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IRC Ireland Rally: JOY FOR HANNINEN IN CIRCUIT OF IRELAND SPECTACULAR
4/07/2012: Juho Hänninen made history today when he became the first driver to win the Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally to count as a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
    In doing so, the ŠKODA Motorsport ace clinched his ninth victory in the series and his first IRC triumph of 2012. He also follows in the wheel tracks of his fellow Finn Pentti Airikkala as only the second overseas winner of the asphalt event.
    Hänninen, who is co-driven by Mikko Markkula, started day two locked in a close fight with ŠKODA UK’s defending IRC champion Andreas Mikkelsen. They traded stage times – and positions – throughout the day and began the final loop of four stages with Hänninen leading by 2.3s.
    Pushing to close the gap to Hänninen, Mikkelsen got caught out in rain on the Lisburn town center stage and slid into a hay bale. He inflicted damage to the side of his Fabia S2000, but also banged his head and was left dazed, ending his hopes of his first victory on Tarmac in the IRC for the second event in succession. He was able to recover to the runner-up spot, more than 40s behind Hänninen.
    Northern Ireland’s Garry Jennings won the IRC Production Cup with countryman Marty McCormack clinching the IRC 2WD Cup spoils and the Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy following a determined drive amid a host of setbacks. Renault heads the IRC 2WD Cup manufacturers’ table for the first time.
    Speaking at the finish in Armagh on Saturday evening, Hanninen, who becomes the third different winner in as many rounds in this year’s IRC, said: “It was one of my toughest victories but also one of my most enjoyable because all the time I was fighting, fighting with Andreas. We had to push on every stage but in the end it was he who was unlucky and not me because I think it was about luck on this rally because the changing weather conditions were very difficult and it was easy to get caught out.”
    Mikkelsen had fought back into contention following an overshoot on stage eight only to hit trouble on the first run through the Lisbon test. He said: “It’s disappointing because it was a great fight and this is a rally I wanted to win. But we have made a good start to the season by leading the IRC championship with one win and two second places, so for this reason we have to be happy.”
     Having worked his way into a secure third position, Jan Kopecký spent day two consolidating the final podium spot in the second factory Fabia to ensure a one-two-three finish for ŠKODA, which extends its lead of the IRC manufacturers’ standings. The Czech, who won the previous round in Gran Canaria, was fastest on the Titanic Super Special Stage in Belfast on Friday but was unable to replicate that form thereafter. His task wasn’t helped when co-driver Pavel Dresler fell ill.
    Mathieu Arzeno shone on his first appearance in Northern Ireland by guiding his Saintéloc Peugeot 207 Super 2000 to the finish in fourth position. “I was here to learn and to take the experience,” said the French driver. “It was not an easy rally to come to for the first time but I’m happy with my performance.”
    Craig Breen won the battle to be the top Irish finisher by overhauling Robert Barrable for fifth position on stage 11. Breen was competing in a Saintéloc Peugeot for the first time and spent much of Saturday experimenting with different set-ups having dropped out of contention when he picked up 1m30s in road penalties following a fuel pump glitch on Friday evening.
    ŠKODA Ireland driver Barrable said a mistake on Saturday’s first test, when he charged through a fence into a farmer’s field and stalled his car’s engine, hadn’t helped his efforts to keep Breen behind.
     Alastair Fisher began day two in contention for a podium finish but a crash seven corners from the start of Saturday’s second stage left his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000 with a broken wheel and forced his retirement. The Northern Irishman, who plans to return to the IRC on June’s GEKO Ypres Rally, was fourth overall at the time of his exit.
    After losing time with a puncture on Friday, Sepp Wiegand lost precious seconds when he braked too late for a corner on stage nine and crashed through a fence, damaging the windscreen of his ŠKODA Auto Deutschland Fabia. Nevertheless, it was another impressive performance by the inexperienced German driver, who has now scored IRC points on every round run so far this season by taking seventh.
IRC Production Cup
    Garry Jennings maintained his overnight advantage to win the IRC Production Cup in his Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer in eighth overall despite nursing a badly burnt hand, which he sustained by accidentally touching a hot car exhaust. Donagh Kelly snatched second place by overhauling Sam Moffett on the final stage. Moffett’s brother Sam took fourth with Willie Mavitty fifth and IRC returnee Daniel Barry sixth. Robert Consani continues to lead the category despite retiring on the final morning.
IRC 2WD Cup
    Marty McCormack overcame a succession of problems, including a double puncture, broken gearbox and an alternator glitch to win the IRC 2WD Cup on his first competitive outing for six months. The Northern Irishman’s woes briefly handed Renault Clio R3 pilot Tommy Doyle the initiative before McCormack fought back to claim a popular win and the Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy. Doyle, who lost time with gear indicator and brake issues, survived an off-road moment on the final stage to finish second with Jonathan Greer taking third after Peter Taylor was delayed on the final stage in his Clio.
TOP 10 IRC FINAL POSITIONS
1 Juho Hänninen (FIN)/Mikko Markkula (FIN) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 1h58m21.8s
2 Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR)/Ola Fløene (NOR) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +44.2s
3 Jan Kopecký (CZE)/Pavel Dresler (CZE) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +1m39.5s
4 Mathieu Arzeno (FRA)/Renaul Jamoul (BEL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +4m01.6s
5 Craig Breen (IRL)/Gareth Roberts (GBR) Peugeot 207 S2000 +4m53.8s
6 Robert Barrable (IRL)/Damien Connolly (IRL) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +5m14.5s
7 Sepp Wiegand (GER)/Timo Gottschalk (GER) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +6m15.9s
8 Garry Jennings (GBR)/Barry McNulty (GBR) Ralliart Lancer Evolution IX +8m27.9s
9 Donagh Kelly (IRL)/Kevin Flanagan (IRL) Ralliart Lancer Evolution IX +9m11.4s
10 Sam Moffett (IRL)/James O’Reilly (GBR) Ralliart Lancer Evolution IX +9m16.0s
IRC Production Cup: Garry Jennings (GBR)/Barry McNulty (GBR) Ralliart Lancer Evolution IX
IRC 2WD Cup: Marty McCormack (GBR)/David Moynihan (IRL) Citroën DS3 R3T
 
IRC STANDINGS (BEST OF EIGHT SCORES COUNT)
IRC drivers after round three of 13
1 Andreas Mikkelsen (Norway) 61pts
2 Juho Hänninen (Finland) 43pts
3 Jan Kopecký (Czech Republic) 40pts
4 Sepp Wiegand (Germany) 30pts
5 Bryan Bouffier (France) 15pts
= Luis Monzón (Spain) 15pts
7 Mathieu Arzeno (France) 12pts
8 Craig Breen (Ireland) 10pts
= Hermann Gassner Jr (Germany) 10pts
= Jonathan Perez (Spain) 10pts
Source: IRC
WRC: FIA Disqualifies Mikki Hirvonen Mads Ostberg takes Victory
4/1/2012: Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen have been excluded from the results of Vodafone Rally de Portugal, round four of the FIA World Rally Championship powered Nokia, elevating Mads Ostberg and Jonas Andersson to their maiden WRC wins.
    The No. 2 Citroen DS3 WRC of Hirvonen and Lehtinen was subjected to various technical checks during post-event scrutineering at the Algarve Stadium in Faro earlier this evening.
    A report prepared by the FIA Technical Delegate issued to the event stewards stated the car’s clutch was “not in conformity with the Homologation Form A5733.” As a result the event stewards took the decision to exclude car No. 2 from the event classification.
    The report also stated “the turbo (turbine wheel) fitted to car No. 2 appears not to be in conformity”. However, a stewards’ decision on this matter has been delayed pending the outcome of further examination and reports.
    Evgeny Novikov and Denis Giraudet and Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson climb up to second and third places in the overall results respectively following the exclusion of Hirvonen and Lehtinen.
    The exclusion also means that Hirvonen and Lehtinen’s Citroen their team-mates Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena remain at the top of the drivers’ and co-drivers’ standings respectively, albeit just four points in front of Solberg and Patterson. Citroen’s lead over Ford in the manufacturers’ standings is reduced to 12 points.
    Team principal Yves Matton has confirmed Citroen will be appealing the decision of the stewards, meaning the results remain provisional.
Source: WRC & FIA
WRC Wrap: Portugal joy for Hirvonen
4/1/2012: Mikko Hirvonen has moved to the top of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia after winning the fourth event of the season, Vodafone Rally de Portugal.
    Driving a Citroen Total World Rally Team DS3 WRC, Hirvonen moved in front on stage six and has remained at the head of the overall classification ever since following a faultless display alongside co-driver and fellow Finn Jarmo Lehtinen.
    Norway’s Mads Ostberg finished second for the Adapta World Rally Team with Russian Evgeny Novikov scoring his first podium at the wheel of an M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Fiesta RS WRC.
Source: WRC
WRC Saturday wrap: Hirvonen on course in Portugal
4/01/2012: Mikko Hirvonen is six stages and 115.08 competitive kilometres away from his first victory in the FIA World Rally Championship for the factory Citroen team after he completed the penultimate day of the event leading by more than one minute.
    Hirvonen began day three of Vodafone Rally de Portugal with an advantage of almost 40 seconds in the Citroen DS3 WRC he shares with co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen. With the fog, mud and rain that lashed the Algarve stages on Friday subsiding today, Hirvonen’s main focus was on avoiding making any mistakes as he consolidated his healthy margin.
    “It’s been good today,” said the Finn. “We managed to take some time out of the others. The lead is a little bigger after a very steady and safe drive. We need to make sure we’re still there at the end of the rally because there is still a long way to go. I’ve been listening to every sound and every knock the car has made.”
     Mads Ostberg is second in his Adapta Fiesta after moving ahead of Evgeny Novikov on stage 11. However, his efforts to make more progress and catch Hirvonen were hampered when his car developed an engine problem on stage 13 and he lost precious power and time.
    “We hoped to take some time off Mikko but we haven’t been able to do that,” said Norwegian Ostberg. “We will concentrate on second position and just try to continue with a steady run.”
    Novikov is third overnight after another strong performance in his M-Sport Fiesta. The 21-year-old was slowed by an engine misfire this morning but holds a comfortable advantage over fourth-placed Nasser Al-Attiyah, who has impressed in his Qatar World Rally Team Citroen.
    Petter Solberg had fought his way up to fourth courtesy of four stage wins after restarting this morning in 13th position following his exit on Friday but dropped down to fifth when his factory Fiesta suffered powersteering failure on today’s final stage.
    Martin Prokop is sixth having being delayed by an intermittent electrical glitch for much of the day. The Czech also lost ground when the soft compound tires he used for the dry afternoon stages became badly worn.
    Dennis Kuipers is seventh overnight with Sebastien Ogier impressing in his underpowered Super 2000 Skoda Fabia in eighth overall. Peter van Merksteijn Jr is ninth with Jari Ketomaa 10th, despite suffering brake problems during the afternoon.
     Thierry Neuville has battled up to 11th following his restart this morning, spending the day running first on the road in his Citroen Junior World Rally Team entry. Dani Sordo is 12th despite an exhaust problem filling his MINI John Cooper Works WRC with toxic fumes. The loss of a side window then ensured a steady build up of dust in the Prodrive-run car.
     Ott Tanak is 13th with Daniel Oliveira driving without fault to complete day three in 14th position in his Brazil World Rally Team Fiesta.
    Following his retirement on Friday, factory Ford ace Jari-Matti Latvala endured more frustration when a fuel pressure problem developed in the afternoon.
    Armindo Araujo crashed his WRC Team MINI Portugal entry, while Patrik Sandell broke his similar car against a tree while on course for a career-best fourth overall for the Sweden World Rally Team. Both drivers are set to restart on Sunday morning.
Source: WRC
WRC Friday midday wrap: High drama as Hirvonen Leads while Afternoon Stages are Canceled.
Safety comes first in Portugal
3/30/2012: Vodafone Rally de Portugal organisers have explained the reasons behind their decision to cancel Friday's three closing stages.
     Heavy rain, fog and mud have been a constant concern throughout day two of the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia with several competitors retiring or suffering significant delay after being caught out by the treacherous conditions.
     At the mid-afternoon service halt in Faro today the decision was taken to cancel stage 10 due to an access road getting washed away earlier in the day when a small stream swelled and burst its banks.
    With heavy rain leaving stages eight and nine coated in mud and with more rain and fog a possibility, the decision was taken to cancel those two runs as well, resulting in the loss of all of Friday afternoon’s competitive action.
    The event will now resume with the 11th stage, Almodovar, at 09:49hrs local time on Saturday.
     Mikko Hirvonen leads Vodafone Rally de Portugal after Friday's opening three stages as fog, mud and rain combined to make driving conditions treacherous and transform the leaderboard on round of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.
    Heavy overnight rain has turned the once dusty gravel roads into slippery mud-caked tracks, which caught out several star drivers, not least factory Ford aces Jari-Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg. Overnight Latvala went off into a ditch on Friday’s opener with Solberg following suit nearing the finish of the very next run. Both drivers have been forced to retire but are expected to restart on Saturday.
    “It is so slippery, so muddy,” said Citroen driver Hirvonen, whose lead over Evgeny Novikov stands at 36.3s after seven stages. “The changes of grip are so sudden that anything is possible. I am leading but that doesn’t mean it is easy.”
    M-Sport Fiesta pilot Novikov has been hampered by an intercom issue all morning but moved ahead of Mads Ostberg for second when the Norwegian’s Adapta Fiesta suffered a left-rear puncture on stage seven.
    Patrik Sandell is fourth in his Sweden World Rally Team-backed MINI, one place ahead of Martin Prokop, who described the stage conditions as the most treacherous he’d ever experienced as he repeated difficulties seeing where he was going due to fog and a misting windscreen.
    In a further boost for the Prodrive-run MINI team, Dani Sordo has capitalised on starting first on the road today by winning all three stages in his uprated John Cooper Works WRC. However, because Sordo is competing under Rally 2 regulations following his day one retirement, the Spaniard is not in contention for top honours.
     Nasser Al-Attiyah is sixth for the Qatar World Rally Team with Peter van Merksteijn Jr seventh and Dennis Kuipers eighth on his first start in the WRC for almost six months. Sebastien Ogier is ninth in his Volkswagen Motorsport-run Skoda Fabia Super 2000 with Jari Ketomaa completing the top 10 in his Autotek Fiesta, despite engine problems.
    Portuguese hero Armindo Araujo is a handful of seconds adrift of the top 10 in his WRC Team MINI Portugal entry.
    Other drivers in trouble this morning include Thierry Neuville and Ott Tanak, who both stopped on the first Tavira stage. Hayden Paddon dropped out of the lead of the Super 2000 World Rally Championship category when he stopped on stage five. Class rival Craig Breen is also out after his Fiesta faltered following a watersplash.
Source: WRC
RALLY AMERICA ANNOUNCES THE 2012 U.S. RALLYCROSS SERIES
Round 1 of the U.S. Rallycross Series Set for May 19th at New Jersey Motorsports Park
3/26/2012: Rally America and New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) present the 2012 Rally America U.S. Rallycross Series, with the first event being held on May 19, 2012. The U.S. Rallycross Series will consist of at least four events at the New Jersey Motorsports Park, with other venues to be added later in the year.
    The U.S. Rallycross Series marks a return to the Rally America schedule after a taking a year off from the sport. Rally America introduced Rallycross to the U.S. for the first time in 2010 with a 4-event series at New Jersey Motorsports Park and also worked closely with ESPN to introduce Rallycross competition to the very popular X Games.
    The Rallycross competition at NJMP will feature competition cars in a variety of classes (two classes for two-wheel-drive and two classes for all-wheel-drive cars) jumping and sliding on a 5/8 mile road course made up of 70% pavement and 30% gravel. Five drivers at a time will line up at the starting line piloting their cars through race traffic over a challenging short course that will feature small jumps, unbanked turns, hills and transitions between pavement and gravel. Each car must also take a "joker lap" at some point during their heat race. A "joker lap" is a small detour normally over a jump that adds a level of unpredictability to the heat's outcome by changing a driver's strategy in an instant.
Source: RallyAmerica
Prodrive WRC Team targets debut podium
3/25/2012: The Prodrive WRC Team will make its debut at Rally Portugal next week running two MINI John Cooper Works WRCs for Dani Sordo #37 and Patrik Sandell #52.
    Dani Sordo’s MINI will feature more than 100 modifications compared to the car that competed at Rally Sweden.  The enhancements have all been homologated under FIA regulations.  The major developments are a three percent increase in power from the engine; a revised front bumper to improve cooling and the aerodynamic performance; improved Ohlins gravel dampers; and some significant weight savings primarily thanks to the use of a lithium ion battery for the first time.
    The new MINI John Cooper Works rally car made its debut at Rally Portugal a year ago in Super Production specification.  2012 will be the debut of the World Rally Car on this event, which will see an extended partnership with BP.
    Team principal, Dave Wilcock, believes the team should be targeting a podium finish on this rally.  He said:  “The newly homologated parts make a significant improvement to the car and should we run error free, I would certainly hope that Dani could be up there fighting for a podium. However, the competition does have the significant advantage of having already competed on gravel this year in Mexico, but Dani certainly knows the Portuguese event well and has achieved podium finishes here on his last three outings.”
    Since Rally Sweden, Dani Sordo has extensively tested the new car and will get further time in the MINI WRC in the run up to the event.  Sordo said:  “I am really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the MINI.  We did our first test in the new car and it felt really really good.  The team at Prodrive have done a great job.  The new car feels like a big step forward and I could immediately feel the difference.  I have been on the podium the last three times I have been at Portugal and I will be fighting hard to get MINI’s first podium on a gravel event.”
    Patrik Sandell is competing in the MINI WRC for the second time after his excellent debut at Rally Sweden, where he finished eighth beaten only by more experienced WRC drivers.  Sandell said: “Eighth place was a great result for me in Sweden.  As the rally went on I got more and more confident in the car and my speed increased. I would like to continue in Portugal where I left off in Sweden and keep improving my pace.  I think we can definitely finish in a higher position than before and I will be aiming for a top five finish.”
    Former Chilean Formula One driver, Eliseo Salazar, who is competing at Rally Argentina in a MINI WRC, is conducting a two day test in Portugal next week and will then be joining the team for Rally Portugal.
    In addition to the two Prodrive WRC Team MINIs, Prodrive will, as normal, also be providing engineering support for the MINI WRCs of Armindo Araujo and Paulo Nobre running with WRC Team MINI Portugal.  Armindo debuted the MINI John Cooper Works rally car on his home event last year.
    For the first time, a lithium-ion battery can be run on the MINI. This not only gives a significant weight saving of more than 7 kg over the lead-acid battery it replaces, but has a 20 stage kilometer life in the event of an alternator or drive-belt failure, compared to just 2 km previously.  Through further modifications on the car including a new manufacturing process for the construction of the carbon fiber rear wing, Prodrive has managed to reduce the base weight of the MINI WRC by 10kg, which allows more ballast to be strategically placed to improve the balance of the car.
    Prodrive WRC Team drivers, Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo, shared four days in southern Spain last week testing the new car and according to team principal, Dave Wilcock, the improvements were very noticeable.   He said: “Both drivers were really pleased with the developments and could feel the increase in performance both directly from the engine and in the dynamic behavior of the car over the rough stages.  This is a significant step forward for the MINI WRC, but our development work hasn’t stopped and the engineering team are already looking at the next set of improvements for later this year.”
    The Prodrive WRC Team will next compete at Rally Portugal on 29 March – 1 April with Dani Sordo and Patrik Sandell.
Source: Prodrive
DAKAR: 2013: Exceptional is the word
3/22/2012: The 35th edition of the Dakar will also be the 5th to take place on the South American continent, which has hosted the event since 2009. From 5th to 20th January 2013, the competitors will follow the route between Lima in Peru and Santiago in Chile, with a rest day planned at San Miguel de Tucuman in Argentina. The desert will be on the programme from the first days of the rally, for the first time in its history.
     Several weeks ago, the riders and drivers on the Dakar discovered the Peruvian version of the desert. Struck by its splendour but also its technical demands, in this setting of sea and sand, they experienced a highly intense sequence before the finish in Lima. For the next edition, the Peruvian capital will play host to the start of the rally, with the promise of holding an exceptional challenge in store for those who take part; one that is simply equal to the test they have to face each year.
    At the end of the journey, the rally will finish for the first time in Santiago. Chile, which, in the Atacama, has been the theatre to most of the unpredictable developments during the last four editions, will have the opportunity to celebrate the heroes of the Dakar in its capital city. Over the thousands of kilometres that they will have to tackle, the competitors will distance themselves from the Pacific Ocean as the event is spiced up by a detour via Argentina. On the other side of the Andes Mountains, the variety of terrains will put all the competitors’ capacities to adapt to the test.
    With a reworked spread of difficulties and a new perspective on the discovery of the continent’s geography, the Dakar 2013 is emerging as the event for which both the elite and amateurs of the rally raid discipline prepare all year long. Registration will open for all the categories (bikes, quads, cars and trucks) on 15th May.
Source: Dakar press release
Rally America Sees New Entrants in B-Spec Championship
3/21/2012: On January 18th, Rally America announced that it was adding a B-Spec National Championship for 2012 to cater to enthusiasts seeking fun, low-cost competition vehicles. To date, B-Spec Championships have been added by the SCCA Club Racing, the World Challenge Series and by Grand-Am.
     There have been two B-Spec entries at each of the first two Rally America National Championship events. James Robinson in a Honda Fit and Verena Mei in a Ford Fiesta. Verena won at Sno*Drift when James suffered a DNF, and James won at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood by just over 11 minutes. Verena is 1st in B Spec, 7th in the 2WD championship and 17th overall. James is 2nd in B Spec, 8th in 2WD and 20th overall.
     "We are happy to be able to support racers with yet another Honda product that makes it easy to go racing," said Kevin Henricks, Honda Performance Development manager of Business Development. "The HPD B-spec package is a competitive, economical, and reliable platform that can be easily switched from a road racing setup to a rally setup. B-Spec racing is a great way to have fun at the track and we are pleased to see it added to the Rally America series."
     James Robinson, Honda R&D Engineer added, "This car has a lightly-modified version of the Honda Fit B-Spec kit which is now available directly from Honda Performance Development for around $2,800. The only difference from the road racing kit are the lights, Terratrip and skid plate, which is coming in pretty handy at this fast event!" James concluded by saying, "We're looking forward to having the other OEM's get involved with the B-Spec Rally class - these cars are fast, fun and very efficient!"
     “I’m quite encouraged that these two cars are blazing a trail for others to follow,” say J.B. Niday from Rally America, “I believe that B-Spec will become popular because it is backed by so many manufacturers.”
     It was quite easy for Rally America to adopt B-Spec because the manufacturers’ rules were in alignment with the existing Production class, so a bulletin was posted listing the current B-Spec cars: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, 2012 Fiat 500, 2011-2012 Ford Fiesta, 2009-2012 Honda Fit, 2012 Kia Rio, 2011-2012 Mazda 2, 2007-2012 MINI Cooper, 2007-2012 Nissan Versa, and 2007-2012 Toyota Yaris.
      Rally America officials and organizers expect to see more B-Spec entrants as this cost-effective way to get involved in racing catches on nationwide.
Source: Rally America
IRC DAY 2 REPORT: Rally Islas Canarias  KOPECKY WINS IRC THRILLER IN GRAN CANARIA
*Mikkelsen completes ŠKODA one-two to extend title lead following late drama
3/17/2012: Jan Kopecký has claimed a dramatic final-stage victory on Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés after an engine misfire slowed rival Andreas Mikkelsen with his first win in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge on asphalt in his grasp.
    Kopecký, in a factory ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000, had trailed Mikkelsen’s ŠKODA UK entry by 3.6s starting the final 16.12-kilometre test. But with Mikkelsen losing vital speed due to a broken injector connector, he was powerless to defend his advantage as Czech Kopecký raced to his first victory in the IRC this season and his second on Gran Canaria following his maiden triumph in 2010.
    Mikkelsen, from Norway, had to settle for the runner-up spot, 28.3s behind Kopecký, but extends his lead in the IRC drivers’ standings, while ŠKODA, now unbeaten on this event for the three years, claims maximum IRC manufacturers’ points for the second time this season.
   Luis Monzón was the top Peugeot finisher in third with Joan Vinyes clinching IRC 2WD Cup honours for the second year in a row in an impressive sixth overall. Monzón was selected as the winner of the Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy, which goes to the driver whose performance best embodies the spirit of the rally legend on each round of the IRC. In the IRC Production Cup, Robert Consani bagged his and Renault’s first category win ahead of Marco Tempestini’s Subaru Impreza.
    “We were pushing quite much on the last three stages and finally Andreas had some problems with the car,” said Kopecký. “I must say I don’t feel so happy because I wanted to beat him in a fight. But this is what can happen in rallying so thanks to ŠKODA because they gave us an opportunity to be here and thanks to my new co-driver Pavel Dresler because today he improved himself a lot and did a great job.”
    A dejected Mikkelsen, who led after all but two stages of the 15-stage rally, said: “The car started misfiring three kilometres from the end of the penultimate stage. We tried to make some repairs but there was nothing we could do. There was no power at all – we were just hoping we could get through the stage. It’s so disappointing this happens when we think we’re going to win.”
    Luis Monzón was the top Peugeot finisher and the leading Spaniard in an impressive third overall with Sepp Wiegand a fine fourth on his Canarias debut for ŠKODA Auto Deutschland. Monzón hadn’t driven a Super 2000-specification car until this week but shrugged off his lack of recent experience to produce a faultless drive.
    With fourth-place all but secured following Hermann Gassner Jr’s crash on Saturday’s first stage, Wiegand spent the afternoon experimenting with different car set ups ahead of the upcoming asphalt rallies in Northern Ireland and Corsica. It was the second event in a row that the 21-year-old German has finished fourth, thereby underlining his huge potential.
    Spaniard Jonathan Perez took fifth in another Peugeot 207 with Joan Vinyes winning the IRC 2WD Cup for the second year in a row in sixth position, closely followed by Gorka Antxustegui and Honda driver Angel Marrero. With Vinyes and Antxustegi not eligible for overall IRC points, Marrero collects sixth-placed points.
    Hungary’s Janós Puskádi, competing in a ŠKODA Fabia S2000 for the first time, impressed on his way to ninth overall and seventh-placed points. Skydive Dubai Rally Team’s Rashid Al-Ketbi finished 10th to bag four IRC points with Honda driver Germán Hernandez and Renault’s Robert Consani rounding out the IRC point scorers.
TOP 10 IRC FINAL POSITIONS
1 Jan Kopecký (CZE)/Pavel Dresler (CZE) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 2h21m46.5s
2 Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR)/Ola Fløene (NOR) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +28.3s
3 Luis Monzón (ESP)/Jose C Deniz (ESP) Peugeot 207 S2000 +3m13.6s
4 Sepp Wiegand (GER)/Timo Gottschalk (GER) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +4m32.0s
5 Jonathan Perez (ESP)/Enrique Velasco (ESP) Peugeot 207 S2000 +7m29.3s
6 Angel Marrero (ESP)/Victor Marrero (ESP) Honda Civic Type R +11m27.4s
7 Janós Puskádi (HUN)/Barna Gódor (HUN) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +12m03.3s
8 Rashid Al Ketbi (UAE)/Khalid Al Ketbi (UAE) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +14m43.2s
9 Germán Hernandez (ESP)/Israel Pereira (ESP) Honda Civic Type R +15m13.8s
10 Robert Consani (FRA)/Nicolas Klinger (FRA) Renault Mégane RS +16m13.5s
IRC Production Cup: Robert Consani (FRA)/Nicolas Klinger (FRA) Renault Mégane RS
IRC 2WD Cup: Joan Vinyes (ESP)/Mercader (ESP) Suzuki Swift S1600

IRC STANDINGS (BEST OF EIGHT SCORES COUNT)
IRC drivers after round two of 13
1 Andreas Mikkelsen (Norway) 43pts
2 Jan Kopecký (Czech Republic) 25pts
3 Sepp Wiegand (Germany) 24pts
4 Juho Hänninen (Finland) 18pts
5 Bryan Bouffier (France) 15pts
= Luis Monzón (Spain) 15pts
7 Hermann Gassner Jr (Germany) 10pts
= Jonathan Perez (Spain) 10pts
9 Angel Marrero (Spain) 8pts
= Ricardo Moura (Portugal) 8pts
Source: IRC
IRC DAY 1 REPORT: Rally Islas Canarias KOPECKY HEADS IRC THRILLER IN GRAN CANARIA
3/15/2012: Round two of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés, is set for a thrilling climax on Saturday with the top two drivers, Jan Kopecký and Andreas Mikkelsen, separated by just 1.2s heading into the closing six stages.
    Mikkelsen, the defending IRC champion, led throughout the day but dropped precious seconds to his rival on the final test, which will see him run behind Kopecký on the road on day two. While he no longer leads the rally, the 22-year-old Mikkelsen will be able to monitor Kopecký’s stage times and decide when to attack and when to drive with more caution in his quest for a strong finish. 
    With ŠKODA UK Motorsport ace Mikkelsen winning four stages today and Kopecký going fastest on five occasions in his factory ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000, the battle for victory will be wide open on the demanding asphalt roads around Las Palmas when the action resumes at 10:28hrs local time.
    “It’s super, super close, a proper fight,” said Mikkelsen, from Norway. “Jan has been pushing a lot and on stage eight I had a big moment a few kilometres from the end, went off and jumped into the road again. The tyres were very worn at that point but the car was okay – I was extremely lucky. I didn’t want to run behind Jan on the final day because I prefer to hunt than be hunted.”
    In bright sunshine and roared on by thousands of fans, by winning the day’s first three stages Mikkelsen appeared to be controlling his advantage over Kopecký until his scare nearing the finish of the seventh 21.29-kilometre Ingenio test gave the Czech driver hope.
    “Andreas has been very fast today, taking some big risks,” said Kopecký, the winner in Gran Canaria in 2010. “I believed we could be quicker but the most important thing is to finish the rally. I had one small moment in the morning and I did not have so much confidence with the reading of the pacenotes on one stage this afternoon. But the car has been perfect and now I am leading.”
    Spaniard Luis Monzón is the top Peugeot 207 S2000 driver in third overall following a hugely impressive showing on his first rally in the French machine for four years. Rarely outside of the top three stage times, Monzón holds a 20.3s advantage over fourth-placed Hermann Gassner Jr, who lost ground with an intercom fault on stage seven.
    “I am very happy with today,” said Monzón. “It has been long and not so easy for me to learn this car again but we try to maintain this position to the end of the rally. We can’t do anything but maximum attack like today.”
    Sepp Wiegand, who like his fellow German Gassner Jr is competing on the event for the first time, had been embroiled in a close fight with Spaniard Alberto Hevia for fifth overall until the luckless Hevia’s Fabia failed on the road section heading to the penultimate stage of the day.
    Wiegand’s only major cause for concern was a faulty crank sensor causing a momentary power loss on stage six. However, the problem was quickly rectified by his ŠKODA Auto Deutschland mechanics and no further time was dropped.
    Spaniard Jonathan Perez is sixth overnight in a Peugeot 207 with IRC 2WD Cup leader Joan Vinyes a strong seventh, one place ahead of Dream Team Ukraine’s Oleksiy Tamrazov, who has improved his pace – and experience of the demanding island roads – throughout the day.
    Gorka Antxustegi is ninth with local driver Angel Marrero the top Honda Civic pilot in 10th position. Hungarian Janós Puskádi and Briton Harry Hunt are in hot pursuit. Puskádi is making his competitive debut in a ŠKODA Fabia and spending the event adapting to four-wheel drive. Meanwhile, a brake issue has troubled Hunt for much of the day. Rashid Al-Ketbi is 13th for the Skydive Dubai Rally Team following a faultless display on only his second event on asphalt.
    Robert Consani is the leading Renault driver in 15th overall on his first event alongside IRC title-winning co-driver Nicolas Klinger. Consani, who reported a power loss issue on uphill sections, is eligible for IRC Production Cup points and IRC 2WD Cup points on this event and heads the Production Cup standings over Subaru Impreza driver Marco Tempestini, who suffered brake problems in the afternoon.
    Bulgarian Ekaterina Stratieva began her season-long IRC 2WD Cup campaign by completing day one in 10th position in the highly competitive category.
    Ricardo Moura retired from the lead of the IRC Production Cup early on stage two with a turbocharger failure. Transmission problems stopped Oleksandr Saliuk’s Dream Team Ukraine M-Sport Ford Fiesta, while brake issues led to José Luís Barrios’ exit.
Source: IRC
WRC Sunday wrap: Loeb’s Six Appeal
3/11/2012: Sebastien Loeb has made it six wins in succession on Rally Guanajuato Mexico following a controlled drive through the event's final four stages today (Sunday).
    In doing so, Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena have increased their lead at the top of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia. It was the factory Citroen duo’s second victory of the season and their 69th in the WRC.
    “I am very happy,” said Loeb. “I always win here! It is a great result for the team as well, with Mikko [Hirvonen] finishing second, a one-two for us.”
    Behind Hirvonen, who won the monster 54.30-kilometre Guanajuatito test, Power Stage winner Petter Solberg claimed the final place on the podium following a dramatic closing morning on the gravel stages around host city Leon.
    Solberg’s factory Ford team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala was on course to finish third having recovered from a host of setbacks earlier in the event only for disaster to strike on Guanajuatito when went off the road he rolled after getting distracted when Evgeny Novikov crashed ahead of him.
    Although Latvala was able to limp to the stage finish, damage to the roll cage of his Fiesta was too severe to the extent he was unable to tackle the final two stages of the event, forcing his second retirement of the 2012 season.
    “I saw from far away Novikov’s car and I was very confused,” said the Finn. “I first thought the car was on the road and I made a movement to avoid it and my car went off and rolled. It took a lot to get it back on the road.”
    Mads Ostberg survived a puncture on Guanajuatito to finish a strong fourth in his Adapta Fiesta with Ott Tanak fifth for M-Sport and Nasser Al-Attiyah sixth for the Qatar World Rally Team.
Armindo Araujo was seventh for WRC Team MINI Portugal, one place ahead of Sebastien Ogier, who claimed his and Volkswagen Motorsport’s first points of 2012.
    Monster World Rally Team’s Ken Block took ninth with Ricardo Trivino finishing as the top Mexican in 10th overall to finally bag his first WRC point, four years after he was excluded from a points finish on the same event due to a rules infringement.
    Countryman Benito Guerra finished 11th overall for his maiden victory in the Production Car World Rally Championship with category rival Nicolas Fuchs next up in his similar Mitsubishi Lancer. Michal Kosciuszko continues to lead the PWRC standings by returning under Rally 2 regulations to finish third in class and 14th overall.
    Citroen Junior driver Thierry Neuville started the final day by claiming his first stage victory in the WRC when he went fastest on the Leon Autodromo Super Special. He made it to the finish in 13th position following his return to the action under Rally 2 on Saturday morning.
    Chris Atkinson restarted on the final day but retired his Monster-backed Fiesta on Guanajuatito with damaged suspension.
Source: WRC
WRC Saturday wrap: Loeb on course for glory
3/10/2012: Sebastien Loeb will start the final day of Rally Guanajuato Mexico on course for his sixth-straight victory in Leon after he completed day two with a margin of 36.2s over his Citroen team-mate Mikko Hirvonen.
     Loeb was able to extend his advantage throughout Saturday’s tests, held in sweltering temperatures in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans, following a hugely impressive display. There are now four stages remaining until the finish on Sunday afternoon.
    However, with one of those stages, Guanajuatito, measuring 54.30 kilometers in length, the outcome of this thrilling round of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia is far from settled.
    “Now we have a good and comfortable situation but there is still a long way to go and a 54-kilometer stage so still nothing is done,” said the eight-time world champion. “It’s a rally where I have had a lot of success and I hope that continues tomorrow.”
    Behind second-placed Hirvonen, Jari-Matti Latvala is in third position for the factory Ford team. The Finn began day two still with an outside chance of catching the Citroen drivers at the head of the order only for a puncture on stage 15 to drop him out of contention. Nevertheless a spate of rapid stage times ensures a podium finish remains in the Ford driver’s grasp on the final day.
    “It’s really good to see our car is very competitive,” said Latvala. “Without the problems we’ve had things could be really good.”
    Petter Solberg, in the second works Fiesta, overcame brake problems on Saturday morning to move ahead of fellow Norwegian Mads Ostberg after his countryman gradually slipped back. He is fourth overnight with Ostberg fifth and Estonian Ott Tanak impressing in sixth position.
    Tanak lost time with a spin and a stall on stage 14 and then a puncture on stage 15 but was keeping M-Sport team-mate Evgeny Novikov at bay when the Russian tore a wheel off his Fiesta on the final stage, promoting Nasser Al-Attiyah up to seventh for the Qatar World Rally Team.
    WRC Team MINI Portugal ace Armindo Araujo is eighth with Sebastien Ogier ninth for Volkswagen Motorsport and Ken Block fighting back to 10th following his delays on Friday.
    Chris Atkinson was in eighth place when he crashed his Monster World Rally Team Fiesta after the flying finish of the second Otates stage following a loss of brakes. He is set to restart under Rally 2 rules on Sunday.
    Paulo Nobre restarted under Rally 2 on Saturday morning but crashed one kilometer from the start of the day’s second stage in his WRC Team MINI Portugal John Cooper Works. It’s not clear whether the Brazilian will return on day three.
    Nobre’s early exit meant Thierry Neuville spent much of day two cleaning the road by running at the head of the field. “We learned a lot but it’s a little bit frustrating when you are driving and the times are so bad cleaning the road,” he said.
Source: WRC
WRC Friday wrap: Loeb heads Mexican thriller
3/09/2012: With two runs of the superspecial at Leon's race circuit remaining prior to the completion of day one of Rally Guanajuato Mexico, the overall classification has a familiar look to it with Sebastien Loeb leading in a factory Citroen.
    Loeb hasn’t been beaten on the high-altitude Mexican stages since 2006 and his advantage of 5.3s over Citroen team-mate Mikko Hirvonen means that he’s on course for yet more glory on the Leon-based contest.
    However, the French ace admits it’s way too early to begin celebrating victory on round three of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia, particularly following a dramatic opening day in Mexico when a number of key rivals lost ground.
    “It’s still very close and Mikko is pushing a lot,” said Loeb. “Jari-Matti [Latvala] is also quick too so we cannot relax. There is still a long way to go.”
    Latvala was in the lead starting stage five but slipped back when he broke his Ford Fiesta’s front left suspension arm striking a rock 12 kilometres into the 23.69-kilometre Ortega run.
    “It happened at a sixth gear, blind left curve over a crest,” said Latvala, who continues to close on the impressive Mads Ostbeg in the battle for third. “I saw a rock, I was in sixth gear and there was no chance to avoid it.”
    Despite languishing in fourth overall and being more than 1m20s off the lead prior to stage 11, Latvala remains a huge threat if his pace on Friday afternoon is anything to go by. “We had a bad morning so I’ve had to attack in the afternoon,” he said after landing a succession of stage wins.
    Latvala’s Ford team-mate Petter Solberg has also been in trouble today. The overnight leader slipped out of contention with a spate of punctures. He’s currently in fifth with M-Sport team-mates and rising stars Ott Tanak and Evgeny Novikov sixth and seventh respectively.
    Chris Atkinson is eighth on his return to the world championship for the first time since February 2009 but the Australian said he was “annoyed” that he wasn’t challenging higher up the order following a puncture. “I’m obviously not happy but tomorrow’s another day,” said the Monster Fiesta driver.
    Nasser Al-Attiyah is ninth in his Qatar World Rally Team Citroen with Armindo Araujo 10th for WRC MINI Team Portugal.
    Ken Block was on the cusp of the top 10 when a disastrous fifth stage hit his chances. With his tyres badly worn and grip levels in short supply, Block went off into a ditch, punctured a tyre and broke a driveshaft on his Monster Fiesta. Fearing that he might delay his pursuing team-mate Atkinson, Block pulled over and waited for a few moments to pass only to discover that Atkinson was going slow with a puncture.
    Thierry Neuville was in contention for a podium only for a mistake on stage six to force his retirement when he tore a wheel off his Citroen striking a roadside kerb. Paulo Nobre, in the second WRC MINI Team Portugal entry, is also out after rolling on stage five. Both drivers are set to return under Rally 2 restart rules on Saturday.
    Kevin Abbring was the leading Volkswagen Motorsport driver after five stages but a fuel-related issue meant he was unable to reach midday service. Team-mate Sebastien Ogier is currently 11th overall with leading Mexican driver Benito Guerra 12th and top Production Car World Rally Championship competitor.
Source: WRC
Altitude slows down WRC aces
    Stars of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia contesting Rally Guanajuato Mexico this week will do so in the knowledge their top-of-the-range World Rally Cars won't be running on full power.
The Leon-based event is unique in the WRC in that the stages climb to a peak of 2737 meters above sea level where oxygen is in short supply, causing a 20 per cent loss of engine power.
    “It’s important on any rally to keep the car in the ruts on the clean line, but even more so in Mexico where the altitude means there’s less power than normal,” said Jari-Matti Latvala, whose Ford World Rally Team sent one of the 1.6-liter turbocharged units that power its Fiesta RS WRCs to a research center in the United Kingdom in an effort to replicate the conditions experienced in Mexico.
    “If you make a mistake and slide off line, the time loss is greater because the acceleration isn’t as fast as normal,” Latvala continued. “It also means it’s easy to be in the wrong gear for corners. What might be identified as a fourth gear corner during the recce, could be only third gear in the rally itself.”
    Volkswagen Motorsport is using the event to gain experience of running in high altitudes ahead of its entry in the World Rally Car class next season. “We’re aiming to gather valuable experiences for fielding the Polo R WRC next year,” said the firm’s motorsport head Kris Nissen.
    Citroen Total World Rally Team driver Sebastien Loeb is bidding for a sixth-straight victory in Mexico. He said driving in high altitudes isn't a major problem: “It’s a little easier to exit corners because you don’t hit the accelerator pedal as hard. And equally, you have to be careful not to head into a corner too quickly.”
Source: WRC
Chris “ATKO” Atkinson Joins Ken Block's Monster World Rally Team For WRC Mexico 2012
March 8th, 2012, León, Mexico: For their first WRC appearance of 2012, the Monster World Rally Team will—for the first time ever—have not one, but two cars entered for WRC Mexico. Joining Ken Block will be former WRC driver Chris “ATKO” Atkinson, who’ll be logging his first competitive seat-time in a WRC-level racecar since driving a Junior WRC Citroen during Rally Ireland in 2009. Prior to that, he’d come off of a career-best season in 2008 as the number two factory driver for the Subaru World Rally Team, where he’d been routinely besting his then teammate, Petter Solberg, throughout that 2008 season.
    “I’m really excited about the fact that we were able bring ATKO on for Mexico,” said Block. “We’ve been friends for a few years, and he’s an amazingly talented driver, so we’re stoked to be able to have him join on as part of the team for this race. He brings a lot of experience to the table, being a former factory driver for Subaru, as well as having taken two 2nd place WRC podiums in 2008 and a handful of other podiums as well. Obviously, when Subaru stopped racing in the WRC, Chris was left without a ride, so it’s nice to see him getting back to the level where he belongs. He’s taken 2nd overall here in Mexico before, so it should be an exciting race for us as a team.”
     Prior to arriving in León, Mexico for his entry back into the WRC, Atkinson completed a test in the U.K. in the Ford Fiesta RS WRC and came away from the experience feeling very good about the car.
    “It felt great to be back in a WRC-level car,” said Atkinson. “All of the cars have changed a lot since 2008, but the Fiesta felt really good and I think I’ll be able to get some good stage times out of it this weekend during the rally. I’ve had a great finish here before, so I’m feeling pretty confident about this race. I’m also thankful for the opportunity to join up with MWRT for this race, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Source: MWRT
WRC: Brazil WRT Makes Ford Switch
3/04/2012: The Brazil World Rally Team Team has confirmed it will switch from MINI to Ford for the 2012  World Rally Championship.
    The team joined the WRC last season running a MINI John Cooper Works for Daniel Oliveira, although he only failed to finish near the points on any of his outings in the car.
    Having been named as WRC Team entrant on the latest version of the entry list revealed by the FIA, the team has now confirmed it will switch to a Ford Fiesta WRC for its 2012 program.
    That program, which will get underway in Portugal, will once again see Oliveira at the wheel of the car alongside co-driver Carlos Magalhaes.
     The car will be serviced and managed by the Stohl Racing outfit run by former WRC driver Manfred Stohl.
Source: Brazil WRT
Lotus Debuts Rally Team
3/2/2012: The Lotus International Rally team is set to make its race debut in April in the FIA European Rally Championship. In partnership with Italian team United Business, who won the title last year, the hotly anticipated Exige R-GT will be painted in Lotus’ iconic black and gold color scheme.
    Former Portuguese champion and Super 2000 World Rally Championship (SWRC) driver Bernardo Sousa is in-line to race the car at the Rally 1000 Miglia in Brescia, Italy, on 19-21 April, provided the car is ready. Next week the Exige R-GT undergoes its final testing before being submitted to the FIA for homologation. Ten cars will be built this year, with seven cars allocated to the official team and European racing drivers.
    Claudio Berro, Director of Lotus Racing, started his career rallying and is thrilled to be back. “This will be the first GT car to be homologated by the FIA. Lotus, of course, has been successful in rallying before, winning the 1981 World Rally Championship with the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus. So in many ways we’re all going back to our roots. Partnering with the United Business Rally Team in the FIA European Rally Championship makes perfect sense because they, like us, know how to win. I think this is going to be a very strong collaboration. The championship largely takes place on tarmac, which suits us too. It’s so exciting to go rallying with this new project. It’s another big challenge for Lotus.”
    Pier Liberali, Owner and President of United Business, commented: “This partnership agreement with Lotus Racing fills me with pride. Lotus is one of the most famous manufacturers worldwide in the motorsports field. It is an honor for us to be able to work with them, and we will do our utmost to exceed their expectations.”
Source: Lotus
Rally America: Ken Block Wins Sixth Rally in the 100 Acre Wood
2/26/2012: Monster World Rally Team’s Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino won the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood beating Subaru Rally Team USA’s David Higgins and Craig Drew by a margin of 29.3 seconds. The pair traded leads throughout day 2 of the event before Block pushed even harder the last two stages to take his sixth Rally in the 100 Acre Wood title. Three-time Polish Rally Champion Krzysztof Holowczyc with co-driver Maciej Wislawski took third to round out the overall national podium in his American debut.
     In the Super Production Class, Lauchlin O’Sullivan and Scott Putnam pulled a come- -from-behind victory in the last two stages to beat Travis and Terry Hanson by 43.9 seconds. O’Sullivan overcame various car problems to overtake the Hansons when their team’s car verged on the brink of overheating in the last few stages. Rally America’s youngest driver, 19 year-old Mason Moyle with co-driver John Hall secured third place in class for their first career national podium finish.
     Chris Duplessis and Karl Atkinson repeated their 2WD Class success with another first-place finish after winning the season-opener Sno*Drift Rally in dominant fashion. Andrew Comrie-Picard and Brian O’Kane pushed hard in the second day to snatch second in class, besting third-place finishers, Dillon Van Way and Jake Blattner by a narrow 2.8 seconds!
     The third round of the Rally America National Championship takes place at the Oregon Trail Rally May 4-6 in Portland, OR.
Source: Rally America
Mikkelsen makes history with Açores victory
2/25/2012: Andreas Mikkelsen has made history by becoming the first driver to win three rounds of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in succession by claiming victory on SATA Rallye Açores today (Saturday).
    The ŠKODA Motorsport ace’s winning run extends back to last year when he triumphed in Scotland and Cyprus, rounds 10 and 11 of the 2011 IRC season. His triumph on the mid-Atlantic archipelago brings his tally to three in a row.
    "This is the perfect start to the season, I am so happy for the team and this is perfect result for ŠKODA,” said Mikkelsen, who headed fellow ŠKODA driver Juho Hänninen and Peugeot’s Bryan Bouffier at the end of almost 200 kilometres of thrilling action.
    Luca Rossetti actually won the first four IRC events he contested between 2007 and 2008 to earn the nickname ‘Mr 100 Per Cent’. However, because they weren’t on consecutive rallies, Mikkelsen takes the record, having been tied on two wins in a row with Giandomenico Basso, Jan Kopecký, Freddy Loix, Kris Meeke and Rossetti.
The full list of consecutive IRC winners is as follows:
Andreas Mikkelsen: Scotland and Cyprus 2011 and Açores 2012
Giandomenico Basso: Asturias and Sanremo, 2008
Jan Kopecký: Zlín and Asturias, 2009 and Zlín and Mecsek 2011
Freddy Loix: Madeira and Zlín, 2010
Kris Meeke: Açores and Ypres, 2009
Luca Rossetti: Istanbul and Portugal, 2008
Final Results(click Here)
Source: IRC
DAY 2 REPORT: 2012 SATA Rallye Açores
IRC CHAMPION MIKKELSEN CLOSES ON AÇORES GLORY
2/24/2012: Andreas Mikkelsen will start the final day of SATA Rallye Açores with a strong chance of getting the defence of his Intercontinental Rally Challenge title off to a winning start on the demanding gravel event in the mid-Atlantic.
    Driving a ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia Super 2000, Mikkelsen began Friday’s route with a slender 1.4s margin over Juho Hänninen, IRC champion in 2010 and the winner in the Azores last season.
    That advantage grew to more than 13s when the Finn made a rare error on stage five and spun his factory Fabia in slippery conditions on a downhill section.
    Although Hänninen salvaged some pride by winning the event’s seventh stage, he faces the prospect of trying to cancel a deficit of 16.2s to Norwegian Mikkelsen on Saturday’s closing quintet of stages.
    “There was heavy rain overnight and it made the conditions very tricky today,” said Mikkelsen. “We were pushing quite hard, trying not to make any mistakes. I want to win this rally, that’s why I am here.”
    Hänninen has conceded that his only chance of bagging a ninth IRC career victory will be to attack hard on the final day. “I tried but I couldn’t take more time out of Andreas after my spin,” said the factory ŠKODA driver. “Tomorrow is still a long day and I have to try, I have no other option but to attack.”
    Bryan Bouffier had been embroiled in a close fight for third with fellow Peugeot 207 S2000 driver Bruno Magalhães until the Portuguese rolled into retirement on stage six, fortunately without injury to he nor co-driver Carlos Magalhães. Left with a comfortable margin over his pursuers, Bouffier has opted for a more cautious approach in his efforts to begin IRC season six with a podium finish.
    Red Bull ŠKODA driver Hermann Gassner Jr heads the battle of the young German aces in fourth overall following a strong run through Friday’s final test where Wiegand faltered by stalling his ŠKODA Auto Deutschland-entered Fabia. Neither has competed in the Azores before, while Wiegand is making his IRC debut.
    Multiple Azorean rally champion Ricardo Moura has made the most of his intimate knowledge of the archipelago’s stages – and the changeable weather – to occupy sixth overnight and a commanding lead in the IRC Production Cup aboard his Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer.
    Oleksandr Saliuk, in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000, is upholding Dream Team Ukraine honour in seventh after team-mate Oleksiy Tamrazov crashed his similar car. Sérgio Silva has taken over the mantle of leading Subaru Impreza driver in eighth following Romanian Marco Tempestini’s exit due to a crash on stage seven. Ruben Rodrigues and Rui Lousado are ninth and 10th respectively.
     There was early drama in the IRC 2WD Cup when Harry Hunt dropped out of the category lead shortly after the start of Friday’s first stage. The Briton went off the road on a slippery downhill section and damaged his car’s radiator to the extent he was unable to continue. His misfortune has handed Paulo Maciel a clear lead in the category ahead of Ivo Nogueira and French Renault Clio pilot Robert Consani.
    Rashid Al-Ketbi’s bid for IRC points on his second ever start in the series ended when he retired his Skydive Dubai Rally Team Fabia with suspension damage on stage five. 
Source: IRC
TOP RALLY TEAMS DESCEND ON RALLY IN THE 100 ACRE WOOD
Round 2 of the Rally America National Championship Set for February 24-25, from Salem, MO
WILLISTON, VT (February 10, 2012) -- Round two of the 2012 Rally America National Championship takes place in the majestic Ozark foothills of the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood on February 24-25th in Salem, MO. Up to 70 of the top national and international rally competitors will challenge the fast, hard-packed dirt roads following a very slippery opening round at Michigan’s Sno*Drift Rally in January.
    The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood promises more great battles across all car classes. The roads are fast, tight and twisty and the conditions are extremely variable, creating an excellent playing ground for teams to compete for National Championship points.
    Subaru Rally Team USA and 2011 Rally America National Champions, David Higgins and Craig Drew, got off to a great start winning the season opener to lead the Series over the Rockstar Energy Drink Rally Team Canadian duo of Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard. At last year’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, L’Estage and Richard secured an important overall win, and in the process beat their Subaru Rally Team USA rivals.
    “I’m really looking forward to 100 Acre Wood,” said L’Estage. “I love these fast roads! The competition will be tough, but I'm going there to win!”
    Both L’Estage and Higgins will need to pay close attention to a slew of new talent entering the fray who could play spoiler to their Rally America National Championship dreams.
    A powerful new entry, Krzysztof Holowczyc (pronounced Kristoff Holovich) of Olsztyn, Poland, will join the Art Logistics Racing Team with co-driver Maciej Wislawski in a 2006 Mitsubishi EVO IX for his American debut. Holowczyc brings a deep racing resume having won three Polish Rally Championships, 1997 European Championship title and has placed as high as 6th overall at a World Rally Championship event. This year Holowczyc drove a factory BMW X-Raid in the Dakar Rally to place 10th overall.
    Canadian Rally Championship (CRC) regulars, Leonid Urlichich and Carl Williamson, made a splash in their Sno*Drift debut proving that they are podium contenders on the American circuit. Urlichich is carrying momentum off his best CRC ever after making 7 podiums in 8 events and a Tall Pines overall victory last November. The team is now challenging for the Rally America National Championship crown and looks to improve their Sno*Drift standings and place even more pressure on other top-tier teams.
    The competition in the Super Production (SP) class promises to be much tighter on Missouri's fast gravel than on the treacherous frozen stages in Michigan last month. Travis Hanson and Terry Hanson won this class at Sno*Drift in dominant fashion with a 15-minute lead over second place. Hanson is expected to enter the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood to continue his defense of his 2011 Super Production title following significant engine repairs that threatened to force his exit from Sno*Drift.
    Hanson will face a contingent of SP top talent. Ex-factory Mitsubishi Rally Team driver, Lauchlin O’Sullivan with co-driver Scott Putnam switched back to a 2003 Mitsubishi EVO at the beginning of the year. Though unfamiliar with his ride he sits second in class and within striking distance of assuming the SP lead early in the season.
    In the National Two-Wheel Drive class, fan favorites Chris Duplessis and Karl Atkinson in their 2011 Ford Fiesta R2 seek to build upon their class lead after an impressive Sno*Drift outing where they finished 15 minutes ahead of the Scion xD Rally Team of Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jeremy Wimpey. Duplessis is always favored to win, but Comrie-Picard displayed a special tenacity coming back from fifth in class to a 2nd place finish.
    The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood will begin at 12:00pm on Friday, February 24, with a Parc Expose. Fans can attend the Parc Expose to seek autographs and pick up spectator information before heading to various spots in the woods to watch the exciting rally action.
    Another Parc Expose will kick off the action on Saturday, February 25th in downtown Salem at the intersection of 4th & Main Street at 8:00am. Two Super Special stages will take place that day at the Potosi Lions’ Park beginning at 2:40pm. All Parcs Expose and race viewing are free to attend.
     Fans who cannot attend in person can catch some live event streaming and video recaps, as well as regularly-updated stage times and results, at Rally-America.com.
     For a complete schedule of the event, please visit Rally-America.com. A spectator guide with driving instructions to viewing areas will be available on the website soon.
    The 2012 Rally America National Championship is proudly supported by VP Racing Fuels - the Official Fuel of Rally America, Exedy Racing Clutches, Hawk Performance Brakes, ParkNBlend and RECARO seats.
Source: Rally America
IRC Açores day one review:
2/23/2012: Mikkelsen tops close battle Season six of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge has got off to a thrilling start with Norway’s Andreas Mikkelsen heading Finn Juho Hänninen by a tight margin of 1.4s following the opening three stages of SATA Rallye Açores today (Thursday).
    Local hero Ricardo Moura tops the IRC Production Cup category with Harry Hunt, from the United Kingdom, holding the lead of the IRC 2WD Cup.
    Mikkelsen, the reigning IRC champion, made the best possible start to his IRC title defence by winning the day’s first test despite picking up a front-left puncture nearing the end of the run.
    Hänninen, who beat Mikkelsen to victory in the Azores last season, went quickest on the second stage to narrow the ŠKODA UK Motorsport driver’s advantage only for the former downhill skier to hit back by beating Hänninen, in his factory Fabia Super 2000, in their head-to-head battle through the Grupo Marques superspecial stage in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans.
    “It’s been a good start and, as expected, we’re having a close battle with Juho,” said Mikkelsen. “We used today to find a good pace that we’re comfortable with, and we’ll continue with that pace tomorrow. With the top five running in reverse order, we’ll start fifth on the road tomorrow so we’ll try to make sure that plays to our advantage. Today was a bit of a warm-up; tomorrow’s a long day and that’s when the proper rally starts.”
    Hanninen added: “It was okay, a little slippery in some places today and some fog, but I am happy. For sure, it is going to be a big fight between me and Andreas. He was really speeding today.”
    Bryan Bouffier is the leading Peugeot driver in third overall, one place ahead of Portugal’s Bruno Magalhães, who is driving a similar 207 S2000 on the event he won in 2010. Frenchman Bouffier suggested he needed to find more speed in order to take the fight to the leading ŠKODA duo, while Magalhães lost precious seconds with a handbrake problem on stage two.
    ŠKODA Auto Deutschland’s rising German star Sepp Wiegand is an impressive fifth overall on his IRC debut and his first appearance in the Azores. He is 1.7s ahead of Moura, who reported a throttle problem and a brush with a barrier in the superspecial. But with the top five overall positions reversed for day two, Wiegand now faces the prospect of sweeping the loose-surface gravel for his rivals running behind.
    Wiegand’s countryman Hermann Gassner Jr is seventh overnight in his Red Bull-backed Fabia, one place ahead of Dream Team Ukraine’s Oleksandr Saliuk, who is driving an M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000 on his maiden outing in the IRC.
    Rashid Al-Ketbi is a strong ninth for the Skydive Dubai Rally Team with Saliuk’s team-mate Oleksiy Tamrazov completing the top 10, just ahead of Romania’s Marco Tempestini in a Subaru Impreza R4 STI.
    Friday’s action consists of 82.85 kilometres of competitive action and gets underway with the first of six stages at 10:20hrs local time.
Source: IRC
MONSTER WORLD RALLY TEAM ANNOUNCES A TEAMMATE FOR DRIVER KEN BLOCK AT WRC MEXICO:
CHRIS “ATKO” ATKINSON
February 21st, 2012: Ken Block and the Monster World Rally Team are pleased to announce that professional rally driver Chris “ATKO” Atkinson will be joining Block as a teammate for the upcoming 2012 WRC Mexico.
    “I’m stoked about returning to the WRC for Mexico this year,” said Atkinson. “It’s a race that I’ve taken second at previously, so I feel great about the roads there. Plus, I’m getting to team up with Ken [Block] and his Monster World Rally Team for the race, which is absolutely awesome. Between that and getting to drive the same-level car that just won Sweden a few weeks ago, I can’t wait. Mexico’s going to be great.”
    While currently only a one-off situation, Atkinson’s teammate, Ken Block, is excited about having a partner for Mexico.
    “ATKO’s an incredible driver and we’ve been friends for a few years now,” said Block. “Obviously, I’m thrilled that he’s going to be joining me in Mexico as a teammate and racing for MWRT. Mexico’s already one of my favorite races of the year and this is going to make it that much better.”
    For the event, ATKO will be fully supported by MWRT with a livery that borrows elements from Block’s, as well as livery matching Alpinestars driving suits, DC Shoes driving shoes, special ATKO team t-shirts, plus PR support and being included in the team’s daily video updates that will be released under Ken Block’s Facebook fan page.
Source: MWRT
WRC Rally Sweden Final: Latvala Gets The Job Done
It wasn't exactly an easy run to the finish for Jari-Matti Latvala, but the Ford number one kept his head through a tense final morning to claim Rally Sweden victory and get his 2012 FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia title challenge properly underway.
2/12/2012: Latvala came into the leg with a 23-second advantage over Mikko Hirvonen, and quickly extended that to over half a minute as his Citroen rival realised that a set-up change intended to ease tyre wear worries actually cost him confidence in the DS3 WRC.
    It was just as well Latvala had built that lead, though, as on stage 22 he struck a rock and picked up a right-front puncture, leaving him only eight seconds in front of Hirvonen.
    The incident left Latvala kicking himself and anxious to regain his focus, but it didn't take him long to regain control, as he quickly pulled away again - Hirvonen's tyres being too worn to let him truly fight - and went on to win by 16.6 seconds and collect a Power Stage bonus point too.
     "It is amazing. Four years ago I won this rally and now I got it again," he said.
     "The first time I won this rally I became the youngest ever winner of a world championship rally and beat my hero Henri Toivonen's record. It's fantastic to win it again.
    "We got a lot of pressure after Monte and I felt the pressure coming to this event. This has taken a lot of pressure out of the coming events.
    "I think we're really going to challenge Citroen. We're working very hard."
    Hirvonen said he still had plenty to be pleased with despite just missing out on the win.
    "It's not too bad. I think we learned a lot this weekend," he said. "Okay, I really did want to win this rally for the team but Jari-Matti was very strong this weekend. We had a fantastic fight and I really enjoyed it, but it's second this time."
    Incredibly both factory Fords suffered tyre damage on the same rock on stage 22. While it ultimately didn't cost Latvala any positions, for Petter Solberg the delay was enough to see him lose third place to Mads Ostberg after a rally-long battle. The Adapta Ford driver had been getting ever closer to Solberg even before the incident, though it made his quest rather easier.
    "Third place this time is like second place last time, it's a very good result," said Ostberg. "I was not able to fight Jari-Matti and Mikko this year. There's only one posiiton left on the podium [first] and we'll try to get that next year."
    Sebastien Loeb retained the championship lead by finishing sixth and winning the Power Stage. After his multiple delays earlier in the weekend, Loeb just had to consolidate his points finish today, with Evgeny Novikov putting on an early charge to make sure there was no chance of the Citroen number one catching him for fifth.
    Henning Solberg tried his best to hang on to Loeb today but knew it was realistically a forlorn hope. He settled for seventh in the Go Fast Ford.
     Patrik Sandell quickly pulled clear of Martin Prokop's Czech Ford this morning to ensure he finished eighth in the leading MINI.
    "Overall it was a perfect weekend for me," said Sandell. "It's been absolutely fabulous. I really like this car. It's fantastic to drive. We've been adapting step by step and now we are setting good times."
    Ostberg's team-mate Eyvind Brynildsen completed a quietly impressive World Rally Car debut by claiming the final point.
    Just outside the top 10, the intra-team battle between Volkswagen Motorsport Skoda duo Sebastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen was emphatically resolved in the former's favour when Mikkelsen picked up a puncture on the same stage 22 rock as the works Fords.
Source: WRC
WRC Rally Sweden Saturday Wrap: LATAVAL IN CHARGE
Despite Mikko Hirvonen throwing everything he had at him, and the need to plot tyre tactics amid a lack of snow on some stages, Jari-Matti Latvala produced an exemplary drive to maintain his Rally Sweden lead through day two
2/11/2012: The advantage on the stages ebbed and blowed between the two Finns all day, but the cushion Latvala had built up with his spurt near the end of Friday proved vital.
    Even when Hirvonen's Citroen was a little quicker today, there was still no need for Ford man Latvala to worry too much - and a blistering performance on stage 16 added a few more seconds to his 23-second lead margin just to make things even more secure.
     With six more stages to go on Sunday, nothing is guaranteed yet, but Latvala has reason to feel confident after a mature performance today. Not that Hirvonen - in only his second FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia outing in a Citroen DS3 WRC - has any reason to be displeased with his achievements today, as he promised there was much more to come as he got ever more comfortable in the French team.
     Petter Solberg fell off the lead pace today, although he regained some speed when he switched to Ford team-mate Latvala's set-up. The former champion was able to fend off the hard-charging Mads Ostberg - helped a little by the Adapta Ford jumping into launch mode midway through stage 17 - despite feeling that he was still getting the hang of the Ford Fiesta RS WRC on the ever-changing mix of snow, ice and gravel.
     "It's maybe the toughest rally for me to just jump in," said Solberg. "Tomorrow will be a hard day."
     Saturday was not the finest day of Sebastien Loeb's illustrious career. Although he had quickly got back up from 11th to seventh on Friday afternoon following his incident with a snow bank, a spin this morning and puncture this afternoon hampered further progress, and he was only able to gain one more place - edging ahead of Henning Solberg into sixth overall.
     "Anything is possible tomorrow but we didn't have a very good day," Loeb admitted.
Next on his list will be Evgeny Novikov, currently 44.4s ahead in fifth and determined to stay there.
     "We will do everything and we will never let Loeb catch up - even if I go off," the M-Sport Ford driver pledged. "We will push to the maximum."
    Patrik Sandell continues to uphold MINI honour in eighth place, despite a scare when he accidentally left a piece of road-section-only protective material on the car going onto a stage and caused the engine to being overheating.
     Martin Prokop (Czech National Ford) and Eyvind Brynildsen (Adapta Ford) fill the remaining points-scoring positions, while much further back a long trip into a ditch this morning left Ott Tanak way down the field, but the Estonian still showed his speed with some rapid stage times - including going fastest of all on the Hagfors Sprint.
Source: WRC
WRC Rally Sweden Friday wrap: Latvala stamps his authority
Day one of Rally Sweden 2012 saw a frenetic lead battle and first position changing hands multiple times - but by the time the leg was done, Jari-Matti Latvala had managed to burst clear of the pack and established a 16.8-second cushion.
2/10/12: It looked highly unlikely that anyone would be able to pull out such an advantage as Latvala spent most of the day swapping tenths with former team-mate Mikko Hirvonen - the Ford and Citroen repeatedly exchanging the top spot. Mads Ostberg had also managed to lead for a spell in the Adapta Ford, while Petter Solberg (Ford) and Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) were in contention at times.
    But as the day progressed, Latvala's challengers fell away one by one.
    The biggest drama befell Loeb. The champion and current points leader made a shock mistake early on stage seven and lost two minutes extricating his Citroen from a snow bank. He has already surged back from 11th to seventh, but the podium looks a long way away.
    Ostberg felt his set-up wasn't quite right for the stages that were more field than forest based, then in the afternoon he was perplexed by his relative lack of pace, and also had some brake worries. That meant he ended the day just over half a minute adrift in fourth.
    Solberg spun down to fifth near the end of the morning, but a canny decision to save his fresh tyres for the latter stages of the afternoon loop - by which time most drivers were lacking studs in their rubber - saw him surge back into the hunt.
    He ended the day 13.7s clear of Ostberg, and just 1.8s behind Hirvonen, who struggled badly with worn tyres on stage nine and saw Latvala charge into the distance.
    Evgeny Novikov is again driving a quiet but impressive rally in fifth for M-Sport Ford. He had been closing on Dani Sordo before the MINI had to retire on stage eight.
    The flying Loeb will start Saturday with Go Fast Energy Ford driver Henning Solberg next in his sights, the Norwegian having steadily moved up to sixth with a typically consistent performance.
    Patrik Sandell's MINI, Martin Prokop's Czech National Ford and Eyvind Brynildsen's Adapta Ford complete the current top 10, the latter troubled by a differential problem on stage nine. Just outside the points-scorers, Volkswagen Motorsport duo Sebastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen are edging ever closer to some giant-killing in their Super 2000 Skoda Fabias.
    Running first on the road for most of the day has not helped Thierry Neuville's cause, but the Belgian has prioritised staying on the road and building his snow rally knowledge, meaning his Citroen Junior DS3 completed the day in 15th. Another man learning about both the DS3 and snow is Nasser Al-Attiyah, who runs 21st.
    After the disaster of a long trip off the road on the very first stage of the morning, Ott Tanak (M-Sport Ford) has had treat the rally as a test exercise, though he has inched back up to 29th place.
Source: WRC
MINI Motorsport to follow new path in the FIA WRC.
2/06/2012: After Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) finished second on the return of the brand to the legendary Monte Carlo Rally, the direction has now been set for a long-term MINI presence in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC): On Thursday 2 February, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) accepted a two-car manufacturer entry by WRC Team MINI Portugal into the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers. As a consequence MINI will complete the homologation for the MINI John Cooper Works WRC. The WRC Team MINI Portugal - consisting of Armindo Araújo (PT) and his co-driver Miguel Ramalho (PT), as well as Paulo Nobre (BR) and co-driver Edu Paula (BR) - will contest the remaining 12 events of the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship.
    This long-term homologation ensures that the MINI John Cooper Works WRC can be used in the premier league of rallying, and other series in accordance with FIA regulations, up to and including 2018. The cooperation with Prodrive will be put on a new basis. Prodrive remains responsible for the construction and support of MINI John Cooper Works WRC customer vehicles, and will continue to work with the BMW Group on the further development of the car. The WRC Team, run by Prodrive, will from now on start as a works-supported private team.
    “I am delighted that the future of MINI in the WRC has been secured on a long-term basis,” said Dr. Kay Segler, Senior Vice President MINI Business Coordination and Brand Management. “We remain convinced that the sport of rallying is perfectly suited to our brand. The situation we now find ourselves in means the MINI Motorsport family can, and will, continue to grow on the rally scene. With three podiums from just seven starts in the world championship, the MINI John Cooper Works WRC has already emphatically proven its potential. I am confident that our customer teams around the world will continue to thrill MINI fans with this car over the coming years. The FIA was just as interested in the long-term presence of the MINI brand in the WRC as we were, and was actively involved in finding a constructive solution. We are grateful for the good cooperation and the understanding it has shown us.”
    Segler added: “With its great enthusiasm and hard work, the Prodrive team has played a major role in the remarkable sporting success we have achieved on our initial outings with the MINI John Cooper Works WRC. On behalf of MINI Motorsport, I would like to thank everyone at Prodrive for their efforts so far and we look forward to working with them in support of our MINI John Cooper Works WRC customers in the future.”
Source: Mini Motorsport
WRC:  The FIA Breaks Off Talks With Eurosport Over Series Promotion
2/03/2012: Television coverage of next week's WRC Rally Sweden seems unlikely to happen as talks between the FIA and Eurosport over promotion of the series have broken down
   In the Following statement the FIA has confirmed it has withdrawn from discussions with “interested parties” and has started to look for another promoter.
    The FIA regrets to announce it has not proven possible to find an international promoter as well as a global broadcaster for the 2012 World Rally Championship season at this stage in time.
    The Federation has been involved in lengthy and detailed discussions with interested parties but a series of issues proved impossible to reconcile, and it finally had to take the decision to withdraw from these negotiations.
    In addition to the usual sporting and technical services it provides for these events, the FIA will finance the timing/tracking of each event so that the Championship can take place in the best conditions.
    Teams, manufacturers and the other stakeholders have all been informed of this situation.
    The FIA will now open discussions with all the other parties which have expressed interest in the promotion of the WRC in order to guarantee the future development and growth of the FIA World Rally Championship.
      Autosport was able to obtain a reaction to this latest development for Ford's Director of European motorsport Gerard Quinn: "I'm disappointed to read the press release from the FIA, but we will continue to work with the FIA for the benefit of the championship.
      "The news that discussions will be opened with interested parties is positive and we look forward, as stakeholders, to taking part in those discussions soon."
   One solution rumored to be on the table if a series promoter cannot be found is that individual event organizers would handle their own  promotion along with television production and distribution.  Quinn admitted such an outcome would be in nobody's favor.
   "That would be totally impractical," he said. "As a long-term solution that would not give the manufacturers, the participants, the organizers or the fans or anybody in the sport what we want. This is a global sport which needs a global promoter."
Source: FIA & Autosport
RALLY-AMERICA: DAVID HIGGINS WINS SLIPPERY SNO*DRIFT RALLY
January 29, 2012 (Lewiston, MI): Ice-covered roads were the story at the 38th annual running of the Sno*Drift Rally, the kick-off event to the 2012 Rally America National Championship, but it was Subaru Rally Team USA's David Higgins and Craig Drew who managed the extreme conditions to take the overall win. Higgins and Drew are the reigning 2011 national champions, and they took the first step towards defending their title in the six-round 2012 Rally America National Championship by winning 15 out of 24 stages.
    "This is a good win," said Higgins, "The conditions were the most treacherous I have ever seen."
    Higgins finished the event 1:49.9 ahead of Rockstar Energy Drink's Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard. The Rockstar team never held the lead but they made considerable time on Higgins on the first leg of day 2 and looked like they would get closer to challenging the Subaru driver.
    "We chose to use snow tires at the start of the day," said L'Estage, "versus Higgins' ice tires. We just gambled right and were making up good time until after the first service."
     Last year, Sno*Drift winners Travis and Terry Hanson made rally history by becoming the first Super Production (SP) team to win an overall event. This year the son and father duo took third overall for a consecutive Sno*Drift podium and secured the SP Class win in dominant fashion. The finish was all but miraculous as the team didn't expect to complete the event due to engine problems before the second day began. Due to the sound of their engine, itappeared it could break at anytime. The team fought through the mechanical issues, however, and managed a highly respectable podium spot while continuing to prove the competiveness of the Super Production Class as a viable contender to the more powerful Open Class cars.
    The SP battle for second and third place was fairly close considering that the icy Sno*Drift conditions spread the field to greater-than-usual lengths. Lauchlin O'Sullivan and Scott Putnam, piloting an unfamiliar Mitsubishi EVO, held a 45.8 second advantage over newcomer driver David Sterckx and co-driver Karen Jankowski.
    The Sno*Drift Rally is David Sterckx's first Rally America National Championship event. Sterckx is a former 2001 Belgium Rally Group N DR2 Champ and has been preparing for his first national event since last year.
    In the 2-Wheel Drive (2WD) Class, Chris Duplessis and Karl Atkinson once again topped the 2WD field in their 2011 Ford Fiesta R2 winning all the stages in class and consistently placed within the top 10 overall. His performance netted him the Sno*Attack title, a championship for 2WD cars run in conjunction with the Sno*Drift Rally.
    Even though they didn't win, it was the inspired drive of Andrew Comrie-Picard with Jeremy Wimpey in a 2011 Scion xD that caused plenty of buzz among the crowd. Comrie-Picard quickly adapted to the new car, having been down as far as 5th in class early in the event to place 2nd in 2WD, narrowly beating Dillon Van Way and Jake Blattner in their 2011 Ford Fiesta by 21 seconds.
    A record breaking 65 teams started the Sno*Drift Rally with a slew of new competitors making a big splash. Notably, Canadian Rally Championship regulars Leonid Urlichich and Carl Williamson entered Sno*Drift for their first U.S. event and instantly challenged Travis and Terry Hanson for third place overall, trading times throughout the event. At one point, Hanson passed Urlichich on stage only to give up the spot deep into Day 2. Urlichich did finish third overall in the standings, but the car failed post rally inspection and was penalized three positions to finish sixth overall.
    Urlichich protested the Steward's decision and the Sno*Drift overall results will remain provisional pending the outcome of the protest.
    Erik Zenz and Dave Parps successfully swept the top spot at the Sno*Regional and Drift Regional Rallies in their 1988 Mazda 323.
    Next in the 2012 Rally America National Championship is the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood on February 24-25th in Salem, MO.
Source: Rally-America
WRC: Loeb Cruise to Monte-Carlo Win
1/22/2012: Sebastien Loeb has won Rallye Monte-Carlo for a sixth time following a dominant performance behind the wheel of the Citroen DS3 WRC he shares with Monegasque co-driver Daniel Elena.
    By claiming 25 points for victory plus three bonus points for winning the event-closing Power Stage, Loeb leaves the Principality with a maximum score in his bid to win the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia for a ninth time.
    Loeb, from the Alsace region of France, began the final day of the WRC qualifier, which consisted of one test, the 5.16-kilometre Power Stage, with a lead of 2m41.6s. After completing the challenging run unscathed, victory was all but assured.
    “For sure it’s always a great moment to start the season like this especially in front of so many fans,” Loeb told World Rally Radio. “Full points in the first race is incredible and for sure it’s the perfect start [to my title defence]. But Monte-Carlo is my rally and for the others we will have to see.”
    Dani Sordo finished second in his MINI John Cooper Works WRC, the marque’s first podium on the legendary event since Rauno Aaltonen took the overall victory in 1967 in a Cooper S. Petter Solberg, in a Fiesta RS WRC, bagged the final podium spot on his return to the factory Ford team after an absence of more than a decade. It was the Norwegian’s first Monte-Carlo podium.
    Mikko Hirvonen marked his debut for the works Citroen squad in fourth with Evgeny Novikov impressing throughout to take fifth in his M-Sport Fiesta, which equals his best finish in the WRC to date. The Russian completed his Monte-Carlo debut by claiming the final Power Stage point.
    French legend Francois Delecour took sixth on his return to the WRC for the first time since 2002. The former Monte-Carlo winner handed driving duties to co-driver Dominique Savignoni for the Power Stage to celebrate the navigator’s retirement from competition.
    Pierre Campana scored a career-best seventh in his factory MINI with Ott Tanak eighth after a conservative run in his M-Sport Fiesta. Martin Prokop edged MINI privateer Armindo Araujo in a close battle for ninth place with Matthew Wilson taking 11th overall for the new Go Fast Energy World Rally Team.
    Volkswagen Motorsport’s Kevin Abbring was the highest Super 2000 finisher in 12th, one place ahead of Go Fast’s Henning Solberg, whose challenge for a top 10 finish was scuppered by a double driveshaft failure on day one.
    Craig Breen won the Super 2000 World Rally Championship division in his Fiesta in 14th with Michal Kosciuszko nursing his Mitsubishi Lancer home to the Production Car World Rally Championship spoils in 30th overall.
    The World Rally Championship resumes on Rally Sweden from 9-12 February.
Source: WRC
WRC Friday wrap: Loeb grows Monte lead
1/20/2012 Citroen's Sebastien Loeb continues to lead Rallye Monte-Carlo following day three of the thrilling FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia 2012 season-opener.
    Loeb, from the Alsace region of France, has been building his overall advantage ever since his closest rival Jari-Matti Latvala crashed his Ford Fiesta into retirement on Wednesday afternoon.
    Despite his commanding margin of 2m12.4s over second-placed MINI driver Dani Sordo, Loeb said the treacherous conditions that greeted the crews on Friday’s second stage served as a timely reminder of the challenging nature of this rally, which he has won on five occasions in the past.
    “It’s been a very difficult day,” said Loeb, who is chasing a ninth world title in 2012. “It was hard to make the right tyre choice this morning and I was not taking any risks because I really want to get to Monaco tonight so there could be no mistakes now.”
     Ford’s Petter Solberg began day three on a high after winning the opening test to pull clear of Sordo. However, his choice of tyres lacked the necessary grip for stage 12 and he slipped back to more than one minute adrift of his Spanish rival.
    And it got worse for the 2003 world champion when he broke his Fiesta’s front-left wheel rim cutting a corner too tightly nearing the end of stage 13. The Norwegian heads to the overnight halt in Monaco in third overall, 1m06.8s behind Sordo but only 23.8s clear of Mikko Hirvonen, who has impressed with two stage wins today in the second works Citroen.
    Despite his gap over Solberg, Sordo says he has no intention of taking things easy over the event’s five remaining stages. “I need to keep pushing but at the same time not make any mistakes,” he said. “There are four stages tomorrow so anything can still happen.”
    Evgeny Novikov is a solid fifth for the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team after another impressive showing by the young Russian. Francois Delecour is sixth with MINI driver Pierre Campana seventh and on course for his second top 10 finish in the World Rally Championship.
    Ott Tanak is eighth with PG Andersson ninth and first in the Super 2000 World Rally Championship category for PROTON. Armindo Araujo completes the top 10 in his MINI with Czech Ford National Team’s Martin Prokop 11th.
    Kevin Abbring in the sole surviving Volkswagen Motorsport Skoda Fabia is 12th but under orders to reduce his pace in order to reach the finish. Go Fast Energy’s Matthew Wilson is 13th with team-mate Henning Solberg 14th after he damaged his Fiesta’s right rear wheel on stage 12.
    Craig Breen is 15th despite hitting a bridge in his SWRC-eligible Fiesta. Bryan Bouffier, who won Rallye Monte-Carlo when it ran outside of the WRC in 2011, is 16th in his Peugeot 207 S2000. Michal Kosciuszko from Poland continues to lead the Production Car World Rally Championship standings in his Mitsubishi Lancer.
Source: WRC
Loeb maintains Monte Carlo advantage
1/19/2012: Sebastien Loeb has completed day two of Rallye Monte-Carlo with his lead of the FIA World Rally Championship presented by Nokia qualifier firmly intact following another impressive display in his Citroen DS3 WRC.
    Loeb has been fastest on five of Thursday’s six demanding stages to open up a lead of 1m37.5s. After snow and ice caused havoc on day one, drier and milder conditions have prevailed on day two although several drivers reported a build up of mud on the stages making the road surface slippery.
    “Today was easier than yesterday, more like a normal Tarmac rally but it was still tricky because it was very muddy in places,” said Loeb. “But I was feeling good so I tried to push. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow and with the conditions suiting me today I tried to take everything I can.”
    MINI driver Dani Sordo heads Ford’s Petter Solberg in a thrilling battle for second place. Sordo and Solberg have swapped position throughout the day but it’s Spaniard Sordo who will take a slender 3.4s advantage over his Norwegian rival into the third day of the rally.
    Mikko Hirvonen is fourth in the second factory Citroen with Evgeny Novikov closing up in his M-Sport Fiesta. The Russian is 6.0s behind the Finn after a measured performance.
    Volkswagen Motorsport’s Sebastien Ogier started Thursday’s final stage in an impressive sixth overall in his Super 2000-specification Skoda Fabia only to suffer a high-speed crash approximately five kilometres from the stage finish, thankfully without injury to neither he nor co-driver Julien Ingrassia.
    French legend Francois Delecour is sixth overall with MINI’s Pierre Campana demoting Ott Tanak into eighth after the Estonian’s Fiesta stalled at the start of stage 10. Super 2000 World Rally Championship leader PG Andersson is ninth for Proton with Kevin Abbring completing the top 10 in his Volkswagen-run Fabia.
     Armindo Araujo completed Thursday’s final stage with a left-rear puncture on his privateer MINI. Nevertheless the double Production Car world champion remains just outside the top 10. Martin Prokop is 12th for the Czech Ford National Team with Matthew Wilson 13th for the Go Fast Energy World Rally Team.
    Wilson’s team-mate Henning Solberg is more than one minute behind the Briton after losing time this afternoon when a stone got stuck in his Fiesta’s brake caliper. WRC Academy Cup champion Craig Breen is 15th and second in the SWRC standings. Poland’s Michal Kosciuszko continues to dominate the Production Car World Rally Championship division in his Mitsubishi Lancer.
    Friday’s action features three stages, the first of which, St Jean en Royans-Font d’Urle, goes live at 10:02hrs local time. Crews are due to reach the overnight halt on Monaco’s harbour front at 19:59hrs local time.
Source: WRC
WRC: Monte Carlo Leg 1 Loeb Leads. Latvala Crashes Out
01/18/2012:  At the end of the opening day of competition on Rallye Monte-Carlo, round one of the FIA World Rally Championship, reigning World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb heads the leaderboard.  Spaniard Dani Sordo is second with Petter Solberg in the final provisional podium position after 134.70 kilometres of competition over four stages. The weather was cold and dry with a little snow and some icy patches on the stages.
    One of the world’s most historic rallies started last night in Valence, but it was today when the action kicked off in earnest. The route covered two stages, both run twice, but the 134.70 competitive kilometres proved tricky for the crews with tyre choice proving to be a decisive factor.
      As is always  the case at the Rallye Monte-Carlo, road conditions change from stage to stage, with dry Tarmac, ice and snow all playing a part in the tire gamble.and so there was a lot of interest in which rubber was being favoured. The MINI John Cooper Works WRC cars both used soft tires, while some used the super soft. On stage one this proved the perfect choice of Michelin tyre as Sordo was second quickest – just a second behind eight times world champion and five times Monte Carlo Rally winner – Sébastien Loeb
    Sébastien Loeb took the early lead but a bold tire choice by Ford catapulted Jari-Matti Latvala into the lead of this famous rally after only the second stage. The Finn maintained a 60-second advantage through stage three but in the final stage of the day he went off the road - pre-occupied by the icy surface rather than the road ahead - and rolled into retirement. Sébastien Loeb therefore re-took the lead and has more than a minute in hand heading into day two.
     Sordo, second in the MINI John Cooper Works WRC, went off the road twice this morning but the Spaniard was lucky to escape without major problems. He and Solberg are neck and neck and the pair go into day two of this five-day rally separated by just one second.
    Sébastien Ogier, now driving a Super 2000 car with Volkswagen as it prepares to enter the WRC in 2013, has set a stunning pace and is fourth overnight.
    Russian Evgeny Novikov is however within striking distance, just 5.4 seconds adrift, with Mikko Hirvonen sixth in his first outing for Citroën. Rallye Monte-Carlo legend François Delecour is back in a factory-specification World Rally Car for the first time in 10 years and the Frenchman holds seventh in a Fiesta RS WRC.
    The second day of competition on Thursday takes in two loops of three stages totalling 131.76 kilometres.
Rallye Monte-Carlo Day 1 – Unofficial Results
1. Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena - Citroën DS3 WRC 1:30:30:1
2. Dani Sordo/Carlos Del Barrio - MINI Cooper Works WRC +1:04:2
3. Petter Solberg/Chris Patterson - Ford Fiesta RS WRC +1:05:2
4. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia - Skoda Fabia S2000 +2:21:1
5. Evgeny Novikov/Denis Giraudet - Ford Fiesta RS WRC +2:26:5
6. Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen - Citroën DS3 WRC +2:30:0
7. François Delecour/D Savignoni - Ford Fiesta RS WRC +2:49:9
8. Pierre Campana/Sabrina de Castelli - MINI Cooper Works WRC +4:09:7
9. Ott Tänak/Kuldar Sikk - Ford Fiesta RS WRC +4:14
10. P-G Andersson/Emil Axelsson - Proton Satria S2000 +4:33:8
David Higgins to Defend Rally America Crown With Subaru Rally Team USA in 2012 Championship
Jan. 18, 2012: Subaru of America, Inc. Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) announced today that David Higgins, the 2011 Rally America National Champion will continue as factory driver for the team in 2012 in a bid to defend his title.  Higgins and SRT USA begin the 2012 Rally America National Championship at the season opener Sno*Drift Rally in northern Michigan, Jan. 27 and 28 against a stacked field of over 70 entries. Co-driver Craig Drew will once again join Higgins; the duo will pilot a Vermont SportsCar-prepared 2012 Subaru WRX STI in all six rounds of the 2012 Rally America National Championship.
    X Games icon Dave Mirra, Higgins’ Subaru teammate in 2011, is expected to continue to drive for Subaru but will focus on the Global RallyCross Championship, because of several conflicting dates with the Rally America Championship event calendar.  An announcement about the team’s rallycross plans will be made in the near future.
    Higgins joined Subaru Rally Team USA at the start of the 2011 season, and had an impressive year at the wheel of his Subaru WRX STI, earning three victories and two-second overall finishes in the six-event 2011 Rally America National Championship; as well as claiming victory and a new record at the famed Mt. Washington Hillclimb. The 2011 Rally America driver’s title was the third for Higgins in the USA having won the SCCA ProRally Championship in 2002 and 2003. Higgins also won the British Rally Championship in 2004 after winning the Group N title in the British Rally Championship in 1997, 1999, and 2002.   As a testament of his passion for the sport, Higgins and his family also operate a UK-based training facility, The Forest Experience Rally School.  Higgins was born on the Isle of Man but resides in Wales with his wife and two children.
    “I’m excited to defend my title with Subaru as we have made some great progress in the development of our STI rally car in the off-season, and so the confidence is high right now,” explained Higgins. “The Rally America Championship is a fantastic series with a great mix of events and conditions coupled with a very high level of competition.  I expect 2012 to be a big fight but we have the right car and the right team, so I’m really looking forward to it!”
    “Subaru Rally Team USA is kicking off the 2012 season with aggressive goals in place while maintaining a dedicated approach towards defending our Rally America title and contending for the Global RallyCross Championship,” indicated James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “I’m encouraged to have the 2012 Subaru WRX STI serve as our technical backdrop and renew our ongoing partnership with Vermont SportsCar.  Sno*Drift [Rally] will be a great measure of our current level of preparedness against what looks to be a healthy entry list.”
Source: Subaru of America
FIA World Rally Championship terminate its contract with North One Sport
08/01/2012: Last Friday the FIA served notice to terminate its contract with North One Sport, the Promoter of the FIA World Rally Championship. The FIA sought urgent unequivocal assurances from NOS that it could fulfil its contractual obligations and deliver the promotion of the upcoming Rally Monte Carlo and the Championship for 2012 and for the future. It is with regret and disappointment that no such assurance has been given to the FIA, and therefore today the FIA has been driven to terminate its contract with NOS. NOS has conspicuously failed to deliver its contractual obligations and is in fundamental breach of contract.
     Following the recent unforeseen circumstances which led to Convers Sports Initiatives (CSI) the parent company being placed into administration in November 2011, the FIA has fully supported and co-operated with both NOS and the administrators of the parent company CSI in their efforts to secure a purchaser. Contrary to press speculation however, no firm offer to purchase NOS has been presented to the FIA during this period but only numerous non-binding expressions of interest subject to due diligence. The FIA has been notified of at least 7 expressions of interest, but none have come to fruition.
      The FIA has given time and support to all the parties concerned to find the right solutions.  Regrettably however, not only has NOS failed to perform in accordance with its contract, it has also been unable to secure the essential investment required to enable it to deliver the Championship.
     This has placed the FIA in an unprecedented situation just 10 days before Rally Monte Carlo in that the FIA will now have to take urgent action to secure the staging of the Championship. The Fédération is now working tirelessly to ensure the WRC goes ahead as fully as planned to mitigate the consequences of the breach of NOS.
     At the start of the 2012 season, the FIA wishes to take this opportunity to reassure all its stakeholders - the Automobile Club de Monaco and Rally Monte Carlo which makes a welcome return as the opening round of the Championship, the other vital commercial partners, Rally Organisers, the Manufacturers and Teams, and the vast loyal worldwide fan base - of its full on-going commitment to the World Rally Championship and its determination to see 2012 take place as planned.
     The FIA has now launched urgent top level discussions with several partners and suppliers to guarantee the key organisational and promotional components of the Championships, including timing and tracking, TV production and distribution, as well as sponsorship servicing are put in place.
      The FIA is fully confident that it will deliver a safe, successful and exciting 2012 season, adding that in the current context, and while there are still on-going discussions, it would not be appropriate for the Fédération to discuss these matters publicly until a final solution has been reached.
Source: FIA
Coma gains some ground, Nasser steals the show
Jan/7/2012: Things are getting tight at the top of the motorcycle classification: Marc Coma seized his third career victory in Copiapó and clawed back 2'03" from Cyril Despres, who managed to defend his lead before the rest day. In the car category, the Hummers put on a show to prove they are not dead yet: Al-Attiyah blazed the Copiapó-Copiapó course and Robby Gordon climbed back onto the provisional podium. Peterhansel is not completely alone. Neither is Gerard de Rooy in the truck category. He is still threatened by Ales Loprais despite clinching his fourth stage win.
Motorcycles:
    A war of nerves started today between Marc Coma and Cyril Despres, who spent the entire stage keeping an eye on each other while riding at full speed, on very fast sand courses in the first part of the special and then in strings of dunes which they crossed without blinking or losing sight of each other. On the other hand, many motorcycle riders will have no choice but to spend the night here! At any rate, Cyril Despres kicked off the stage by navigating at the front of the race. Marc Coma locked on to him to post the fastest intermediate times and had already put one hand on the stage win by the middle of the special. After the neutralised sector, the Catalan pilot overtook his teammate and started blazing a trail through the dunes. Despres played it safe by matching his rival's pace and conceded 2'03" at the finish, but managed to keep his lead in the general classification with a margin of 7'48".
    Behind the two favourites, the battle rages on among podium contenders, who could still earn a bigger prize should the leaders collapse. It has happened before! Paulo Gonçalves proved his win in Iquique last year was much more than a stroke of luck by posting the third best time in today's special, 2'49" behind Coma (and just 46" behind Despres). His performance also moved him closer to his fellow countryman Hélder Rodrigues, over whom Cyril Despres still has a very comfortable margin of 49'39". Francisco "Chaleco" López produced the most disappointing performance of the day: the local hero started the first Chilean special in the 2012 Dakar with a fall which handicapped him for the rest of the stage. He finished half an hour down on Coma and almost fell out of the Top 10.
Cars:
    Nasser Al-Attiyah, on the other hand, is gradually upping his game and is now on a quest to climb up the general classification which could see him crack the Top 5, especially if he is able to keep up today's infernal pace. The eleventh driver to start this morning and his Hummer already held the sixth best time at the end of the first part of the special (km 143). He then morphed into the Usain Bolt of the desert and overtook five cars in the last 200 kilometres. And not just any cars: De Villiers' Toyota, Sousa's Great Wall and Leal dos Santos and Novitskiy's Minis. This earned him his 14th stage win at the Dakar and reduced by 7'53" the gap with Stéphane Peterhansel, who defended his overall lead.
   Having a fighting spirit is obviously a shared value at Team Gordon. Just like his star draftee, team boss Robby produced a stunning performance. He lost some time at the beginning of the stage and only held the 42nd best time at km 31. But the Californian crossed the finish line after a spectacular drive, placing another Hummer behind Al-Attiyah's in the special classification, with the symbolic satisfaction of having beaten the Minis, including Peterhansel. In the general classification, as of the rest day the Frenchman still seems on track to take his 10th win at the rally. The gaps behind him are very small, with Krzysztof Hołowczyc 11'22'' back and Robby Gordon 13'09'' back in third. The Hummers have not had their final say yet.
Quads:
     It was also a very eventful stage in the quad category, with a never-seen-before Top 3: Alejandro Patronelli ahead of Ignacio Casale (+16'10'') and Sergio Lafuente (+33'59''). But the loop around Copiapó also yielded unexpected changes in the general classification, with a transfer of power at the top. Alejandro Patronelli toppled Tomás Maffei and now leads him by 58'53". Nevertheless, the main event of the day was the massive amount of time lost by Marcos. The 2010 champion finished the stage 1 h 20' behind his brother. Marcos still has a podium place, but the race is now Alejandro's to lose. This upheaval benefitted two young competitors: Lucas Bonetto, fourth in the general classification, and Ignacio Casale, fifth. Both are more than two hours back but their consistency has yielded its first tangible reward.
Trucks:
     The De Rooy saga continues in the truck category. The team leader took his third win straight and seems poised to take the overall victory in Lima. While the Kamaz menace has been blunted by Eduard Nikolaev's disqualification, the Ivecos will have to keep an eye on Ales Loprais, the most consistent of their rivals. After finishing second yet again in today's stage, 3'59" behind Gerard de Rooy, he has so far been able to limit the gap between them in the general classification to 17 minutes. More or less the time lost in the event of a flat tyre!
Source: Dakar Rally
DAKAR: DESPRES INCREASES HIS LEAD &  Holowczyc Wins HIS 1st Stage
Jan. 05, 2012: Cyril Despres's 28th stage victory on the Dakar has allowed him to increase his lead over Marc Coma in the general standings. The competition is struggling to keep up with the two champions. In the car race, a special stage win goes to a fourth Mini, the one driven by Krzysztof Holowczyc, who picks up his first ever stage triumph on the Dakar.
MOTORCYCLES:
    As the saying goes, two's a company, three's a crowd, and the Dakar seems to prefer duos. Between Cyril Despres and Marc Coma, the battles are always intense. Their virtuosity behind the handlebars is starting to significantly distance them from their challengers. The bad weather conditions that forced the organisers to shorten the day's special also prevented Despres from making a genuine breakaway in the dunes near Fiambala. However, he was able to add 1'41” to his lead over Coma, by triumphing after 185 kilometres of tracks and river beds which he mostly tackled just behind his rival and, nonetheless, team-mate. In the general standings, the distance of 9'50” at which the title holder finds himself is not an insurmountable obstacle, bearing in mind that Coma is capable of resounding feats. Behind the duo, the gap is imposing, however, and is growing every day by approximately ten minutes.
   Frans Verhoeven, who had managed to stay at a pace almost comparable to the two leading men, only lasted around fifty kilometres before stopping due to mechanical problems. The Dutchman was able to resume the race, but the time lost has probably damaged his objective of a Top 5 finish. For the moment, Helder Rodrigues remains the most regular pursuer, but is still 47 minutes behind. Having managed to hang in there after a catastrophic stage yesterday, Joan Barreda still has the profile of a possible special stage winner: he has shown once again, by achieving the day's 3rd best time, that his efforts pay off occasionally. The same is also true for Stefan Svitko, who finished 4th on the special stage, 13'05” behind Despres.
CARS:
     A stage victory, a first step to joining the club of competitors to take note of, was probably one of the intermediate goals of Krzysztof Holowczyc. The Polish driver, who just missed out twice already this year, deprived of a triumph in Santa Rosa by Novitskiy and in San Juan by Roma, was rewarded for his consistency by a prestigious stage victory on exiting the dunes around Fiambala. In the X-Raid team, four of the five Minis taking part have won a stage! Today's triumph could have gone to a Hummer, however. Robby Gordon and Nasser Al Attiyah continue to blow hot and cold over the race. Gordon finished the stage only 1'01” behind Holowczyc and is the leading pursuer of the Minis, with his 4th place in the general standings, 13'32” behind Peterhansel. As for Nasser Al Attiyah, he achieved the best intermediate times on the stage, only to be stopped by a broken coolant inlet pipe on his radiator. He is now eighth in the general standings, but this does not mean that the Qatari driver has finished putting on amazing displays.
    Orlando Terranova is also capable of putting on a show and proved this fact yesterday with the second best time. However, after an argument in the evening with Andy Grider, his co-pilot, the latter decided to leave the rally. As a result, Toyota Hilux No. 308 did not take starter's orders this morning. These types of trials and tribulations are unlikely to happen with Giniel De Villiers, who lost a good quarter of an hour in the dunes, but who hung on to fifth place in the general standings, 21'01” behind “Peter”.
QUADS:
    In the quad category, there was a third consecutive Argentine stage victory. Marcos Patronelli, winer of the rally in 2010, beat his brother Alejandro, the title holder, by less than two minutes and Tomas Maffei by 4'08”. Only Lucas Bonetto got anywhere near the infernal trio but finished the day's special stage 26'41” behind. In the general standings, the three riders are all alone out in front and outright victory, unless there are major mishaps, will be settled between Maffei, today leader by 35 seconds, and Alejandro as well as Marcos, who is in third, only by 2'04”'.
TRUCKS:
    Today, the closest battle was in the truck category, between Gerard De Rooy and Ales Loprais. The trend apparent between the start of the rally continued: the Argentine tracks smile on the Dutch clan. De Rooy won his third stage this year, with a lead of only 14” over his Czech rival. Behind them, Miki Biasion and Hans Stacey were again the quickest, doing just enough to feature in the day's standings ahead of the Kamaz trucks driven by Nikolaev and Ardavichius.
SOURCE: DAKAR RALLY

DAKAR STAGE 3: DEPRES & HOLOWCZYC TAKE THE LEAD
Jan. 03, 2012: Despres, already a winner in San Juan on the Dakar's last visit in 2010, won again today, taking advantage of a major navigational error by Coma to take the lead in the general standings. Nani Roma won his 15th stage on the Dakar and his 3rd in the car category. His team-mate Holowczyc, who is starting to make a collection of second places, nonetheless took control of the general standings.
MOTORCYCLES:
    Endurance alone is not sufficient without a little attention to detail. On the Dakar, this point was proved by Cyril Despres, who took command of the general standings and won the day's stage by remaining calm and collected. In terms of performance, his confrontation with Marc Coma for a long time seemed like a game of ping-pong: advantage to the Frenchman by 20 seconds at CP1, then to the Spaniard by 14 seconds after 117 km. The likelihood of a slender victory for one rider or the other seemed to grow as the stage went on. However, opening the road is never an easy task. At the junction between the routes dedicated to the bikes/quads and the cars/trucks, after 164 kilometres of racing, Coma made the wrong choice and followed the car/truck route for more than 4 kilometres. Despite his efforts to try and make up for this lost time, his about-turn cost him 13 minutes at the finishing line. On completion of this 27th special stage victory, Cyril Despres now finds himself leading the rally with an advantage of 10'12” over his biggest rival.
    The brave challengers to Coma and Despres once again had to admit that there is a chasm separating them from the two men. In the end, Frans Verhoeven picked up 2nd place on the day's special. The performance was encouraging for the new Sherco that he is riding, but the Dutchman still came in 8'37” behind Despres, whilst Paulo Gonçalves took only 2 seconds more. More importantly, the lesson about being calm and collected, two essential qualities on the Dakar, was a tough one for two pretenders to the podium, who will be leaving the rally by the back door; or rather by his assistance truck for Jakub Przygonsky, whose engine blew after 68 km, and by the medical helicopter for Quinn Cody, who broke his collar bone following a spectacular fall after 173 km of the special stage.
AUTOMOBILE:
    It is just as vital to be consistent and regular on four wheels, where even the smallest of mistakes can cost several precious minutes. Stephane Peterhansel made significant progress at a decent pace in the special, enabling him to put in the best intermediate times at the 41 km and 163 km points. However, in the last 50 kilometres, the main favourite in the car category was halted twice by punctures. In the end, he lost more than 6 minutes to Nani Roma, who took it upon himself to offer the X-Raid a second victory for a Mini on the Dakar, after the one achieved by Novitskiy on the first day. What's more, the German team can be happy with its day's work, since Krzysztof Holowczyc, who was second today, takes the lead in the general standings.
     As regards, the race hierarchy, there is still plenty of competition because Robby Gordon, with the day's 5th best time on the special, holds on to 2nd place in the general standings, only 54” behind the Polish driver. Also, whilst the Hummer has been able to keep up with and even dominate most of the Minis, the potential of the Toyota Hilux is also starting to be conveyed by progress in the standings. In his own discrete and efficient way, Giniel De Villiers completes the provisional podium, made up of 3 different teams. The winner of the Dakar 2009 is only 1'40” behind Holowczyc in the general standings.
QUADS:
    The quad race between San Rafael and San Juan saw a predictable change in the balance of power. The wait for the reaction from the Argentineans was starting to drag out, after the two consecutive victories of their Uruguayan neighbour Sergio La Fuente. Marcos Patronelli, who had not tasted victory since the 2010 edition, won with a lead of 1'52” over his countryman Thomas Maffei. Alejandro achieved the 3rd best time of the day, but more importantly took the lead in the general standings, 55” ahead of… none other than his younger brother Marcos.
TRUCKS:
     In the truck category, Team De Rooy confirmed their potential by winning a second consecutive stage. This time it was not Gerard who took it upon himself to continue the series, but last year's new recruit, Micki Biasion. The two times world rally champion picked up his first stage victory on the Dakar. However, in the general standings, the happiest driver of the day will be Artur Ardavichius, who, thanks to second-placed finish, became the first Kazakh driver to take the lead in the rally.
SOURCE: Dakar Rally
DAKAR: COMA TAKES OFF & AL ATTIYAH BOUNCES BACK
Jan/2/2012:   The title holder also made his rivals sit up and take notice in the car category, and from a long way back too! Following a day when he came close to catastrophe, Nasser Al Attiyah began in 38th position on the starting line. It would appear that the mishaps and tiredness of the day before did not diminish the appetite or health of last year's rally winner. On the route to San Rafael, he overtook no less than 17 cars within the space of 290 kilometres! At the half-way point, he already boasted the 12th best time, but his festival was far from finished.
    Ahead of him, the situation appeared to be pointing in favour of Stephane Peterhansel, even though Robby Gordon made an excellent account of himself, showing at CP1 that his Hummer could dominate the Minis. After 140 km of racing, he had a lead of approximately forty seconds over Holowczyc. However, in the dunes the situation changed, handing the advantage to “Peter”, who grabbed the fastest time to take hold of the lead in the general standings as well. But Nasser was hurtling towards the finishing line, with the dunes as an ally at the end of the day's route. On the line, he beat the time of Stephane Peterhansel by 54 seconds. The Hummer clan had little to smile about yesterday. With two cars on the podium today, there is plenty to smile about now.
Motorcycles:
    The Coma rocket has taken off. Second yesterday, the title holder has put some distance between himself and his main rivals for victory, starting with Cyril Despres, who is 2'52” behind in the general standings. In the care race, Nasser Al Attiyah put on a show to win the day's special stage and claw himself to within 8'47” of Stephane Peterhansel, the new general standings leader.
      It is almost a different sport. With 295 kilometres covered in the special stage for the bikes, the gaps recorded are starting to be counted in minutes. Marc Coma, who already fired a warning shot over his rivals' bows by putting in the second best time yesterday, did not take long to seize the opportunity to put some distance between his bike and the chasing pack. Having set of in second place behind Francisco Lopez, yesterday's winner, the title holder won the 17th stage of his career on the Dakar, opening the road during the entire final part of the route.
     Some way behind the Spaniard, a traditional confrontation with Cyril Despres fell into place. After a gentle start to the competition yesterday, he was obliged to start in 13th place. On the tracks, he overtook Olivier Pain, then Pal Anders Ullevalseter and Quinn Cody, picking up the best time at the half-way point. However, in the final sandy section over the last 50 kilometres, Coma made up for time lost and even built up a lead of 1'18” over Despres. In the general standings, he takes command with a lead of 2'30” over Francisco Lopez. The provisional podium is completed by Despres, who nonetheless lags behind Coma by 2'52”. On this Dakar, third place on the stages seems to be reserved for surprise packages. After Pizzolito yesterday, it was the turn of Joan Barreda to do combat with the masters in the discipline, finishing 2'33” behind Coma on the stage. The Spaniard, who in particular won two stages on the recent Rally of Morocco, is perhaps following in the tyre-tracks of his elder countryman. In fact, the Husqvarna rider was born in Castellon, a town that has welcomed stages of the Dakar three times.
QUADS:
     In the quad race, Uruguayan Sergio Lafuente won a second special stage following 295 km of time racing that were significantly more meaningful than the victory of the day before in Santa Rosa. With this win, Sergio Lafuente has made a noteworthy emergence amongst the challengers for the title in Lima and obviously keeps hold of his place on top of the general standings for the category, leading Alejandro Patronelli by 6'34” and Tomas Maffei by 9'42”. Marcos Patronelli, two times winner in 2009 and 2010, is 9'48” ahead of the surprising rookie and youngest competitor in the event, Lucas Bonetto.
TRUCKS:
    At the wheel of his Iveco truck, Gerard De Rooy bathed himself in happy memories on the day's stage. The team leader had not won a stage since the 2009 edition, on a route that also started from Santa Rosa de la Pampa. The Dutchman has done it again this year, with the satisfaction of seeing his team-mate and cousin Hans Stacey put another Iveco on the day's podium. As leader of the general standings, De Rooy may still cast a nervous glance towards the performances of the young drivers on the Kamaz team: Nikolaev finished on the 2nd step of the podium, whilst Ayrat Mardeev finished in 4th position.
Source: Dakar Rally
Dakar: Argentinean rider Jorge Boero was the victim of a fall
    Today at 11:19 am, Argentinean rider Jorge Boero (motorcycle no. 175) was the victim of a fall at km 55 of the special of the first stage between Mar del Plata and Santa Rosa. The rider suffered a cardiac arrest following his fall and was attended five minutes after the accident by the medical staff, who reached the place of the incident by helicopter. Despite their best efforts, the doctors were unable to resuscitate the pilot, who died while he was being taken to hospital.
    38-year-old Jorge Boero was taking part in his second Dakar. In 2011, he withdrew from the rally during the sixth stage.
    The organisers of the rally offer their heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.
Source: Dakar Rally
Dakar: Chaleco is back to his winning ways and the Minis Meet expectations
Santa Rosa de la Pampa, the 1st January 2012
    After spending most of the year injured, Francisco López took the first stage of the 2012 Dakar in the motorcycle category and now leads a provisional top 5 which represents a break with tradition. Argentina's Javier Pizzolito (19th last year) finished third. In the truck category, Marcel van Vliet repeats his 2009 exploit by winning the first stage.
    Among all the race favourites, Francisco López is the one who has done the most to keep a low profile. But now that the chips are down, it is he who banged his fist on the table harder than anyone else. The Chilean rider sustained a hard fall in last spring's Rally of Tunisia. His bone fractures meant that the Dakar seemed a distant, even uncertain prospect. After going under the knife on six different occasions, the recovering López was able to start the Pharaons Rally, which he finished in the 36th position. Therefore, during the scrutineering process, "Chaleco" merely emphasised how happy he was just to be able to start the Dakar. But after the first few twists of the right handle, in the short, 57-kilometre-long special stage, he simply cracked the time set by Marc Coma a bit earlier. This was despite the Spaniard's good memories: he had already won on the road to Santa Rosa in the opening stage of the 2009 Dakar. But this time round, López took his sixth stage win in the rally, which lifts him to the top of a never-seen-before general classification.
    Hot on the heels of Marc Coma comes Javier Pizzolito, who posted the 3rd best time in today's stage. Pizzolito is promised a warm welcome in Santa Rosa once he has completed the 620-kilometre liaison. He has just turned in the strongest performance by an Argentinean rider at the Dakar! He lies just ahead of "miracle man" Quinn Cody, whose motorcycle took a detour through Lima just before reaching Mar del Plata in the nick of time, 4th at 30", while young Jakub Przygonsky rounds off today's Top 5, 49" behind "Chaleco". Cyril Despres lost 1'48".
    Updates on the car category: although the likelihood of a Mini win was obvious to even the least knowledgeable of pundits, the identity of the winner is slightly surprising. The length of today's stage means that performances here are not too representative, but Leonid Novitskiy exploited his best driving skills to seize his first special stage win at the Dakar. The 2011 Rally Raid World Champion started 13th and pipped his teammates Krzysztof Holowzyc and Stéphane Peterhansel at the finishing line, besting them by 5" and 9" respectively. At the end of the day, X-Raid has three Minis at the top of the classification, ahead of Giniel de Villiers, who posted a strong performance in the Dakar debut of his Toyota Hilux.
    Things are getting much more complicated for Nasser Al-Attiyah, racing for the first time at the wheel of a Hummer today. Although his time deficit of 9'45" to Novitskiy is not too significant, the reliability of his vehicle is quite worrying. 2 km away from the end of the special stage, his H3 ground to a halt due to problems with oil pressure and the Qatari driver had no choice but to be towed to the finish by teammate Robby Gordon. In the surprises and disappointments department, the failure of the day was that of Alfie Cox, whose Dakar came to an end before he could even reach the finish of the special stage. The former motorcycle rider from South Africa had built an ambitious project with Team Pewano, but he burned the Volvo XC-60 he was taking to the Dakar for the first time. The crew escaped the fire safe and sound but the car was totally destroyed by the flames.
    As for the quads, Sergio La Fuente finished the Dakar 2011 with the satisfaction of clinching 14th, and dead last, in the general classification. He marked his return to the race by posting the best time in the special – never before had a Uruguayan won a stage in the rally. He can also be proud of beating the 2010 Dakar champion Marcos Patronelli by 54", with Tomás Maffei lurking in third, 1'07" back.
    In the truck category, one has to go very far back to find a stage without a single Kamaz in the top six. Marcel van Vliet, who was clearly targeting the opening stage, took his second Dakar stage victory after winning the first stage of the 2009 Dakar... in Santa Rosa. This time round he bested Gerard de Rooy by 26" and Franz Echter by 56". Most importantly, there are now three Iveco trucks in the Top 5, with Miki Biaison and Hans Stacey staying close to their teammate in this same order
Source: Dakar Rally
Nasser Al-Attiyah with Citroën Racing!
Citroën Racing is delighted to announce the arrival of Nasser Al-Attiyah in its team. From Rally Sweden onwards, the driver from Qatar will be at the wheel of a Citroën DS3 WRC identical tothose of Sébastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen.
    In addition to the two cars entered by the Citroën Total World Rally Team for Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena and Mikko Hirvonen / Jarmo Lehtinen, Citroën Racing will run another DS3 WRC for Nasser Al- Attiyah / Giovanni Bernacchini.
    Nasser Al-Attiyah, winner of the 2011 Dakar, is no stranger to the WRC. The Qatari has raced in 46 rounds since 2004, and in 2006 he won the P-WRC title for production cars so he has considerable rallying experience, which he hopes to put to good use with Citroën Racing. Nasser Al-Attiyah has just won his seventh FIA Middle East Rally Championship title. Nassar, who is also a distinguished sportsman, will make his debut in Rally Sweden after defending his Dakar title. In addition, he will represent his country in the London Olympic Games in clay pigeon shooting.
    Olivier Quesnel, Citroën Racing Team Principal: “We’re pleased to announce the arrival of Nasser Al-Attiyah at Citroën Racing. He’s a complete all-round driver who already has considerable experience as proved by his impressive results. We’re delighted that he’s chosen our team to make his debut in a World Rally Car, and we’re determined to put all our support behind him to help him move up to the top level.”
    Nasser Al-Attiyah : “I’m very happy to fulfill what’s been both a dream and a sporting objective. We’ve done a lot of work on this project in the past few months and I’d like to thank Raouf Menhem for his involvement alongside me. I can’t wait to get to know the team better and to test the DS3 WRC. It’s still a bit early to fix myself objectives as I’m counting on acquiring experience not only with the engineering squad, but also with drivers as talented as Sébastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen. I think I’ll be able to score good results in the toughest rallies like Greece, for example. I also feel it’s a very positive step that the WRC is being opened up to longer events. The experience I’ve gained in the Dakar will certainly be very useful as endurance skills are of supreme importance in these rallies.”
Source: Citroën Racing
Ford extends World Rally Championship participation with new two-year agreement with M-Sport
COLOGNE, Dec. 15, 2011 –
·Ford of Europe continues its World Rally Championship programme for 2012 and 2013
·Company signs new two-year agreement with British-based M-Sport, Ford’s long-term rally partner
·Jari-Matti Latvala confirmed as lead driver in Fiesta RS World Rally Car
·Former world champion Petter Solberg joins the team as second driver.
    Ford of Europe announced today it is extending its participation in the FIA World Rally Championship into 2012 and 2013.
    Long-term partner M-Sport, the British-based preparation company, which has successfully operated Ford’s WRC activities since 1997, will continue to operate the programme from its state-of-the-art facilities at Dovenby Hall in north-west England. 
    The Fiesta RS World Rally Car will continue as Ford’s WRC flagship in 2012 and 2013.  The car, based on the successful Fiesta road car, claimed a clean sweep of the podium in both the first and final rounds of its debut season this year.
    Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala and co-driver Miikka Anttila, who topped the world rankings for special stage victories in 2011 and won the final round of the championship in Britain last month, are confirmed as team leaders for 2012. 
    They will be partnered by former world champion Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson, who have signed a one-year agreement to drive the team’s second Fiesta RS WRC in all 13 rounds.  The experienced Solberg won the world title in 2003 and the 37-year-old Norwegian has 13 world rally wins to his name.  It will be his second stint with Ford, having launched his world rally career with the team in 1999.
     The squad will be named Ford World Rally Team and will retain support from long-term partner Castrol for both 2012 and 2013.
   Ford has a long and successful heritage in rallying.  It is second in the all-time wins list with 79 world rally victories and its run of 145 consecutive points finishes, dating back to the opening round of the 2002 championship, is the longest in the sport’s history.
    Ford of Europe chairman and CEO Stephen Odell highlighted the strong will of all parties to continue in the WRC.
    “Ford has a rich history in world rallying and we’re excited to continue fighting for titles on the world stage with our great partners at M-Sport,” said Odell.  “WRC is a great fit with the Ford brand DNA of precise handling, fun-to-drive cars with leading technology and we’ll continue to leverage rallying to inspire innovation in future vehicles and reach new audiences.”
    Gerard Quinn, Ford of Europe’s senior manager for motorsport, emphasized what WRC competition means to Ford. 
    “The WRC is motorsport’s toughest competition for production-based cars,” he said.  Through WRC, we can convey the attributes of our road vehicles and send a clear message to our customers and fans about Ford’s passion and expertise.
    “We feel that the timing for our announcement is right.  We had to be confident about the stability of the championship and to ensure it continues to provide great value and increased exposure globally.  We discussed it with our stakeholders and after receiving such assurances we look forward to focusing on competition once again,” said Quinn.
    “We have a great team with M-Sport and its leader, Malcolm Wilson, and in Jari-Matti Latvala we have one of motorsport’s rising stars.  Already regarded by many as the fastest driver in WRC, this year he showed consistency and expertise on all surfaces.  We believe he will flourish in his new role as Ford’s team leader, and look forward to seeing his pace light up the special stages around the world.
    “The addition of Petter Solberg to the team brings one of the sport’s most experienced and flamboyant drivers back to the team where he started his top-level career.  A drivers’ world title and 13 world rally victories are testament to his abilities and his vast experience will be a great asset to our line-up,” added Quinn.    
    Wilson, M-Sport managing director and team director, said the new deal was a vote of confidence in his company. 
    “The performance of the Fiesta RS WRC in 2011 was strong on all surfaces and I’m genuinely excited about what we can achieve in the future,” he said.  “We want to challenge for world titles and I have no doubts that our car and driver combination, allied to the infrastructure and expertise of our staff at Dovenby Hall, will allow us to do that.”
    M-Sport recently completed its ladder of opportunity, adding a first rung to complete a structured path to take young and talented rally drivers from the grass-roots to the top level in Ford Fiestas.  From the entry-level MS1 car, drivers can progress via the increasingly more powerful R2, S2000 and Regional Rally Car models to the top-billing World Rally Car.
    “Ford has five different Fiesta models in which drivers with potential can graduate from entry level to the WRC.  This ladder is the breeding ground of Ford’s future stars, and in the next seasons we will see drivers with ability climb it and begin to emerge at the top,” he added.
Source: Ford
Intercontinental Rally Challenge Newsletter
15 December, 2011:
Tyre firms celebrate year of IRC triumphs
    Michelin and Yokohama, the official tyre partners of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, have celebrated another year of success in the IRC.
    French firm Michelin helped Andreas Mikkelsen to the IRC drivers’ crown, its fifth in a row, and SKODA to the IRC manufacturers’ title while the Japanese Yokohama organisation celebrated IRC Production Cup glory with factory Subaru driver Toshi Arai.
     Michelin’s competition boss Nick Shorrock said: “It’s been a fantastic season and a privilege to be able to say we’re again IRC champions. We’ve supplied our partners with products that perform correctly but it’s not easy because we need to continue to work hard to maintain this level.”
     Arai, who took two IRC Production Cup wins on Yokohama tyres, said: "The Yokohama tyres have been getting better and better this year and worked very well for us. I am very happy."
Neuville excited by extra gravel rounds in IRC
      Rising star Thierry Neuville says the increased number of gravel events on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge calendar in 2012 will help him improve as a driver.
    Neuville has yet to finalise his IRC programme for next season but hopes to contest as many events as possible. The 2012 IRC schedule includes three all-gravel rallies in Azores, Romania and San Marino while the season-closing Cyprus Rally will feature a combination of asphalt and gravel stages.
     “I have a good pace on asphalt but on gravel maybe the pace is there but it’s not the same confidence as on asphalt,” said Neuville, a winner of two IRC events in 2011 for Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg. “I can be as fast on gravel as on asphalt but maybe it’s in a more dangerous way. I want to drive on gravel as often as possible so [the extra gravel events in the IRC in 2012] can be good for me.”
Tidemand to follow in Mikkelsen’s footsteps
    Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Andreas Mikkelsen might only be 22 and showing no signs of slowing down but he’s already got a successor aiming to emulate his considerable achievements in the future.
    Pontus Tidemand, a 20-year-old from Sweden, has been signed to Erik Veiby’s EVEN Rally AS, the management company behind Mikkelsen.
    Tidemand, the youngest driver to win the Swedish title, will drive the same SKODA Fabia Super 2000 Mikkelsen used to win the IRC rounds in Scotland and Cyprus this season in his domestic championship in 2012. He could also contest a handful of rounds of the IRC in a similar car.
    “This is a great opportunity for me,” said Tidemand. “Having support from EVEN Rally will be of great help to reach an even higher level.”
African success for former IRC co-driver
    Nicolas Klinger, who co-drove Nicolas Vouilloz to Intercontinental Rally Challenge title glory in 2008 before joining forces with Thierry Neuville for the Belgian’s debut season in the IRC in 2010, has had plenty of reason to celebrate this season after winning two prestigious championships.
    Klinger, from France, navigated Zimbabwean Conrad Rautenbach to the African and South African titles in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000. Their success in South Africa came on the back of victories on three out of seven rounds. 
    Rautenbach said: “We have worked incredibly hard all year and the double championships are just reward for all the effort our close-knit team has put in.”
Souce: Intercontinental Rally Challenge
Sébastien Ogier crowned Champion of Champions
12/04/2011: Rally ace Sébastien Ogier lifts the Race Of Champions trophy after a Grand Final victory over Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen
    Formula 1 great Michael Schumacher is knocked out in the semi-finals along with DTM champion Martin Tomczyk
    Schumacher earlier beat reigning F1 champion Sebastian Vettel in a titanic quarter-final showdown between last night’s ROC Nations Cup victors
    Sébastien Ogier delivered a thrilling performance to eclipse 15 fellow superstars of motorsport and win the Race Of Champions on a packed afternoon of competition at Düsseldorf’s ESPRIT arena.
     Ogier, who took five wins in this year’s World Rally Championship, overcame Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen in the best-of-three Grand Final on the ROC parallel track to earn the title of Champion of Champions at his very first attempt.
     "I’m so happy," said Ogier. "It was a very nice weekend and it was already great to be in the final at my first time. There are a lot of cars to learn here and the track as well. But I didn’t do too badly and I pushed hard all the way. Tom is a really good driver but to win this race is amazing."
      Following Team Germany’s win last night in the ROC Nations Cup, the Race Of Champions pitted 16 of the biggest names in motorsport against each other in head-to-head combat in a variety of different cars.
     Kristensen reached the Grand Final with a stunning victory over seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher by less than two hundredths of a second. Ogier prevailed over DTM champion Martin Tomczyk in the other semi-final.
     “Sébastien is a very deserved winner," said Kristensen. "He had the edge on cold tyres, especially in the ROC car. But beating both Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher was a really big achievement for me today, particularly in Germany. It’s almost better than Christmas!”
    An epic quarter-final clash saw Schumacher face Vettel, his team-mate from last night’s ROC Nations Cup victory. In a reverse of the result from their meeting at this stage of the competition last year, reigning F1 world champion Vettel was knocked out by his fellow countryman.
     In the other quarter-finals it was bad news for Britons as Andy Priaulx was beaten by Ogier, David Coulthard succumbed to Tomczyk and Jenson Button was defeated by last night’s ROC Nations Cup finalist Kristensen.
    The action began with a bang in the round-robin group stage, which featured four groups of four drivers battling for the right to line up in the knockout stages.
    There was an early shock in Group A as last year’s Champion of Champions Filipe Albuquerque went out without taking a single win – though he had a car failure to blame in the first heat. Instead it was Priaulx who dominated the standings with three wins out of three, ahead of Coulthard, who also progressed with two wins, and Travis Pastrana who was eliminated with his single win.
     Group B held similar bad news for three-time ROC Champion of Champions Mattias Ekström, who was edged out of the running with just one win out of three – along with IRC rally ace Jan Kopecký. The Czech driver beat Ogier in the Skoda rally car but Ogier nonetheless progressed alongside Tomczyk with two wins each.
      Schumacher and Button both progressed comfortably from Group C, with the German coming out on top in their third race of the weekend in the World Touring Racecar. Last night’s ROC Nations Cup finalist Juho Hänninen was knocked out with just one win this time around, over action sports star Brian Deegan.
     Group D was always looking like the hardest quartet to call, and so it proved. Vitaly Petrov was eliminated but in the end Vettel, Kristensen and Romain Grosjean all took two wins apiece. It came down to a showdown on the best lap times in the Skoda rally car – and Grosjean missed out on the knockout stages by just half a second.
    To kick off the day Formula 1 racer Heinz-Harald Frentzen did bring home some glory for Germany as he defeated race and rally veteran Marc Duez in the final of the ROC Legends Cup. Rally legend Stig Blomqvist and former racer Hans-Joachim Stuck were knocked out in the group stages.
Source: Race of Champions
Vettel and Schumacher revel in ROC Nations Cup win
12/03/2011: Sebastian Vettel pushed himself ‘to the limit’ en route to ROC Nations Cup victory for Team Germany alongside Michael Schumacher
Schumacher says he and Vettel are ‘good mates who work well with each other’
      Tom Kristensen loses his 100 percent win record with final defeat but declares podium ‘a great result’
    Formula 1 superstars Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher hailed Team Germany’s incredible fifth successive victory in the ROC Nations Cup after a dramatic evening’s work in front of their home crowd.
     The German duo defeated Team Nordic’s Tom Kristensen and Juho Hänninen in the final after being taken to a decider in the best-of-three semi-final against Team Great Britain’s Jenson Button and Andy Priaulx.
    After such an exciting ROC Nations Cup, the drivers gave their reaction to events. Here’s what some of them had to say:
     Sebastian Vettel (Team Germany): “It’s special to win five in a row. This is a difficult event and a lot of things have to come together. You jump into different cars and it’s easy to lose it so you have to push yourself to the limit. Winning at home makes up for the Nürburgring, which wasn’t my best race of the F1 season! I enjoyed tonight. The fans were incredible, giving us a boost when we came into the stadium and when we crossed the line. In fact the atmosphere felt much better than last year so I hope we can carry this through to tomorrow.”
    Michael Schumacher (Team Germany): “It’s always a pleasure for us to be here – and especially to win it. Sebastian and I are good mates and we work well with each other and help each other. In the end it worked out right for us. Unlike him, this is one of the few wins I’ve had this year – apart from a few in karts. There are so many great drivers here and we are all good in our own area. So this is just a nice competition and the social moments that we get to spend together behind the scenes are very special.”
    Tom Kristensen (Team Nordic): “It was a good evening for us. I’m not German but I still had good support from the crowd when we won. It was nice to drive all these different cars, and they all gave me a good feeling, especially the Audi. But I’m really impressed with my young team-mate. He was a bit nervous to start with but I told him to just go out there and enjoy it. And he produced a really mature and impressive performance to win in the semi-final. His heart rate hasn’t been above 90bpm all day so I’m wondering what it is when he sleeps! Overall it was a great result to be on the podium.”
    Juho Hänninen (Team Nordic): “Compared to yesterday’s practice, I had a more confident feeling tonight. Tom was a huge help today, saying just relax and don’t worry, enjoy. I lost my first race, then I won with the Skoda – I think I had to do that! Then we had a nice fight with Ogier in the VW Scirocco. That was probably my best moment today. We didn’t quite make it in the final. When I noticed Seb ahead of me on the first lap, I started to push more and made a mistake. But altogether this is a nice feeling.”
    Jenson Button (Team Great Britain): “We’ve been on the verge for the last three years and it just hasn’t come together. I had two races against Michael Schumacher in the World Touring Racecar and there was a tenth between us on both occasions with one win each. But again the decider got away from us in the semi-final.”
    Romain Grosjean (Team France): “Sébastien Ogier did a fantastic job to win all three races in the group stages to take us through. I made a lot of mistakes at the start of the evening and had two spins, which is far too much in the space of four laps! But things improved after that and It’s a pity we got knocked out in the semi-finals. Still, now we can concentrate on tomorrow’s Race Of Champions. I don’t have the easiest group – with Vettel, Kristensen and Petrov – but you never know...”
     Timo Glock (SAT1 Team Germany 2): “It’s naturally a shame that we couldn’t progress any further tonight. We went straight in with two wins, then I just got blown away by Tom Kristensen in the Audi R8 and the other Timo had a very hard race against Sébastien Ogier in the rally car. That was difficult and in the end they beat us. Unfortunately we’re not racing tomorrow because otherwise there would be too many Germans out there! So we can relax a bit with the other guys…”
     Timo Scheider (SAT1 Team Germany 2): “First of all it was a great opportunity for all of us to be a part of this event. The guys who put on the Race Of Champions are really committed and it’s a special thing for all of us. We had a good practice session yesterday and Timo did a good job today but I lost my race against Travis Pastrana. I won against Juho Hänninen in the Scirocco, which was okay, then had a tough time against Sébastien Ogier in the Skoda. Still this was our first experience and it was good fun.”
    Travis Pastrana (Team USA): “I thought the Audi R8 LMS would be my least skilled car and that I’d do the best in the rally car but it proved the other way round. It started off well for me when I beat Timo Scheider in the Audi – especially as he has won two world championships in a similar kind of car. But then it just went downhill and I really struggled, crashing out in the rally car against Juho Hänninen. So we didn’t really stand a chance but now we’ll have to think about how to do better in the Race Of Champions.”
Source: Race of Champions
Latvala claims breakthrough asphalt win in Rallye du Var
11/27/2011: Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila claimed their first victory on asphalt today when they won Rallye du Var in France in a Fiesta RS World Rally Car.  Team-mates Ott Tänak and Kuldar Sikk made it a double celebration by displaying excellent pace to battle back from misfortune to finish third.
    Based in the mountains near the picturesque town of Saint-Maxime, close to Saint Tropez on the Côte d'Azur, the Rallye du Var was the final round of the all-asphalt French Rally Championship.  It provided Ford’s world championship squad with an ideal testing opportunity as part of its scheduled development programme with the Fiesta RS WRC.
     Latvala set the pace on three of Friday’s four speed tests to establish an early lead.  The 26-year-old Finn, winner of the final round of the FIA World Rally Championship in Britain earlier this month, extended his advantage during Saturday’s second leg over Stéphane Sarrazin, a previous Rallye du Var winner, to end the day with a commanding cushion.
    He took no risks in today’s final leg to finish 49.1sec clear of Sarrazin, Latvala heading Tänak in a dominant Ford Abu Dhabi one-two in the final 33.15km speed test.
    “It’s my first-ever victory on asphalt, so that’s a good feeling,” said Latvala, after delivering Ford its first win on the event since 1995.  “The rally was more difficult than I expected.  The morning stages in the mountains were partly damp, but partly dry.  I had to read the road closely and judge the grip levels, because they were constantly changing.
    “Some stages were abrasive and demanding, and when the sun shone there were many shadows.  There was gravel and water on the road in the same place at times, which made it extremely slippery, and then on the last day we had fog as well.  All that was missing was snow and ice!  Congratulations to Ott, too.  He drove a superb rally,” added Latvala.
    Making his asphalt debut in a Fiesta RS WRC, Tänak set competitive times throughout, lying third at the end of day one, just 20.4sec adrift of Latvala.  However, damage to his right-front wheel on stage five and a puncture 8km from the end of stage eight cost the Estonian almost 90sec and left him fifth last night.
    Undeterred, Tänak mounted a stirring final day fightback to overturn a 35sec deficit to third place.  He set a trio of top three times and stunned his rivals by winning the treacherous 32.11km stage 11 by almost seven seconds.
    “The main goal was to gain experience,” said 24-year-old Tänak.  “Being my first time here, it was a difficult rally, one of the toughest I’ve driven.  There were many different types of road, from smooth to rough, and slow to fast.  We made a few mistakes on Friday and Saturday and weren’t very lucky, but on the last day we perfected the car set-up and I had a good feeling.  I really enjoyed the final stages.”
     “The Rallye du Var was a valuable testing exercise and the team gathered plenty of data,” said Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson.  “It was a superb effort from Jari-Matti and another good confidence boost for him on asphalt.  In his first event in the Fiesta RS WRC on asphalt, Ott also drove brilliantly, and his final day performance was fantastic.”
Source: Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
WRC's commercial boss Vladimir Antonov aprehended
11/25/2011: The commercial chief of the World Rally Championship(WRC), Vladimir Antonov was apprehended in London last night.
      The London Police have confirmed the arrest of two men, after an European-wide arrest warrant was issued for Antonov and his business partner Raimondas Baranauskas .
    Both Antonov and Baranauskas are scheduled to appear in Court later today To answer questions about the allegations of asset-stripping of Bankas Snoras, a Lithuanian bank of which Antonov owns 68%.
    The commercial rights holder of the WRC, Convers Sports Initiatives, which is backed by Antonov, has yet to release a statement or comment on the situation or the arrests since last week, when it insisted that its business was unaffected by the situation at Bankas Snoras.
2010 Champion of Champions Albuquerque returns
11/24/2011: Surprise 2010 ROC Champion of Champions Filipe Albuquerque will defend his title at December’s Race Of Champions in Düsseldorf
   The Portuguese driver stunned the ROC field last year, defeating reigning world champions Sebastian Vettel and Sébastien Loeb en route to the title
    Albuquerque will face a similarly daunting field that includes three F1 world champions for ROC 2011 in Düsseldorf on December 3-4
       Reigning ROC Champion of Champions Filipe Albuquerque will return to defend his title at Düsseldorf’s ESPRIT arena next month.
     Albuquerque shot to prominence after winning last year’s Race Of Champions at the same venue, defeating newly-crowned Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel in the semi-final before seeing off multiple world rally champion Sébastien Loeb in the best-of-three Grand Final (pictured).
      Once a Red Bull protégé, the Portuguese driver’s career had appeared to have tailed off until his surprise win, as he spent 2010 racing in Italian GTs. Indeed, Albuquerque only qualified for the Race Of Champions by winning the summer’s qualifying event ROC South Europe for Portugal alongside fellow countryman Alvaro Parente.
    But Albuquerque grabbed his chance with both hands and his famous victory helped earn him a seat with Audi in German touring car series DTM for 2011, where he duly took a podium at Valencia’s penultimate round. Now he will be back at ROC, hoping to pull off a double and put another mighty field to the sword. He will also pair up with F1 great David Coulthard for Team All Stars in the ROC Nations Cup.
    Albuquerque said: “Last year’s Race Of Champions was a life-changing moment for me so I’m delighted to be back. From the start I was up against such good drivers – I had to beat Sebastian Vettel twice and in the final Sébastien Loeb was really on it. But I just drove my race, I made no mistakes and everything went so well. I could not have asked for more. Now I know any element of surprise will be gone so I’ll just do my best again. A little mistake can cause you to lose everything in this competition so I’ll just try to stay smooth and see what happens.”
     The Race Of Champions is an annual end-of-season competition that brings together the world’s greatest drivers from all motor sport’s disciplines – including Formula 1, world rally, touring cars, Le Mans and the X-Games – and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery on a specially constructed parallel track. Drivers pair up for
      ROC race organiser Fredrik Johnsson said: “Filipe’s achievement in becoming the 2010 Champion of Champions against such a strong field was a true racing fairytale. He thrilled the crowds and I’m delighted he’s since gone from strength to strength. Of course our victor deserves an invitation to defend their title so Filipe will now have the chance to show it was no one-off by beating the world’s best all over again.”

Drivers confirmed for the 2011 Race Of Champions:
   Sebastian VETTEL, 2010 and 2011 Formula 1 World Champion
   Michael SCHUMACHER, seven-time Formula 1 World Champion
   Jenson BUTTON, 2009 Formula 1 World Champion
   Andy PRIAULX, three-time World Touring Car Champion
   Travis PASTRANA, four-time Rally America winner and X-Games legend
   Brian DEEGAN, 13 X-games medals including Rally Cross gold in 2011
   Tom KRISTENSEN, eight-time Le Mans 24-Hour race winner
   Mattias EKSTROM, DTM star and triple ROC Champion of Champions
   Sébastien OGIER, winner of five WRC rallies in 2011
   Romain GROSJEAN, 2011 GP2 Series Champion
   Vitaly PETROV, Formula 1 driver for Lotus Renault GP
   Timo GLOCK, Formula 1 driver for Marussia Virgin Racing
   Timo SCHEIDER, 2008 and 2009 DTM Champion
   Martin TOMCZYK, 2011 DTM Champion
   Jan KOPECKÝ, three-time Intercontinental Rally Challenge runner-up
   Juho HÄNNINEN, 2011 S-WRC champion and 2010 IRC champion
   David COULTHARD, winner of 13 Formula 1 grands prix
   Filipe ALBUQUERQUE, DTM star and reigning ROC Champion of Champions
Source: Race of Champions
Exciting IRC calendar for 2012 revealed
*Four all-new events in Bulgaria, Ireland, Romania and San Marino
*Five rounds in Eastern Europe
*Classics such as Rallye Sanremo and Tour de Corse remain
*Extra rounds on gravel
11/24/2011: More events in the emerging Eastern European marketplace, visits to unchartered territories plus the inclusion of several classics, such as Rallye Sanremo and Tour de Corse, are among the highlights of the revamped Intercontinental Rally Challenge schedule for 2012.
    In addition, ground-breaking SimulCam technology – which was pioneered this season and allows viewers to watch two cars tackling the same section of a stage at the same time – will be used in the television coverage from eight of the 13 events next year, thereby underlining Eurosport’s growing commitment to the all-action series.
    Starting with the gravel-based Sata Rallye Acores in February and concluding with the mixed-surface Cyprus Rally in early November, the calendar will feature 13 rounds with events in Canary Islands, Ireland, Corsica, Hungary (Mecsek), Belgium (Ypres), San Marino, Romania, Czech Republic (Zlin), Ukraine (Yalta), Bulgaria (Sliven) and Italy (Sanremo).
    In total there will be four new rallies on next season’s calendar: Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally, Rally San Marino, Sibiu Rally Romania and Rally Sliven in Bulgaria. The inclusion of newcomers Bulgaria and Romania means that along with the existing IRC rounds in Czech Republic, Hungary and Ukraine there are now five events in the increasingly important Eastern European region.
    As well as featuring two more events than this year, there is a greater number of gravel rounds planned for 2012 with three loose-surface qualifiers, up one from this year, plus one mixed-surface event appearing on the new list of dates. The extra event on gravel will raise the challenge facing crews as well as the spectacle for fans watching stage-side or at home on television.
    There are nine rounds based purely on asphalt, while the Cyprus Rally will be the only event to use a combination of gravel and asphalt stages.
     The inclusion of the Circuit of Ireland Rally will maintain an IRC round in the United Kingdom with many of the stages taking place in Northern Ireland. The event, which ran for the first time in 1931, is one of oldest rallies in the world and attracts huge support.
    Francois Ribeiro, Eurosport Events’ Motorsport Business Director, said: “We are very pleased to have finalised the 2012 IRC calendar during what is a very exciting time for the IRC. With new territories, more gravel rallies, the continued inclusion of some of the sport’s most iconic events, plus the increased use of SimulCam technology in the live television broadcasts, IRC season six is set to be a big hit with the fans, drivers and teams.
    “With more events in Eastern Europe the IRC will also benefit from new marketing and promotional opportunities, not to mention the huge numbers of spectators that attend those events. The new calendar will create an ideal platform for drivers to demonstrate their talents and for manufacturers and customer teams to showcase their products and services. We can’t wait for the action to get underway.”
2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge calendar *
Round 1, 23-25 February: Sata Rallye Acores (gravel)
Round 2, 15-17 March: Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Ingles (asphalt)
Round 3, 6-7 April: Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally (asphalt)
Round 4, 11-12 May: Tour de Corse (asphalt)
Round 5, 2-3 June: Canon Mecsek Rallye (Hungary, asphalt)
Round 6, 21-23 June: GEKO Ypres Rally (Belgium, asphalt)
Round 7, 6-7 July: Rally San Marino (gravel)
Round 8, 20-22 July: Sibiu Rally Romania (gravel)
Round 9, 31 August-2 September: Barum Czech Rally Zlin (asphalt)
Round 10, 15-16 September: Prime Yalta Rally (Ukraine, asphalt)
Round 11, 29-30 September: Rally Sliven (Bulgaria, asphalt)
Round 12, 12-13 October: Rallye Sanremo (Italy, asphalt)
Round 13, 2-3 November: Cyprus Rally (gravel/asphalt)
Soucre: IRC
Arrest warrant for WRC chief Antonov
11/23/2011: Autosport.com is reporting that World Rally Championship commercial chief Vladimir Antonov is being pursued by a Europe-wide arrest warrant.
     The warrant was issued by prosecutors in Lithuania to further their investigation into thealleged misappropriation of funds from Snoras Bank, of which Antonov is a 68 per cent share holder as well as the Krajbanka bank which Antonov also has interests.
     Along with Antonov a warrants has been issued to his business partner Raimondas Baranauskas.
     Antonov was in London meeting with the FIA and the WRC manufacturers on Monday.
    The prosecutors from Lithuania said: "Both former managers of the bank Snoras have been recognised as suspects with regard to the misappropriation of property on a large scale and forgery of documents. Prosecutor General Mr D. Valys signed the European arrest warrants issued against these persons."
     Antonov owned Convers Sports Initiatives, which owns the rights to the WRC, had released a press release prior to the arrest warrants being issued, stating: "We are operationally unaffected by Snoras Bank entering temporary administration. It remains very much business as usual. Snoras Bank has never provided funding for the purchase of a CSI organisation, nor has it lent any money to these businesses after they have been acquired."
    As of yet niether the WRC nor the FIA has commented on the news of the warrant.
Source: Autosport.com & The Guardian
Ogier to Volkswagen
11/23/2011: Sebastien Ogier will be a Volkswagen driver when the German manufacturer makes its World Rally Championship debut in 2013.
    The 27-year-old from France (above right), who severed his ties with Citroen last week, will spend next season developing the firm’s Polo R WRC alongside co-driver Julien Ingrassia (left) after a signing a long-term contract.
    “Volkswagen is the number one in Europe and will soon be number one in the world,” said Ogier. “I’m sure that they’re going to compete with the goal of clinching the WRC title. And I’m happy to be part of this from the outset.”
    “I am very happy about Sebastian Ogier and Julien Ingrassia joining us,” said Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management for the Development Division. “Both of them are important pieces of the puzzle on our way towards building a successful team in the World Rally Championship. It is also a mark of confidence for our team if such a strong pairing opts for a new team in the WRC that is still in the process of being developed.”
    Volkwagen Motorsport boss Kris Nissen addd: “We are proud that such a successful and quick duo as Sebastian and Julien have decided to join Volkswagen. The aim of putting a competitive Polo R WRC on the road for them as quickly as possible will additionally drive our team. We look forward to working with them and are hoping for many victories and titles in the future.”
   Ogier will perform his first public duty as a Volkswagen driver when he takes part in the Race of Champions event in Dusseldorf from 3/4 December.
Source: WRC
Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen join Citroën
    Is this punishment for Ogier disobeying team orders or just a money/Marketing move?
    After an exceptional 2011 season with ten victories, the seventh manufacturers’ title for the Citroën Total World Rally Team and Sébastien Loeb’s / Daniel Elena’s eighth drivers’ title*, Citroën Racing is already turning its attention to 2012 with the arrival of a new crew for next season.
    Initially contracted until December 2013, Citroën Racing has finally decided to finish their collaboration with Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia at the end of the 2011 season.
    In 2012 and 2013, Sébastien Loeb’s and Daniel Elena’s team-mates will be Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen. The Finns, runners-up in the 2009 and 2011 World Championship, have scored 14 victories and 51 podium finishes in 124 starts in the WRC.
Olivier Quesnel, Citroën Racing Team Principal: “Seeing Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia leave strikes a particular emotional chord in the whole team. Citroën Racing trained them, first of all in the JWRC and then in the Citroën Junior Team and the Citroën Total World Rally Team. They had a very good season with five victories and third place in the Drivers’ World Championship, and they made a productive contribution to the conquest of the manufacturers’ title alongside Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena who have claimed their eighth consecutive world crown, a unique achievement in motorsport. Now, we’re very happy to welcome Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen. They’ve been our toughest rivals over the last four seasons and we’re really looking forward to our future collaboration. Mikko is a talented driver and his consistency will be a big
help in our fight to retain the manufacturers’ title.”
Frédéric Banzet, General Manager Citroën Automobiles: “I’d like to take advantage of this occasion to repeat my congratulations to the whole Citroën Racing team for their 2011 titles, as well as Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena for their eighth consecutive crown. I’d also like to thank Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia for their involvement with the make over the last four years and the six victories they’ve added to its results. Today, I’d like to welcome Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen who are joining us to continue Citroën Racing’s sporting adventure and its determination to score more victories starting with the 2012 Monte Carlo Rally
Source: Citroën Racing
Photo: IRC