Rally News

[momo]

Wilks sustains fractured vertebrae

By Matt Beer Saturday, June 5th 2010, 14:23 GMT

Guy Wilks, Skoda UK, Sardinia 2010Guy Wilks suffered two fractured vertebrae in his crash on the first stage of the Rally Italia-Sardegna this morning.

The Skoda UK driver thought he had escaped the accident relatively unharmed, but was airlifted to hospital for checks having reported pain in his lower pack. He was then diagnosed with fractures to his first and second lumbar vertebrae.

"I'm annoyed to be in a hospital bed instead of being on the stages," Wilks said. "Obviously it's massively frustrating to be injured and not out there competing because I've missed a massive opportunity and I know that. I'm just really disappointed for the team and for Skoda UK."

Wilks' accident came only a quarter of the way into today's opening stage.

"We had a good road position so we were pushing hard," he explained. "We got to an almost flat-left corner seven kilometres into the stage when an error with our pacenotes caused us to leave the road at high speed and that was pretty much it.

Although Wilks will remain in hospital overnight, at present it is hoped that he can return to the UK on Monday.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/84165

[momo]

9/6/10
Latvala is the star of the show

Jari-Matti Latvala topped off a busy few days in Britain with a crowd-pleasing drive at the Chatsworth Rally Show on Saturday.

Both Latvala and team-mate Mikko Hirvonen had been at the Millbrook test track in Britain for two days last week, being photographed for a new commercial. But the real treat for Latvala, was driving his Rally of Portugal Ford Focus RS WRC 09 at the stately home in Derbyshire. The grounds of Chatsworth House are steeped in World Rally Championship history, the mixed-surface test was a regular on the RAC Rally (now the Rally GB) timetable. Colin McRae won the stage the last time it was used in 1995, while on his way to clinching his world title.
Last Saturday, the weather was much better than it had been when McRae blitzed a much longer test in November ’95.

“I’m very impressed with this event,” said Latvala, who spent his time out of the car signing autographs and looking at the plethora of historic, Group B and early Group A rally cars on display. “There are a lot of people here - and clearly they are all real rally fans. It’s great to be here and to be driving the car in front of them. The stage is nice, it could do with being maybe just a little bit longer, but the jump is good in the middle - I really like that!

“This has been quite an interesting week, being at Millbrook before this. That was actually quite useful as well. We were driving the car [for the pictures] on gravel tyres on the tarmac road, which was good practice for the superspecial stage.”
Stobart Ford driver Henning Solberg was also present at the Rally Show along with up-and-coming Irish driver Craig Breen.

http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=101&id=8074

[momo]

15/6/10
Manufacturers plan for four cars in 2011

Both Citroen and Ford are aiming to start next year’s World Rally Championship with at least four of their all-new World Rally Cars competing.

Despite the fact that neither manufacturer has completed a new car yet - Ford expects to be running its Fiesta RS WRC and Citroen its DS3 WRC in finished form in September - both manufacturers are aiming to have their two factory cars and two customer cars ready in time for the season-opening Rally Sweden in February.

While both manufacturers have tested their new chassis extensively, neither has been able to carry out as much work as they would have hoped on the all-new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, due to the technical regulations only being signed off earlier this season.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team principal Malcolm Wilson said: “We’re aiming to have two customer cars ready for round one, we should be okay. But obviously, the priority remains the two factory cars.

"Obviously, time is short, but we’ve got a pretty good track record at getting cars ready against the clock. I’ve got no doubt we’ll get it sorted. Everything is coming together well. We’ve had an engine on the test bed for some time, but that engine is constantly evolving and developing. We’re not close to the final specification, but we will be by the end of the summer.”

Wilson’s opposite number at Citroen, Olivier Quesnel added: “I think the most we can get is four cars. We are having to rush and this is not the way Citroen likes to do things. Normally, we like to take our time and to test and to make sure everything is right. But, in this case, it’s not possible. I like to think we can get four cars for round one, though.”

http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=101&id=8090

[Wolfie]

Interesting news, thanks Momo

[saif]

Henning Solberg in S2000 switch



Henning Solberg has confirmed that he will switch to an S2000 Ford for the four asphalt rounds of this year's World Rally Championship season.

The Norwegian will return to Stobart's World Rally Car line-up on his preferred gravel surface for the remaining rallies of that type, but will drive the S2000 Fiesta under the Stobart M-Sport banner in Bulgaria, Germany, Corsica and Catalunya.

"I've heard nothing but good reports about the new Ford Fiesta S2000 so far, and it will be interesting to drive it in Bulgaria and give my opinion on how I feel it runs compared to the Ford Focus RS WRC," said Solberg.

Ford team boss Malcolm Wilson hopes that Solberg can contribute to the development of the S2000 car.

"The Fiesta is the platform for the next generation of WRC cars and this gives Henning the chance to be right at the forefront of the development cycle," Wilson said. "We look forward to receiving the feedback from Henning that his experience within the WRC can provide."

Stobart had already announced that P-G Andersson would take Solberg's place for Bulgaria. It has yet to reveal its plans for the other asphalt rallies.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/84584

[Julia]

Is it just me but Quesnel seem to be very skeptic about getting the cars ready in time if you compare to Wilson. Hopefully it is just their different style to look at things and not the car...

Quesnel fears new car delays
News
18th June 2010
By Giles Wade

Citroen Racing chief Olivier Quesnel has admitted that any major problems during the development phase of the firm’s new DS3 WRC could torpedo its bid to ready four cars for the start of next season’s world championship.

The French make is due to have its DS3 WRC in finished form to begin testing in September with two works cars and two customer machines ready for Rally Sweden, which is set to take place from February 10-13, 2011. Rival team Ford is also planning to field four of its Fiesta RS WRCs in Scandinavia.

While both squads have carried out extensive testing of their new-for-2011 cars, delays by the FIA in finalising the technical regulations mean the new generation 1.6-litre turbo engines have yet to be trialled in anger.

Quesnel said: “I don’t know about Ford but for us it will be very complicated to be ready for February. We got the regulation so late and honestly it will be a hard job to be ready. I hope we are ready but if we have big problems then we won’t be ready.”

His counterpart at Ford, Malcolm Wilson, said: “Time is short, but we’ve got a pretty good track record at getting cars ready against the clock. I’ve got no doubt we’ll get it sorted. Everything is coming together well. We’ve had an engine on the test bed for some time, but that engine is constantly evolving and developing. We’re not close to the final specification, but we will be by the end of the summer.”

http://www.maxrally.com/news/entry/ques ... ar_delays/

[Kriss]

Mid-season review part one: the drivers

Okay, so with six of this year's 13 WRC rallies completed we haven't - strictly speaking - reached the halfway point yet. That won't happen until sometime during Saturday's competition in Bulgaria. But with a few weeks of the summer break remaining, we're calling the mid season early for a look back at what's happened so far...

To begin with we're looking at the drivers. And heading the drivers' standings with a lead of 38 points is defending champion Sebastien Loeb.

With the points system having changed this year, it's not always easy to fully appreciate the significance of this margin, so look at it this way: Loeb has more than a win in hand, and a considerable safety margin on top of that.

This time last year, he was actually behind on points heading into the second half of the season - so compared to 2009 he is in a much better position now.

Even more reassuringly, the person behind him in the standings is another Citroen driver: Sebastien Ogier, in the Citroen Junior Team car. This is not a scenario that most people, including Ogier himself, would have predicted at the start of the year.

Mikko Hirvonen, touted as Loeb's biggest rival, is instead third on 76 points: 50 points and two whole wins behind the six-time World Champion, who barring a total disaster, will no doubt make that seven titles by the end of this year.

Loeb said recently that he sees Ogier as his biggest rival, and this has been the main story of the year so far. Whether or not the younger Frenchman will be able to carry the fight as convincingly on the asphalt rounds is one of the fascinating unanswered questions...

Whichever way he turns it, Hirvonen has not had the start to the season that he wanted, and his disappointment is maximised by the fact that it all started off so well. Having lost out to Loeb by just one point last year, Hirvonen probably believed that he had finally cracked it when he won in Sweden.

But as the year went on, it soon became clear that he and the Focus were not quite a match for Loeb and the C4. There are various reasons behind this, some concerning the driver and others the car, but the fact remains that there is some serious catching up to do now - particularly with four of the remaining seven rounds being held on asphalt.

Hirvonen's team mate Jari-Matti Latvala is best of the rest, probably because of a new approach this year that has seen him accept number two status to Hirvonen. By putting less pressure on himself, Latvala has delivered his best-ever start to any season - with that amazing victory in New Zealand the undisputed highlight.

Petter Solberg has also enjoyed a renaissance driving his privateer Citroen, although he faces a trying time ahead as he looks for a new co-driver.

Dani Sordo, by contrast, has endured a difficult start in the number two factory Citroen. As a consequence he has lost his seat to Ogier on the remaining three gravel rallies.

Sordo will instead join the Citroen Junior Team alongside Kimi Raikkonen. The former Grand Prix champion has made consistent progress on gravel, but the forthcoming asphalt rounds should see him take a big step forwards.

http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=22 ... ageid=2512

[Anelise]

Thanks Julia and Kriss!

[Maria d]

i dont know if this rally news, but Mattias Ekstrom will start for Redbull on sunday at Infineon raceway for a nascar race.its a road course, this should be fun to watch. i hope he does well.

[Anelise]

Pics of test!




http://www.extremrallye.com/essais_ogie ... konen.html

[Dracaena]

New rally team to be announced this month

WRC is about to get a new factory team in the near future.

It's public that Toyota would like to join next years WRC season with cars built by Prodrive but Jarmo Mahonen, a member of FIAs rally committee, knows that some other manufacturer is closer to joining the series. Mahonen doesn't reveal more for now.

-Toyota is not the one that's closest to joining. Another manufacturer was supposed to be announced a month ago but the negotiations haven't yet been quite finished. Lets hope that by the end of the month we'll get some news, Mahonen said to MTV3.

According to Juha Kankkunen, who is working as FIAs rally consultant, in addition to Toyota also Kia, Proton and Nissan are interested in competing in the WRC.

-They should get some kind of certainty about the cars staying the same for for example four years instead of them being changed every other month. If a factory is going to put it's effort into WRC they have to know that they don't have to start making another kind of car right away, says Kankkunen about the situation of the teams.

MTV3 – Jani Merimaa

http://www.mtv3.fi/urheilu/ralli/uutise ... 06/1146954

[Dracaena]

Mäkinen willing to be WRC team leader

Tommi Mäkinen, who is running his own rally team, believes that his team could be successful in the WRC if it ever rose to that level.

The rise of Mäkinen's team from the Finnish championship level to the WRC is up to finding the funding.

-It's not an impossible idea. Of course it would require a car manufacturer as a partner. At the moment I don't have that partner and that torpedos these thoughts, says Mäkinen.

Next season's rule which changes the cars to S2000 cars decreases the expenses and significantly evens up the differences in car performance.

-The new rules tie the engineers' hands in a way that decreases the expenses. It's possible for even a new manufacturer to come along and do well quickly. It would be a very simple thing for us to do. We know exactly what those cars are like, says Mäkinen.

Mäkinen has worked together with Subaru for a long time. A possible return to the series for the Japanese manufacturer could happen with Mäkinen's team but that would require the present Impreza to be replaced with a new car model.

-I do believe that Subaru will be involved in rally racing also in the future. In my opinion it would be even foolish to quit altogether and lose the reputation they've achieved. I think that as a relatively small and special car manufacturer Subaru needs to hold on to this aspect. These are tough decisions for the manufacturers these days. A few years ago making these decisions would probably have been easier. But for Subaru a new car model is needed before things can go further, says Mäkinen.

MTV3 – Jani Merimaa

http://www.mtv3.fi/urheilu/ralli/uutise ... 06/1146875

[TwoHardCore]

I'd love to see a return to WRC by Subaru! I think it would also be really cool to see some Toyota, Mitsubishi, Audi or VW to get (back) on the grid.

I suspect it's Subaru that is being talked about here however. Though who knows how much any manufacturer's interests lie in racing...maybe its Hyundai, Kia, BMW or Mercedes for all I know...? Good news that there is more interest in the series!!

[Ice-Ludy]

Mäkinen willing to be WRC team leader

Tommi Mäkinen, who is running his own rally team, believes that his team could be successful in the WRC if it ever rose to that level.

The rise of Mäkinen's team from the Finnish championship level to the WRC is up to finding the funding.

-It's not an impossible idea. Of course it would require a car manufacturer as a partner. At the moment I don't have that partner and that torpedos these thoughts, says Mäkinen.

Next season's rule which changes the cars to S2000 cars decreases the expenses and significantly evens up the differences in car performance.

-The new rules tie the engineers' hands in a way that decreases the expenses. It's possible for even a new manufacturer to come along and do well quickly. It would be a very simple thing for us to do. We know exactly what those cars are like, says Mäkinen.

Mäkinen has worked together with Subaru for a long time. A possible return to the series for the Japanese manufacturer could happen with Mäkinen's team but that would require the present Impreza to be replaced with a new car model.

-I do believe that Subaru will be involved in rally racing also in the future. In my opinion it would be even foolish to quit altogether and lose the reputation they've achieved. I think that as a relatively small and special car manufacturer Subaru needs to hold on to this aspect. These are tough decisions for the manufacturers these days. A few years ago making these decisions would probably have been easier. But for Subaru a new car model is needed before things can go further, says Mäkinen.

MTV3 – Jani Merimaa

http://www.mtv3.fi/urheilu/ralli/uutise ... 06/1146875

Thanks Dracaena!!!

I take the opportunity to share this amazing video with you guys. It's awesome!!!!

Tommi driving at the old circuit of Nurburgring!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj3tIDsa ... r_embedded

[Wolfie]

Thanks Dracaena

Tommi Mäkinen Racing in WRC