H&H-96

s e k a r b d Han &Hairpins

ber 2009 Edition 96 Septem

ld of rallying

he wor your insight into t

Cover

MADS OSTBERG: THE INTERVIEW

inside this week:

Events

Highveld 400 race action and results

Features

Interview with Carl Peskin

Contents / Issue 96 Welcome to H&H! News • • • • • •

Araujo aims ofr P-WRC win in Oz Crocker to compete in Oz Loeb to move to F1 in 2010?

WRC Rally New Zealand’s new cities Novikov impressed with IRC speed Petter Solberg in Citroen C4 WRC?

Welcome to issue 96 of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, your FREE weekly insight into the world of rallying!

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

Yours in Rallying, Evan Rothman

Features • Carl Peskin: In the hot seat • Mads Ostberg: Future star of WRC

Event Reports • • • •

Ojibwe Forests Rally Review Highveld 400 Review De Wit tames mountains WRC Rally Australia Preview

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Armindo Araujo will risk all for victory in P-WRC Rally Australia Portuguese driver Armindo Araujo will contest the forthcoming Repco Rally Australia instead of the P-WRC season-ending Rally Great Britain in an attempt to boost his chances of lifting the all-Group N crown for the first time, reported www.wrc.com.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX driver Araujo has taken the Errani Team entry for the inaugural east-coast based Rally Australia, but he’s still going to face tough competition on the New South Wales event.

The Production field will be led away by Martin Prokop, who arrives in Australia on top form. Prokop won the Junior World Rally Championship title on Rally Finland last month - and went on to score a solid fifth overall, making his Super 2000 debut in a Peugeot, on the Barum Rally, the biggest rally in his home country. Prokop will be tough to beat in his Mitsubishi.

Another driver arriving in Oz with plenty of attention on him will be New Zealander Mark Tapper, who hops across the Tasman from his Auckland home to tackle what will be his home round of the WRC this season. Tapper is one of the Pirelli Star Drivers for this season. In place of his bright yellow, Pirelli-liveried Evo X, Tapper will be driving his own Lancer Evo IX on Rally Australia. And, despite still recovering from a broken right arm, he’s looking forward to the P-WRC competition.

“It’s going to be great to compete in Australia,” he said. “I’ve learned a heck of a lot through this year’s Pirelli Star Driver scheme and having the chance to put some of that into practice on the closest WRC round to home wasn’t one to be missed. I don’t expect to have any trouble with the arm. I drove a left-hand drive car in Finland, so switching back to the right-hand driver Mitsubishi will be interesting.”

Leading the charge of the Subarus will be double Production champion Toshi Arai. The Japanese has shown glimpses of the form which have carried him to two world titles previously, with podiums in Argentina and Greece, but he’s long overdue a return to the top step; both Arai and the Impreza have clearly got the speed, they just need to string it together for a complete event.

Of this year’s P-WRC title hopefuls, Araujo is the main player in Australia. Eyvind Brynildsen (Mitsubishi) and Prokop can all still take the title, but their chances are dependant on the drivers ahead failing to score. Nasser Al Attiyah and Patrik Sandell are the other two title hopefuls, but they will save their final score for Wales.

Four-time Australian champion Neal Bates looks set to return to the biggest rally in his homeland, providing his Toyota Corolla S2000 is homologated in time for the start. Bates has entered Rally Australia 10 times and finished in the top-10 on

five of those occasions. He starts as one of the wildcard entries into the P-WRC category, along with three time Australian Champion, Cody Crocker whose amended entry has now been confirmed by the FIA. - Credit: wrc.com

Crocker’s Rally Australia campaign is back on track, looking for win Australian star driver Cody Crocker looks almost certain to contest next week’s Repco Rally Australia thanks to a lastminute rescue deal which has secured him a replacement rally car, reported www.wrc.com.

The three-time Australian and three-time Asia-Pacific Rally Champion will drive for the Tasmanian-based Les Walkden Rallying (LWR) team in the event, re-establishing a partnership that won the 2006 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship title.

Thirty-seven year old Crocker was originally entered in Rally Australia as part of an Indonesian team, however freight complications looked to have ended his chances of contesting his home WRC event.

However, an eleventh hour deal has been struck between Crocker, Les Walkden Rallying and an Indonesian businessman, that will see the Victorian lining up in a 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI looking to take top honours in the Group N production car class.

As long as rally organisers allow Crocker to enter in the new car, he should be in the clear. “It’s a tremendous opportunity, and is a huge relief after the problems that looked to have ended our chances of competing,” Crocker said. “A driver always wants to compete in the most important event on home soil, and it doesn’t get any bigger than Rally Australia.”

Crocker will be partnered by his regular co-driver, Queenslander Ben Atkinson - the brother of former Subaru World Rally Team driver, Chris.

“Rally Australia is a really important event for us,” Crocker added. “A lot of the bosses from Subaru and STi will be at the rally, so we’ll be putting our best foot forward to achieve the best possible result. The car will run in a similar specification to the Subaru I use in the Asia-Pacific Championship. It will have the diff and engine mapping settings from my APRC car, so it should be very similar in performance.”

LWR boss, Les Walkden, is delighted to have Crocker back driving for his team. It was only 24 hours earlier that the team lost young-gun Brendan Reeves from its Rally Australia campaign when the 20-year old was declared medically unfit following a crash three weeks ago. Walkden moved quickly to secure a drive for Crocker when the champ was left sitting on

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the sidelines.

“It’s important to have the best possible Australian representation at our round of the WRC, and Cody is the perfect man to have behind the wheel,” Walkden said. “This is the biggest stage in Australian rallying, and it’s the perfect opportunity for Cody and LWR to strut our stuff.”

“Cody has an incredible record over the past 10 or 11 years.

He won his first APRC title driving for our team in 2006, and we’re thrilled to be working with him again,” he added.

Crocker will drive his right-hand drive 2008 spec Impreza WRX STi for the first time at a test next Monday, before embarking on the event later next week.

- Credit: wrc.com

Loeb in talks with Team USF1 for drive in 2010 F1 Championship Aug.25 (GMM) Ultra-successful world rally driver Sebastien Loeb has reportedly made an approach to the new-for-2010 formula one team USF1, reported www.rallybuzz.com.

“Somebody representing Loeb called us but I won’t give details of the conversation,” sporting director Peter Windsor is quoted as telling the French sports daily L’Equipe.

Ever since Loeb, 35, tested Red Bull’s F1 car over the winter, his rising interest in a more serious foray has been rumoured, including recently putting his name forward as Sebastien Bourdais’ Toro Rosso replacement.

Windsor added: “He is an incredible talent and he would definitely make things interesting in F1. We are looking more on the American side but are going to take him seriously.”

Loeb also confirmed the USF1 approach to L’Equipe.

“I wanted to know if a team was really interested in me for F1. Someone contacted this new team but I don’t know what happened.

“Rally New Zealand is one of the WRC drivers’ most popular rallies. They absolutely love driving on New Zealand roads – just as we have a great heritage of getting out and enjoying the top level skills of these drivers among our beautiful scenery,” says Carr.

Rally New Zealand’s clerk of course, Willard Martin says a central city location is being confirmed for the event’s headquarters, while the service park, where fans can see WRC teams work on their rally cars, will be located on Queens Wharf before it undergoes a transformation into a publicly-accessible open space.

“With the move back to Auckland, we have the opportunity to take the rally route both north and south of our largest city, offering excellent spectator viewing,” says Martin.

Auckland city Mayor John Banks is thrilled to have secured another major event for Auckland.

“Not only will Rally New Zealand provide an economic boost and increase the profile of Auckland through the associated broadcast opportunities, it allows Aucklanders to get up close to the excitement,” says Banks.

The event attracts extensive worldwide television coverage with an estimated audience of over 50 million in 186 countries, and is expected to inject $12.7m into the Auckland economy.

Tourism Auckland chief executive, Graeme Osborne, says he’s delighted Auckland will host this world-class event.

“The World Rally Championship puts Auckland in the international limelight once again, and will provide a boost in visitor numbers and spend for the region. I look forward to welcoming the international media, rally teams and their fans here next year,” says Osborne.

The agreement between Rally New Zealand and Auckland City Council covers the next three occurrences of the event, says Carr.

“I am enjoying myself in the WRC and am on the verge of extending my contract with Citroen. But if I get the opportunity to do a couple of races in 2010 when the calendars don’t clash then why not?” the Frenchman added.

- Credit: rallybuzz.com

“With the way the WRC calendar is currently scheduled, after 2010, the next Rally New Zealand will be in Auckland in 2012. However we are working hard to put New Zealand back onto the WRC calendar on an annual basis. We note that Rally Finland has just signed a five year deal with the WRC promoters, ISC, to again run an annual event. Like Rally New Zealand, Rally Finland was affected by the FIA decision to go to an alternating biennial schedule between rallies around the world.”

WRC Rally New Zealand confirms Auckland as host city in 2010

Rally New Zealand was based in Hamilton in 2008, 2007 and 2006, with its headquarters and service park at Mystery Creek Events Centre. Prior to 2006 the event – the longest running world championship event in New Zealand – was based in Auckland for 28 years.

Auckland confirmed as host of 2010 Rally New Zealand Rally New Zealand, the local round of the FIA World Rally Championship, will return to Auckland in 2010.

Organisers have confirmed an agreement with Auckland City Council, supported by Tourism Auckland, which sees the major event based in Auckland from 6 to 9 May 2010.

“We’re delighted to bring Rally New Zealand back to Auckland with the largest population base in the country,” says Chris Carr, chairman of the rally organisation.

“We extend our sincere thanks to Hamilton City Council, Mystery Creek Events Centre and the many organisations which have helped Rally New Zealand be a fantastic event in the Waikato over the past three years.

“However, many positive opportunities become available with the shift back to Auckland, not least the much closer access for larger numbers of rally fans to all the rally action, teams, drivers and cars, which we are optimistic will contribute to a very vibrant and successful running of Rally New Zealand in May 2010.

Rally New Zealand takes place from 6 to 9 May 2010 and is expected to be the fifth round of a 13-round 2010 FIA World Rally Championship.

- Credit: rallybuzz.com

Novikov impressed with performance in IRC Barum Czech Rally Zlin The second day of Intercontinental Rally Challenge event, the Barum Czech Rally Zlin, finished early for Evgeny Novikov, and unfortunately the reason was the car.

The Skoda Fabia S2000 of the crew of Evgeny Novikov/ Stephane Prevot had stopped on the open section before SS13 started - the first special stage of the last section of the rally.

During the first section of the day as it had been yesterday the crew continued learning the car and the process of co-working.

And of course, it’s impossible to avoid the mistakes.

On the first two special stages Evgeny according to his opinion made few easy mistakes. Besides on SS11 the car almost burst into flame!

Evgeny Novikov: “The road of the first two special stages was too wet and it was too difficult to drive. That’s why we made some mistakes. On SS10 we had a spin - many drivers made mistakes there as well. We stuck in the ditch, the spectators helped us to get out of it, but we lost about 40 seconds. On the next SS I made a mistake on the corner before jump, we went off the route to the grass, we lost about ten seconds.

Besides finishing on SS11 our exhaust was hooked and touched the bumper. The bumper got hot and started burning off. After the finish I tore it away.”

However, such troubles didn’t stop the crew - Evgeny and his co-driver Stephane Prevot started on SS12 where they showed an excellent 6th result that was 0.8 seconds behind the rally’s leader. Thanks to this result Evgeny Novikov made a 3 second gap between him and his nearest pursuers. It seemed that Evgeny managed to find a clue to the hardest Czech road but then after an afternoon service our crew had to lay down arms.

Evgeny Novikov: “After the service we stopped on the road section to check the tyres’ pressure. I switched off the master switch and when we got in the car and tried to start engine it didn’t work. Probably there was a trouble with relay but the team couldn’t find out the real reasons of damage...”

However, the crew had good feelings about the rally according to Evgeny’s opinion he was quite contented with the Czech stage of IRC. Evgeny Novikov: “This rally was very important for us - we were getting used to each other, besides there were very interesting special stages, different weather conditions. It was a nice practice for us!”

Evgeny Novikov’s next participation is planned for the beginning of October - in Spain Evgeny will start in the 11th stage of WRC in Rally Catalunya.

- Credit: e-novikov.net and rallybuzz.com

Petter Solberg: “No more Xsara outing this year!”

Norwegian Petter Solberg will not drive his Citroen Xsara on the last two rallies of the 2009 WRC season and is on the brink of securing a factory-spec Citroen C4 or Ford Focus instead for the foreseeable future, reported www.wrc.com.

Since deciding to withdraw from Rally Australia earlier this month, Solberg has been negotiating with both Ford and Citroen in an effort to upgrade his 2006 specification Xsara to a more competitive car for the 2010 season and this year’s final two events in Spain and Wales.

Solberg tested a 2007 specification Citroen C4 WRC in France last week, covering 100 kilometres on gravel roads. Since then he has met with M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson to discuss

the possibilities at Ford - the team he left to join Subaru in 2000. Speaking to wrc.com today, Solberg said a decision on whether to go down the Ford or Citroen route was imminent and might be made today - but he already knew he had driven his last WRC rally in the Xsara.

“I’m still working hard on the deal, so I can’t talk too much about what’s been going on, but the test in the C4 was enough for me to decide not to drive the Xsara in Spain or GB,” he said. “It’s a good car, it works well, and maybe I’ll use it in some other [promotional] events this year but I need to go forward.”

With little chance of achieving his aim of a fully funded manufacturer seat in 2010, Solberg’s WRC future is now most likely to involve a sponsor-supported partnership with Ford or Citroen - but still under the Petter Solberg World Rally Team banner.

“The test, and the meetings I have had with Ford and Citroen are all about finding out and taking the right decision for the future. It has to be a proper, full spec [car] if I’m going to drive next year and for that I need very, very good support from the team,” he said.

Despite testing a 2007 specification C4 in France, Solberg said a more up-to-date model would be made available to him if he went the Citroen route. The Ford team, meanwhile, have offered him a 2008-spec Focus.

- Credit: wrc.com

Molly Taylor wins British Ladies Rally Championship title for 2009 It is testament to the worldwide appeal of the MSA British Rally Championship that it continues to attract drivers from as far afield as Finland, Iceland and even Australia.

In the British Rally Championship’s 51st year, Molly Taylor, the 21 year old from Sydney can be proud of her achievement on the recent Toddsleap.com Ulster International Rally. On only her third tarmac event, in the UK’s premier rally championship she secured the prestigious title of MSA British Ladies Rally Champion.

Last year 2007 & 2008 Australian 1600 Rally Champion Taylor took the plunge and contested the final round of the BRC in a Suzuki Swift, one of the single make cars that contest the UK’s Swift Sport Cup. This year she is in with a chance of winning the title. After taking victory on the opening two gravel events and with previous experience of Rally Yorkshire, she and co-driver Jemma Bellingham are hopeful of success. In a male dominated sport it is indeed testament to her determination that she has managed to reach this stage in just her first year of UK rallying.

Delving into the BRC records it appears that Molly has another accolade to add to the BRC Ladies title: that of being the only overseas driver ever to have won the trophy. However a correction is in order, as the previous Swift Sport Cup press

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release stated that Molly would take her trophy in London, when it will actually be presented alongside the main MSA British Rally Championship awards at the BRC “Bash” at the end of October.

Molly’s profile can be found on the BRC website HERE The final round of both British Rally Championship and its Swift Sport Cup is International Rally Yorkshire which is based in Pickering, North Yorkshire on Saturday 26th September.

- Credit: rallybrc.co.uk

Rally New York constructs purposebuilt roads and entries open for event Entry is now open for all-gravel International Rally New York scheduled for 23 - 24 October 2009. Rally programme, online entry, downloadable entry forms, itinerary, supplementary regulations, lodging information and downloadable order form for course notes (can be also ordered online) are available at www.RallyNewYork.net/irny2009.html. Regular entry ends on 24 September. The entry will close on 15 October.

The International Rally New York 2009 is the final round of the United States Rally Championship. The course is 299 miles long with 169km of special stages. At the conclusion on Sunday morning, the United States Rally Championship will hold its annual Year-End Awards ceremony and will award separate National Championship titles in the Two-Wheel-Drive Championship and in the All-Wheel-Drive Championship, and declare Production Cup Champions in both categories. Each day of the Rally is a separate round of the New York Rally Championship that will hold its own annual Awards in the New York City area in December.

A prize fund guarantees that each team finishing the Rally in top 30 percent of all finishers, including at least one production car and one two-wheel-drive car, will win $200 in prize money.

The Rally takes place in the spectacular southern Catskill Mountains of New York only 90 miles northwest of New York City. The event is headquartered at the modern Villa Roma Resort and Conference Center. All racing will take place on the 12,500-acre Ten Mile River Scout Reservation on new, purpose-built and refurbished stage roads. The Ceremonial Start is at Villa Roma in Callicoon, NY on Thursday evening.

The Rally ends with the Ceremonial Finish at Keowa Rally Village in Narrowsburg, NY on Saturday night.

Hundreds of participants, spectators and fans will gather for two days at the exiting Keowa Rally Village on the Ten Mile River Scout Reservation. The Keowa Rally Village includes a Spectator Area with spectator parking, lodging and camping, a Service Park with a Vendor Area next to it, and the Rally Control. During the two days of racing, a number of special stages will pass by the Spectator Area both in the morning and in the afternoon. Several special stages start or finish at the Keowa Rally Village.

After the just completed Gorman Ridge Rally in California, the United States Rally Championship heads to the final round of the Pacific events at the Prescott Rally (www.prescottRally. com) in Arizona before the final round in New York. Pacific Division teams are competing for coveted cash travel subsidies that will be awarded to top six teams in the Division. The total of $12,000 in subsidies will be distributed to Pacific Division teams to assist them with traveling to the final round of the United States Rally Championship in New York.

The United States Rally Championship 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.

- Credit: usrallychampionship.com and rallynewyork.com.

MSA British Rally Championship open day to take place on 9 Oct 2009 The MSA British Rally Championship British Rally Championship is already looking forward to 2010 with an open day planned for Friday 9 October.

Cars from each of the BRC’s one make series’ The Fiesta SportTrophy, Swift Sport Cup and Citroen Racing Trophy will be present at the Sweetlamb Rally Complex, with drivers on hand to give demonstration runs for prospective competitors.

Also attending will be representatives from the top BRC teams, including the current Teams’ Championship leader Pirelli TEG Sport which will have at least one four wheel drive car available for demonstration purposes.

BRC Championship manager Mark Taylor and Media coordinator Simon Moss will be available to answer questions about both the British Rally Championship and its support series, the BRC Challenge all day and Pirelli will have technical advisors to discuss the BRC Control tyre.

The BRC Open Day starts at 11am with a buffet lunch included at around 1pm, the event closing at 4pm.

The 2010 BRC calendar, so this event should give current and potential competitors a chance to have any questions answered - Credit: rallybrc.co.uk

The Rally will be conducted according to the international FIA regulations.

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CARL PESKIN

IN THE HOT SEAT: THE INTERVIEW

Sitting in the co-driver’s seat in the BP Ultimate Volkswagen CitiGolf A5 of Gugu Zulu is Western Cape born Carl Peskin. With rally career now in its tenth year, Peskin has a great many experiences to share. Once again in a position to win the Class honours in Class A5 in the SASOL South African National Rally Championship, HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS is pleased to bring you, dear readers, this EXCLUSIVE interview! INTERVIEW BY EVAN ROTHMAN. IMAGES BY MOTORPICS. H&H: Carl, how did your rally career start? How many years have you been involved in motorsport?

Carl Peskin: My first event was a Western Cape regional in 1997 with Warren Kohler in a 1974 Toyota Corolla. Our event ended after six stages with clutch failure. I have been rallying every year since then, with the exception of the two years I spent in the United Kingdom. I am currently contesting my fourth year on the National Rally Championship.

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

Carl: That would be the Cape Toyota Dealer Rally this year where we went head-to-head with our team-mates Andre [Cleenwerck] and Des [de Fortier] for the entire rally. On most

stages we posted times within a few seconds of each other. We went into the last stage about 20sec down only for our teammates to suffer a puncture in the last stage, handing victory to us.

H&H:What are your most memorable rally moments of your career?

Carl: Definitely winning the National Class A5 championship in 2007, as well as being awarded my Western Province colours that same year. Another memorable event was the 2007 Osram Rally. We were on the last long stage with about 17km to go when Gugu promptly stopped the car and jumped out to use the “boys room” on the side of the stage! Luckily we had a big class lead and still took the class win, but you can imagine

my explanation to management as to why we lost time on the last stage!

H&H: There is great talent rising up through the ranks in South African rallying. Who do you think will be the next star rallying fans and competitors should look out for?

Carl: On the National, scene Ashley Haigh-Smith and Morne Janse van Rensburg are the ones to watch.

They are currently paying their school fees in Class A5 and gaining valuable experience. In a few years they will be in more powerful cars fighting for championships.

H&H: Who do you respect in rallying?

Carl: I have a healthy respect for the marshalls and organisers - they work extremely hard enabling us to do what we do. They are the true enthusiasts of the sport.

H&H: Who do you follow in the WRC? Are you, as an accomplished navigator, able to learn much from watching them?

Carl: I love to watch the Finns with their flamboyant driving style. In fact, I will have the pleasure of watching them first hand when I make my way to Rally Australia after the Osram Rally.

There definitely is a lot to learn. Even in the junior classes, we aim to be as professional as we can. However, I don’t want my driver to learn too much from Jari-Matti Latvala!

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

Carl: A rally driver needs to be a mix of driving talent and absolute bravery. He also needs to process loads of information very quickly. Outside of the car a driver has to be marketable and have a likeable personality. I must point out that I didn’t think that the last two characteristics were important until I

met Gugu Zulu!

H&H: What makes a navigator a navigator? What are the characteristics and traits needed for this role?

Carl: Well, a good navigator is a person who is either really, really clever or really, really stupid! Jokes aside, the best navigators are extremely well organised and can handle extreme pressure. Someone who can be in control of a situation no matter what is happening around you.

H&H: How do you control the driver? Does each navigator have his/her own style?

Carl: Each situation is different. Some drivers need to be slowed down otherwise they will put the car off the road while other drivers need to be pushed to realise their potential. A good navigator will identify when to push a driver and when to hold him back.

H&H: The role of a navigator is often overlooked in motorsport media. What tips can you offer young rally navigators?

Carl: There are loads of opportunities at the moment for navigators on regional and national level if you have the right experience. The fact that regional championships are now using route notes is going a long way to bridging the skills gap between competing on regional and national levels. So, my advice is to use the regional rallies to refine your route note skills - it will pay off when an opportunity at national level comes up.

H&H: What are your predictions for the 2009 South African National Rally Championship?

Carl: Hergen and Pierre for overall honours and Gugu and Carl in A5 (Sorry Andre and Des!) H&H: What is your favourite event on the calendar? And, why?

Carl: I enjoy the Cape Town and Port Elizabeth events as I consider them as “home” events, but for sheer adrenaline pumping thrills, it has to be the Mountain Trial.

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

Carl: I think it will be an interesting scenario. I am very keen on any developments that will attract more teams to the top level. I think it is very important in these tough economic times.

H&H: Rallying in South Africa is popular, but still needs to break into the public mainstream. What do you think the sport needs to do this?

Carl: That is actually a difficult question to answer because we have all the ingredients to capture the publics attention - we have a large field of S2000 cars, we have exciting personalities driving them, and we contest the championship surrounded by some of the best scenery in the world. We definitely need more manufacturers to get onboard and, even in these tough times, we need to get the publicity machine running. A recent example was when Gugu did a slot for ‘I wanna be’. Look, we didn’t get the desired result and a few people moaned about the way it was done, but the intention was right and we could watch rallying on MNet in a prime-time slot, something I would love to see happening more often.

MADS OSTBERG

FUTURE STAR OF THE WRC In an EXCLUSIVE interview, Mads Ostberg answers HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS’ questions... Ostberg needs no introduction: he is currently competing in the World Rally Championship in his Subaru Impreza WRC2008 forthe Adapta World Rally Team. With WRC Rally Spain this weekend, Ostberg is looking to make the most of the potential he has shown thus far in 2009. INTERVIEW BY EVAN ROTHMAN. IMAGES SUPPLIED. H&H: Driving in the world’s most prestigious rallies and competing with the world’s best rally drivers and co-driver must be your dream come true. What are your thoughts and feelings whenever you climb into your rally car?

Mads Ostberg: Rally has always been my dream, and to be able to work in rallying is fabulous. I always look forward to climb into the car. I enjoy the feeling of using a machine that is specially made for driving quick on a road - that is closed so you can go as fast as you can.

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

Mads: I have many good memories, but Greece was special.

That was a good rally for us, even with the problems we had.

And also Sardinia with my girlfriend Veronica, was a great memory.

H&H: How do you see your season pan out?

Mads: So far we have had to many problems, but when

everything is working as it should the speed is ok and I am happy with that.

H&H: Do you interact with the drivers often? Do you have any friends in rallying, or is it as competitive as Formula One? Mads: The drivers and co-drivers in WRC are very nice people, and everyone is friends with some better then others. I have good connection with Petter and Henning Solberg, Jari-Matti, Matthew Wilson, Conrad Rautenbach, Evgeniy Novikov and some of the others. And some I only talk to a little bit.

H&H: Who do you respect in rallying and in the WRC? Mads: I really respect a lot of people, but I think what the top guys, Loeb and Hirvonen, can do is doing is amazing. The speed they find, and the way they keep the competition going on throughout the weekend, is impressive. And Jari-Matti is also a man to respect; his speed is amazing!

H&H: The pressures and expectations on you must be enormous…

Mads: Yes, they are sometimes. But that is a part of competing. As you progress, the expectations grow and both myself and people around me expect more. That’s a part of life, and I am happy to have that pressure.

H&H: There is great talent rising up through the ranks in world rallying. Who do you think will be the next star rallying fans and competitors should look out for?

Mads: There are so many on the way up this days; it is difficult to say who will make it to the top…

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

Mads: Rally is very special. In many types of motorsport you go around a course; in rally everything is spread out, and that makes it impossible to remember the track. Therefore, you have to use the information you get from the co-driver, to be able to go as quick as you can through a narrow gravel road in speeds up to 200km/h.

H&H: It must be a busy office to sit in, the driver’s seat of your rally car. Can you tell us about your rally car?

Mads: The car is a Subaru Impreza WRC 2008 S14. Car is built by Prodrive in Bambury. As an office it is a bit small, but nice actually. The guys working for me says its easy to clean inside, and they keep it nice for me. So there is no way I can complain about the office.

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

Mads: Thanks! Driving style is always individual, and I think all new drivers have to follow what feels natural for them. I know my driving can be a bit too aggressive, but I will still continue driving like that, because that’s what feels natural to me..

H&H: What was your main motivation in entering rallying? What are your career aspirations?

Mads: My father was a rally driver and I think that’s why I got the interest in rallying. And when you have the interest, the motivation comes naturally. And my goal is always to win. My first goal was to start winning rallies here in Norway, and I have done that for some years now, so the next goal is to fight for top positions in WRC events.

H&H: What are your predictions for the 2009 season?

Mads: Our goal for this season was to take points in every of the eight rounds we are competing in. That failed already in Rally Norway. Now our hope is to be able to have some good results for the two last rallies, and also to win the Norwegian Rally Championship.

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

Mads: There are many nice rallies, but I would say that Rally Norway is amazing. It has never been a good rally for me, but the stages, the nice winter and the surroundings with the Viking Ship makes the rally outstanding!

H&H: The glory days of the current WRC cars are numbered. From 2010, they will be running S2000+ rally cars. What are your views on this? You have already gained so much experience in an S2000, will we be seeing you on the WRC podiums more often?

Mads: I think the new rules is a perfect change to the modern WRC. Everything has gone too far, and it needs to be adjusted down to a level that makes it possible for new manufacturers to enter. And hopefully this can give more drivers the opportunity to fight for top positions.

OJIBWE FORESTS RALLY

CLINCHES TITLE FOR TRAVIS PASTRANA

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana sailed to victory at the Ojibwe Forests Rally on Saturday, sealing his fourth-consecutive Rally America championship title. TEXT AND IMAGE BY RALLY AMERICA. With five wins this season and only two rounds left, nobody else can catch Pastrana in the points. But he says he doesn’t plan to stop driving hard this season.

“It’s game on for the next two rallies,” said Pastrana Saturday evening. “It’s great to drive without any pressure.”

Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom pushed hard during the opening stages to take the early lead. They had been battling with teammates Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino for a favorable road position in what is typically a dusty event when Block crashed out.

That left Pastrana to start the second day nearly four minutes ahead of the field. By the end of the rally, he had grown his lead to nearly nine-minutes ahead of second-place finishers Andi Mancin and co-driver Maciej Wislawski in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. The Polish team battled mechanical trouble all weekend, and Mancin said he was pleased to earn his second podium of the season – and a US career best.

“We had big problems with the car,” said Mancin at the finish.

“We’re happy to be here.”

With Block out and contenders Andrew “ACP” ComriePicard and Tanner Foust absent from this round, Mancin’s strong finish moves him into second-place overall in the championship.

Third place went to Adam Markut and co-driver Christopher Gordon in a Super Production class 1993 Eagle Talon. The car was battle-scarred for its appearance on the podium. An encounter with a tree had badly damaged the rear quarter on the co-driver’s side, but Markut said it was still driving fine.

The finish was something of a surprise for Markut, who is not a regular competitor on the national scene. He inherited the podium after Subaru Rally Team USA’s Dave Mirra and codriver Derek Ringer – who had been running in second-place

overall -- suffered a mechanical failure late in the contest and failed to finish.

“It feels good,” said Markut, whose finish also earned him the Super Production class win. “It’s not the type of winning I had wished for, but I’ll take it.”

The two-wheel drive victory went to Lauchlin O’Sullivan and co-driver Karen Wagner in a Dodge SRT-4. O’Sullivan also took the MaxAttak! win.

The DNF was a disappointment to Mirra, who had said earlier in the day he finally felt like everything was going his way. The relative newcomer is running in the Super Production class as Subaru Rally Team USA’s newest member this year, and has been gaining confidence as the season progresses.

The two-wheel drive competition at this event was strong, with the MaxAttack! sub-series concluding this weekend.

MaxAttack! Drivers competed not only for a podium finish, but a cash purse totaling $5,000.

Among the MaxAttack! competitors was the notable entry of Mark Utecht and Rob Bohn, who drove a 2010 Ford Mustang under the manufacturer’s “10 Unleashed” promotion. Ford selected 10 lucky drivers to live out their Mustang dreams in a factory-supplied car this year. More on the program can be found at www.the2010mustang.com. The longtime Mustang competitor said he was delighted to be one of the lucky few selected for the opportunity.

“Most amateur drivers dream about having a factory ride at some time,” said Utecht. “I’m one of the few that get to say I’ve had one.”

This event features a smooth and fast course through the region’s beautiful forest and lakes. Cars began a Super Special stage on Friday afternoon at the Bemidji Speedway and then headed out for a series of forest stages where the glow of brake rotors and the gleam of headlights illuminated the dark forests. Competition concluded late Sunday.

• • • • • •

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BERTHOLDT/VERMEULEN

MAKE OFF-ROAD HISTORY AT HIGHVELD 400

The Nissan bogey at Carnival City continued when Gary Bertholdt and Andre Vermeulen won the Production Vehicle category on the Highveld 400, round six of the Absa Off Road Championship.

Bertholdt and Vermeulen, in the Atlas Copco Toyota Hilux, snapped a run of five successive Nissan victories this year and in the process claimed a slice of off road history. The Bertholdt/ Vermeulen victory was the first ever by a privateer team running in the premier SP Class.

Nissan did not have a happy record on the East Rand when the race was run as the Carnival City 400 with Toyota and Ford claiming wins in 2006 and 2007. This year the race returned to Carnival City as the Highveld 400 and the Nissan bogey again reared its head.

Bertholdt and Vermeulen came home 01min 43sec ahead of former South African champions Neil Woolridge and Kenny Skjoldhammer, in the factory diesel Ford Racing Ranger TDCi, who scored their second podium placing in a row. Third place went to Terence Marsh/Pieter Groenewald, in the Regent Racing Nissan Navara, who salvaged Nissan pride by scoring their first ever podium in the Production Vehicle category.

“This is a triumph for the whole team,” said Bertholdt who twice won the Carnival City 400 in a Special Vehicle. “It was hard work but we kept our heads.”

There was a measure of consolation for Nissan with runaway championship leaders Duncan Vos and Ralph, in a Donaldson Nissan Navara, limping home eighth overall and sixth in class.

According to unofficial scoring Vos and Pitchford can now not be caught in the championship.

Vos and Pitchford hit a rock while trying to overtake Bertholdt and Vermeulen and then limped home with suspension damage. They finished behind team-mates Ivar Tollefsen and Quin Evans, who battled with overheating problems, while former champion Hannes Grobler and Juan Mohr, in a third Donaldson Nissan Navara, hit a bridge and then retired with a broken side shaft.

There was also a tale of woe for the factory Castrol Toyota Hilux team with both Anthony Taylor and Robin Houghton and

Hein Lategan/Chris Birkin falling by the wayside on the first of two loops that made up the race. Taylor/Houghton retired with a steering problem and an electrical problem sidelined Lategan and Birkin.

There was a high attrition rate in Class D with former Blue Bulls scrum half Coetzee Labuscagne and Johan Gerber (Raysonics Nissan Hardbody) grinding out their second win on the trot. Potchefstroom crew Dewald van Breda and Johann du Toit (Northam Toyota D4D) also gutsed it out to take second.

Among those to fall by the wayside were championship leader Cliff Weichelt and Johan Smalberger. They rolled the N1 4x4 Toyota Hilux D4D with no damage to the crew.

Reigning Class E champions Jannie Visser and Joks le Roux (RFS Toyota Hilux) took their first win of the season after a good fight with early championship leaders Deon Venter and Ian Palmer in the 4x4 Megaworld Toyota Hilux. Only 35 seconds separated the two crews at the finish.

Third went to Louw de Bruin and Riaan Greyling (Ruwacon Ford Ranger) who held off KZN pair Bappy Rubuluza and Khuliele Vakalisa in the Ford Racing Ranger. After dropping out of the prologue championship leaders Pikkie Labuschagne and Rikus Erasmus, in the second 4x4 Megaworld Toyota Hilux, fought back to salvage valuable points with a hard earned fifth place.

Corbett and Balzer won the Friday prologue to determine start positions but mechanical problems again sidelined the notoriously fragile 4x4 CR1 which has yet to finish a race.

Another steady drive took Mike Whitehouse and Matthew Carlson (Regent Racing BAT) to fourth place with brothers David and Gary White completing the top five in the Ruwacon Racing BAT. The Whites were also the first Class P car home with the pair taking their second win in three races.

KwaZulu-Natal driver Don Thompson and Hjalmar van Gessellen, in a Zarco, were second in Class P and seventh overall. Thompson and van Gessellen were 10 minutes behind the Whites and, in turn, had 10 minutes in hand over third placed Archie Rutherford and Craig Doubtfire in the Regent Racing BAT. The big losers were championship leaders Johan and Etienne Bezuidenhout. An engine problem sidelined the Adenco BAT making it three races in a row without a point for the Cape crew.

The form book was thrown out the window when Gerhard du Plessis and Ferdie Seegers came from nowhere to win the Special Vehicles Category of the Highveld 400 this past weekend.

Du Plessis and Seegers, in an ageing Porter, had not competed in a national event for more than two years but produced a copybook performance to stun fellow competitors and enthusiasts alike. The pair came home 18 seconds ahead of Shameer Variawa and Siegfried Rousseau, in the Total Porter, to complete a fairytale victory.

“I think we surprised ourselves and everyone else,” said du Plessis. “The car is nine years old but never missed a beat and we enjoyed ourselves. “ The final podium place went to runaway championship leaders Evan Hutchison and Achim Bergmann in the Motorite Revo1. Hutchison and Bergmann, with four wins from five starts going into the race, had a mathematical chance of wrapping up their second overall championship.

Starting from eighth place in the Special Vehicle category was too much of a handicap and Hutchison and Bergmann finally opted to settle for a safe third. At the finish they were just over six minutes behind Variawa and Rousseau, but with two events left this season are all but assured of winning the championship.

“We had a disappointing prologue and that set us back,” said Hutchison. “It wasn’t the best weekend we have had.”

Another Cape crew, Derrick du Toit and Ian Pienaar, in the Orange Tree BAT, took their third Class B victory in a row to tighten their hold on the championship. Second were brothers Keith and Andrew Makenete, in a Zarco, who were around 12 minutes in arrears.

“It was a pleasure not to get out the car,” said Keith. “It was tough going but we had a clean run.”

Third in Class B were Johan de Klerk and Louis Pretorius in a Zarco with early leaders Simon Beckett and Steve Harris dropping back to fourth after problems on the second loop.

- Credit: saoffroadracing.co.za and motorpics.co.za

Du Plessis/Seegers and Variawa/Rousseau spent most of the first of two loops that made up the race chasing after Mark Corbett and Rudi Balzer in the Century Racing CR1.

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DE WIT TAMES

MOUNTAINS IN OSRAM RALLY

Team Total Evolution Toyota’s Chris de Wit and Dean Redelinghuys, reigning Class A7 champions, marked a welcome return to form on the Osram Rally held in the Eastern Cape at the end of last month WRITES EVAN ROTHMAN. IMAGES BY MOTORPICS.

Clocking up their first win of the year, they defeated class title leaders Evan Hutchison/Elvene Coetzee (Motorite Toyota RunX A7) by some 20sec at the end of the unique one-day event.

Finishing 11th overall, De Wit and Redelinghuys showed the potential they have promised all season long.

Finding the gravel surface slippery, this crew were involved in a rally-long ding-dong battle with Hutchison/Coetzee. Drama in SS1, when fellow Class A7 competitors Stevan Wilken/Greg Gericke (Pannar Seeds Volkswagen Polo A7) were forced out of the event when their car caught fire. De Wit and Redelinghuys stopped at the scene to assist Wilken and Gericke to extinguish the fire engulfing their car. It was fortunate for Wilken as a number of crews stopped to offer assistance, and they all used their fire extinguishers.

With no competitive stage time for SS1 posted, De Wit was focused on charging throughout the rest of the seven stages to reign in Hutchison’s Motorite-sponsored Toyota RunX A7.

Losing only 18sec to him on SS2 and SS3, De Wit decided to pull out all the stops for SS4, the longest speed test of the event.

At the end of SS4, De Wit had managed complete the stage 38sec quicker than Hutchison/Coetzee. Hutchison managed to reel in 9sec on SS5, 4sec in SS6 and 3sec in SS7... That left only 4sec separating the two rivals. After adding the officials’ SS1 time into the equation, De Wit and Redelinghuys had won Class A7 by a little more than 20sec.

“We are very happy with the result and also for breaking the ice for the season!” commented Chris de Wit. Heading to the Western Cape later this month for the BP Ultimate Rally, De Wit and Redelinghuys will be looking to further upset Class A7 with another victory.

A KANGAROO’S JUMP

THE WRC HEADS DOWN UNDER THIS WEEKEND

This weekend’s Rally Australia forms round ten of the 2009 World Rally Championship calendar, and takes on a new venue, new stages and new challenges for teams and crews alike WRITES EVAN ROTHMAN. After a four-week hiatus from the WRC circus, a re-energised Sebastien Loeb (Citroen Total World Rally Team) is looking to win his sixth WRC crown at the end of this year. A victory at Rally Australia this weekend will provide him and his highlytalented co-driver Daniel Elena the impetus to retake charge of the title fight.

Meanwhile, hat-trick hero Mikko Hirvonen (BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team) aims to win his fourth consecutive event of the season to strengthen his standings atop the WRC Drivers’ Championships standings. His three-point advantage over his French rival is intensifying with each passing week, and with only three events (including Rally Australia) to run the young Flying Finn needs to win assert his stake on the Drivers’ Championship trophy here.

The Rally Australia returns to the WRC Championship for the first time since 2006 and after 19 years in Western Australia, it has crossed the country to the east coast. Its new base is the small resort of Kingscliff in the far north-east of New South Wales, close to the border with Queensland and just a few kilometres south of the famous Gold Coast holiday region and Brisbane.

The Ford squad is surfing a wave of success after equalling the team’s best ever winning run in the WRC last month. Victory for Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila in Italy preceded Hirvonen’s hat-trick in Greece, Poland and an emotional home town success in Finland.

Drivers and co-drivers face a steep learning curve this weekend, as they will only have the recce and pacenotes they draft to not only map the route but also to allow their teams the best information possible to enable them to set up the car perfectly. However, BP Ford Abu Dhabi tyre engineer George Black visited the area last year to examine the nature of the speed tests. The average special stage length is the shortest of the season, reflecting the rally’s proximity to populated areas where gravel roads are less frequent.

Based in Kingscliff, where the service park will be situated, the 35 stages will test drivers to their maximum. Two passes of an asphalt SuperSpecial Stage around the streets of Murwillumbah kick off the action today (Thursday evening) and will also end the competition on Friday and Saturday. The opening leg of the rally is the shortest, before crews head to Kyogle on Day Two. The final leg provides a sting in the tail, with the longest stages of the rally. A total of 1 733,75km will include 344,72 competitive distance.

The speed tests all vary greatly, ranging from narrow and twisty roads among trees near Kingscliff that are used during

the first leg, to the quick, wide and smooth roads further west where speeds are expected to be close to those experienced in Finland, the championship’s fastest round. The most westerly roads, used during the final leg, incorporate narrow rainforest tracks. Each loop of stages has a mix of roads, so selecting the best compromise set-up for the World Rally Cars will be important.

Hirvonen claimed his first WRC win in Australia in 2006 but the 29-year-old Finn acknowledges that will count for nothing on new roads. “This is a brand new rally so I don’t know what to expect,” he said. “The roads in the west where I won in 2006 are different to those we will experience here. The tracks were covered in slippery marble-like stones but I understand these roads are more traditional gravel, which should suit me. I love Australia, the people are friendly and easy going - like me!

“It’s a crucial rally for the championship. I will try to win but if I can’t, then I must score as many points as possible. Zero points and the title fight could be over for me this year. I have a good record on new rallies, although I don’t feel I do anything differently in either the recce or the rally itself. But I’ll be happy if I can maintain that record,” added Hirvonen, who hopes to help 40-year-old Lehtinen celebrate his 100th WRC start in style.

“Our goal is to win, or at least finish ahead of Mikko Hirvonen. As the situation stands at the moment, the way the championship finishes is in my hands. If I win the last three rallies, I will be the World Champion. My mission will become somewhat more complex, however, if Mikko beats me just once! This weekend’s event promises to be extremely close because Mikko is particularly strong on fast gravel, especially when the stages are new to everyone. The way recce goes will be vital, not only in terms of the precision of our pacenotes but also regarding the quality of the information we are able to provide the team in order to decide on the best set-up for the start. I feel rested after the recent four-week break and I have nothing against this sort of relaxed rhythm, but it is always a little bit harder to get back into the swing after a month without driving competitively.”

Read next week’s issue of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS for a full event review!