Rally News

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luieluv
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Re: Rally News

Post by luieluv » 17 Jan 2011, 18:21

WRC 2011 - Fiesta vs. DS3 vs. Countryman

So its gonna be a mix of Ravishing Black and White for Kimi Raikkonen this season

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Re: Rally News

Post by beefree88 » 17 Jan 2011, 19:18

luieluv wrote:
MINI targeting podiums in 2011, title by 2013

David Richards has set ambitious targets for the new Prodrive-run MINI World Rally Championship (WRC) programme - podiums this year, and the title by 2013...
David Richards has conceded that the ultimate goal for the Prodrive-run MINI assault on the World Rally Championship (WRC) has to be to clinch the crown – and he has set a three-year timeframe within which he expects to be duelling for glory.

It was announced last summer that MINI – one of the most iconic names in rallying, with legends such as Paddy Hopkirk, Timo Mäkinen and Rauno Aaltonen having all swept to victory on the Monte Carlo Rally using the Cooper – will return to the WRC from this season, powered by a 1.6-litre, turbocharged BMW Motorsport engine in adherence with the new Super 2000 regulations.

It is a long-term project, and Richards' ultra-successful Prodrive operation has been entrusted with its development, with Citroën refugee Dani Sordo and 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) Champion Kris Meeke on the driving strength – more of which later in the week. To that end, 2010 will be a part-campaign, with Richards hinting at an entry on half a dozen events over the latter half of the season.

“There's a lot going on and it's all hands to the pump,” the Welshman acknowledged, speaking exclusively to Crash.net at the 2011 Autosport International show. “I don't think there are any spare hours in the day at the moment!

“Testing is going very well – we've had, touchwood, a very smooth run so far without any significant problems. There have obviously been minor issues, but nothing that has delayed us or given us any real concerns.

“The debut is going to be determined by the test programme, by the homologation of the car – which is due to take place in March – and then finally by production of components. Strangely enough, the production side is proving to be the most difficult challenge of all of these.

“The goals are to ultimately win the title, and there's no getting away from that – by 2013, the target is to be contenders for the world championship. Prior to then, we clearly have to win events, and this year I would hope that we'll be challenging for podium positions in our first season.”

It is an ambitious programme and one that has fans enthralled, and the 58-year-old agrees that the advent of the regulations overhaul is a real shot-in-the-arm for a championship that over the past few years has looked to be slowly dying on its feet as spending escalated almost F1-style and priced out all but the wealthiest manufacturers.

There is increased TV interest, too, from ESPN, and Richards is optimistic that at long last, the WRC could be back on the road towards full health again. It is an opportunity to regain the glory days – and one, he asserts, that must be grabbed with both hands by all concerned.

“I personally believe that the future of the WRC is more in electronic media and web-based systems,” he opined. “I think you're going to see a lot more activity on that – it's free access, it's open to everybody and there are mountains and mountains of material there for people who are following the championship.

“The WRC needed a shake-up of the rules. Now it needs a bit of stability in the technical rules and a lack of questioning of where we're going to. I think we've got a stable set of rules and we've got sensible rules now – and you can see that from the investment that we're making, that other teams are making and the interest from new manufacturers as well.”

by Russell Atkins
http://www.crash.net/world+rally/news/1 ... _2013.html
I hope he'll be right on all accounts. WRC needs another strong title contenders, stability and open towards the internet.
"Disappointments are part of the game. It’s how you deal with them that matters"

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Re: Rally News

Post by momo » 17 Jan 2011, 20:08

luieluv wrote:WRC 2011 - Fiesta vs. DS3 vs. Countryman

Great! Thanks a lot, luieluv. :cool:

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Re: Rally News

Post by miezicat » 17 Jan 2011, 22:09

http://www.sport24.com/auto-moto/rallye ... le-444577/
google translation
In addition to two DS3 WRC Sébastien Ogier and Sebastien Loeb, Citroen assigned three other cars to customers in 2011: Kimi Raikkonen, Petter Solberg and Peter van Merksteijn. But not all will be served in the same way.
by Gilles Festor on 17-01-2011

With less than a month of the season opener in Sweden, Citroen has completed its program of World Rally Championship. The manufacturer will hire five DS3, including two intended for the factory team (Sébastien Ogier and Sebastien Loeb) and three that will have to share customers Kimi Raikkonen, Petter Solberg and Peter van Merksteijn. Exit, then, the Citroen Junior Team which was intended to train new drivers last year with the pair Ogier / Raikkonen.

Solberg and Raikkonen will have their team
The Finn has just created a few days ago its own structure: Ice 1 Racing team. Iceman will be surrounded by his team of mechanics but will receive technical support from the manufacturer. Having long been reluctant to leave in conditions identical to last year, Petter Solberg has finally decided to follow in 2011 with his own team as well (Petter Solberg WRT). But the program the two men is not completely finalized. If the Norwegian hopes play all rounds of the season, 13 rally, the Finn has not yet scheduled for only nine.

Van Merksteijn Jr made concessions
The third car will be entrusted to the Dutchman Peter van Merksteijn Jr. In December, it was the first to announce a contract with Citroen customer with ten races to boot. But since the Dutchman had to review his claims slightly downward. The brand tricolor with only four-DS3 for the Rally of Sweden, Van Merksteijn Jr. "agreed" to delay his entry into the championship, leaving his car to Solberg. "After discussions with Citroen, we decided not to align ourselves to Sweden to allow Solberg to be present. We will go to Argentina instead of going to Sweden, "said team manager. His team should make contact from the Rally of Portugal until the end of the season, making only the deadlock on the Rally of Finland.
only 9 rallies? :confused:

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apple
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Re: Rally News

Post by apple » 18 Jan 2011, 09:14

TS writes Petter has only rally Sweden agreed as he gets the Citroen DS3 with the support of Norways Citroen. After Monte Carlo he gathers his sponsors together and he tries to find sponsorship for 13 rounds. For now his sponsors are Shell and MadCrock.
Kimis team manager on the other hand will again be Nogier but this time its only 1 One team not junior team. Kulta writes the name changes but the "status" stays the same.

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Re: Rally News

Post by Loiste » 18 Jan 2011, 09:53

apple wrote: For now his sponsors are Shell and MadCrock.
:) It would be nice if Shell sponsors Kimi too...)) Why not? They already worked with him at Ferrari.... :zz:

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Re: Rally News

Post by Claudie_Schnaudie » 18 Jan 2011, 09:54

Miezi: Hmm I hope that they just got wrong information :confused:

Apple: So everything is like last year? Kimi is no privateer? Gosh I don´t get anything! It´s too complicated for me :blush: :lol:
Kimi Kimi gimme just a little smile :)

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Re: Rally News

Post by Kriss » 18 Jan 2011, 10:16

Claudie_Schnaudie wrote:Miezi: Hmm I hope that they just got wrong information :confused:

Apple: So everything is like last year? Kimi is no privateer? Gosh I don´t get anything! It´s too complicated for me :blush: :lol:
you're not the only one :O

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apple
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Re: Rally News

Post by apple » 18 Jan 2011, 10:55

Kriss wrote:
Claudie_Schnaudie wrote:Miezi: Hmm I hope that they just got wrong information :confused:

Apple: So everything is like last year? Kimi is no privateer? Gosh I don´t get anything! It´s too complicated for me :blush: :lol:
you're not the only one :O
I dont get it either..Kulta writes like Kimi is the "junior" team with his team and Petter is a privateer one. on the other hand they say Kimi rents the car from them and proably the mechanics too. So Kimi is proabably the one who is financing former "junior team" and the name is now the name he chose.

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Re: Rally News

Post by Julia » 19 Jan 2011, 14:28

apple wrote:
Kriss wrote:
Claudie_Schnaudie wrote:Miezi: Hmm I hope that they just got wrong information :confused:

Apple: So everything is like last year? Kimi is no privateer? Gosh I don´t get anything! It´s too complicated for me :blush: :lol:
you're not the only one :O
I dont get it either..Kulta writes like Kimi is the "junior" team with his team and Petter is a privateer one. on the other hand they say Kimi rents the car from them and proably the mechanics too. So Kimi is proabably the one who is financing former "junior team" and the name is now the name he chose.
you mean this article?

http://www.ts.fi/f1/uutiset/189549.html

google translate:

...

Benefit rider stuff
Citroen's camp, especially Kimi Raikkonen and Kaj Lindstrom would have gladly driven while Fell rally, but the new car is just not at this stage was available.

- The road system in Rovaniemi is not responsible for the Swedish Rally, but of course the driver is good to get a new car fiilistelemään under conditions of competition, "says Lindstrom.

Raikkonen continues Citroen camp and team manager is so familiar to last year, Benoit Nogier. When a junior team ceased to exist, Raikkonen is now run as a separate Ice1Racing-points, even though Practices status is exactly the same.

Citroen has now received the Swedish Rally Petter Solberg continues privaattikuljettajana. The 2003 world champion to drive the Monte Carlo Rally, Peugeot. Sweden, Norway, he gets the support of a new DS3 Citroen WRC car.

Monte Carlo Solberg after returning from last year's collection of supporters to the negotiating table in Oslo, which seeks to ensure participation at all 13 World Cup Rally. While the Citroen factory team in support of Total and Red Bull, Solberg, acting as partners Shell and MadCroc.
from reading the Kulta article and listening at what Kuvaja said earlier it sounds that even if the teamname change and he officially drives a private WRC-team according to FIA (thanx Mar and miezicat for explaining this!) and Quesnell points out that he is a autonome privateer (who can do whatever he want and isnt under team-orders) his status inside citroen practically stays the same and he is sorounded by the same people as last year and he still gets all the same help from citroen guys as last year... well if that the arangement it sounds like a very god one... but we seem to have to wait and see a little longer...

nice of Kulta practise namedropping: first telling that Kaj and Mark continues and now he says that Nogier also continues (which is very nice, i liked his cheeky humor) ... so next week we get to know the situation with the race engineer?! maybe? :O


and just for the fun of it... even wrc.com seem to have small problems categoricing Kimi at the moment... he s driving a factory wrc car in sweden acording to them (whatever that means?) and they also seem a little bit restless about the fact that he hasnt anounced anything officially, so they put up a new version of the latest turns...

Räikkönen to contest majority 2011 WRC

http://www.wrc.com/news/raikkonen-to-co ... ?fid=14042

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Re: Rally News

Post by Claudie_Schnaudie » 19 Jan 2011, 16:27

I gave up with trying to understand something a few days ago -.-
Kimi Kimi gimme just a little smile :)

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Re: Rally News

Post by Mar » 19 Jan 2011, 17:26

I have always understood “factory car” as the opposite of privateer. How can he be a privateer and a factory driver at the same time?
What a mess! If not even the WRC right owners know how Räikkönen is going to drive this season…
Image

I definitively bet we will get the first images of Kimi’s car livery during shakedown in Sweden. :p

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Re: Rally News

Post by miezicat » 19 Jan 2011, 18:12

but they don't say he is a factory driver, just that he is driving a factory car as he is driving the same car as Loeb or Ogier.

we might get some pics from the service park before shakedown... :O just 3 weeks to wait... :zz:

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Re: Rally News

Post by Mar » 19 Jan 2011, 18:35

miezicat wrote:but they don't say he is a factory driver, just that he is driving a factory car as he is driving the same car as Loeb or Ogier.
You're right. It could be understood as the driver is a privateer but the car not. It keeps being quite confusing but it could even be an advantage when it comes to Citroën team orders.
miezicat wrote:we might get some pics from the service park before shakedown... :O just 3 weeks to wait... :zz:
Nah, I'm sure they will cover the car and hide it just to annoy me :<>:

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Re: Rally News

Post by luieluv » 20 Jan 2011, 10:13

Mini launches search for team manager

By David Evans Thursday, January 20th 2011, 10:02 GMT

Prodrive has begun a worldwide search for the team manager of the Mini World Rally Team - with the successful candidate expected to take up the position with the all-new organisation in April.

Prodrive chairman David Richards has taken a fresh approach to filling this vital role and AUTOSPORT has been given unparalleled access to the Banbury-based team as it seeks the right person. Mini is expected to begin its World Rally Championship programme on Rally d'Italia in May.

Richards said: "People have always assumed you should have lived and breathed rallying all of your life to do this job, I'm not sure that's the case any more.

"The person we're seeking has to have a passion for motorsport, but it's a professional approach that we will be looking for and although he or she may well come from another discipline within the sport, it could equally be an enthusiast who is working in another business environment altogether.

"Where does that person come from? What do they look like? I can't tell you but Prodrive is committed to taking a fresh approach to finding the most suitable candidate. We're looking to raise the bar here and find the best possible person for the task, not necessarily the most obvious."

Richards' approach to the employment of personnel in the Mini team is based around recreating the opportunities Prodrive received when it started working with Subaru in the WRC 25 years ago.

"We've got some very experienced people in the organisation," said Richards, "people who have been here from the start and can act as great mentors. What we want to do now is give others the chances that we had 25 years ago."

autosport
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88995
So its gonna be a mix of Ravishing Black and White for Kimi Raikkonen this season

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