Showing posts with label rallying. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rallying. Show all posts

MINI WRC wins Rally Car of the Year Award

The MINI John Cooper Works World Rally Car has been named Rally Car of the Year at the Autosport awards in London, the most prestigious event in the motorsport industry calendar.

The award follows an exceptional debut year for the new car, which has seen it exceed all expectations, taking podium positions in the World Rally Championship as well as numerous successes in international rallies around the globe.

“This award caps what has been a truly memorable debut year for MINI in the World Rally Championship,” said Prodrive chairman, David Richards. “ we never anticipated that we would be fighting for podiums so soon, let alone leading WRC events, as we did in France. This award is a testament to the dedication of the whole team behind the project in Banbury and the commitment of BMW and MINI who have fully supported the programme.”

Prodrive started development of a new World Rally Car in early 2009, but it wasn’t until 18 months later that the MINI John Cooper Works WRC ran for the first time at Prodrive’s proving ground in Warwickshire on September 1 2010.

In addition to the two Works Team cars, Prodrive has supported as many as four further customer cars in several World Rally Championship events this year. By the end of 2011, 15 MINIs will have been delivered to customers and in 2012 it’s anticipated that there will be as many as 80 car starts for customer MINIs in the World Rally Championship.

Dr. Kay Segler, head of MINI, who collected the Autosport award with David Richards, said: “Wherever MINI has competed this year, it has seemed like all the fans have been cheering us on. It is therefore fitting that it is the fans and readers of Autosport that have voted the MINI WRC as the Rally Car of the Year.”

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Vital Equipment paints it orange for the RBF

The company responsible for distributing the control fuel for the FIA World Rally Championship and the MSA British Touring Car Championship, Vital Equipment, recently Painted it Orange to support the Richard Burns Foundation. Vital Equipment staff members proudly sported their RBF T-shirts as they provided the refuel at the recent Bettega Memorial Rallysprint event and in the process, had all eight drivers sign one of the shirts, which will be auctioned off in support of the RBF.

As every year, this year's event ran alongside the Bologna Motorshow and brought together eight drivers and riders from across motorsport, including the WRC and MotoGP.

By the end of the competition, it was Petter Solberg who took the overall victory, with Italian MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso taking an amazing second place, much to the delight of the crowd and the consternation of other rally drivers.

Mini team driver Kris Meeke was third while Ford now-number one driver Jari-Matti Latvala had to settle for fourth place.

Vital Equipment staff wore their Paint it Orange T-Shirts, created to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Burns' WRC title win, with pride throughout the event, to demonstrate their support of this worthy cause. However, they also decided to try to take things one step further, by asking every driver taking part in the event to sign one of the T-shirts, to become an auction prize.

Not only did every driver do so, they also posed for a photo. Vital Equipment will mount the shirt, along with a photo of every driver who took part and signed it, in a frame and then auction this off early in the New Year. Naturally, the proceeds will go to the Richard Burns Foundation.

Commenting, Vital Equipment Managing Director Alistair Roberts said: "I am delighted that we were able to get all the drivers taking part to sign the shirt and of course, am extremely grateful to all of them. We wanted to show our support for the RBF but at the same time, try to add a little extra and I am very proud that they all got behind us."

Details of the auction will be released in the New Year.

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Four Citroen DS3 WRCs planned for Sweden

Although Citroen has long-since revealed the identity of its main team, with Sebastien Ogier joining seven-time champion Sebastien Loeb in a pair of DS3 WRCs, the line-up of its second squad has yet to be finalised and has been the subject of considerable speculation in recent weeks.

“We will have two teams next year but I can’t tell you who will be in the second team because we need to secure the budget first,” said Quesnel. “That means for Dani Sordo we would have to find 100 per cent of the budget if he was to continue with Citroen and that is very complicated. It is the same for Kimi Raikkonen.”

Quesnel, who has spoken of his desire to include former world title-winner Petter Solberg in Citroen’s second team in 2011 after the Norwegian competed in a privately-run Citroen C4 WRC this season, says he has received several approaches from interested drivers.

“We have a lot of demand but we would prefer to have the drivers with the budget who are also very fast,” said Quesnel. “We would be very pleased with Kimi and Petter and I think they would have the priority but in the end we will see. Last year, at this time, we didn’t have any customer so I am not worried. We will just have to wait but I am sure we will have two cars in the second team, even though it is quite complicated."

Quesnel has confirmed that a maximum of four DS3 WRCs will compete in Sweden as part of a decision by Citroen not to make the car available to private customers in the first season of use.

Meanwhile Ford team boss Malcolm Wilson is still working on plans for up to 10 Fiesta RS WRCs to be ready in time for Rally Sweden. “We’re not there yet but it’s possible,” said Wilson.

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Ogier back on track after strong finish in France

Citroen has been using a number of high-profile guest drivers to finalise the new car’s development - including Kris Meeke and Stephane Sarrazin - with Ogier the latest driver to put the new 1.6 turbo Group R car through its paces.

Having climbed to seventh at the end of day two on the all-asphalt Rallye du Var, the final round of the French Rally Championship, a final push from Ogier saw him finish fifth - around three minutes behind Renault’s Formula One star Robert Kubica, who was fourth in a Renault Clio S1600 after setting three overall fastest stage times.

“We’ve driven well and made a good contribution to the development of the car on this unique territory,” said Ogier, who was contesting the Rallye du Var for the first time. “We’ve come across the worst possible conditions but the DS3 R3 has shown itself to be consistently competitive, particularly on the soaking wet roads of Sunday.”

At the beginning of next year, the new car will be available to customers, and it is expected to become a highlight of the Production Car World Rally Championship, which will admit two-wheel drive cars from next year.

“This victory in Group R is a great reward for everyone’s efforts,” added Ogier. “I’m sure it’s going to lead to plenty more. This car is very sophisticated: I think of the DS3 as a halfway house between the C2 and the C4 World Rally Car.”

Former Peugeot factory driver Cedric Robert won the event in a 307 WRC, while second place for Bryan Bouffier in a Peugeot 207 S2000 was enough for him to clinch the French title. Endurance racer Stephane Sarrazin was third in another Peugeot 207, ahead of Kubica.

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Reeves shows exceptional pace at Targa High Country

Written by Fabien Kornél

Fresh from their success at the Pirelli Star Driver Shootout in Spain two weeks ago, Brendan Reeves and Rhianon Smyth returned to tarmac rallying at the weekend. Driving a Mazda3 MPS for Mazda Motorsport in the inaugural Targa High Country rally, the brother-sister duo showed impressive speed and talent.

Day one of the rally on Saturday consisted of eight stages with the day starting and finishing at Mount Buller. Four stages were run in the morning before a lunch break at Wangaratta, with crews then repeating three of the morning stages on the return leg. The day's final stage was an ascent up the Mount Buller road and, after a superb run throughout the day, Reeves and Smyth ended the day with a lead in the Showroom Class of over three and a half minutes, and sixth place outright. With the rally's outright leaders driving much more powerful machinery in the form of Lamborghinis and Porsches, it was a remarkable effort to have the nimble Mazda3 MPS inside the top ten, let alone in sixth place.

Reeves and Smyth went into Sunday ready for another challenging day of technical high country roads! By the end of stage 10, they held a lead of over four minutes in the Showroom class.

In stage 11, the longest stage of the event at 28km, the pair were having a good run through the twisty downhill section, 26km into the stage, when their good run came to an end. After a fast straight into a sharp right corner, Reeves had some initial brake fade, which led to him having too fast an entry into the corner and with no other option but to run up the bank or hit another car already crashed, Reeves ran off the road.

"It's extremely disappointing as we were having such a great event and the Mazda was going beautifully," said Reeves. "We are really looking forward to getting back in the car again and working with Mazda."

Neither Reeves nor Smyth were injured in the incident.

Reeves and Smyth will now prepare for the final round of the Australian Rally Championship (ARC), Rally Victoria, which takes place around Warragul this weekend, November 13 and 14. The all new ARC event will be run by the Cerberus Car Club, of which they are both members. To support their club in the event, the pair will drive a Subaru from Rallyschool as '0' car on the gravel event.

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Villagra snatches championship lead from Pozzo

Written by Fabien Kornél

Federico Villagra (Mitsubishi/VRS) took a crucial victory over his main title contender Gabriel Pozzo (Subaru/Baratec) in Rally Pagos del Tuyú, round 11 of the Argentine National Rally, to claim a one point lead ahead of the final showdown of the year.

"Coyote" made his way through the race setting a fast and faultless pace which enables him to win nine of the fourteen stages scheduled to finally beat Pozzo who came 39,1s. adrift.

The former FIA Production Cup winner was far from matching Villagra's pace, fighting hard instead with Tango's owner Marcos Ligato (Mitsubishi), who was at the verge of snatching the second position until Pozzo's final reaction. Four positioned was Claudio Menzi (VW/Baratec) drivin g the sole Maxi Rally car so far, whilst Juan Marchetto (Mitsubishsi/VRS) finished fifth.

The final round of the series will be held next month (December 10-12) in Unquillo, in the province of Córdoba where the champion will be crowned. Villagra is chasing his ninth title -fifth in a row- whereas Pozzo is in search of his maiden national championship.

Rally Pagos del Tuyú
Final classification
1°) Federico Villagra-Diego Curletto (Mitsubishi) 1h15m58,4s.
2°) Gabriel Pozzo-Daniel Stillo (Subaru) + 39,1s.
3°) Marcos Ligato-Rubén García (Mitsubishi) + 51,5s.
4°) Claudio Menzi-Diego Cagnotti (Volkswagen) + 1m04,7s.
5°) Juan Marchetto-Gustavo Franchello (Mitsubishi) + 1m30,5s.
< style="text-align: justify">6°) Juan Gil De Marchi-Mauro Albornoz (Mitsubishi) + 3m35,8s.
7°) Adrián Santos-Nicolás Álvarez (Mitsubishi) + 3m38,5s.
8°) Agustín Elvira-Oscar Tagle (Mitsubishi) + 4m03,8s.

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Judd ready for marathon rally

Written by Fabien Kornél

One of New Zealand’s most experienced rally competitors, Jeff Judd, is ready to take on New Zealand’s only marathon rally, the Silver Fern Rally, when it gets underway on November 14.

Judd is highly respected around New Zealand as both a driver and co-driver, with achievements including contesting the Production World Rally Championship last year as co-driver to Mark Tapper.

The Christchurch Driver, along with co-driver Mark Smith, will contest the week-long rally in a Ford Escort RS1800 built to full classic specifications. The car has a strong history, winning the 1998 edition of the prestigious Otago Classic Rally as well as the 1999 Club Rally championship, which was later known as Rally Xtreme. After a crash at a classic race meeting in 2000, the car has been re-shelled across the last ten years and is ready for the demands of the Silver Fern.

Judd has been seeded second amongst an international field, just behind South African driver Geoff Bell in a similar car and is widely regarded as New Zealand’s best hope to win the Jim Clark Trophy for the first ‘period’ classic car home.

The Silver Fern Rally has run on three previous occasions with Judd having competed each time. After co-driving in 1990 and again in 2006 for Englishman Grant Shand, Judd got behind the wheel in 2008 in a similar car and was inside the top three on each of the five trouble-free days, however problems on the other three days meant the end result was 23rd overall.

The epay Silver Fern Rally gets underway on November 14, running for seven days with six stages on each day. Day one sees crews start the rally in Christchurch with a loop before returning for an overnight halt. The following day, crews will travel onto Timaru one night, then further south to Dunedin on day three. Day Four, which loops around Dunedin, has the longest distance of any day and two of the three longest stages of the event at 100.75km and 50.49 for a day total of nearly 250 competitive kilometres. Day five sees the crews head south to Invercargill, then north to Alexandra on Day six. The seventh and final day will lead the remaining teams to the Queenstown finish and the crews who get there will have traveled 1059km of special stages as well as 1850km of touring stages, where all road rules must be obeyed.

Judd’s 2010 Silver Fern campaign is backed by John Jones Steel, BNT, Fuchs Lubricants, VINZ Testing Stations, Waimate Pharmacy, Magnum Compliance Services, Balclutha Nissan, Canterbury Stoneguards, Import Part Specialists, Silvester V8 Performance, Garden City Helicopters and Windscreens Nationwide.

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De Mevius wins in Morocco

Written by Fabien Kornél

Belgian driver Gregoire de Mevius has won the Rallye International du Maroc by just under five minutes in his Kronos Racing Porsche 911, having turned round the 34-second deficit with which he started the final day.

In second place was Michele Mouton, the most successful lady in the history of the World Rally Championship, driving a Porsche 911 run by Tuthill Porsche. Completing the podium was South African Geoff Bell, in another Tuthill Porsche.

The rally ended with a thrilling finale after De Mevius, who had led from the very beginning, lost more than 20 minutes with a broken driveshaft on Friday morning. This allowed Mouton, who had lost a similar amount of time with a broken brake calliper on the very first day, into a slender lead.

She started the final day with just a half-minute advantage, but De Mevius mounted an unstoppable fightback, winning the first stage of the day by nearly two minutes. From then on he didn't look back, completing the rally by winning all three stages of the final day. In total, De Mevius claimed nine of the 20 stages while Mouton won six. Bell won two stages while the only other stage winner was the 1979 World Rally Champion Bjorn Waldegaard, at the wheel of a Peugeot 504 V6 owned by former Maroc winner Jean-Pierre Nicolas.

The first stage of the final day was run entirely on asphalt, adding another twist to the tale. The 35-kilometre section was extremely slippery because all the competitors were running on gravel tyres, and there were plenty of loose stones by the side of the road.

"I really needed to push there, so we went as hard as we could," said De Mevius. "It wasn't easy as we were sideways all the time but maybe it was there that we won the rally. It was also thanks to my co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul, because he was able to fix the broken driveshaft that we had yesterday. If it had just been me, then I would have stood no chance of doing it! But in the end it all went well and of course I am very happy to win. It's been a fantastic event; we've had a great time."

Mouton regretted her tyre choice on the opening asphalt stage. "We had the wide tyre and that was definitely a bad idea," she said. "It was so, so slippery, which meant that I preferred to back off. It was great to lead, but there was no point to take any risks. It's been a really tough week and I can certainly feel it now!"

Bell, who ran as high as second overall, was extremely encouraged by his performance on the event, which he completed without any problems. "We've managed to steer clear of trouble, which is crucial here, and we've really enjoyed ourselves," he pointed out. "It's also been a big privilege to compete against drivers of the calibre of Michele and Gregoire."

This year's Rallye International du Maroc, which took in a total route of 2800 kilometres, went from Marrakech to Ouarzazate to Foum Zguid to Agadir and then back to Marrakech, crossing the length and breadth of the country. Competitors witnessed some breathtaking scenery, with the route climbing to more than 2000 metres in altitude over the Atlas Mountains, as well as blasting through barren desert landscapes. There were rocky roads and smooth ones, heavy rain and blistering sunshine, flat-out straights and twisty sections, five star hotels and a Berber-style bivouac under the stars.

More than anything else, the revival of the Rallye International du Maroc for the first time in more than 20 years celebrated diversity. The huge variety of the roads was also reflected in the wide range of competitors. As well as former champions, one of the people taking part was Scotland's Derek Melville, for whom Maroc was his very first rally. Melville was delighted by his eventual ninth place finish, having experienced all the highs and lows that the sport has to offer.

"It's been the most incredible adventure," he said. "We've had our ups and downs and we've also got lost a couple of times, but it's been an amazing experience. It's a very tough event, but really anybody can come and do it, which is one of the things that appealed to me."

Porsche was the most well-represented manufacturer in Morocco, with eight cars on the entry list, but the second best represented manufacturer was Citroen. A total of four Citroens started the event, including three examples of the DS (one of which was a rare short-wheelbase version) and an SM. The highest-placed Citroen was the short DS of Frederic Daunat, which finished seventh. Two former Citroen factory drivers, Philippe Wambergue and Bob Neyret, rounded off the list of finishers.

Waldegaard was affected by ongoing mechanical issues but still managed to bring his car home 13th overall, having enjoyed the social side of the event as much as the competition. "For the last few days we decided just to do one stage a day in order to bring the car home, but that meant that we had more time to enjoy the scenery and the nice atmosphere," he said. "Morocco is a very nice country and this is a real flavour of how rallying used to be."
Event organiser Paul-Eric Jarry, a keen rallyman himself and the owner of the Porsche that Mouton was driving, concluded: "We set out with this vision of recapturing the golden age of the Rallye International du Maroc and I think we have succeeded. We benefited from some top quality drivers on the entry list and I would like to thank everyone for coming, as well as all the other people from Morocco and elsewhere who have supported our event. Our plan is to make this rally a regular fixture, alternating with the East African Safari Rally, and I believe that we have laid some very solid foundations for the future over the last week."

Provisional top 10 classification after day seven:
1 Gregoire de Mevius (B)/Nicolas Gilsoul (B) Porsche 911 14h45m01s
2 Michele Mouton (F)/Fabrizia Pons (I) Porsche 911 14h49m47s
3 Geoff Bell (ZA)/Tim Challen (EAK) Porsche 911 15h04m15s
4 John Lloyd (GB)/Adrian Cavenagh (GB) Ford Escort 16h10m34s
5 Steve Troman (GB)/Calvin Cooledge (GB) Porsche 911 16h26m45s
6 Jac Nelleman (DK)/Joseph Huber (CH) Porsche 911 18h01m31s
7 Frederic Daunat (F)/Guy Chirqui (F) Citroen DS 18h14m09s
8 Aslam Khan (EAK)/Ashard Khan (EAK) Ford Escort 20h12m55s
9 Derek Melville (GB)/Peter Lythell (GB) Porsche 911 21h18m24s
10 Albert Michiels (B)/Patrick de Coninck (B) Porsche 911 22h07m48s

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Horsey hampered on home rally

Written by Fabien Kornél

27 year old Peter Horsey lost out on a sensational podium position on his home rally when the Mombasa born rally driver lost time with both a broken suspension strut and a puncture! Peter redeemed himself by taking a pair of stage wins on his way to fifth overall in his Civicon backed Mitsubishi Evo 9.

Peter, co-driven by Ugandan based Dez Page-Morris, had high hopes entering this rally. A rough section on the longest stage of the rally, a 59 kilometre test, saw Peter damage a front suspension component, costing him over a minute to his rivals. Despite this, as the rally reached the half way point Peter, the current African representative in the Pirelli Star Driver scheme, was pleased to be placed third overall.

The penultimate section of the rally was a repeat of the 59 kilometre stage but when Peter picked up a puncture half way through this difficult test he had no option but to stop and change wheels. This time loss dropped him back to fifth overall, and even a fastest stage time on the final test could not make up such a huge time loss.

Once again a puncture ruined my rally but we were not alone amongst the front runners to have tyre issues. The route was very technical and over half the field retired with various problems, so just to finish was an achievement. I’m pleased with how my notes worked and it was great to get some top times on my home event!

Peter will next compete on the final round of the World Rally Championship, Wales Rally GB. The Cardiff based event takes place in mid November and will be the sixth and final round of Peter’s 2010 World Rally Championship program.

For more information on Peter please visit www.peterhorsey.com

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San Remo to be World Challenge

The 52nd edition of Rallye Sanremo actually started on August 24th when entry opened. This first important phase that will lead to start the engines and wave the starting flag, will close on September 13th. The organizers of AC Sanremo started working long ago already, because the organization of an event that with the time became an icon in international rallying, requires the maximum effort and accuracy in all details.

The event will be highly competitive but with attention to safety, two aspects that always characterized Rallye Sanremo, that this year will take place from September 21st to 25th, and is valid both for the Italian Rally Championship and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. Two different championships that proceed in parallel as usual during this event on the Ligurian west coast: on one side the Italian rallying aces ready to challenge among them to win and show off on the international “stage” and on the other side the international drivers that will arrive once again in Liguria to fight for win and challenge the “home” drivers.

Eleven special stages for 220.030 timed kilometers and a total route of 465.630 km. These are the main characteristics of a race that will confirm, also in 2010, its beauty and that will offer great motorsport’s moments, like the ones that right here inspired the entire world rallying.

“The 2010 edition will be quite classic again – said Sergio Maiga, President of the Organizing Committee – A first leg closing with the usual grand final of the “Night Ring” and a second leg less tough but not less demanding. The route will be quite tight and not very different from the last few years. Also this year edition will maintain the characteristics of few but long special stages, that I consider as for “tough men”, very demanding both on drivers and cars. We hope to have a good entry list of drivers and teams, considering what happened in both the Championships we are about to represent and also for the appreciation showed by several people in the past”.

As usual Rallye Sanremo will have quite an important media support, especially on television thanks to Eurosport world broadcast and RAI Sport that will broadcast live SS9 during the second day of the event, at 01.00 pm. RAI offered this service throughout the whole Italian rallying season.

THE PROGRAM OF THE RACE: In the second half of September Sanremo, a town for vacations, a town of songs (the Saremo Italian Music Festival), a town with an astonishing natural beauty placed in a unique territory, but above all a town of “rally”, will be once again the world stage for the best Italian and international drivers and teams.

The recce of the route will take place on September 21st and 22nd with specified timings and under the strict control of the Marshals. After this first “competitive prelude”, that will be for sure quite important for the final result, competitors will undergo administrative checks and scrutineering, starting in the evening on Wednesday 22nd (from 06.00 pm to 11.00 pm), at the Old railway station in Sanremo. The same day ad 04.00 pm the Rally Village, located as usual inside the Service Park along the sea front, will open. The location will allow anyone to be part of the colorful and exciting rallying world.

Administrative checks and scrutineering will continue the next day, Thursday September 23rd. from 09.00 am to 04.00 pm. The Shakedown, the racing cars’ test, will take place from 12.30 pm to 05.00 pm, at San Romolo.

The race will start at 01.00 pm on Friday September 24th. It’ll be a tough though exciting day that will close in Sanremo after midnight. The challenge will take place on roads that form part of rallying history: Coldirodi, Apricale and Monte Bignone. These special stages will be run first one at the time and then all together in the fearsome “Ring” of 44 km. After six special stages competitors would have covered 108,610 timed kilometers out of a total of 220.

Saturday September 25th, the final day, there will be other five special stages. The short stage of Bajardo, less than two kilometers long, will be broadcasted live by RAI Sport, enough to let viewers appreciate the peculiarity of road races. The special stages of Monte Ceppo and Passo Teglia are almost 30 km long each one, so is not going to be really a “quiet” day. The second day will comprehend other 111,420 timed kilometers. The final arrival is provided at 03.37 pm.

SEVEN YAERS LATER WRC CARS ARE BACK IN SANREMO
Who said “Sanremo is always Sanremo”? It’s true anyway… Sanremo is always ready to surprise, mainly in motorsport, the so called “town of flowers” is always ready to give its best. Seven years after their last evolutions on the tarmac roads of the Ligurian west coast, World Rally Cars are back where they were protagonists of legendary challenges. As a matter of fact “Legend” is the name of the race created on purpose for the queens of the world rally series that will be in town again, thanks to the brilliant intuition of Sergio Maiga and the members of his staff: “The idea – explains Maiga – is to give to as many drivers as possible the opportunity to pour out their passion in the same event together with the big drivers of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and the Italian Rally Championship, including drivers who, due to different reasons, do not have the possibility to compete in a highly demanding race as historically is Rallye Sanremo”.

“Sanremo Legend”, will be a “race in the race”, reserved not only to historic cars but to all cars, including expired approval cars. These cars will challenge on a shorter route, 8 special stages for a total of 120 timed kilometers. Sure a shorter route but though exciting running it.

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Stobart Crews Seek to Shake Things Up in Sweden

Karlstad, Sweden — The Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team will aim to open the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship season in style when it travels to Sweden next week with a former world champion in its ranks.

Regular drivers Matthew Wilson and Henning Solberg will be joined by double WRC title-winners Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen, who won the event in 2006 and 2007 when driving a Ford Focus RS WRC for the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team. Mattias Therman will also enter under the Stobart banner. The quartet of crews will all enter using a Ford Focus RS WRC prepared by M-Sport.

Grönholm and Solberg will be the nominated points scorers for the team and given the success Stobart has enjoyed in Sweden in previous years – including a third-place podium spot courtesy of Gigi Galli in 2008 and a fourth-place from Solberg in 2007 – the squad will be determined to shine on the snowy Scandinavian stages once again.

However, many of the stages will be new to the drivers with Rally Sweden returning to the WRC calendar for the first time since 2008. Since the last event the route has been changed to include stages further north in the country in a bid to ensure there is as much snow on them as possible and make it a true "winter rally".

Starting and finishing in Karlstad, with the main service park in Hagfors, the rally will take in 345 kilometres of competitive stage distance. After kicking off with the opening Super Special stage in Karlstad on the Thursday evening, crews will face a tough test on Friday as they tackle six stages of 122.54 kilometres, before returning to Karlstad again for a re-run of the Super Special. Apart from the Super Specials virtually all of the stage routes are new to the rally – meaning drivers will have to be on top form in order not to fall victim to what are expected to be extremely tough conditions on the roads.

Day two will see crews face a further eight stages, including the longest and shortest on the rally – the 24.63km Vargåsen and 1.87km Hagfors Sprint respectively. Once again the majority of the distance is new for 2010 and is likely to provide a tough test of the competitors' abilities.

More familiar territory awaits crews who have tackled the event in the past on day three, with all five of the remaining stages incorporating routes used in 2008.

With temperatures expected to be among the coldest in 20 years and drop as low as -20C, with plenty of snow and ice on the roads, the Stobart crews will look to make the most of Pirelli's SottoZero control snow tyre. The specially-developed compound features nearly 400 tungsten-tipped metal studs to give crews maximum traction in the sub-zero conditions.

The team's Scandinavian contingent will be especially confident of using their experience to master the winter weather and give Stobart M-Sport Ford a blistering start to the 2010 season.

Henning Solberg will line up in Sweden for the Stobart M-Sport Ford team with a new co-driver. Having previously worked with navigator Cato Menkerud for nine years, the Norwegian has made a change for 2010 with the addition of Austrian co-pilot Ilka Minor.
Minor is a seasoned competitor who has tackled almost 70 WRC rallies, has previously worked with Solberg on his safety notes and was a former team-mate at Peugeot.

Stobart M-Sport Ford driver Marcus Grönholm said: "I'm really happy to be driving the Ford Focus again; it still feels really good to drive. All the stages on this rally will be quite difficult but I hear that there has been a lot of snow so there should be some big snow banks which will make the conditions good. Realistically my aim is for a podium, yes it would be fantastic to be challenging for the win but that is going to be difficult after having such a long break from the WRC; I will just need to wait and see how my speed is."

Stobart M-Sport Ford driver Henning Solberg said: "I'm excited about this rally in Sweden. Snow is my favourite surface and we set some good times last year in Norway. But with Rally Norway not in the WRC this year, Sweden will feel like my home event so I want to put on a good show for the Norwegian fans that will come to watch and for my sponsors Expert. It's great to be back in the Ford Focus and hopefully with my new co-driver Ilka, we will be able to get a good start to the season."

Stobart M-Sport Ford driver Matthew Wilson said: "The recce will be very important as we weren't in Sweden last year and some stages are from 2007; but the conditions should be great. We are starting the championship on one of the quickest rallies of the year so the challenge will be to get up to speed straight away on the first day. We've experienced some arctic conditions in the UK over the last few months but to drive flat out on snow stages with studs is an amazing experience and totally different to any other event in the WRC calendar."

Stobart M-Sport Ford driver Mattias Therman said: "I'm really looking forward to the rally next week. My last event in the Ford Focus RS WRC in Finland last year was a fantastic experience and if Sweden is half the amount of fun I had in Finland then I will be happy. I haven't competed in Rally Sweden before so it will be difficult for me but I have the perfect team-mate in Marcus Grönholm to give me some advice. I'm not expecting to be fast; I really want to complete the rally. If I'm in the top-15 at the finish I will be pleased."

Stobart M-Sport Ford team principal Malcolm Wilson said: "It's fantastic to see Stobart Group continuing for its fifth season in the World Rally Championship and continuing to support Matthew again; his target this year is to achieve some podium finishes. The Stobart team have an impressive history in Sweden, Gigi Galli scored a podium there last time out, and with Marcus and Henning heading up the team, there's no reason why another podium couldn't be achieved. It's great to see Marcus back behind the wheel of a Ford Focus again."

Source: http://www.worldrallysport.com
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Dani Sordo Leads Rally Sweden After Super Special

Karlstad, Sweden — Citroen Total Team driver Dani Sordo is Thursday's overnight leader of Rally Sweden after setting the fastest time through the rally opening Super Special Stage in his C4 World Rally Car.

Thousands of spectators braved sub-zero temperatures to watch the first stage of the 2010 World Rally Championship - a floodlit, head-to-head blast around a 1.9km ice circuit in the rally's host city of Karlstad.

After recording a time of 1min 34.4sec around the figure-of-eight track Sordo was delighted with his performance. "We had a really good pre-event test, as well as a good time on the arctic rally a fortnight ago and that's helped me get a good feeling in the car," he said. "I know I can still go faster if I need to, but so far so good."

Citroen Junior team driver Sebastien Ogier, also in a C4 WRC, was nearest to Sordo's time, but a full two seconds slower. "I enjoyed the stage and I like to drive in these ice conditions," he said.

A deliberately careful start from Ford team leader Mikko Hirvonen netted him the third fastest time, while similar approaches put defending world champion Sebastien Loeb fourth and Marcus Gronholm fifth.

Super Special winner in 2008 Petter Solberg, however, paid the price for a more aggressive approach. The Norwegian nudged a snow bank and later spun his C4 WRC, reaching the finish control 18.3sec slower than Sordo and without a front bumper. "I got some very, very bad oversteer, but it was my fault - I tried too hard. That's just how it is," he explained.

On his first WRC stage with the Citroen Junior Team, Kimi Raikkonen set the ninth fastest time. "That was okay," he said. "A little bit cautious but I took it easy. It's okay, all you can do on these stages is lose it."

After this evening's prelude, the proper stage action begins on Friday morning at 0818hrs, when crews tackle the first of six stages in the countryside north of Karlstad, before a return to Karlstad for a repeat of the Super Special.

Source: http://www.worldrallysport.com
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The FIA Mandates Improved 8860-2004 Helmets for Use in WRC

From 1 January 2010, the latest FIA 8860-2004 helmet became mandatory for all Priority 1 and 2 drivers competing in World Rally Championship events. The helmet, which took eight years to develop by the FIA and FIA Institute, provides drivers with increased protection in all key areas of safety.

The helmet absorbs 50 per cent more impact energy and has improved load spreading during side impact accidents.

It also resists 30 per cent more penetration energy and provides up to 30 per cent more protection against injury caused by excessive rotational accelerations.

An 8860-2004 helmet withstands an impact of 9.5m/s with deceleration of less than 300g. During fire tests, the helmet was subjected to 800°C for 30 seconds, with temperatures inside the helmet not exceeding 70°C. In addition, the visors can withstand projectiles being fired at them at high speeds.

The basic design consists of an exceptionally stiff and strong outer shell and an energy-absorbing inner liner. The outer shell protects the head from external penetration and has been developed to work in combination with the inner liner to provide the increased energy absorption. When the helmet hits something (or something hits the helmet) the head will continue moving inside the helmet until all the energy has been absorbed.

The liner’s job is to bring the head to a stop as gently as possible. This is achieved by using combinations of different density-lining materials. The outer shell of the FIA 8860-2004 helmet is designed not to deform, thus allowing maximum energy absorption of the inner liner and minimum G-forces inside the helmet.

To achieve this, the helmet designers use layers of different composite materials, carefully chosen for their different properties. The outer shell of the helmet is, typically, made up of layers of T1000 aerospace-grade carbon-fibre material, created by weaving together thousands of kilometres of micro-threads. The strength of the material is not simply about the strength of the micro-threads, but also how tightly they are woven together.

The use of lightweight materials means that the finished helmets can weigh as little as 1200 grams (unpainted) but can withstand astonishing forces.

The FIA and the helmet manufacturers go to great lengths to ensure that these helmets are as efficient as possible such that they provide maximum protection.

Source: http://www.worldrallysport.com
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Stobart Cyprus Rally update after SS9: Matthew Wilson up to fifth

Written by Scott Coursey

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Matthew Wilson had a storming start to day two of the Cyprus Rally moving up from eighth to fifth after three stages as he thrived on the challenging gravel stages in the Troodos mountains.

The hard work of the team overnight to get the cars switched to a full gravel set up paid off as both Wilson and Henning Solberg performed well in the slippery conditions caused by heavy overnight rain in Cyprus.

Wilson held his nerve in the mud on SS8 while other drivers faltered on the muddy roads finishing fifth on the 28.1 kilometre Pano Panagia stage. The result moved him up to sixth in the overall rankings and put him within striking distance of Evgeny Novikov just ahead. And on the final stage of the morning Wilson reeled in Novikov’s 0.6 second lead to take fifth place overall.

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud put yesterday’s crash behind them as their rally finally got underway and they immediately started their charge to earn manufacturer points finishing sixth on SS8 23.6 seconds behind team mate Wilson. Despite collecting a puncture a couple of kilometres from the end of SS9 Solberg posted another good time just 7.9 seconds behind Wilson.

With no repeated stages today the drivers face two long stages of 30.9 kilometres and 26.2 kilometres on the twisting mountain roads where Wilson will look to keep up the pace he set in the morning and stretch his lead over Novikov.

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Matthew Wilson said:
“It is great to have moved up three places in three stages. It felt good this morning and we’ve found a good rhythm. We lost a bit too much time on the tarmac but today has been a big improvement on yesterday. We really didn’t make any mistakes this morning which is great because it is quite easy to with all the mud this morning. The middle stage was quite difficult and it was tough keeping the car on the road even at low speed. There’s a lot of mud out there and it’s horrible stuff; we’ve just had the car weighed and we’re carrying about 100kg of mud.”

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Henning Solberg said:
“I feel like I am playing catch-up today as this morning was my first stage when everyone else has had a full day out there. The stages are very muddy in places and in the sections with the mud it is very difficult to keep the car on the road. The mud is making the car feel very sluggish. We picked up a puncture on the last stage but it happened a couple of kilometres from the end and didn’t really slow us down. We’ll keep concentrating on what we’re doing this afternoon; the stages are more twisty with lots of corners and lots of pacenotes to listen to"

Source: http://www.rallybuzz.com
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Gronholm tests Mikkelsen’s Rally Sweden Fiesta S2000

Written by Scott Coursey

Marcus Gronholm is testing the Ford Fiesta S2000 today that Andreas Mikkelsen will use on next weekend's Rally Sweden, according to the Norwegian's website.

The double world champion (who is Mikkelsen's mentor) was testing the Fiesta, in Kall, northern Sweden, alongside the Ford Focus WRC 08 that he will drive under the Stobart banner in Sweden. Mikkelsen will begin his test with the super 2000 Fiesta on Monday.

When asked by autosport.com if he can win the Swedish Rally this year, Gronholm replied: "I would say it's quite difficult. I haven't driven for so long now and to be competitive straight away is tough. I will be disappointed if I'm not in the right kind of speed with the other drivers, though. I think it's fully possible to make the podium."

Source: http://www.rallybuzz.com
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Stobart Seek to Shake Things Up in Sweden

Written by Scott Coursey

The Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team will aim to open the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship season in style when it travels to Sweden next week with a former world champion in its ranks.

Regular drivers Matthew Wilson and Henning Solberg will be joined by double WRC title-winners Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen, who won the event in 2006 and 2007 when driving a Ford Focus RS WRC for the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team. Mattias Therman will also enter under the Stobart banner. The quartet of crews will all enter using a Ford Focus RS WRC prepared by M-Sport.

Grönholm and Solberg will be the nominated points scorers for the team and given the success Stobart has enjoyed in Sweden in previous years – including a third-place podium spot courtesy of Gigi Galli in 2008 and a fourth-place from Solberg in 2007 – the squad will be determined to shine on the snowy Scandinavian stages once again.

However, many of the stages will be new to the drivers with Rally Sweden returning to the WRC calendar for the first time since 2008. Since the last event the route has been changed to include stages further north in the country in a bid to ensure there is as much snow on them as possible and make it a true ‘winter rally’.

Starting and finishing in Karlstad, with the main service park in Hagfors, the rally will take in 345 kilometres of competitive stage distance. After kicking off with the opening Super Special stage in Karlstad on the Thursday evening, crews will face a tough test on Friday as they tackle six stages of 122.54 kilometres, before returning to Karlstad again for a re-run of the Super Special. Apart from the Super Specials virtually all of the stage routes are new to the rally – meaning drivers will have to be on top form in order not to fall victim to what are expected to be extremely tough conditions on the roads.

Day two will see crews face a further eight stages, including the longest and shortest on the rally – the 24.63km Vargåsen and 1.87km Hagfors Sprint respectively. Once again the majority of the distance is new for 2010 and is likely to provide a tough testof the competitors’ abilities.

More familiar territory awaits crews who have tackled the event in the past on day three, with all five of the remaining stages incorporating routes used in 2008.

With temperatures expected to be among the coldest in 20 years and drop as low as -20C, with plenty of snow and ice on the roads, the Stobart crews will look to make the most of Pirelli’s SottoZero control snow tyre. The specially-developed compound features nearly 400 tungsten-tipped metal studs to give crews maximum traction in the sub-zero conditions.

The team’s Scandinavian contingent will be especially confident of using their experience to master the winter weather and give Stobart M-Sport Ford a blistering start to the 2010 season.

Source: http://www.rallybuzz.com
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Raikkonen and Ogier all set for Rally Sweden

Written by Chris Harrold

For its second consecutive season in the FIA World Rally Championship, the Citroën Junior Team will enter two Citroën C4 WRCs for Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia and Kimi Räikkönen / Kaj Lindström. The season’s opening round is held over the snowy stages of Rally Sweden, which takes place around Karlstad from February 11-14.

After a learning year in 2009, the 2010 season holds plenty of promise for the Citroën Junior Team. Sébastien Ogier, who formed part of the team last year, is joined this season by the 2007 Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen. By pairing up one of world rallying’s brightest young stars with a wellknown driver embarking on the ultimate challenge, the Citroën Junior Team will be well and truly under the spotlight this year!

The wintry conditions of the Rally Sweden present a tough task to the crews on the season-opener, but most drivers love the high speeds reached on the ice and snow. Thanks to stages that sometimes have an average speed of more than 120 kph and racing lines that thread their way precisely through imposing snow banks, spectators are sure to witness a breathtaking spectacle.

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia enjoyed a remarkable first full season at the wheel of the Citroën C4 WRC in 2009 and they start the 2010 season with the same motivation – and a year’s worth of extra experience under their belts. "I just can’t wait to start driving the Citroën C4 WRC in the heat of competition again," said the Frenchman. "It seems a very long time now since the 2009 season ended!"

Having contested the Monte Carlo Rally at the start of the year, Sébastien was in Finland last week to prepare for Rally Sweden with a day of testing close to Rovaniemi. "We covered around 200 kilometres in order to get to grips with the car again and work on the set-up of the Citroën C4 WRC," he reported. "I’m very pleased with the way that the car is handling. I quickly felt comfortable again and I love driving in these conditions."

Rally Sweden will be a brand new experience for Sébastien Ogier. Nonetheless, he hopes to put the experience he gained on Rally Norway last year to good use. "Actually, we’re getting rather used to driving on rallies for the first time," added Sébastien. "I hope that we can show what we are capable against what is always very strong opposition on these winter rallies. Our objective on this first event of the year is just to continue to progress."

Making his debut alongside the 2008 Junior World Rally Champions is Kimi Räikkönen. The handful of rally events he contested in 2009 has given the Finn the desire to embark on a full season with the Citroën Junior Team.

Following some test sessions and a run on the Arctic Lapland Rally a few days ago, Kimi Räikkönen has covered nearly 600 kilometres with the Citroën C4 WRC. "I’m just really keen to get to the start of Rally Sweden now," he said. "With Citroën, we have made some good preparations for this event. All the kilometres I already have behind me will allow me to begin the rally with no particular worries. I know that I still have many things to learn though and plenty of experience to accumulate. My goal is simply to do my best with the Citroën C4 WRC. My debut in the World Rally Championship is an enormous challenge but any driver who has competed in motorsport at a certain level always maintains the same way of working and the same desire to push themselves. I feel that I’m ready to take on this challenge now."

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Barry plans practice rally

Written by Scott Coursey

Daniel Barry is planning to enter a rally in the United Kingdom or Ireland in order to stay match fit ahead of his next appearance in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Barry, who finished 21st overall on his debut in the series on Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo last month, isn’t due to contest an IRC event until the Geko Ypres Rally in Belgium from June 24-26.

The Mitsubishi Lancer driver said: “Ypres is the next event. There is a big gap until then so I will probably fit a small rally in between to keep our hand in.”

Barry said the Monte Carlo event had proved a tough start to his IRC campaign, especially after he was forced to complete a 100-kilometre road section with only first and second gears after the gearbox blew on the fourth stage of the rally.

“It was the toughest test of endurance I’ve ever experienced,” Barry said. “I’ve done entire rallies that were shorter than the 45-kilometre stage on leg one. The longest straight in that stage was about 200 metres, so there was no let up from start to finish. Anyone who got to the finish deserved a medal.”

After Ypres, Irishman Barry is due to contest a further four IRC events, including the Tarmac rallies in Czech Republic and Italy and the gravel-based RAC MSA Rally of Scotland.

source: http://www.rallybuzz.com
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Hirvonen holds second as title battle rages

A thrilling opening day at the World Rally Championship decider in Great Britain ended with Ford World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen lying second, just 5.3sec from the lead.

The Finns, in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car, traded seconds with drivers' title
rivals Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena through six speed tests in the muddy forests of mid-Wales, before journeying south to the Rally of Great Britain's Cardiff base Friday evening with the title outcome still in the balance.

Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila are ninth in another Focus RS WRC after struggling through virtually the entire day with only two-wheel drive on their car.

Just a single point separated the title protagonists going into this 12th and final round of the season. After Thursday night's start ceremony in the Welsh capital, drivers faced the long journey north to tackle two identical loops of three special stages covering 130.30km in the classic forests of central Wales.

The gravel tracks were muddy and slippery after rain throughout the week, and fog on Friday morning ensured all the ingredients for a classic Rally of Great Britain were in place.

As expected, Hirvonen and Loeb established themselves at the top of the leaderboard from the very start. Ford's 29-year-old Finn was second in all three tests during the opening loop to reach the short service halt in Builth Wells 8.9sec behind his rival. The team lowered the ride height on Hirvonen's car there and he won the first and last stages in the second loop to reduce the margin to 5.3sec as cars headed south for the overnight halt.

"It wasn't a perfect morning but it wasn't a disaster either," said Hirvonen. "I was too cautious and made some small mistakes. I slid too wide in some corners and perhaps I was trying to drive too hard. I felt confident but I knew I needed to make my driving neater because I couldn't afford to drop any more seconds. My driving was much better this afternoon and if I can keep that level tomorrow then I will be happy.

"We're two Finns in a rally car that are fighting for our lives. The battle is on. I wanted to end the day in close contact with Loeb and I've achieved that. The weather forecast for tomorrow is bad and I think we're going to get rain, fog and high winds in the morning. If that's the case then I have to trust my pace notes and push hard. I'm not scared of making a mJustify Fullistake," Hirvonen declared.

Latvala's hopes were dented on the opening stage in Hafren when a front left driveshaft broke, which in turn damaged the pipe containing the fluid for the front brakes.

The fluid leaked out leaving the 24-year-old Finn with no braking at the front as well as only rear-wheel drive. He dropped four minutes to reach Builth Wells service in 10th.

Source: http://www.inforally.sibiul.ro
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Stobart stars stay in points chase

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford drivers Matthew Wilson and Henning Solberg had a tough start to Rallye de España, the penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship, adapting to the challenging tarmac conditions. But both drivers are well-placed to chase strong points finishes with Wilson lying in eighth place at the end of Day One and Solberg two spots further back in tenth.

Both Stobart crews attended a charity auction organised by Rally Travel to benefit the Richards Burns Foundation before the Ceremonial Start on Thursday night where spectators were treated to a spectacular fireworks display on the seafront as the drivers were introduced.

With 100 per cent of the stages remaining the same as last year’s edition of the event, there were few surprises in store for the crews, but with so few asphalt events on the WRC calendar this year, the change of surface provides a real challenge for many of the competitors.

Day One was made up of two passes over a three-stage loop based to the north of Rally HQ in Salou. At 131.76kms it was the longest of the rally and heavy overnight rain meant that the morning stages presented an added trial for the competitors. Road conditions in some places were wet for all 70 starting crews, but the stages began to dry out as the day progressed. The Stobart team’s decision to go with the reliable hard compound Pirelli PZero asphalt tyres on the Focus RS WRCs to deal with the tricky surface served both crews well.

Wilson and co-driver Scott Martin suffered early on as they lost braking just 2kms into the 20.48km SS1 La Mussara on a flat, fast section of the opening stage. But the young Brit recovered well and showed improvement over the next two stages, outpacing his team mate to stay in a points-scoring position going into the midday service.

Solberg meanwhile, with no pre-event testing under his belt, used the opening stages to adjust to the conditions in the first asphalt event since Rally Ireland at the start of the season. Finishing the morning just outside the points, the Norwegian and co-driver Cato Menkerud concentrated on keeping clean lines through the gravel-strewn corners on the twisting roads of the Tarragona region.

With no major changes made to his car after the morning stages, Wilson produced a reliable performance in the afternoon, adjusting to the drier road conditions. Gravel dragged on to the roads in the morning loop meant that some of the corners on the stages were slippery, but he adapted well to the changing situation to maintain in eighth place and stretch his lead over his team mate to 29.9 seconds.

Solberg continued the consistency shown in the morning tests, but lost time on the final stage of the day, SS6 El Montmell, as he slowed to avoid a dog that had run out onto the stage. These lost seconds meant that he slipped behind the Focus RS WRC of Munchi’s star Federico Villagra and he will be aiming to move back up towards the points early on Day Two.

Saturday will see the crews head north-west of Salou to take on a further six stages including the epic 38.27km El Priorat - La Ribera d'Ebre which kicks off the day. The drivers face two passes over the longest stage of the rally which forms part of a three-stage loop.

Other rally news
Citroën drivers Dani Sordo and Sebastien Loeb dominated the opening day with home hero Sordo taking a 1.6 second lead over his championship-chasing team mate into Day Two of the rally. But current championship leader BP Ford Abu Dhabi’s Mikko Hirvonen has put himself in a strong position to maintain his lead in the drivers’ standings lying in third place at the end of the first day.

Petter Solberg in fourth place is hoping to challenge for the podium in his new Citroën C4 and will be aiming to close the 25.5 second gap to Hirvonen as Day Two gets underway. But he in turn will be under pressure from Citroën Junior star Sebastien Ogier and BP Ford Abu Dhabi’s Jari-Matti Latvala.

On a strong day for the Citroën Junior outfit, young Russian Evgeny Novikov performed well to lie in seventh place at the end of Day One. Meanwhile Munchi’s Ford driver Federico Villagra, currently lying in ninth, is aiming to take a points finish in his final event of the season.

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Matthew Wilson said:
“The first stage of the day was very difficult because the roads were damp and I had an issue with my brakes. The second stage in the loop was always the best for me but I struggled both times through on the third stage because of the changing surface during the stage. The car feels good though and we’re not going to do anything to it overnight. It’s good to have a full day on dry tarmac behind us and I’m looking forward to building upon that tomorrow.”

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Henning Solberg said:
“I had a steady start. It’s my first event on dry Tarmac for over a year, but checking our times, we are faster now than last year so that is very good. I’ve been concentrating on driving carefully and cleanly to get the line right through the corners. It’s not going to come overnight but I’m pleased with the progress we’ve made. I don’t plan on making any major changes to the car in service and tomorrow I’ll just be going out to do the best I can.”

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team principal Malcolm Wilson said:
“Both drivers have put in good, steady performances today and are in solid positions for tomorrow. Today was always going to be a difficult first day when you remember that they haven't driven on dry Tarmac for a year and have had little to no pre-event testing."

Leaderboard after SS6
1. D Sordo/M Marti (ESP) Citroën C4 1h10m45.3s
2. S Loeb/D Elena (FRA) Citroën C4 +1.6s
3. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen (FIN) Ford Focus RS +34.2s
4. P Solberg/P Mills (NOR) Citroën C4 +59.7s
5. S Ogier/J Ingrassia (FRA) Citroën C4 +1m22.9s
6. J-M Latvala/M Anttila (FIN) Ford Focus RS +1m36.7s
7. E Novikov/S Prevot (RUS) Citroën C4 +3m11.0s
8. M Wilson/S Martin (GB) Ford Focus RS +3m28.8s
9. F Villagra/J Perez Companc (ARG) Ford Focus RS +3m51.9s
10. H Solberg/C Menkerud (NOR) Ford Focus RS +3m58.7s

Source: http://www.rallye-info.com
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