H&H-14

Handbrakes and Hairpins Issue 14

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Images: RallyStuff.Net

Latvala Scoops Ford WRT Drive For 2008!

Ford of Europe plans to keep the WRC as its front line motorsport activity from 2008. This announcement, released this earlier this week to the world’s media and to Handbrakes and Hairpins, also announced some important developments designed to “maintain the competitiveness of the BP-Ford Team from the start of the coming championship season.”

As rally fans the world over mourn the loss from rallying the legendary Marcus Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen to retirement, Ford has quickly signed the fast and furious Jari-Matti Latvala and his co-driver Miika Antitila to drive their second Ford Focus RS WRC machine for 2008. This youngster will most certainly take the challenge to the likes of Sebastien Loeb and even teammate Mikko Hirvonen next season.

Lewis Booth, Executive Vice Chairman of Ford of Europe and Premier Automotive Group, said: “The man who so convincingly kept the BP-Ford team at the top of the leader board throughout the year is Marcus Grönholm. We couldn’t have won “two in a row” without Marcus and Timo delivering results so consistently. We’re really fortunate to have had them both on the team, and we’re proud of what they have achieved for Ford. Marcus and Timo have been one of the sport’s most successful pairings of all time - in fact their 30 victories have earned Marcus second place on the list for all-time rally wins. Such is Marcus’ standing in the sport that we did not want to lose him entirely from our team. We are asking Marcus to take an ambassadorial role for Ford of Europe next year.”

Ian Slater, Vice President Communications of Ford of Europe and Premium Automotive Group, said the team’s new driver line-up is a key aspect of Ford’s strategy. “Ford of Europe is planning for a long-term success in the WRC. Our young but experienced team, with Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala, is a clear statement of intent. We believe these two young Finns will become stars of the sport and we’re delighted to offer them the opportunity to grow and develop with Ford over the next few season, while providing all-important stability and consistency within the team. Jari-Matti is only 22, but already he has started more than 50 WRC events and his level of experience is higher than many older drivers. He has developed greatly under Malcolm’s guidance in a privately-entered Focus RS World Rally Car during the past two seasons. Towards the end of the 2007 season Jari-Matti has shown he is ready to step up to a full works drive: witness his outstanding third place in Rally Ireland last month. They will debut for us in January’s Monte Carlo Rally.”

Malcolm Wilson, managing director at M-Sport, gave his views on the season just ended. “First of all I’d like to thank Ford for the trust and confidence. I also would like to thank Stobart for their commitment to run Jari-Matti this year. He has gained confidence by the day and has developed into the most promising driver in the WRC this season. His performances on the second half of the season put him in pole position for the drive. Knowing that he will now be doing a large part of the testing, gives me confidence that his performance will only improve. Marcus and Mikko have worked wonderfully together and I hope that Mikko will pass on to Jari-Matti the experience he has learned. If I look back, I’m proud to say that they both came to M-Sport for evaluation five years ago and now they are going to be partnered for the 2008 season,” he added.

Mark Deans, Ford of Europe’s new Motorsport director, who will head the company’s programme from the start of next season, is not hiding his enthusiasm. “With this incredible car and team we look forward for a 2008 full of successes.”

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Fuel Stop: News Briefs New Drivers For Suzuki Motorsport WRC

Suzuki Motorsport have officially announced the drivers for their 2008 campaign following a two day delay. The announcement was delayed by the Suzuki team after company board member and European director Hirotaka Ono’s passed away on Thursday night.

Suzuki have nominated two drivers to compete in all fifteen rounds of the 2008 World Rally Championship. The drivers are Finn Toni Gardemeister with co-driver Toni Tuominen and upcoming Swedish star Per-Gunnar Andersson and co-driver Jonas Andersson.

This is the first time Gardemeister has had the oppurtunity to drive for a works backed team, after parting ways with Ford at the end of 2005. Gardemeister’s wealth of experience and testing skills will be crucial in Suzuki’s quest of success in the WRC. PG Andersson is no stranger to the Suzuki team, having worked with the team in the Junior World Rally Championship over the past four years. Andersson has succeeded in becoming the only driver to win the JWRC twice, with the Suzuki Ignis in 2004 and the Suzuki Swift this year.

BFGoodrich Moves Out Of WRC Leaving WRC with immediate effect, the tyre manufacturer BFGoodrich chose to mark the occassion by thanking the crews that brought them so many wins and titles during their participation in the top rallying formula. Personalised coloured tyres were presented to the drivers!

Reportedly, Marcus Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen gave the BFGoodrich brand its first WRC success by winning the 2006 WRC Rally Monte Carlo. In the last two seasons, the Finnish pairing notched up a total of twelve victories, while arch rivals and fellow BFGoodrich tyre competitors Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena claimed top honours in no less than sixteen WRC events.

The tyres handed to Marcus Gronholm, Timo Rautiainen, Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena were coloured with their respective national flags and marked “150 WRC rounds” for Gronholm and Rautiainen and “98 WRC rounds” for Loeb and Elena.

According to the news article, these tyres were not merely painted in the national flag colours, but were coloured in their mass using colourants incorporated into the tyre compound itself. The production of these tyres apparently took approximately 300 hours of work, and the strips of coloured rubber were delicately laid on the casing of a real rally tyre.

The quality of the work was not lost on the World Champions at the official award ceremony in Swansea, Wales, on Friday November 30, as Marcus Gronholm, Timo Rautiainen, Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena inspected their respective prizes from all angles.

“It’s magnificent, and really original,” said Marcus Gronholm, visibly moved. “It mirrors the careful, hard work that everyone in the Michelin Group has put in all these years.”

“Mine won’t just sit at the back of the garage; it will take pride of place at the front,” promised Timo Rautiainen who also thanked the Group’s staff for their work during the past eight years. If I could have four more to put on my car, that would be perfect!”

“It’s certainly original, just like the real Michelin/BFGoodrich tyres always were,” confided Sebastien Loeb who went on to claim his fourth world title two days later. I have always had the utmost faith in the Michelin Group’s and I’m sure I will miss them on next year’s Monte Carlo Rally” “I think the Monaco tyre looks the best,” quipped Daniel Elena. It’s a remarkable job. Thank you, all of you. It’s the end of a long and fruitful adventure. But who knows? Maybe we’ll be back together in a few years’ time.” - Credit: bfgoodrich/accession.com.

Dream Drives

Total-Elf, sponsor of both the ING Renault F1 Team and the Citroen Sport Team, recently swapped the seats of Loeb and Heikki Kovalainen for a promotional event at Le Castellet in the south of France.

Sebastien Loeb and Dani Sordo both got a taste of Formula 1 power at the wheel of the world championship-winning R26, victor of the 2006 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Sebastien Loeb, already familiar with circuit racing after participating in the 2006 Le Mans 24 Hours, was delighted to have the opportunity to drive another car with title-winning credentials.

As for Heikki Kovalainen, he is a true Finn and that means rallying is in his blood. His test in the title-winning Citroen C4 was a special day as he took the wheel on a special stage near the Paul Ricard HTTT. What’s more, he had a pretty useful co-driver alongside him, as Loeb took the second seat to provide the Finn a few special tips.

Sebastien Loeb commented at the end of the day: “Today has been a fantastic experience; if I’m honest, it’s a little bit like Christmas come early! I have just become a father for the first time, I won my fourth world title last weekend, and now a dream has come true: driving a Formula 1 car for the first time. I was very impressed with the grip generated by the aerodynamics, which is

radically different from what we are used to in rallying. I already knew Paul Ricard well from my testing before Le Mans last year, so it meant I could really make the most of today’s opportunity. It was a truly exceptional day.”

Heikki Kovalainen echoed the words of his fellow driver: “This was a wonderful day, and I had a great time driving Sebastien’s car. I had previously been in this type of car as a co-driver, but this was miles better! I felt quite comfortable, even though the sensations are extremely different to what you feel in an F1 car. I talked a lot with Sebastien and Dani, and it was interesting to see how they controlled the car in the slow and high-speed corners, and learn from it. In return, I was able to give them some advice about the R26, and I hope they both enjoyed the experience.”

ING Renault F1 Team would like to thank Total-Elf for enabling this special event, as well as Citroen Sport for their collaboration.

- Credit: Renault.

End Of Road For Michelin, BFGoodrich In WRC

In the course of its uninterrupted presence of 34 years in the FIA World Rally Championship, the Michelin Group has scored 256 victories, won 23 Manufacturers’ titles and claimed 20 Drivers’ crowns in association with the partners of its brands Michelin and BFGoodrich.

Despite no longer being active in the WRC, BFGoodrich will continue its involvement in the sport through the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and various national championships. “We have the material means today to launch BFGoodrich on different national rally championships which will provide a valuable communication platform. On the international front, we will be present in the International Rally Challenge while at the same time pursuing our efforts in the world of rally-raids, of course.”

Pierre Dupasquier (Michelin Competition Director until 2005): “When the World Rally Championship was created, we were already up and running and winning. At the time, there was no marketing department telling us how to approach motor sport. It was just natural for us to be attentive to the demands of our manufacturer partners when they approached us with a problem to solve. Michelin’s objective was always to provide its partners with the best possible tyres and quality of service, and to show that we were both reactive and reliable.”

Matthieu Bonardel (BFGoodrich Rally programme Manager): “The Michelin Group has been in the WRC for more than 30 years. That time has always been fired by passion, self-questioning and pushing out the technological and performance envelopes in tyre terms thanks to a long list of radical innovations. The latter include the launch of the ‘N’ asphalt pattern in Spain, the BTO generation gravel tyre which first competed in New Zealand and successful use of the run-flat mousse system over the rocks of the Safari Rally in Kenya. The period has seen us win a long list of individual rallies and more than 20 Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles in association with our ultra-motivated teams and partners following a healthy battle on the stages. For more than 30 years, the brands of the Michelin Group ? first Michelin and then, these past two season, BFGoodrich ? have sought to show how having the right tyre for the terrain and the conditions is as important for a world class rally driver as it is for the ordinary motorist.” - Credit: bfgoodrich/accession.com

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This week’s favourite rallying car: Talbot Sunbeam Lotus Rally Car

Talbot has a long and rich history, and this car manufacturer has had a lively past that somehow seemed to provide a strong base for its future developments and advancements, something that was beyond anyone’s thinking.

In the very beginning, Talbot was formed from the remains of Simca and Hillman, dabbled in circuit racing and then ventured into rallying after Talbot was bought out by Peugeot. With Peugeot’s considerable financial clout, the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus rally car dominated the WRC Manufacturers’ championship in 1981! The Talbot Sunbeam Lotus is regarded by many as the car with the least and most unusual rallying pedigree of the many vehicles that have been used by drivers in the history of the WRC. These quirky rally cars featured many unlikely “innovations” that gave it the edge over its competitors. Little lights behind the radiator grille were fitted; a different colour for each driver was used so that the team knew from a distance which driver was approaching them, even in the night; a small clear plastic strip behind the windscreen was fitted for the purpose “of guiding the air stream away from the drivers’ faces should they roll and lose the windscreen”. It, then, comes as no surprise that Talbot Sport had only built 13 works Sunbeam Lotus’, and in 2003 it is reported that all 13 of them are still competing in rallies around the world!

Talbot’s WRC career was brought to a sudden halt with the arrival of the mind-blowingly quick Audi Quattros, then the onslaught from other manufacturers who had decided to join the 4x4 Group B showdown.

Little remembered fact is that Jean Todt once upon a time navigated in a Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, and then the French company, Peugeot, he was working for bought out the little firm! He continued with the rallying programme, starting off with the Peugeot 205 T16, which was, according to all sources, the remains of a Talbot Sunbeam Lotus clothed in Peugeot bodywork...

I could not locate a spec sheet for the 1981 WRC winning model, but did, however come across a reliable copy of a 1979 version of the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus rally car.

It was powered by a 1300cc carburettor engine that delivered 108 bhp at 6 200rpm and 133 Nm of torque from 4 600 revs.

It had a length og 3 811mm, a width of 1 485mm and a height of 1 365mm. It was explosive off the mark, had a slick transmission, and the overall package proved to be very reliable.

It must not be forgotten that one man, Des O’Dell, put the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus rally car on the map. He developed the car from day one, and worked it hard to win the WRC title in 1981. It is thanks to him for the success of Talbot Sport.

Former WRC Driver Profile: Miki Biasion

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Massimo ‘Miki’ Biasion was born on January 7, 1958, and is an Italian rally driver and two times World Rally Champion.

Born at Bassano del Grappa, Biasion came to motorsport prominence in the early 1980s when he won both the Italian and European Rally Championships in 1983, driving a Lancia 037. The talented Italian driver was later drafted to play a key role for the works Lancia World Rally Team in the mid-1980s as the team were looking to regroup after losing their star driver Henri Toivonen in a fatal crash. Biasion proved the right man for the job for he went on to dominate the early Group A rally scene, taking his first World Championship in 1988, adn then again in 1989.

At the peak of his career, Biasion won nearly three quarters of the events he entered! He was also only the second WRC driver at the time to have successfully defended his world title (after Juha Kankkunen) and only the third driver to have won two WRC Drivers’ titles (after Kankkunen and Walter Rohrl).

Biasion was unable to repeat his winning ways for Lancia after 1989, and then switched to Ford in 1992 on a contract that made him the highest-paid driver of his day. Biasion later described the Ford Sierra Cosworth he was piloting as a “pile of shit” after the first event for the team (the 1992 WRC Rally Monte Carlo). Later in the year he managed to finish second overall in the Ford, giving it the best result of the year on the Portugese Rally. The following year, driving the new Ford Escort Cosworth, he won the WRC Rally Acropolis and led the drivers’ championship for part of the season.

Francois Delecour hassled and hounded him hard while at Ford, as the Frenchman was his team-mate at the time. Financial matters within the Ford team reared its ugly head, forcing the team to decrease its testing and development of the Ford Escort Cosworth, and this obviously did no good for the team’s performance in the 1994 season. Ford decided to drop Biasion from the team the following year, and saw him contesting a few select events for private teams, but retired from the WRC scene at the end of the 1995 season.

Throughout his entire career he was co-driven by Tiziano Siviero, although in the Portugal Rally of 1988 Siviero was replaced by Carlo Cassina due to health problems.

Not only was Biason handy behind the wheel of a WRC monster, but he also proved to be a great driver on race tracks too. In an unlikely race car, a truck, he won the World Truck Championships in 1998 and 1999 driving for Iveco. he also took part in the 2007 Lisbon-Dakar race, and faired well in the Fiat Panda Cross.

Nationality: Italian Active years: 1980 - 1995 Teams: Lancia, Ford World rallies: 78 Championships: 2 (1988, 1989) Wins: 17 Podium finishes: 40 Stage wins: 372 Points: 768 First world rally: 1980 San Remo Rally First win: 1986 Rally Argentina Last win: 1993 Acropolis Rally Last world rally: 1995 San Remo Rally

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Sasol South African National Rally Championship: 2007 Championship Season Review

Jan Habig/Douglas Judd - MotorPics.

The 2007 South African National rallying season has not been this closely fought in many years, as the championship title honours for Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ went down to the final event of the year before it was decided.

Jan Habig and co-driver Douglas Judd were crowned victorious in their S2000 BP Volkswagen Polo, ahead of team-mates Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries and Serge Damseaux and Robert Paisely in their S2000 Castrol Toyota RunX. In the chase for the Manufacturers’ Championship, Toyota proved too strong for Volkswagen as the Japanese motor manufacturer notched up an impressive total of 1 345 points against Volkswagen’s 842 points. Third place went to Subaru on 457 pionts, with Mitsubishi accruing 181 points this season.

With only one DNF to his name this season, Habig raked in a total tally of 142 points, 11 more than team-mate Fekken, with S. Damseaux managing 125 points. The points log might seem definitive, but on the last rally this season, the overall title was an open fight between Habig, Fekken, S. Damseaux, Kuun and Gemmell. A cool head and safe hands led Habig to yet another National Rallying championship title on the Toyota PMC Rally held on 26 and 27 October.

BP Volkswagen’s S2000 Polo was too quick for the Toyota S2000 RunXs to catch, and with the thrilling driving from Fekken and Kuun, it seemed unlikely that the BP Volkswagen Polos would be caught during the season. Watching these monsters tear up the

Chris de Wit/Dean Readelinghuys - MotorPics

gravel and leave black lines on the tar is something to behold!

Debutants to the S2000 category, Jonny Gemmell and Peter Marsh, put in sterling performances this season in their Castrol Toyota RunX to finish the season fourth overall. Expect more from this pairing next season!

Visser du Plessis and Dave Lewkowicz, in their N4 Subaru Impreza WRX, made a lasting impression on the Production Category.

Completing every rally this year, the pairing were able to clinch the Overall Production Category Championship title as well as finishing in a highly respectable sixth place overall in the Sasol South African National Rally Championship with a total of 96 points.

Charl Wilken/Greg Godrich - MotorPics.

Gugu Zulu - MotorPics.

Lola and Megan Verlaque - MotorPics.

Close on his heels was Nicholas Ryan and Schalk van Heerden in their N4 Subaru Impreza challenger, lying seventh overall in the national series and second in the Production Category on 93 points.

The high calibre of N4 racers this year has overshadowed even a few S2000 teams. This is testament to their good drivers and superbly turned out machines. Mark Cronje, the star of 2007 rallying won the A7 championship with two events left in the season, and he was then upgraded to an S2000 Castrol Toyota RunX for the final rounds of the series, where he performed admirably. He will take over the reins at Castrol Toyota from the legendary Serge Damseaux from next year. This young Toyota driver has been primedm mentored and tutored by Toyota’s best of the years, and in only his second season of rallying he has moved into one of the top seats...

J.P. Damseaux, son of Serge, finished nineth overall this season in his S2000 Toyota RunX, only three points ahead of the hardcharging and ever-improving pairing of Jon and Doug Williams in their S2000 Volkswagen Polo, who finished tenth overall this season.

Rallying stalwart Fernando Rueda (N4) finished in 11th place, Etienne Lourens (S2000) 12th, Charl Wilken (N4) 13th, Paul

Serge Damseaux/Robert Paisely - MotorPics.

Pfeiffer (N4) 14th and Chris de Wit (A7) in 15th, with a strong performance this season, and one that saw his co-driver Patrick Yende pass away due to illness shortly after the Zulu Rally this year.

In 17th place overall were Rodney Visagie and Arno la Grange (N3), who were also crowned Class N3 Champions. Top honours in A6 went to Craig Trott/Carolyn Swan in their Toyota RunX, with Class N2 winners Ettiene du Toit and co-driveear, Patrick Vermaak placing 28th overall. Tjaart Conradie and Carl Peskin won Class A5 for 2007, and were placed 34th overall in this year’s national rallying championship.

65 teams entered the 2007 Sasol South African National Rallying Championship, and each team provided the thousands of spectators from across the country with thrilling rallying action.

Well done to all crews this year, and we look forward to more of the same action next season. Roll on 2008!

2007 Championship Points:

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20)

Jan Habig/Douglas Judd - S2000 - 142 points.

Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries - S2000 - 131 points.

Serge Damseaux/Robert Paisely - S2000 - 125 points.

Jonny Gemmell/Peter Marsh - S2000 - 117 points.

Enzo Kuun/Guy Hodgson - S2000 - 111 points.

Visser du Plessis/Dave Lewkowicz - N4 - 96 points.

Nicholas Ryan/Schalk van Heerden - N4 - 93 points.

Mark Cronje/Chris Birkin - A7/S2000 - 85 points.

J.P. Damseaux/Cobus Vrey - S2000 - 73 points.

Jon Williams/Doug Williams - S2000 - 70 points.

Fernando Rueda/Gerhard Snyman - N4 - 64 points.

Etienne Lourens/Andre Vermeulen - S2000 - 61 points.

Charl Wilken/Greg Godrich - N4 - 59 points.

Paul Pfeiffer/Cindi Harding - N4 - 51 points.

Chris de Wit/Dean Readelinghuys - A7 - 46 points.

Tony Ball/Alan Bisset - A7 - 36 points.

Rodney Visagie/Arno la Grange - N3 - 36 points.

Michael Houghton/Hennie Botes - N3 - 33 points.

Lola Verlaque/Megan Verlaque - N4 - 33 points.

Barry Grobbelaar/Mike Burrows - A7 - 29 points.