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Cover Cover<br />
Handbrakes<br />
Handbrakes<br />
Hairpins Hairpins<br />
your your insight insight into into the the world world of rallying rallying<br />
In the hot seat with Mohammed Moosa<br />
Issue 145 • 12 - 18 Aug 2010 http://handbrakeshairpins.wordpress.com<br />
Features Features<br />
Saab aims for<br />
WRC return, P7<br />
Poulter at<br />
Osram Rally, P10<br />
Beinke at Rally<br />
Finland, P11<br />
Events Events<br />
IRC, IR IRRC<br />
RC, P PP13<br />
WCR, W<br />
P16<br />
News News<br />
Burn’s memorial<br />
Rally update<br />
Burke named<br />
Rookie of the Year<br />
Lat Latvala wins at<br />
Lah Lahti Rally
Contents / Issue 145<br />
04 News<br />
06 Features<br />
07 Saab aims for WRC<br />
08 In the hot seat<br />
10 Poulter at the Osram Rally 2010<br />
11 Beinke reports from Rally Finland<br />
12 Events<br />
13 IRC Rally Madeira REVIEW<br />
16 WCRRC All Tar Rally PREVIEW<br />
Contact<br />
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Welcome to H&H!<br />
Welcome to issue 145 of <strong>HANDBRAKES</strong> &<br />
<strong>HAIRPINS</strong>, your FREE weekly insight into<br />
the world of rallying!<br />
As always, I hope you enjoy this<br />
week’s exciting edition!<br />
Yours in Rallying,<br />
Evan Rothman<br />
ATS has a very special ‘while stocks last’<br />
offer on the Peltor FMT110 intercom!<br />
Poor communication is a recipe for disaster in a rally car, that’s why we’re offering a<br />
Peltor communication kit comprising the renowned FMT110 intercom and FC15<br />
battery eliminator at just R2095 + VAT for both items, a saving of around R900 or 30<br />
percent on the standard pricing. But hurry – there are only a limited number of these<br />
communication kits available following<br />
which we will only be stocking the new<br />
(and more expensive) FMT120 intercom.<br />
Editorial Information<br />
Editor Evan Rothman<br />
Photojournalist Eva Kovkova<br />
Contributors RallyBuzz, Drew Sturrock,<br />
Jordan Murphy, Motorpics<br />
All content copyrighted property of<br />
<strong>HANDBRAKES</strong> & <strong>HAIRPINS</strong>, 2007-<br />
10. This publication is fully protected by<br />
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precautions have been taken to ensure the<br />
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given to readers, the editor cannot accept<br />
responsibility for any inconvenience or<br />
damage that may arise therefrom.<br />
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News News<br />
the the world’s world’s latest latest rally rally news news
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NEWS<br />
DAILY ONLINE UPDATES<br />
For your convenience, here are the news items in this easy-toclick<br />
menu page:<br />
WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP<br />
Dani Sordo splits from co-driver Marc Marti: http://wp.me/<br />
ppkXc-1wt<br />
FIA announces new tyre rule for 2011: http://wp.me/ppkXc-<br />
1wl<br />
Paddon heads for fi rst run at all-tarmac WRC Germany: http://<br />
wp.me/ppkXc-1wq<br />
Confi dence high for Citroen in Germany: http://wp.me/ppkXc-<br />
1vP<br />
Latvala wins Lahti Historic Rally 2010 (WITH VIDEO): http://<br />
wp.me/ppkXc-1w2<br />
Kimi Raikkonen and Sébastien Ogier testing for Rallye<br />
Deutschland (WITH VIDEO): http://wp.me/ppkXc-1vZ<br />
WATCH: Juha Kankkunen on SS09 (ON-BOARD FOOTAGE):<br />
http://wp.me/ppkXc-1wy<br />
EUROPEAN AND INTERCONTINENTAL<br />
RALLY CHALLENGE SERIES<br />
Loix wins Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy in Madeira: http://<br />
wp.me/ppkXc-1vy<br />
Felipe Freitas impresses in Madeira: http://wp.me/ppkXc-1vW<br />
Challenge the best in the Ultimate Rally Challenge!: http://<br />
wp.me/ppkXc-1w4<br />
BRITISH AND IRISH RALLYING<br />
Richard Burns Memorial Rally to raise vital funds: http://<br />
wp.me/ppkXc-1vv<br />
McShea and Cronin for PROTON in the Czech Republic: http://<br />
wp.me/ppkXc-1vs<br />
Northern European Pirelli Star Driver shootout PREVIEW:<br />
http://wp.me/ppkXc-1w6<br />
AFRICAN AND SOUTH AFRICAN<br />
RALLYING AND OFF-ROAD RACING<br />
Osram Rally presents unknown territory for Imperial Toyota<br />
Rally Team: http://wp.me/ppkXc-1vB<br />
USA AND RALLYCAR RALLY NEWS AND EVENTS<br />
Joseph Burke claims Rally America 2010 “Rookie of the Year”:<br />
http://wp.me/ppkXc-1vR<br />
Taylor takes Rally Gisborne victory: http://wp.me/ppkXc-1vM<br />
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country’s fl ag) and select. It is that easy!<br />
Featuring European rally championships, British rally championships, Rally America<br />
events, international rally results and videos, as well as S2000 and WRC news.<br />
THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF RALLYING<br />
www.rallybuzz.com
Features Features<br />
your your insight insight into into the the world world of rallying rallying
SAAB IN RALLYING IN NUMBERS<br />
Saab’s rallying history is heaped in a tradition of<br />
success. On the world’s stages, the fi rst recorded<br />
even entry for a Saab-backed crew was in 1950.<br />
Rolf Molander/Margaretha von Essen took part in the<br />
Monte Carlo Rallye in January of that year.<br />
Interestingly, Greta Molander took part in<br />
that event too, and fi nished a respectable 55th overall,<br />
fi fth in her class and second in the Ladies Class.<br />
Saab’s fi rst victory came in November<br />
1950, with Rolf Mellde in the Rikspokalen Rally, then<br />
Europe’s most gruelling rally. Greta Molander wins the<br />
Ladies Class, too.<br />
<strong>Here</strong> is a list of Saab’s involvement in<br />
rallying from 1952 to the end of its rally programme in<br />
1980:<br />
• 1952 - Greta Molander/Helga Lundberg win the<br />
Ladies Cup in the Monte Carlo Rally.<br />
• 1953 - Rolf Mellde wins the Swedish Championship.<br />
SAAB AIMS FOR WRC<br />
Story: Staff Writer<br />
Picture: Unlicensed<br />
Swedish manufacturer Saab are<br />
being tipped to make a comeback<br />
to the World Rally Championship,<br />
according to www.autosport.com.<br />
Saab, who haven’t competed in<br />
the WRC since 1979, have been linked to<br />
a possible return to the series in 2012,<br />
using a possible 9-1 or 9-2 base model.<br />
The engine is expected to be a<br />
BMW unit, which would be the same 1.6litre<br />
turbocharged motor that MINI will<br />
be using in their Countryman WRC.<br />
Spyker, who own and saved<br />
Saab from virtual collapse late last year,<br />
have had senior offi cials meet with the<br />
sport’s organisers about a possible WRC<br />
• 1955 - Erik Carlsson gets to be ‘on the roof’ with<br />
all Sweden and wins the country’s most important<br />
dependability contest, the Rikspokalen, in a Saab 92.<br />
• 1956 - Bob Wehman and Louis Braun win the fourth<br />
and last Great American Mountain Rallye. Rolf Mellde<br />
comes in sixth, with another Saab 93 in seventh place.<br />
There is only one American car among the fi rst twenty.<br />
• 1959 - Erik Carlsson scores an overt victory in the<br />
Midnight Sun Rally.<br />
•1960 - Erik Carlsson wins the British RAC Rally, his<br />
fi rst of three consecutive victories.<br />
• 1961 - Erik Carlsson enters for the Monte Carlo<br />
Rally in a Saab 95 - the factory’s only four-speed car.<br />
Finishes in fourth place.<br />
• 1962 - Erik Carlsson and Gunnar Häggbom win<br />
overall in the Monte Carlo Rally. The starting number<br />
of the winning car is 303.<br />
• 1963 - Erik Carlsson wins the Monte Carlo Rally for<br />
the second time, now with Gunnar Palm as his co-<br />
FEATURES<br />
entry. The fi rm are expected to continue<br />
negotiations at WRC Rally France in<br />
October.<br />
Sources told Autosport: “The<br />
initial meeting [between Saab and WRC<br />
offi cials, believed to include both the<br />
FIA commissions and promoter North<br />
One Sport] has happened, and there’s<br />
a huge amount of enthusiasm from all<br />
concerned. Like MINI, Saab has a great<br />
heritage in the sport and a return to the<br />
WRC makes a lot of sense.”<br />
North One Sport CEO Simon<br />
Long said: “I think MINI’s announcement<br />
has given people a lot of confi dence in<br />
the sport. The messages we’re getting<br />
are all positive.”<br />
driver. Starting number this year is 283, Erik Carlsson<br />
and Gunnar Palm come second in the Spa-Sofi a-Liege<br />
“Marathon de la Route”, one of the most demanding<br />
rallies.<br />
• 1971 - Stig Blomqvist wins the Swedish Rally in a<br />
Saab V4. A new generation of drivers takes over as<br />
Erik Carlsson becomes Saab’s roving ambassador,<br />
accredited to the whole world.<br />
• 1976 - Stig Blomqvist wins the Belgian Rally Boucles<br />
de Spa. The winning car is a Saab 99 with double<br />
overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder.<br />
• 1977 - Stig Blomqvist wins the Swedish Rally in a<br />
Saab 99 EMS.<br />
• 1979 - Stig Blomqvist wins the Swedish Rallye in a<br />
Saab 99 Turbo - the fi rst win by a turbo-charged car in<br />
a World Championship rally.<br />
• 1980 - Saab shuts down its competition department<br />
and retires from all rally activities.
FEATURES<br />
IN THE HOT SEAT:<br />
<strong>HANDBRAKES</strong> & <strong>HAIRPINS</strong><br />
Story: Evan Rothman<br />
Pictures: Motorpics<br />
In full-attack mode this car eats up<br />
the gravel kilometres with a voracity<br />
I’ve never experienced before. One<br />
of South Africa’s most exciting rally<br />
drivers is Mohammed Moosa, a<br />
driver for the Team Total Evolution<br />
Toyota RunX S2000<br />
“We’re over<br />
210km/h at<br />
the moment”<br />
outfi t, and is in his<br />
fi rst season in the<br />
top-fl ight Class<br />
S2000. He’s shown<br />
his speed and<br />
aggression in this<br />
the most cutthroat of Classes, and I<br />
was fortunate to experience fi rsthand<br />
his driving skills in his rally<br />
machine.<br />
Ahead of last month’s fi fth<br />
round of the South African Rally<br />
Championship, the Volkswagen Rally<br />
held in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern<br />
Cape, I attended the Shakedown Stage<br />
for the event at the Port Elizabeth Oval<br />
Track, which played host to two stages<br />
(with a majority of the Shakedown Stage<br />
part of the speed test for the event).<br />
With a few runs already under<br />
his belt, and his car set up to his liking<br />
for this challenging event, I strapped<br />
myself tightly into the co-driver’s seat<br />
for what was to be a thrilling and<br />
unforgettable drive. A few seconds<br />
short of two minutes, and our drive<br />
was over but these two minutes I, as a<br />
rally enthusiast, will forever treasure.<br />
For Mohammed it was a test and more<br />
valuable seat time, and I fortunate to be<br />
able to glimpse a snatch into the worlds<br />
of the rally driver and co-driver.<br />
The dusty stage starts with<br />
a long straight on a fl at section. A<br />
countdown from ten starts and my<br />
excitement increases with that of the<br />
revs climbing. Quickly spinning through<br />
the gears, the car was soon bouncing<br />
on its rev limiter<br />
in sixth gear;<br />
Mohammed was<br />
cool, collected<br />
and nonchalantly<br />
chatting with me<br />
even at this speed,<br />
as if for a drive to buy milk at the corner<br />
shop.<br />
As we barrelled down the long<br />
straight, I was told rather cavalierly that<br />
a fi rst-gear left hand corner awaited us.<br />
Expecting to hit the brakes and begin to<br />
scrub off speed, and seeing the straight<br />
coming to an end ahead, Mohammed’s<br />
right boot was still fi rmly planted on<br />
the accelerator pedal and it didn’t look<br />
like shifting to the brake pedal any time<br />
soon.<br />
“We’re over 210km/h at the<br />
moment: fast!” was Mohammed’s<br />
comment, as if reading my thoughts.<br />
Seeing the tree trunks lining<br />
the road clearly, the dirt berm and<br />
the bushes beyond, I turned my<br />
attention away from the horizon and<br />
to Mohammed to watch as he worked<br />
the car’s levers and steering wheel to<br />
set it up for the turn in. Hitting the<br />
brakes hard, with the car’s nose diving
aggressively towards the ground and<br />
the scenery out the side windows now<br />
becoming less of a speed blur, we were<br />
in the corner and already powering<br />
through it. It still astounds me the<br />
braking power of these machines and<br />
the grip actually made available by the<br />
tyres on this loose surface.<br />
A quick tug of the handbrake<br />
lever, bashing down the gearbox and<br />
we’re booting out of the corner and<br />
focusing on the next corner to attack.<br />
His movements on the controls results<br />
in directness: there was no wild drifting<br />
or sideways antics as I’d have imagined<br />
from the speed that we entered the<br />
corner and the quick jump of his<br />
right foot from the brake pedal to the<br />
accelerator.<br />
The revs climb quickly, the<br />
sound of the S2000 engine’s cacophonic<br />
howl rising as Mohammed punches up<br />
to fourth gear. Suddenly we’re hard on<br />
the brakes for two or three seconds,<br />
and then down the gears once more,<br />
another fl ick of the steering wheel and<br />
we are pointing in yet another direction.<br />
Of course, strapped into the car I don’t<br />
get a true sense of the speed but a look<br />
towards the digital tachometer and gear<br />
indicator gave me an indication. That,<br />
and the scenery seemingly zipping by.<br />
I can just peer over the bonnet<br />
and notice rocks and bumps in the road<br />
ahead. I would’ve been in orbit in a road<br />
car, but this machine stays planted and<br />
his right foot is still pinned to the fl oor!<br />
Talking about his family and<br />
home in Tzaneen, and then my work,<br />
all the while we are shooting through<br />
a left-right section and over a jump.<br />
The dust and sand sprays onto my side<br />
of the windows, and the scenery fl icks<br />
past very fast… There’s no wafting into<br />
corners: its fl at-out, hard on the brakes,<br />
feed the power and then fl at-out again.<br />
There’s no in between pace, not even<br />
on this Shakedown Stage. It takes an<br />
aggressive and forceful input to keep<br />
this car in line, and the Toyota RunX<br />
S2000 responds immediately. The car<br />
tracks accurately with his steering<br />
wheel inputs, and requires no coaxing<br />
to stay to his desired line. Direct are<br />
his movements, with precise little<br />
adjustments to the steering wheel and<br />
the accelerator pedal and feeling out<br />
the corner and the surface beneath his<br />
tyres.<br />
Corners approach rapidly: short<br />
straights merely serve for Mohammed to<br />
set his car up for the next corner, before<br />
pitching the car into it; it is in corners<br />
that this rally car truly shines and shows<br />
its worth.<br />
We approach a blind rise that<br />
ATS has a very special ‘while stocks last’<br />
offer on the Peltor FMT110 intercom!<br />
Poor communication is a recipe for disaster in a rally car, that’s why we’re offering a<br />
Peltor communication kit comprising the renowned FMT110 intercom and FC15<br />
battery eliminator at just R2095 + VAT for both items, a saving of around R900 or 30<br />
percent on the standard pricing. But hurry – there are only a limited number of these<br />
communication kits available following<br />
which we will only be stocking the new<br />
(and more expensive) FMT120 intercom.<br />
drops away into a set of zigzags that<br />
I look forward to. From having walked<br />
into the stage to spectate at this specifi c<br />
spot, I noticed the commitment needed<br />
to tackle this seemingly easy section.<br />
In fact, it’s a violent left-right-left-rightleft<br />
section that demands respect and<br />
concentration. Needless to say, each side<br />
of the road is lined with berms, boulders<br />
and tree stumps. To boot, the road is not<br />
wide either and a few of the other S2000<br />
machines clipped the banks in places<br />
during their shakedown runs.<br />
We enter the fi rst fl ick at speed:<br />
on-and-off the power quickly, and we’re<br />
through the fi rst two. Then it’s fl at-out<br />
through the following three corners<br />
as the car sidesteps in and out of the<br />
turns. Still, there are small movements,<br />
adjustments of the steering wheel. He<br />
uses every inch of the road, and we<br />
shoot out of the zigzags and into the<br />
fi nish zone.<br />
The Team Total Evolution Toyota<br />
RunX S2000 of Mohammed Moosa isn’t a<br />
graceful machine; it needs to be strictly<br />
directed and bullied to travel over roads<br />
at that speed on gravel and asphalt.<br />
It’s raw: an action has an immediate<br />
response and effect. It’s a fantastic rally<br />
car, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed sitting<br />
inside the cockpit beside one of the<br />
bravest drivers in South Africa.<br />
Contact us on 011 670 8400 to take advantage.<br />
Do you receive our monthly newsletter, ATS News? If not you’re missing out…<br />
send an e-mail with your first name, last name and the e-mail address to use to: promo@ats-motorsport.co.za<br />
FEATURES
FEATURES<br />
POULTER AIMS FOR STRONG<br />
FINISH IN OSRAM RALLY<br />
Story: Staff Writer<br />
Picture: Unlicensed<br />
The sixth round of the Sasol South<br />
African Rally Championship, the oneday<br />
Osram Rally in the Southern<br />
Drakensberg around Barkly East<br />
presents something of a dilemma for<br />
the Class A6 Imperial Toyota RunX pair<br />
Leeroy Poulter and Henry Dearlove –<br />
neither driver nor co-driver have any<br />
experience of the high speed stages they<br />
will encounter.<br />
Dearlove, in spite of 14 years in<br />
the left hand seat of rally cars and two<br />
championships, has never run the stages<br />
formerly known as the Mountain Trial. “I<br />
ran the Dewetsdorp-based Osram Rally,<br />
but I’ve never run in the mountains so<br />
I’m looking forward to it, in spite of the<br />
scary stories people tell me about the<br />
event.”<br />
The Imperial Toyota pair<br />
has a nine point lead in the Class A6<br />
Championship but their main target is<br />
the inaugural 1600cc Championship,<br />
where they are two points behind Ashley<br />
Haigh Smith (Toyota Yaris), who scores<br />
points at a 1.2 factor to equalize engine<br />
size. Haigh-Smith still has to drop<br />
his worst score, leaving Poulter and<br />
Dearlove with a nett 14 point lead at this<br />
stage of the season.<br />
For Poulter, it is again virgin<br />
territory, something he has easily<br />
adapted to this year. “Every rally is new<br />
for me so this one is nothing special.<br />
I won’t have the benefi t of Henry’s<br />
experience here, so we’ll take it easy<br />
in the fi rst two stages to fi gure out<br />
what the road conditions are like before<br />
stepping up a gear or two”, said the<br />
production car racer, enjoying a highly<br />
successful debut season in rallying.<br />
“The trick will be to stay as<br />
close to Tjaart Conradie as possible if<br />
we are behind him but our strategy will<br />
be to go as fast as possible and stay on<br />
the road and listen to my navigator very<br />
carefully!”, Poulter added.<br />
For Dearlove there is some<br />
extra pressure. “Usually I have notes<br />
from the previous years which I can<br />
fi ne-tune, but I’m starting from scratch<br />
this time, so I’ll pay more attention<br />
to what Leon Botha has to say. The<br />
Heuningneskloof stage is one I’ve been<br />
warned about – there’s a section with<br />
really big drops but otherwise it’s a fast<br />
and fl owing route that again should suit<br />
Leeroy’s precise driving style”.<br />
As a pure power rally, Race Prep<br />
Team Principle Rod Hering has realistic<br />
expectations. “I don’t see Leeroy and<br />
Henry fi nishing much higher than<br />
around 13th or 14th overall assuming<br />
everyone stays on the road. While it’s<br />
great to be the fi rst two-wheel drive car<br />
home, we have our sights on the two<br />
championships so there won’t be any<br />
heroics from inside the car. We are able<br />
to tweak the ride height a bit because<br />
the roads are usually quite smooth and I<br />
hope there will be a lot of cars between<br />
us and Ashley”.<br />
The ultra-fast Osram Rally<br />
starts from the Barkly East Golf Club<br />
at 7am and takes in eight stages,<br />
where Class A6 speeds average around<br />
135km/h and often hit terminal speeds<br />
of 170-180km/h.
FINLAND BRINGS NO LUCK<br />
FOR REIDEMANN/BEINKE<br />
Story: Josefi ne Corinn Beinke<br />
Picture: M-Sport<br />
Being forced to retire makes it<br />
hard to fi nd the step back into the<br />
championship fi ght.<br />
Christian Riedemann and I<br />
had a long journey to Finland behind<br />
them when we tested on the Monday<br />
before the legendary Neste Oil Rally<br />
Finland. Due to the fact that we were<br />
forced to retired in Portugal and without<br />
even scoring points, the fi ght for the<br />
FSTi Championship title becomes more<br />
diffi cult.<br />
We tested on Monday to be best<br />
prepared for the stages of 2010’s Neste<br />
Oil Rally Finland. With seven Finnish<br />
drivers entered for this round of the<br />
FSTi, it was clear that the main goal for<br />
this rally would be to reach the fi nish.<br />
The stages are very tricky and<br />
totally different from what I expected at<br />
fi rst; it’s much more than you can see on<br />
television.<br />
The fi rst stage of the rally<br />
took place on Thursday evening. A<br />
short stage of about 4km, and we<br />
claimed sixth position in the FSTi<br />
category and were faster than some<br />
of the Finnish drivers. Actually, it our<br />
opening performance was better than we<br />
expected and we felt confi dent for the<br />
following days of competition.<br />
The next day of the rally<br />
started without problem in the morning<br />
loop of stages. After Service the team<br />
found that the rear axle was damaged<br />
and should be changed at the evening<br />
Service. As well as the rear axle, a<br />
new heat exchanger was required and<br />
was put on the to-do-list for the next<br />
Service.<br />
The Friday’s stages went well<br />
for Team Riedemann/Beinke, and the<br />
pacenotes seemed to be okay. On the<br />
stage Myhinpää, it was very hard for a<br />
co-driver to read as fast as the speed of<br />
the car. It was the most diffi cult stage I<br />
have ever done, and I was quite happy<br />
when we went over the fl ying fi nish of<br />
this stage; I’ve never spoken that much<br />
before!<br />
At Friday evening’s Service, the<br />
service team did a very good job and<br />
fi nished with the required changes just<br />
in time.<br />
At the end of the day we<br />
were lying in fi fth position in the FSTi<br />
category. Victor Henrikson and Jussi<br />
Kumpumäki were doing very well;<br />
they are unbelievably fast! We have no<br />
chance to drive at their pace, but we<br />
hoped we could fi nish this rally and score<br />
points.<br />
Day Two of the Neste Oil Rally<br />
Finland, with another eight stages,<br />
began very well. Although one never<br />
wishes that opponents are forced to<br />
retire, we were again on the podium<br />
FEATURES<br />
after the fi rst stage in the morning due<br />
to mechanical problems for our rivals.<br />
With Victor Henrikkson in the lead and<br />
Jussi Kumpumäki in second, were in<br />
third position after bad luck for British<br />
driver Harry Hunt and Finnish star Joose<br />
Kojo.<br />
We were now driving at our own<br />
speed to reach the fi nish of this tough<br />
rally. We did not want to risk anything.<br />
It was all going very well until the liaison<br />
section to SS16... The car began to<br />
make unusual noises, but as we were in<br />
a good position in the FSTi category we<br />
decided to push on.<br />
At the start of SS16, we<br />
again suffered very bad luck: the left<br />
driveshaft broke and we had no chance<br />
to fi nish the rally. Again we were forced<br />
to retire as a result of a technical<br />
problem while lying in a strong position.<br />
The whole team was very<br />
disappointed but we are all looking<br />
forward to the WRC Rally Germany. The<br />
next round of the FSTi is on tarmac, a<br />
surface that suits us best. I hope we can<br />
fi nish the rally and the car suffers no<br />
problems.<br />
To take a look back at the<br />
Championship we need to win the<br />
German round or we have no chance to<br />
fi ght for the FSTi title. Of course it’s not<br />
easy and there is a lot of pressure on us,<br />
but we are confi dent and ready for the<br />
fi ght on homeground.
Events Events<br />
the the full full event event previews previews and and reviews reviews
OVERALL CLASSIFICATION<br />
01) F. Loix/F. Miclotte<br />
Skoda Fabia S2000 - 03h 08m 14.3s<br />
02) J. Kopecky/P. Stary<br />
Skoda Fabia S2000 + 37.8s<br />
03) J. Hanninen/M. Markkula<br />
Skoda Fabia S2000 + 02m 25.8s<br />
04) M. Nunes/V. Calado<br />
Peugeot 207 S2000 + 02m 42.7s<br />
05) V. Sa/N. Rodrigues<br />
Peugeot 207 S2000 + 03m 13.7s<br />
06) F. Freitas/D. Figueiroa<br />
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X + 09m 03.2s<br />
07) J. Magalhaes/J. Pereira<br />
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X + 09m 29.0s<br />
08) P. Peres/T. Ferreira<br />
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX + 10m 39.8s<br />
09) R. Moura/A. Costa<br />
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX + 11m 06.3s<br />
10) D. Bruyneel/L. Vanneste<br />
Peugeot 207 S2000 + 12m 38.9s<br />
• Leading IRC 2WD Cup fi nishers: Duarte Ramos/Luis<br />
Ramos (Peugeot 206 S1600)<br />
IRC DRIVERS’ STANDINGS<br />
01) Juho Hanninen (Finland) - 54 pts<br />
02) Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic) - 47 pts<br />
03) Bruno Magalhaes (Portugal) - 30 pts<br />
04) Guy Wilks (United Kingdom) - 25 pts<br />
05) Kris Meeke (United Kingdom) - 23 pts<br />
06) Freddy Loix (Belgium) - 20 pts<br />
07) Thierry Neuville (Belgium) - 11 pts<br />
08) Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) - 10 pts<br />
09) Andreas Mikkelsen (Norway) - 9 pts<br />
10) Paolo Andreucci (Italy) - 8 pts<br />
IRC MANUFACTURERS’ STANDINGS<br />
01) Skoda - 116 pts<br />
02) Peugeot - 79 pts<br />
03) M-Sport - 26 pts<br />
04) Ralliart - 19 pts<br />
05) Subaru - 11 pts<br />
TWO IRC WINS FROM TWO<br />
STARTS FOR FAST FREDDY<br />
Story: Staff Writer<br />
Pictures: IRC Series<br />
Freddy Loix has made it two wins<br />
from two starts in this season’s<br />
Intercontinental Rally Challenge by<br />
heading a Skoda one-two-three on<br />
Rali Vinho Madeira. Loix’s victory<br />
was his fi fth since the<br />
IRC began in 2007 and<br />
means he joins Kris<br />
Meeke at the top of<br />
the list of all-time IRC<br />
event winners.<br />
Juho Hanninen<br />
continues to lead the IRC<br />
drivers’ standings but, by<br />
fi nishing behind teammate<br />
Jan Kopecky in third,<br />
the Finn’s title advantage<br />
has now been trimmed<br />
to seven points with four<br />
rounds remaining. It was<br />
the third time this season that Skoda<br />
has fi lled all three podium places.<br />
Co-driven by fellow Belgian<br />
Frederic Miclotte, Loix didn’t put a wheel<br />
Loix didn’t<br />
put a wheel<br />
wrong<br />
throughout<br />
the event<br />
in his Fabia<br />
S2000<br />
Facelift.<br />
EVENTS<br />
wrong throughout the event in his Fabia<br />
S2000 Facelift. Following an early battle<br />
with Abarth Grande Punto driver Luca<br />
Rossetti, Loix moved into a lead he<br />
would never relinquish on stage seven.<br />
To underline his dominance he was<br />
fastest on 14 of the rally’s 21 all-asphalt<br />
stages, despite nursing an injured left<br />
shoulder, which he<br />
sustained falling off<br />
his motorbike two<br />
weeks ago.<br />
Defending<br />
IRC champion Kris<br />
Meeke started leg two<br />
in second but failed<br />
to go beyond SS17<br />
when his Peugeot UK<br />
207 S2000 suffered<br />
a terminal engine<br />
failure 2.8km into the<br />
test. Meeke had been<br />
embroiled in a close<br />
scrap with Kopecky for the runner-up<br />
spot. After dropping behind the Czech<br />
when an alternator glitch developed on<br />
SS15, Meeke hit back following rapid
EVENTS<br />
repairs by going fastest of all on SS16 to<br />
retake the place only to stop on the very<br />
next run.<br />
“It was very sudden and is a<br />
real blow,” said Meeke. “It leaves the<br />
championship hanging by a thread but I<br />
have to be pleased with my performance<br />
because I don’t think I’ve ever driven<br />
as well on a Tarmac rally as I did this<br />
weekend.”<br />
Meeke’s retirement almost<br />
brought about disaster for Kopecky and<br />
Hanninen, who were both competing in<br />
Madeira for the fi rst time. The Skoda<br />
Fabia S2000 Facelift drivers were<br />
running behind Meeke on the road when<br />
they encountered a coating of oil on<br />
the road, which had been dropped by<br />
Meeke’s stricken Peugeot.<br />
Kopecky managed to survive<br />
a wild slide on the third-gear sweeping<br />
left-hand corner, while Hanninen could<br />
not avoid brushing a concrete retaining<br />
wall. The impact caused damage to his<br />
Fabia’s right-rear corner, which triggered<br />
a puncture 8km from the end of the<br />
stage and dropped the Finn behind local<br />
driver Miguel Nunes.<br />
But with Nunes concentrating<br />
on maximising points in the Madeira<br />
championship rather than maintaining<br />
third place, Hanninen faced little<br />
opposition on his charge to the fi nal<br />
podium spot. Nunes, who only began<br />
competing in 2006, revealed his surprise<br />
at his fi nal position at the wheel of a<br />
Peugeot 207 S2000, especially after his<br />
original engine failed during a pre-event<br />
test.<br />
Vitor Sa overcame an oil<br />
pressure problem to claim fi fth with<br />
Filipe Freitas fi nishing as the leading<br />
Group N runner in sixth overall following<br />
Rui Pinto’s crash on SS16 in a similar<br />
Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer. The fi nal<br />
IRC points went to Joao Magalhaes<br />
in seventh and Pedro Peres in eighth.<br />
Ricardo Moura took ninth with Belgian<br />
Dominique Bruyneel completing the top<br />
ten on his fi rst visit to Madeira since<br />
1993.<br />
Burcu Cetinkaya achieved her<br />
objective of reaching the fi nish in her<br />
Peugeot Sport Turkey 207 S2000 as<br />
she continues to gain vital experience<br />
during her transition to four-wheel drive<br />
competition. Brazil’s Daniel Oliveira also<br />
completed the full distance in his Stohl<br />
Racing-prepared 207 S2000 after a<br />
mature drive.
Duarte Ramos secured IRC<br />
2WD Cup honours in his Peugeot 206<br />
after long-time leader Luis Serrado went<br />
out on Friday’s fi nal stage. Not only<br />
did Ramos, who becomes the seventh<br />
different winner in the two-wheel drive<br />
class this season, cover the event’s<br />
298.20 competitive kilometres, he<br />
also doubled as a mechanic due to a<br />
shortage of helpers in his privately-run<br />
team. Filipe Carvalho, at the wheel of a<br />
Peugeot 106, fi nished second.<br />
Luca Rossetti’s challenge came<br />
to an end with a sizeable accident on<br />
Friday’s penultimate stage. Although his<br />
Procar-run machine was badly damaged,<br />
neither Rossetti nor co-driver Matteo<br />
Chiarcossi suffered any injuries.<br />
Loix had double reason to<br />
celebrate after the fi nish in Funchal when<br />
he was handed the Colin McRae IRC Flat<br />
Out Trophy, which is presented to the<br />
most spectacular driver on all remaining<br />
rounds of this year’s IRC as part of the<br />
association between Eurosport Events,<br />
promoter of the IRC, and the Colin<br />
McRae Vision charity. Loix was chosen as<br />
the winner by IRC’s Jean-Pierre Nicolas,<br />
Eurosport’s Gilbert Roy and Jim McRae,<br />
Colin’s father.<br />
EVENTS<br />
Driver Quotes:<br />
Freddy Loix (Belgium), Skoda Fabia<br />
S2000, fi rst overall: “It’s been a good,<br />
clean drive from the start. I had a twohour<br />
test on Wednesday evening and<br />
straightaway I had a perfect feeling with<br />
the car and there was never a problem.<br />
Okay, I hurt my shoulder but it was fi ne<br />
in the stages because this car is so good<br />
and easy to drive. I’m very happy.”<br />
Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic), Skoda<br />
Fabia S2000, second overall: “It was a<br />
shame when Kris stopped because we<br />
were having a nice battle but it also<br />
caused me to have a big moment. I had<br />
a great test in Spain before the rally and<br />
this is a really good result.”<br />
Juho Hanninen (Finland), Skoda Fabia<br />
S2000, third overall: “Before the start I<br />
would not have believed I could be third<br />
because this is such a specialist rally<br />
and it has not been easy for me. But I<br />
am lucky to fi nish because I hit the wall<br />
really hard on stage 17.”
EVENTS<br />
DHRT TAKES ON THE<br />
FIX-A-SMASH ALL TAR RALLY<br />
WCRRC: ALL TAR RALLY<br />
14 - 15 August 2010<br />
Story: Divan de Goede<br />
Pictures: Frank Pey and Eric Josephs<br />
With a successful 2010 FIFA Football<br />
World Cup now in the history books, it<br />
is once again time to fi re up the rally<br />
cars for some action. The fi fth round of<br />
the 2010 Western Cape Regional Rally<br />
Championship will be the CCMCC Fix-a-<br />
Smash All Tar Rally.<br />
With most of the competitors<br />
last seeing action at the React Rally<br />
in early May, the rally crews will be<br />
relishing the opportunity to drive their<br />
cars in anger once more.<br />
The long break gave all the<br />
crews enough time to repair their cars’<br />
battle wounds and prepare the vehicles<br />
for the remaining three rallies on the<br />
calendar.<br />
This break also gave DHRT the<br />
opportunity to correct some issues on<br />
the car, such as fragile engine mounts<br />
and suspension top hats. The Corolla’s<br />
standard fi ve-speed gearbox was also<br />
rebuilt, only requiring minor attention. It<br />
is actually quite astounding the amount<br />
of punishment this gearbox can take,<br />
doing what it clearly wasn’t intended<br />
for. Other than this, our ultra-reliable<br />
Toyota Corolla N2 only required a normal<br />
service and lowering of the ride height to<br />
prepare for the upcoming rally.<br />
The rally will once again be<br />
based at the Killarney Motorsport<br />
Complex, spreading over the Saturday<br />
and Sunday.<br />
The rally will start at 14h00,<br />
with the Saturday’s fi nal stages being<br />
run during the night. DHRT understands<br />
that the night stage will be a very<br />
technical stage that should add to the<br />
challenge of this rally.<br />
Another feature of the All<br />
Tar Rally is that it is not only open to<br />
the rally crews, but also allows teams<br />
from other categories such as the GTi<br />
Challenge, Clubmans and even Motards<br />
to compete on the stages. This should<br />
add to the drama, and hopefully boost<br />
rally’s image at the same time.<br />
DHRT is once again entered into<br />
the very competitive Class S3, which will<br />
also see the return of Richard Behm in<br />
the Mike Nathan Class A6 Toyota Corolla.<br />
The team will also be relaying<br />
their stage times and speeds real-time<br />
using the SportsTracker program. We<br />
will be testing it at the All Tar Rally and<br />
the data will, if successful, be relayed to<br />
our Facebook Page (DH Rally Team) and<br />
Twitter (divanrally). If successful, the<br />
team will be using this program on all<br />
future rallies.<br />
DHRT would like to thank the<br />
following companies for their support:<br />
Saldanha Truck and Marine Centre, 4<br />
Wheel Alignment, JD Motorsport and<br />
Speedy Vredenburg.
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EVENTS