Handbrakes & Hairpins Issue 178

Jimmy McRae
back in Porsche
Words: Evan Rothman
Following on the recent success
of Francois Delecour in the Tuthill
Porsche Challenge 911 in the
Bulldog Historic Challenge Rally,
series runners Tuthill Porsche have
announced that Jimmy McRae will
take to the Pirelli Historic Rally’s
stages on 30 April.
The 67-year-old Scotsman will
replace Andrew Barnes in one of the two
JLT Rally Team-backed entries. Barnes
has a prior commitment and the JLT
team has invited McRae, a fi ve-time
British Rally Champion, to deputise.
McRae, from Lanarkshire and
father to Colin and Alister, has driven on
a number of rallies for Tuthill Porsche,
the U.K.’s foremost preparation fi rm
of historic Porsche rally cars, and
fi nished second overall on last year’s
Karcher Summer Stages Historic
Rally in Barbados, winning his class in
the process with the Banbury-based
operation.
“It’s great to have Jimmy back
in one of our cars and driving in the
Tuthill Porsche Challenge,” said Tuthill
Porsche director and Challenge founder
Richard Tuthill. “Jimmy has driven for us
on plenty of occasions in the past and it
goes without saying that he has lots of
experience.”
McRae, who will be co-driven
by Pauline Gullick, said: “Nobody knows
historic Porsches better than Tuthill
Porsche. The desire is always there to
drive. The Kielder Forest is a great place
to go rallying and Tuthill Porsche always
prepares a good car.”
John Lloyd, who fi nished second
on the Tuthill Porsche Challenge opener,
the Bulldog Historic Rally, said he was
delighted to call on McRae and Gullick’s
services. “Pauline has co-driven for me
in the past and Jimmy has done a lot
of events under the JLT banner, so I’m
pleased to welcome them back into the
team.” H&H
New route for
Wales Rally GB
Words: Staff Writer
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Wales Rally GB, Britain’s round of
the FIA World Rally Championship,
will visit a far greater proportion
of Wales this November, with an
opening stage on the legendary
Great Orme set to kick off 2011’s
Wales Rally GB. The event will also
include central service at Builth
Wells and forays to the classic forest
stages of North and Mid Wales,
culminating on the spectacular Epynt
military ranges near Brecon.
The Royal Welsh Agricultural
Society’s (RWAS) permanent
showground in Builth Wells, Powys will
be home for the main service area,
which will be under cover for the fi rst
time in recent years in Rally GB. The
RWAS showground will also play host
to the Shakedown on Wednesday, 9th
November.
The event gets underway on
Thursday, 10th November in Llandudno,
where two stages on the Great Orme Toll
road – last used on the Lombard RAC
Rally in 1981 – and one at Clocaenog –
last used on the Network Q RAC Rally
in 1996 – will make up the competitive
mileage for the fi rst day. An opening
ceremony will take place outside the
picturesque castle in Conwy in the early
evening, before competitors and their
cars return to Llandudno for overnight
Parc Ferme.
Friday will begin with an early
morning start and the three stages
in Dyfi Forest – fi rst used on the
1961 Rally of Great Britain – before
heading to Dyfnant Forest, south
of Lake Vyrnwy and onto the RWAS
showground for midday service. The
loop will be repeated in the afternoon
and competitors and their cars will stay
overnight in Cardiff after travelling south
from service in Builth Wells.
On Saturday, 12th November,
the event moves on to the much-loved
stages in Hafren, Sweet Lamb and
Myherin, before a repeat loop in the
afternoon. The day will fi nish with a
special stage in Cardiff Bay.
Sunday will bring the 1,850
kilometre event – and the 13-round,
2011 FIA World Rally Championship – to
a close. Six stages in total – including
the FIA WRC ‘Power Stage’ which will
be televised live – will be based around
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Epynt, centering on the Halfway, Crychan
and Monument timed stages. After a
fi nal visit to Builth Wells for servicing,
the surviving WRC teams and private
competitors will head to Cardiff for the
ceremonial fi nish in Cardiff Bay.
Andrew Coe, chief executive of
Wales Rally GB’s organiser, International
Motor Sports Limited, is thrilled with the
new route for 2011 – and commented:
“It has always been a fi rm commitment
of Wales Rally GB to innovate and bring
new thinking to the British round of the
FIA World Rally Championship. And, we
are doing that this year by visiting a far
larger part of Wales, as well as some of
the most iconic stages in rallying history.
“For 2011, we have tried hard
to break the mould and give the event
a fresh, re-invigorated approach. There
is an extremely strong relationship
between us and the Welsh Assembly
Government and, as a team, they were
supportive of our desire to take the
event to the north of Wales.”
H&H
R4 IS GO!
Words: Staff Writer
MML Sports Ltd has confi rmed
that the offi cial Mitsubishi kit of
components to convert Group N
Mitsubishi Lancer EvolutionX rally
cars into the new international
specifi cation, R4, has now been
homologated by the FIA. Following
confi rmation of its successful
homologation, MML Sports, charged
by Mitsubishi Motor Company
and working in partnership with
Ralliart Italy, will begin large scale
production of the components to
satisfy demand for the new breed of
rally cars.
MML Sports has been working
with Ralliart Italy for some time to
develop and fi nalise the specifi cation
of the Mitsubishi R4 kit of components
and is delighted that the FIA has
accepted the components and agreed
homologation.
Fundamentally, the R4
specifi cation allows a range of
lightweight parts to replace what are
standard or road-going components on
the Group N car. For example, a heated
windscreen can be used, eliminating
the need for a heater/blower to keep
the front screen free from misting in
damp conditions. The rear windscreen
and door windows can be replaced
with Perspex while several of the car’s
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