s e k a r b d Han &Hairpins
09 Edition 90 July 20
ld of rallying
he wor your insight into t
Cover
Pastrana and Block dominate in USA!
inside this week:
News
Zambia Rally update
Features
Pikes Peak Hill Climb REVIEW
Welcome to HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS
04 08 10 12 13 14
The world’s latest rally news
Pikes Peak Hill Climb: Tajima wins in Monster Suzuki
New England Forest Rally: Pastrana wins in style
Volkswagen Rally: Class A7 battles Production Class Champions: Wilken and Godrich crowned Sun City 400: PREVIEW
DIARY
Welcome to issue number 90 of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, your FREE weekly insight into the world of rallying! This week marks another Rally America event, the New England Forest Rally, and another Travis Pastrana and Ken Block one-two finish! These two Subaru Impreza drivers have shown their rivals a clean pair of heels thus far in the season, and will be a force to be reckoned with at the X Games events later this year. The Sun City 400, which takes place this weekend, will produce thrilling racing action for the thousands of expected spectators: an epic Toyota versus Nissan battle is in the offing! Will the Motorite Revo1 claim another win in its debut off-road racing career? As always, I hope you enjoy this week’s exciting edition! Yours in Rallying, Evan Rothman
JULY EVENTS International Rallies: 29 Jul - 02 Aug: WRC Rally Finland South African Rallies: 24 - 25: Sun City 400 25 - 26: Prisma Comms Special Stage Rally
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Idaho Rally 2009’s historic win: twowheel drive car wins event overall! This year’s Idaho Rally saw an exciting field of 38 cars enter to challenge each other over the two days of rallying on tricky gravel roads, WRITES EVAN ROTHMAN. It has been reported that the Idaho Rally, a round of the California Rally Series and United States Rally Championship, was regarded as one of the best events of the season. After two days of hard-fought competition in Idaho’s Banana Belt region, it was Luchlin O-Sullivan and Karen Wagner who claimed the winners’ trophies. Battling with Keith Jackson/ Marra Estep and Paul Eklund/Jeff Price, the winning crew kept the chasers behind them in a fine display of rally skills, to record an historic win on a National Rally in a two-wheel drive car.
the nature of this game,” said Matovu. “Despite our problems Emmanuel and I were lying sixth overall before we crashed out, so it shows that we are on the pace, we just need a little help from Lady Luck. Our championship is over, but we’ll be back again next year for sure.” Although Katto and Matovu are now out of contention for the title they will head to Zimbabwe for the final round of the 2009 FIA African Rally Championship in early August, but before then Matovu will be back in action for the next round of the Kenyan National Rally Championship. - Credit: emkarally.com
Colin McRae: DiRT 2 game out soon!
With a technical SS1, the 38 competitors had to cautiously neogiate the 27,2-km long opening stage. Considered to be one of the most technical stages in North America, a number of experienced crews fell victim to its challenge. By the end of Day One, a total of 10 crews were sidelined due to mechanical problems or crashes. Day Two’s rally route changed from slow and technical to fast and tricky... The rally organisers were forced to build a jump into the road to slow the competitors, but this became a great spectacle for the spectators. Barrett Dash claimed the “Longest Jump”, but had to give up “Most Spectacular Jump” to Bill Holmes who nailed it at over 160km/h just to end up skidding down the road on his car’s nose. The four participating Championships United States Rally Championship – California Rally Series – Max Attack and Pacific North West Rally Championship made for a great team variety.
Katto and Matovu slide out of Zambia International Rally Ugandan rallying hero’s Emmanuel Katto and Moses Matovu struggled on the recent Zambian International Rally, Round 5 of the FIA African Rally Championship, when a series of minor problems hampered their early pace before the pair eventually slid off into a tree and were unable to continue. Matovu had never competed on the rally before, but with his pilot, Katto, having been competitive every time he had been to Zambia, the pair had high hopes of a good run. However, a damaged gearbox eventually left the Tommi Makinen Racing prepared Subaru Impreza N14 stuck in gear, resulting in the pair sliding off into the trees. Although neither Katto nor Matovu were injured, their rally was over. “It is always frustrating to end a rally early, but that is just
The dates for the DiRTiest drive of the year were confirmed today as Codemasters announced that Coling McRae: DiRT 2, the next chapter in the legendary racing game series, will be shipping on 8 September in North America and release on 10 September across EPAC territories with a UK street date of 11 September. South Africa is to follow shortly thereafter. Developed by Codemasters Studios, creators of the BAFTA Award-winning Race Driver GRID and powered by the thirdgeneration of the award-winning EGO Engine, Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will be published for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP (PlayStation Portable) system. A Games For Windows LIVE edition will follow with support for DirectX 11. Colin McRae: DiRT 2 is set to take racing games to a new level with thrilling new race types, striking locations, big event atmosphere and a peerless line-up of super-charged speed machines, each selected to deliver spectacular, fast paced racing.
THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF RALLYING
Featuring European rally championships, British rally championships, Rally America events, international rally results and videos, as well as S2000 and WRC news.
www.rallybuzz.com
nor with Peugeot-Citroen.” Todt won the world rally championship, the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race and Paris-Dakar as head of Peugeot motorsport. He was also CEO of Ferrari and has been involved in road safety and environmental campaigns for the FIA. - Credit: Reuters and rallybuzz.com
Raikkonen rally rumours still abound Kimi Raikkonen’s Finnish agent as well as Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali have fended off the latest round of rumours regarding the 2007 world champion, according to www.rallybuzz.com.
Taking players on an exhilarating World Tour, Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will deliver over 100 stunning events, including aggressive, multi-vehicle races and intense solo challenges, set in the most diverse and demanding real-world environments. From the muddy tracks of the Malaysian rainforest to spectator-packed stadiums in London and Los Angeles, racers will compete in contemporary off-road race disciplines covering Rallycross, Trailblazer, Raid, Landrush, and Rally. Embracing the culture and new heroes of modern off-road racing, Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will feature an exciting line-up of the best new rally drivers - including the multi medal-winning Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block alongside Travis Pastrana, Dave Mirra and Tanner Faust who help players build their racing career. Complete with full head-to-head competitive online play, get ready for the ultimate off-road competition when Colin McRae: DiRT 2 launches. For the latest news and videos, powerslide over to www.dirt2game.com.
Jean Todt to stand for FIA president Former Ferrari boss Jean Todt threw his hat into the ring last Thursday to succeed Max Mosley as president of motor sport’s world governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA). Todt’s decision to stand came a day after Mosley, who survived calls for his resignation over a sado-masochistic sex scandal last year, had named the Frenchman as the ideal person to replace him. The election is due on 23 October, with Finland’s 1981 world rally champion Ari Vatanen the only other declared candidate. “Following the decision of Max Mosley not to seek a further term of office and his unequivocal support of my candidacy, I have written to the FIA membership to inform them that I wish to stand for the Presidency of the FIA,” said Todt in a statement. “It is my intention to continue and expand the outstanding work of President Mosley,” he added. Todt, who presided over a golden era at Ferrari with Michael Schumacher winning five titles in a row from 2000 to 2004, also named his leadership team.
It has been increasingly reported that the 29-year-old driver, who is shaping up to make his World Rally debut later this month in the WRC Rally Finland, intends to quit Formula One in order to switch codes full-time from 2010. But Riku Kuvaja, who is the Ferrari driver’s agent and media spokesman in Finland, told the Iltalehi daily: “The contract is valid and we will adhere to it.” In another Finnish newspaper, Turun Sanomat, Domenicali was also asked about the rumours linking Raikkonen with a team exit, and Fernando Alonso to the seat. “There is nothing new,” the Italian insisted. “Surely everyone remembers last season, when the rumours were the same.” “Believe the team and the facts, not rumours,” Domenicali added, when asked why it is so strongly believed in the paddock that Fernando Alonso is set to replace Raikkonen. - Credit: GMM and rallybuzz.com
WRC ideal for American HD Theater The World Rally Championship is set to be beamed into millions of American homes following a deal between the WRC’s promoter, ISC, and the Discovery channel, according to www.wrc.com. The WRC is set to be televised weekly from October on the Discovery Channel’s HD Theater network and will include rally roundup shows from each round plus special news and features programmes. ISC CEO, Simon Long, said: “This is tremendous news for the championship and our fans in the United States.” - Crdit: wrc.com and rallybuzz.com
Colin McRae Memorial Exhibition Plans for an exhibition in Glasgow celebrating the life and achievements of former world rally champion Colin McRae, who died in a helicopter crash two years ago, have been announced, reported www.rallybuzz.com. The display at the Riverside Museum will include the famous Subaru Impreza car in which McRae became Britain’s first world rally champion in 1995. The car will form the centrepiece of the exhibition at the Riverside Museum which is being built on the banks of the River Clyde, near the SECC, and is due to open its doors in summer 2011.
The two vice-presidential candidates were New Zealander Brian Gibbons and Britain’s Graham Stoker while American Nick Craw was proposed for president of the FIA Senate.
Jimmy McRae said: “We hope that the display will inspire a new generation of drivers and also capture a little of the excitement and flair that Colin brought to the sport. The popularity Colin had, I think, will bring a few more people through the doors of the museum.”
Todt will be seen as the favourite for the job, given his reputation and existing roles within the FIA, although he is unlikely to go down well with Formula One teams still threatening a breakaway series.
The Subaru is the first of a number of loans from McRae Motorsports to the exhibition which will be regularly updated and changed.
“I must emphasise he would not in any way be a motor industry candidate,” Mosley said on Wednesday. “He would have no special relationship with his former company, Ferrari,
See video clip about the Colin McRae exhibition here: http:// video.stv.tv/bc/stv-news-090715-c2-car/ - Credit: rallybuzz.com
Gronholm to enter special rallysprint
been perfect.”
Former double World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm will take part in a special rallysprint competition in Jyvaskyla during the forthcoming Neste Oil Rally Finland. The Saturday sprint takes place on the same 2km Killeri track, which hosts the WRC event’s SuperSpecial Stage, reported www.rallybuzz.com.
Perez, taking his first win in the series this season despite picking up a 20 second penalty due to a late exit from the first service, said: “We really pushed in the last four stages, it was the drive of my life, we went hard and fast. It’s fantastic to win at Swansea as it’s more Marcus’ and Roger’s (Duckworth) territory so I was an outsider.”
Driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, Gronholm will face opposition from some 50 competitors, mostly specialists of the rallysprint discipline, including four-time Finnish champion Tomi Hallia, who makes a come-back just to be able to challenge the rally superstar. The entries are divided into separate categories for 4-wheel-drive and 2-wheel-drive cars.
There was an exchange from the top spot throughout the event. Perez took the lead from the start and held it until stage three when the penalty slipped him down the order to third as Duckworth took charge from Dodd.
As in the rally Superspecial Stage, two cars will run on adjacent lanes in each heat. All competitors first participate in qualifying runs against the clock. The fastest eight from each category then proceed into elimination run-offs, with the winners eventually pitched in a duel in the finals. - Credit: rallybuzz.com
R.I.P. Flavio Gugelmini Swiss driver Brian Lavio (Peugeot 207 S2000) suffered a severe crash on SS7 “Sestrimo” of Rally Bulgaria in which his Italian co-driver Flavio Gugelmini died at the scene. The stage was stopped immediately and the rally has since been cancelled by the event organisers.
A gearbox problem for Duckworth on stage four meant that Dodd then headed the leaderboard. He held onto it until stage eight with just 1.9 seconds separating him from Perez but a final push by the former champion saw him finish with the victory. Duckworth and co-driver Mark Broomfield were third in their Subaru Impreza WRC whilst Irishmen Daniel Barry and Martin Brady took third in the Pirelli MSA Gravel Championship and with their fourth position the overall honours in the Production Cup and the Mitsubishi Evo Challenge in their Mitsubishi Evo. Icelandic driver Daniel Sigurdarson and co-driver Andrew Sankey took fifth overall in their Mitsubishi Evo X and 18 points in the series followed by the Ford Focus WRC of John Lloyd and Pauline Gullick.
The crash is reported to have happened on a new section of the stage.
Wug Utting and Bob Stokoe were seventh after a trouble-free run in their Subaru Impreza followed by Harry Dodd and Alan Cook and Peter Egerton and Jamie Edwards.
Lavio was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. He was said to be in stable condition, with bruising of the thorax and abdomen, also an injured collar bone and knee. Lavio will be transferred to Sofia’s Pirogov emergency hospital for tests, Police investigators from Pazardzhik have arrived at the scene of the accident and pre-trial proceedings have been formally opened.
Trevor Martin and Ray Cleghorn rounded-up the top ten and took sixth in the championship in their Subaru Impreza. The Mintex Two-Wheel Drive Challenge was won by Trevor Baynham and Anthony Bailey in their Mk2 Ford Escort followed by Nathan O’Connor and Jessica Rogan in their Citroen C2 R2.
Giandomenico Basso had been leading the rally until the tragic accident. - Credit: www.rally-erc.com
Irish Swansea Bay Rally won by Dodd Marcus Dodd and Andrew Bargery wrapped-up this year’s Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship title as they finished second overall in this past weekend’s Swansea Bay National Rally to take the honours for the fifth time. The event was won by Steve Perez and Paul Spooner in their Ford Focus WRC as they finished 8.6 seconds ahead of the Hyundai Accent WRC of Dodd and Bargery, who had lost around 30 seconds on the opening stage with a turbo problem. Dodd, who has now won the championship three years in a row, said: “It has been great and brilliant to win. It is just a shame we didn’t win the event but it’s good to win the championship here. We backed off a bit and took it steady because we knew we only needed second place. We have won three events this year and finished second in two, it’s nearly
There were two retirements. First to drop out was Nik Elsmore and Craig Drew in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 after the gearbox broke in stage two. Alan Cookson and Julian Wilkinson bowed out with an engine problem ahead of stage five in their Subaru Impreza WRC. The Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship returns for round seven on the Woodpecker Rally on Saturday 4 September. - Credit: gravelrally.co.uk and rallybuzz.com
Meeke expected Skodas to win Kris Meeke has said he fully expected Skoda to dominate the sixth round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in Russia earlier this month and insists he can’t afford to drop any more points as a result. Despite not including the gravel event in his schedule, 30year-old Meeke continues to lead the IRC drivers’ standings by a single point from Jan Kopecky, who finished second to his Skdoa team-mate Juho Hanninen on the Vyborg-based rally. “We saw on the opening event of the season just how strong
the Skoda was,” said Meeke. “We also saw on the Azores Rally how good the car was on gravel. Russia was also like a home rally for Hanninen and he showed the pace he could produce when he won in Russia last year.” Peugeot UK driver Meeke said Skoda’s victory was a boost to the IRC, which has been dominated by the French manufacturer so far this season. “From my point of view I’m delighted they won it. They’ve put a lot of effort in so it’s good they’ve been rewarded. Trying to beat them on the next rally they do will also give me another challenge to aim at.” With Skoda missing the next round of the IRC in Madeira, Meeke conceded that it was vital he took full advantage of the Czech firm’s absence. “Skoda winning just shows how close this championship is. There’s no way I can afford any more zero scores.” - Credit: ircseries.com
within the IRC’s innovative approach to the organisation and presentation of rallying as a sport. “The Sibiu Rally is an impressive event, with dedicated and enthusiastic organisers, competitors and volunteers,” said Xavier Gregory, IRC General Coordinator. “We believe there is a very close fit between our series and this event, and we welcome them to the IRC Supporter Event scheme.” The 2009 Sibiu Rally is the ninth running of this event, featuring a total of 45 crews from Romania, Finland and Hungary. Among the leading entries is last year’s IRC Rally China winner, Jarkko Miettinen, giving the local talent a run for its money and giving the Sibiu Rally an experience of IRCwinning talent. - Credit: ircseries.com
Proton to run second car in IRC Wittmann praises co-driver and team Franz Wittmann Jr has praised his co-driver Bernhard Ettel and his Stohl Racing team for helping him to equal his best result in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge so far at the wheel of his Interwetten Racing Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. The 25-year-old from Austria was the best non-Super 2000 finisher in sixth overall in the IRC standings on Rally Russia on 9 -11 July. The result puts him tenth in the drivers’ championship. “Foremost, I’d like to thank my co-driver Bernhard Ettel who didn’t make a single mistake during this fast rally and thereby highly contributed to our success,” said Wittmann Jr. “My further thanks go to the team of Stohl Racing who provided me with a perfect and very stable car. We didn’t have the slightest problems despite the high demands of the rally. Throughout the event we only encountered three punctures that cost us some time. “To me, it was important to learn and get to know the stages in order to raise my chances for next year with improved pacenotes.” Wittmann Jr won’t be competing on the next round of the IRC, Rali Vinho Madeira, but will return to the series on Barum Rally Zlin in Czech Republic on 21 - 23 August. Sibiu Rally becomes IRC Supporter Event from January 2010 Romania’s biggest rally event, the Sibiu Rally, was today announced as the latest of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge Supporter Events from 2010. The IRC Supporter Event scheme allows selected national events to benefit from the prestige of being associated with the IRC, from the strengths of the IRC brand, and to promote themselves internationally through ondemand video highlights available on the IRC website, www.ircseries.com. “Today’s announcement marks a great opportunity for the Sibiu Rally to make its name in Europe the wider motor sport world. The partnership with IRC is also a big opportunity to promote the tourism in city of Sibiu,” said Berti Panaiot, the Sibiu Rally PR and Marketing Manager. “It is a first step towards out goal of one day joining the IRC calendar, and to learn from and work alongside our colleagues from this fantastic global series.” The Sibiu Rally is a demanding gravel event in the Paltinis region of Romania, and also features a dramatic Superspecial stage on which competitors are able to compete side-by-side in a natural amphitheatre to huge crowds. Hosting the event is the vibrant city of Sibiu, which was European Capital of Culture in 2007. According to legend it was to Sibiu that the children led away by the Pied Piper of Hamelyn finally arrived, explaining the city’s large German population. Sibiu not only plays host to the rally, but draws in enormous numbers of visitors each year for who visit its landmarks, museums and cultural events. As such it sits perfectly
Proton will expand its line-up to a two-car team in time for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge’s visit to Czech Republic from 21 - 23 August, team principal Chris Mellors has confirmed. The Malaysian manufacturer made its IRC debut on the Belgium Ypres Rally last month, fielding a single entry for the British driver Guy Wilks. On Rally Russia recently, the team took its first IRC points when Wilks finished an impressive fourth on the gravel event. Now Mellors has revealed that the construction of a second Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 will be completed in time for next month’s Barum Rally Zlin, although he is keeping the details of his new signing under wraps. “We will have a second car for the Barum Rally but I am not able to say who will be driving it,” Mellors said. Meanwhile, Mellors explained that preparations were already underway for the next round of the IRC, Rali Vinho Madeira, from July 30-August 1. “The car returned to the UK on Thursday (July 16) and we will leave with the car for Madeira on Tuesday (July 21). In that time we will carry out a full rebuild and convert the car to Tarmac specification. We plan to test when we get to Madeira.” - Credit: ircseries.com
Skoda boss pleased with IRC drivers Skoda Motorsport boss Michal Hrabanek belives his decision to sign Juho Hanninen and Jan Kopecky to lead his team’s assault on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge has been vindicated after their one-two finish on Rally Russia recently. The success marked the first triumph in the IRC for Skoda’s Fabia Super 2000 model, which only made its competition debut on the Monte Carlo Rally in January. Kopecky moved to within one point of Kris Meeke at the top of the drivers’ standings while Skoda is now two points clear of Ralliart in the manufacturers’ championship. “I take my hat off to both our crews, selecting them for our team was a good decision,” said Hrabanek. “We have known Jan Kopecky for a long time, he puts in stable performances and has improved a great deal. Juho Hanninen showed already in Monte Carlo this year that he could be pretty fast, too, and I am really glad that he’s shown now how good he really is. We have done a great job of promoting the Skoda brand, and I daresay that this has not been our last achievement.” Skoda is set to return to the IRC on Barum Rally Zlin, its home event, on 21 - 23 August. “This victory is a great impulse for further work and we are not going to rest on our laurels,” Hrabanek continued. “I believe that this milestone will boost the whole project and attract potential buyers of the Fabia Super 2000. The next event takes place in Zlin, where we will logically be under pressure but we will all look forward to it.” - Credit: ircseries.com
S E R U T A FE a wins Pikes Peak Hill Climb in grand style
•10: NobuhirnoaTwajiinms New England ForestsRAall7ywin •12: Pastra on/Coetzee claim first Clas ned Gp N Champions •14: Hutchis ilken and Greg Godrich crowun City 400 •15: Charl Wing off-road action set for S •16: Nail-bit
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.
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Nobuhiro Tajima wins Pikes Peak Hill Climb in grand style
Sunny weather and clear skies welcomed motorsport enthusiasts to Colorado for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this past weekend. The 87th edition of this iconic event, racing and rally drivers took to the 156-turn, 27kmlong course in an attempt to beat the 10min time barrier. Nobuhiro Tajima won the 2009 Pikes Peak
International Hill Climb driving his Monster Motorsport Suzuki SX4 for the fourth time in a row, but was unable to beat the tenmin barrier again. His win was sublime: he crossed the finish line in a time of 10min 15,386sec to beat his nearest rival Paul Dallenbach (Chevy) by over 30sec, WRITES EVAN ROTHMAN.
Not the weather to blame, Tajima cited too much loose gravel on the dirt sections as his reason for not being able to sneak home in under 10min. Later in the day, however, thunder and lightning (with short downpours) caused some delays and left the asphalt sections slippery and tricky to master. Former double World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm also participated in this famous hill climb in an Olsberg Motor Sport Evolution Ford Fiesta (Unlimited Class), and was partnered by Andreas Eriksson in similar car. Gronholm finished the event with the fifth fastest time (and second in the Unlimited Class), and was awarded as “Pikes Peak Rookie of the Year” as he posted a run of 11min 28,963sec. Gronholm had to fight not only against the high altitude and diverse road and weather conditions, but had to contend with problems with his 800hp Fiesta’s turbocharger on the last kilometres of the course. “I always wanted to compete at Pikes Peak,” said Gronholm. “Having been here the last week I have to admit that it is one of the most challenging events I have ever done in my career. The handling of the Fiesta is absolutely fantastic, and the BFGoodrich tires were great. Unfortunately we had a few small problems today. I lost some power during the last few kilometers, but I was determined to finish. The Fiesta has the potential to beat the 10-minute record. If I come back I know what we need to do to be fastest.” Andreas Eriksson’s first trip to Pikes Peak was cut short when in Engineer’s Corner (3,2km mark) when two tyres slipped off their rim and sent the Olsbergs MSE Fiesta off course where
it clipped a tree and sustained damage to the rear wing. The DNF brought an end to a frustrating introduction for Eriksson to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. “I am disappointed because the car was handling fantastic through the early portion of the course,” said Eriksson. “Overall it has been a tough week. We had a lot of challenges, but we learned a lot and I know what I need to do now to come back and be fastest. Now we turn our attention to the X Games and getting the Fiestas ready for Tanner [Foust], Brian [Deegan] and Kenny [Brack} so that we can go to LA and bring home a win.” “While it is still a year until the Ford Fiesta comes to America it was a great opportunity to showcase the versatility and performance capabilities of the Fiesta at one of the most challenging motorsports events in the world,” said Jost Capito, Ford Motor Company Director of Global Motorsports Business Development. “The Olsbergs MSE team did an outstanding job competing at Pikes Peak for the first time and now they have an opportunity to campaign their Fiestas at the X Games.” FINAL Pikes Peak International Hill Climb CLASSIFICATION: 01) Nobuhiro Tajima (Monstersport Suzuki SX4) - 10min 15,368s 02) Paul Dallenbach (Chevy) - 10min 52,097s 03) Jimmy Keeney (Greenwood-Hull K-Tech 2) - 11min 03,551s 04) Spencer Steele (Ford Wells Coyote) - 11min 08,535s 05) Marcus Gronholm/Timo Alanne (Ford Fiesta) - 11min 28,963s 06) Clint Vahsholtz (Ford Mustang) - 11min 39,662s 07) Jack Guynn (Wells Coyote) - 11min 43,675s 08) Davey Durelle (Aprilia SXV) - 11min 48,649s 09) Gary Trachy (KTM SMX) - 11min 48,743s 10) David Carapetyan/Adam Kneipp (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII) - 11min 52,837s 11) Jeff Grace (KTM 610 SMR) - 11min 59,156s 12) Layne Schranz (Chevrolet Monte Carlo) - 12min 02,672s 13) Rhys Millen (Hyundai Genesis Coupe) - 12min 09,397s 14) David Kern/Allison Kern (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII) - 12min 10,335s 15) Mark Rennison (Ford RS200) - 12min 11,561s
Pastrana wins New England Forest Rally
IMAGES BY LARS GANGE/rally.subar.com
Subaru Rally Team USA’s Travis Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom sailed to their fourth win of the season at the New England Forest Rally Saturday, to further extend their lead in the national championship. Pastrana entered Round 6 of the Rally America championship with a 21-point lead over his closest challenger, and said his strategy from the start was to avoid taking unnecessary risks and get his car to the finish in one piece.
“It’s hard to know you’ve got that little more speed in reserve and not use it, but it’s that little more that can get you,” he said. “We weren’t the fastest here this weekend, but I’ll take the win however I can get it.” Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino set a blazing pace at the start, but lost more than 20 seconds to a spin early Saturday afternoon, then had a flat tire. They were unable to make up for lost time in the final stages of the day and finished in second-place overall. “It’s extremely frustrating,” said Block at the finish. “I put myself in the right position to win and it didn’t work out for us.”
Even so, the result moves Block into second place in the championship, behind teammate Pastrana. Canadians Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard were also in the running for a win early in this event, but they lost time to a power steering failure in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X Saturday afternoon and finished in third. “It’s good to taste champagne again, but I really wanted to win,” said L’Estage after the ceremonial champagne spray. “I thought this morning we had a shot at it.” L’Estage is developing a new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X that debuted with Tanner Foust in the US earlier this season under a sharing arrangement. He hasn’t had much luck with the car so far, battling the teething problems that are typical with a new car build. But he says the car has potential and he’s looking forward to the next round. Bill Bacon and co-driver Peter Watt finished in fourth place; Art Gruszka and co-driver Lukasz Wronski rounded out the top five. The Super Production class win went to Roman Pakos and Maciej Sawiki in their Subaru STi, while John Conley and Keith Rudolph took the two-wheel drive win in their 2003 Dodge SRT-4. The roads on this event are generally wide and fast, but peppered with massive rocks that can do big damage to competition cars. As is typical, attrition claimed a number of contenders. Subaru Rally Team USA’s Dave Mirra and co-driver Derek Ringer were out with engine trouble on Saturday, while Andi Mancin and co-driver Maciej Wislawski retired after Day 1, apparently with engine issues of their own. It was tough luck for both drivers. This event presented a
good opportunity for Mirra to make up some ground in the championship against Super Production rivals Piotr Wiktorczyk, Jimmy Keeney, Matt Johnson and Pat Moro – all drivers who are sitting out this round as they prepare for X Games. The X Games contest is the biggest event on the calendar for invited teams and cars are due on the other side of the continent in just over a week. Open class drivers Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and Tanner Foust have also opted to sit this event out while they prepare for the Los Angeles contest. The two-wheel drive competition was fierce this weekend, with more than two-dozen drivers running the weekend’s two regional events: Friday’s “Drive Your Future Rally,” presented by the National Guard, and the “I Can’t Drive 55” Rally on Saturday. Among those teams is the interesting last-minute entry of Lucy Block and Chrissie Beavis in a Volkswagen Golf. Block is married to Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block and this was her first-ever event as a competitor. Chrissie Beavis is a regular championship co-driver for Foust and competes in California as a driver in the regional series. The duo swapped driving and co-driving duties over the weekend. Twenty-one teams also signed up to run this event for the MaxAttack! subseries, designed to raise the level of two-wheel drive rally competition. Chris Duplessis and Catherine Woods set the fastest two-wheel drive times in their 1990 Volkswagen GTi during the weekend’s regionals. For 2009, organisers will pay out a total cash purse of $15,000 USD to be divided among the fastest teams competing in the MaxAttack! events. - Credit: rally-america.com
Hutchison/Coetzee claim first Class A7 win in Port Elizabeth
IMAGES BY MOTORPICS
As with the tussle in the premier Class of the SASOL South African National Rally Championship, Class S2000, the fastest two-wheel drive vehicles of Class A7 thrilled Port Elizabeth rally enthusiasts recently in the 2009 Volkswagen Rally, WRITES EVAN ROTHMAN. With Volkswagen claiming an historic one-two-three finish in the event, with factory BP Volkswagen Polo team crews of Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries, Enzo Kuun/Guy Hodgson and Jan Habig/Douglas Judd, and Andre Cleenwerck/Des de Fortier
Wilken fought back on the remaining two stages of Day One to end the day four seconds clear of Hutcison/Coetzee. The Motorite Toyota RunX A7 crew then suffered a broken shock absorber, that resulted in them needing five minutes of lateness to repair. This handed them a 50sec time penalty, and thereby boosting Wilken/Gericke’s lead to 54sec at nightfall. The opening two stages of Day Two saw Wilken stretch his 54sec lead to 01min 15sec. With the grueling SS9 ahead (48km long), Wilken/Gericke slowed their pace, but Hutchison and Coetzee attacked. Hutchison stepped up a gear to not only reel in Wilken, but to move 18sec ahead! “That long stage was a real rush,” said Hutchison. “We took 01min 30sec out of Stevan. It was a key moment on the rally for us, probably a key moment in the whole season. I feel like I have achieved something very special today with Elvene and I rate this first rally class win right up there with my first offroad race win.” With the two Class A7 fronrunners pushing hard through the final stages, De Wit and Redelinghuys were not entirely out of the equation for a class win. At the end of the rally, they finished third overall and 02min 03sec adirft of the Class winners.
winning Class A5, Volkswagen hoped to also claim a Class A7 victory. The Pannar Seeds/Triton Express Volkswagen Polo A7 of Stevan Wilken and Greg Gericke fought hard with the Motorite Toyota RunX A7 of Evan Hutchison and Elvene Coetzee. Reigning Class A7 champions Chris de Wit and Dean Redelinghuys (Team Total Toyota RunX A7) struggled to find their championship-winning rhythm in Port Elizabeth, but have vowed to fight back on the remaining three events of the calendar. Hutchison made his intention’s clear on the opening gravel stages of the event, on Day One, he had managed to power to a 10-second lead over Wilken/Gericke at the end of SS4.
Despite Wilken and Gericke giving it their all in the final three stages of the event, they were unable to close the 13sec gap to Hutchison and Coetzee. This win was Hutchison and Coetzee’s best performance to date in A7, and they now close the gap to Wilken and Gericke in the championship to just two points. Wilken retains the championship lead on 33 points, Hutchison on 31 and De Wit with 10 points. The next event on the SASOL South African National Rally Championship calendar is the Osram Mountain Trial on 21 and 22 August, a high-speed event sure to produce exciting results! - IMAGES BY MOTORPICS
Charl Wilken and Greg Godrich crowned Gp N Champions Charl Wilken and Greg Godrich emerged from the fifth round of the Sasol South African Rally Championship with the 2009 SA Production Car and Class N4 championships firmly in the team’s trophy cabinet after a storming drive through the 12 stages of the Volkswagen Rally which saw the pair end a strong seventh overall after leading the rally after four stages. The Sasol/Konica Minolta car was running with a FIA rule change allowing production cars a larger 33mm turbo restrictor instead of the 32mm approved previously. “The car is easier to drive because of the wider rev range”, was Wilken’s initial feeling on the new rule.
3rd overall. A puncture in the dreaded 48km long ninth stage, 15km from the end, cost the pair any chance of retaining the podium place. “We lost about two minutes to Enzo Kuun and dropped down to 7th place. That’s how close it is at the front in rallying. You can’t work on ‘what ifs’, but we could well have ended on the podium”, Wilken rued. “On the other hand, with the championship out of the way, we can drive to our full potential on the remaining three rounds and see how far up the overall order we can get, which is going to be a lot of fun”. Sasol’s Head of Sponsorships, Dean Somerset, was thrilled with the first titles of the year; “Charl is a natural racer and this result is a proud moment for the team and the Sasol brand. It is the first year in their new car, demonstrating the level of talent in the team. I’m thrilled that we’ve pocketed the championship so early in the season”. The Sasol/Konica Minolta Team Director Flip Wilken added: “We’ve been the dominant team in production car rallying with five wins from five starts and we are the first team to win a title this year”.
Wilken and Godrich, arguably one of the most prolific championship-winning driver pairings in the country with ten rally championships since 2003, set a blistering pace on Friday’s stages to take the overall rally lead after stage four, having set the fastest time on the 5km long second tarmac stage, beating the faster, more powerful factory S2000 machinery in the process. As the teams headed to the Longmore Forest for the first time, Wilken had what he described as a poor stage, dropping 20 seconds to the S2000 teams. “I really don’t know why we were so slow relative to the guys we were leading”, said Wilken. “We had a problem with the intercooler water spray system and that may account for a couple of lost kilowatts”. Wilken and Godrich were happy with their 4th overall at the end of Friday’s six stages. Saturday brought another good run over the Jagtvlakte stage, and Wilken and Godrich were up into a podium place, holding
Tjaart Coetzee and Etienne Lourens (SAC Trucks Subaru Impreza) were time barred on Friday after changing a gearbox at the final service of the day. The newcomer to rallying had earlier lost 25 minutes in stage five when a fuel line came adrift and the pair had to stop and repair it in-stage. Coetzee ran under SuperRally regulations on Saturday, allowing the driver to gain experience of the route. In class N3, the dominant Dave Compton/Pierre Jordaan pairing retired their Sasol Toyota RunX with a blown engine in stage four, bringing an end to their run of four wins from four starts and putting the formality of their championship on hold for another month. Chad Lambert/Nic Prinsloo drove a borrowed Toyota RunX to take a maiden class win after overcoming a catalogue of mechanical problems on the first day. Lambert and Prinsloo are the 2007 Northern Regions Champions. - Credit: Flip Wilken Communications
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Nail-biting off-road racing action set for Sun City 400
IMAGES BY MOTORPICS
A perfect record: four wins from four starts. The Donaldson Nissan Navara team will be looking to add their fifth victory of 2009 in this weekend’s demanding Sun City 400 off-road race, WRITES EVAN ROTHMAN.
to their first victory this year, and this weekend’s event could provide the victory the team so desperately needs to reign in the Donaldson Nissan crews.
Duncan Vos and co-driver Ralph Pitchford are pre-race favourites, as they have already brought home victories in three events this year, including the recent Toyota 1000 Desert Race in Botswana. Now championship fight, Vos/Pitchford will have their work cut out for their in the second half of the ABSA South African Off Road Racing Championship.
Factory teams Nissan, Toyota and Ford are all supported by privateer teams. Toyota has a numerical advantage and the Toyota 1000 Desert Race saw them move ahead of Nissan in the presitigious South African Manufacturers’ Championship.
Teammates Hannes Grobler/Juan Mohr (with a win to their name this year) and Ivar Tollefsen/Quin Evans provides excellent support to Vos/Pitchford, but the Castrol Toyota Hilux crews are gaining in performance with each event this season and are deserving of a win this season. Anthony Taylor/Robin Houghton (Castrol Toyota Hilux) and teammates Hein Lategan/Chris Birkin are threateningly close
With Ford being the first manufacturer to race a diesel engine (with their mighty impressive twin-turbo Ford Ranger TDCI motor), inevitable teething problems have dogged the teams thus far, but this team could prove race-winning later this season.
The consistent Chris Visser/Japie Badenhorst (RFS Toyota Hilux) are one of only three crews with a 100 percent finish record this season, and lead the Toyota challenge in the championship. Teammates Christiaan du Plooy/Henk Jansen van Vuuren produced their best ever result with third overall in Botswana, and that will have done them a world of good. Hugo and Jaap de Bruyn are podium potential in the Micaren Exel Toyota Hilux with Gary Bertholdt/Danie Stassen in the same boat in the Atlas Copco Toyota Hilux. George and Sharon
Barkhuizen (AIM Toyota Hilux) will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing Botswana outing, and Jaco Swanepoel/ Keith Solomon (IDM Cement Toyota Hilux) will make a welcome return. Nissan’s backup comes from former Special Vehicle national champion Terence Marsh/Pieter Groenewald in the Regent Racing Nissan Navara. The pair are still adapting to the premier SP Class, but have a good Botswana finish under their belts. Kobus van Tonder/ Riaan Guelpa (Uni Freight Ford Ranger) lead the Ford privateer challenge along with Graham Leith/Mike Lawrenson (Transcor Ford Ranger) and Pieter Ruthven/De Waal Boshoff in the Ruwacon Ford Ranger. With late entries and regional championship competitors, the Sun City 400 race has drawn a huge field of more than 80 vehicles. Cliff Weichelt/Johan Smalberger (N1 4x4 Toyota Hilux D4D) enjoy a comfortable lead in Class D, but brother Johan and Werner Horn’s (Malelane Toyota Land Cruiser) victory in Botswana will add to their motivation to win again this weekend. Class E is joinlty lead by 4x4 Megaworld Toyota Hilux crews of Deon Venter/Ian Palmer and rookies Pikkie Labuschagne/Rikus Erasmus. Sun City will serve as a “tiebreaker” in this thrilling duel. In the Special Vehicles category, Evan Hutchison/Achim Bergmann (in their impressive Motorite Revo1 4x4) have a firm grasp of the championship title, but they are not yet out of the woods. Toyota 1000 Desert Race winners Shameer Variawa and Siegfried Rousseau (Total Motorsport Porter) will be high on
confidence, and will be aiming to upset Hutchison/Bergmann this weekend. Chasing the leading two competitors in this Class are Nick and Ryan Harper (Atlas Copco BAT) and Mike Whitehouse/Mathew Carlson (Regent Racing BAT). Leading Class B is Derick du Toit/Ian Pienaar (Orange Tree BAT), but Bez and Deon Bezuidenhout (Adenco BAT) will be breathing down their necks this weekend. A good result is needed from them to re-assert their position in the Class B championship fight. Class P looks set to mirror Class A in terms of close and highly-competitive racing. This Class has three teams that all stand a chance of winning the championship this season. Reigning champions Johan and Etienne Bezuidenhout (Adenco BAT) have won twice and are atop the leaderboard. David and Gary White (Ruwacon BAT) and Johan van Staden/ James Rossouw (KEC BAT) are tied in second place, but there is little to choose between these three crews.Behind them there is a tie between Botswana winners David and Gary White (Ruwacon BAT), and impressive rookies Johan van Staden and James Rossouw, in the KEC BAT, with little to choose between the three crews. The Sun City 400 is a spectator friendly event and always draws good crowds from Gauteng, Limpopo, the North West and surrounding areas. Race headquarters, the start/finish and the designated service park are all situated at the Sun City resort complex. The prologue to determine start positions will start at 12h00 on Friday 24 July and the race at 08h00 on Saturday 25 July.