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Mar
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Re: Rally News

Post by Mar » 23 May 2012, 20:14

sleenster wrote:I actually like the idea of him doing Rally Finland, but we'll see what the team says. I imagine they don't say no to him very much...
Pretty much how I see it.
I can understand Räikkönen's position pretty well, but I can also understand that the Lotus' guys get cold sweat every time somebody says the word "rallying".

-------------------------------------------------------------

Going back to the spectators placement and accidents involving spectators discussion:

I know much has been done and that the situation is better, but more must be done. I don't know what and how, but it's terrible to read news like those of this past weekend.

I mean, I don't really know how organizers can cope with spectators who don't want to follow the rules. If there is one volunteering marshal, the poor guy/girl won't be able to deal with a bunch of idiots who don't want to listen to what he/she says.
BUT, the common sense mistakes made by police and organizers are simply unacceptable. Last year, in Rally Monte Carlo, Petter Solberg crashed with a police car that was parked in the outside of a curve :blink: And the problems with the wrong placement of the spectators during last year's Rally Acropolis were really unacceptable. Okay, I admit, some of those spectators were standing in forbidden areas, but when Loeb first, and Kimi later on , went off because of that mud patch and almost got into the spectators... the organizers had placed the spectators there. As a matter of fact, the only reason Kimi didn't actually run over anybody with his car was because after Loeb's off, the marshals had taken the people a couple of meters back. Those couple of metres made the difference when Kimi went off, he touched the plastic white and red strap :fear:
I have to admit, though, that Räikkönen's almost hysteria attack after the incident was pretty amusing :blush: (given that nobody was hurt)

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Re: Rally News

Post by reppo » 24 May 2012, 11:03

Good news that Latvala is recovering and is fast :) Bad news that Henning Solberg don't start. He didn't get enough sponsors to get Mini's WRC car into the race. Tough :(

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Re: Rally News

Post by reppo » 24 May 2012, 12:48

Something concerning Acropolis too.
http://www.mtv3.fi/urheilu/ralli/uutise ... -kynttilaa (in Finnish)
70 candles on the cake of Finnish rally legend
Posted on 05.24.2012 10:13 (updated 10:15)

Today we celebrate the 70 anniversary of Hannu Mikkola, 1983 World Rally champion and sevent times winner of Finnish WRC rally. Merits of his long career includes 18 world champion rally victoris. Acropolis Rally Mikkola, however, never managed to win.

Mikkola's first race in Greece already foreshadowed the future in 1976. Mikkola's race with Toyota Corolla ended because of broken fuel pump. In the following year with co-driver Arne Hertz, Mikkola drove ten best stage times in Toyota Celica before a broken differential stopped his race.

In 1979, when the drivers' world championship was competed for the first time, Mikkola was on the championship lead when they came to Greece. However, there was no luck this time either. After three top times the engine of Ford Escort RS broke down at the 9th stage of the race. Mikkola's bad luck meant the fact that Bjorn Waldegård passed him in the championship table. Swede also won that year's world championship.

With Audi Quattro Mikkola participated Acropolis in 1981. The Finn drove up to 17 best stage times until the German manufacturer's race cars was disqualified at the end of second leg. The organizer said the reason to be that two of the car's head lights had been replaced with hidden cooling channels. In 1982, Mikkola was the fastest at the opening stage, but suspension crumbled after a couple of the special stages and he had to quit the game once again.

During the 1983 season Mikkola finally got the world championship, but the Greek-trip did not be any favorable than before. Rainy weather did favor Audi's four wheel drive against Lancia's and Opel's rear wheelers. The finish line Mikkola did not see this time either. The engine failure at the lead of the race, edited statistis even harsher; seven starts and equal number of aborts.

Twice Mikkola, however, reached to the podium in Acropolis, when he in 1984 was second and third in 1987. Three decades of career was a good example for many upcoming flying Finns. In 2011 Hannu Mikkola was joined into the Rally Hall of Fame.

MTV3, Miika Wuorela, Loutraki
Acropolis is tough and they are planning to drop it from the calendar. Idiots :<>:
Happy birthday to Hannu :)

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Re: Rally News

Post by Mar » 24 May 2012, 13:00

Could it be that the reason the Acropolis Rally is in danger for the future is the economical problems of Greece?

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Re: Rally News

Post by reppo » 24 May 2012, 19:34

http://www.mtv3.fi/urheilu/ralli/uutise ... aa-kohtaan (in Finnish)
FIA's outrageous decision to Latvala
24.05.2012 21:52

Jari-Matti Latvala was baffled when FIA's Italian judge came to ask him to remove extra padding under the HANS device in the opening day of the Rally of Greece.

Latvala was already lining up on Thursday evening's time inspection station of EK1, when just 10 seconds before the time a man knocks on the window.

Previously, Ford driver had been granted a permit to use a pad for releasing the pressure from healing clavicular. Suddenly, FIA however, pulled back its decision.

- What has this got to do with security? They come at the nick of time to tell me such a decision. FIA had said about the use of the cushion that they do not recommend it, but do not deny that either. Incomprehensible sweared co-driver Miikka Anttila.

Latvala took off the pad and out of obstinacy drove the top time of the special stage, 2.8 seconds ahead of Sebastien Loeb.

- One hairpin to the left went a little bit wide, Latvala chatted.

The man checked his Ford with worry, looking at a small hit in the right corner of the car. In the evening service some new parts were changed into Finn's car, and to Friday leg Latvala gets to attack again with the car in perfect condition.

MTV3, Mika Wuorela, Loutraki
He should have put the cushion under his overalls, but who would have known if FIA already approved it :huh:

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Re: Rally News

Post by Suomileijona » 25 May 2012, 08:22

So, Kimi can't drive in Neste Oil Rally... I predicted that though...

FIA :<>: :( (Latvala thing)

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Re: Rally News

Post by reppo » 25 May 2012, 13:40

A mistake for Latvala but he's now catching up Loeb. Though Sebastien doesn't give 9 sec lead easily away. Hirvonen said:
- I tried to get closer to Loeb, but he pulled really hard the last stage. I sure was surprised how hard he can again drive. I guess he shouldn't be irritated, if he immediately drives times like that.

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Re: Rally News

Post by reppo » 27 May 2012, 14:27

So he won - again:

Image

Hirvonen second, Latvala third.

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Re: Rally News

Post by Mar » 27 May 2012, 14:31

reppo wrote:So he won - again:

Image

Hirvonen second, Latvala third.
As usual. And the Ford guys binned it, as usual.
Ostberg is the first Ford in the championship classification. :zz:

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Re: Rally News

Post by reppo » 27 May 2012, 18:47

If Loeb continues like this, he will get his 9th WDC. Then he surely goes after 10th to get a full decade.

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Re: Rally News

Post by reppo » 28 May 2012, 12:20

http://www.maxrally.com/features/entry/ ... _gronholm/
Drive of the day – Acropolis Sunday: Marcus Gronholm
features27th May 2012
By Anthony Peacock

Sebastien Loeb takes his 71st career victory? Great news for him, but we’ve heard it all before. So let’s salute another multiple champion winner from the weekend: Marcus Gronholm.

Having committed to a full championship for the first time since 2007, ‘Bosse’ won the first round of the 2012 Global Rallycross series at Charlotte Motor Speedway, driving a 600-horsepower Ford Fiesta.

He cleaned up in all the heats and went on to dominate the final, doing just as immaculate a job as Loeb did in Loutraki.

“This is what we came here to do,” said Gronholm, who won his world titles in 2000 and 2002. “With so many cars on the track, staying out of trouble is really important and I got a big push from behind at one stage. I dropped quite a bit but managed to get it all together and it was fine. Right now it’s about enjoying the moment, but pretty soon we’ll start taking a look at Texas which isn’t so long away.”

Global Rallycross is supporting both NASCAR and Indycar at various venues this year: the two most prominent motorsport championships in the United States. Having met the NASCAR crowd at Charlotte, Gronholm will drive his Fiesta during an Indycar meeting for the first time at Texas Motor Speedway from 8-9 June.

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Re: Rally News

Post by sleenster » 28 May 2012, 18:46

Mar wrote: As usual. And the Ford guys binned it, as usual.
Ostberg is the first Ford in the championship classification. :zz:
I am completely sick of seeing teams I supposed to be rooting for (Ford, Lotus, etc.) shooting themselves in the foot over and over again :<>:

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Re: Rally News

Post by reppo » 29 May 2012, 18:27

http://www.mtv3.fi/urheilu/ralli/uutise ... nsoroinnin (in Finnish)
Nokia ends WRC sponsorship
Posted on 05.29.2012 13:31 (updated 13:43)

Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia ends their cooperation with World Rally Championship. Nokia has been the title sponsor of rally this season, co-operation has totally lasted for one year.

Last weekend's Rally of Greece was the last race, which was sponsored by Nokia. Series that has gone this season under the title "WRC powered by Nokia".

Nokia's communications manager Tapani Kaskinen says to MTV3.fi that in the background there is nothing dramatic.

- The situation is the fact that our contract has ended. It started a year ago in May and ended now. It was one year contract, and we decided that the contract is not extended, Kaskinen said.

Kaskinen did not comment the reasons for termination of cooperation. He says that the beginning of cooperation, a year ago, was influenced by Nokia's WRC mobile phone application which was released at that time.

The first to tell the end of Nokia's and World Rally Championship's cooperation was German Rallye magazine on its website.

MTV3, Matti Nyrhinen

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Re: Rally News

Post by drew09 » 29 May 2012, 19:46

O.o
Any idea on the effect of this on WRC? What ever happened to that securing of a permanent TV promoter?

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Re: Rally News

Post by Mar » 29 May 2012, 20:04

sleenster wrote:
Mar wrote: As usual. And the Ford guys binned it, as usual.
Ostberg is the first Ford in the championship classification. :zz:
I am completely sick of seeing teams I supposed to be rooting for (Ford, Lotus, etc.) shooting themselves in the foot over and over again :<>:
Nah, it's all Räikkönen's fault :O

drew09 wrote:O.o
Any idea on the effect of this on WRC? What ever happened to that securing of a permanent TV promoter?
it can't be good news. About the TV promoter, I have no clue, I've been so busy lately... Does anybody know?

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