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09 Edition 86 June 20

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Cover

Donchev wows Belgian IRC crowds!

inside this week:

News

WRC Rally Poland News

Features

FULL TDR 1000 Race REVIEW!

Welcome to HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS

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Welcome to issue number 86 of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, your FREE weekly insight into the world of rallying!

The world’s latest rally news

Filled with the latest news (starting on Page 4), to the off-road racing action from Botswana in the form of the Toyota 1000 Desert Race, from Ypres in Belgium, and to the gravel speed tests of Poland, this week’s edition has it all.

WRC article: Jari-Matti Latvala

IRC article: Ypres Rally review

An number of Intercontinental Rally Challenge competitors have entered this weekend’s Rally Poland. In their S2000 and Gp N machines, most of them will battle it out with the top Production World Rally Championship competitors. The speed of these S2000 cars has been well-proven: the likes of Luca Betti, Juho Hanninen and Jan Kopecky will aim for a top ten finish!

Toyota 1000 Desert Race review, part 1

Toyota 1000 Desert Race review, part 2

WRC article: Rally Poland preview

DIARY

Jari-Matti Latvala, the 24-year olf rally sensation from Finland, is once more fighting to keep his seat at the factory Ford team... More about this can be found on Page 11.

JUNE EVENTS

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

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

Yours in Rallying, Evan Rothman

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

To receive your FREE weekly HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS e-magazine, or if you’d like to share this with a friend please send me your e-mail address to evanrothman@gmail.com or to my mobile at 083 452 6892.

Contact H&H: Subscriptions - subs.hhmag@gmail.com News - news.hhmag@gmail.com Features - features.hhmag@gmail.com Editorial Info - evan.hhmag@gmail.com Evan Rothman - evanrothman@gmail.com All content copyrighted property of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, 2007-9

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

Markko Martin set to return to 2009 Richard Burns Memorial Rally Markko Martin is set to return for the 2009 Richard Burns Memorial Rally, according to Motorsport News.

Rally director, Ken Paterson, states that he has recieved a verbal assurance that Martin will return to the event that the Estonian won last year alongside Richard Burns’s former codriver Robert Reid.

Martin drove a Subaru Impreza WRC2008 on the previous event but it is unclear what car he will drive this year.

Paterson commented to Motorsport News: “It’s really good to see that so many clubmen are coming out to support this event again and we know it couldn’t happen without them.

Because Markko has committed, it will hopefully encourage other top drivers to take part. It would be something new for spectators.”

A total of 62 crews have signed up for the single-venue tarmac event which takes place at RAF Marham in Norfolk on 15 - 16 August.

- CREDIT: WWW.RALLYBUZZ.COM

Patrik Sandell lines up asphalt rallies in P-WRC title fight After an engine problem in Greece ruled him out of this year P-WRC title fight, Patrick Sandell has vowed to tackle more rallies this year to prepare for a another title push in 2010, reported www.wrc.com.

The Swede began the Acropolis one of only four drivers capable of challenging Nasser Al Attiyah for the 2009 Production title but by Saturday night his ailing Skoda S2000 had ruled him out of the running.

In his final exclusive blog update on wrc.com, Sandell said it was ‘really frustrating’ that he would have to wait until January before be could begin the fight for another world title.

He pledged to go all out for victory on the final round of the P-WRC series in Wales, and said he was aiming to cram in as many extra asphalt rallies as possible to build smooth surface experience before next year.

Here’s an excerpt from his post event update: “As you can imagine, we didn’t have a party on Sunday night. We were all very disappointed and we just had a quiet dinner in our hotel before travelling home on Monday. It was a strange weekend, but having to overcome things like this is all part of the game.

I’m very competitive and a bad loser, but this is not the end of the story, nor the end of my career. Things like this are hard to

take, but they make you stronger.

“Wales Rally GB is my only remaining round of the P-WRC this year, so I am looking to see what rallies we can do over the summer. To be world champion, you have to be good on all types of surfaces, so I would like to do more Tarmac rallies and develop my skills there. I have done many gravel and snow rallies in my career, but Tarmac is the one surface I need more experience on. We are looking at the calendar now to see what’s coming up; nothing has been decided just yet...”

- CREDIT: WWW.WRC.COM

Greece gives renewed optimism for Citroen Junior Team The boss of the Citroen Junior Team says he hopes the squad’s best ever WRC rally finish last weekend marks the turning point after a largely disappointing debut season so far, reported www.wrc.com.

The French team has fielded three Citroen C4 World Rally Cars on the majority of the eight rallies run this year. But despite working hand in glove with the people behind the championship leading Citroen Total team, the same sort of success has eluded the Junior outfit up to now.

After round six - the season’s halfway point - the highlights were the fifth places scored by Chris Atkinson in Ireland and Evgeny Novikov in Sardinia. And with its cars too often sidelined by the inexperience of its drivers, the team languished fourth in the manufacturers’ championship, 26 points behind the Stobart Ford team.

Things turned around on the Acropolis, however, when two of the Citroen Junior team cars finished inside the top five.

France’s reigning Junior WRC champion Sebastien Ogier scored the team’s first podium finish for second overall, while fifth place fell to his Zimbabwean team-mate Conrad Rautenbach.

And until the last day it was looking even better. Russian teenager Evgeny Novikov could have finished fourth if it hadn’t been for a transmission problem on Sunday than dropped him to 16th. But four stage wins from the rally’s 15 competitive stages was some consolation.

“We have come through a difficult start to the season, but in Greece the team progressed and the success is perhaps from now on our side,” said Benoit Nogier, manager of the Citroen Junior Team.

“It was the first time that a non-works C4 WRC has finished on the podium in a WRC event. Seeing all three cars safely home was also very satisfying. In Poland, all the competitors will be discovering a new rally. I hope that we will take momentum from this result and continue the progress we have made over

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the last two rallies!” he added.

- CREDIT: WWW.WRC.COM

Skoda confirms IRC Rally Russia entry, aiming for another win!

Hirvonen and Ford aiming for more wins after Greek victory Mikko Hirvonen says his win on the Acropolis Rally of Greece last weekend has rejuvenated his challenge for the 2009 drivers’ title, reported www.wrc.com.

Hirvonen’s victory was Ford’s 70th at WRC level and puts him seven points behind his title rival Sebastien Loeb in the Drivers’ Championship with five rounds remaining.

“We’re back in the championship fight and the final five rallies of the year will be exciting,” said Hirvonen. “The next two events, in Poland and Finland, are on fast gravel roads which should suit me.”

“It’s good to be only seven points behind after what happened in Argentina. The rest of the season will be exciting and maybe we can put some more pressure on Sebastien. It’s really good.

It brings everything back alive again,” he added.

Last weekend’s result was great news for Ford in the manufacturers’ contest too. It was the team’s second consecutive victory following Latvala’s success in Italy last month and means Ford is now just 15 points from leaders Citroen in the manufacturers’ standings.

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

- CREDIT: WWW.WRC.COM

Holowczyc to contest WRC Rally Poland in Stobart Ford WRC! Polish rally hero and legend Krzysztof Hołowczyc tested the M-Sport Ford Focus WRC prior to Rally Poland 2009. He will drive for the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford on his home WRC round, reported www.rallybuzz.com.

Speaking ahead of Rajd Polski, Holowczyc said: “For us this rally is not new and it is going to be fantastic to be on a road that we know well in one of the best cars out there. It is very important for the fans in Poland to be able to see the best rally drivers in the world. I think that there will be a massive number of people who come out to watch. It is very exciting for us to be part of one of the best teams and I think it will be a surprise for some people to see a driver who doesn’t take part in the WRC regularly go quite fast on the stages.”

- CREDIT: WWW.RALLYBUZZ.COM

Just like at the Azores Rally a few weeks ago, Skoda Auto’s factory team Skoda Motorsport came second at this past weekend’s IRC Ypres Rally in Belgium, thanks to an excellent performance put in by Jan Kopecky and Petr Stary.

Furthermore, the other factory crew, Juho Hanninen and Mikko Markkula, finished fifth.

Achieving some of the best times and finishing third in Day One, including altogether six stages, only 8,4 seconds behind the runner-up and 13,3 seconds behind the leader, Jan Kopecky became one of the candidates for the overall victory right on the first day. Juho Hanninen finished fifth, 0,2 seconds behind the fourth place driver.

With 281km of stages in total, a large number of extremely fast stretches where the average speed exceeds 110 km/h and many sharp bends after long straights, the track met all expectations of those who like tough rally races. Saturday, Day 2 of the event, saw spectacular fights among the first three drivers in all remaining ten stages. Putting in a steady performance again, Kopecky came second at the end of the day, 20,4 seconds behind the winner. Getting faster and faster towards the end of the race, Juho Hanninen fought through to a great third place before the last stage, but then a tyre defect knocked him off the podium, and Hanninen eventually grabbed fifth place in the overall ranking, 3min 35s behind the winner.

Commenting on the Ypres event, Head of Skoda Motorsport Michal Hrabanek, said: “The Ypres Rally was the first all-tarmac competition we appeared at with the Fabia Super 2000 and, just like we’d presumed, it was a tough fight for every second, which is actually typical of the entire IRC series and certainly attractive from rally fans’ perspective. The final result confirms that our success at the Azores Rally was no coincidence and that we are indeed good enough to fight for the overall victory.

We haven’t made the last step, though, and we know that we still have a lot of hard work to do. The experience we have gained here will definitely help us in our development work and in preparing the car for the races to come, as well as in our customer sales programme. I wish to thank both our crews for putting in a brave performance on this difficult track and congratulate to the winning team. The next event we are going to appear at is a race in Russia (9-11 July), on tough gravel track full of bumps and enormously difficult stretches. That will surely be another challenging test for the Fabia Super 2000 and both our crews.”

Jan Kopecky: “There was no problem with our Fabia the vehicle has showed again that it is fast, reliable and competitive also on tarmac. Rally is a wonderful sport, and I want to thank the entire Skoda Motosport team for having a chance to be part of it. Another thank you goes to fans who came from the Czech Republic - their support could not go unnoticed, they were really wonderful, it’s always a great motivation. The weather was dry on both days, which was good for all of us, because the tarmac here is enormously slippery and the bends are sharp, and so it would all have been a lot tougher if it had rained.”

- CREDIT: WWW.RALLYBUZZ.COM

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Volkswagen ready Race Touareg for Rally Sertoes in Brazil!

For Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk – just like for their team-mates Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz Senra - the “Sertões” will be the first endurance test as newly formed regular pairings.

Al-Attiyah and Cruz Senra were signed by Volkswagen for the next Dakar Rally in January 2010, which will again be run through Argentina and Chile, and will make their racing debut for the Wolfsburg-based automobile brand. “Every crosscountry rally driver dreams of having the chance to compete for a factory team like Volkswagen,” says Nasser Al-Attiyah. “For me, a lot of things will be new in Brazil: a new team, a new codriver, a new rally. With my co-driver Timo Gottschalk I have already reeled off 700 kilometres of testing in Hungary. We got on well immediately. Of course we want to convert this in to a good result at the ‘Sertões’ and pay back the trust that has been placed in us.”

Carlos Sainz, as well, has a new co-driver – his countryman Lucas Cruz Senra – with whom he will share the cockpit of the Race Touareg at the “Sertões” for the first time. “Of course being able to communicate in your native tongue during the long stages is an advantage,” says Sainz, who won six stages of the last Dakar Rally and was leading the event for eight days. “Of course Lucas and I have to first spend some time getting used to each other’s ways. And another thing is clear also: Even though we’re competing together for the first time, we definitely want to win, despite the fact that Nasser Al-Attiyah and local hero Maurício Neves, who is intimately familiar with the terrain, are strong rivals within our own team.“ Featuring more than 5,000 rally kilometres, ten legs without a rest day and high outside temperatures, the Rally dos Sertões ranks among the toughest events on the crosscountry rally calendar. Crossing a total of six Brazilian provinces poses numerous challenges to the teams: In 2008, for example, as well as some 40 water crossings with a length of 150 metres high-speed gravel sections were on the agenda.

“The ‘Sertões’ differs from the Dakar Rally, even though both are having analogies and are staged on the same continent,” says Timo Gottschalk, the co-driver of the team’s newcomer Nasser Al-Attiyah. “It’ll be crucial to perfectly adjust the pace to the changing conditions without taking risks and without unnecessarily losing time.”

As early as in 2008 the Volkswagen co-drivers praised the detailed and informative roadbook provided by the “Sertões” organisers. “But exactly this detail also poses a challenge,” says Timo Gottschalk. “As a co-driver, you have to give a lot of information to the driver and, at the same time, judge whether the route you’re following is the right one, considering all the many narrow trails.”

“Sertões” 2009: the first of two rallies on the way to the 2010 Dakar Rally The Rally dos Sertões is the first of two rallies Volkswagen will contest in preparation for the 2010 Dakar Rally. In addition to the event in Brazil, the factory team’s schedule includes the Silk Way Rallye through Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan from 5 to 13 September, which is organised by “Dakar” organiser A.S.O and provides a

foretaste of the dune and sand stretches at the “Dakar”.

- TEXT AND IMAGES: VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT

Wingfield Motors Rally postponed due to wash-out by rain The Cape Peninsula Motorcycle and Car Club (CPMCC) organised Wingfield Motors Rally has been postponed to 25 July, said Robert Marle who is the Environmental Officer for this event. Officials went to look at the stages and most were under water, putting the rally on hold by just over a month.

This will give competitors who also do National Rallies a longer break between a regional and a national. There is just under a month’s break towards the Osram Rally that takes place 21 – 22 August.

Now fans will have to wait just over a month to see the next battle for the Western Cape Rally title.

- CREDIT: Erica Southey

FIA releases 2010 WRC calendar!

The date for introduction of the 1600cc turbo engine for the WRC car has been brought forward to 2011 to bring it in line with the engine used in the cars on sale to the public.

Event organisers will be given flexibility to evolve the character of their events to create a unique flavour. Rallies may be run over two, three or four days, but must finish on a Saturday or Sunday. To increase the spectacle, there will be freedom to mix asphalt and gravel surfaces either within a stage or within the itinerary of a day.

A ‘WRC Cup’ for Super 2000 cars will be introduced for 2010.

Teams must register and contest at least seven nominated rounds, including at least one outside Europe. Conditions for registration will be finalised in due course.

2010 FIA World Rally Championship Calendar: 14 Feb - Sweden 07 Mar - Mexico 04 Apr - Jordan 18 Apr - Turkey 09 May - New Zealand 30 May - Portugal 11 Jul - Bulgaria 01 Aug - Finland 22 Aug - Germany 12 Sept - Japan 03 Oct - France 24 Oct - Spain 14 Nov - Great Britain

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Ogier hopes keep momentum Citroen Junior Team driver Sebastien Ogier says he is hoping to follow his best WRC finish to date with more of the same on the upcoming round in Poland, reported www.wrc.com.

A string of poor results in the first half of this season had made Ogier’s place in the team uncertain beyond Poland, but in Greece the Frenchman answered his critics by finishing second in his C4 WRC - a result he says will allow him to approach the next few rallies ‘more serenely’.

“After the start we had to the season, we felt a bit of pressure,” he acknowledged. “We need to demonstrate now that we deserve our place in the WRC. Our second place in Greece did us a lot of favours but the battle is far from won. We have to keep going now in the same way.”

“Our objectives haven’t changed. Poland will be a different type of rally but it will be just as difficult. We are going to maintain the same strategy in order to accumulate as much experience as possible and be sure of getting to the finish. We took a lot away from Greece and our goal is to try and drive the same sort of event in Poland,” he added.

One of the least experienced drivers at WRC level (Greece was only his eighth rally in a World Rally Car) the fact that Ogier drove the Polish recce last year means he has more knowledge of the event than most of his rivals. “The route is very quick on quite gravelly roads, and I think that the surface will degrade as more competitors drive past,” he said. “It’s going to be a good rally that is quite similar to Finland but without the crests. On the whole, the scenery is much flatter. It’s not going to be an easy event but none of the rallies on the World Championship ever are.”

- CREDIT: WWW.WRC.COM

Meeke at Goodwood in his S2000 At the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed , Peugeot will display its IRC championship-leading 207 S2000 on both the Goodwood Hill and the Rally Stage with Kris Meeke behind the wheel in support of the Richard Burns Foundation.

The famous motoring festival takes place from 3 - 5 July.

Meeke at Goodwood in his S2000

place where I wanted to make a correction to my notes, and just after that I clipped the rock which sent us into a roll. I don’t know whether I took my eye off the ball for a few tenths of a second; I haven’t really got an explanation, but I don’t think I was pushing excessively hard. I have done plenty of stages before where I was far more foot to the floor than I was at that moment.”

The TV images are pretty spectacular, yet you and Daniel escaped without a scratch...

“That’s right. I didn’t even have a sore neck the following morning! That said, the impact wasn’t that big, and we didn’t roll end over end. The safety equipment did its job perfectly, too. The roll cage absorbed the energy, and my ‘eared’ bucket seats also held my head firmly in place. At the end of the day, not only is the C4 WRC competitive and reliable, but it is also extremely strong!”

Rally Poland is new to the championship. What will your approach be?

“We will only be able to do two passes in recce, so we will need to be particularly focused when making our pacenotes. All the terrains we visit in the course of the World Championship have their own specific features, so it is important to try to get a feel for the stages and their potential pitfalls. This is vital if you want to reach the finish in a strong position. The fewer corrections you need to make to your notes once the event has started, the easier it is! As usual, I will try to find the pace at which I feel the most comfortable to begin with, and then see where we stand compared with the opposition.”

Here is a a photograph of the Citroen Road Show in Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, featuring Sebastien Loeb and Dani Sordo driving their C4 WRCs to the delight of thousands of Polish fans who turned out to see them. For video footage, please visit www.rallybuzz.com!

Three questions for Sébastien Loeb ahead of Rally Poland: Referring back to your roll on the Acropolis Rally a moment, was it something you tried to put out of your mind as soon as possible, or did you attempt to understand why it occurred?

“Without being overly obsessive about it, I have tried to understand what happened. It’s only natural, because nobody wants to make the same mistake twice. We went off on a stage which we had never done competitively before. There was a

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S E R U T A FE factory Ford coming under fire again!

in t a e s ’s la a v t a L : •11 ! ! m in iu w lg e e c B a in R t s r in e s •12: Meeke wtakes eighth Toyota 1000 De ecial Vehicles Category!

•14: Nissan a takes chequered flag in Spse action!

•15: Variawo offer fresh challenges, clo •16: Polad t

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.

Latvala’s seat in factory Ford coming under fire again!

Jari-Matti Latvala is undoubtedly a highly-talented rally driver. His speed, and over-enthusiasm, has landed him in trouble over recent months, but the young Finn has continued to impress all with his sublime driving skills, WRITES EVAN ROTHMAN. After Last weekend’s WRC Rally Greece-Acropolis, in which he placed a sound third place overall, Latvala was greeted by his team boss Malcolm Wilson with a big handshake. Rumours have suggested that Latvala’s position in the factory Ford team is in doubt, but Wilson has fired back to the contrary.

A driving error on the final stage of Day One in Greece saw Latvala drop from first to 11th, and thus ruining his team’s critical strategy for Day Two and Three of the rally. Had the factory Citroens of Sebastien Loeb and Dani Sordo not run into problems of their own, it would have made a Ford victory in Greece ever more unlikely.

Latvala managed to compose himself and settle into a steady but fast rhythm for the rest of event, pulling himself up the leaderboard to finish the rally in third place overall and secure much needed points for Ford‘s manufacturers’ title hunt.

Asked by journalists after the event if Wilson had forgiven Latvala for driving off the road on Day One, Wilson said: “Yeah. I mean Jari’s Jari; he’ll always be with the team, but I do class his mistake on Friday as one of the biggest that he’s made. It completely affected our whole strategy for the rest of the rally and okay, at the end, yes it’s turned out to be a dream result for the team, but on Friday night we were looking at disaster. I certainly wasn’t happy with what happened but, you know, he was smart and put to good effect what he’s learned on Days Two and Three.”

And, asked whether Latvala had redeemed himself by Sunday? “A little bit, yes,” replied Wilson.

After the rally last weekend, Latvala was reported to have stated that if he couldn’t become the support driver his team wanted, then he would throw in the towel. “If I can’t be, then I can stop,” said Latvala. “I can become and I will become. Friday evening, when I saw how quick Sordo is coming, I made a wrong decision. I thought I needed more gap. It felt perfect on that stage [six]. ‘Thiva’ hasn’t been so good in the history for me. It was a big disappointment, but once again, I have learned something new.”

A new approach to his driving saved his job: “When I do clever driving, I don’t care about anybody else. I just needed to save my tyres and save my car - these tactics really worked well.”

With teams having to keep costs lower and lower, a driver with a habit of driving off the road or crashing heavily all-too-often, it seems as if Latvala’s contract may not be renewed with the factory Ford team for 2010... It would be a terrible loss to rallying!

HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS will bring more information on this unravelling saga...

IMAGES: BP Ford Media

Meeke wins in Belgium!

Peugeot UK driver Kris Meeke has won his third consecutive Intercontinental Rally Championship event by claiming victory on his first participation in the Belgium Ypres Rally, round five of the IRC series.

The momentous win has promoted Meeke to a six-point lead in the standings over Peugeot Belgium driver Freddy Loix: the winner of the Belgium Ypres Rally last year.

Meeke and Loix were involved in a battle for the lead from the very beginning of the rally, trading fastest stage times. Over the course of the 16-stage event, Meeke won eight stages while Loix won seven. Meeke edged ahead after SS12, but Loix - a five-time winner of the Belgium Ypres Rally - claimed to have more speed in reserve. His challenge evaporated on the following stage though, when the Belgian picked up a puncture that dropped him to fourth place. He refused to give up and eventually finished third, maintaining second place in the championship.

The only other person to challenge the two leaders was Skoda driver Jan Kopecky, who was in the top three from the very first day. The only problem that the Czech encountered was a motorcyclist who rode into him on a road section before SS10, but fortunately there were no serious consequences. Following Loix’s puncture Kopecky moved up into second place, where he remained to the finish in order to graduate to third place

overall in the championship standings.

Kopecky’s team mate Juho Hanninen was third up until the final stage, where he too punctured a tyre and dropped down to fifth.

Nonetheless, the popular Finn scores his first points of the year. Hanninen’s misfortune benefitted local driver Pieter Tsjoen, who claimed fourth at the finish in a privately-run Peugeot 207 S2000.

The battle for sixth resulted in one of the closest finishes in the history of the IRC. Luxembourg driver Gilles Schammel, driving a Peugeot 207 S2000, finished just 0,1 seconds ahead of Dutchman Jasper van den Heuvel, at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer.

The final point was claimed by Abarth’s Giandomenico Basso, who lost fourth place on the very final stage after picking up a puncture on the same rock that caused a problem for Hanninen.

Basso’s Abarth team mate Bernd Casier eventually finished 13th after being delayed by a gearbox problem and punctures: a constant risk on the challenging Belgian asphalt.

This notoriously tricky event, which is renowned in the world of international rallying, claimed some high-profile victims: most notably Francois Duval, making a guest appearance in a privateer Skoda Fabia S2000. The Belgian’s rally lasted just a few hundred metres before he skated off the road on SS1.

Nicolas Vouilloz, the reigning IRC champion, also endured a difficult opening stage on Thursday: he went wide on a corner and heavily damaged the front of his Peugeot 207 S2000.

The Frenchman was attempting to make his way back up the leaderboard on the second day when he got stuck behind the similar car of Michal Solowow, which had been slowed by a puncture, and went off whilst trying to get past it.

The IRC 2WD Cup was won by Dutchman Marcel Piepers, driving a Honda Civic Type R. Piepers stamped his authority over the event, but second place for Frenchman Denis Millet was enough to give the Frenchman the joint lead of the IRC 2WD Cup standings.

Another Honda, driven by Martijn Braat, was third usefully boosting the Japanese manufacturer’s haul in the IRC 2WD Cup constructors’ standings.

By contrast to the flat-out asphalt roads of Belgium, the IRC moves next to the gravel stages of Rally Russia.

The Russian event, now in its third year of participation in the IRC, is based as always in the city of Vyborg, not far from the Finnish border.

Unsurprisingly, the roads have quite a lot in common with those that feature on the legendary Rally Finland, rewarding bravery and commitment above all else.

The Rally Russia takes place from 09 - 11 July, with a ceremonial start in the beautiful city of St Petersburg.

FINAL IRC Ypres Rally CLASSIFICATION: 01) Meeke/Nagle (Peugeot 207 S2000) - 2h 32m 16,3s 02) Kopecky/Stary (Skoda Fabia S2000) + 20,4s 03) Loix/Smeets (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 1m 40,5s 04) Tsjoen/Chevaillier (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 2m 35,3s 05) Hanninen/Markkula (Skoda Fabia S2000) + 3m 35,1s 06) Schammel/Jamoul (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 4m 06,4s 07) Van den Heuvel/Kolman (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) + 4m 06,5s 08) Basso/Dotta (Abarth Grande Punto S2000) + 4m 24,9s 09) Betti/Capolongo (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 5m 48,3s 10) Fontana/Cassina (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 6m 24,5s *IRC 2WD Cup Winner: Piepers/de Wild (Honda Civic Type R R3)

- TEXT AND IMAGES: WWW.IRCSERIES.COM

Nissan take eighth Toyota 1000 Desert Race win!

Reigning South African champion Duncan Vos and Ralph Pitchford produced a new faultless display to give Nissan their eighth Toyota 1000 Desert Race victory in a row this past weekend.

Vos and Pitchford, in the factory Donaldson Nissan Navara, led by 33min at the end of day one and finally finished just more than 40min ahead of Anthony Taylor and Robin Houghton in the factory Castrol Toyota Hilux. Taylor and Houghton threw in the towel at the final designated service point after picking up a gearbox problem.

The Toyota pair decided not to risk heroics and opted to settle for a solid second place after losing wads of time on day one stuck in two mud holes. And while the overall win again eluded Toyota, there was compensation by way of taking the Manufacturers Award, having four cars in the first five and winning Classes D and E for the fourth time in a row.

After a dodgy prologue that saw them start 13th in the Production Vehicle category and 28th overall, Vos and Pitchford never put a wheel wrong. They even managed to avoid the last lap drama that so often snatches defeat from the jaws of victory on this race.

“There was no pressure and it was probably the easiest day Ralph and I will ever have on a Desert Race,” said Vos. “The car was perfect, Ralph was as good as ever and apart from the prologue it was the perfect weekend.”

A tight route and unexpectedly high levels of water took a

heavy toll on the Production Car field. Only 11 of the original 28 starters made it to the finish with high profile casualties including former winner Hannes Grobler and Juan Mohr in another Donaldson Nissan Navara.

A terrific performance from Pretoria student Christiaan du Plooy and Henk Jansen van Vuuren, in the RFS Toyota Hilux, saw them score their first ever national podium finish. The youngsters brought the car home almost without a scratch in what is their first season in the premier SP Class.

Fourth place went to Gary Bertholdt and Danie Stassen, in the Atlas Copco Toyota Hilux, who were also victims of day one mud holes. The consistent Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst, in a second RFS Toyota Hilux, rounded out the top five despite an encounter with a tree on day one.

Ivar Tollefsen/Quin Evans (Donaldson Nissan Navara), Hugo and Jaap de Bruyn (Micaren Toyota Hilux) and Terence Marsh/ Pieter Groenewald (Regent Nissan Navara) completed the SP Class finishers. Tollefsen and Evans hit a rock on day one and all three crews endured tough weekends.

A gutsy sixth overall took Pikkie Labuschagne and Rikus Erasmus, in the 4x4 Megaworld Toyota Hilux, into sixth place and gave them the win in Class E. They came in ahead of reigning champions Jannie Visser and Joks Le Roux, in another RFS Toyota Hilux, with the pair the only Class E finishers.

Limpopo crew Johan and Werner Horn, in the Malelane Toyota Land Cruiser, were the only finishers in Class D. Casualties included Cliff and Louis Weichelt (N1 4x4 Toyota Hilux D4D) who won the three previous events.

- TEXT: WWW.SAOFFROADRACING.CO.ZA; IMAGES: MOTORPICS

Variawa takes chequered flag in Special Vehicles Category race Shameer Variawa and Siegfried Rousseau were given a Father’s Day present when they won the Special Vehicle category at the Toyota 1000 Desert Race, round four of the Absa Off Road Championship.

For Variawa and Rousseau, in the Total Motorsport Porter, it was their second successive victory on what was round four of this year’s Absa Off Road Championship. It was only on the final lap of a race that saw only eight of the original 28 starters make it to the finish, that Variawa and Rousseau nosed ahead of Evan Hutchison and Achim Bergmann in the Motorite Revo1 4x4.

The pair fought out a wonderful last day battle with former South African champions Hutchison and Bergmann looking for their fourth win in a row this season. Only seconds separated the two cars at the final designated service point, and a puncture for the Motorite pair 150 kilometres into the final lap was eventually the decider.

“It was a great fight and that was probably the toughest Desert Race that I have ever done,” said Variawa who battled all weekend with flu. “The final lap was very technical and we did not think we could stay with the Motorite car.

“The puncture clinched it for us but it was tough on Evan and Achim.”

The final podium place went to former winners Nick and Ryan Harper, in the Atlas Copco BAT, who battled with a clutch problem.

They eventually edged out the steady Mike Whitehouse and Matthew Carlson in the Regent Racing BAT who came up with another steady performance.

Local hero Atang Makgekgenene, in a Porter, and a former SA champion and Desert Race winner, rounded out the top five.

Makgekgenene was partnered by Zimbabwe rally navigator Philip Archenoul who was competing in his first ever off road race.

“It is not for the faint of heart,” said Archenoul, “but I enjoyed it.

I would like to do more races with Atang but I have African Rally Championship commitments and we’ll see what happens.”

A fine performance saw brothers David and Gary White finish sixth overall in the Ruwacon BAT and take Class P where they were the only finishers. Among the casualties were current champions Johan and Etienne Bezuidenhout (Adenco BAT), KwaZulu-Natal crew Don Thompson and James Watson (Zarco Lite) and Johan van Staden and James Rossouw in the KEC BAT. There was also an impressive performance from Cape Town crew Derick du Toit and Ian Pienaar, in the Orange Tree BAT, who took the Class B honours .It was their first national championship win.

High profile casualties over the weekend included prologue winners Colin Matthews and Alan Smith, in the Century Racing BAT, and team-mates Mark Corbett and Rudi Balzer (Century Racing CR1) with both cars falling by the wayside on day one. Herman and Wichard Sullwald (Sullwald Racing Zarco) were also casualties with the unfortunate pair ending up spending the night in the bush.

“The locals were very friendly,” said Wichard. “We built a big fire next to the car but it was very cold.

Reigning SA champions Kallie and Quinton Sullwald (Sullwald Racing BAT) were day two casualties along with Jimmy Zahos and Stephan Coetzee (Mountain Dew BAT) who started the day in second place.

- TEXT: WWW.SAOFFROADRACING.CO.ZA; IMAGES: MOTORPICS

Poland to offer fresh challenges, close action!

Back-to-back victories for the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team has renewed their enthusiasm for the remaining WRC events, WRITES EVAN ROTHMAN. A close title fight is brewing, with Mikko Hirvonen drawing ever-nearer to Sebastien Loeb, while Ford has regained lost ground to Citroen too. World rallying is anything but predictable: think back four events and you’ll remember that the sport’s insiders were wondering whether Loeb could win ALL WRC rallies this year. And, now the Citroen team are in need of a strong result this weekend in order to re-affirm their positions atop the leaderboard.

for the recce because on fast roads it’s vital we know their exact position otherwise the pace notes can be too slow or too fast, and that risks either losing time or making a mistake.

After Greece, I’m back in the championship fight and the next two events, in Poland and Finland, are on fast gravel roads which should suit me,” said Hirvonen.

After a dismal performance in Greece, and a bad luck-riddled WRC Rally Sardinia/Italy, both the Citroen Total World Rally Team and its best-placed crew Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena will start this weekend’s event at the top of both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships. Eager to re-assert his hold on the trophies, Loeb will be looking to bring his Citroen C4 WRC across the finish line in first place come Sunday afternoon.

Similarly, Dani Sordo and Marc Marti will also be out to capitalise on their progress to score a podium finish.

The WRC Rally Poland is the first of two all-new events on the WRC calendar for 2009, and is expected to dish up a highly entertaining spectacle. Although new to the WRC calendar, Rally Poland is actually the second oldest rally in the world (only just pipped by Rally Monte Carlo). It makes a welcome return since its last appearance in 1973 when it formed the inaugural round of the first World Rally Championship for Manufacturers that year. It consisted of a whopping 55 Special Stages and totalled 750 competitive kilometres!

“It’s a bit like Finland, but narrower, and with fewer jumps,” said Sordo. “The surface is softer, too, with a high number of sandy portions. I like sandy conditions and I think it has the makings of being a great event.”

A gravel surface event, WRC Rally Poland will be held in the hilly Mazurian Lake District in the north-east corner of the country. Its central location means that stages will be swamped with enthusiastic rally fans from all over Europe.

“That obviously puts additional pressure on our shoulders,” continued Loeb. “Our season got off to a flying start, but the last two rallies haven’t gone quite so well. It would be a pity to throw everything away.”

Mikolajki, a tourist city known as the Mazurian Pearl, hosts the rally for the third year. The rally action begins on tonight with a SuperSpecial Stage in Mikolajki, next to the service park, a repeat of which also closes the event on Sunday afternoon. All three days are based north-east of the town, but liaison distances are short and more than 34 percent of the 1024,38km total route is competitive. Drivers tackle 18 stages covering 352km.

Interesting to note, is that the windscreen sunstrips of the two Citroen Total factory C4 WRCs that will contest Rally Poland will feature two Chinese characters which quite simply translate as ‘C4’ and which are intended to highlight the model’s outstanding results on the Chinese market.

The Special Stages are a mix of forest and open countryside and to keep speeds in check organisers will position hay bales at obvious cuts in corners, affecting the natural flow of the tests and rewarding neat and precise driving. The tracks weave through picturesque green countryside that many have likened to Finland, and while the surface is generally sandy with plenty of loose gravel on top, many roads are harder after extensive improvement programmes.

Hirvonen has watched a DVD of the stages issued by organisers to help competitors understand the nature of the roads ahead of the recce. “The stages look really fast and very similar to Finland, but without as many crests as we have at home,” said Hirvonen. “They are medium width and soft in places so they may cut up during the second pass. There has been a lot of rain in that area recently and the forecast for the rally suggests showers, so the sandy surface could turn very muddy if that is the case. I know that I make good pace notes for new stages and it’s crucial to get them right to have a chance of winning. The bales must be in exactly the right place

“I hope the atmosphere will be as electric as it was in Buenos Aires a few weeks back!” said Loeb. “During testing, I got a chance to drive the C4 WRC in both dry and wet conditions.

The stages are quite fast and not too rough, so they should be interesting. I think we should enjoy ourselves. “

Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt (who finished fifth in Greece) will be looking for another strong finish, as well as their other Citroen Junior Rally Team crews. Evgeny Novikov/ Dale Moscatt and Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassi (who finished second overall in Greece) will be aiming once more to score invaluable points for their team. “Our objectives haven’t changed,” said Ogier. “Poland will be a different type of rally but it will be just as difficult. We are going to maintain the same strategy in order to accumulate as much experience as possible and be sure of getting to the finish. We took a lot away from Greece and our goal is to try and drive the same sort of event in Poland.”

Five other Focus RS WRCs will start. Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud and Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin are nominated by the Stobart VK M-Sport squad, which has also entered Krzysztof Holowczyc/Lukasz Kurzeja in their home rally. Dutch crews Dennis Kuipers/Kees Hagman and Rene Kuipers/Erwin Berkhof will drive privately-entered 2006-specification cars.

With this event closely resembling Finland, it is rallying enthusiasts the world over who will be treated to a feast of action this weekend; enjoy the WRC Rally Poland!