H&H-10

Handbrakes and Hairpins Issue 10

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BP Volkswagen Celebrates Three Consecutive Victories

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RALLY racers Jan Habig and Douglas Judd celebrated a well-deserved S2000 title triumph in Gauteng on Saturday. The duo completed the Toyota Dealer Rally – Gauteng, final round of the Sasol SA National Rally Championship, in second place overall to etch their names on the S2000 title.

This is the second time this pair have claimed the title which was still very much up for grabs going into the final round. A combination of determination and a dose of luck saw Habig and Judd claiming the top national spot for the season.

This leaves the BP Volkswagen rally team celebrating a hat-trick in the S2000 class with championship title wins for three consecutive seasons. Habig and Judd claimed the first title in 2005 with teammates Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson winning in 2006.

The title won last year was also Kuun’s first national championship victory. Celebrations in the BP Volkswagen camp were only slightly dampened at this final event with the non-finish of the defending champion. Despite a non-finish, Kuun and Hodgson finish the season in fourth place overall in the S2000 class.

“It is only due to the dedication and commitment of each of the members of the BP Volkswagen team that this win was possible,” says André van der Watt, Volkswagen motorsport manager. “The 2007 season demanded remarkable effort of every single member of the team. A title win and second place in the championship is just reward.”

The second place in the championship referred to by Van der Watt is that of Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries who finished the Toyota Dealer Rally – Gauteng in third place overall. This finishing position was enough to ensure the pair claimed second place in the S2000 class, right behind their teammates Habig and Judd.

www.motorpics.co.za “Motorsport is often perceived as an individual sport,” Habig said during the event. “This couldn’t be further from the truth, its takes a whole team, working together to make victory possible.”

Teamwork was certainly high on the list of requirements during this season finale. The event was unlike any other experienced during 2007. The rally teams found themselves wading through mud and intermittent rain.

During the event vehicles battled for traction, were sliding around every corner and the drivers were doing their best not to get stuck – and all of this was just in the service park! Technicians were faced with a battle just to set up for service and more than a little help was offered and accepted between teams to keep the rally moving.

Originally set as a 14 stage event, competitors found the rally shortened to just 12 on day two.

In the harsh conditions it was Gugu Zulu and Carl Peskin the first of two casualties for the BP Volkswagen rally team. Engine problems on their new class A7 BP Volkswagen Polo brought the duo’s rally to a premature end in the fourth stage of the event.

It was defending champions Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson who were the team’s second entry to fall foul of the event. Late into day two the pair ran into engine problems that forced them to stop in stage 11 – just one stage away from the finish.

Both Kuun and teammate Fekken had earlier on the day suffered broken windscreens due to an overhanging branch on one of the stages. These were replaced but a very real danger of blocked air vents and the potential for overheating remained throughout the event.

Fekken suffered high temperatures and a misfire that appeared to end his event. Instead he, and navigator Arries, managed to nurse their S2000 to the end of the stage and back to service where technicians effected repairs sufficient to make the finish line.

For Habig and Judd the threat of overheating nearly ended their rally at a crucial point. Just 12km from the end of stage 11 a blocked radiator caused engine temperatures to soar, putting them in serious danger of a non-finish.

Despite this danger, the pair crossed the line to take the championship win and the BP Volkswagen team are celebrating a championship victory. - SUPPLIED.

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Fuel Stop: News Briefs No WRC Rally Australia For 2008 Rally Australia will not be hosting a World Rally Championship round next year, after planning delays forced the cancellation of the event by its organisers.

The event, which was last held in Perth, Western Australia in 2006, was supposed to run in south east Queensland next September.

The main reason for the cancellation is that a $650 million project to build a lavish motorsport precinct at Norwell near the Gold Coast, will not be completed in time for the event’s planned start time of September. The motorsport precinct was planned to host the rally headquarters, including communications, a main service park and and a spectator super special stage.

The organisation behind construction of the motorposrt park, I-METT, announced that they had been forced to delay hosting the WRC round next year because of unforeseen planning delays.

The organisers have not however, ruled out the possibility of scheduling of Rally Australia for 2009.

IRC Supported By World Rally Community At a press conference held during the past weekend’s IRC Rallye du Valais, the eighth and penultimate round of this year’s IRC series, Jacques Béhar – the President of Eurosport Events, which promotes the IRC – announced the launch of the IRC Supporter Event scheme.

This scheme will give every participating event the opportunity to increase its international standing while consolidating its reputation on a national level. IRC Supporter Event status will allow rallies to benefit from the strengths of the IRC brand, and to promote themselves internationally through on-demand video highlights available on the IRC website. This website will be extended to the www.yahoo.eurosport.com platform from the start of 2008.

Jacques Béhar commented: “After just eight months of existence, the Intercontinental Rally Challenge has a strong presence in the world of international rallying, and many event organisers have expressed a firm interest in the series. By launching this initiative we aim to get to know these partner rallies better, make them better known, and share with them the values that characterise the events on the IRC calendar.”

Two events have already confirmed their participation in the IRC Supporter Event scheme: the Sata Azores Rally (Portugal) and the Lapland Arctic Rally (Finland). Other events are about to finalise their entries.

Within the framework of this scheme, BFGoodrich will host the “IRC Supporter BFGoodrich Challenge” for all competitors using their tyre brand on the events. Frederic-Henry Biabaud, Competitions Director of the Michelin Group, said at the press conference in Switzerland: “The regulations for the challenge will be published in the next few days, but with rallying - and the IRC in particular – being a crucial sporting discipline for the BFGoodrich brand, the creation of the IRC Supporter BFGoodrich Challenge matches perfectly our sporting philosophy. Namely, we aim to promote and support competitors, teams and organisers to get the most out of this fantastic sport – to which our Group, along with BFGoodrich, are deeply attached.”

Tough Japanese Rally For PWRC Crews It has not only been the world rally teams struggling with the difficult conditions. There has also been plenty of drama in the PWRC, with another of drivers succumbing to the Rally Japan curse, often leading the event, and then finding trouble.

The only driver to really avoid trouble has been local Japanese driver Katsu Taguchi, and his Australian co-driver Mark Stacey.

Although Katsu won the Group N class overall by over a minute, he was not nominated for PWRC points. Taguchi will however, be very pleased by gaining one world rally championship point for his efforts this weekend. The winner of the PWRC category was Argentine driver Gabriel Pozzo, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. Pozzo still has a slim chance of winning the PWRC title, after series leader Toshi Arai had a disastrous rally.

Arai only needed to finish first or second this weekend to claim the title, and that prospect was looking good during the first day.

However on Stage 7 Arai came unstuck in the tricky conditions, and was forced to give up his 9.6 second lead to fellow Japanese driver Fumio Nutahara. Unfortunately for Nutahara, his Lancer Evo IX suffered mechanical failure after Stage 12, and was forced to retire from the rally.

Takuma Kamada was running second PWRC car on the final day, until brake failure forced Kamada to slow down on the final two stages, finishing fourth. This enabled Poland’s Leszek Kuzaj into second, and flamboyant Portuguese driver Armindo Arajou onto the podium.

Russian rally champion Evgeniy Vertunov finished the Rally Japan fifth PWRC competitor while Mark Higgins finished sixth.

Higgins has driven a courageous rally driving in significant discomfort, after fracturing his collar bone prior to the start of the event.

This Week’s Favourite Rallying Car: Saab’s Rallying Machines

Saab, the Swedish motoring marque, has had a rich past in rallying. Here I have compiled their most important rallying achievements.

Saab’s venture in the greatest motorsport in the world in 1950 when Rolf Mellde and co-driver K.G. Svedberg and team-mates Greta Molander and navigator Margaretha van Essen took part in the Monte Carlo Rallye in January. Molander/Von Essen finished the rally in 55th place overall, fifth in her class and second in the Ladies Class.

Later that year in November, the two Saab teams performed well, with Mellde/Svedberg winning the event, and with the help from Molander/Von Essen, they proved to be the best manufacturer. Molander won the Ladies Class.

In 1952 Greta Molander and Helga Lundberg win the Ladies Cup at the Monte Carlo Rallye, and in 1953 Rolf Mellde and K.G. Svedberg win the Swedish National Rallying Championship convincingly in a Saab.

Erik Carlsson takes the chequered flag at in what is regarded as Sweden’s ultimate endurance test the Rikspokalen in a Saab 92 in 1955.

Bob Wehman and Louis Braun win the fourth and last Great American Mountain Rally of 1956. Rolf Mellde finished in sixth overall in a Saab 93, and in 1959 Erik Carlsson score another victory in the Midnight Sun Rally in Sweden.

Carlsson won the British RAC Rally in 1960, his first of three consecutive wins on this particular event. He entered the 1961 Monte Carlo Rally in a Saab 95 (with the manufacturer’s only four-speed car) to finish in a respectable fourth place overall.

In 1962 Erik Carlsson and Gunnar Haggbom win the Monte Carlo Rally, and repeat this feat in 1963. In one of the last city-tocity rallies, Carlsson wiht new co-driver Gunnar Palm finish second in the Spa-Sofia-Liege “Marathon de la Route” rally. It was regarded at the time as one of the most demanding rallies in the world!

In 1971 Stig Blomqvist wins the Swedish Rally in a Saab V4. A new generation of driver takes over as Erik Carlsson becomes Saab’s roving ambassador. Blomqvist wins the Belgian Rally “Boucles de Spa” in 1976. The winning car, a Saab 99 with double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, featured the latest in mechanical engineering wizardry. And 1977 saw him walk home with the Swedish Rally honours, and then in 1979 he wins the event once more in Saab 99 Turbo, making history as this was the first turbocharged car in a World Rally Championship.

Unfortunately, Saab closed its Competitions Department in 1980 thus ending all rallying activity.

Past WRC Master: Stig Blomqvist Stig Blomqvist was born on 29 July, 1946, and is one of Sweden’s most successful rally drivers ever. Blomqvist won the Swedish Rally Championship title several times, and was the crowned the 1984 World Rally Champion.

Stig Blomqvist acquired his driving licence at the age of 18, and immediately took second place in a 1964 local rally event near the Swedish town of Karlstad, behind the wheel of a Saab 96. He proceeded to drive with the Saab team, and achieved his first international victory at the 1971 British RAC Rally.

He won the Swedish Rally in 1971 (Saab 96 V4), in 1972 (Saab 96V V4), in 1973 (Saab 96 V4), in 1977 (Saab 99 EMS) and in 1979 (Saab 99 Turbo). Blomqvist won the 1976 “Boucles de Spa” Belgium Rally, in the Saab 99. His long-time association with Saab ended when the Saab Competition Department hung up their racing gloves in 1980, but he had enjoyed much success with the team. In 1971 alone, he started 16 rallies and scored 11 wins.

He continued with top performances with Lancia and for the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus team, and in the early 1980s, he became one of the first to drive a four-wheel drive rally car with an Audi Quattro. Competing alongside such other rally greats as Walter Röhrl, Markku Alén and Hannu Mikkola, he achieved five victories in 1984 to become the World Rally Champion.

His rally career was at its peak during the Group B rally car era of the mid-1980s, when he excelled with the Nissan, Ford and Peugeot teams. In the 1990s he used his experience of two-wheel drive cars and helped the Škoda Motorsport team to develop the Felicia Kit Car. During a guest appearance at the 1996 WRC Rally of Great Britain, then a 50-year-old veteran, finished 3rd overall with a Skoda Felicia Kit Car 1,6.

In 2001, Stig Blomqvist, together with co-driver Ana Goni, competed in the World Rally Championship with a group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI and finished in 5th place overall in the 2001 FIA group N classification.

Recent Rallying Highlights: 2000: London-Sydney Marathon, 1st, Ford Capri Perana V8, co-driver Ben Rainsford.

Irish Rally Summit 2000, 4th, Subaru Impreza, co-driver Mark Crowe 2001: RAC Rally, 16th, 4th grN, Mitsubishi Carisma GT-N, co-driver Ana Goni Swedish Rally, 18th, 3rd grN, Mitsubishi Carisma GT-N, co-driver Ana Goni Rally Catalunya, 21st, 3rd grN, Mitsubishi Carisma GT-N, co-driver Ana Goni New Zealand, 21st, 4th grN, Mitsubishi Carisma GT-N, co-driver Ana Goni 1000 Lakes, 22nd, Skoda Octavia WRC E2, co-driver Ana Goni Rally Australia, 23rd, 7th grN, Mitsubishi Carisma GT-N, co-driver Ana Goni San Remo Rally, 30th, 4th grN, Mitsubishi Carisma GT-N, co-driver Ana Goni Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, Co, USA, 2nd unlimited, Ford RS200 2002: Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, Co, USA, 4th overall, 2nd unlimited, Ford RS200 Rally Acropolis, 17th, Skoda Octavia WRC Evo 2, co-driver Ana Goni 2004: Roger Albert Clark Rally, UK, 1st, Ford Escort Mk 2 RS, co-driver Ana Goni.

Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, Co, USA, 1st unlimited 2005: Oregon Trail Rally, 1st, 2003 Subaru STi WRX, co-driver Ana Goni Susquehannock Trail ProRally, 3rd, 1st grN, 2003 Subaru Impreza, co-driver Pauline Gullick Roger Albert Clark Rally, 2nd, Escort Mk II RS 2007: East African Safari Classic Rally, 1st, Ford Escort Mk 1, co-driver Ana Goni.

Nationality: Swedish Active years in WRC: 1973 - 2006 Teams: Ford, Audi, Saab, Talbot World rallies: 122 Championships: 1 (1984) Wins: 11 Podium finishes: 33 Stage wins: 486 Points: 573 First world rally: 1973 Swedish Rally Last world rally: 2006 Swedish Rally

The Future Kings Of WRC? The World Rally Championship, where the world’s best drivers compete against each other, has seen amazing driving talents fight against each other over the years. Names such as Carlos Sainz, Colin McRae, Tommi Makkinen, Sebastien Loeb, Michele Mouton, Ari Vatanen and Walter Rohrl come to mind.

All these drivers started out rallying early in their careers in domestic national cahmpionships before entering the top-flight WRC league.

Now we have drivers as young as 16 years old competing in national rallying championships, and 18 year old youngsters competing in the fast-paced JWRC (Junior World Rally Championship). Like Formula One’s Lewis Hamilton, talent is spotted at an early, and then honed into maestros!

And here are two such drivers, Daniel Sordo and Jari-Matti Latval. Both these drivers are younger than 25 and already prominently feature in WRC. Will these be the future kings of the sport?

Dani Sordo Castillo was born on 2 May 1983 in Torrelavega, Cantabria in Spain. Like most other rally and race drivers, he started his racing career in motorcross at the age of twelve. He experienced a measure of success in hillclimbing, karting and touring cars before taking on the rallying world.

He competed in his first WRC event at the Spanish round in 2003 in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII, and finished an impressive 18th overall. Sordo focused his energies solely on rally-

Dani Sordo in showing off his boundless talent.

ing, and proceeded to win the 2003 and 2004 Spanish Junior National Championships, and also competed in the WRC Rally Argentina (retired), WRC Rally France (13th overall) and Spain (20th overall) in 2004. It was in this last event that Sordo switched from his Mitsubishi Lancer to a Citroen C2 S1600, and he committed to a full season in the C2 in the JWRC with Belgium’s Kronos Racing Team.

With the backing and tutoring of Carols Sainz, he switched co-drivers to pair with Sainz’s navigator Marc Marti. Marti now serves as mentor for Sordo, and he took Sordo to victories in Sardinia, Finland, Germany and Spain and on to the JWRC Championship crown that year. There is no doubting the talent and skill of this youngster...

Sordo was approached by the Kronos Total Citroen World Rally Team to fill their team’s third car for the 2006 season. He posted excellent results and performances in the Rally Catalunya and Rally de France, and this helped to secure him the position as second driver for the Rally Deutschland onwards, alongside Sebastien Loeb. This meant that more experienced Xavier Pons was booted into the third car, and was to drive only selected events. It was a wise move on the part of the team’s directors, as the records prove.

Citroen Sport announced that Sordo would partner Loeb for 2007, and Sordo has experienced Loeb’s full support within the team. In fact, Loeb has gone so far as to state he is Dani Sordo’s fan!

Jari-Matti Latvala (born April 3, 1985) is a Finnish rally driver, competing this year with a Ford Focus RS WRC 06 for Stobart VK M-Sport Ford in the World Rally Championship. His codriver has been Miikka Anttila since the 2003 Rallye Deutschland.

His first world rally was the 2002 Rally Great Britain at the age of 17! He finished in 17th position in a Mitsubish Lancer Evolution VI. In 2003, Latvala competed in four WRC events with a Ford Focus WRC, finishing tenth at the Acropolis Rally, 17th at the Rallye Deutschland, 14th at the Rally Finland and tenth at the Rally Great Britain.

His best overall result in the World Rally Championship was 21st with a Group N Subaru Impreza WRX STI at the Tour de Corse. In the 2005 season, Latvala competed in nine world rallies; six with the Group N Impreza and three with a World Rally Car. His best overall result was 16th, which he managed three times; at the Swedish Rally with a Toyota Corolla WRC and at the Tour de Corse and the Rally d’Italia Sardegna with the Impreza.

In 2006, Latvala competed in 11 world rallies. He drove the Subaru Impreza WRX STI in six, a Ford Focus WRC in four and a Toyota Corolla WRC at his home event, the Rally Finland. His best results came in the last three rallies. At Rally Australia, he won the Production Car World Rally Championship (P-WRC) class, and finished sixth overall. At the Rally New Zealand, he finished eighth overall and also won the P-WRC class once more. With the Focus WRC, he recorded his career-best result by finishing fourth at the last event of the season, the Rally Great Britain. Points from these rallies then placed Latvala 13th overall in the drivers’ championship.

Like fellow competitor Sordo, Latvala mostly competed with a S1600 class Junior World Rally Championship car (in 2004).

This Finn has many more years of top-flight rallying left in him: he is definitely one to look for in the future!

Latvala began driving when he was only eight years old, after receiving a Ford Escort from his father Jari Latvala, also a rally driver and 1994 national champion in the Group N class. At the age of ten, Latvala started practicing with an Opel Ascona on a frozen lake, as do most of those crazy Finns. Coming from a rich pedigree of drivers, Latvala has the right genes and breeding to one day lift the WRC Championship trophy.

Jari-Matti Latvala’s WRC record: Nationality: Finnish Active years: 2002 - present Teams: Ford World rallies: 39 Championships: 0 Wins: 0 Podium finishes: 0 Stage wins: 1 Points: 13 First world rally: 2002 Rally Great Britain.

Another Flying Finn, Jari-Matti Latvala.

Dani Sordo’s WRC Record: Nationality: Spanish Active years: 2003 - present Teams: Citroën Sport World rallies: 28 Championships 0 Wins: 0 Podium finishes: 4 Stage wins: 10 Points: 49 First world rally: 2003 Rally Catalunya.

Have You Heard Of The Name Travis Pastrana?

Travis Pastrana was crowned the 2006 Rally America National Champion. Driving for Subaru Rally Team USA, convincingly won the Championship crown in his Impreza WRX STI. This 24-year old adrenaline junkie is not new to action-packed sports, as he is the current FMX (Freestyle Motocross) World Champion and X-Games World Champion. He created the backflip, on a motocross bike - this feat was never before attempted, and he pulled it off to the awe of all his competitors.

Pastrana clearly loves speed and competition, so he fits in well with the other rally drivers in the Rally America National Championship. He won the championship in only his second year of rallying, and is still the youngest ever Rally America title winner in their history.

Pastrana is an unlikely rally champion. With more than enough talent and HUGE balls, Pastrana is rumoured to be looking to compete in selected WRC events... He will most certainly be out to prove a point, the American way. We watch his rallying career with great interest!

WRC Rally Japan Review: Rising Sun, Rising Stars

Adverse conditions played a major part in the outcome of WRC Rally Japan this past weekend. Mikko Hirvonen, the Flying Finn from the BP-Ford World Rally Team, experienced a fantastic event to comfortably win the rally. This was his second victory for Hirvonen and his co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen this year. The gravel surface seemed to bring out the best in the young driver.

In what was a dramatic rally as the two drivers’ championship leaders both succumbed to the conditions. Marcus Gronholm (BPFord World Rally Team) and Sebastien Loeb (Citroen Total World Rally Team) failed to score any points, meaning that the last two events of the season will be crackers!

Gronholm crashed out on Day One, and was unable to continue the rally as the damage to his roll cage proved permanent. Loeb slipped off the road on Day Two, and was also unable to restart the event.

“It was such a strange and difficult rally but the way it has turned out is perfect,” said 27-year-old Hirvonen. “The conditions were tricky with fog, ice and rain at different times during the weekend. This morning I widened the lead over Sordo during the first loop of stages and that meant I could relax and drive a little easier over the second pass. When my team-mate [Marcus Gronholm] retired on Friday, the pressure was on me to score points to help the team’s championship fight and to help Marcus in the drivers’ series. The only way I could do that was to fight with Loeb and try to beat him, which is what happened. It keeps the team in a strong position for the manufacturers’ title and keeps Marcus in front also,” he added.

And not only does this win keep Hirvonen in the boss’ good books, but also brings Ford closer to lifting the coveted WRC Constructors’ title. The mathematics of the championships shows that should a Ford not see a finish line again in the last two events, then Citroen is likely to beat them.

Citroen Total World Rally Team driver Dani Sordo has been on a steep learning curve this year, taking full advantage of Loeb’s masterful tips and tricks. Sordo pulled off two stage wins and finished in second place overall, showing his ability to gauge the surface well and to pace himself accordingly.

“It wasn’t the easiest of events,” said Sordo. “We really had to take care over today’s stages which were again extremely slippery.

The combination of fast roads and frequently changing grip meant that we had to be on our toes throughout. I am glad to have finished second and the weekend has brought me a lot of extra experience on this type of terrain. That could well come in useful in the future. We also did some good set-up for the last round of the year in Wales.”

Henning Solberg, the ever cheerful Finn, finished a highly commendable third place overall in his Stobart VK Ford M-Sport World Rally Team. His team-mate, Matthew Wilson, finished fourth, making their team the highest placing no-factory team once more this past weekend. This outstanding result moves the privateer within two points of the all-mighty Subaru World Rally Team, vying for third position in the WRC Constructors’ title race.

“I am really delighted with this rally and it is an incredible result to come here for my first time and finish on the podium; we are both so happy. I had a good feeling with the car right from the start and it was working really well on the gravel stages. It wasn’t an easy rally and I had to take some risks on the first day to get fast times on stages that I didn’t know. I tried to push hard when I could but also not to make any mistakes and it was a balance. To finish third here is more than I could have hoped for and we have collected a high number of points for both the driver’s championship and also for the Stobart team,” said Henning Solberg.

“The championship situation for us is the same as it was before we came to Japan,” said Marcus Gronholm. “I was expecting and wanting to come away from here with a lead over Sebastien and we are doing that. I have to be happy that we still have that lead after what happened on Friday. It’s going to be really difficult but we’re still confident going to Ireland and it looks like a really exciting end to the season. We have to make no mistakes now and try for the win on both remaining events.”

The next rally on the calendar is WRC Rally Ireland. This tarmac event favours Sebastien Loeb’s driving style, and he looks to eke out an advantage over Gronholm at this event.

“Along with the Citroen Sport technical staff, we decided to profit from the last day to work on the set-up of our C4 WRC because the conditions were similar to what we can expect in Wales. Daniel and I have already put yesterday’s mistake behind us. We are fully aware of the challenge that awaits us if we want to defend our title. The fight is by no means over and we give it our very best shot on the last two rounds of the season,” said Loeb.

WRC RALLY JAPAN RESULTS: Overall Rally Results: 1. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN) Ford Focus 3hr 23min 57.6sec 2. Dani Sordo (ESP) Citroen 3:24:35.0 3. Henning Solberg (NOR) Subaru Impreza 3:28:31.3 4. Matthew Wilson (GBR) Ford Focus 3:30:35.5 5. Luis Perez Companc (ARG) Ford Focus 3:30:38.0 6. Manfred Stohl (AUT) Citroen Xsara 3:31:01.9 7. Federico Villagra (ARG) Ford Focus 3:35:12.9 8. Katsuhiko Taguchi (JPN) Mitsubishi Lancer 3:44:37.7 9. Gabriel Pozzo (ARG) Mitsubishi Lancer 3:45:50.6 10. Armindo Araujo (POR) Mitsubishi Lancer 3:48:11.

Overall Drivers’ standings: 1. Gronholm (FIN) 104 pts 2. Loeb (FRA) 100 pts 3. Hirvonen (FIN) 84 pts 4. Sordo (ESP) 53 pts 5. P. Solberg (NOR) 38 pts 6. H. Solberg (NOR) 34 pts 7. Atkinson (AUS) 29 pts 8. Latvala (FIN) 24 pts 9. Stohl (AUT) and Duval (BEL) 12 pts Overall Constructors standings: 1. Ford 189 pts 2. Citroen 155 pts 3. Subaru 73 pts 4. Stobart-Ford 71 pts 5. OMV-Kronos-Citroen 43 pts 6. Munchi’s-Ford 14 pts

Calendar Changes For 2008 And 2009 The World Motor Sport Council (FIA) met in Paris recently to discuss a number of recommendations and changes to the World Rally Championship. A number of regulation changes will be incorporated into the 2008 and 2009 World Rally Championships.

From 1 January 2008: 1) To provide for more equal competition, the running order for each Day will be based on the event classification. This means that the leader of the event will be first on the road, except on first day when the championship leader will be first on the road.

2) To aid public understanding, the term “Leg” will be replaced by “Day”.

-3) The regulations will provide for a 10 minute final service prior to the finish podium. It is intended to create the opportunity for the Service Park to be an attraction until the finish of the event.

From 1 January 2009: 1) To increase the challenge of the events and to increase media opportunities, events will be allowed to run mixed surfaces, on the condition that a surface will be used on two consecutive days.

2) To create more flexibility, the total length of the special stages will be increased from 360km to 400km.

2008 FIA World Rally Championship Calendar Jan 24 - 27 76e Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo Feb 8 - 12 Uddeholm Swedish Rally Feb 28 - Mar 2 Rally Mexico Mar 27 - 3 Rally Argentina Apr 24 - 27 Jordan Rally WRC May 16 - 18 Rallye d’Italia-Sardegna May 29 - Jun 1 BP Ultimate Acropolis Rally Jun 13 - 15 Rally of Turkey Jul 31 - Aug 3 Neste Oil Rally Finland Aug 15 - 17 ADAC Rallye Deutschland Aug 28 - 31 Rally of New Zealand Oct 2 - 5 Rallye de España Oct 10 - 12 Rallye de France Tour de Corse Oct 24 - 26 Rally Japan Nov 28 - 30 Wales Rally GB