chinese Rally Championship in 2008.

Malcolm Wilson recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List!

Ford’s world rally team director Malcolm Wilson was this past weekend named in The Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Wilson was admitted to the Order of the British Empire after being awarded an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) for his services to British motorsport.

The award is one of the highest achievements bestowed by the British monarchy and recognises distinguished achievement in any field at national or regional level. Wilson will receive his honour from Her Majesty The Queen at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London later this year.

“It was great to get back onto the stages and out with the team again,” said David. “And there’s not much time before the next round, we’re back in three weeks for the Huairou Rally at the start of July.”

Wilson, director of the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, led Ford to the manufacturers’ world title in the FIA World Rally Championship in 2006 and 2007.

Although David does not qualify for points in the overall drivers’ championship, he has picked up second place points for the WY Rally Team in the teams’ championship which he has helped them win in the past.

Wilson joins other British motorsport greats including Sir Jackie Stewart (GBE), Colin McRae (MBE), John Surtees (OBE), Nigel Mansell (OBE) and Damon Hill (OBE) in being granted an Order of the British Empire.

The Huairou Rally takes place from 3rd to 5th July. David Higgins and Ieuan Thomas have narrowly missed out on victory in the opening round of the 2009 Chinese Rally Championship, the Jiangning Rally.

“It’s a great honour, and a huge surprise, to be recognised in this way by Her Majesty The Queen,” said 53-year-old Wilson, managing director of Cumbrian-based M-Sport, the preparation business which runs Ford’s world rally programme.

The crew thrilled spectators by fighting with event winner, Jussi Valimaki from Finland, from the start, until David hit problems on Saturday.

“Motorsport, and particularly rallying, has been my life. I feel so proud to have delivered two world championship titles for Ford, and equally as proud to have done so from M-Sport’s base at my home town in Cockermouth, Cumbria. I feel very humble that our achievements have been recognised in this way.

“We finished second by 36 seconds, but we lost 45 seconds on Saturday with a problem otherwise things could have been different,” said David at the finish. “We broke a rear shock absorber and lost the time over the next three rough stages.

The roads on the event were quite rough with big rocks throughout.”

It had been seven months since the last round of the Chinese Rally Championship in 2008.

“It was great to get back onto the stages and out with the team again,” said David. “And there’s not much time before the next round, we’re back in three weeks for the Huairou Rally at the start of July.”

Although David does not qualify for points in the overall

“But this is not just an honour for me. It’s also a reward for all the employees at M-Sport who work so hard to keep Ford at the forefront of the FIA World Rally Championship. They should also feel great pride at this award,” said Wilson.

Ian Slater, Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs for Ford of Europe, paid tribute to Wilson. “I’m delighted that Malcolm’s achievements have been recognised today in The Queen’s Birthday Honours List. He joins a very select group of British motorsport heroes in being honoured in this way.

“He sits alongside great world champions of the calibre of Sir Jackie Stewart, who won three drivers’ world titles in Formula

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1, and John Surtees, the only man to win world titles on both two and four wheels.

“To rank with such household names is a testament to his dedication, sheer hard work and visible enthusiasm for the sport he loves. This is a proud day for all of us, and especially for Malcolm’s family and all the committed people at our M-Sport partners in the FIA World Rally Championship. So, on behalf of everyone at Ford Motor Company, I extend my warm congratulations on this honour,” said Slater.

Wilson is one of British motorsport’s most successful names with more than 30 years’ experience in rallying – over 20 of those with Ford.

He rose to fame as a driver in the 1970s, winning two national titles in Britain in Ford Escorts. He went onto drive for three factory teams in the world championship and spent several years as Ford’s chief test driver, developing new rally cars. In 1994 he ended his driving career by achieving a career-long aim of winning the British Rally Championship for Ford.

Having already formed his own preparation company, Wilson was appointed to run Ford’s official world championship rally programme in 1997. Under his leadership, Ford has twice won the manufacturers’ title with the record-breaking Focus RS World Rally Car and finished second on six occasions. Since M-Sport was awarded the Ford contract, the team has won 38 world rallies and scored points on 113 consecutive world rallies – a record in itself.

Toyota has been one of only good experiences and we believe that this will extend into our support of the motorsport team.

“This relationship provides an opportunity to build our association, not just with Toyota South Africa, but also with the national dealer network. It also provides us with a valuable networking opportunity for clients outside of the motor industry as we expand our business horizons, for example into the white goods industry.

Andrew Kirby, Toyota’s Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, welcomed the Innovation Group as a sponsor to the Motorsport team: “As Glen says, we are in the middle of an exciting and close fought motorsport season. The Auris S2000 is showing both the speed and durability needed to win our 16th rally championship and is in the final stages of its international homologation with this process set to be finalised as early as the end of June. The ongoing development of the Hilux SP vehicles for the Off-Road series is now bearing fruit with these vehicles also showing event winning speed as we approach the Toyota Desert Race, the flagship event on the Off-Road calendar.

“Motorsport provides a strong brand platform for Toyota and is part of our marketing DNA in South Africa, and also within the global Toyota family. The Innovation Group enjoys a strong business association with Toyota in support of some of our core aftermarket activities. Their involvement with our motorsport team is a welcome extension of this association with a winning team.

Throughout his career Wilson has been supported by his wife, Elaine, also an M-Sport director. Their son, Matthew, is one of Britain’s brightest motorsport prospects and is himself a fulltime driver in the world championship.

“Toyota forms long-standing relationships with its sponsors such as our relationship with Castrol which goes back more than 20 years. Our partnership with Castrol has grown substantially in the last 15 years with the signing of extended contracts between the two companies.”

Innovation Group joins Toyota Motorsport in Championship chase

Rally Wales to go ahead after MSA steps in to underwrite costs

Innovation Group, South Africa’s foremost motor industry warranty administrator, has joined forces with Toyota Motorsport as a team sponsor in support of Toyota’s challenge for the South African Rally and Off-Road Championships. The announcement of this new and significant sponsorship package comes at a time when the Castrol Toyota Team is showing strong form in both the South African Rally and Off-Road series.

The British round of the FIA World Rally Championship has been saved after the Motor Sports Association stepped in to underwrite the costs of the event, reported www.rallybuzz.com.

“The Innovation Group joins Toyota Motorsport at an exciting time in the 2009 Rally and Off-Road series,” says Innovation’s CEO, Glen Mollink. “The team is well on its way to chasing down an unprecedented 16th rally title with Johnny Gemmel and Peter Marsh and Mark Cronje is rapidly emerging as a new talent in the top class. “In the ABSA Off-Road Championship the Hilux is now the vehicle to watch based on the form shown in Natal just a couple of weeks back.

“As a brand leader in the field of motor industry warranty administration and incident management, and a long time service provider to industry leaders Toyota, the opportunity to become involved as a major sponsor with Toyota Motorsport presents us with a unique opportunity to build our brand with a successful, highly visible, quality team. Our relationship with

The MSA, the governing body of UK motor sport, stepped in after the Welsh Assembly withdrew their sponsorship of the event which is due to be held in Wales from October 22-25.

The MSA’s commercial subsidiary, International Motor Sports, which organises the event, has started legal proceedings agains the Welsh Assembly.

“In recent years, the MSA has exercised prudent management of its finances to create a surplus in order to protect the sport against unforeseen circumstances,” said Alan Gow, chairman of both MSA and IMS. “Consequently, we have decided to underwrite this important and prestigious international event for the good of the sport, while continuing to pursue our extremely robust case against the Welsh Assembly Government for its breach of contract.

“IMS and everyone involved in Rally GB now have a very challenging period ahead to turn the event around in just four months.

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“However, we are confident that the experience and professionalism of our people and clubs will make sure that this year’s event is a great success.”

- CREDIT: WWW.RALLYBUZZ.COM

Rally Ireland planning to return to WRC in 2011 with changes Rally Ireland bosses are planning to return to the WRC calendar in 2011, even though there are no guarantees that it will be part of the series, according to Motorsport News.

The rally could move from its 2009 host town of Sligo. Event director John Naylor recently conducted a preliminary route survey in the border area in an effort to find stages that could link up remote service locations.

Naylor is keen to take the rally to a city centre location but insists it would have to continue to be a cross-border event.

Rally Ireland Event Director John Naylor stated to MN: No city or town has a God-given right to the rally. It could go to Dublin or Belfast or to an area where rallying is already popular.

One of our biggest problems last year was the cost of accommodation in Sligo. I have spoken to several county councils about road closing and areas for service parks and they have all assured me that overcharging won’t happen in their area. We need to build the story that Rally Ireland offers value for money.

Naylor admitted that this year’s rally ran at a loss of 65,000 euros. He also added that backing from Northern Ireland’s Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure was affected by the poor value of sterling. It left a funding shortfall of more than 100,000 euros.

- CREDIT: Motorsport News and WWW.RALLYBUZZ.COM

Strong entry for Belgium Ypres Rally Fans of the S2000 formula are in for a bumper weekend of action at the forthcoming Belgium Ypres Rally (19 - 20 June), with a record number of cars filling the manufacturer entries for this, the fifth round of the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC). So far a total of 17 cars from seven manufacturers are being readied for the off, with a host of different nationalities represented.

Host country Belgium, one of Europe’s great rallying nations, leads the way with a six-strong contingent of talent led by former WRC star Freddy Loix, who topped the IRC points standings until the previous round in the Azores. Switzerland, Italy, France, Poland, Finland, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom will also be represented amongst the crews.

For the manufacturers Ypres will showcase entries from runaway leader Peugeot with its 207 S2000, with strong competition coming from the new Skoda Fabia, Abarth Grande Punto and Volkswagen Polo, with the Proton Satria making its debut. Additionally the turbocharged ‘showroom’ specification Mitsubishi Lancer Evos will be out in force, ready to pounce on their non-turbo opposition.

- CREDIT: WWW.IRCSERIES.COM

Tsjoen to drive Kronos Peugeot!

Pieter Tsjoen will return to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge on the Belgium Ypres Rally on 19 - 20 June. A Belgian native, Tsjoen will drive a Peugeot 207 S2000 for the Kronos Racing squad, bringing the total number of cars being entered by the Namur-based team to five.

Now 35, Tsjoen hasn’t competed in the IRC since retiring from the Ypres Rally in 2007 When he was at the wheel of an Abarth Grande Punto: A result which culminated in him briefly quitting the sport and handing over his drive to countryman Freddy Loix for the remaining of that season.

He prepared for his IRC comeback by testing in Belgium on June 10, where he familiarised himself with his new car.

He also practiced wheel changes alongside co-driver Eddy Chevaillier in the unfortunate event of his Peugeot suffering a puncture during the asphalt rally.

Marc van Dalen, the joint team principal of Kronos Racing, said: “Pieter is a good guy with a lot of experience. The road he tested on wasn’t completely representative of the stages he on the Ypres Rally but that won’t be a problem for him. His car will be the same as all the others and I think he can do a good job.”

- CREDIT: WWW.IRCSERIES.COM

Neuville to Impress in Belgium Thierry Neuville is capable of producing a surprise result on the Belgium Ypres Rally according to his team boss. Neuville, who will be 21 by the time the event starts in Ypres on June 18, impressed joint Kronos Racing team principal Marc van Dalen during a test in Belgium on June 10.

Kronos is responsible for preparing the Peugeot 207 Super 2000 Neuville will use on the asphalt event, which is his prize for being selected as the BFGoodrich Drivers’ Team representative on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier.

“I was surprised how well he did in the test because it was his first time in a four-wheel-drive car,” said van Dalen. “He seems to be very mature for his age and providing he does what he is told then I really think he can get a good result because he understood very quickly how to drive these cars and what he must do.”

Neuville, a German-speaking Belgian, forged a strong reputation competing in the one-make Ford Fiesta and Citroen C2 championships in his homeland. A panel of Belgian journalists, members of Belgium’s motorsport governing body and representatives of tyre company BFGoodrich and Kronos Racing selected Neuville for the drive.

- CREDIT: WWW.IRCSERIES.COM

Wilks aims to finish on IRC debut British driver Guy Wilks is determined to get to the finish the Belgium Ypres Rally as he looks to increase his experience at the wheel of the Proton Satria Neo Super 2000, which makes its debut in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge on the asphalt event from 19 - 20 June.

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Wilks, a double national champion, will contest seven rounds of the IRC with the factory-backed Proton team, which could expand to run as many as three cars before the end of this season.

Although Wilks has previous experience of the IRC through an appearance in a Honda Civic Type-R on Rally Russia last year, the British designed and built Proton has only competed on three events.

“We’re comfortable with the car but I’m sure we’ll develop it and continue to better the set-up the longer the event goes on for,” said Wilks. “We’re going to be going at a good enough pace to make the car work properly but we have to drive within ourselves because we just want to get to the end of Ypres with a good, solid result and put some mileage on the car because that’s one thing we haven’t got.”

Wilks, 28, will be co-driven by countryman Phil Pugh.

- CREDIT: WWW.IRCSERIES.COM

Hanninen favourite to win in Ypres!

Juho Hanninen could produce a shock victory on the Belgium Ypres Rally, if the results of an online poll predicting the winner of the asphalt event are to be believed.

Event organisers have invited members of the public to nominate who they think will win round five of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge from a list of 11 drivers.

With the event fast approaching, Hanninen, the event’s top seed due to his FIA priority status, also heads the public poll with 27.2 per cent of the votes as of 2200hrs on Thursday June 11.

Hanninen, from Finland, has never won an event on asphalt before but impressed on the Tarmac-based Monte Carlo Rally in January, when he led in his factory Skoda Fabia Super 2000.

Freddy Loix, last year’s Ypres Rally winner, is next up with 26 per cent of the vote, while Francois Duval, another Belgian hero has attracted 20.2 per cent of the vote. Kris Meeke, who heads the IRC drivers’ standings, is fifth with 5.3 per cent of the vote.

One factor that could work in Hanninen’s favour is his codriver Mikko Markkula. Although Hanninen hasn’t competed on asphalt for several months, his co-driver Mikko Markkula entered the Tarmac-based British championship Jim Clark Rally in late May. - CREDIT: WWW.IRCSERIES.COM

Rally Japan to make IRC debut in ‘10 Rally Japan is expected to make its inaugural debut on the IRC calendar in 2010, following discussions with the local organisers to create a permanent IRC event in this country from next season onwards. Japan was due to have been the 11th round of this year’s IRC series from October 22-24, but instead the Rally Hokkaido, a round of the Japanese Rally Championship from July 11-12, will form part of the IRC Supporter Events programme.

Villagra scores WRC career best!

Ford Focus RS drivers Federico Villagra and Khalid Al Qassimi both scored career best results in Greece thsi past weekend, with Villagra also celebrating success in a thrilling final day scrap for fourth with Conrad Rautenbach, reported www.wrc.com.

Villagra, of the Munchi’s Ford team, began Sunday’s competition sixth overall but leapt up to fourth - ahead of Citroen Junior driver Conrad Rautenbach - when Evgeny Novikov hit trouble on the opening stage.

Rautenbach embarked on a spirited fight-back on the next stage - narrowing the gap from 11,3sec to 8,1sec on SS14 and getting it down to just 0.9sec going into the final 33km stage.

In the end, however, it all came down to tyres, with Conrad coming off worse.

Crossing the line with his Pirelli’s worn to the canvas, Rautenbach said he couldn’t have done more. “We started the stage slowly but it didn’t work,” he shrugged. “The tyres are shot and at the end we had a few scary moments. It’s been a good rally though. Yes it would have been nicer to be fourth, but we learnt a lot. We’re gong to be right there in the fight in Poland.”

Villagra ended the rally fourth, 11,5sec ahead of Rautenbach.

“The second fourth place of my career - it feels nice,” said Villagra. “It’s been a very difficult event, and hard to keep the car on the stages but we enjoyed a good fight with Conrad - it’s the best way to get better.”

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team driver Khalid Al Qassimi brought his Focus RS to the finish in sixth - the best WRC result of his career so far. “It’s fantastic,” he said. “We’re relieved to have got here after a problematic start. The boys in the team did a good job with the car, and we drove with our heads. I’m very happy.”

- CREDIT: WWW.WRC.COM

Athanassoulas wins P-WRC Greece Greek driver Lambros Athanassoulas took a sensational win in the Production Car category of the Acropolis Rally after winning a frantic last day battle with overnight leader Nasser Al-Attiyah, reported www.wrc.com.

Athanassoulas, who lives in the Rally’s host town of Loutraki, began Sunday’s competition 8,8sec adrift of Al-Attiyah in the overall standings, but moved ahead on the first pass through the Aghii Theodori test (SS14) and stretched his lead to 22,7sec by the finish.

Completing the final stage was an emotional experience for Athanassoulas, who lost a comfortable lead on Saturday when his Skoda S2000 developed an engine problem. He and codriver Nikolaos Zakheos climbed onto the roof of their car at the end of SS17 with tears streaming down their faces.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Lambros. “We had a great battle with Nasser and considering we only drove this car for 30 kilometres before the rally it’s incredible. I knew I could be one of the top five Group N entries because last year we set some

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good times, but with this car I wanted to be a bit faster - and Tapper did his best to pull back the deficit to leading Pirelli Star we were. I want to thank everybody in the team and everybody Driver South African Jon Williams and finished just under twowho believes in me. Now I want to find budget for next year!” minutes behind.

As a wildcard entry in the Acropolis P-WRC competition, Lambros took 10 championship points for his win and moved seventh in the series. The achievement also earned him the Abu Dhabi Spirit of the Rally Award.

But in the battle for the overall 2009 title Nasser Al-Attiyah was the weekend’s big winner. Second overall put the Qatari driver firmly in the lead of the series on a total of 39 points, and means only Armindo Araujo or Eyvind Brynildsen can challenge him for this year’s title.

“It’s okay, Lambros is a local driver, he is fast and he knows all the stages,” said Al-Attiyah. “Our main target was to keep Araujo behind us. We’ve done that and eight points is fantastic.

I’m quite happy with the performance of the Subaru; it’s really good and much better than last year. Now I have to wait for the final round in GB - that’s going to be important.”

Portuguese Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX driver Armindo Araujo was third, 1min 54sec behind Al-Attiyah. With 35 points he remains Nasser’s closest title rival. “We changed a lot of things on the car and the performance was okay, but the most important thing today was to finish and get the points,” he said. “Now it all comes down to the last round in Wales. It’s a big gap [to Nasser] but nothing is impossible!”

Toshi Arai completed the P-WRC competition in fourth place, with Martin Prokop rounding off the top five.

On a total of 22 points, Brynildsen is the only one of the P-WRC title hopefuls with two events in hand. He elected to miss the Acropolis but will drive both the remaining rounds in Australia and Wales.

- CREDIT: WWW.WRC.COM

Tapper wins battle in Greece New Zealand rally driver Mark Tapper and co-driver Jeff Judd won their battle against the odds of completing the World Rally Championship event in Greece. The pair finishes the gruelling three-day rally over the weekend despite driveline failure.

The Acropolis Rally was the third WRC event for Tapper in the inaugural worldwide Pirelli Star Driver programme and he finished second of the five Pirelli-backed drivers, ninth in the Production category (P-WRC) and a very credible 21st overall.

Accompanied by Christchurch’s Jeff Judd in the Ralliart Italia team-prepared Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X, Tapper had a simple goal of finishing the 350 kilometre journey on the Greek rockstrewn roads.

“The team was pretty happy we didn’t scratch the car and we were only two of the five [Pirelli] cars that finished,” he mused.

In Greece’s formidable mid-summer heat, the low speeds and high ambient temperature create uncomfortable cabin conditions. However that was no match for the road conditions, said Tapper.

“The heat wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be and I really enjoyed the whole rally. But I think I needed to be even fitter from looking at split times in the latter parts of the longer stages – the times do tell the story. So I’ll come home and work on that, but it was fairly extreme and I’d be confident doing a rally like Finland where you wouldn’t have the same demands. You get thrown around in the rough [in Greece]; it’s a lot more physically demanding than normal.

“You just couldn’t know how rough some of the roads are. In places you literally could not get a normal two-wheel-drive car through the road. It’s like driving down a river bed in the South Island flat out. I was putting the car in neutral, putting my foot on the clutch and coasting over a lot of it, because of the shock through the driveline.

“The first day of the rally the roads were really good and that probably gave us a false sense of security to tell you the truth – they were really nice.”

Tapper and Judd now return to New Zealand, intending to contest the next round of the Vantage New Zealand Rally Championship in an Andrew Hawkeswood Group A car. The pair have the job of finalising details for their run in Repco Rally Australia in early September, and then will return to Europe for testing with the Ralliart Italia team ahead of the next event in Finland (30 July to 2 August).

Completing their 2009 Pirelli Star Driver programme, Tapper and Judd will contest Rally Spain (1-4 October) and Great Britain from 22 to 25 October. They will compete in Repco Rally Australia (4-6 September) outside the Pirelli-funded schedule.

- CREDIT: WWW.RALLYBUZZ.COM

Rally Japan to make IRC debut in ‘10

Notoriously tough, the Acropolis Rally got the better of several WRC heavyweights with five-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb, Petter Solberg and Dani Sordo all succumbing to the conditions early on.

By early Saturday morning, Tapper and Judd had moved into 19th position overall and the leading Pirelli Star Driver.

However their plan of a perfect run ended on the day’s penultimate test, a broken driveshaft sidelining their steady progress.

“We broke a driveshaft and that bent the steering so we had to retire for the day, which is disappointing because we were trying to look after the car,” said Tapper who copped the specified a ten minute time penalty to be allowed to restart on Sunday.

“I was probably really driving at about 80 to 90 per cent. A few of the stages we pushed in and had good split times but in the rough sections I just backed off. The team lost cars early on again and I wanted to get to the finish for the team as much as myself and Jeff. To finish without losing those ten minutes would have been better, but what happens, happens.”

Citroen Junior Driver Evgeny Novikov, at the age of 18, has become the youngest person in WRC history to record a fastest stage time.

Novikov was quickest on SS4, the classic Bauxites test, and now moves up to fourth overall on the leaderboard, leapfrogging 5 times world champion Sebastien Loeb.

Commenting on his first stage win Novikov said: “My first stage win feels really good - I was fighting hard. I think the road was cleaning, so my grip was better than the guys ahead, but I’m happy!”

- CREDIT: WWW.RALLYBUZZ.COM

S E R U T A FE g looking for debut win in TDipR 1le00ad0!!

h in s c n a io R p e m it a r h o c t o d n M a : in •11 w y s a e ! o t 9 0 s 0 t 2 s f la o b n in e w k t k s e F r : fi e !

•12 k le a y t t o s t d p n u a r s g p e in t s e e n •14: Hirvones/Sharkey win Rally Tennessres Rally!

•16: Lawles ds to Belgium for famous Yp •17: IRC hea

Here HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS goes behind-the-scenes, into the pit garages, into the team offices, to bring you the most interesting and in-depth feature articles.

Motorite Racing looking for debut win in TDR 1000!

With three national championships in the special vehicle category in the last four years, Motorite Racing is still surprisingly without a win in the longest and one of the toughest rounds of the Absa Off Road Championship, the three-day Toyota 1000 Desert Race in Botswana.

The 29th running of this marathon since Toyota took over the sponsorship of what was known as the Trans Kalahari Road Race takes place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (19, 20 and 21 June).

Despite never having won the event, former special vehicle champions Evan Hutchison and Achim Bergmann will still start favourites on Friday in their four-wheel drive Motorite Racing Revo 1.

This unique vehicle, designed by Bergmann and built by him and Stuart Thompson in their Kyalami workshops, only turned a wheel a week before the opening round of this year’s championship. They have gone on to win each of the first three rounds and demonstrated just how good a vehicle the Revo is.

“We didn’t really expect any major problems with the car,” said Bergmann. “Its design is relatively simple and utilises everything we have learnt over many years in off road racing. The components are proven, both those we have made ourselves and those that were imported.”

But the pair will have to produce something very special if they are to break their Desert Race duck.

In four attempts to date Hutchison has failed to complete the course three times and finished fourth in 2007 with Bergmann in a Motorite Racing BAT Spec 3, the year he and Bergmann won the overall and class A championships.

In 2005, when he won the class B championship in one of the early BAT specials at his first attempt and in Motorite Racing’s first year in off road racing, it was the only round in which he failed to make his mark. The Botswana desert won again in 2006 and last year, after Hutchison and Bergmann took a decisive victory in Friday’s prologue, a debut win looked promising. But a broken drive shaft at the halfway point while they were leading put paid to that.

“Motor racing is a cruel mistress,” said Hutchison.

“When you think you’ve got it all right, you’re brought back to earth with a bump. We put a lot of work into preparing for every event, but the Desert Race is special and requires that extra effort. This year is no different.

“Of course, coming to Botswana with three successive wins under our belts is encouraging, but it also brings with it a lot of added pressure. After a tough prologue on Friday there are still two full days of racing on Saturday and Sunday, equivalent to two average rounds of the championship. A lot can happen.

“Having said that, Achim and I are confident we can pull it off this time. We have a great car and, with a bit of good luck – and there’s always luck involved in off road racing – the team’s hard work under Achim and our thorough preparations will see us through.”

- IMAGES BY MOTORPICS.

Fekken blasts to easy win and championship lead!

Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries blasted their S2000 BP Ultimate Volkswagen Polo to an easy 23-second lead to win the fourth round of the Sasol SA Rally Championship, the Rally of South Africa, held in Ermelo and surrounding areas this past weekend.

Fekken took the lead in Friday’s 60km long Jessievale stage to end day one’s action with a comfortable 34 second lead over team mates Jannie Habig and Douglas Judd in a similar BP Polo, an easy lead to defend over the rally’s remaining ten stages. Fekken takes a six point lead into the second half of the Sasol Championship series with four rounds remaining.

“We decided to attack in the long stage”, said Fekken at the Ermelo finish. “We built up quite a good lead that we could defend on Saturday. I elected to go the safe option of running on dry tyres so I think we did well to keep up with the guys on the wet compounds”.

Habig took a cautious approached to Friday’s slippery stages but put the hammer down to set the fastest time in seven

of the Saturday stages, chipping away at the defending champion’s lead all the time but at great risk, compared to Fekken’s easy ride. “We were too cautious in the first two stages on Friday”, said Habig. “It’s difficult to judge what the correct pace is at that early stage. We did the best we could in the circumstances”.

Jean-Pierre Damseaux and Andre Vermeulen were delighted to bring their S2000 Team Total Toyota RunX home for the first time this season on the final step of the podium. It was a close run thing though, for on the long open section returning from the Panbult forests to Ermelo for two final stages over the SuperSpecial, the clutch master cylinder failed, making the RunX slow off the line.

The factory Castrol Toyota team had a disappointing outing with early rally leader Mark Cronje/Robert Paisley hampered by a broken gear linkage in the Jessievale stage, leaving the Castrol Auris stuck in 5th gear, which cost the pair 3 minutes.

Cronje rocketed into an early 33 second lead after the opening 35km long pair of stages but it wasn’t to be his day, finishing the 13 stage, 198km route 4th overall.

Double 2009 rally winner Johnny Gemmell and Peter Marsh were also affected in the 60km stage. The pair lost 4 minutes when they had to stop and change a flat tyre, then completed the last 20km of the stage with a broken shock absorber.

Saturday brought more misfortune when their S2000 Castrol Toyota Auris developed a misfire, and with three stages run without service, the misfire persisted, costing the pair over 2½ minutes to Fekken, leaving the championship contender in a disappointed 6th place.

The BP Volkswagen Polo of 2006 champions Enzo Kuun/Guy Hodgson was out of contention from the second stage, losing six minutes with a flat tyre and jammed wheel nut. A rare wrong slot in stage 3 cost a further two minutes and they finished Friday an unaccustomed 11th overall, ending the rally in a lowly 9th place.

Splitting the two factory Castrol Toyotas in a fine 5th overall was Charl Wilken and Greg Godrich, the current Production Car Champions storming to their fourth consecutive Production Car and class N4 win of the year in their Sasol/Konica Minolta Subaru Impreza N14. Wilken is now one point away from claiming the class N4 championship.

Theuns Joubert and Hennie Botes brought their S2000 Salom Group Volkswagen Polo home 7th overall – their career best finish - after Gemmell pipped them for 6th place by seven seconds at the final count. The Mokopane driver, in his first season of S2000 competition also maintained his 100% finishing record.

Nicholas Ryan and Geoff Tyrer brought their unsponsored S2000 Toyota RunX home 8th overall after enduring a puncture in stage 2, a failed alternator in stage 3 and a broken power steering pump in Saturday’s 7th and 8th stages.

Rounding out the top 10 was the class A7 winner Stevan Wilken and Greg Gericke in their Pannar Seeds/Triton Express Volkswagen Polo, the class championship leader taking a clear title lead after a perfect run throughout the event, barring some minor brake problems and a small off on day 1.

Chris de Wit/Dean Redelinghuys (A7 Team Total Toyota RunX) claimed their first finish of the season, 1:21 behind Wilken.

The current class A7 champions were hampered on Friday by brake problems that led to an overshoot, leaving the RunX beached and Redelinghuys to push the car out of the bushes.

The previous class leaders Evan Hutchinson/Elvene Coetzee brought their Motorite Toyota RunX home a lowly 17th after stopping for 10 minutes in stage three to cure a serious misfire caused by a broken plug lead. A driveshaft broke in stage 8, costing another 3 minutes to the charging Wilken.

Lola and Megan Verlaque had a rare appearance in the Sasol series in their S2000 Volkswagen Polo, ending 12th overall after a number of stalls. The window popped out mysteriously, letting noxious exhaust fumes into the cabin, leaving the Rally Chicks a little nauseated.

Japie van Niekerk and Robin Houghton’s rally turned upside down as early as stage 2 when the New Africa Developments Toyota RunX went off the road in slippery conditions. With an inoperable reverse gear, Van Niekerk booted the car to regain the road but beached the RunX, losing ten minutes extricating

the car. A differential swap on Friday earned a 3 minutes lateness penalty, so Van Niekerk did well to eventually claw his way back from an overnight 17th place to end 13th overall.

Rodney Visagie and Carolyn Swan swept to the class A6 win in their Team Total Toyota RunX, 14 seconds ahead of class leaders Mohammed Moosa/Grant Martin in their Team Total Toyota Auris. These two rivals now share the class lead with 24 points each. Moosa led comfortably but the car cut out in stage 8, losing two minutes 48 seconds in the process.

Class champions Craig Trott/Robbie Coetzee rolled their Team Total Toyota RunX in stage 11, ending third in class but 22nd overall, out of the overall points paying positions.

Sasol’s Dave Compton and Pierre Jordaan brought their Toyota RunX home to another unopposed win in class N3, leaving them with 1 point required to wrap up their championship.

The Sasol team mixed it with the modified class A6 teams, ending just over a minute behind Moosa’s Auris and over 8 minutes ahead of the A7 Motorite RunX of Hutchinson.

Gugu Zulu/Carl Peskin (BP Ultimate CitiGolf) scored a lucky class A5 win after the rally long leaders Piet Bakkes/Paul van Wyk (Sasol Komatipoort Volkswagen CitiGolf) led throughout until a puncture cost them two minutes in the final forest stage, dropping the pair to second in class. Class A5 champions Andre Cleenwerck/Des de Fortier (BP CitiGolf) went off the road early in the first stage.

Ashley Haigh Smith/Hilton Auffrey (Team React Toyota Yaris) claimed their first podium finish while Riyad Jaffer/Henry Dearlove brought their similar Sasol Toyota Yaris to their first finish of the year.

24 teams finished the Rally of South Africa from the 32 starters on Friday.

Other leading retirements included: Visser du Plessis/Gerhard Snyman (N4 Pirtek Subaru Impreza) – off SS2

Tjaart Coetzee/Etienne Lourens (N4 Dastek Diesel Subaru Impreza) – gearbox SS1 Schalk Burger/Armand Du Toit (A7 Spike Energy Drink Toyota Corolla) – lower control arm SS 2 Michael Otto/Tommy du Toit (A7 Liqui Moly Toyota Corolla) – out of fuel SS3 Fernando Rueda/Cobus Vrey (S2000 Team Total Toyota RunX) – gearbox SS3 The next round of the Sasol SA Rally Championship is the Volkswagen Rally on 10 and 11 July.

- TEXT SUPPLIED BY SASOL OIL. IMAGES BY MOTORPICS.

Hirvonen steps up to take first win of 2009!

Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen were triumphant in this past weekend’s WRC Rally GreeceAcropolis, securing Ford’s landmark 70th world rally win. To boot, this result also adds to M-Sport’s growing tally of 40 WRC wins, WRITES EVAN ROTHMAN. Hirvonen, in his BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team Focus RS WRC won by a resounding 01min 12,9sec in this the seventh round of the 12-event 2009 World Rally Championship. By far the toughest event on the calendar, it proved a highlysuccessful weekend for fans of the Blue Oval. Between them Hirvonen and team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala led this threeday rally from start to finish, bringing this team their second consecutive win in 2009 after Latvala won in Sardinia last month. In terms of the WRC Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ title fights, the Ford’s strong showing has rejuvenated the Championship: Ford is now only 15 points behind Citroen, and Hirvonen trails Sebastien Loeb (Citroen Total World Rally Team) by only seven points.

“I drove a clever rally and my plan worked perfectly, with no

mistakes and no punctures,” said Hirvonen. “I knew that if we finished the rally without problems then we would be high in the order and that was the case. The key to success was to stay on the road and be cautious rather than drive flat out all the way. The car was amazing all weekend, especially the last stage which was so rough. I was fortunate to have such a large lead that I was able to drive steadily. We’re back in the championship fight and the final five rallies of the year will be exciting. The next two events, in Poland and Finland, are on fast gravel roads which should suit me.”

Greece is renowned for its rock-strewn and highly-abrasive gravel roads, high ambient temperatures and tight hairpins.

This year’s event truly was a rally of attrition as leading crews fell victim to its treacherous conditions.

The all-out fight predicted between the factory Fords and Citroens this weekend did unfortunately not materialise. Fivetimes World Rally Champions Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena were forced to retire from the event on Day Two, while Dani Sordo had an off on SS9 that resulted in him having to retire from the rally too. He did, however, restart under SupeRally regulations and climbed from 17th overall to 12th at the finish.

Jari-Matti Latvala and Miika Anttila led the opening leg of the event, but slid off the road on the final stage of Day One to hand the rally lead to team-mates Hirvonen/Lehtinen. Latvala regained composure to drive to a measured and well-deserved

third place overall. “I thought I had lost everything on Friday evening,” said Latvala. “A place on the podium was never in my dreams, but others made mistakes and their cars broke and that’s exactly what I achieved. My strategy [on Saturday] was to save the tyres, save the car and drive round the rocks and it paid off. This rally required respect and the result is so important for me and the team from the championship perspective.”

It was the reigning Junior World Rally Champions Sebastien Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassi that scored an impressive result in finishing second overall this past weekend. This is the Citroen Junior Team’s first podium in their short WRC history.

“This result is excellent,” said Ogier. “It was just a perfect weekend for us, and this second place comes at a good time.

Our strategy was the key to this result, we learned a lot from completing it with very few problems and it’s a great reward for the team who have put in so much effort since the start of the season. With Julien, we are happy to see the C4 WRC on the podium and both want to thank Citroen for the confidence shown in us.”

Fourth overall were Munchi’s drivers Federico Villagra and Jose Diaz, who matched their career-best result in their privateer Ford Focus RS WRC. Conrad Rautenbach and Daniel Barritt came home in fifth place overall in their Citroen C4 WRC, while Abu Dhabi’s Khalid Al Qassimi finished in a career best of sixth place.

Mads Ostberg (Adapta World Rally Team - Subaru Impreza WRC 2008) claimed seventh place after a rally-long battle with local driver Production World Rally Championship entrants Lambros Athanassoulas (Skoda Fabia S2000) and Nasser Al-Attiyah (Subaru Impreza Group N). Rounding out the top ten was Argentine sensation Armindo Araujo in his Group N Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX. Stobart drivers Matthew Wilson/ Scott Martin and Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud both claimed manufacturer points after finishing under SupeRally rules, following first and second day retirements. Wilson was placed

14th, after winning the penultimate stage, and Solberg was 15th overall.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson said: “It was a masterful drive from Mikko. Although he led after the first day, we were worried about the effect his start position would have on Saturday, but he knew exactly what to do and did it to perfection.

Jari-Matti did a great job after his error and capitalised on the mistakes of others. It’s the first time a Focus RS WRC has won a world rally with an engine built entirely at M-Sport, and that’s a proud achievement.

Our championship hopes were written off before Sardinia, but we didn’t give up and we’re back in the fight.”

The fire in the Ford camp has re-lit: hopefully, this won’t be the last visit Ford make to the top spot of the podium… In two rallies, Citroen and Loeb have seen their fortunes (and grip on the Championship) come under threat. What does the next round of the 2009 WRC have in store for us rally enthusiasts?

FINAL WRC Rally Greece-Acropolis CLASSIFICATION: 01) Hirvonen/Lehtinen (Ford Focus WRC) - 04h 09min 42,5s 02) Ogier/Ingrassia (Citroen C4 WRC) + 01min 12,9s 03) Latvala/Antilla (Ford Focus WRC) + 01min 45s 04) Villagra/Diaz (Ford Focus WRC) + 03min 48,3s 05) Rautenbach/Barritt (Citroen C4 WRC) + 03min 59,8s 06) Al Qassimi/Orr (Ford Focus WRC) + 07min 04,3s 07) Ostberg/Andersson (Subaru Impreza WRC) + 12min 24,9s 08) Athanassoulas/Zakheos (Skoda Fabia S2000) + 12min 47,6s 09) Al Attiyah/Bernacchini (Subaru Impreza Gp N) + 13min 09,9s 10) Araujo/Ramalho (Mitsubishi Lancer Gp N) + 15min 04,5s - IMAGES: Citroen Racing, BP Ford Media and Stobart Motorsport

Lawless/Sharkey win Rally Tennessee in grand style!

Thomas Lawless, the 2005 United States Rally Champion, with Irish co-driver Brian Sharkey in a Mitsubishi Evo IX won tarmac Rally Tennessee, the second round of the United States Rally Championship.

Daniel O’Brien and Brendan McCabe in a Subaru Impreza STi took second and Martin Donnelly with Stephen Duffy in Mitsubishi Evo IX were third.

Enda McCormack with Bernard Farrell in another Mitsubishi Evo IX rounded up the Irish-American brigade.

David Alan with Ben Slocum in their handsome, black Subaru Impreza WRX won the Production All-Wheel-Drive Cup classification and placed fifth overall. Only 16 seconds behind was a new team of William Petrow and Jeremy Neyhart in Subaru Impreza WRX. Petrow, with a different co-driver, Vincent Nguyen, won the Production Cup classification at the previous round – Rally New York USA. Scott Wilburn and Aaron Crescenti, who were battling engine issues in their Subaru Impreza WRX throughout the rally, were third.

Brad Morris and Doug Nagy in a Two-Wheel-Drive Mitsubishi Lancer won the Two-Wheel-Drive category, Dan Brosnan and

Shane McCann, winners of Two-Wheel-Drive category at Rally New York USA, in a Nissan Sentra took second, and Andrew Frick and Ryan Scott in a Ford Focus placed third. Robert Maunz with Mark Sackett won the Two-Wheel-Drive Production Cup classification.

After Rally Tennessee, the Championship will continue with five gravel rounds – Idaho Rally International, Rally West Virginia, Gorman Ridge Rally (California), Prescott Rally (Arizona) and the final round – International Rally New York. Most rounds of the Championship allow for reconnaissance of the rally course and pacenoting.

The United States Rally Championship, now in its fifth season, is taking bold steps to make national competition more affordable and accessible to a larger number of rally teams.

This is the third season of the new Championship structure that minimizes or, for many teams, eliminates the need for repeated cross-country travel during the Championship season by providing competition on each side of the country. The final round of the Championship at the end of the year counts both in the Atlantic Division and the Pacific Division and together with the results from all previous rounds decides the top spots in the Championship. The highest-scoring six teams from the USRC Pacific Division are eligible for the coveted cash travel subsidies totaling $12,000 to attend the final round in New York.

- SUPPLIED: USRC Media

IRC heads to Belgium for famous Ypres Rally!

The Intercontinental Rally Challenge returns to mainland Europe for round five of this year’s series, the Belgium Ypres Rally from 19 - 20 June.

The asphalt surface and the tricky conditions of Belgium make for a technically challenging event which is likely to be played out in unpredictable weather, when scorching sunshine can turn to heavy rain in the blink of an eye.

The stages on the Belgium Ypres Rally tend to be straight and narrow farm tracks, with several obstacles to catch out the unwary. The long straights tend to be followed by sharp 90degree corners, making it extremely difficult to judge the correct braking points. There is also often a lot of loose gravel on the corners, meaning that the cars struggle to find traction.

These are far from the only hazards crews will have to cope with: the rapid stages are frequently lined with deep drainage ditches - often filled with water - and there are trees, walls and telegraph poles close to the side of the road.

Belgium is one of the most enthusiastic and proactive motorsport nations on earth, so the event is sure to bring out enormous crowds throughout the event, many of whom will be cheering for local hero Freddy Loix and his new co-driver Frederic Miclotte. The Belgian duo currently lies second in the IRC standings, just two points off the lead. A full capacity entry is expected to start this year’s event, with the IRC frontrunners being joined by a host of local and regional talent.

landscape, acts as the central service area for the rally and contains the start-finish ramp. This year will mark the 45th running of the Belgium Ypres Rally, which has been contested in the past by some of the greatest stars of the sport.

Peugeot UK enters the current championship leader Kris Meeke, the young British star who has taken back-to-back victories on gravel in Brazil and the Azores to stand two points clear of Loix in the standings. Defending champion, Frenchman Nicolas Vouilloz, lies third in the second Kronos-prepared Benelux Peugeot entry, just one point behind his teammate Loix: the winner in Ypres last year.

A total of eight Peugeot 207 S2000s head the entry, joined by a Skoda Fabia S2000 for another great hero of Belgian rallying, Francois Duval, and a Volkswagen Polo S2000 for legendary Belgian rally ace, 51-year-old Patrick Snijers. Abarth has also been strong in Belgium in the past, and the factory Italian team is hoping for more success this year with former European Champion Giandomenico Basso and Belgian asphalt ace Bernd Casier, who has been brought in to replace Anton Alen for this event. Skoda’s factory team will field Juho Hanninen and Jan Kopecky as usual.

Proton will be represented on the IRC for the first time, with an entry for rising British star Guy Wilks, while another star of the future, Thierry Neuville, has won the BFGoodrich Drivers’ Team entry for Ypres. Pieter Tsjoen has also been recently confirmed for his home event in a Peugeot 207 S2000.

They are joined by a host of entrants for the 2WD class in both Super 1600 and Group R machines, and as ever huge numbers of Group N ‘showroom’ specification Mitsubishi Lancers, such as the car driven by Austria’s Franz Wittmann, which will doubtless bring further four-wheel drive spectacle to the event.

For the first time this year, all seven IRC-registered manufacturers are expected to take the start, raising the profile of this well-known rally even higher. More than 20 Super 2000 cars will begin the event this year: another significant record for the IRC.

To mark the importance of the Belgium Ypres Rally, and to ensure that everyone in the area gets the most from the event, stage organisers Superstage have developed a new signposting system which will allow fans and casual visitors alike the chance to easily find their way to some of the most spectacular action.

The Belgium Ypres Rally is one of the most historic and important events in Europe. The event is based in the historic town of Ypres, rebuilt brick-for-brick to its medieval splendour after its destruction in World War I. The magnificent town square, with the town hall and museum dominating the

At Ypres, the fans come first. Not only that, but Eurosport will broadcast four hours of live action from the stages, enabling television viewers all over the world to fully experience the unique atmosphere of the Belgium Ypres Rally.

- TEXT AND IMAGES: WWW.IRCSERIES.COM