RallySport Magazine May 2017

Issue #12 - May 2017

FLYING HIGH Ogier, M-Sport back on top

FEATURING ...

• Forest Rally • Whangarei • Argentina • Portugal • Audi AP4 • RS Challenge • Molly column

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MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 1

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CONTENTS - #12 MAY 2017 FEATURES

FOLLOW US ON:

EVENT REPORTS

14 HEAD AND NECK SAFETY

TOM SMITH LOOKS AT THE HISTORY OF HEAD AND NECK RESTRAINTS

16 AUDI MAGIC

DYLAN TURNER'S AUDI QUATTRO MADE A STUNNING DEBUT

18 THE RIGHT STUFF

THE RS CHALLENGE WAS THE ARC'S MOST POPULAR ONE-MAKE SERIES

44 A KIWI IN ARGENTINA

GARY BOYD TRAVELLED TO SOUTH AMERICA FOR SOME WRC ACTION

46 A WRC HIJACKING

BACK IN 1986 PEUGEOT WERE EXCLUDED FROM SANREMO

REGULARS

08 FOREST RALLY

MOLLY TAYLOR WON BOTH HEATS IN THE WA FORESTS

JOHN LEMM REPORTS ON THE FIRST ROUND OF THE SARC

28 RALLY OF WHANGAREI

MATT AND NICOLE SUMMERFIELD TAKE THE HONOURS IN THE NZRC

38 RALLY OF ARGENTINA

IT WAS A THRILLING BATTLE BETWEEN NEUVILLE AND EVANS

SEBASTIEN OGIER WAS BACK ON WINNING FORM IN EUROPE

05 LATEST RALLY NEWS

NEWS FROM AROUND THE SPORT

24 SOUTHERN RALLY

48 RALLY OF PORTUGAL

04 EDITORIAL

06 MOLLY TAYLOR COLUMN

THE 2017 AUSSIE CHAMPION WRITES EXCLUSIVELY FOR RSM

35 FIVE MINUTES WITH ...

OUTGOING FOREST RALLY CLERK OF COURSE, ROSS TAPPER

52 MARTIN HOLMES COLUMN

OUR WRC REPORTER LOOKS BACK ON AN INTRIGUING RALLY OF PORTUGAL

56 PHOTO OF THE MONTH

WHERE ELSE, BUT NEW ZEALAND?

COVER PHOTO: M-SPORT

Sign up for our FREE weekly news updates - click HERE

Aaron Bowering won the Southern Rally in his Subaru.

(Photo: John Lemm)

The passion for rallying ....

MANAGING EDITOR

PETER WHITTEN

peter@rallysportmag.com.au

CONTRIBUTORS

SENIOR WRITER

TOM SMITH tom@rallysportmag.com.au

Martin Holmes, Blair Bartels, Geoff Ridder, Jeff Whitten, Molly Taylor, Craig O'Brien, Gary Boyd, John Lemm, Sam Tickell

PUBLISHED BY:

ADVERTISING

PETER WHITTEN peter@rallysportmag.com.au

Peter Whitten RallySport Magazine peter@rallysportmag.com.au www.rallysportmag.com.au

COPYRIGHT:

No material, artwork or photos may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers. RallySport Magazine takes care in compiling specifications, prices and details but cannot accept responsibility for any errors. The opinions expressed by columnists and contributors to this magazine are not necessarily those of RallySport Magazine.

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 3

EDITORIAL

WE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

By PETER WHITTEN

T

he media landscape around the world continues to change, and despite fighting the good fight, this will be the final issue of RallySport Magazine in its current 'online' form.

After forging ahead with the magazine for 12 months, producing news, interviews, feature stories and event reports from Australia, New Zealand and around the world, we have hit what is, perhaps, the unavoidable object.

Despite producing what we humbly think is a pretty good quality product, a lack of long term advertising commitment for the magazine from throughout the rallying industry means that the hundreds of hours it takes to produce the mag every month have become financially unviable.

I'm indebted to the many businesses who have supported RallySport Magazine over the past 12 months, but unfortunately they have been too few and far between.

The real loser will be you, the reader, for no longer will there be a free monthly magazine for you to read and enjoy.

Unfortunately, that's the reality that we're now facing, and continuing to produce the magazine with little return is unsustainable.

I believe that our small, but passionate team has done all it can

to prove itself to those with influence within the sport, but at the end of the day our experience and the magazine has not opened any new doors to opportunity.

We will always love the sport, but bills need to be paid.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the ever-dependable Tom Smith for his enthusiasm and hard work in helping to get the past 12 issues produced. Tom has been a driving force behind the re-invention of the magazine and deserves much praise.

As does our long-suffering ad man, Dominic Corkeron, who toiled hard for little reward. ur many magazine contributors also deserve huge praise, especially the evergreen WRC legend, Martin Holmes. Without naming others individually, their stories and photographs have enabled us to produce such a quality magazine.

There has been plenty of interest in the magazine since the first issue in May last year, and readers loved the content, but advertisers weren't forthcoming enough to ensure the longterm success of RallySport Magazine.

Moving forward, my plan is to continue to provide the RallySport Magazine website as a way for rally fans to keep up to date with the latest rallying news from around the world.

However, the future of that too will be highly dependent on businesses

O

Read every issue of RallySport Magazine ....

4 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

within the rallying industry supporting the cause with advertising on the site.

Thank you to you, the reader, for your support over the past 12 months. As always, it's been a pleasure bringing the latest news, reports and feature stories to you.

Let's just hope that we can continue to do that in some form into the future.

Where will the road lead for RallySport Magazine?

Click HERE to read them all

NEWS@RALLYSPORTMAG.COM.AU

4

- way fight

Preview: National Capital Rally

T

he Australian Rally Championship fires back into action this weekend with the running of round three of the series, the National Capital Rally, from May 27-28.

The leading four drivers in the championship are separated by just 28 points, with Coffs Harbour’s Nathan Quinn (Lancer Evo 9) holding a slender six point lead over the Subaru WRX of reigning champion, Molly Taylor.

The Toyota Corolla of round one winner, Harry Bates, sits in third, 10 points clear of Eli Evans, who looks set to debut his brand new AP4 Mini Cooper in Canberra.

The National Capital Rally covers 14 competitive stages over two days, with eight on Saturday across 111.48 competitive kilometres, and six on Heat Two over a further 120.92 kilometres.

On home turf, Harry Bates could well be considered the pre-event favourite, but Molly Taylor’s speed in winning the Forest Rally, and Nathan Quinn’s pace and consistency, will both be hard to counter.

Add into the mix Evans’ Mini - which most expect to be blindingly fast - and you have the recipe for an enthralling battle.

Molly Taylor (top) and Harry Bates will resume their ARC battle.

Photos: Subaru, John Doutch

Brad Markovic (Subaru) and Tony Sullens (Subaru) sit equal fifth in the championship race and will be eyeing further success this weekend, while New Zealander Mike Young (contesting the APRC round) is also eligible for ARC awards in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. The rally also acts as round two of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship, with Team MRF drivers Gaurav Gill (India)

and Ole Christian Veiby (Norway) hot favourites in their Skoda Fabia R5s.

The flying Skodas’ biggest threat will come from Finnish ace Jari Ketomaa in a Mitsubishi Mirage AP4.

A total of 49 cars have entered the National Capital Rally - 16 in the APRC field, 17 in the ARC component, and a further 16 cars in the NSW Rally Championship event.

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 5

COLUMN: MOLLY TAYLOR

I

t’s a great feeling when everything clicks into place! This is what we experienced at the Make Smoking History Forest Rally a few weeks ago.

After a disappointing start to our season, we worked really hard to bounce back and it paid off.

We knew the potential was there, but having potential and actually realising it are two very different things.

For me, the best part was being in such an intense battle all weekend.

As a driver, there is nothing better.

Especially on Saturday when the lead between Harry (Bates) and myself changed pretty much every stage. It was very stressful, but such a buzz.

I remember getting to the end of the stage and Bill and I would say: “we couldn’t do much more in there, fair play if Harry is faster”.

We’d look at the time and Harry would have taken three seconds out of us. We’d then go to the next stage and say the same thing, and we would have taken three seconds out of him!

We drove our hearts out and even if we hadn’t finished on the top step, we still would have been very satisfied and proud of our performance. Although to win is always the ultimate!

It was also a very special moment for Subaru, Les, Ash and our whole team.

For their hard work to be recognised by a strong, fast and reliable car is something they deserve so much.

It’s always easy to take the credit when things go well, but this was truly a huge team effort.

When everyone has put their heart into their jobs, the buzz you get when you are all as excited as each other beats celebrating on your own every day of the week.

MOLLY TAYLOR

Tension was high at the start of the event, waiting to see if we would be on the pace. So there was a fair bit of relief and excitement when we got the first few stage times through.

It’s such an exciting time for the championship. The competition is so close and we are all pushing hard. li (Evans) had some incredible pace on the weekend and he is going to be hard to beat when he has a trouble free run. Nathan (Quinn) has also had two faultless performances, taking the lead in the series. So, there is no resting or complacency happening here.

When you look back over a rally weekend, I would love to meet the

E

person who can say, “there was nothing I could have done better”.

For us, there are always areas where we can develop and improve. And, we need to if we want to be in a position to fight like this at every rally.

Canberra has always been a really tough and technical event. Last year it was only my second rally in the WRX STI and I remember making big gains with my confidence in the car there.

There’s also going to be a lot of new challenges, with 50 per cent of the stages being completely new for us.

So, it’s more heads down, bum up, and keeping focused on what’s ahead.

Not long to wait now!

- Molly Two heat wins in WA has put Molly Taylor right back in championship contention.

Photos: John Doutch

6 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

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MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 7

REPORT: FOREST RALLY - ARC 2

THAT'S HOW YOU do IT

ylor, bounced a T y ll o M , n lly Champio of the ARC, o tw Australian Ra d n u o r and Eli engeance in n in u Q n a th a back with a v N Harry Bates, ls a iv r . g in c a out-p e Forest Rally th f o ts a e h both .

Evans to win three rounds g in in a m e r e on" for the It's now "gam

8 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

PHOTOS: John Doutch

They’re New Zealand’s leader in building AP4 rally cars. We take a closer look at the rapidly expanding Force Motorsport.

Story: BLAIR BARTELS Photos: GEOFF RIDDER MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 9

REPORT: FOREST RALLY - ARC 2 Nathan Quinn leads the ARC after a pair of consistent drives in the first two rounds.

Subaru do Motorsport’s Molly Taylor claimed heat one honours after a seesawing battle with Toyota driver Harry Bates.

The pair swapped the lead no less than five times throughout the day, with Taylor finishing just 3.1 seconds ahead of Bates.

“After the problems we had at Ballarat we wanted to be in the top three, that was our goal, but to be in this close battle, it forces you to drive as hard as you can and it was great to have that opportunity to have to push and fight for something—it makes it more rewarding,” Taylor said.

Bates wasn’t surprised by Taylor’s pace and always knew it would be a tough fight.

“I expected Molly to be quick and I always thought it would be a tough fight, whoever I was in the fight with, but I didn’t expect it to be quite that close,” Bates said.

“It was a really good day, I love a good fight; that’s how it was in the last round for me and that’s how it was again here - it was just against a good friend so it was lots of fun.

“We were fully prepared for the challenge of being car one on the road, and it was challenging, but we were really happy with our pace despite that.

At the end of the day we went out on a swept road this afternoon and got beaten fair and square. Molly drove amazingly and she deserves it.”

Coffs Coast Rally Team’s Nathan Quinn overcame power issues to finish the day in third place.

“We finished up with a good result and I drove well, but unfortunately the times didn’t speak for it; we had some more power dramas with the car, but as I suspected Molly and Eli were quick, along with Harry, and unfortunately we 10 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

weren’t able to be in that mix.

“We’ve been working on the power issue since Ballarat to figure it out. We are not 100 per cent sure, but perhaps

the good second hand parts I buy for the car are not quite good enough,” he quipped.

Eli Evans overcame issues with the map sensor on the Peugeot 208 Maxi to come home in fifth, quickest in four of the last six stages of the day.

“We just ran out of kilometres today,” Evans explained. “It was unfortunate we had the wire fall off the map sensor so early into the longest stage of the event; we had to do 16 or 17 kilometres with no power and losing a minute and a half is always hard to gain back.”

Brad Markovic had a steady day to finish in fifth place, followed by fellow West Australians Dylan King and John O’Dowd in sixth and seventh respectively.

Andrew Penny was eighth in heat one, with Tony Sullens, who was forced to replace the head gasket on his Subaru Impreza WRX STi overnight, in ninth.

Marcus Walkem’s Forest Rally debut was cut short when his Mitsubishi

Eli Evans rolled his Peugeot 208 (above), while Tony Sullens was quick in his Subaru WRX.

Lancer Evo IX rolled on stage seven. Codriver Scott Walkem walked away from the incident, while Marcus was taken to hospital for precautionary reasons.

Harry Bates battled hard with Molly Taylor in Heat 1.

Forest Rally - Heat 1 1. Taylor/Hayes, Subaru WRX STI, 1:02:55.3 2. Bates/McCarthy, Toyota Corolla S2000, 1:02:58.4, +00:03.1 3. Quinn/Searcy, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, 1:03:46.5, +00:51.2 HEAT 2

Backing up from a stellar Heat 1 drive, Molly Taylor and co-driver Bill Hayes claimed the round win with a clean sweep of both heats.

Taylor was challenged early in the second heat by Eli Evans until he rolled his Peugeot 208 Maxi on special stage 14. Harry Bates then took up the challenge until he and co-driver John McCarthy suffered mechanical issues on stage 17.

“Les Walkden Rallying prepared the car perfectly for this weekend and both Bill and I feel we found a new level, so of course we’re delighted by this result,” Taylor said.

“We’ve combined car reliability with our own ability to achieve the perfect result. It’s been a fantastic competition with Harry, Eli and Nathan, and to come out on top after such a close fight feels great.

“This gives us renewed confidence going into round three in Canberra, so look out for some incredible action there!”

Quinn’s drive into second place now sees him lead the CAMS Australian Rally Championship after two rounds.

He is six points ahead of Taylor and a further 12 points ahead of Bates in the championship standings.

It was a steady drive from Quinn and co-driver Ben Searcy that saw them overcome varied mechanical issues to move into second position late in the day, winning the last two stages of the rally.

“It was a pretty bad weekend to be brutally honest, but the result worked out really well for us. We definitely weren’t fast enough this weekend.”

West Australia’s Brad Markovic and co-driver Toni Feaver produced a strong drive to finish third outright on homesoil.

“We were pretty happy with our pace yesterday and had no real issues, which was great. We struggled a little with a gearbox issue yesterday and dropped a little bit of time,” Markovic said.

“Heat 2 started fine, we went to our favourite stage, Healthway Loop, got a

A pensive Eli Evans.

Brad Markovic / Toni Feaver

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 11

REPORT: FOREST RALLY - ARC 2 puncture in the right hand front about four kays in so we dropped about a minute there. But it’s a great result for the team.”

Bates’ claimed two stage wins but the Toyota Corolla S2000 came to a halt on the second pass of the Healthway loop.

“We had a puncture in the second stage and another puncture a few stages later, so it was already looking like an average day,” he said.

“We had the aim of winning all three stages in the afternoon, just a little goal to see if we could get the bonus point for stage wins, and we lost all power.

“It’s disappointing, the guys did a great job preparing the car and it felt great all weekend. But it happens, that’s the way it goes. We will have a lot of work to do to catch up to the championship lead again come round three.”

It was the fast and slippery Nannup roads that put an end to Evans’ event, despite having won the first two stages of the day.

“On a fast uphill section that was really rocky, I felt like I’d jagged a rock on the front right,” Evans explained.

“As we were going up this fast section I was trying to feel if we had a flat tyre.

Everything felt good, so I pressed on to the top of the hill where there is a bit of a crest and a short left hander over the crest and a bit of a tricky corner.

“The car didn’t turn in as much as I liked and we ran a bit wide, nudged a bank, which brought the front straight and we hit a concrete water tank of all things; it sent the car sideways through the air and it rolled three times.”

Tony Sullens and co-driver Kaylie Newell finished the event in fifth position, taking a stage win along the way. John O’Dowd and co-driver Kenneth Sheil came in sixth, with Andrew and Kirra Penny in seventh.

Trevor Stilling three wheels his Datsun Stanza.

WA's John O'Dowd.

Both Evans and Bates were able to repair their cars enough to rejoin the event at the final control to bag valuable championship points.

The CAMS ARC moves to Canberra

next, with the National Capital Rally, a round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, on May 26-28.

Forest Rally - Heat 2 1. Taylor/Hayes, Subaru WRX STI, 1:06:41.3 2. Quinn/Searcy, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, 1:06:58.4, +00:17.1 3. Sullens/Newell, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, 1:07:29.1, +00:47.8 Vlad / Nicoli, Ford Fiesta.

12 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

VALE: TIMO MAKINEN

VALE: TIMO MAKINEN

rallies (including three times winner of both the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and the RAC Rally in Britain), but also endurance events in Africa, though unlike his teammate Rauno Aaltonen, he never won an international rally championship.

Outside rallying he was an ice racing champion in Finland and won the inaugural Round Britain powerboat race.

The majority of his rally successes came before the start of the World Rally Championship.

During his rally career he drove for BMC, Volvo, Lancia, BMW, Ford, Peugeot, Fiat, Datsun, Mercedes and Toyota.

His final WRC result was sixth place on the 1978 Lombard RAC Rally as a guest driver in the Rothmans Rally Team.

- MARTIN HOLMES

Monte Carlo Rally, Mini Cooper S.

1974 RAC Rally, Ford Escort Mk1

Timo Makinen (right) and Martin Holmes, 1978 RAC Rally.

1977 Southern Cross Rally, Datsun 710.

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 13

PHOTOS: Bruce Keys, Martin Holmes

T

he original Flying Finn, Timo Makinen (no relation to Tommi), died in his native Finland after a long illness.

He was 79 years old, and a legend in the formative days of international rallying during the 60s and 70s.

He jumped into fame as one of the Scandinavians who won major events around the world, notably when the BMC team created widespread popularity by their wins at the Monte Carlo rally with their Mini Coopers.

He helped develop innovative driving techniques, primarily for front-wheel drive cars, but later also for rear-drive cars. Timo was also a widely acknowledged tyre expert, helping Michelin evolve new rally tyre philosophies.

His successes were not only in classic high speed European

Timo Makinen at the Amaroo Park stage on the 1976 Southern Cross Rally.

(Photo: Bruce Keys)

FEATURE: HEAD AND NECK SAFETY

HEAD AND NECK SAFETY

Story: TOM SMITH

S

afety standards associated with rallying have improved vastly over the last 2-3 decades.

Whilst it may be hard for some younger competitors to believe, during the 60s and 70s crash helmets were not compulsory, and the minimum standard of competition clothing was generally accepted as ‘waist-to-ankle’ covering (ie long pants).

Standards then improved to ‘neck-toankle’, which meant that arms needed to be covered as well.

Fireproof suits eventually became de rigueur, followed by the associated fireproof underwear, socks, boots and a balaclava.

Inside the car, a roll-cage was rare, but typical standards through the 80s included a 4-point bolt-in aluminium cage – with no front ‘legs’ – and the whole cage was usually disposed of after any semi-serious rollover, due to obvious kinking or stressing of the aluminium tubing.

Today’s typical welded-in chrome-

moly full roll-cage is integrated with all suspension points and utilises about 40 lineal metres of tubing.

Seat belts had improved from standard lap-sash to ‘harnesses’ – although the 4-point harness only become standard fitment in the early 80s. Five-point harnesses emerged as the safest option.

Seats were any combination from standard fitment models to highback ‘performance’ seats from other car makes and models. Rallyists with money usually fitted adjustable Recaros or similar, until Marsh Seats in Australia introduced their affordable (and lightweight) fibreglass moulded, sheepskin covered one-piece seat.

In the mid-2000s, the first of the ‘head and neck’ safety devices was introduced at the highest levels and helmet standards increased with the introduction of carbon-fibre and composite materials. These were typically referred to as a ’HANS’ device.

The first HANS device concept was designed in the early 1980s by Dr. Robert Hubbard, a professor of biomechanical engineering at Michigan

1. Head and neck device, 2. Tether (one per side), 3. Helmet anchor (one per side), and 4. Shoulder support.

State University. The idea developed with his brother-in-law, Jim Downing, following the death of a friend who died of head injuries in a testing accident when his Renault Le Car struck a sandbank.

Find us at: www.chicane.co.nz 14 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

Call us o

Dr Hubbard decided that some sort of protection was required to help prevent injuries from sudden stops, especially during accidents. A major cause of death amongst drivers during races was through violent head movements, where the body remains in place because of the seat belts, but the momentum keeps the head moving forwards, causing a Basilar skull fracture, resulting in serious injury or immediate death.

Dr. Hubbard had extensive experience as a biomechanical crash engineer, including in General Motors’ auto safety program. His first prototype was developed in 1985, and in crash tests in 1989 - the first to use crash sleds and crash dummies using race car seat belt harnesses - the energy exerted on the head and neck was lowered by some 80 per cent.

In simple terms, the device was designed to maintain the relative position of the head to the body, in addition to transferring energy to the much stronger chest, torso, shoulder, seatbelts, and seat as the head is decelerated.

After major racing safety companies declined to produce the product, Hubbard and Downing formed Hubbard Downing Inc, to develop, manufacture, sell and promote the head and neck device in 1991.

However, the product languished until 1994, when Formula 1 showed interest in the wake of the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna.

In 1999, Mercedes was completing research of the HANS on behalf of the FIA for Formula 1, finally deciding that it out-performed their airbag project of the time.

Before 2001 many drivers resisted these head and neck restraint devices, claiming them to be uncomfortable, more restrictive and fearing that it would cause more injuries and problems than it prevented.

Some stated that the positioning of the devices made the seat belts feel less secure or rubbed on the shoulders or collar bone. However, at the time drivers were not willing to participate in the process of perfecting the fit.

Formula One mandated the devices in 2003 after extensive testing, sharing the results with other FIA affiliates.

The World Rally Championship and Australian V8 Supercar series made the device compulsory for drivers in the 2005 season.

Acceptance by drivers was helped by the addition of quick-release shackles developed and implemented by Ashley Tilling. They were sourced from the marine industry, being used on racing sailboat rigging.

The shackles allowed the drivers a simple and quick pull to release the device and exit their vehicle. The first

driver to utilise them was NASCAR driver Scott Pruett of PPI Motorsports.

Today, most major motor racing sanctioning bodies mandate the use of head and neck restraints; the FIA made their use compulsory for all International-level FIA events from the beginning of 2009.

With costs decreasing markedly in recent years, rally competitors have generally embraced the concept of the head and neck restraint device at all levels, ensuring personal safety is as important as the technical and mechanical preparation of their vehicles.

New 2017 NecksGen REV2 Lite

A

t only 1.2 lbs, the all-new weight saving design makes it one of the smallest and lightest head and neck restraints on the market, giving drivers the ultimate in comfort and performance.

The REV2 Lite is SFI 38.1 certified, so you can rest assured that it performs just as well as the competition.

With a new integrated adjustable tether design, sizing and fitment are easier than ever and offers frontal, as well as side, impact protection for the driver, so if you have a classic car that can’t fit a head restraint seat, then the Necksgen is a no brainer.

The belt channels have friction pads and high outer belt guides to help keep your shoulder harnesses in

place while driving and under multiple impacts.

These 3-inch belt channels negate the need to go out and buy HANS specific belts.

The yokeless design of the REV product line means drivers can strap in with no extra pressure on the chest or collarbones, and the quick release helmet hardware comes included at no extra charge.

The Necksgen Rev is still available, along with the youth device at all new pricing.

To learn more about Necksgen, go to http://chicane.co.nz/brand. asp?id=15 Retail Price: NZ$999.00, AU$899.00 Sizes: Medium and Large (2”-3” Belts)

HJC MOTORSPORTS

on: AU 1800 CHICANE or NZ 0800 CHICANE MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 15

FEATURE: AUDI QUATTRO S1 AP4

AUDI MAGIC Story: TOM SMITH

T

he advent of the incredibly successful and popular AP4 category in New Zealand has revealed some of the ‘coolest’ rally cars in the Tasman region.

Perhaps the coolest of them all though is the new Audi Quattro S1 AP4 car recently debuted in the International Rally of Whangarei by Aucklander, Dylan Turner, with experienced co-driver, Malcolm Read, calling the notes.

The car had a soft reveal with snippets of the preparation being fed into social media, where the viewing public enthusiastically embraced the return of the Audi marque into top-level rallying.

After successfully rallying a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, Turner decided in October last year that he needed to build an AP4 car for the 2017 New Zealand Rally Championship.

It was Choice Performance in Pukekohe – a division of Team Ralliart who took on the project to convert the little German car into a rally winner.

Using the A1 platform, the little S1 was designed and built under the careful eye of Chris ‘Choice’ Little.

Locally, the Audi joins its family cousins in the forms of Andy Martin’s Volkswagen Polo and the Skoda Fabia of Glenn Inkster.

16 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

Turner confessed to a deep admiration for the Audi.

“I’ve always admired the Audi. The Quattro was kind of a cult car when it comes to rallying, and Audi is obviously a name synonymous with rallying.

“I’ve owned Audis for the past 10-15 years, so that was how I decided to go down the Audi track,” he said.

Taking a close look at the successful R5 cars built by the sister company at Skoda, the Choice Performance team decided imitation was the sincerest form of flattery and took the lead with much of the design.

“We got a 1600cc Audi motor built up, based on the R5 specifications,” Turner explained.

“We’ve gone for a tried and proven 1600 with the Audi block and head that has been used by the Skoda team for years.”

Certainly, the new AP4 cars have proven challenging for some drivers in getting up to speed immediately, but Turner was confident that the Audi would prove competitive quickly.

Dylan Turner loves his new Audi Quattro S1.

Other AP4 / R5 spec cars at Whangarei included Hyundai i20, Holden Barina, Toyota Yaris, Mazda 2, Mitsubishi Mirage, Suzuki Swift and the Skoda Fabia.

Turner and Read ran their Lancer Evo at the opening round of the championship – the Otago Rally because the Audi was not quite ready.

They were rewarded with a solid seventh outright, giving them some confidence for the season ahead behind the wheel of the new car.

Three weeks later, and the new Audi was presented to the waiting world at the Whangerei, resplendent in its LJ Hooker/Gilltrap Group livery.

Proving that the new Quattro S1 was

Second place on debut showed the potential of the new AP4 Audi Quattro. (Photo: Geoff Ridder)

competitive out of the box, Turner and Read took second on debut in the NZRC.

T

urner actually held the rally lead on day one, after the older generation Subaru of Matt and Nicole Summerfield experienced header issues.

“I knew an Audi would lead an NZRC round this year,” he quipped. “But I didn’t think it would be this soon!”

Turner paid homage to the efforts of Choice Performance who built a car that is easy to drive, fast and, importantly, reliable.

Despite finishing fourth overall in the

event behind the two top-placed APRC cars of eventual winners Gaurav Gill/ Stephane Prevot and Ole Vieby/Stig Rune – both in Skoda R5s – Turner and Read held onto second in the NZRC behind the Summerfields in the winning Subaru.

The New Zealand Rally Championship heads to the Lone Star Canterbury rally on June 4.

Three more AP4 cars are currently under construction with Shannon Chambers to debut another Toyota, while Phil Campbell and Brian Stokes will deliver Ford Fiestas during the season.

Team Ralliart New Zealand is

responsible for the preparation of Mitsubishi competition cars for rallying, circuit racing and Targa events for both New Zealand and international competitors.

Team Ralliart also stocks and supplies the full range of genuine Mitsubishi and Ralliart parts to support Mitsubishi competitors in all forms of motorsport.

Team Ralliart New Zealand is owned by highly experienced Ralliart technician Chris ‘Choice’ Little, and Bill Morton who is one of the world’s most experienced Ralliart parts experts.

The enterprise is also backed by New Zealand’s largest Mitsubishi Motors dealership, Andrew Simms Mitsubishi.

The Quattro was built in the Choice Performance workshop in Pukekohe.

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 17

RETROSPECTIVE: SUBARU RS CHALLENGE

The re-emergence of a one-make rally series for Subaru Impreza RS cars in the Tasmanian Rally Championship is a little like a step back in time.

18 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

THE RIGHT STUFF

Story: PETER WHITTEN Photos: RALLYSPORT MAG MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 19

RETROSPECTIVE: SUBARU RS CHALLENGE

B

ack in the mid-2000s Subaru Australia put tremendous backing into a similar series that ran for two seasons in conjunction with the Australian Rally Championship.

Up to 16 Imprezas were appearing on ARC rounds, including a media car that was driven by motoring journalists such as Paul Gover (now CarsGuide editor) and Neil Crompton (the voice of Supercars).

RallySport Magazine’s Peter Whitten was given the chance to drive the car in the 2004 Rally of South Australia and teamed up with fellow rally scribe, Tom Smith, in the two-day event.

With a similar series now back and running in Tasmania, we thought it timely to re-print some of our thoughts on the Impreza RS after the event finished.

THE RS EXPERIENCE

.... or “my week as a works Subaru driver”

I

t came like a bolt out of the blue.

There I was on a miserable winter’s night, getting kids ready for bed, when my mobile phone.

“We were wondering if you’d be interested in driving the RS Challenge media car in the Rally of South Australia? Entries close this Friday and we need to get it sorted in the next day or so.”

It took me about half a nanosecond to agree, and before I knew it I was entered in round four of the Australian Rally Championship under the Subaru Rally Team Australia banner.

The most popular one-make series in Australian Rally Championship history, the Subaru RS Challenge quickly became ‘the’ series for up and comers. With 15 entries in each of the three rounds of the ARC and

20 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

Peter Whitten (right) and Tom Smith in 2004.

intense competition between all crews, reputations were quickly forged.

Right from the outset though I was under no illusions as to what I wanted to achieve from the event. First and foremost, the plan was to get the car to the finish on both days of the event.

You might say that driving someone else’s car should mean you can ‘pin back the ears’ and try and set some scorching stage times, but in reality you have more to lose than you have to gain.

Cruise around at the back of the field and you’ll probably create little interest, but go out and crash and there’s every chance you’ll be the laughing stock of the presentation dinner. Neil Crompton was certainly red faced after he put the car off the road twice in Tasmania.

Setting competitive times with the leading RS Challenge competitors wasn’t on my list of priorities.

With three events already under their

belts, these guys were setting some amazing stage times and pushing right to the limit. However, if we could be quicker than some of the RS cars on the stages then that would be a real bonus – as long as I brought the car to the finish!

TESTING

At our pre-event test, it immediately became obvious that the Impreza RS was a well balanced car. Handling appeared very neutral in the wet conditions and my only real job was to get used to the hard brake pedal.

After a few runs in the car, the team reconnected the brake booster, and while this made the pedal softer, the car had a tendency to lock the wheels under heavy braking and twice I understeered straight on at the junction.

Disconnecting the brake booster gave the pedal a harder feel again, but with the excellent SBS brake pads fitted, it

wanted to stop first time, every time. I decided this was the better set up for the event.

The Impreza RS was a neutral handling, easy to drive rally car.

DAY 1 Saturday morning dawned cloudy but fine as we headed off for the first day’s stages. To say I was nervous was an understatement, but with the weather still dry it put me in a more confident frame of mind. With a fine day before the rally the stages weren’t nearly as slippery as they had been in recce and we set off at a steady pace.

We arrived back at service with no problems to report and were shocked to hear we’d been third fastest Impreza RS on just the second stage. We’d had a good run, but already John Goasdoue had crashed out and Eli Evans had lost a wheel, so the pace was already proving to be a hot one.

The ‘works’ driver thing was still a bit hard to believe. Our car was serviced next to the Impreza WRXs of Crocker and Herridge and a good crowd was regularly on hand to watch our guys service the car – a buzz for them as much as for Tom and I. The first stage after service was the challenging Mt Gawler test. This stage included a frightening stretch of tarmac – 2.5km and all downhill. Neal Bates described it as the most dangerous stretch of road he’d rallied on! Still, things were going well and after three more stages we serviced for a second time, only requiring a fill of fuel and a general spanner check. The team also took the time to fit the driving lights for

the final stages.

By now we were getting in to the swing of being ‘works’ drivers, disappearing into the Subaru team caravan to fuel up our bodies while the service crew attended the car. We were up to eighth among the 16 RS Imprezas, surprising ourselves along the way.

Rain was now looking more and more ominous as we headed for the final five stages of the day. The first three were repeats of earlier in the day and we got through them okay, but by the time we reached the final two tests the weather had turned decidedly inclement.

Everything had gone to plan to date and despite being handily placed, I was determined not to risk the car on the

final stages. It was now getting late in the afternoon and the sun had long since disappeared behind the rain clouds, making it more difficult to see.

At the front of my mind I had visions of Neil Crompton putting the car off the road on the final stage of Heat 1 in Tasmania, so I set off ensuring that we didn’t suffer the same fate.

Driving conservatively over the final two tests we reached the end of Heat service in one piece, and were rewarded with sixth place among the 16 RS Imprezas. While our car wasn’t scoring one-make series points, it at least gave us an indication of our performance.

While Tom and I ventured into the

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 21

RETROSPECTIVE: SUBARU RS CHALLENGE

Driving impressi

O

team caravan for a feed of team cook Neil Rodgers’ best spaghetti bolognese and reflected on the day with Cody Crocker and Dean Herridge, the team set to work readying the car for Heat 2.

New front brake discs were fitted, as was a new air filter, and the car was given a wheel alignment. After a wash and a new set of Pirelli KM4 tyres for the front, we put the car into overnight parc ferme and headed back to the motel, happy with our day and eager to hit the forests again for Heat 2.

DAY 2

Heavy rain during the night ensured that Sunday’s stages would be wet and slippery, and sure enough, South Australia’s winter weather threw everything it could at us in Heat 2. Rain, fog, mud and sunshine all made their presence felt during the day.

We started the day in good form, feeling more ‘in sync’ from the outset and confident of a similar result to Heat 1. And while our stage times were respectable, it quickly became obvious that the guys going for prizemoney and championship points had turned the wick up considerably.

The Impreza RS continued to perform faultlessly, but as the day wore on I became more aware that it was my lack of pacenoting experience that was costing us the most time.

Even when the notes say “flat over crest” it really is difficult to hold your foot flat to the floor when you can see gum trees on the other side. It’s simply a confidence issue, but the fact that we needed to return the car straight was 22 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

also having a bearing.

The wet weather was also seeing us take a conservative approach to braking distances and again, if you were prepared to take the risks, it was easy to see where you could make up considerable time.

Throughout the day the car only needed regular servicing, and it was with much delight that we crossed the finish of the final stage and then drove over the podium and posed for photographs with our beaming Subaru team.

It had been a wonderful experience and 10th place among the Impreza RS crews on Sunday was again a pleasing result. If nothing else, it had proved to me that the Impreza RS makes a brilliant one-make series car, and that the series is going to produce some stars of the future.

In reflection we were more than happy with our results, and I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t like another opportunity in the car to put into practice some of things we learned over the course of the weekend.

More pacenoting experience would certainly help on the driving side of the equation, while playing around with ride heights, spring rates and tyre pressures could all help make the car faster.

Rest assured, the guys at the front of the Subaru Rally Challenge field are talented, and the commitment at which they are driving should never be underestimated.

- PETER WHITTEN, 2005

kay, so I was given a free drive of Subaru’s media car in South Australia, so you could perhaps expect that I’m going to give a glowing report on the Impreza RS car that is used in the ARC’s one-make series.

And while that would be correct, the superlatives I’m about to give the RS has certainly got nothing to do with Subaru loyalty or as a pay back for receiving the drive. At no time was I given directives about what Subaru wanted in return, nor were there ever any team orders given.

“We have three objectives for our drivers at each event,” head technician Sam Hill told us before the start.

“Firstly, have fun. Second, try and keep the car straight, and thirdly, our aim is to finish in the top 10 at the end of each Heat.”

Thankfully we achieved all three of the objectives, but the competitiveness of the series means that a motoring journo without rallying experience would struggle to finish in the top 10, as Neil Crompton found out in Tasmania.

Testing in the wet, it only took about 15km for me to decide that a little more power would be nice. The car hits the rev limiter at 6200rpm, but throughout the weekend that was only possible in first, second and third gear.

The ‘sweet spot’ is anywhere between 3000 and 6000rpm.

A lack of power or not, everyone is in the same boat so you just have to drive around it. That’s not to say that the cars aren’t fun to drive though.

There is ample power to build up

ions: Subaru Impreza RS momentum and make it enjoyable to drive, and the only occasions when you think the lack of power could get you into trouble is when you’re sliding wide on a corner and you don’t have enough grunt to pull you out of it. I guess the definitive answer is not to go wide!

Similarly, it’s not easy to ‘chuck’ the car into a tight corner and be confident that the car will have enough power to keep the slide going and pull you out of the corner. On many occasions I found myself changing down a gear mid corner, but left-foot braking (which I didn’t do) may help this. Even so, series leader Darren Windus reported that he regularly dips the clutch to keep the engine revs up.

T

he Impreza also takes a long time to build up speed on long straights. Even on a straight of around 1km in length on the event the car only topped around 160km/h, and it took some time to get there. Many would say, however, that this is more than fast enough!

Handling is one of the Impreza’s strong points. The car is really a neutral handling beast and I found it had no real tendencies to oversteer or understeer. The neutral handling makes the car really ‘catchable’ if you happen to slide wide or overstep the mark.

The combination of the Pirelli tyres and the DMS suspension seem to work a treat.

The brakes on the car are fantastic, and it’s hard to believe that there is no brake bias valve fitted. The Subaru media car ran SBS pads with the

booster disconnected and there was never a hint of brake fade. Towards the end of the event I noticed some brake knock-off at the end of long straights, but Sam Hill believes this is simply a result of front wheel bearings which are now two events old. The team has discovered they need changing after every two events.

S

ubaru have made every effort to ensure the cars are identical when competing, reprograming every ECU at scrutineering before each event, and Pirelli mark and record the barcodes of all eight tyres that are to be used on each car. There is little, it seems, that can be tampered with.

The only grey area perhaps involves the question of what fuel can be used in each car. Subaru would like pump fuel to be used in all cars, but this rule is currently not in place. As a result, it is believed some crews are using higher octane fuels, or a mixture of PULP and other fuel types.

During the 200+ competitive kilometres I did in the car in South Australia, it didn’t miss a beat. All that was required was a general spanner check at each service break, and it’s this reliability that is making the series so popular.

If I had the budget, would I buy an Impreza RS to compete in the Subaru Rally Challenge? Absolutely. The cars are a fantastic package and is the ideal stepping stone between a two-wheel drive car and a four-wheel drive turbo rocket. Reliable, easy to drive and competitive, the Impreza RS is a real winner Conditions in South Australia were wet and muddy.

TECH SPECS:

Subaru Impreza RS ENGINE: 2.5-litre horizontally opposed four-cylinder POWER: 112kW at 5600 revs TORQUE: 223Nm at 3600 revs TRANSMISSION: Five-speed manual, all-wheel-drive FINAL DRIVE RATIO: 4.111:1 WHEELBASE: 2525mm BODY: Four-door sedan PRICE: RS sedan $32,990 (standard road car)

THE CARS Subaru Australia built and sold 15 white Impreza RS’s for the Australian Rally Championship. The 2.5 litre, 5-speed manual cars came with the following equipment as standard.

•

Homologated roll cage (fitted by Bond Roll Bars) • 2x Sparco Pro2000 seats and side mounts • 2x Sparco 4 point, 3” harnesses • 2x Sparco V type crotch straps • 2x fire extinguishers (1kg hand held) • Hi Tech exhaust system • DMS 50mm suspension • 2x WRX strut mounts • Window tint • Sealed engine • Subaru window banners, sponsors stickers The cars sold for $35,500 including GST, although control Compomotive wheels and Pirelli tyres were required to be purchased separately. There were two types of tyres available for the Subaru Rally Challenge: the Pirelli KM4 (medium) and the KM6 (hard compound).

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 23

REPORT: SOUTHERN RALLY - SARC 1

BOWERING WINS SOUTHERN RALLY Story & Photos: JOHN LEMM

Bowering set three fastest times on his way to the win.

F

Neil Gehan's Subaru running hot!

Matt Selley was fastest on three stages in his Ford Escort.

24 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

ulfilling the potential that they showed last season, Mt. Gambier’s Aaron Bowering and Nathan Lowe have taken their first rally win in the opening round of the MRF Tyres South Australian Rally Championship on May 7.

Setting three fastest times, the WRX crew finished the RAA Southern Rally 45 seconds ahead of Gary Brown and Mike Dale’s Ralliart Mitsubishi VR4, in turn two seconds ahead of Ben Calder and Steve Glenney’s Subaru WRX. It was tarmac specialist Calder’s first gravel rally.

The rally was held in the Second Valley forest and shire roads through the nearby Balquhidder cattle property on the state’s south coast.

Unfortunately, it’s likely that this was the last time that the area will be used for such an event, due to financial cutbacks to ForestrySA. Whilst Zayne Admiraal and Matthew Heywood’s Subaru WRX blew its engine, Brown led on the opening Jones stage before breaking a rear brake calliper bracket on the following Bedlam Flat, temporary repairs meaning that they only had front brakes for the remainder of the event.

Father and daughter team, Neil and Andrea Gehan, went through most of the stage with an engine bay fire in their WRX STi, caused by a newly-fitted undertray sitting a little close to the extractors. Unaware, they pressed on, setting fastest time, just one second ahead of Matt Selley and Hamish McKendrick’s Escort BDA. Craig Haysman and Julie Boorman’s Triumph TR7 V8 (not the one they run on tarmac) clipped a stump with the rear wheel and gently rolled.

The next stage, Springs, at 22km was the event’s longest, and saw Selley fastest, putting him into the lead, before the throttle cable broke on the following Jones 2. Missing the following two stages, they came back to eventually be classified 12th.

Despite their brake problems, Brown was quickest on Kerr finished first Classic, and eighth outright.

Right (top to bottom): Stephen Mee ’s P3-winning Corolla; Gary Brown was second with only front brakes; Ben Calder was surprised with his third; and Simon Wenzel and Brett Mason-Fyfe were Clubman winners.

Jones 2, with Bowering fastest on the next two.

A returning Selley was flying, easily fastest on the first of the flowing Balquhidder stages, Two Tunks, before Wayne Mason and Dave Langfield’s Escort BDG, now leading 2WD, scored best on Hayfield West.

Unfortunately, they were out on the following 17km Balquhidder Back, where Selley was again on top.

Springs Reverse was the 10th and final stage, Bowering coming out on top by just one second over Brown.

Aaron Lowe and Matt Monto’s powerful Commodore coasted to a stop at the spectator hairpin with driveline failure.

Despite their early problems, the Gehans came through to finish fourth, two minutes and four seconds down on Calder.

One minute and seven seconds in arrears was the Subaru WRX of Paul Knopka and Neil Brannum.

It was Knopka’s first rally, having run in hillclimbs and rallysprints for a few years. 37 seconds down in sixth was Marc Butler and Peter Sims’ Honda Civic, first 2WD. Phillip Kerr and Jenny Cole’s Datsun 1600 wound up first Classic, in eighth outright.

Simon Wenzel and Brett Mason-Fyfe’s Nissan Bluebird was first Clubman, with Michael Nixon and James McGough picking up the Atlantic Oils Spirit of the Rally Award.

Next round of the MRF S.A. Rally Championship is the Lightforce Rally of the Heartland in the Burra area in the state’s midnorth, on June 3-4.

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 25

REPORT: WOWAN RALLY - QRC 1

MENZIES ROMPS HOME Story & Photos: SAM TICKELL

T

he 2017 Pedders Suspension Rockhampton Wowan Rally proved to be a car breaking affair, but Ian Menzies and Robert McGowen in their 2003 Mitsubishi Evo 9, took the win.

The Wowan Rally opened the 2017 MRF Tyres Queensland Rally Championship after the first round was delayed.

37 entries took to the start of the rally, with seven of the eight slated stages being run. The fast and dusty rally took its toll on competitors, with only 23 finishers.

The rally was all about Ian Menzies in his Evo 9, dominating the stages, taking every stage win. Particularly impressive on these quick roads was the final stage - stage 7. Running first on the road, he made the most of clear vision to win the stage by almost a minute.

In the end, he took the win by 3 minutes, 23 seconds from Tony Scott and Jay Davidson.

Scott and Davidson put in a particularly impressive performance in their 2WD 1982 Toyota Corolla DX to take Erik Johnsson pushing Gerard McConkey out of the water after the Subaru sucked in water.

26 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

Rally winners Ian Menzies and Robert McGowen in their Evo 9.

2WD winners, Tony Scott and Jay Davidson in their 1982 Toyota.

Novice class winner, Cameron Henry and Michelle van der Wilk in their Subaru WRX.

second place, and winning the 2WD category. Their flamboyant style saw them outpace many more fancied competitors.

Third was Todd Webster and Ryan Preston (1995 Subaru Impreza), who ran a clean rally to take the final place on the podium But it was bad news for Gerard McConkey in his newly converted 1999 Subaru WRX. Together with co-driver Erik Johnsson they were running second until the end of SS4 - Mandalay.

They had made it through the stage, but were caught out in a creek crossing after the stop point.

The crossing was a little deeper than expected and most cars made it through. But McConkey’s Subaru took in some water. While they were able to affect road side repairs, it was a setback for the duo, running second at the time.

Issues mounted when they lost their exhaust on the final stage. They would fall back and in the end, would finish

fourth, but were later excluded for arriving at service late.

Marius Swart would have a rally to forget in his VW Polo S2000. Expected to feature in the final results, Swart’s alternator failed on SS2 and his rally ended there.

There was a heavy crash for the #23 Mazda RX2 of David Ovenden and Bruce Tyler. The car left the road at speed on the Grantleigh test. Ovenden was taken to hospital for precautionary checks, but was released a short time after.

The delay from this accident resulted in the final stage being cancelled.

The other new cars of note were Melinda Bergmann and Larisa Biggar stepping up to a 2001 Mitsibushi Evo after running a Subaru Liberty in the past. They would end up ninth after suffering differential problems and sensor issues that made braking quite unpredictable.

Nick and Mitchell Tomkinson’s

1990 Audi Quattro ran well for the Rockhampton father and son duo. The Audi was dramatically modified with the radiator now in the back of the car, but they made it to the end of the rally, in third last.

Cameron Henry and Michelle van der Wilk were also in their 1999 Subaru WRX for the first time, taking out the novice class. There was a big scare for the team on the final stage after hitting a kangaroo. While the light bar was destroyed and there was some panel damage, the car survived.

In the other classes, Steven van der Burg and Dave Page won the Multi-club class in their 1999 Subaru.

Classic was taken by Ian Goldsworthy and Dennis Neagle’s Holden Gemini, and Clubman was taken by Brad Hurdford and Ray Priest’s Ford Falcon.

Junior was won by Wayne Morton and Megan Benson’s 2008 Toyota Auris.

The next round of the championship is the Manumbar Rally, in June.

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MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 27

REPORT: 2017 RALLY OF WHANGAREI - NZRC 2

T

he International Rally of Whangarei always throws up curve balls in the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, and with a weather bomb thrown in for good measure, the 2017 version was no different.

In the end, Matt and Nicole Summerfield would overcome a 50 second time penalty to lead home Dylan Turner/Malcolm Read and Darren Galbraith/Rocky Hudson.

PRE-EVENT

There was big excitement around the event that saw the four-wheel drive debut of former V8 Supercar star Greg Murphy in a Holden Barina AP4+ car, the first showing of Turner’s new Audi S1 AP4, and also the championship debut of Marcus van Klink’s triple rotor Mazda RX-8.

The route itself was familiar to most of the field, stage 3/7 returning for the first time since 2014, and stage 11/14 returned to the Waipu Caves format. Also new was stage 4/8, Oramahoe, previously seen in editions of Rally of the North.

A

DAY 1

fter two passes of the super special stage on Friday night, Sloan Cox and Sarah Coatsworth held the lead over Ben Hunt/ Tony Rawstorn and a returning Phil Campbell/Lisa Hudson.

However, once crews got out on the cambered country roads north of Whangarei, it was championship leaders David Holder and Jason Farmer who set the pace in a tight battle that saw the top six cars covered by 6.8 seconds.

What was thought to be an inconsequential lead overnight proved quite handy for Cox, who now led Holder by more than five seconds.

Stage four saw another name at the top of the time sheets, this time Galbraith, who became the seventh stage winner of the season, rocketing himself up to third place behind Cox and Holder.

Summerfield and Emma Gilmour/Anthony McLoughlin rounded out the top five.

With crews headed for the refuel, there were plenty with tales to tell amongst the front runners, amongst which Glenn Inkster, who had shown he was on the pace in Otago, was stranded in stage four with an alternator problem.

Several crews, including Murphy and Clint Cunningham, were having issues with fogging up in the car, Cunningham’s enough to force

28 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

SIBLING

... as Featherstone takes NZ Rally Story: BLAIR BARTELS Photos: GEOFF RIDDER

G SUCCESS

y Championship lead

Matt and Nicole Summerfield won the Rally of Whangarei in their Subaru Impreza WRX. MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 29

REPORT: 2017 RALLY OF WHANGAREI - NZRC 2 Darren Galbraith

retirement. The other Barina of Josh Marston/Andrew Graves had a series of issues that was traced back to a split wheel rim and would cause them to retire at the refuel.

Back on the stages, the rain got heavier and Holder took another stage win, allowing him to move into the lead of the event.

Turner’s new Audi was continuing to get faster and faster to claim the second fastest time with Galbraith

third, while the road conditions, which had copped a battering prior to the event with two tropical cyclones battering the area in the weeks leading up to the event, meant punctures were an issue for both Andrew Hawkeswood and Graham Featherstone.

The morning loop would be rounded out by the power stage, Helena Bay, with bonus points on offer. This was the stage were Summerfield mounted his attack, taking the stage win by Andrew Hawkeswood

1.9 seconds over Featherstone, with Turner, Galbraith and Cox taking the remainder of the bonus points.

The stage win also fired Summerfield to the lead of the event, with Holder forced to drive the stage, one of the tightest of the event, with no power steering.

After service, teams would tackle the same four stages in the afternoon, although stage eight would be cancelled due to a road accident. The drama started before the stage, with Hawkeswood and Campbell both retiring on the touring route with drive train issues.

Then in the stage, Murphy left the road, while Gilmour was forced to park up after hitting a pile of rocks and damaging the suspension, while Hunt lost five minutes with a puncture.

That left Cox to resume the lead, and a stage win aided Holder’s fight back as he moved into fifth.

The Gull Rally Challenge, contested across the first day of the event, saw Warwick Redfern take the four-wheel drive class win. Initial pace setter, Matt Jensen, cleared out early before leaving the road in stage six, while a puncture in stage nine dropped Adam Bligh to second place, with Matt Adams taking third and the Group A challenge class win.

Michael McLean survived a scary fire in stage nine, but was forced out of a fourth place taking by Jono Shapley, while Richard Rau rounded out the four-wheel drive finishers. The twowheel drive class went the way of debutant Chris Gracie, who led home Dan Alexander and Doug Adnitt.

Stage nine again saw Holder take the victory over Turner and Summerfield, while Cox slowed from the rally lead with a turbo failure. That would leap frog Holder into second behind Summerfield, however, the Hyundai would stop touring to the next stage with cambelt failure.

The final stage of the day would have a further sting in the tail, with Cox’s miserable late afternoon continuing when he left the road.

A storming run from Turner saw him take the stage win and move into

Frank Kelly, Ford Escort.

Find us at: www.chicane.co.nz Call us o 30 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

second outright, while second fastest would give Summerfield a lead of almost 30 seconds overnight. However all was not well, as the team suspected a turbo issue in the Subaru. Also in trouble was Galbraith, nursing a blown head gasket in third place.

Consistency had been the key for both Rhys Gardner and Job Quantock, who now held fourth and fifth, ahead of Featherstone, Dave Strong, Redfern, Bligh and Brian Green.

Dylan Turner

DAY 2

Day two saw slightly drier but far from tropical conditions, still marred by the odd heavy shower. Summerfield’s team were forced to change an exhaust manifold in the morning service and copped 50 seconds of time penalties, dropping him to third place.

However, a determined Summerfield would move back to 2.1 seconds behind Turner after the day’s opener, and from there would be largely unchallenged.

The only other mover in the field was Featherstone, moving ahead of Quantock.

Hawkeswood would rejoin for day two and was within the top three stage times all day to take the leg win and bonus points, ahead of Summerfield and Featherstone.

The NZRC two-wheel drive class saw a huge battle. Ari Pettigrew dropped out early with a power steering pump failure and Max Tregilgas set the early pace, while Dylan Thomson suffered a puncture.

However, a huge charge by Thomson saw him overhaul Tregilgas on day two.

Robbie Stokes survived an off road excursion on day one to hold third overnight, only to have suspension failure rob him of a podium finish after stage 14.

The open-two wheel drive class was a battle of attrition, with Anthony Jones setting the early pace before alternator failure stopped him just before the final stage of day one. He was in good company though, with van Klink stopping on the same touring stage with fuel pump failure, while Brent Taylor also parked up on the tour with a broken axle.

Jeff Ward was another to strike trouble, retiring on both Friday night and Saturday, leaving Jack Williamson Clint Cunningham

HJC MOTORSPORTS

on: AU 1800 CHICANE or NZ 0800 CHICANE MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 31

REPORT: 2017 RALLY OF WHANGAREI - NZRC 2 Galbraith was relieved to make the finish in third place. Fourth gave Rhys Gardner a strong haul of points, likewise Featherstone in fifth and Quantock in sixth.

Seventh was a good reward for Strong, ahead of Gosling, who also claimed the Motogard Trophy for top historic in eighth, ahead of Thomson and Tregilgas.

Two strong finishes gives Featherstone a championship lead of two points over Summerfield, with Turner, Gardner, Holder and Hawkeswood all within 11 points of the series lead heading to round three, Canterbury, on June 4.

Ben Hunt

to take victory in a case of survival of the fittest.

The historic class saw Tony Gosling come out with a strong start in his Ford Escort RS1800 to take the win, while John Silcock took second despite a puncture and fogging up all through Saturday.

Third place went to another RS1800, this time Paul Fraser, with the final finisher being Mike Cameron’s Lancer.

But up front, no-one could take victory away from the Summerfields, who had grasped the lead and run with it. In the end, even with a time penalty, the final margin was one minute, 6.4 seconds over Turner, who was stoked with his new car’s debut.

Tony Gosling

32 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

Marcus van Klink

Gaurav Gill won his 7th APRC event in a row with another fine drive.

R

eigning Asia Pacific Rally Champion, Gaurav Gill, has started the season in perfect fashion by winning the International Rally of Whangarei in New Zealand.

Driving his Race Torque prepared Team MRF Skoda Fabia R5, this was the Indian’s seventh win in a row, after taking a clean sweep of the APRC events in 2016.

However, it wasn’t easy for Gill and his Belgian co-driver, Stephane Prevot.

For much of the event they trailed their 20-year old team-mate, Norwegian Ole Christian Veiby, who was making his debut in the APRC. Veiby and co-driver, Stig Rune Skjarmoen, won seven of the event’s 15 stages, but a brake problem mid-way through the second day saw them drop to second place – but still ensuring yet another 1-2 result for Team MRF. Team MRF boss, Lane Heenan was happy with the start to the season and for the team to achieve yet another 1-2 result.

“We couldn’t really have asked for a better start to the year,” he said.

“Gaurav once again showed his experience and consistency to take the win, while Ole quickly showed everyone that he has an immense amount of talent, particularly for a driver so young.

“He looked on track for a fairy tale debut win, but a close second is a fantastic start to his first APRC.”

LUCKY 7

Final Results, Rally of Whangarei,

FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) round one 1. Gill/Prévot (IND/BEL), ŠKODA FABIA R5, 2:35:06.8 h 2. Veiby/ Skjarmoen (NOR/NOR), ŠKODA FABIA R5, + 2:02.8 min 3. Blomberg/Andersson (SWE/SWE), Mitsubishi Mirage, + 17:45.5 min 4. Takahashi/Nakamura (JPN/JPN), Subaru Impreza WRX STi, + 28:17.3 min 5. Abhilash/Gowda (IND/IND), Subaru Impreza WRX STi, + 37:42.9 min - PHOTOS: GEOFF RIDDER

Jari Ketomaa

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 33

NEWS@RALLYSPORTMAG.COM.AU Arron Windus finished third in class.

TARGA C'SHIP RETURNS IN '18

STRONG RESULT FOR WINDUS

A

T

he CAMS Australian Targa Championship will return in 2018, with all eight Targa car categories included in the series.

Two 'Overall' competitions in Targa events will also be recognised as CAMS national championships.

One will cover the Early Modern, GT2 and GT4 competitions, and the winners will be crowned the CAMS Australian Targa Champions.

The other will cover Classic and Classic GT competitions, with the winners will be crowned the CAMS Australian Targa Classic Champions.

Winning teams will be invited to the CAMS National Awards dinner each year to receive their accolades, alongside the winners of the Australian Rally Championship and the Supercars Championship.

"It is great news for Targa and tarmac rallying competitors across the country," Targa event director, Mark Perry, said.

"To finally be recognised in this way will inspire many competitors to achieve this goal and will surely see the introduction of many new manufacturers, along with increased involvement from our current manufacturers, in the years ahead."

The 2018 championship will be contested over four events, with a soon to be announced event added to Targa North West (Tasmania), Targa Tasmania and a final round at Targa High Country (Victoria).

Photos: RedMAGAZINE Bull Content | RALLYSPORT 34 - MAY 2017Pool

challenging, yet promising weekend has netted Victorian, Arron Windus, third in class in the RSAC Scottish Rally.

Despite a small testing crash on the Thursday before the rally, Windus bounced back to achieve a strong result in the wet conditions.

Windus won the first stage of the event by over 20 seconds, but a puncture slowed he and co-driver Richard Crozier on the second of Friday’s two night stages.

However, a continually improving performance on Saturday proved his, and the car’s potential.

The 21-year-old praised the Vauxhall ADAM’s capabilities on the demanding Scottish roads.

“It was fantastic to drive and never missed a beat – even in the difficult conditions.

“I was surprised we were able to stay in touch with many of the R2 cars in class,” he said.

The Vauxhall, though 40 horsepower Scottish Rally winner David Bogie.

down on its main rivals, was in the mix all weekend in the young Aussie’s hands.

Windus completed the 119 competitive kilometres just under a minute behind class leader, Josh Cornwell, and was 18th overall.

At the head of the field, it was an epic battle between championship leader Fredrik Ahlin and local man David Bogie.

Prior to the final stage, it was Bogie who led by the slenderest of margins (0.1 seconds) in his Skoda Fabia R5.

However, a damaged radiator forced Ahlin to retire on that final stage, coming heartbreakingly close to another BRC win.

Behind winner Bogie, Osian Pryce and Martin McCormack completed the podium positions.

The next round of the MSA British Rally Championship heads to the worldfamous Ypres Rally in Belgium for the very first time.

- LUKE WHITTEN

5 MINUTES WITH ....

PHOTO: John Doutch

5

. minutes with ..

ROSS TAPPER

After 30 years as Forest Rally Clerk of Course, Ross Tapper has handed the reins to John Gibbons.

But his involvement in rallying is far from over!

Story: PETER WHITTEN

Congratulations on your “retirement’ from the Forest Rally after 30 years as CofC. What brought about your decision to relinquish the role?

I am certainly not retiring and walking away from the event or the sport.

The event is now set up so it is not dependent on anyone in particular for it to run on the weekend, however, I have been conscious for some time

of the fact it relied on me in the months before the event to source the sponsorship, government approvals and to generally get the workings of the event up and running.

John Gibbons asked one too many questions about running events, so I asked how keen he really was and he indicated he was willing to step up as Clerk of Course.

I could have dragged him on for another five years learning the role, but decided the quickest way for him to learn is hands on. After 30 years being

Clerk of Course it was time to hand over to a younger person to ensure the Forest Rally will stay a strong event for many years to come, and I am hopeful that I will be part of the leadership group for many years to come.

You’ve seen many changes in the sport over those years. What things stick out the most as being pivotal to the ARC, from a positive and negative aspect?

When I first started out, the championship was six individual

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 35

5 MINUTES WITH .... events, with little communication between them or the National Rally Panel (pre-ARCom). We all had different Supplementary Regulations, road books, results and timing, control signs and we were generally doing our own thing.

Tom Snooks and Mike Bell worked on improving the standards. When Rally Australia came along there was more conformity to FIA Standards, but it was Glenn Cuthbert who rallied all the Clerks of Courses together and, along with ARCom, we turned it into one championship with six events.

At the same time Subaru, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Les Walkden, the Pedders and many others were competing in the ARC and with Channel 10 televising it, and “live” from the finish to RPM, the ARC boomed.

Unfortunately bit by bit it all unfolded. Some blame CAMS or individuals, but in reality I believe it was because Mitsubishi stopped making 4WD Evos and then Subaru changed tack with their promotion and pulled out of rallying, leaving Toyota to fund the promotion, and eventually they pulled out.

Some hard work has been done and different ideas have been tried on how to get the ARC back up to strength.

There are some good signs ahead for

the ARC with Molly, Harry, Eli, Nathan and other young drivers supported by the older generation like Les Walkden, Neal Bates and Peter Evans, and now we need to attract other new and young drivers into the ARC. Then CAMS has to work on getting the events back working as one championship again, rather than being individual events.

You must have established some good friendships with many of the sport’s leading competitors over that time. Who stands out the most - from both a personal and competitive point of view?

In the early days of Rally Australia I was lucky enough to be “Rally Base”.

Simo Lampinen came into the room, he was our Observer and was the Clerk of Course of Rally Finland.

Garry Connelly was telling him about the technology advances that he wished to bring into the sport. When Garry left the room, Simo lent over and said to me, ‘Never forget that rallying is about people. It is the people and friendships made in rallying that is the reason why I have been in it for so long.’

Most guys get a thrill out of looking under the bonnet or checking the welds on a roll cage, whereas I prefer to have a chat with friends in Rally HQ or out

on the stages. Naturally I have had long friendships with West Aussies, but have also struck up friends with fellow ARC organisers around the country.

I have also been lucky enough to be Clerk of Course at Rally of Melbourne and Rally Tasmania and been to events in every state.

The standout for friendship has been Neal Bates and Coral Taylor for their support of the Forest Rally for so many years, and always ensuring they go out of their way to help wherever they can, including assisting or encouraging others to cross the Nullarbor.

On top of that, as every Clerk of Course would know, CT calls a dozen times before every rally to ensure all the Ts are crossed and the Is are dotted - you can’t help but be friends after those conversations that always end up in laughter.

You’ll still be involved in WA rallying, as Clerk of Course at QUIT Targa West and Targa South West, and as Chairman of the WA Rally Advisory Panel. Clearly you’ll still be very busy.

Every day is a rally day and too much rallying is never enough. Targa West runs two rallies, seven Rallysprints and one Speed Event each year, so there is always something that needs to be

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Straight advice, specialists you understand and...

done.

Plus Rally Panel, other WARC events and car club autocrosses keep the days filled.

How has rallying in WA changed since Rally Australia disappeared from the state after 2006? Has the sport gone forwards, backwards or stagnated in that time?

Rally Australia was a game changer in rallying in Australia. It raised the bar in everything we did and WA was the lucky state to benefit from some well-trained officials, many of whom are still part of local rallying and set high standards for themselves and others new into the sport.

The standard of our events is very high. The championship is continuing to go forward with the promotion and marketing through strong support from our sponsors.

It has been 11 years since Rally Australia was in Perth, so it no longer influences competitors to take up rallying.

We have had some good years with a high number of competitors, but at the moment there is a slight dip in numbers. The WA economy is influenced by the mining industry and when that is down everything is down, so this year the numbers are down a little, but hopefully they will pick up again in the next year or two.

We are finding that not many competitors are committing to every rally. Every organiser is hoping for the jackpot when all the cars in garages come out to play and we have a big field.

As a long-time ARC director, where do you see the championship heading in future years? Can we ever get back to the days of multiple manufacturers competing, or have those days gone?

Who would have thought a few years ago that Hyundai and Toyota would be leaders in the WRC, so there is no reason to believe the ARC will not attract manufacturers again.

Hopefully the AP4 cars will be a success without making other cars obsolete. We certainly couldn’t afford to lose Subaru again. Vehicle manufacturers can’t be seen sacking staff and going rallying at the same time.

Tom Snooks used to talk about the level of professionalism of the events vs the teams. I don’t think the ARC is currently at a standard that is attractive for full-on manufacturer teams, but with small steps from Subaru and Les Walkden, and Neal Bates Motorsport, we should be able to kick start

something again with new younger drivers.

It is the new drivers and event organisers who should be planning the future and that could easily be shorter high profile events with greater spectator numbers.

We can’t continue to run big expensive events with small fields.

Somehow we need to get fields up around 80 again and that is possible, we just need to make rally drivers want to do an ARC rather than criticising the ARC, CAMS and ARCom on social media.

Who are the three best rally drivers you have seen in your time, and why?

I have been lucky enough to be on the organising team of events that have had every ARC champion compete in them, apart from three or four. So it is hard to pick three out of over 20 plus champions.

Out of three it would be Ross Dunkerton for not only being from the West, but in my first ARC as a spectator he was in the Datsun 260Z

with a side exhaust shooting out flames at every gear change, something you never forget. Dunks then went against the best in the country and won the championship five times, and always worked on getting the car to the finish.

Being in the sport as a competitor for over 50 years is also a pretty good effort.

Possum Bourne, for lifting the bar of professionalism and bringing Subaru into the ARC. Unfortunately, for most of the time Possum had a WRC car that was so much better than everyone else, so it wasn’t a clear indicator of how good he was against anyone else.

And of course, Neal and Coral, for just keeping on keeping on for so long and now supporting their children into the ARC. They are also pretty good at competing, having won the Forest Rally five times and the ARC four times.

However, what is so great at the moment is how close the current group of competitors are, with only seconds, and sometimes tenths separating them at the end of each Heat.

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 37

REPORT: RALLY OF ARGENTINA - WRC 5

NEUVILLE WINS A THRILLER

38 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

By MARTIN HOLMES MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 39

REPORT: RALLY OF ARGENTINA - WRC 5

S

o near yet so far. 28-year old Elfyn Evans led Rally Argentina from the second stage to the penultimate stage, only for his first WRC win to be denied on the final stage by Thierry Neuville – by a margin of 0.7 seconds, the third closest margin in WRC history.

Halfway through the event, Evans had a lead of a minute, but circumstances intervened and the lead was eroded to just 0.6 seconds before the final stage.

Neuville gave Hyundai a second WRC win of the season, despite troubles for all their team on the first morning.

M-Sport finished a remarkable 2nd, 3rd and 4th with fourth placed Ogier NOT being a manufacturer points scorer.

Toyota struggled and Citroen had a momentous disaster, essentially created by two major crashes for their number one driver Kris Meeke. Skoda driver Pontus Tidemand scored his third WRC2 win of the season.

This event will long be remembered for Evans’ majestic performance, initiated by a favourable good starting position and DMack tyres which have always performed well on this event, then impressively by the way he maturely held that advantage almost till the end.

The event was the roughest event of the season so far and its small entry highlighted the challenges of running long haul championship rallies. ew conditions, different circumstances, new things were happening in Argentina.

Things which affected the teams were that testing in the country was, again,

N

Elfyn Evans was unlucky not to score his first WRC win.

forbidden. This was the toughest event for the 2017 cars so far, so the aerodynamical bodywork was going to be hard pressed to keep stable handling characteristics when they were damaged.

The conditions were expected to favour soft compound tyres which were used almost exclusively on the event, and especially DMack tyres which traditionally have gone well here in the past.

And of course, the first day running order was going to challenge the drivers that had gained valuable points earlier in the season if, as expected, the conditions were going to

be dry.

None of these factors fully prepared for the impact of the performance on the Friday of the DMack driver Elfyn Evans, which was outstanding. He came within an ace of winning his first WRC event.

There were no fewer than five 2017 Fiesta World Rally Cars competing on the event, the three official entries and the private cars of the OneBet Jipocar and the Bertelli teams.

Ostberg progressively moulded his driving into a competitive style until the rear diffuser detached itself and the driver slid wide and damaged Ogier finished fourth, despite not being happy with his car.

40 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

the suspension. One stage was missed, but Ostberg still scored Driver championship points.

Evans was the star of the official team, but was delayed by a puncture and also rear suspension problems.

Why was it that Evans finally lost his win?

Was it his brake pads glazing on the final day, delays after clipping the bridge on the final stage or what. Who knows?

Sebastien Ogier was far from happy.

On top of his early running order handicap, he had steering and rear suspension problems. Ott Tanak had no real problems apart from a puncture and some spins, and towards the end of the rally was seriously challenging Evans and Neuville.

On Friday evening, four M-Sport cars were in the top five, interrupted only by Neuville’s Hyundai, with Ostberg lying second overall. It was strange to see that Ogier was the one team driver who did not score Manufacturer points! yundai had a variety of problems, especially on the first day of the event, not helped when Hayden Paddon rolled, Neuville had damper failure and Dani Sordo had damaged steering which he had to repair in the middle of a stage.

Both the Toyotas had troubles.

Jari-Matti Latvala had a strange first day problem with the engine lapsing into safe mode, while teammate Juho Hanninen had problems all through the rally with a loss of turbo pressure.

Citroen, however, had what can best be described as a rally from hell.

Kris Meeke lost control of his car on a compression, like in Mexico, but this time causing considerable damage.

Then the team set about and repaired the damage (leaving Kris to say his mechanics were the best in the world!)

– and then the next day he heavily crashed the car again.

This caused considerable logistical problems for the team, the upset of which was the team voluntarily withdrew Craig Breen’s entry at the end of the event to escape the regulatory component linking rules, and to enable new parts to be fitted on the next events for their cars.

It was a dramatic act, leading the team to forfeit championship points from Breen’s performance.

The WRC2 entry comprised five Skoda Fabias and one Ford Fiesta.

Skoda Motorsport was spreading the championship scoring options round their team drivers, so Andreas Mikkelsen had now won two events out of two, and Pontus Tidemand had won three out of three.

Latvala jumps the Yaris on the opening Super Special Stage.

H

It was a rally that Hayden Paddon would rather forget.

Tanak was one of three Fiestas in the top four placings.

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 41

REPORT: RALLY OF ARGENTINA - WRC 5 On the next event, all championship drivers must compete so the Skoda drivers meet for the first time.

Tidemand won the category by over 10 minutes from Juan Alonso. The sole Fiesta driver, Pedro Heller, did not finish. There was one WRC Trophy starter, but Valeriy Gorban did not finish.

Hyundai’s win had shaved M-Sport’s lead in the Manufacturers’ series by two points, to 22, with the gap over Toyota in third place increased. With both Citroen cars not finishing this event, the team were now 26 points adrift at the foot of the Manufacturer standings.

Ogier’s lead in the Drivers series was now 16 points, still ahead of Latvala, but with Neuville now just two points behind in third, with all three M-Sport drivers now in the top six.

With none of the other leading drivers in WRC2 present, Tidemand’s third win in the category sees him lead the series by 25 points.

This may have been the smallest full worlld championship rally in history, but it was one of the most eventful. It was just a pity that events in places as enticing as Mexico, Argentina and Australia do not attract the entries they deserve … but that’s another story Craig Breen

2017 Rally of Argentina - WRC round 5 Mads Ostberg

Pontus Tidemand

1. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul 2. Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt 3. Ott Tänak/Martin Jarveoja 4. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia 5. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila 6. Hayden Paddon/John Kennard 7. Juho Hänninen/Kaj Lindstrom 8. Dani Sordo/Marc Martí 9. Mads Østberg/Ola Floene 10. Pontus Tidemand/Jonas Andersson

Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC Ford Fiesta WRC (Ford Fiesta WRC Ford Fiesta WRC Toyota Yaris WRC Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC Toyota Yaris WRC Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC Ford Fiesta WRC Škoda Fabia R5

3:38:10.6 +0.7 +29.9 +1:24.7 +1:48.1 +7:42.7 +11:16.9 +14:44.1 +15:11.3 +17:32.1

FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ standings (after Rd 5): 1. Sébastien Ogier 102, 2. Jari-Matti Latvala 86, 3. Thierry Neuville 84, 4. Ott Tänak 66, 5. Dani Sordo 51, 6. Elfyn Evans 42, 7. Craig Breen 33, 8. Hayden Paddon 33, 9.

Kris Meeke 27, 10. Juho Hänninen 15.

FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ standings (after Rd 5): 1. M-Sport World Rally Team 162, 2. Hyundai Motorsport 140, 3. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC 99, 4. Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team 71 42 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

REPORT: MITTA MOUNTAIN RALLY - VRC 2

Raymo takes Mitta victory

Glen Raymond and Kate Catford took the win at Mitta.

Story: CRAIG O’BRIEN Photos: IVAN GLAVAS

G

len Raymond and Kate Catford (Subaru WRX) scored their first round win together in the Focus on Furniture Victorian Rally Championship at the Mitta Mountain Rally on May 6.

Featuring tight and twisty technical roads with an elevation change up to 1400m, the rally consisted of five nonrepeated stages, using some of the 2016 route in reverse, plus the inclusion of a new shire road stage.

With its close proximity to NSW, a handful made the trip across the border to mix it with the local crews, including Andrew Travis from Bathurst in his 2016 Classic Outback Trial winning Gazelle.

As the fog began to lift, the Mitsubishi Lancer of Warren Lee and David Lethlean set the early pace on the opening 14.5km stage to be seven seconds clear of Raymond/Catford, who in turn were seven seconds clear of husband and wife duo, Ben and Cathy Hayes (Subaru).

Things quickly changed in the following stages, first on the 30km SS2 when not one, but two punctures hampered Lee/Lethlean, dropping almost five minutes as they struggled through the final 15km. Raymond/ Catford subsequently inherited the rally lead as crews returned for the first service break.

The new shire road stage bit hard when Stephen Raymond and Luke Simpson rolled their Subaru beyond recognition, but testament to the strict safety standards, both crew walked away, albeit sore and shaken.

On SS4, Raymond/Catford put the hammer down to win the stage by 26 seconds and extend their overall lead to just under a minute ahead of the Hayes pair, with only the 53km Bogong stage to go.

Lee/Lethlean’s disastrous day ended just metres from the flying finish on SS4 when they ended up off the road.

The Hayes’ made a charge on Bogong, pulling back a remarkable 33 seconds to complete the championship’s longest and toughest stage in 44 minutes to win

Ben Hayes in the exWindus Subaru WRX. The Newtons finished third 2WD in their Honda Civic.

the heat, but Raymond/Catford played the numbers game and secured the overall victory.

Behind them an almighty battle was playing out with a few 4WD and 2WD crews in contention for the final podium position heading into SS5.

It initially appeared Lindsay Wright/ Kate Meyer had done enough to ensure a Subaru trifecta, but a one minute penalty cost them dearly, elevating Travis/Topliff to an excellent third, to go with their trophy as first 2WD. Meanwhile, in the battle for 2WD, early leader Luke Sytema/Adam Wright (Escort) encountered tyre dramas, but

held on to finish second in class, with father and son combination, Brian and Zac Newton, finishing a remarkable ninth outright and third in 2WD in the little Honda Civic.

It was a day to forget for 2WD heavy hitters, Grant Walker/Steph Richards and Alan Friend/Michelle Canning, both retiring on the final stage.

In the OurAuto Rally Series for Hyundai Excels, Brendan Hood and Dylan Braithwaite set up their rally win with a stunning time on the opening stage, mixing times with more powerful two-wheel drive competition.

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 43

FEATURE: SPECTATING IN ARGENTINA

A KIWI IN ARGENTINA Kiwi rally fan, Gary Boyd, took a trip to South America to support Hayden Paddon in the Rally of Argentina.

By GARY BOYD

Y

PF Rally Argentina 2017 will be recognised in history as one of the greatest ever WRC battles.

Elfyn Evans dominated early on to lead by over minute midway thru Saturday morning. Evans would come ever so close to claiming a maiden WRC victory for both himself and DMack Tyres.

Thierry Neuville had other ideas, he won four of the last five stages, sliding into the final time control on Michelins a meagre 0.7 seconds ahead of Evans.

This victory of the timing clock is well documented elsewhere, so I will not attempt to retell it.

This story is about what a spectator experiences in Argentina. It was equally exciting, the passion of the fans is unrivalled.

Hayden Paddon and John Kennard claimed their first WRC win on Argentine gravel in 2016.

Supporting them to retain their title in 2017 was good enough reason to make the long trip.

A clash of dates with Rally of Whangarei meant the number of Kiwi fans in Argentina was less than may have otherwise been expected.

I have previously attended Rally Australia in 2003 in Perth and Coffs Harbour in 2011 and 2013.

This would be my first WRC event outside of Australia and NZ. How would it compare to spectating on either side of the Tasman?

Late afternoon Wednesday was time for a first visit to the service park. Each major team stood out for a reason. Citroen were at a higher level for corporate hosting. Toyota had a dominating overall impact with their site frontage. Hyundai had the most professional layout for car servicing.

M-Sport’s unique livery for each car made them the real eye-catcher.

Hyundai are a major sponsor of Rally Argentina with spectator engagement, 44 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

including a virtual reality simulation experience. At one point Hayden came across and chatted for a few minutes.

A short chat turned into quarter of an hour of fan selfies and autographs.

For me it was a moment of realisation, our man truly is a superstar on the international scene.

Overall, the service park experience

is similar to what we get in NZ or Australia.

For a decade from 2005 to 2014 Chris Atkinson represented the ANZACs in WRC events around the world. 2014 was a passing of the baton from Chris to Hayden when both were part of Hyundai’s first year back in WRC. Thursday morning was shakedown, the first daily pre-dawn start. Wherever you go, be prepared to walk in several kilometres. In NZ and Australia spectator points are often found at midstage intersections. Most Argentina stages only have access at stage start or stage end.

The walking effort was always rewarded with great viewing spots.

Even for shakedown there were thousands of people crowding in.

As the sun rose, safety cars were followed by zero cars and the heartbeat quickened in anticipation of a first taste of the new generation WRC beasts.

A helicopter circled overhead, and you could hear the distant roar of a car engine. The cars sure look impressive, but it is the sound that really embeds in the memory.

During shakedown you don’t know which car will be next, it seemed an eternity for first opportunity to cheer for Hayden and John. They were fully sideways around the hairpin, no doubt about it they deserve to be competing in the top tier.

WRC crews must do at least three passes of Shakedown and after three passes it was Hayden recording the quickest time. JariMatti Latvala later did a fourth pass to go one tenth ahead of the Kiwi.

Back to service park and wave the Silver Fern, while Hayden joined JariMatti and Dani Sordo on stage as the fastest trio in Shakedown. Promising early signs for the weekend ahead.

Thursday night had a made-for-TV Super Special in the streets of nearby Cordoba city. Good viewing, but nothing compared to the real stages.

Our Friday morning spectating was on SS2, a fast wide section of road not unlike the shire roads of Coffs Harbour.

We saw the entire field make the first left hand corner, a fast 4th/5th gear.

The local Maxi rally cars were impressive, given our AP4 regulations are based on these, and Kiwi and Aussie fans have something exciting looming for future national events. e headed to SS8 Santa Rosa San Agustin in the afternoon - one of the legendary stages where locals camp out for a day or two before the rally comes through. Walking in, you discover tent site after tent site, steak slow cooking over embers, music and drink flowing.

It’s an amazing atmosphere, many of the people are just here because it’s rally weekend. They’re not supporting a particular team or driver - they just love to be at the rally. Experiencing this atmosphere is just as good as seeing the WRC machines flying along the stages A major difference to spectating at home is that rather than having a few designated spectator areas, the entire length of the stage, except for red taped zones, are used as a spectator area. Viewing options were many and varied, from water splashes to fast and flowing or a selection of tight, technical corners. Despite the tens of thousands of spectators it was possible to find uncrowded locations.

The Argentinian spectators are a hardy bunch, most were packing tents and loading cars, vans or trucks ready to relocate to Sunday’s El Condor and Mina Clavero stages.

It’s hard to imagine many Kiwis or Aussies camping for two nights in near freezing temperatures. Some just sleep wrapped in a blanket sitting on a camp chair. We headed back to our warm accommodation in Villa Carlos Paz, within a kilometre’s walk of the service park.

Each day provides increasingly difficult terrain and surfaces for drivers - road surfaces worsen and corners become tighter. Our Saturday began walking in darkness up and up, out of the village of Tanti. Thousands of fans were spread out along the length of SS10/SS13. You could choose somewhere to see the cars up close, or opt for a view many kilometres into the distance. Persevere until you find a spot to your liking.

I settled on top of a rocky outcrop with a view down the valley toward the start line in one direction, and up a ridge line in the opposite direction.

Police and marshal presence was quite inconsistent, near stage starts and finishes numbers were large.

In the middle of stages there were few officials to be seen. Spectator safety was self-policing, the crowd heckled/booed/hissed anyone going into an unsafe spot, and peer pressure

Add the Rally of Argentina to your 'Bucket List' says Gary Boyd.

W

ruled the day.

The crowd noise as Hayden and John came sideways around a sweeping right-hander into view created an enduring memory for me. I have not experienced anything like this at a rally in NZ or Australia. The flying Kiwis were definitely one of the most spectacular crews on the morning pass.

I decided to stay exactly where I was for the afternoon, with great viewing and Ferna Branca drinks courtesy of the locals.

Hayden and John were even more McRae-like when they passed our viewing spot again, probably the reason Hayden’s global fan base is growing rapidly.

During the days I had little idea of what was happening with results. Each day’s end was an opportunity to catch up on what had occurred, with less than 30 seconds separating Elfyn Evans, Thierry Neuville and Ott Tanak - an exciting final day was guaranteed.

Sunday’s final stages are at the highest altitude with the roughest roads. For the morning we headed into the opening kilometres of El Condor, the mecca of Argentine rallying.

Wandering in near zero temperatures you pass the corner where Andreas Mikkelsen and Thierry Neuville had almost identical Power Stage accidents in 2015. This is the hallowed gravel on which Hayden and John claimed Power Stage victory over reigning world champion, Sebastien Ogier, last year.

In 2016 El Condor was engulfed in thick fog, limiting visibility to just a few metres in the morning. By contrast, 2017 had crystal clear skies with unlimited visibility.

I found a spot high among the huge boulder strewn landscape. Welcome to rally spectator heaven.

I could see the banner across the

stage start. Cars would twist their way over the opening kilometre to a tight right hand hairpin, before passing below our rocky point. A few steps to the side and you could watch cars intermittently for about 8 to 10 kilometres until they became a distant dust cloud.

Words cannot do justice to what it is like to see the 2017 WRC cars attacking this stage. It has to be experienced for yourself. Over the tight technical opening kilometre it appeared Thierry was taking time off Elfyn, checking split times later confirmed this was the case.

For the afternoon we watched the Power Stage on the Service Park big screen, as this had the benefit of avoiding the hours-long traffic jams at end of day, something we do not experience with our own WRC round.

While watching the giant screen we could see TV crews filming Hyundai management. Elfyn was faster at the split point, so breath was held by everyone, all still unsure how this would turn out.

When the DMack shod Fiesta clipped the entrance to a stone bridge you could feel a collective inhaling of breath. Can Elfyn survive this? He just might - his car still going at full speed.

Then a cheer from Hyundai HQ tells us the final result a minute before we see it on the time delayed big screen.

A great weekend is over. The camaraderie amongst the spectators was great, the location superb. The new generation WRC cars are superb to witness first-hand.

If you are considering going to a WRC event in Europe or Australia this year, all I can say is do it - you will not be disappointed.

Looking ahead to 2018 and beyond, if Rally Argentina is not yet on your bucket list, then it should be.

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 45

RETROSPECTIVE: SANREMO 1986 Story & Photos: MARTIN HOLMES

THE DAY PEUGEOT WAS HIJACKED

I

n the ‘80s, the centre of Italian motorsport was not so much the Ferrari town of Maranello, but the historic city of Arezzo, and importantly the Hotel Continentale, where people of importance in rallysport gathered in days when Lancia was the most important element of the sport.

In 1986 it was widely believed that the Sanremo Rally’s chief scrutineer, the late Lanfranco Caneschi, told friends in Arezzo that he wanted to find problems with the Peugeots.

“I am going to Piancavallo (a European Championship Rally held seven weeks before Sanremo) to check the aerodynamics of the car,” he said beforehand, taking advantage of the chance to inspect at first hand Andrea Zanussi’s 205 Turbo 16, which was identical to the works cars that would run at Sanremo.

After an inspection at Piancavallo which lasted several hours, he declared Zanussi’s car clean.

When asked at Sanremo why the same car which he had declared legal after winning at Piancavallo was now illegal at Sanremo, Caneschi said he had only been checking the brakes and suspension on that previous occasion...

Caneschi was already controversial in Italian rallying circles. In 1980, in days when the once dominant Italian rally cars started to be successfully challenged on their home ground, he conducted a campaign to outlaw the Opel Ascona 400, which was the first non-Italian car to succeed in Italian championship rallying.

He subsequently had Dario Cerrato’s Opel excluded after winning in Elba.

In 1986 Lancia badly wanted to win on home ground in Sanremo, as this

FISA boss Guy Goutard (centre) with Sanremo Rally event officials.

46 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

would enhance the chance of Markku Alen giving Lancia a world title - and because it was five years since an Italian car had won Italy’s world championship qualifier.

T

he method of ensuring an Italian victory at Sanremo was for the scrutineers to advise the sporting stewards that they considered the Peugeots to be illegal. This would compel the stewards to order the immediate exclusion of the cars, without right to continue under appeal.

The scrutineers explained that the Peugeots’ lateral strakes, attached to the sides of the undercar skid plates, were “skirts”.

Undercar skirts were banned by FISA (predecessor to FIA) as an emergency potential performance reducing measure after Henri Toivonen’s crash in Corsica.

The inadequacy of the scrutineers’ claims was obvious. The strakes did not protrude below the level of the rest of the bodywork and in no normal circumstance could they offer any measurable ground effect.

The ground clearance, even with low profile racing tyres and low level racing suspensions, was 8-10cm.

FISA’s Technical Commission chief, Gabriele Cadringher (absent from Sanremo on Formula 1 business), had personally advised Peugeot that the strakes were legal, and rally organisers on every event since March had accepted the legality of the strakes.

Peugeot designed the strakes to give protection against sideways impact as the fuel tanks were positioned under the seats in a vulnerable place. They were not designed to give aerodynamic effect, unlike the skirts which had been used before the ban was imposed.

T

he loser at the end of the rally was the Peugeot driver Juha Kankkunen, whose 22 point lead in the world drivers’ title race was reduced to two. The only winner seemed to be the organisers of America’s Olympus Rally, the final round of the world drivers’ title, as both Peugeot and Lancia were now expected to compete there.

Peugeot appealed against the verdict, initially more to establish their integrity than change the results of the event. That opened up a series of legal actions.

The Italian federation was challenged, but not surprisingly, the verdict of exclusion for the Peugeots was confirmed. The President of the event’s Sporting Stewards, Salvatore Aleffi, was Italian.

So the anger of Peugeot, already at full throttle at the FISA for removing the Group B cars from the title championship at the end of the season, contrary to stability rules, was directed on to FISA. Procedure for an appeal involved an application by the French federation (FFSA) on behalf of the licence holder, Peugeot, to the FISA International Court of Appeal. Their decision arrived a week after the end of the RAC Rally, the penultimate round of that year’s WRC, saying that Peugeot had committed “no fraud”. They passed the papers on to the Executive Committee of FISA to decide what to do.

On December 18, 11 days after the end of the Olympus Rally (the final WRC round) they issued the verdict to remove the whole event from the championship that year. This awarded the Makes championship to Peugeot and the Drivers title to Juha Kankkunen.

Peugeot were still upset, pursuing FISA further for their breach of regulation stability rules, which Peugeot lost. Peugeot then went into exile from the WRC and pursued their endeavours in Cross Country motorsport instead.

A

Sporting Steward Claude Fin examines the Peugeot 205 T16.

future competition director for Lancia, was recently interviewed.

He told Fernando Petronilho, who by coincidence was the assistant press officer at Sanremo in 1986, that Lancia themselves had done tests at their la Mandria track with an S4 fitted with skirts, and that the car had shown a big improvement.

Below: Bruno Saby's Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2 leaves the Sanremo Rally on a trailer.

number of factors emerged from the Sanremo 1986 episode. It was interesting to recall that Sanremo 1986 had come 20 years after the Flowers Rally, predecessor to Sanremo Rally, when Vic Elford’s Ford Lotus Cortina was excluded on a homologation detail error, gifting victory to Leo Cella’s Lancia Fulvia HF. And the Italian sense of foul play at the Peugeot’s perceived ground effect device was rather misplaced, as Lancia themselves were working on such a device, using skirts themselves, though not used in actual competition.

Claudio Lombardi, who became a MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 47

REPORT: RALLY OF PORTUGAL - WRC 6

OGIER BACK ON TOP

By MARTIN HOLMES 48 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 49

REPORT: RALLY OF PORTUGAL - WRC 6

W

orld Champion Sebastien Ogier scored his 40th WRC career victory and his second of the year after overcoming the usual first day stage opening handicap, overtaking the leader Ott Tanak on the second full day.

Hyundai drivers Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo joined him on the podium.

Surprise winner of the WRC2 category was Pontus Tidemand who took his fourth category win of the season after inheriting the lead when Andreas Mikkelsen crashed on the final stage.

All four 2017 WRC manufacturers had cars in the lead in the first five stages and nine drivers scored stage fastest or shared best times, and six different drivers led the event in the first 24 hours, before the rally settled down.

Craig Breen scored his fourth successive fifth place of the season and Esapekka Lappi finished in the Drivers’ points on his first event in a World Rally Car. By general consent, even though this was WRC round 6, Portugal is where the 2017 season effectively starts, the end of the events specialised through their circumstance. Now faced the traditional challenge of tough gravel special stages.

There was delightful late spring weather for which the country is famous. That much was predictable, but what came as a huge surprise was the intensely tight battle at the start of the event.

Each of the four teams registered full three car entries (Citroen and M-Sport with fourth non-scoring entries as well), and for the first time there were three earlier model World Rally Cars in the privateer WRC Trophy category. he variety of conditions experienced in the loop of three stages done on the Friday morning eased the task faced by first driver on the road, Ogier, who was happy to return to base on Friday evening no further back than third place, behind Tanak and Sordo, respectively running fourth and fifth on the road.

From that moment onwards Ogier set about his task of recovering until he was in front three stages later, at half distance, helped when Tanak hit a bank and damaged his rear suspension, and was in the lead, where he stayed to the end.

The prospect of an M-Sport 1-2 was quickly thwarted by the Hyundai drivers (two of whom Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo) who had good runs, while their teammate Hayden Paddon had a series of problems (electrical and ultimately steering).

Tanak finished fourth behind the Hyundais, so M-Sport pulled another four points further ahead of Hyundai in

T

50 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

The podium finishers take a group selfie.

the Manufacturers’ championship.

Running as a non-scoring driver, Mads Ostberg made his second appearance with the OneBetJipocar 2017 Fiesta, sharing the overall lead on the Thursday evening super special stage, and then discovering the technique for driving DMack tyres, which he contracted to use two days before the start.

Ostberg dropped down to 16th with a puncture on the Friday afternoon, but finally ended eighth.

The tale of Toyota was sublime.

Thierry Neuville

Their lead driver, Jari-Matti Latvala, was desperately unwell for the first two days, at one point going off the road, but he soldiered on. On the Saturday evening he was taken to hospital where he stayed overnight, being intravenously dripped with restorative fluids.

He restarted the rally on the Sunday morning with renewed energy, eventually finishing ninth.

This was the first event with a third Toyota entry for Esapekka Lappi and on one stage Lappi was actually the top running Toyota driver. On the next

Esapekka Lappi

Ott Tanak

Elfyn Evans

stage, however, he lost five minutes after hitting a wall. It was a splendid WRCar debut, finishing 10th.

Juho Hanninen was the top placed Toyota driver at the end, in seventh position.

Over at Citroen the shining light once again was Craig Breen. Again their leading driver, Kris Meeke, was less than impressive, giving signs of lack of motivation, but he had his moments, like making fastest time (and actually leading the rally), but also by sliding into a substantial roadside concrete bollard.

Stephane Lefebvre continued an unhappy season by going off the road again. On this occasion the team patron, Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi, was in action for the first time in a C3 WRC and gradually discovered the art of driving these new cars.

In the WRC Trophy category, Martin Prokop was in a class of his own. The only other one of these finishers was Jean-Michel Raoux in his Citroen DS3 after Valeriy Gorban failed to complete the road section back to service after the final stage.

Ogier had an explanation for his win: “I had a new car in Monte Carlo and we won, we had a new car here and we won. I’m not sure he (Malcolm Wilson) can afford to give me a new car every rally!”

In WRC Andreas Mikkelsen led all the way from the first stage until just after the start of the PowerStage when he went off the road!

He had been three minutes in front of the battling pair of Pontus Tidemand and Teemu Suninen, who finished 11.2 seconds apart.

Craig Breen was again the best placed Citroen.

2017 Rally of Portugal - WRC round 6 1 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia 2 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul 3 Dani Sordo/Marc Marti 4 Ott Tänak/Martin Jarveoja 5 Craig Breen/Scott Martin 6 Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt 7 Juho Hänninen/Kaj Lindström 8 Mads Østberg/Ola Floene 9 Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila 10 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm

Ford Fiesta WRC Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC Ford Fiesta WRC Citroen C3 WRC Ford Fiesta WRC Toyota Yaris WRC Ford Fiesta WRC Toyota Yaris WRC Toyota Yaris WRC

3h42m55.7s +15.6s +1m01.7s +1m30.2s +1m57.4s +3m10.6s +3m48.6s +5m29.7s +5m43.6s +8m13.3s

FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ standings (after Rd 6): 1. Sébastien Ogier 128, 2. Thierry Neuville 106, 3. Jari-Matti Latvala 88, 4. Ott Tänak 83, 5. Dani Sordo 66, 6. Elfyn Evans 53, 7. Craig Breen 43, 8. Hayden Paddon 33, 9. Kris Meeke 27, 10. Juho Hänninen 21.

FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ standings (after Rd 6): 1. M-Sport World Rally Team 199, 2. Hyundai Motorsport 173, 3. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC 113, 4. Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team 85.

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 51

HOLMES COLUMN

WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD Story: MARTIN HOLMES

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elcome to the new world.

Portugal was long anticipated as the effective start of the 2017 season on account of all five earlier events being either long-haul events, with special restrictions, or very specific in character.

There was nothing specific about Portugal, it was good old classic rallying.

What we saw in Portugal was a portent of what is to follow, most excitingly the amazing closeness of the competition.

All four teams took turns in leading the event, nine drivers scored fastest stage times and, most incredible of all, at the end of the first loop on the Friday, after 48 minutes of flat-out rallying, 10.7 seconds separated the top eight cars. Eat your heart out, Formula 1!

Portugal not only showed us the closeness of the competition, but also the emergence of new drivers, notably Esapekka Lappi. Portugal was the first rally in a World Rally Car for the 26-year old driver from Finland (actually, that is quite an old age these days!).

He was lying seventh with only five

52 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

HOLMES

INSIDE LINE

stages to go when he made a slight error, but still finished 10th overall, in the points.

Impressive was 20-year old Fergus Greensmith, a graduate from two years of Drive DMack WRC experience on only his third four-wheel-drive event, who finished sixth in what on this event was a highly competitive WRC2.

Toyota ran 3 cars for the first time, with Esapekka Lappi joining Tommi Makinen's squad.

T

alking about the emergence of new names, Portugal saw several strange situations evolving in which the teams’ top drivers were being eclipsed.

For the obvious reasons of the consequence of road cleaning on gravel stages, for over half the event the highest placed M-Sport driver was not Ogier. It started with M-Sport customer Mads Ostberg being the top Ford driver for a couple of stages, then Ott Tanak.

At Hyundai, Hayden Paddon led the rally overall, and after Paddon’s electrical trouble Dani Sordo was the best driver in the team, before Neuville passed him at half way.

Jari-Matti Latvala, started well but then rolled on stage 7. From then on it was usually Juho Hanninen, though after one stage it was Lappi who was ahead.

After Kris Meeke went off the road the Citroen star once again was Craig Breen, who went on to finish fifth overall - for the fourth time this year and for the fifth time within a year!

Spotting the emergence of second team drivers is one of the most fascinating aspects of the sport, and one of the most worrying for the top drivers of a team. It is well said that a driver’s worst enemy is his teammate, especially when his team-mate is getting better results.

All of this makes one wonder what

Kris Meeke went off the road again and appeared to be lacking motivation.

is going through the mind of Citroen’s number one driver Meeke. Meeke gave the impression that he has rapidly lost motivation, most emphatically when asked if he would make a big attack on the Power Stage after his crash had dropped him down in the overall results. He suggested that the extra points were not going to help him very much …

n a sport nowadays dominated by the professional factory teams, something special is starting to appear. Success for private teams is

I

rare these days, and trying to identify who is “private” or not, and indeed whether a works driver is, in reality, a paying driver in one form or another is not straightforward.

The rule this year that any driver with a 2017 World Rally Car must be officially entered under the name of the manufacturer does no favours.

The quest of private teams was spotlighted in the performance of the OneBetJipocar team, appearing for the first time with two cars.

Looking down the final results the best non manufacturer team driver

Martin Prokop drove his privately entered 2016 Fiesta World Rally Car. MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 53

HOLMES COLUMN Pontus Tidemand won WRC2 after Andreas Mikkelsen crashed.

was Mads Ostberg in eighth place, then further down in 14th place was the next – Martin Prokop in the 2016 specification World Rally Car. He was competing in the WRC Trophy which the FIA has finally instigated to encourage privateers with old 2016 formula cars. 34-year old Martin is in the middle of a mid-life motorsport crisis, after years of frustration at being cold-shouldered by the sporting authorities who considered that successful privileged privateers were in conflict with the interests of the sport.

This attitude finally changed with the arrival of the 2017 cars – and the need to be seen not to excommunicate the owners of pre-2017 World Rally Cars.

Martin, meanwhile, started to develop a taste for both cross country rallying and circuit racing, and only the opportunity to run the OneBetJipocar cars brought him back into WRC sport.

Let’s hope that Martin’s first love is his strongest.

pare a thought for Andreas Mikkelsen. What must be his thoughts when he went off the road at the start of the final stage in Portugal when over three minutes in the lead in the WRC2 category?

S

Elfyn Evans and twotime World Champion Carlos Sainz.

54 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

T

Take a flash back to Catalunya 2015, the day Andreas won his first WRC event, when his teammate Sebastien Ogier was 50.9 seconds in the lead at the start of the final stage, only to crash into a crash barrier.

Andreas’ mishap in Portugal might prove fatal to his chance of winning the WRC2 title, now that his fellow Skoda team-mate, Pontus Tidemand, has won four rounds outright.

The WRC2 rule is that a driver counts the best six scores from the first seven events he enters as a WRC2 eligible driver, and this year it is also necessary to enter Portugal, Finland and Rally GB in order to be classified in the series.

Pontus is special. He carries Swedish nationality, but is the stepson of the popular and hugely experienced Norwegian Henning Solberg, whose brother of course is Petter. Henning’s son, Oscar, is active this year in the British championship, while Petter’s son, Oliver, is already moving on from Crosskart racing to rallying.

All very interesting, but little comfort to Andreas, for whom success in the WRC2 is some small compensation for the frustrations of losing his World Rally Car drive with Volkswagen.

he sight of four World Rally Cars running on DMack tyres was a sudden and welcome surprise. The performance of Elfyn Evans in Argentina had been a boost – as much a personal boost for Evans as a driver as for DMack, for whom Argentina is a well established, happy hunting ground.

With the contractual obligations of the top teams with Michelin it was a boost that DMack tyres were used by two of the three contenders in the Trophy category. When Valeriy Gorban stopped with electrical trouble on the drive back to the final service park, DMack shod cars finished 1-2 in the WRCT. Already the new DMack driver,

Mads Ostberg, shared the overall lead of the rally after stage one and scored two fastest times during the rally – including for him a milestone best time on tarmac at the downtown Braga stage.

The tyre world is livening up all the time, not only in a sporting way, but also technically.

DMack boss, Dick Cormack, said in Portugal that the aim of his latest gravel tyres is to be able to run flat out for 12 kilometres deflated.

And what about the competitors themselves? What was amusing was to discuss the secret of Tidemand’s 11 second win in WRC2 over Teemu Suninen.

Pontus and Teemu both stopped to change flat tyres on stage 15, Pontus completed the stage 25 seconds faster.

Obviously it wasn’t the speed of the drivers which made the difference, it was the speed it took the crews to change a tyre which had gone flat!

- MARTIN HOLMES

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 55

PHOTO OF THE MONTH Jari-Matti Latvala with a perfect backdrop in his Toyota Yaris WRC at the Rally of Portugal.

(Photo: Toyota)

56 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - MAY 2017

MAY 2017 - RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE | 57

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