H&H-175

s e k a r b Hand s n i p r i a H & of rallying ld r o w e h t o t in t h your insig

Cover

PORTUGAL TO CROWN A NEW EVENT WINNER?

ISSUE 175 • 24 MAR 2011

http://wp.me/pkXc

Seb Marshall chats, P6

Mikkelsen at Goodwood, P9

BRC and Irish rally news

Delecour in Porsche, P8

SA, S A P12

USA rallying snippets sni

Videos from Portugal, P11

WR, P13 W

WR and IRC WRC news updates new

MINI WRC numbers, P9

WRC Academy news, P11

Bulldog Rally readies, P9

Editorial Information Editor Evan Rothman

Photojournalist Eva Kovkova

Contributors RallyBuzz, Motorpics, Newspress.

All content copyrighted property of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, 2007-11. This publication is fully protected by copyright and nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the editor.

While reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of information from sources and given to readers, the editor cannot accept responsibility for any inconvenience or damage that may arise therefrom.

04

News

04 05

Start Ramp - News Shorts Fan Foto Framed

06

Features Feature s

06 08 09 09 09 10 11 11

Seb Marshall: Interviewed Delecour to drive Tuthill Porsche Mikkelsen to star at Goodwood Mini stars to run legendary numbers Bulldog Rally boasts diversity Ready for rallying!

Brief look at the WRC Academy Northern-Loop Productions in Portugal

12

Events

12 13

SARC Total Tour Natal Rally preview WRC Rally de Portugal preview

Contact E-mail us evan.hhmag@gmail.com Call us +27 83 452 6892 Surf us http://wp.me/pkXc To receive your FREE weekly HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS eMagazine, or if you’d like to share this with a friend please send your e-mail address to evan.hhmag@gmail.com.

HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS is not a SPAM e-mail: email addresses are added to the mailing list voluntarily.

Evan and Eva

s e k a r b d n Ha Hairpins e world of rallying

your insight into th

Welcome to issue 175 of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, your FREE weekly insight into the world of rallying.

Yours in Rallying,

FOLLOW US!

&

Welcome to H&H!

Bringing you the latest international rally news, extensive event previews and reviews, indepth feature and technical articles, awardwinning photography and insightful columnists, HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS is distributed to your e-mail inbox each week for FREE in the form of a high-quality 2MB .PDF file.

To receive this FREE eMagazine (in .PDF format), please send an email to evanrothman@gmail.com.

http://handbrakeshairpins.wordpress.com

OMP Bolt& Dynamo FIA Approved Race Suits (Place your order now)

Telephone +27 11 6708400 E-mail: info@ats-motorsport.co.za Website: ats-motorsport.co.za

Team & Event News

ERIKA TAKES ON TARMAC Words: Staff Writer Reigning 2WD USRC Champion, Erika Detota takes her talents to the twisty, tarmac roads of Delaware County, New York. The driver, in her second year of competition, has competed previously at this event and is ready to face the unique challenges of the paved road surface.

Rally New York USA is the first event of the year in both the New York Rally Championship and the United States Rally Championship where Erika began her racing.

For this event Erika will have the unique opportunity to have her friend and mentor Travis Hanson codriving. He is the current Rally America overall points leader, which is a historic place for a driver of a Super Production car, which he campaigns in the national series. “Travis has been a huge help to me since I started in the sport, I’m really looking forward to working with him this weekend” said Erika about her surprising navigator.

Erika would like to thank everyone at Broken Motorsports, The Keep a Breast Foundation, Big Boulder Park and Rally Armor for their continued assistance and support. H&H

CROATIA RALLY DECISIVE FOR 2011 ERC Words: Staff Writer Despite the cancellation of the Greek Elpa Rally, the red line of the 2011

Videos

FIA European Rally Championship will initially pass along the Adriatic coast starting from Italy (MilleMiglia) before heading to Croatia and then the Bosporus, in Turkey.

With the 2011 regulations – which divide the events in 2 groups of 6, with 4 results counting for each group – the cancellation of Elpa Rally makes the result of the first three events even more important, as the Greek event becomes the first (compulsory) of the two events to be discarded in the first half of the calendar.

The deadline of May 31st as the last possible day to register for the series is another crucial element: a good start will mean discouraging the arrival of other competitors. And Croatia is scheduled right around May 20th.

Meanwhile, 21 drivers are now registered for the 2011 FIA European Rally Championship. Obviously (the first race is in Italy and Croatia Rally is not far) about half of them have an Italian passport: the European champion Luca Rossetti with his Grande Punto Abarth, a brand which will aim at a third European title in a row, Corrado Fontana and Piero Longhi (Mini), Alessandro Perico, Luigi Fontana and Luca Betti (Peugeot), plus Renato Travaglia and Giandomenico Basso (with cars still to be determined) are candidates for the overall title while Stefano Albertini (Renault Megane N4), Giovanni Vergnano (Abarth 500) aim at the 2-wheel drive championship, like Slovenian Rok Turk (Citroen Ds3 R).

The other major announced protagonists are the Fords of Polish Maciej Oleksowicz and Michal Solowow, the Skoda of Czech Antonín Tlusťák, the Peugeot of Bulgarian Dimitar Iliev.

The entries list is completed by Szymon Ruta, Maciej Rzeznik, Petar Gyoshev, Mathieu Biasion, Francesco Parli and Cyril Vosahlo.

Entries for the Croatia Rally are already open. To learn more about the rally and the side events which will unfold around the pedestrian zone in the centre of Rijeka (which will also host the service area), visit the rally website http://www.croatia-rally.com. H&H

Fan Foto Framed

BOGIE PROVES A POINT Words: Staff Writer Leading Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship crew David Bogie and Kevin Rae have been keeping match fit between BRC events, proving their lead of both British and Scottish Championships is well deserved with their second consecutive MSA Scottish Rally Championship win on this weekend’s Border Counties Rally.

Reigning double Scottish champion Bogie was quickest through all four Wauchope/Kielder forest stages in his Mitsubishi Evo 9 to finish 34 seconds clear of his nearest rival. Fellow BRC competitors Euan Thorburn and Paul Beaton were third, a further 34 seconds adrift, in their Evo 9.

The result means that Bogie has now won each of the eight events that make up the Scottish series. “It’s nice to finally tick the box of a rally I’ve never won before,” he said. “We had a small overshoot on stage two, but other than that it’s been a perfect day. It sets us up nicely for the next round of the BRC in two weeks.”

The next round to which he refers is Bulldog International Rally North Wales which takes place over Friday and Saturday 1st & 2nd April. The new Welshpool town centre ceremonial start kicks off the classic gravel event on Friday from 6pm, live stages all day Saturday in the forests to the west of the rally’s base.

Whether Bogie can retain his lead of the British series will be revealed at the Welshpool Livestock Centre just after 7pm on Saturday. H&H

THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF RALLYING

RallyBuzz.com features European rally championships, British rallying, RallyCar events, international rally results and videos, as well as S2000 and WRC news.

www.RallyBuzz.com

Issue 175 • 24 Mar 2011 • Page 07

First glimpse of MINI Countryman S2000 in action at WRC Rally Portugal test session: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2LI

FAN FOTO FRAMED

Got a great shot from a rally? Send your favourite rally photograph to evan.hhmag@gmail.com to be featured here!

Picture by Steve White.

THIS WEEK’S BEST VIDEO << Watch the trailer that was shown at the Geneva Motor Show to get you in the mood for the MINI WRC Team’s outings in the FIA World Rally Championship: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2Hv At the top of each page, a tabbed section contains video clicks we recommend viewing. In other tabbed sections, we have linked articles posted on our website that will add more perspective and insight into the article it accompanies. Together with the videos, HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS aims to offer readers a fully-interactive reading experience.

Send evanrothman@gmail.com your favourite rallyrelated videos to to be featured in this section. Or, send us a twitter to @Evan_Rothman or a message on Facebook.

Interviews

Exclusive columnists

In-depth articles

SEB MARSHALL: INTERVIEWED Words: Evan Rothman Pictures: Jakob Ebrey Photography Seb Marshall is undoubtedly one of Britain’s brightest rising rally stars. He is mentored by possibly the biggest names in the sport and is also one of th ehardest working co-drivers we at HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS know. He’s off to Portugal to assist wit hthe WRC Academy before rejoining Adam Gould for the Bulldog Int’l Rally.

This highly talented co-driver with a cool head on his shoulders sat with H&H to answer our interview questions.

H&H: In your relatively short career as a co-driver, you’ve gone from one-off events with friend in 2004,

being selected as into the MSA British Rally Academy in 2006, partnering Adam Gould to win the UK Shootout of the Pirelli Star Driver competition in 2008, onto contesting the Fiesta Sport Trophy International (FSTi) and the 2WD Cup in of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge series in 2010 alongside Harry Hunt. You’re most definitely a bright talent in the world of rallying.

What do you put your success down to?

Seb Marshall: I’ve had quite a quick progression through the ranks as a co driver, and I think that is in large part due to the commitment I have put into my rallying.

I’m a bit of a perfectionist and, so before I go to an event, I’ll spend days looking through all the

paperwork, maps, previous in car footage on YouTube etc. trying to get a greater understanding of how an event is structured and find that extra advantage. My pre-event preparation comes into use when I get to a rally: knowing exactly where we should be, what’s going on when, the rules and regulations that apply etc. so much so that it’s almost like second nature. It’s that attention to detail that is crucial for a co-driver. I’ve tried to gather as much experience as possible of rallies even if I can’t compete. Be that through doing the recce, gravel notes, or just spectating on the stages.

In 2009, co-driving for Adam Gould I was in my final year of University studying Surveying & Mapping Science at Newcastle University. Two months prior to the Jim Clark Rally, the

Issue 175 • 24 Mar 2011 • Page 07

Teaser: WRC Rally de Portugal 2011: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2Ls

final exam timetable was released… I was gutted – there was a clash with my exams and the rally.

The next few weeks were spent reading through the University regulations and devising a calculator to weight up my options. I’d worked out that I could miss one exam and still legitimately get a 2:1 degree.

Needless to say my tutors weren’t too keen on the idea! But after finishing the recce, I set off back to Uni to do an exam (failure to do that one would have meant degree failure!)

– which meant I had to miss the rally Shakedown. Once completed I was straight back up the road to start the rally that afternoon and the following morning whilst my friends were writing essays about Advanced Geodesy I was reading Pace Notes.

My decision was vindicated when we scored our best result of the season by getting on the podium and I graduated with my 2:1 a few weeks later!

H&H: Passion can carry one to brave new heights. Your interest and dedication in the sport can best be described as driven by passion...

SM: There’s no greater buzz than being sat in a well-driven car on a stage where the notes are flowing, and feeling that I’m directly contributing to the result.

When it all drops into place it’s like everything happens in slow motion, and that sensation is unparalleled.

H&H: Having Phil Mills AND Robert Reid as mentors/instructors as part of your MSA British Rally Academy training in 2006 must give you bucket loads of confidence in your duties as co-driver...

SM: Having Robert, Phil and latterly Nicky Grist mentoring me has been an incredible opportunity. Being able to draw on their vast experience is invaluable and has undoubtedly helped my progression. It’s also reassuring to see co-drivers who have competed at the very top level seeing what I am doing and believing in me.

H&H: You have competed in rounds of both the IRC and WRC. The burning question most fans want to know: which offers the most competition; which is better?

SM: In terms of levels of competition, a huge amount depends on what car you are competing in. This year for example the new WRC Academy looks like the place to be for a young driver in 2WD. For Group N machinery the PWRC is prime choice. Arguably the IRC provides the best platform for drivers in S2000 though.

From a co-driver perspective I find the IRC events to be a little harder to plan for as on WRC rallies all

the information arrives a few weeks in advance. That said the IRC does seem to be very relaxed series to compete in, San Remo and Sardinia (perhaps it’s just the Italians?!) were particularly laid back and very enjoyable rallies.

H&H: Adam Gould and Harry Hunt are both ace drivers. Being codriver to them, your role is vitally important to the team’s success and to the driver’s nailing their accelerator pedals to the floorboards in stages to set those magical stage times. Did you have to adapt your style to suit Hunt’s, or did he adopt your style of pacenote reading to maximise his pace?

SM: As a co-driver it’s important to cater to a driver’s requirements, so I would adjust my methods slightly to maximise the performance of that driver. With each driver I try to develop a system that works for both of us, incorporating ideas from both sides of the car.

H&H: You are already moving swiftly up to the WRC’s ranks. What are your aims and goals?

SM: I’m conscious of never looking too far ahead, and taking things as they come, but ultimately my goal is to compete at the highest level in the WRC and I harbour a dream of one day being World Champion.

In the short term I’d like to take what I think is the natural step and compete in a 4WD car internationally this year. It’s also the final year of 4WD in the British Rally Championship, so clearly everyone’s objective is to win that championship whilst you can – and mine is no different!

H&H: The format of the IRC Monte Carlo Rally was fantastic for spectators, but tiresome for crews with a “hurry up and wait” setting. The FIA is looking to increase the stage mileage and bring back the glory of the long events such as the Safari Rally.

What are your thoughts on this and the current WRC format?

SM: I think striking a balance between the events would be the ideal situation.

Some rallies are very short in terms of the number of hours, yet are an incredible test of endurance – Ypres in particular springs to mind that is completed in a little over 24 hours. The revised Rally Finland to a lesser extent too.

I would love to see a few of the events such as the Monte, Rally GB etc. try an extended format, though it’s not necessarily about massive routes spread over the whole country. Rally Spain introduced a day on gravel that shook things up last year and revitalised what was previously a very repetitive rally for

many.

H&H: As a young kid, did you ever want to be the rally driver? Have you had an opportunity to sit in the opposite side of the car?

SM: Not really, I always felt that I could go further in the sport as a co-driver, which is already the case. I think my personality and approach are far more suited to the skills of a co-driver than a driver. That’s not to say I think I’d be a rubbish driver though!

I’ve only ever driven a rally car on the road sections or around service, though I was offered the chance to do the final stage of Rally GB last year, way ahead of Chris Patterson! I thought better of it though for fear of looking like an idiot if I crashed or the car broke down – there were just too many thinks to go wrong in Margam Park!

H&H: Have you had any moments in the car when you thought “this is going to hurt really bad” but it never happened? Any humorous moments to share?

SM: Pretty much every time I’ve thought this is going to hurt it has!

H&H: What do you get up to for your adrenalin rush when not strapped into a rally car?

SM: I really enjoy skiing though haven’t had the opportunity to go for a while.

Before I started co-driving it was all about playing with homemade downhill Soapbox racers.

H&H: Your favourite co-driver and driver?

SM: It was always about Burns and McRae for me, and Colin probably just edges it for his phenomenal commitment. Co-driver wise I never had a favourite as such, but always admired the Brits at the top of the sport. Robert Reid, Nicky Grist and Phil Mills - they were the ones that inspired me to start co-driving.

H&H: Favourite rally car?

SM: So hard to choose! Old school it’s got to be an Audi Quattro, more up to date probably the Ford Focus WRC which I’ve had the chance to sit in on a test. Having competed briefly in an Peugeot 207 S2000 I also love those cars too, if nothing else just for the noise they make.

H&H: Favourite event?

SM: In the UK it has to be the Isle of Man. On the International scene of the one’s I’ve competed on it would be Finland on gravel and San Remo on tarmac. I’d love to do New Zealand though, it looks incredible. H&H

Watch Ken Block in-car footage from WRC Rally Sweden 2011: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2L9

DELECOUR TO CONTEST TUTHILL PORSCHE CHALLENGE SEASON-OPENER Words: Staff Writer Picture: www.FrancisTuthill.co.uk Rally legend Francois Delecour will contest the opening round of the inaugural Tuthill Porsche Challenge, the Bulldog Historic Rally on 2 April.

The 48-year-old Frenchman will drive one of Tuthill Porsche’s 10 identical historic-specification 911s on the gravel event, which takes place on forest stages in North Wales.

Tuthill Porsche, the United Kingdom’s foremost preparation firm of historic Porsche rally cars, is running the one-make rally series within the Dunlop/ WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship, managed by the Historic Rally Car Register, this season.

“I’ve always been a big Porsche fan and I’m particularly excited about driving on the Welsh stages, some of which I know from doing Rally GB in the past, and which I consider to be among the best in the world,” said Delecour, a winner of four world championship rallies.

“I know Tuthill Porsche by reputation and driving one of their cars will give me a great chance to have a lot of fun. I’m not completely sure who I will be competing against but rallies like this tend to get a lot of very good local experts so I know it won’t be easy.”

Event regulations don’t permit a pre-rally reconnaissance so Delecour and French co-driver James Bocagnano will spend Friday April 1 adapting to their 911 for the first time during a test at Sweet Lamb in Wales.

Tuthill Porsche director Richard Tuthill said: “It’s a huge privilege to add Francois Delecour to the list of world class drivers who have driven for us such as Markku Alen, Stig Blomqvist, Michele Mouton, Walter Rohrl and Bjorn Waldegard. I’ve always admired Francois’ committed and spectacular driving style and it will be a real treat for the spectators to watch him through the forests of Wales.

“Francois will drive the same Challenge-specification as our other competitors and getting him over here

to drive one of our cars is a great way to get the series off to an exciting start.”

For a fee of £42,250.00 (plus VAT if applicable), Tuthill Porsche Challenge competitors will have the use of a Challenge-specification 3.0-litre Tuthill Porsche on five rounds of the MSA British Historic Rally Championship, with all costs – including maintenance, consumables, accommodation, entry fees and insurance – fully covered.

Tuthill Porsche Challenge organisers have put an exciting prize structure in place with the inaugural champion receiving a fully-paid entry into an FIA European Historic Rally Championship round, using one of Tuthill Porsche’s full-specification 3.0-litre Porsche 911s.

The second-placed crew will receive an all-expenses paid trip to watch the East African Safari Classic as a guest of the team, while the third-placed driver and co-driver will enjoy a two-day course at Tuthill Porsche’s ice-driving school in Norway. More details by visiting http://www.francistuthill.co.uk. H&H

Issue 175 • 24 Mar 2011 • Page 07

Ford WRC 2011 Meet the Chef: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2L7

MINI STARS TO RUN LEGENDARY NUMBERS Words: Staff Writer Pictures: IRC Media

MIKKELSEN SET TO STAR AT GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED Words: Staff Writer Pictures: IRC Media Intercontinental Rally Challenge podium finisher Andreas Mikkelsen will be one of the stars of the Goodwood Festival of Speed this summer. Škoda is supporting the Goodwood Forest Rally Stage as part of its celebrations of 110 years of motorsport participation. The 21-yearold Mikkelsen will be performing several demonstration runs on the gravel course as well as up the venue’s all-asphalt hillclimb in his Fabia S2000.

“With such a passion for cars, a rich motorsport heritage and a desire to innovate and entertain, a partnership between Škoda and the Goodwood Festival of Speed was a very natural step for both parties,” said Škoda UK director Rob Hazelwood. “The Goodwood Festival of Speed will be a major event for Škoda in 2011 and we are looking forward to celebrating our 110th motorsport anniversary with the tens of thousands of motorsport fans who will be at Goodwood this summer.”

The Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place from 30 June until 3 July. H&H

MINI WRC Team stars Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo will recreate history when they take part on a selected programme of world championship rallies this year.

They are planning to carry numbers 37 and 52 respectively on their MINI WRCs, which will be painted red with white roofs, the marque’s traditional rally colours.

MINI’s first competitive appearance in the WRC will be on Rally d’Italia Sardegna, which is scheduled to run from 5-8 May. Providing the plan is ratified, Northern Irishman Meeke will run as number 37 with Spaniard Sordo carrying number 52. Meeke’s legendary countryman, Paddy Hopkirk, used number 37 when he won the Monte Carlo Rally in a Mini Cooper in 1964.

When Mini made it back-to-back wins in the Principality with Timo Makinen the following year, the Finn ran as number 52.

MINI recently ramped up its preparations for its WRC debut when Meeke and Sordo conducted an endurance test in France. Both drivers were told to drive the Prodrivedeveloped MINI WRC to the point of mechanical failure in an effort to assess the durability of key components.

“It was one of the toughest places to go to in Europe for testing and was done in all extremes of weather,” said Meeke, following the three-day test in Fontjoncouse in the south of France.

“It was a very constructive test because it threw up lots of little things. A massive storm came in the day before I tested so it was like a real quagmire, which was perfect for us. For example, we found out how the windscreen wipers react after a watersplash and what kind of traction we have in the wet.”

Sordo’s running took place in dry conditions, which enabled the exfactory Citroen driver to carry out some high-speed testing.

MINI is set to formally launch its WRC bid at its Cowley manufacturing plant in Oxford, UK, on 11 April. H&H

BULLDOG RALLY BOASTS DIVERSITY Words: Staff Writer Picture: Jakob Ebrey Photography As the deadline for seeding on round two of the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship, Bulldog International Rally North Wales is upon us, the diversity of entries should mean another great battle in the classic Welsh forests.

The four Team entries represent; Renault with Autosport Technology’s brace of Twingos, Suzuki with a lone Swift from 586 Sports, Ford with M-Sport’s two Fiesta R2s and Citroën with Team C2R2 Max’s pair of C2s. It is also rumored that the awesome R3 Renault Clio and new Citroën DS3 will be making an appearance for the first time on BRC gravel.

Heading the international field the 2WD cars have the most varied range of drivers too, hailing from Estonia, Finland, Australia and Ireland as well as the domestic crews who represent all four corners of the United Kingdom.

The four wheel drive runners are happy to share just three marques of car, championship leader David Bogie sticking, like four others, with Mitsubishi Lancer Evo power, while Subaru nearly balances the Japanese brand war with four Imprezas. Škoda’s normally aspirated S2000 Fabia makes the third marque and with the recent announcement of the Fabia’s R2 variant, it will surely not be long before the Czech Republic is represented in the 2WD category too.

The 2011 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship and its support series, the BRC Challenge, are set to maintain the same joint entry level as last year on this excellent event, a great achievement in the current economic climate and testament to the commitment of the stars of the show – the competitors.

For more information on the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship, visit http://www.rallybrc.co.uk. H&H

Ahead of the WRC Portugal 2011 - Service Park: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2L5

READY FOR RALLYING Words: Staff Writer Pictures: Evan Rothman There’s not been a South African Rally Championship season more exciting than this years.

Making this year’s Championship all the more thrilling, the fact that over 17 S2000 cars will take to the start line in KwaZulu-Natal this weekend to tackle the sugarcane field stages along the South Coast. With a host of former champions in these S2000 machines, and a bevy of former and defending Class champions added to the entry list, rally fans are in a fantastic spectacle this weekend.

KwaZulu-Natal’s rally stages are regarded as of the best in South Africa, and having attended numerous events in this region, I can attest to that. The slippery roads, lined by the sugarcane fields, also give this tight and twisty event a high rate of attrition.

After a little over four months break from rallying, teams and crews will need to reign in their enthusiam over the first few competitive kilometres if they are to reach the final finish on Satuday afternoon unscathed by the long arms of the sugarcane fields and slippery offcamber corners.

Without a steering wheel turned in anger this season, HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS is hesitant to put its (last) money on a winner here this weekend.

The formidable factory teams from Volkswagen and Toyota will need to be ever more conscious of the threat from the Ford privateers in the top flight Class S2000. This is echoed in Class S1600 (formerly A6) too.

Entering the rally scene with a storng driver line-up is the Sasol Rally Team (featured in last week’s issue, #174). Mark Cronje and Jon Williams, and their Ford Fiesta S2000s, will be a force to be reckoned with, as will the

THE TOOLBOX SHOP

re-invigorated Conrad Rautenbach (who signed IRC champion co-driver Nicolas Klinger) to his campaign.

Factory drivers Jan Habig, Enzo Kuun, Hergen Fekken (all three in BP Volkswagen Polo Vivo S2000s), Johnny Gemmell and Leeroy Poulter (Castrol Toyota Auris S2000s) will most certainly be gunning for victory. And we have only covered half of the S2000 entrants!

Lower Classes, but by no means lesser competitors, will see the debut season of the new S1600 Class. Watch out for these 11 rockets as they rip through the stages.

The Total Tour Natal Rally, the first of eight in the Championship, will be a closely fought affair. Place your bets now, rally fans!

HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS will be attending the event and willprovide live updates on Twitter (http://twitter.com/Evan_Rothman) and our website (http://wp.me./pkXc). H&H

Telephone +44 (0) 1924 298709

Auto Electrical Parts Online >>>

WWW.THETOOLBOXSHOP.COM

Issue 175 • 24 Mar 2011 • Page 07

Toyota Corolla WRC tarmac action: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2L3

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO ACCESS FROM PORTUGAL Words: Evan Rothman Picture: Evan Rothman Here is a series of videos shot from the WRC Rally Portugal by Northern-Loop Productions. Seen in these videos is exclusive footage of Bernardo Sousa in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Visit their YouTube page to view more at http://www.youtube.com/user/ Danglydotcodotuk WRC Portugal 2011 - Service Park

BRIEF LOOK AT THE ACADEMY Words: Evan Rothman Pictures: RallyPrint.com Generating tremendous interest not only in the media but in rally communities the world over is the new-for-2011 FIA WRC Academy.

This joint initiative from FIA and the WRC’s global promoter North One Sport, the WRC Academy is a onemake series running alongside the WRC’s main championships on on six selected rounds.

For aspiring WRC stars of the future, this is the first rung on the WRC ladder, offering all participants not only exposure to the demanding events but also to mentoring from the sport’s most talented and insightful.

Levelling the playing field, all competitors will compete in identical Ford Fiesta R2 machines built and prepared by M-Sport and fitted with control tyres from Pirelli.

Only 24 crews will be entered for this season, with six cars allocated to the winners of the Pirelli Star Driver competitions in 2010. The first event run this weekend in Portugal, and it then heads to Italy (5 - 8 May), Finland (28 - 31 July), Germany (18 - 21 August), France (29 September - 2 October) and ending in Wales (10 - 13 November).

Of the competitors signed up, a few have already been highlighted to shine in this series, and one such

driver is Craig Breen. This young driver competed in a Ford Fiesta S2000 last season in various events, including WRC Rally Finland, to great success, and has also acquired a Fiesta R2 that he can test and compete in other championships in order to win the inaugural WRC Academy.

Molly Taylor and co-driver Rebecca Smart (both hailing from Australia) have already put their Ford Fiesta R2 through its paces in the openign round of the British Rally Championship and learnt vital clues in optimizing their speed for the gravel speed tests in Portugal.

Who will claim the first win in Portugal for this new series? Apart from the two big name stars already mentioed, there are talented crews from South America and Europe who will provide many surprises and upsets this weekend. H&H

WRC Portugal 2011 - Testing

WRC Portugal 2011 - Ken Block Testing

WRC Portugal 2011 - Bernardo Sousa Testing

WRC Portugal 2011 - Bernardo Sousa Jump 2

Event Reports & Results

Action Photography

SA RALLY CREWS SET FOR SUGAR CANE STAGES Words: Staff Writer Pictures: Motorpics The 2011 South African Rally Championship gets underway this weekend with the Total Tour Natal Rally on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, and all the indications are that it will be a particularly exciting and closely contested season. With at least 12 drivers in four different brands of premier Class S2000 fourwheel drive cars capable of winning, the fans are in for a bumper series of eight events in five provinces.

Heading the strong 18-car entry in S2000 are the factory BP Volkswagen Polo Vivos of defending champions Enzo Kuun/Guy Hodgson, former champions Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries, 2005 and 2007 champion driver Jan Habig and new co-driver Robert Paisley, and new team members Giniel de Villiers/Ralph Pitchford. De Villiers, a former national off road champion and winner of the 2009 Dakar Rally in a Volkswagen Race Touareg, is making his rally debut, while Pitchford returns for a second year after navigating for Habig last year.

The strong BP Volkswagen lineup, with six consecutive championships between them, can expect a serious challenge from the Castrol Toyota factory team, which will be looking to regain the championship they last won in 2004 with the now retired Serge Damseaux.

Carrying Team Castrol Toyotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hopes are Johnny Gemmell/Drew Sturrock (Auris) and Leeroy Poulter/ Elvene Coetzee (Auris). Also in Toyotas

are Team Total privateers Jean-Pierre Damseaux/Carolyn Swan (RunX) and Mohammed Moosa/Grant Martin (RunX).

The Ford challenge has been boosted to four privateer S2000 Fiestas with the addition of the new Sasol team of Mark Cronje/Robin Houghton and Jon Williams/Cobus Vrey. They will be up against the returning Ford of Zimbabweans Conrad Rautenbach/Peter Marsh (G-Fuel Fiesta) and Charl Wilken/ Greg Godrich (Basil Read/Bizhub Fiesta).

Making their debut in South African rallying are two Peugeot 207 S2000s, which will be campaigned by the Pirtek team of Hein Lategan/Johan van der Merwe and Visser du Plessis/ Gerhard Snyman.

Privateer Volkswagen Polos will be in the hands of Nicholas Ryan/ Geoff Tyrer and Japie van Niekerk/ Dave Lewkowicz. Sebastiaan Klaassen/ Cindi Harding will be in a lone Subaru Impreza, which formerly competed in the now defunct Class N4.

This year sees the phasing out of Classes A7 and N3 as a result of rising costs and falling entries, while the popular Class A6 will become Super1600 and incorporate N3 entries for 2011 only.

Class A5 becomes Super1400.

Reigning champion Gugu Zulu and Carl Peskin (BP Volkswagen Polo) will do battle in A7 with Rocky Reyneke/ Christo Ackerman in another Volkswagen Polo.

Super1600 promises to be a closely-fought battle ground with former champion Craig Trott back with co-driver Robbie Coetzee in a Team

Total Toyota RunX, Tjaart Conradie/Kes Naidoo (Silverton Engineering Toyota Auris) and Ashley Haigh-Smith/Hilton Auffray in a brand new Ford Fiesta likely to be strong contenders. Making their debut appearance for Team Total is the all-woman crew of Stefanie Hugo and Angela Shields (Toyota RunX).

Another all-woman crew in the form of Megan Verlaque and Lirene du Plessis will contest Super 1400 in a BP Volkswagen Polo Vivo, with competition coming from Henk Lategan/Pierre Jordaan in another Polo and Ian Young/ Herman Groenewald in an Associated Alterations Toyota Yaris.

The 39-car field is completed by seven KwaZulu-Natal regional crews competing in Class S20.

Organised by the Natal Motorcycle and Car Club, the Total Tour Natal will comprise 14 special stages over a total distance of some 161km over the two days. The rally will start at 13h30 on Friday from the Arbour Crossing Shopping Centre in Amanzimtoti, 30km south of Durban.

The first day will consist of four short South Coast gravel stages followed by a tarmac stage in the Arbour Crossing Shopping Centre car park.

The action gets underway again at 07h00 on Saturday with four gravel stages on the South Coast, all of which will be repeated before the day ends with a second run through the Arbour Crossing tarmac stage. The rally is expected to finish at around 16h00 and the podium ceremony and prize giving will take place at 17h30. H&H

Issue 175 • 24 Mar 2011 • Page 07

WRC Portugal 2010 - Sebastien Loeb in action: http://wp.me/ppkXc-2KY

PORTUGAL TO CROWN A NEW EVENT WINNER? Words: Evan Rothman Pictures: Citroen Racing, WorldRallyPics The terrain and stages selected make this one of the most technically demanding rallies on the World Rally Championship.

The scene of many a classic battle for victory, the slippery and dusty stages in the Algarve have proven as popular with fans and teams alike as those previously held in Porto. In recent times, this rally has proven to be especially cruel to Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team) and it also showed the rest of the rally field in 2010 that Sebastien Loeb (Citroen Total World Rally Team) is not unbeatable as Sebastien Ogier (Citroen Total World Rally Team) stormed to a spectacular win. This is the WRC Rally de Portugal...

WRC Rally Mexico didn’t offer up any answers in the battle between Ford and Citroen, as both manufacturers didn’t have a straight fight for the win. This second gravel event of 2011 will offer up more insight into gravel pace for the remainder of the season.

Having said that, Loeb did win rather convincingly in Mexico after his teammate Ogier crashed out. Mikko Hirvonen (Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team) and Latvala suffered from poor luck in South

America, but I’d not discount either of them being on the podium come Sunday afternoon.

Petter Solberg/Chris Patterson (Petter Solberg World Rally Team) have set themselves up as the fastest of the privateer crews, and are still looking for that elusive first win in the WRC as a privateer team. Solberg has been chased hard in this little battle by fellow countryman Mads Ostberg (M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team).

Ostberg’s pace has been surprised many WRC pundits, not for his speed in stages but by the level of commitment he has shown thus far. He has catapulted himself into the top five WRC drivers at this stage in the WRC by sheer determination.

From these abovementioned drivers will emerge the winner of this weekend’s event. Should none suffer from mechanical gremlins or a run of punctures as was the case for Hirvonen in Mexico, then this rally will be able to shed more light on just how fast these new crop of WRC cars are. With that will come an intense battle for the overall win from SS1 to the finish. There cannot be any more of the shenanigans of 2009 and 2010 when team orders slowed cars for better road position the following day: the entry list is simply too competitive!

The route covers familiar

territory in the Serra do Caldeirão hills above the Algarve coastline.

Estádio Algarve, built on the edge of Faro for the 2004 European Soccer Championships, is again the base. It hosts the single service park, but the super special stage inside the arena which started and closed the event will not be used. Instead, the rally journeys 300km north to Lisbon on Thursday for the start ceremony and opening speed test over asphalt roads bordering the Jerónimos Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once back in Faro, competitors face three long legs, each comprising two identical loops of stages. The only significant changes are the reintroduction of roads in the final leg last used in 2007. That 31.04km test is the longest of the weekend and the second pass will form the live TV Power Stage. Competitors tackle 17 stages covering 385.37km in a route of 1363.55km.

Buckle up for WRC Rally de Portugal - it will not only be a very bumpy event but also a frightfully fast one!

HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS will be covering with live updates on Twitter (http://twitter.com/Evan_Rothman) and our website (http://wp.me./pkXc). H&H