| VM
kalendern 2020 |
VM
kalendern 2021 |
| 23-26 jan |
Monte
Carlo |
|
|
| 13-16
febr |
Rally
Sweden |
|
|
| 12-15 mars |
Mexico |
|
|
| 4-6
sept |
Estland |
|
|
| 18-20 sept |
Turkiet |
|
|
| 15-18
okt |
Tyskland |
|
|
| 8-11 okt |
Italien |
|
|
| 19-22 nov |
Belgien |
|
|
| 4-6 dec |
Rally Monza |
|
|
| Aktuell
kalender med status pdf uppdaterad
2020-05-06 |
|
| 21-24 jan |
Monte
Carlo |
|
|
| 11-14
febr |
Rally
Sweden |
|
|
| 22-25 april |
Kroatioen * |
|
|
| 20-23
maj |
Portugal |
|
|
| 3-6 juni |
Italien |
|
|
| 24-27
juni |
Kenya |
|
|
| 15-18 juli |
Estland * |
|
|
| 29-1 aug |
Finland |
|
|
| 19-22 aug |
England * |
|
|
| 9-12 sept |
Chile |
|
|
| 14-17 okt |
Spanien |
|
|
| 11-14 nov |
Japan |
|
|
| * Subject to agreement |
|
20-12-18 Ole Christian Veiby
fortsetter med Hyundai Motorsport i 2021
Blir team-kollega med Oliver Solberg Etter ett godt gjennomført
år med Hyundai Motorsport har Ole Christian Veiby fått fornyet
tilliten som fabrikks-sjåfør og skal kjøre nok ett år
i Rally-VM med Hyundai Motorsport. – Dette er like stort som i fjor,
og jeg gleder meg til nok ett år, sier Ole Christian Veiby, som for
2021 får Oliver Solberg inn i teamet.
Ole Christian Veiby har signert en ny fabrikks-kontrakt med Hyundai Motorsport
for 2021, og skal, sammen med kartleser Jonas Andersson, representere teamet
i WRC2-klassen i rally-vm. Hvilke løp det blir, blir bestemt senere.
- Jeg er veldig fornøyd med å kunne fortsette å kjøre
for Hyundai Motorsport. Etter ett år bak rattet i en Hyundai i20 R5,
så gleder jeg meg til å kjøre enda ett år. I tillegg
så blir jo den nye utgaven av bilen, en Rally2-utgave, introdusert i
løpet av året, og den blir det spennende å prøve.
Ny team-kollega blir det også for Kongsvinger-gutten, som sammen med
Oliver Solberg skal kjempe om gode resultater for Hyundai Motorsport.
- Det er ordentlig gøy å få Oliver Solberg som team-kollega,
han har kjørt bra i hele år. Jeg er overbevist om at han, og
de rundt han, kommer til å bli en ressurs for teamet og veldig inspirerende
å jobbe med.
24-åringen kan se tilbake på en 2020-sesong som ikke ble helt
som planlagt. Som Hyundai Motorsport sjåfør var det planlagt
8 VM-runder, men den globale pandemien gjorde at det kun ble mulig å
kjøre 5. Allikevel kan han se tilbake på 3 pall-plasseringer
i VM, seier i Numedalsrally og seier på Kehala-rally i Estland.
- 2020-sesongen ble ikke helt som vi hadde tenkt, med avlyste løp og
endringer på grunn av pandemien, men allikevel så ble det jo 3
pall-plasser i VM. Nå har vi lært mye i år og fått
erfaring med bilen, så vi er, om mulig, enda mer motivert og forberedt
for 2021-sesongen.
Om sesongen ble noe annerledes enn planlagt, så ble avslutningen desto
mer spennende med debut i WRC-bil for Rally Monza.
- Det var helt rått å kjøre WRC-bilen. Og veldig kult å
avslutte sesongen i en Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, selv om Rally Monza endte opp
med å bli det vanskeligste løpet jeg har kjørt noensinne
med alt av vær og veldig utfordrende forhold.
Oppkjøring til 2021-sesongen starter allerede med Romjulsrally tirsdag
29 desember.
WRC/ Rally-VM 2021
21-24 Jan Rallye Monte-Carlo
11-14 Feb Rally Sweden AVLYST
22-25 Apr Rally Croatia*
20-23 May Rally Portugal
3-6 Jun Rally Italy
24-27 Jun Safari Rally Kenya
15-18 Jul Rally Estonia*
29 Jul – 1 Aug Rally UK*
9-12 Sep Rally Chile
14-17 Oct Rally Spain
11-14 Nov Rally Japan
20-12-18 Oliver Solberg skriver
tvåårs kontrakt med världens bästa rallyteam.
En dröm har gått i uppfyllelse för Oliver Solberg. Den 19-årige
rallytalangen har tecknat ett tvåårigt avtal med världsmästarna
Hyundai Motorsport.
Avtalet med det sydkoreanska bilmärket gäller från nyår
och Solberg får full säsong i WRC2-klassen i rally VM.
- Att få chansen och köra för det regerande världsmästarteamet
är helt fantastiskt. Jag drömmer stort hela tiden, och det här
avtalet är nästa steg i den drömmen jag redan lever i. Bara
att kunna säga orden ”jag är fabriksförare för Hyundai”
får mig att le stort, säger Oliver Solberg. Många personer
har jobbat hårt för att hjälpa mig dit jag är idag: min
familj, teamet runt mig och mina sponsorer, men också teamchefen Andrea
Adamo och teammanager Alain Penasse i Hyundai Motorsport. De har gett mig
denna otroliga möjlighet.
- I dag firar vi kontraktet men i morgon börjar jobbet med att förbereda
mig som fabriksförare i världens bästa rallyteam.
Oliver Solberg har redan ett antal toppresultat att se tillbaka på.
Det största hittills är hans första VM-seger i WRC3-klassen
i Estland i början av september. I säsongens sista VM-tävling
i Italien imponerade 19-åringen stort när han körde in till
en fin andra plats, i sitt blott 5:e asfaltsrally någonsin.
Hyundai Motorsport har säkrat en av de största talangerna inom rallysporten
genom tiderna.
- Oliver har ett mycket välkänt efternamn i rallysporten och han
har redan utmärkt sig med resultat som det i Estland. Vi är övertygade
om att en så ung talang som Oliver kommer att visa potential i både
vår nuvarande R5-bil, men också i den nya Hyundai i20 N Rally2,
som enligt planen kommer att debutera i tävling i mitten av kommande
säsong, säger teamchefen Andrea Adamo i Hyundai Motorsport
Första VM-tävlingen går av stapeln i Monte-Carlo 21 - 24 januari
2021.
20-12-06 Stort, stort grattis
Tom Kristensson till Junior VM guldet!
Tom Kristensson är nästa supertalang med bakgrund i VOC Mekonomen
Rally att säkra ett Junior VM guld. Det gör han dessutom med en
annan VOC-profil, Joakim Sjöberg i CoDriver sätet. Med segern så
går Tom i Pon-tus Tidemand och Emil Bergkvist fotspår, tidigare
VOC-are som gått hela vägen till VM guld.
Det var extremt svåra förhållanden när årets Rally
VM avgjordes på klassisk racingmark i Italienska Monza. Men Tom Kristensson
höll ihop det hela vägen och tog sitt efterlängtade VM-guld.
- Efterlängtat ja, och så otroligt välförtjänt.
Det var så nära i fjol och nu fick det hända. Tom är
killen som gör allting rätt, verkligen allting! Hela hans karriär
går på egen energi och på hans alldeles egna driv. Tom kommer
inte som många andra i rally gör från någon rallyfamilj
utan Tom har gjort allt själv från början ända till VM-guld,
självklart med hjälp och stöd från många men även
dessa kontakter har Tom jobbat fram från grunden alldeles själv.
Inte heller har det funnits ekonomiska resurser från familjen som kunnat
underlätta åtminstone de svåra tidiga stegen, detta har Tom
också ordnat själv. Jag är så fruktansvärt imponerad
att jag helt enkelt saknar ord. Det finns inga superlativ som är tillräckligt
starka för att beskriva den här prestationen, säger en lycklig
klassansvarig Roger Fransson.
Redan under Toms tidiga karriär kunde man se att den här killen
var något speciellt.
- Det driv han hade och de sponsorpengar som han jobbade in redan under tiden
i VOC är något som helt saknar motstycke. Redan före detta
så startade han upp karriären med att bygga grunder på dator
med ett delvis självutvecklat rallyspel, och även senare har han
fortsatt att sköta en del av träningen på simulator, delvis
för mängdträning men också för att använda
varenda krona på klokast möjliga sätt.
Otroligt kul och välförtjänt att det skulle visa sig räcka
hela vägen för Tom.
- Ska jag vara helt ärlig så trodde jag från början
inte att det skulle räcka ända fram. Hans körstil under de
tidiga åren var snabb och otroligt stabil, han kom i mål jämt.
Men samtidigt var den lite för vild och frejdig för att jag skulle
tro att stilen skulle vara tillräckligt effektiv för att det skulle
räcka hela vägen fram. Sedan hände det grejor. Körstilen
utvecklades ex-tremt snabbt. Han gick samtidigt från den fryntliga överviktiga
glada skåningen till en väl-tränad och superfokuserad dito,
hela tiden utan att tappa bort sin sköna glada skånska öppna
stil. Oj vad jag är glad att jag hade fel i mina första bedömningar.
Ingen är värd des-sa framgångar mer än Tom. I sammanhanget
måste jag också böja mig för Lotta, min sam-bo och medansvarige
för VOC Mekonomen Rally, som tidigt och med eftertryck sa "vi har
många extrema talanger i VOC men bli inte förvånade om det
är Tom som går hela vägen till VM Guld" … hon hade
rätt!
Alltid planerad och när något oförutsett inträffar så
ser man möjligheter även i det.
- Tom 2.0 om uttrycket tillåts är otroligt fokuserad och strukturerad.
Hans körning är ex-tremt effektiv och vägvinnande. För
mig så blev det otroligt tydligt när han för några år
se-dan körde en motormässigt helt underlägsen Opel Adam ända
till finalrunda i Rally Sprint SM. För mig var det helt utan tvekan Tom
som var den bästa föraren. Tom har alltid en ra-ceplan som han följer
stenhårt, inte minst visar det sig i extrema förhållanden
som det var nu i helgen i Monza. Men i rally händer som bekant oförutsedda
saker, bilar går ibland sön-der till exempel. När det hände
i ett senare Sprint Rally SM så insåg snabbtänkte Tom blixt-snabbt
att det skedde nära SVT:s kommetatorsbås där Johan Ejeborg
och Jonas Kruse stod och kommenterade. Några snabba löpsteg dit
så fick Tom flera minuter i direktsändning på SVT till att
i bild berätta om sig och sina framtida satsningar alltmedan hans bil
bärgades undan. Låt mig säga så här, om ni blir
utmanade på ett parti schack av Tom Kristensson så är förmodligen
det smartaste ni kan göra att tacka vänligt men bestämt nej.
På den fantastiska resan i år har Tom haft med sig en annan kille
i den för framgångarna så viktiga CoDriver-stolen, en som
också byggde sina grunder i VOC.
- Vi lärde känna Joakim Sjöberg som en otroligt smart, strukturerad,
kompetent och driven CoDriver till Jonas Thorsell för nästan tio
år sedan som samtidigt var en väldigt ödmjuk och skön
kille. Det var tydligt direkt att här var det något speciellt på
gång, såväl InCar filmer som våra personliga kontakter
talade sitt tydliga språk. När sedan Jocke gick vidare i karriä-ren
tillsammans med Emil Bergkvist och inkasserade bland annat ett EM guld så
var det inte alls någon överraskning. Därför blev jag
också så otroligt glad när jag fick veta att det var Joakim
som skulle sköta kontoret för Tom i år. Direkt efter succén
i Rally Sweden sa jag också till Tom att "i år händer
det".
Det var faktiskt ännu mer framgångar för förare med sina
rötter i VOC den här extremt händelserika helgen i Monza.
- Inför helgen så ledde Pontus Tidemand WRC 2 dessutom med Patrik
Barth som CoDriver. Pontus som liksom de stora flertalet av svenska storstjärnor
i rally inledde sin karriär i VOC och med Patrik vid sin sida som gjorde
detsamma som CoDriver och som dessutom via sitt företag Barth Motorsport
och deras djupa samarbete med P1, tillverkare av utrustning för motorsport,
är såväl sponsor som ordinarie notskrivare i för VOC
Mekonomen Rallys Sveri-geSerie. Men förutsättningarna var tuffa
och firma Tidemand/Barth var i princip tvungen att slå extremt rutinerade
Mads Østberg för att kunna bärga årets världsmästartitel.
Ett par dåliga däcksval under helgen ställde till det för
Pontus så titeln i WRC landade till slut i Nor-ge. Men en kuriosa i
sammanhanget är att även Mads Østberg, så norrman han
är, faktiskt också inledde sin strålande karriär med
att som ung köra VOC i Sverige.
Återigen ett stort, stort grattis till Tom Kristensson och Joakim Sjöberg
för den otroligt väl-förtjänta Junior VM titeln i Rally
2020. Segern innebär att Tom Kristensson Motorsport kan inkassera en
helt fabriksny R5 bil och en hel container med rallydäck och får
dessutom fria startavgifter under hela nästa säsong. Vart det kommer
att leda det är som det brukar heta en helt annan historia.
- En sak känner jag mig dock helt säker på, att hur än
Tom Kristensson väljer att förvänta den möjligheten och
spela det kortet så blir det på absolut bästa och smartaste
sätt. En avslutande kuriosa är att den bil som Tom rattat till seger
i JVM i år har ett registrerings-nummer som börjar på K2,
samma som mitt huvudbolag heter och det företag som bär upp VOC
Mekonomen Rally. Det måste ha varit ett gott omen. Grattis Tom och Jocke!
www.vocmekonomenrally.com
20-12-06 20-12-06 Tom Kristensson
Juniorvärldsmästare i rally efter seger i Italien
Efter en extrem sista deltävling i årets Rally VM, i Monza i Italien,
med ösregn, ishalka och snö, stod SMK Hörby föraren Tom
Kristensson med co-driver Joakim Sjöberg på söndagseftermiddagen
som segrare, inte bara i tävlingen, utan även i årets Junior
VM i rally, JWRC.
- Detta var den svåraste tävlingen jag någonsin har kört,
men just nu är jag den lyckligaste människan på jorden, säger
en sprudlande glad Tom vid TV intervjun på mållinjen efter sista
sträckan
- Vi har ända sedan starten i torsdagskväll hållit oss till
vår plan, att köra på hårt där det gått,
förnuftigt där det var extremt svåra förhållanden,
och framförallt undvika misstag. Jag kan säga att det har vi lyckats
med till 100 procent.
- JWRC titeln är ett mål som jag satte upp för 5 år
sedan, när jag började min internationella karriär i Opel Adam
Cup i Tyskland, med seger andra året 2017. Sen blev det en silverplats
i Junior EM med Opel Junior Rally Team, och JWRC med M-Sport i Polen och Ford
Fiesta de två senaste åren, med silver förra året,
och så denna fantastiska seger, sista året jag får tävla
i JWRC
- Det har varit hårt arbete, i första hand med att få ihop
ekonomin, men jag har utvecklats oerhört mycket, både som förare,
känsla för inställningar på bilen, och framför allt
på det personliga planet. Just nu känns det verkligen värt
både mödan och uppoffringarna.
- Jag vill även tacka all som hjälpt och stöttat mej på
vägen, alla mina partners, mina co-drivers, alla andra som på olika
sätt stöttat, hjälpt till och supportat, och inte minst vill
jag tacka Christer "Krabba" Håkansson som trodde på
mej och fick mej att göra en seriös satsning.
Tävlingen ACI Rally Monza blev dramatisk i de svåra förhållandena.
Eftersom det fanns snö på sträckorna under reken och risk
för mer snö, tillät man snödäck utan dubb som komplement
till olika typer av asfaltdäck. För Tom och Joakim var seger ett
måste föra ta mästerskapet, i kamp med Martins Sesks fån
Estland och Sami Pajari från Finland.
Fredagens sträckor avverkades på Monza området på asfalt,
betong och grusunderlag. Redan på SS 3 gled Pajari av på ett halt
grusparti, träffade ett hus och fick bryta för dagen. Han kunde
dock starta om på lördagen, men med ett rejält tidsstillägg
och sist i klassen. Efter dagens 5 SS ledde Tom med drygt 2 minuter över
Martins Seks, efter seger på de tre sista sträckorna. Martins hade
då haft en lättare avåkning, med en smygpunktering som följd,
på en SS.
För Sesks gällde även seger i tävlingen för att ta
hem mästerskapet. En alltför hård satsning på lördagens
första sträcka i bergen norr om Bergamo resulterade i en avåkning,
där bilen blev så svårt skadad, att en omstart på söndagen
var omöjlig. Regn, blåis och snö gjorde sträckorna i
bergen svåra och vanskliga, en sträcka med mycket snö fick
strykas av säkerhetskäl, och en annan efter det att en bil åkt
av och ställ sig på tvären på ett smalt parti. Här
försvann även chansen till titeln i WRC för ledaren Elfyn Evans,
då han gled av vägen på en blåisfläck.
- På lördagen gällde det att köra taktiskt, den sista
sträckan gick i mörker på Monza och där tog vi en sträckseger
till, säger Tom.
- På söndagens tre avslutande sträckor gällde det att
hålla upp tempot, speciellt på partierna med grus och lera, annars
var det risk för att fastna i spåren, men det gick bra, med seger
på de två sista. Totalt tog vi 6 sträcksegrar..
- Oerhört skönt att korsa mållinjen, det blev visst ett riktigt
segervrål, både av lättnad och av glädje.
- Nu skall vi samla ihop oss, ta in och landa i det här, men det tar
nog några dagar, säger en fortfarande segerrusig Tom.
JWRC-klassen vanns nu av Tom och Joakim, drygt 3 min 1 sek före Fabrizio
Zaldivar från Paraguay, drygt 4 min 21 sek efter kom engelsmannen Ruairi
Bell.
Slutställningen i JWRC blev att Tom vann före Martin Sesks och Sami
Pajari och att Joakim vann co-driver mästerskapet.
Förutom pokaler så vann Tom även det åtråvärda
priset, en fullt tävlingsklar Ford Fiesta R5 rallybil från M-Sport,
och möjlighet till startavgifter och 200 däck för start i 5
deltävlingar i WRC 3 klassen i VM 2021.
Totalt vanns tävlingen av Sebastian Ogier, före Ott Tänak och
Dani Sordo. Mästare i WRC blev nu Sebastian Orgier, för sjunde gången,
med helgens otursgubbe Elfyn Evans på andra, och förra årets
världsmästare Ott Tänak på tredje plats
20-12-06 Mads Østberg
wints WRC2 World title with the C3 R5
Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen wrapped up their fourth category
win of the year at ACI Rally Monza to become WRC2 world champions in the C3
R5, whilst Marco Bulacia and Marcelo Der Ohannesian finished as runners-up
in the WRC3 world championship.
Held as part of the World Rally Championship for the first time and contested
on roads around the famous racetrack, this year’s ACI Rally Monza promised
to provide an unprecedented challenge. The fact that it was held on the first
weekend of December made the event even more unpredictable, given the decidedly
wintry weather in northern Italy. The crews had some very tough conditions
to contend with, including snow and rain.
However, the #C3R5Family, which featured a six-strong line-up (Østberg-Eriksen,
Bulacia-Der Ohannesian, Rossel-Fulcrand, Ogliari-Ciucci, Lefebvre-Dubois and
Somaschini-Zanchetta), proved it was more than capable of handling such conditions,
as Østberg-Eriksen grabbed the WRC2 world championship title and Bulacia-Der
Ohannesian finished as runners-up in the WRC3 world championship.
Having already won three rounds of the WRC2 (Monte-Carlo, Sweden & Estonia)
with the PH Sport C3 R5, Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen bagged their
fourth win this year to seal a richly-deserved debut world title with Citroën.
It was just reward for a very strong season, spent largely among the front-runners.
Third at the end of Friday’s opening leg, the Norwegian crew excelled
in the extreme conditions on Saturday, moving into the lead on the snow with
two stage wins. They remained in pole position right to the finish, despite
the high stakes.
Winners in Mexico, runners-up in Turkey, fourth in Estonia and third in Sardinia
in the Tagai Racing Technology C3 R5, Marco Bulacia and Marcelo Der Ohannesian
saw their incredible consistency this season rewarded by second place in the
WRC3 world championship, this time taking sixth in the category.
Back in the C3 R5 here in Italy and despite a clear lack of time in the car,
Stéphane Lefebvre and Thomas Dubois managed to up their pace gradually
to take a fine seventh place in the RC2 class amidst contenders for the WRC2
and WRC3 titles. Yohan Rossel and Benoît Fulcrand, having also started
well on Thursday, unfortunately ran into trouble early on Friday’s leg,
losing substantial time in the process. This meant they spent the rest of
the weekend hamstrung by being well down the running order, but nonetheless
made it to the end of the rally. They could take some satisfaction from having
added to their experience, whilst also producing the occasionally impressive
moment (2nd overall in RC2 on SS11).
WHAT THEY SAID…
Didier Clément, Head of Customer Racing, Citroën Racing
“The RC2 world title brilliantly secured by Mads Østberg and Torstein
Eriksen and the runner-up place in the WRC3 world championship for the promising
youngster Marco Bulacia concludes what has been a season of achievements,
wins and titles for our C3 R5. I'm very proud of this collective result because
it is down to the tireless work of the development teams, the drivers, the
co-drivers and the teams entering these cars. Our heartfelt congratulations
to Mads who has had a superb season. He is a top level driver, with whom the
entire team really enjoys working. Our congratulations also go to Yoann Bonato,
who is one of the architects of this success story.”
Mads Østberg, WRC2 world champion with the C3 R5
“What an unbelievable feeling! I am really happy, especially as it was
such a difficult weekend, with so many ups and downs all through the year.
We were very much the underdogs in the championship but we won through persistence
and thanks to the excellent development work done on the C3 R5. The whole
team, both at Citroën Racing and PH Sport, did an amazing job throughout
the season to get to where we are now!”
Bernard Piallat, PH Sport team manager
“Obviously, I'm delighted with the result, especially as it was far from
being a foregone conclusion. This is PH Sport’s sixth world title in
a Citroën, with Mads’ win adding to those of Sébastien Loeb
in 2001, Dani Sola in 2002, Sébastien Ogier in 2008, Robert Kubica
in 2013, Stéphane Lefebvre in 2014. The team, as usual, did an extraordinary
job throughout the season and the upgrades introduced by Citroën Racing
also paid off. Everything worked well. This weekend was no different, with
good weather information provided by Météo France and excellent
work done by the ice crews, in very tricky conditions.”
Marco Bulacia, WRC3 world championship runner-up with the C3 R5
“Apart from our two punctures, it was an excellent rally for us, insofar
as we managed to be very quick in some very tricky sections, covered with
snow and slush. Obviously, I would have loved to win the title but it is already
a dream for me to finish as runner-up. We are going to learn a lot of lessons
from this superb year and come back even stronger next season.”
Tamas Tagai, Tagai Racing Technology team manager
“It has been a long season, with a lot of uncertainty but it has been
a truly incredible year with Marquito and Citroën! We’re proud to
have been part of this amazing journey. Everyone has done their absolute utmost
to achieve the best result possible. Congratulations to Marquito, Marcelo
and to Citroën Racing, and to all the members of my team for the excellent
job they have done throughout the year.”
20-12-06 Oliver Solberg
näst bäst i sin VM-debut på asfalt
I sin första VM-tävling på asfalt körde Oliver Solberg
in på en fin andra plats i Rally Monza på söndagen. Det var
endast veteranen Andreas Mikkelsen som 19-åringen fick se sig besegrad
av i den Italienska säsongsavslutningen.
Endast 133 dagar har gått sedan Solberg junior körde sitt första
asfalts rally någonsin - även det i Italien (Rally di Roma Capitale)
EM-tävlingen som gick av stapeln i slutet av juli avslutade Oliver med
en 3:e plats, men även om helgens placering ”bara” var ett
snäpp bättre, är prestationen under de extrema väderförhållanden
som helgen bjöd på ett stort steg i rätt riktning för
det svensk-norska stjärnskottet.
- Det är utan tvekan den svåraste tävlingen jag har kört
hittills, men vi avslutade som näst bästa R5-bil (klassen under
WRC), andra plats i klassen och ett par sträcksegrar. Jag är otroligt
stolt över min prestation, säger Oliver Solberg.
I området kring den legendariska Formula 1-banan Monza, säkrade
han även karriärens första sträcksegrar på asfalt
i VM. På tävlingens nionde specialsträcka under lördagen
fick veteranen Mikkelsen se sig slagen med nästan 11 sekunder på
den 22km långa sträckan. Efter dag 1 låg Solberg 53,7 sekunder
efter Mikkelsen, men efter målgång på söndagen hade
Solberg krympt avståndet till 15,9 sekunder.
Pappa Petter Solberg var imponerad av hur hans son hanterade de extrema väderförhållandena.
- Tävlingen gick till förmån till de mer erfarna och äldre
förarna som har åkt under liknande förhållanden tidigare.
Vad Oliver och Aaron (Johnston kartläsare) åstadkom här är
något av det bästa jag har sett av dem. De körde mycket förnuftigt,
och samtidigt valde Oliver alltid rätt ställe för att ge lite
extra.
Andreas Mikkelsen slutade på en sjätteplats och Solberg junior
på en sjunde plats totalt i rallyt, som vanns av nu sjufaldige världsmästaren
Sebastien Ogier från Frankrike. Det var andra gången i karriären
som Oliver Solberg säkrade VM-poäng.
Exakt tre månader har gått sedan Oliver Solberg vann sitt första
och hittills enda VM-rally i WRC3 klassen i rally Estland. Underlaget i Estland
var grus. I augusti vann han också EM-tävlingen Rally Liepaja på
vägen mot sitt junior -EM-guld.
20-12-06 Tidemand VM-tvåa
efter rysarkamp i Rally Monza
Inför VM-seriens upplösning i italienska ACI Rally Monza hade Pontus
Tidemand efter en imponerande säsong chansen att ta hem mästartiteln
i WRC 2. Två dagar in i tävlingen hade han den som i sin hand.
Men ett felaktigt däckval på den tredje dagen blev kostsamt och
trots en hejdundrande prestation blev det tillslut en andraplats - både
i rallyt och i mästerskapet.
En legendarisk racingbana är vanligtvis inte spelplanen för rally-VM:s
säsongsfinal, men i år krävdes en kreativ lösning för
att kunna kora vinnare i WRC-seriens alla mästerskap. Tre dagar på
banans krävande sektioner mixades med en dag på de slingriga och
hala vägarna vid de italienska alperna och det blev en påfrestande
historia för de tävlande ekipagen.
För Pontus del stod allt på spel när han körde för
världsmästartiteln i WRC 2-kategorin. Målet var att upprepa
succén från 2017 då han tog sin första WRC 2-titel,
vilket blev hans andra VM-titel efter guldet i junior-VM i rally 2013. Den
här helgen var utmaningen inte lätt. ACI Rally Monza var en av tre
för Pontus helt nya tävlingar under säsongen och det var tre
år sedan han senast tävlade på asfalt i en R5-bil.
Med ett stort fokus lyckades han ändå koppla grepp om ledningen
på fredagen. Följande dag var det dags att bege sig upp i bergslandskapen
och ge sig i kast med sträckor som närmast påminner om de
som annars bara körs i Monte Carlo-rallyt. Med oberäkneligt väder
och snö i prognosen, startade Pontus dagen med snödäck och
när vägarna visade sig vara blöta och snöfria försvann
sekunderna snabbt. På eftermiddagen hade de istället regndäck
och då kom snön.
- Vi hade otur med däckvalet och det var egentligen där vi förlorade
segern. Hade vi hängt med bättre på lördagen hade det
kunnat sluta annorlunda. Jättetråkigt, men det är så
rally funkar och vi gav inte upp utan ville verkligen ta den chans som fanns
och kämpa hela vägen i mål, säger Pontus, som hela året
haft sällskap i tävlingsbilen av kartläsaren Patrik Barth.
Två sträckor blev strukna under dagen, vilket innebar att Pontus,
som precis börjat knappa in på konkurrenterna, missade bra chanser
att slå tillbaka. Efter lördagens sista sträcka fann han sig
på andraplatsen med en halvminut upp till ledande Mads Østberg.
På söndagen hade den värmländska duon en stor uppgift
framför sig. Fast beslutna att göra vad de kunde för att minska
avståndet valde de snödäck som framförallt lämpade
sig bäst för de två sista sträckorna med mycket grus.
Men glappet var för stort för att hinna rå på och efter
en ordentlig attack tog de sig över mållinjen med både bra
tider och en punktering.
- Det här har varit en krävande och svår helg, men utmaningen
har varit densamma för alla. Vi har haft kul och jag har verkligen uppskattat
fighten med Mads. Visst önskar jag att det hade varit ett par sträckor
till att kämpa på, men jag känner ändå att jag
är väldigt nöjd med vår prestation. Den här säsongen
har vi ofta varit i lägen där vi har varit tvungna att köra
taktiskt, så jag är glad att vi kunde visa att vi även har
farten och kämparglöden när vi är i den här positionen,
förklarar Pontus.
Pontus blir tvåa i 2020 års WRC 2-mästerskap, endast fyra
poäng efter vinnaren Østberg, efter en annorlunda, men prestation-
och resultatmässigt stark säsong. Han har slutat på pallen
i alla VM-tävlingar han har deltagit i och det har blivit seger i Mexiko,
Turkiet och på Sardinien, medan han har kammat hem tredjeplatser i Sverige
och Estland. Sist men inte minst denna andraplatsen efter säsongsavslutningen
i Monza, vilket också blir Pontus 36:e pallplats i VM totalt.
- Ser vi till resultaten så måste jag säga att jag är
väldigt nöjd med vad vi har åstadkommit i år. Patrik
har gjort ett fantastiskt jobb med att läsa noterna, vi har haft ett
kanonbra samarbete med Toksport-teamet och vi har fått nya erfarenheter
från nya tävlingar. Än så länge har jag ingen klar
plan för 2021, men jag vet definitivt att jag är hungrig på
mer och att fortsätta jobba mig uppåt och framåt, konstaterar
Pontus.
Resultat WRC 2 ACI Rally Monza 2020
1. Mads Østberg (NOR) 2:21:18.4
2. Pontus Tidemand (SWE) +25.6
3. Jan Kopecký (CZE) +1:23.4
4. Adrien Fourmaux (FRA) +29:20.4
Resultat WRC 2-mästerskapet 2020
1. Mads Østberg (NOR) 112 poäng
2. Pontus Tidemand (SWE) 108 p
3. Adrien Fourmaux (FRA) 78 p
4. Ole Christian Veiby (NOR) 51 p
5. Nikolay Gryazin (RUS) 51 p
6. Eyvind Brynildsen (NOR) 42 p
7. Rhys Yates (GBR) 22 p
8. Jan Kopecký (CZE) 15 p
20-12-06 Ilddåp for Veiby
i WRC-bil på Monza-banen
Det ble en utfordrende debut i WRC-bil under Rally Monza i helgen, hvor mye
regn, snø og is gjorde løpet ekstremt krevende for Ole Christian
Veiby. – Det å kjøre WRC-bil i helgens løp har vært
spennende og moro, men aller mest krevende!
Det ble en ilddåp av rang for Kongsvinger-gutten, som på årets
siste VM-runde endelig skulle få ta steget opp og konkurrere i den grommeste
klassen i Rally-VM. Normalt kjører Ole Christian en R5-bil, som er
en lettere utgave av WRC-bilen, men for Rally Monza ønsket Hyundai
Motorsport at Ole Christian og kartleser Jonas Andersson skulle få prøve
seg i versting-klassen med en Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC. Men non-stop nedbør
fra start til slutt gjorde sitt til at debuten ble alt annet enn lett. - Jeg
må jo bare si at det har vært moro å få lov til å
kjøre en WRC-bil, selv om det også har vært fryktelig krevende.
Er mye krefter, mye justeringer og mye bil, men også veldig mye moro.
Det var krevende forhold å kjøre på, spesielt på
de første prøvene på lørdag. Vi fikk det meste
av vær med regn, snø, is og slush. Og dessverre endte det med
avkjøring på lørdag ettermiddag.
Selv med non-stop regn over den legendariske F1-banen Monza, så begynte
det bra både torsdag og fredag. Fredag ble det kjørt 5 fartsetapper
i og utenfor banen, og det med mye vann både på veien og i områdene
rundt. Flere av førerne fikk problemer under de vanskelige forholdene,
blant annet Thierry Neuville måtte bryte etter en avkjøring.
Ole Christian og Jonas avsluttet dagen på 8.plass sammenlagt. - Det
begynte jo bra på Shakedown, særlig når vi satte på
regndekk, da syns jeg det gikk bedre. Ellers så var det jo veldig vanskelig
forhold, både torsdag og fredag, og ikke lett å bli kjent med
bilen. Det var vanskelig å finne bremsepunkter. Bremsene låser
fort og ved skiftende grep så ble det vanskelig.
En avkjøring på lørdag ettermiddag satte imidlertid en
bråstopper for Rally Monza for Kongsvinger-gutten, som følte
han endelig hadde funnet flyten og bremsepunktene etter noen justeringer på
bilen under service; - Gjorde nok ett feil dekkvalg lørdag morgen,
det ble veldig ustabilt å kjøre med 3 regn/ 3 snø. Vi
havna jo også ute på ett jorde etter å ha sklidd forbi ett
veidele. Etter service gikk det veldig bra, før det gikk veldig galt.
Vi gjorde noen endringer på service og det hjalp veldig på det
å finne bremsepunkter og da fikk jeg endelig god flyt i kjøringa.
Men plutselig gikk vi fra våt asfalt med godt feste, og inn på
ett parti med bare slush og da ble vi nesten bare passasjerer og helt uten
feste. Vi hadde ingen informasjon om at forholdene skulle endre seg så
plutselig. Og der, på SS10 ble det game-over for oss.
Med fartsprøver på den legendariske formel 1 banen i Italia,
og noen fantastiske rally-veier i alpene så lå alt til rette for
en historisk debut i WRC-bil. Men værforholdene kunne vel ikke vært
verre. Utrolige mengder regn, som ble til snø og is oppe i alpene gjorde
sitt. På ett tidspunkt var det bare 7 WRC-biler igjen i løpet.
Ole Christian er ikke i tvil om at bedre vær hadde gjort debuten en
god del enklere; - Sett i ettertid så var vel dette det verst tenkelige
løpet å skulle debutere i WRC-bil på. Det er ekstra vanskelig
å bli vant til så mye krefter i en bil når det er så
lite feste. Jeg har vært litt aggressiv på gass og hatt mye hjulspinn
hele helgen, og det har det vært vanskelig å endre på med
så lite feste. Hadde det vært tørt, så hadde ikke
dette gjort så mye, og det hadde vært litt enklere å få
vist seg fram.
Dette var siste løpet i Rally-VM 2020, og Hyundai Motorsport vant fabrikksmesterskapet.
Sebastien Ogier vant Rally Monza, og tok også sin 7 verdensmestertittel.
Mads Østberg ble verdensmester i WRC2-klassen. Andreas Mikkelsen vant
WRC3-klassen.
Resultat Rally Monza 2020
1 Ogier
2 Tanak +13,9
3 Sordo +15,3
4 Lappi +45,7
5 Rovanperä +1.11,1
20-12-05 Tidemand tvåa
efter tuff dag i svåra förhållanden
Kanske bjöd ACI Rally Monza på en av årets mest svårbemästrade
tävlingsdagar. Trots det och ett tidigt tidstapp, ligger Pontus Tidemand
tvåa i WRC 2-klassen och har inte gett upp hoppet om att avancera.
Lördagen var den dag där de tävlande lämnade Monzabanan
och rörde sig mot sträckor belägna på högre altitud
vid foten av de italienska alperna. Vädret i området är allt
som oftast oberäkneligt och däckval var en av de största utmaningarna
inför dagen - ett val som till en början ställde till det för
Pontus och co-drivern Patrik Barth.
- Vi förväntade oss snö under morgonen så vi gick ut
med snödäck och tappade mycket tid när det inte var någon
snö. På eftermiddagen valde vi istället regndäck och
två snödäck och då började det snöa ordentligt.
Så det var svårt att få till något riktigt bra, men
vi gjorde vårt bästa och tog igen halva tiden som vi tappade på
morgonen, berättar Pontus.
Med två strukna sträckor, en på grund av en incident och
en annan på grund av det häftiga snöfallet, blev dagens program
på sju sträckor något kortare och Pontus knyter ihop dagen
som tvåa, 30 sekunder efter huvudkonkurrenten i jakten på mästerskapstiteln,
Mads Østberg.
- Det var synd att den näst sista sträckan blev struken. Där
gick vi miste om mer än två mil som vi hade behövt för
att kunna knappa in ännu mer. Nu hoppas vi på att väderförhållandena
är med oss imorgon. Vi kan inte göra mer än ge allt in i det
sista, vi ska försöka pusha hårt på de tre sista sträckorna,
säger Pontus.
WRC 2 ACI Rally Monza efter SS13 (av 16)
1. Mads Østberg 1:52:26.2
2. Pontus Tidemand +30.9
3. Jan Kopecký +1:11.4
4. Adrien Fourmaux +26:26.5
20-10-19 Rally Estonia proved
that a world top sports event with spectators can also be organized under
the conditions of corona crisis
• Estonia proved to be a capable organizer in the crisis situation
• 26 000 local residents took part in the events of Rally Estonia
• The competition took place without any case of coronavirus infection
in cooperation with the Estonian state, FIA, WRC Promoter and organizer
The first Estonian round of the FIA World Rally Championship was organized
with only 63 days. Rally Estonia, held in exceptional circumstances, was the
first global title competition with such a large audience that was organized
under the conditions of COVID-19 and ended without any cases of infection.
This safe big event was successful thanks to the joint effort and well-considered
actions of organizers and spectators.
SYNLAB, the cooperation partner Rally Estonia, performed a total of 1337 coronavirus
tests for the people involved in the organization and competition before and
during the rally, all of which were negative.
A total of 26 000 local people took part in Rally Estonia events, including
the people involved in the organization, competitors and teams, audience and
local residents who were within the perimeter of the rally and their guests.
The spectators who had to adapt to the exceptional conditions were very cooperative
and sympathetically accepted the requirement to wear a mask in the rally spectator
areas, established only two days before the start of the rally, are worthy
of particular praise. This perception of personal responsibility was one of
the important keys why, despite of the dramatic surge of virus before rally,
no outbreaks of infection or new cases of infection occurred among the rally
audience.
Jüri Ratas, Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia: “If experts
contribute wholeheartedly, even the impossible becomes possible. This is exactly
the principle reaffirmed by Rally Estonia team this year. It is an obvious
challenge to offer great experiences to rally fans all around the world for
the first time and in a new level in the context of an indefinite crisis without
endangering anyone's health. The organizers of the event that took place in
Estonia this year had enough will and intelligence to deal with it excellently.
I believe that this is just the beginning - thanks to Rally Estonia team rally
fans will gather in Estonia and enjoy new experiences over and over again.”
Yves Matton, FIA Rally director: "Estonia’s confirmation for 2021
is the well-deserved reward for the hard work and commitment demonstrated
by the Estonian Autosport Union and the Rally Estonia team to organise a safe
and successful event with a solid COVID-19 protocol this year. This achievement
was also made possible thanks to the support of the Estonian Government: together,
they have fulfilled all expectations. I believe Estonia’s presence in
the calendar also brings a fresh approach to the championship as they are
showcasing new ideas - for example with the use of new technologies - which
could very well benefit other countries. I look forward to next year’s
edition.“
Jona Siebel, managing director of WRC Promoter: “In the current Covid-19
climate, we are fully committed to our duty of care to protect both the WRC
family – and that means competitors, teams, officials, supplier and media
– and the local community. Providing access in a safe and responsible
way was the most important aspect of the championship’s restart event
in Estonia. The absence of any new cases of Coronavirus infection during rally
week is a clear indication of the success of the measures implemented and
the willingness of everyone involved to adhere to those strict guidelines.
The championship gained valuable experience and understanding of managing
the challenges created by Covid-19 to carry forward. Estonia’s championship
debut proved a massive success across all aspects of the event, even more
so given the short time available to the organisers to prepare the rally.
The reward for the entire organising team is a place in the 2021 calendar
– an achievement that is fully deserved.”
Urmo Aava, director of Rally Estonia: “The organizing team of Rally Estonia
has developed within 10 years into a team that can overcome even seemingly
insurmountable difficulties. Our cooperation with all our partners is equally
important. We are happy that we were trusted and obtained the right to organize
the Estonian first WRC rally. When looking back to it today, I can say for
sure that together we succeeded 101%. The three strategic partners have a
very important role to play in all this. The state of Estonia which contributed
to the conduct of the round of FIA ??WRC World Rally Championship both financially
and structurally together with various ministries and agencies. The large
??work file Return to Motorsport, created by the International Automobile
Federation FIA, was the basis for us to be able to successfully create our
own documentation. FIA ??also involved its experienced professionals before
and during the rally and this support was invaluable. WRC Promoter, with whom
we have been cooperating since 2018. Estonia received this opportunity thanks
to their trust and offering and their team was a great help for us in organizing
the rally. The outputs provided by them were certainly extremely attractive
to Estonia as an organizing country.“
Estonia manifested itself to the world as a capable country where it is possible
to organize such a big event in a short time. This was ensured by the following
factors, through which Estonia is now even better known in the world - highly
developed innovative information technology solutions, safe environment for
competitors as well as audience, strong legal system, clean and unspoilt nature,
emotional but conscientious people with the highest hopes for themselves and
others.
Rally Estonia is the round of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship which
will be held in Tartu and Southern Estonia on 15- 18 July 2021.
20-10-12 Rally Estonia is the
round of the World Rally Championship 2021
Today, on 9 October, the FIA ??World Motor Sport Council approved the 2021
FIA World Rally Championship calendar by which Rally Estonia was confirmed
as the official round of one of the most prestigious motorsport series in
the world which will be held in Tartu and Southern Estonia already on 15-18
July.
Rally Estonia, held in September this year, was the first global title competition
with such a large audience that was organized under COVID-19 conditions and
ended without any cases of infection. The fact that the competition organized
in Estonia will be in the WRC calendar next year is a great recognition for
Estonia as the organizing country.
Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia Jüri Ratas: “Estonia has
become a world-class rally country. The opportunity to bring the whole rally
world back to Estonia and organize an international competition on a larger
scale means the trust that we have the ability to offer rally fans even more
than before. We proved this with an exemplary event that was organized by
Rally Estonia team in cooperation with sponsors and Estonian people with just
63 days this year. My heartfelt thanks to the Fédération Internationale
de l'Automobile FIA ??and WRC Promoter for the important recognition for the
whole of Estonia, and I wish the organizers of the next Rally Estonia only
success!”
Minister of Culture of the Republic of Estonia Tõnis Lukas: “In
addition to the fact that an Estonian is a world rally champion, we are also
masters in organizing world-class rallies! As long as we have not been given
the right to organize the Olympic Games, we will organize every competition
as if we were organizing the Olympics! I am extremely pleased that next year
Rally Estonia will take place as a WRC event and will take the beautiful natural
and cultural sights of Southern Estonia and Jõgeva county to hundreds
of millions of people around the world. All the prerequisites for success
are there - experience in organizing an ideal competition in difficult circumstances,
good cooperation between the organizers and the state and an outstanding Estonian
audience.”
Janis Kaal, member of the management board of the Estonian Autosport Union:
“The confirmation of the inclusion of Rally Estonia in the 2021 World
Championship calendar was expected and not at all surprising: this year the
organizers proved that competitions at the highest level are excellently handled
even in the most difficult conditions within an extremely tight time frame.
Undoubtedly, this recognition is for the thousands of people who took part
in the preparation and conduct of the rally in any way this year. I agree
with those who say that the World Championship event on the home roads is
the best opportunity for the local rally elite to unlock their potential and
show their talent. I point out the fact that has perhaps been not much mentioned
so far - the experience and information gained at similar sporting events
that meet the highest standards is passed on by contributing to the rise in
organizational level of local motorsport events. We hope that next year we
can deal less with managing the health risks and that more resources can thus
be used to create positive emotions.”
Urmo Aava, director of Rally Estonia: “The organizing team of Rally Estonia
has developed within 10 years into a team that can overcome even seemingly
insurmountable difficulties. But we have not done it alone. We have had strong
partners throughout the years in the private, public as well as international
sectors. In 2020 we had a unique opportunity to organize the first Estonian
round of the FIA World Rally Championship. We thank the Estonian state for
its comprehensive support through these years and the Fédération
Internationale de l'Automobile FIA and WRC Promoter for their trust and opportunities.
Estonian rally fans have been praised all over the world and I agree with
the latter. At this year's Rally Estonia, the rally audience showed themselves
at their best in these difficult circumstances. When looking back today at
Rally Estonia that was held in September, I can say for sure that together
we succeeded 101%. This is confirmed by the fact that in 2021 Rally Estonia
will be a round in the calendar of the FIA World Rally Championship.”
Rally Estonia is the round of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship which
will be held in Tartu and Southern Estonia on 15-18 July 2021.
20-10-11 Tom Kristensson
vann överlägset i JWRC-klassen i Rally VM på Sardinien
Tom Kristensson med co-driver Joakim Sjöberg vann övertygande JWRC-klassen
i Rally Italia Sardegna, som avslutades på söndagseftermiddagen.
Marginalen blev till slut hela 11 minuter och 25 sekunder till tvåan
Fabrizio Zaldivar från Paraguay. Det blev en härlig revansch efter
det olyckliga motorhaveriet i förra tävlingen i Estland.
Tävlingen blev tuffare och svårare än förväntat
på de sandiga och steniga vägarna på Sardinien, och det gick
hårt åt bilarna, speciellt bilarna i JWRC, som är mer standardbetonade
och inte lika tåliga som WRC-bilarna.
Tom och Joakim öppnade starkt och tog redan på SS 1 på fredagsmorgonen
en ledning på drygt 20 sek före finnen Sami Pajari, en av förhandsfavoriterna.
Ledningen släppte de sedan aldrig och kunde efter en förnuftig och
taktisk körning sedan gå i mål som överlägsna segrare.
Martins Sesks från Lettland, en annan av förhandsfavoriterna, drabbades
av ett drivaxelbrott på fredagens näst sista sträcka, fick
bryta för dagen, men kunde starta om på lördagen, dock med
tidstillägg för de sträckor han inte kunde fullfölja på
fredagen.
Samma problem drabbade Sami Pajari redan på lördagens första
sträcka, men även han kunde starta om på söndagens avslutande
fyra sträckor.
- Det är inte helt enkelt att leda med en stor marginal, man vill hitta
ett bra tempo, men ändå inte ta för stora risker för
att råka ut punkteringar eller köra sönder bilen, så
visst blir det lite säkerhetmarginal i körningen. På söndagen
var målsättningen att ta bilen i mål och bärga poängen
för segern, säger Tom.
- Samtidigt får ju vi en poäng per vunnen sträcka, så
det blir ju en avvägning. Nu tog vi fyra sträcksegrar, varav tre
på fredagen, då det fortfarande var kamp.
Martins Sesks och Sami Pajari delade på de övriga sträcksegrarna
med sex vardera, då det efter sina omstarter fokuserade på att
ta så många sträcksegrar som möjligt.
Då alla de övriga klassen, förutom Tom och Fabrizio, hade
problem kunder dock Sesks ta en tredjeplats, nästan 30 minuter efter
Tom, och behöll ledningen i mästerskapet, medan Tom gick om
Sami, som blev femma, upp på en andra plats.
- En helt fantastisk känsla att vinna en så tuff och utmanande
tävling och förbättra tredjeplatsen här från förra
året, säger en glad och lycklig Tom efter målgången
i Alghero på Sardinien. Jag är även så oerhört
tacksam för alla som stöttar och hjälper mej så jag kan
hålla på med det roligaste jag vet.
Efter 3 deltävlingar i JWRC leder Martins Sesks på 68 poäng
före Tom på 58 och Sami Pajari 55.
Som det ser ut nu, om inte Coronapandemin ställer till det, så
skall sista deltävlingen i JWRC köras i Ypres Rally i Belgien den
19-22 november. Tävlingen blir avgörande för vem av dessa tre
som vinner årets JWRC, då man får 1,5 gånger poängen
i tävlingen.
20-10-11 Skuffende helg for
Mads Østberg og Torstein Eriksen i Rally Sardinia denne helgen
Mads Østberg og kartleser Torstein Eriksen i Citroen C3 R5, kom til
Rally Sardina for å vinne. Det håpet ble knust allerede på
første fartsetappe. Et teknisk problem oppsto allerede i første
sektor av SS1. Uten service før etter SS4, var det en lang vei de måtte
dra med seg problemet. Inn til service hadde Mads og Torstein tapt 5.33,2
minutter til lederen i WRC2 klassen. Da var nesten 30% av løpet unnagjort.
Selv om de var veldig raske, og hadde et feilfritt løp etter det, vant
alle etappene i WRC2, så brakte ikke det dem lenger opp på resultatlisten
enn til 4. plass. Mads hadde følgende kommentar etter målgang:
«Det var et skuffende resultat. Vi kom for å vinne og ble nummer
4. Det tekniske problemet vi hadde, kom helt overraskende, vi har aldri hatt
dette problemet tidligere. Men det stoppet oss fra å vinne her. Vi beviste
fart og feilfri kjøring. Jeg tok tilbake nesten tre og et halvt minutt
av det tapte til vinneren på 171 km, det er godt over ett sekund per
km, og det er mye. Jeg er fornøyd med det, men høy fart og feilfri
kjøring fra SS5 gir verken bedre plass på resultatlista eller
flere VM poeng. Men uten tekniske problemer skal jeg love at vi kommer sterkt
tilbake neste gang,» avslutter han.
For spenningen i WRC2 VM ble helgen interessant. Det finnes noen mot-tvister
i hvordan reglene er skrevet for fabrikks mesterskap og fører/kartlesermesterskap.
Reglene sier best av 5 teller. Men reglene for hvordan man teller, og hvilke
løp man kan stryke, framstår som uklare, og er skrevet forskjellig
for fabrikks- og førermesterskap. Med to løp igjen i mesterskapet,
Rally Ypres i Belgia, og Rally Monza i Italia, leder Pontus Tiedemand VM med
105 poeng. Mads er nummer 2 med 87 poeng. Pontus har imidlertid gjort unna
5 løp, mens Mads bare har gjort 4. Begge kan i teorien starte i de
2 gjenværende, Pontus for å forbedre 2 stk. 3. plasser, om det
tillates. Mads kan bruke det ene til å score i sitt 5. løp, og
det andre for å forbedre 4 plassen fra denne helgen, hvis det tillates.
Poeng score for top 4 er 25, 18, 15, 12. Adrian Formaux fra Frankrike, har
også en teoretisk mulighet til å vinne mesterskapet. Her er det
om å gjøre å følge med i tiden som kommer.
Neste rally er på asfalt i Belgia, Rally Ypres, som går fra 19.
til 22 november.
20-10-11 The C3 R5 still
leads the WRC3 with Bulacia
The C3 R5 once again showed clear speed as it collected a number of WRC2 and
WRC3 stage wins at Rally Sardegna and enabled Marco Bulacia to claim third
place in the WRC3.
With six crews competing in Sardegna (Østberg-Eriksen, Bulacia-Der
Ohannesian, Rossel-Fulcrand, Camilli-Buresi, Ciamin-Roche and Johnston-Kihurani),
the #C3R5Family boasted a strong line-up at the sixth round of the World Rally
Championship.
Having won eleven out the sixteen stages in the hands of Mads Østberg,
the C3 R5 was once again one the leading lights of the WRC2 category at this,
one of the most demanding events of the season. It was therefore all the more
frustrating that the car lost time on the opening stages of the rally due
to a transmission issue. The points for fourth place may nonetheless prove
decisive in the WRC2 title fight.
In the WRC3 too, the C3 R5 showcased its competitiveness with a total of seven
stage wins scored by all of its crews. A competitiveness that was rewarded
by the fine third place of Marco Bulacia, adding to his victory in Mexico
and runner-up spot in Turkey and who continues to top the championship standings.
Held up on SS2 by a puncture, he then put together an intelligent race, including
one stage win, to sneak onto the podium. Fellow C3 R5 drivers Yohan Rossel
and Nicolas Ciamin also deserved to feature on the podium. The two Frenchmen
had made a fine start to the rally, ending the first leg second and third
in the category respectively. However, on Saturday morning, both drivers suffered
mechanical issues. They confirmed their high performance level on the stages
with a fastest time apiece when they returned to action on Sunday. Meanwhile,
Eric Camilli – brilliant winner in the WRC3 at Monte-Carlo – was
impressive on his return to the category, running in second position on day
one before suffering a technical issue and then having to retire at the start
of the second leg following an off.
WHAT THEY SAID…
Didier Clément, Head of Customer Racing, Citroën Racing
“It has been a difficult weekend for all of us. The car was very quick
– it shows it every weekend, at every rally – but for once, we a
bit short on reliability. It’s frustrating because the speed was definitely
there and our drivers showed that they were capable of putting C3 R5 among
the front-runners on pretty much every stage of this very demanding Rally
Sardegna. We are constantly working, every day, to provide our crews with
an increasingly reliable and powerful car. This weekend was tough, but I have
no doubt that our teams will be back stronger at the next events on the calendar.”
Marco Bulacia, third in the WRC3 with the C3 R5
“After the puncture at the start, we didn't give up. We kept driving
well in the hope of moving back up the standings, so I am extremely pleased
with our result. I was really comfortable in my C3 R5. The car was very efficient
and easy to drive on these rough stages. If we decided to take part in a fifth
round, as permitted by the regulations, we would choose to compete at Monza.”
Mads Østberg
“Obviously, I'm disappointed with the start of the race, although there
are a lot of positives to take away from the weekend, with two good legs on
Saturday and Sunday. We did our very best to move back up the standings. We
did manage to make up four of the six minutes lost on Friday morning. We’re
now going to focus on the remaining tarmac rounds: we know the car is very
competitive on this surface and I feel confident in my ability to fight for
the win.”
20-10-11 Sordo holds on for
Sardinia double in thrilling finale
Spaniard claims a third WRC victory with impressive showing at
Rally Italia. Dani Sordo held off FIA World Rally Championship title-chasing
pair Thierry Neuville and Sébastien Ogier to seal back-to-back Rally
Italia Sardegna wins on Sunday afternoon.
The Spaniard, driving only his second WRC rally this year, came under intense
pressure as the duelling duo ate into his half-minute lead in the final four
gravel speed tests. He hung on to win this sixth round by 5.1sec in a Hyundai
i20.
It marked a third WRC victory for 37-year-old Sordo, who was never headed
after taking the lead on Friday morning. It was also his second consecutive
triumph on the Mediterranean island after a dramatic last-gasp success in
2019.
“This place is really special, and we have seen a strong performance
across the whole team. I’m not particularly pleased with my pace today.
We had a big lead coming into Sunday morning, but I wasn’t able to set
the same times as Thierry and Ogier, so things were a bit too close by the
end,” he said.
Behind, team-mate Neuville and Ogier fought tooth-and-nail. After trading
places all rally, Ogier defended second throughout Sunday, until a blistering
drive from his Belgian rival enabled him to snatch the position by 1.0sec
in a tense final stage shootout.
“I was on the limit and pushed very hard,” admitted six-time champion
Ogier, who won six of the rally’s 16 rocky tests over three days in northern
Sardinia. “It was intense the whole weekend. We gave everything in the
last stage and there is not much more I could have done.”
Hyundai’s 1-2 promoted the Korean squad into the lead of the manufacturers’
series with a seven-point advantage over Toyota Gazoo Racing. Just 6.1sec
covered the podium places, the smallest margin in championship history.
Elfyn Evans holds a 14-point lead over Toyota team-mate Ogier in the drivers’
standings with two rounds remaining. The Welshman guided his Yaris to fourth,
just over a minute behind Sordo.
Teemu Suninen led initially but after slipping back with mechanical problems
on his Ford Fiesta, the Finn finished fifth, 31.6sec behind Evans.
It was a disappointing weekend for world champion Ott Tänak. Suspension
problems on his i20 cost time on the opening morning. He recovered to sixth
and gained maximum bonus points in the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage, but
trails Evans by 28 points in the title fight.
The penultimate round takes competitors to Belgium for the first time. The
asphalt Renties Rally Ypres Belgium takes place on 19 - 22 November.
Final positions:
1. D Sordo / C del Barrio ESP Hyundai i20 2hr 41min 37.5sec
2. T Neuville / N Gilsoul BEL Hyundai i20 +5.1sec
3. S Ogier / J Ingrassia FRA Toyota Yaris +6.1sec
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota Yaris +1min 02.3sec
5. T Suninen / J Lehtinen FIN Ford Fiesta +1min 33.9sec
6. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 +2min 27.5sec
FIA World Rally Championship (after round 6 of 8)
1. E Evans 111pts
2. S Ogier 97pts
3. T Neuville 87pts
20-10-11 2 plass til Ole Christian
Veiby på Sardinia
Etter en rally-helg hvor punkteringene nesten sto i kø,
kjørte Kongsvinger-gutten allikevel i dag inn til 2. plass i VM-runden
på den italienske middelhavsøya Sardinia. – Jeg er veldig
fornøyd med å ta andre-plassen i dag, sier Ole Christian.
3 punkteringer og en demper som gikk opp gjennom panseret var med på
å forstyrre vinnersjansene, men Ole Christian og kartleser Jonas Andersson
ga seg ikke og kjørte seg opp på resultatlistene gjentatte ganger
i løpet av helgen.
- Det begynte veldig bra på fredag, med ett par etappeseiere, og vi
var også raskeste R5 på ett par fartsetapper. Var veldig fornøyd
med det. Men med punkteringer så tapte vi mye tid. Vi må se litt
på hvorfor punkteringene skjedde, for 2 av de burde absolutt ikke skjedd.
På fredag ettermiddag slo også en demper opp gjennom panseret,
og da ble det spennende og se ikke bare om vi klarte å fullføre
etappen, men også om vi kom oss til service. Så med tanke på
alt dette, så er jeg fornøyd med andreplassen. Uten alt dette
så burde jo kjøringa ha holdt til seier!
Rally Italia Sardinia startet fredag morgen, og totalt er det kjørt
16 fartsetapper på grus i løpet av helgen. Ole Christian og Jonas
følte seg litt fram på
SS1, men klinket til med raskeste tid på SS2 og tok ledelsen i klassen.
Så ble det ett lite tidstap på SS3 etter en punktering, før
det igjen ble raskest tid på SS4 og Veiby klatret til 2plass totalt
i klassen. Etter service ble det en god tid igjen på SS5, men demper-problem
ga ett tidstap på over ett minutt på dagens siste fartsetappe
og dagen endte på fjerdeplass.
Lørdag ble det en ny punktering, men dagen endte likevel på tredjeplass
totalt i klassen. Kun 0,4 sekunder bak Eyvind Brynildsen som lå på
andre. Med 4 prøver på søndag var det duket for sekundstrid
mellom nordmennene, men Veiby tok andreplassen etter første fartsetappe
og beholdt den helt til målgang, selv om han innrømmet å
ha hatt første-plassen i sikte underveis.
- Vi startet dagen med over ett minutt opp til Pontus, men tenkte vi fikk
se etter første prøva om det kanskje kunne være mulig
å ta igjen han. Klinte til ordentlig på de to neste og tok igjen
ganske mye, men skjønte også at det ville bli for mye og ta igjen
alt. Men vi prøvde ihvertfall!
WRC2-klassen ble altså vunnet av svenske Pontus Tidemand i en Skoda.
Veiby tok andreplassen med sin Hyundai, mens norske Eyvind Brynildsen tok
tredjeplass, også han med en Skoda. Mads Østberg, som fikk tekniske
problemer på fredag, tok fjerdeplassen i en Citroën.
Resultat totalt WRC2 Rally Italia Sardinia
1 Tidemand
2 Veiby +28,8
3 Brynildsen +49,7
4 Østberg +2.08,3
20-10-11 Oliver shows stunning
pace on Sardinian debut
19-year-old Oliver Solberg demonstrates exceptional speed on tough
Sardinian roads
Monster Energy driver is seventh fastest overall on Rally Italia’s toughest
stage
The Swede was the class of the WRC3 field
“We came to learn and I think we learned quickly!"
Teenage Swede Oliver Solberg stunned the rally world with another sublime
performance on his Rally Italia-Sardegna debut this weekend.
On just his sixth World Rally Championship start ever, the Monster Energy-backed
ŠKODA driver set an incredible seventh fastest time on the opening stage
of the Alghero-based event on Friday.
According to the world’s rallying elite, the 12-kilometre Tempio Pausania
stage was the most complicated and technically challenging road on the route.
Across his first 12 competitive kilometres on Sardinia, Oliver was more than
a second per kilometre faster than his nearest rival in the WRC3 category.
He was seventh fastest overall beating five competitors with stronger WRC
cars.
The #32 Fabia Rally2 evo was in the top 10 overall for all but two stages
before a puncture cost him time late on Saturday.
Oliver’s astonishing run – and his hopes of a second consecutive
top-10 result in the WRC – came to an end when he overshot a corner on
the last stage of day two. The ŠKODA’s front wheels dropped into
a ditch and made reversing impossible. Oliver’s stunning run was done.
He returned for the final day, gathering more experience of one of the most
specialised rounds of the series.
“Of course I’m disappointed when I think back to the result we could
have made here,” said Oliver.
“If I’d braked one second earlier, we would have been eighth overall
with another WRC 3 win. But there’s no point to think like this. We came
here to Sardinia for the first time to understand what is the road like and
to get some experience of events and surfaces like this one. I never drove
rough rallies before and it’s really a different way of driving to places
like Estonia (the previous WRC round where Oliver won his class and finished
ninth overall).
“The first stage was really cool. It was a big, big challenge: so narrow,
so technical, twisty and with mud in places, lots of grip level changes. I
was really happy with this one. It’s sometimes hard to find a flow and
rhythm in stages like this, but I did that and really went with it.
“After that we had some small things, a spin here, then some small issues
and then the puncture on Saturday. It’s frustrating, we’d just got
back to the lead when I braked just a second too late.
“Honestly, I thought we’d drop a few seconds, take reverse and carry
on. I couldn’t believe it when it was all over. So tough. But OK, this
is the sport sometimes.
“Sunday was a day for experience and driving those stages, the ones by
the beach, was incredible. These are the roads I watched for so many years
on the television. To be here and doing this is special – but they were
so tricky and so narrow!
“Overall, this is positive. We came to learn and I think we learned quickly!”
20-10-11 Seger på första
försöket för Tidemand i Italien
Det första VM-rallyt på Medelhavsön gick som en dans - om
än ingen lätt dans - för Pontus Tidemand som på söndagen
säkrade sin tredje WRC 2-seger för säsongen och sin allra första
vinst i Rally Italia Sardegna. I och med det stärker han också
sin och teamet Toksport WRT:s ledning i det totala mästerskapet.
Utan tidigare erfarenhet från det italienska VM-rallyt var Pontus Tidemand
beredd på en tuff tävling med hård konkurrens. Ett tufft
rally blev det definitivt, men konkurrenterna fick han snabbt en bra lucka
till. Redan efter fredagen hade Pontus en halvminuts ledning och ytterligare
en problemfri dag på lördagen gav en ledning på strax över
minuten inför de sista sträckorna.
- Det svåraste var att kunna ge max när allt är så obekant.
Men det här är en tävling som egentligen passar mig och min
körstil bra, och med lite mer erfarenhet kommer den nog bli en av mina
favoriter, så det var bara att kämpa på och göra vårt
bästa för att hålla i, berättar Pontus, som har sällskap
av Patrik Barth i kartläsarstolen.
På söndagen var målet att nå målet, med övertaget
i behåll och som så många gånger förr parera
körningen för att inte ta onödiga risker. Med en så god
ledning behövde Pontus inte känna sig alltför hotad, men det
är ändå ingen lätt sits att befinna sig i när man
har tävlingens slutliga resultat i sina händer.
- Man ser alltid fram emot en spännande närkamp men nu fick vi under
en stor del av rallyt köra vårt eget race och fokusera på
uppgiften att få det bästa tänkbara resultatet. Att vara i
den positionen är inte så enkelt som man kan tro - man har tillräckligt
med distans för att inte behöva köra galet, men man måste
vara tillräckligt snabb för att inte förlora för mycket
tid eller tappa koncentrationen, samtidigt som man till varje pris vill undvika
problem som kan göra att man blir av med hela försprånget,
förklarar Pontus.
Även denna gång tog han sig igenom de avslutande sträckorna
på ett lugnt och sansat sätt fram till sista sträckan där
han gjorde en sista push för att slutligen stänga dörren bakom
sig. Han satte en snabb tid och kunde därmed säkra sin tredje seger
för säsongen tillsammans med Toksport WRT. Tack vare det stärker
han också sin och teamets ledning i årets WRC 2-mästerskap.
- Jag är otroligt glad att vi faktiskt lyckades i vår första
tävling här, för det var verkligen ingen självklarhet
på förhand. Bilen har fungerat perfekt, precis som teamet i och
utanför bilen. Nu tar vi maxpoäng den här helgen också
och det är kanonbra för mästerskapsställningen. Jag är
redan taggad på att se vad som händer under de kommande tävlingarna,
summerar en nöjd Pontus.
Resultat WRC 2 Rally Italia Sardegna 2020
1. Pontus Tidemand (SWE) 2:51:58.4
2. Ole Christian Veiby (NOR) +28.8
3. Eyvind Brynildsen (NOR) +49.7
4. Mads Østberg (NOR) +2:08.3
20-10-10 Sordo closes on repeat
Rally Italia win after dramatic Saturday
Spaniard excels to maintain lead over Sébastien Ogier. Dani Sordo strengthened
his lead at Rally Italia Sardegna on Saturday in his pursuit of back-to-back
victories on the Mediterranean island.
The Spaniard completed the penultimate leg of this sixth round of the FIA
World Rally Championship with a 27.4sec advantage. In a frantic battle behind,
Sébastien Ogier edged Thierry Neuville in the day’s final speed
test to reclaim second.
Sordo, who scored a dramatic last-gasp victory in 2019, won one of the six
gravel speed tests in the north of the island in a Hyundai i20. But that was
enough to stretch his overnight advantage by 10sec with Sunday’s short
finale remaining.
“It’s a good feeling to be here,” he said. “This afternoon
I was managing my tyres. It’s important to keep Seb and Thierry in the
back. I know them both and they will try tomorrow. We need to keep concentrated
to the end, until the very last kilometre.”
Teemu Suninen, second after Friday’s leg in a Ford Fiesta, fell back
from the podium scrap to leave Ogier and Neuville in a titanic duel for second
and the opportunity to reduce their points deficit to championship leader
Elfyn Evans.
Frenchman Ogier demoted Neuville in the opening test, only for the Belgian
to reverse the places in the morning’s final special stage. But a minor
error near the finish of the last test when he slid into a bale allowed Ogier
back in front by 1.5sec.
“I was trying very hard and I lost maybe 2sec on the bridge when I was
a little bit too late on the brakes. When you push to the maximum that happens,”
admitted the i20 driver.
Ogier won four tests in his Toyota Yaris and the duelling duo were half a
minute clear of fifth-placed Evans. The Welshman lost time this morning with
an overly-cautious approach to protect his tyres while, in contrast, too much
aggression this afternoon cost vital seconds.
A differential problem, which affected the use of his Ford Fiesta’s handbrake
in tight corners, slowed Suninen this morning. The Finn was back to full speed
after the mid-leg service and had almost 1min 20sec in hand over labouring
world champion Ott Tänak in sixth.
Gus Greensmith retired his Fiesta from sixth after the alternator belt broke
while Kalle Rovanperä’s weekend turned from bad to worse. After
a troubled day yesterday, the young Finn ripped both rear wheels off his Yaris
after drifting wide and bouncing off two trees.
Sunday’s final leg is based in the island’s north-west. Cala Flumini
(14.06km) and the stunning coastal Sassari - Argentiera (6.89km) are driven
twice, with the latter forming the final bonus-points paying Wolf Power Stage,
before the afternoon finish in Alghero.
Leading positions:
1. D Sordo / C del Barrio ESP Hyundai i20 2hr 14min 35.5sec
2. S Ogier / J Ingrassia FRA Toyota Yaris +27.4sec
3. T Neuville / N Gilsoul BEL Hyundai i20 +28.9sec
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota Yaris +58.4sec
5. T Suninen / J Lehtinen FIN Ford Fiesta +1min 06.9sec
6. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 +2min 25.3sec
20-10-10 Stärkt ledning
för Tidemand på Sardinien
Pontus Tidemand och co-drivern Patrik Barth har tagit sig igenom ännu
en dag av Rally Italia Sardegna utan problem. Inför finaldagens fyra
sträckor har de en minuts ledning.
- Det är fortfarande en stor utmaning att möta sträckorna för
första gången, men där vi befinner oss nu är det inte
läge att pusha. Vi måste först och främst fokusera på
att komma i mål på varje sträcka på bästa och
säkraste sätt. En minut är en bra ledning men det finns hela
tiden i bakhuvudet att det räcker med att vi åker på en punktering
så försvinner vårt försprång snabbt, säger
Pontus.
Pontus intog förstaplatsen redan under fredagen och startade lördagen
med ett övertag på en halvminut och en begynnande kamp med Adrien
Fourmaux. Men efter att fransmannen tvingades bryta var tidsglappen så
pass stora att ingen riktigt kunnat rå på svenskarna utan den
stora fighten har utvecklats om placeringarna bakom Pontus.
- Än är vi inte säkra. Att det kan svänga snabbt har vi
fått se hos konkurrenterna den här helgen så mycket kan hända
på de 40 kilometrarna som är kvar. Vår enda plan är
att hålla ledningen under kontroll, inte ta några risker och försöka
nå mål på bästa sätt, säger Pontus om strategin
inför de avslutande sträckorna.
Rally Italia Sardegna WRC2 efter SS12/16:
1. Pontus Tidemand (SWE) 2:22:23.6
2. Eyvind Brynildsen (NOR) +1:03.9
3. Ole Christian Veiby (NOR) +1:04.3
4. Mads Østberg (NOR) +3:31.1
5. Nikolay Gryazin (RUS) +23:23.0
20-10-09 Dani Sordo impresses
on return to lead Rally Italia after Friday
Dani Sordo delivered a flawless drive to lead Rally Italia Sardegna on Friday
night following a six month lay-off. Huge compressions, endless twists and
turns and loose gravel provided a tough challenge for crews, but the Spaniard
stayed on track to open a 17.4sec advantage in his Hyundai i20 after six stages
in northern Sardinia.
M-Sport Ford man Teemu Suninen was second in his Ford Fiesta, followed by
title challenger Thierry Neuville, a further 17.8sec behind in another i20.
Sordo, competing in his first WRC event since March’s fixture in Mexico,
opted to take five medium compound tyres aboard his Hyundai for both loops.
As the times rolled in, it was clear the Spaniard’s decision had paid
off as he claimed four stage wins.
“Of course I am really happy to come back like this. We always say that
road position is very important here and we had a really good one today, but
at the same time we pushed hard and made time with good tyre choices,”
said the rally leader.
Suninen’s day got off to a flying start. The Finn snatched a surprise
lead in the rally-opening Tempio Pausania speed test, his time a whopping
12.4sec clear of the rest of the field.
However, he was unable to match Sordo’s pace on the day’s remaining
tests and his decision to carry two hard compound tyres for the final loop
didn’t go the right way.
“It was a silly mistake for us to take two hard tyres. We expected to
see an increase in road temperatures, but when we got there it was fully in
shadow so we didn't get any grip advantages,” he explained.
Neuville had his own issues to contend with. After struggling with the set-up
of his Hyundai, two stalls followed, and valuable time was kissed goodbye
as he struggled to get the car restarted. He holds third, 35.2sec adrift of
his leading team-mate.
Sébastien Ogier rounded out Friday’s opening leg 0.8 sec behind
his title rival in fourth, followed by Toyota Yaris team-mate Elfyn Evans
who was 15.9sec further back. Running first and second on the road respectively
and with no clean line to follow, both struggled to find traction.
Gus Greensmith continued to show potential with a consistent run over Friday’s
relentless stages. The Englishman brought his Fiesta back to service in sixth,
trailing the leading pace by 01min07.1sec.
Ott Tänak’s championship hopes were dealt a heavy blow when his
Hyundai picked up a suspension issue in the opening stage. He was forced to
limp through the following three stages before a repair could be made in service,
dropping almost two minutes. He ended eighth.
Kalle Rovanperä also endured a frustrating Friday. The 20-year-old was
sixth before his Yaris picked up a steering issue in the penultimate speed
test, plunging him down to ninth.
Esapekka Lappi pulled over in SS2 with an engine issue on his Fiesta. It proved
terminal and the M-Sport Ford team has confirmed the Finn will not restart
on Saturday. Japanese hotshot Takamoto Katsuta also took an early bath after
going off the road when he overcooked a tightening right-hander. He is expected
to restart tomorrow.
Saturday is the longest leg of the weekend, with 101.69km of flat-out action
tightly packed into six daunting tests. Service in Alghero after the fourth
stage of the day will be the only respite for crews.
Leading positions
1. D Sordo / C del Barrio ESP Hyundai i20 1hr 12min 40.9sec
2. T Suninen / J Lehtinen FIN Ford Fiesta +17.4sec
3. T Neuville / N Gilsoul BEL Hyundai i20 +35.2sec
4. S Ogier / J Ingrassia FRA Toyota Yaris +36.0sec
5. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota Yaris +51.9sec
6. G Greensmith / E Edmondson GBR Ford Fiesta +1min 07.1sec
20-10-09 Croatia and Estonia
named in 2021 WRC calendar
· WRC Promoter releases 2021 FIA World Rally Championship calendar
· Croatia joins WRC fixture list for the first time
· Estonia retained after late call-up to host successful 2020 restart
· Covid-19 strategy plays major role in calendar structure
Munich, 9 October 2020 – Croatia will host a round of the FIA World Rally
Championship for the first time after being named in the 2021 calendar on
Friday (9 October).
Estonia is also included in the 12-round series after being called-up at short
notice to host a widely-praised post-lockdown restart event in September.
It was the Baltic state’s first WRC appearance.
Kenya’s iconic Safari Rally and Japan, which were both included in this
year’s schedule but cancelled due to the pandemic, are also listed. Spain
returns after a year’s absence.
The season features nine European events and three outside Europe. It has
been strategically designed to allow for a continued Covid-19 impact on international
sport by scheduling the majority of rounds from June onwards.
The calendar was approved by the FIA, world motorsport’s governing body,
and WRC Promoter managing director Jona Siebel said it would appeal to both
competitors and WRC fans alike.
“The inclusion of Croatia to the WRC for the first time is an exciting
new challenge to our fixture list and brings huge anticipation,” he added.
“Estonia’s championship debut a few weeks ago proved a massive success,
even more so given the short time available to the organisers to prepare the
rally. It fully deserves to retain its slot for 2021.”
The 2021 championship in detail
The season kicks-off with the traditional season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo
in the French Alps. It will be followed by Rally Sweden, the series’
only pure winter fixture.
Croatia forms the third round and will be held on 22 - 25 April. It is the
opening pure asphalt encounter and will be based in capital city Zagreb.
Portugal’s late-May fixture is the first of three hot weather gravel
rounds. It is followed in June by Italy and Kenya, which completes the opening
half of the championship.
The cancellation of this year’s Safari Rally Kenya, one of global motorsport’s
legendary contests, means the WRC returns to Africa, the world’s second
largest continent by size, for the first time since 2002.
Fast dirt road rounds in Estonia and Finland open the season’s second
sector in July ahead of August’s United Kingdom date.
WRC Promoter is in discussion with the UK governing body, Motorsport UK, which
is working to confirm the required government funding. An announcement is
expected to be forthcoming.
Two of the final three rounds take place outside Europe. Chile and Spain precede
Japan, which hosts the coveted final round in November. Japan’s inclusion,
11 years after the previous WRC fixture there, marks mainstream Asia’s
first appearance since then.
WRC Promoter develops strategy to combat effects of pandemic
The continued consequences of Covid-19, which led to the loss of several WRC
rounds in 2020, had a major influence on the calendar structure.
After the opening rounds in Monte-Carlo and Sweden, winter events which cannot
be moved from their early year dates, the season pauses for more than two
months to allow maximum time for the effects of the pandemic to ease.
No rounds outside Europe are scheduled before late June and only a third of
the 12 rounds will be held across the first five months of the year.
“Covid-19 has hit international sporting events extremely hard. WRC has
not been spared, leading to the unfortunate cancellation of several events
throughout 2020,” said Siebel.
“So, in developing the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship calendar, we
had to take pragmatic and strategic decisions on the continuing impact on
global travel next year.
“We could not foresee any long-haul events being held in a safe manner
for the public, or for our large group of travelling staff, suppliers, competitors
and media, for the first five months of 2021.
“It’s essential our event organisers are fully committed to managing
the difficult Covid-19 controls we can expect to be in place next year while
delivering high-quality championship rounds. I’m confident the 12 rallies
chosen for next year will not let us down,” he added.
In a further measure, rallies in Turkey, Latvia, Belgium, Greece, Italy (Monza)
and Argentina will be on a reserve list of contingency events in case of Covid-19
issues, the latter as an option for non-European rounds.
The 2021 calendar is:
1 Monte-Carlo 21 - 24 January
2 Sweden 11 - 14 February
3 Croatia 22 - 25 April*
4 Portugal 20 - 23 May
5 Italy 3 - 6 June
6 Kenya 24 - 27 June
7 Estonia 15 - 18 July*
8 Finland 29 July - 1 August
9 UK 19 - 22 August*
10 Chile 9 - 12 September
11 Spain 14 - 17 October
12 Japan 11 - 14 November
* Subject to agreemen
20-10-09 Oliver Solberg
chockade rallyvärlden
Oliver Solberg leder WRC3-klassen i det italienska VM-tävlingen
på Sardinien efter den första dagen. Det svenska stjärnskottet
inledde dagen med att chockera rallyvärlden när han slog fyra förare
i toppklassen på den första specialsträckan - inklusive regerande
världsmästare Ott Tänak.
Över de 12,08 kilometrarna krossade 19-åringen konkurenterna i
WRC3-klassen och slutade 13,1 sekunder före närmaste konkurrent.
Nästan 1,1 sekunder per kilometer är som en evighet räknat
i rally, och det är extremt sällsynt med en sådan skillnad.
Det är minst lika sällsynt att en WRC3-bil matchar hastigheten på
WRC-klassens grymma bilar.
Den regerande världsmästaren Ott Tänak distanserades med 11,1
sekunder, och andra VM-stjärnor i toppklassen som blev ifrånkörda
av den svenska tonåringen var Thierry Neuville och Gus Greensmith.
Specialsträckan "Tempio Pausania" anses vara det tekniskt svåraste
under årets VM-säsong.
- Jag kände inte att det gick särskilt snabbt på första
specialsträckan, men jag hittade snabbt flytet och lyckades hålla
det hela vägen. Men jag är helt medveten om att det var ett mycket
speciellt sträcka och att det inte skulle fortsätta på den
vägen hela rallyt, säger Oliver Solberg, som kör en Skoda Fabia
Rally2 på Sardinien.
Senare samma dag stötte Solberg junior på små problem, bland
annat snurrade han på det tredje sträckan och förlorade 20
sekunder. Ändå leder han WRC3-klassen med 6,4 sekunder över
Johan Rossel från Frankrike. Oliver Solberg ligger på 10:e plats
totalt i VM-tävlingen, och han är också snabbast bland R5-bilarna
(WRC2 och WRC3) hittills.
WRC3-klassen är tredje nivån i Rally-VM. Bilarna har färre
hästkrafter (strax under 100) än toppklassen och saknar några
viktiga tekniska funktioner.
Oliver Solberg tog sin första VM-seger i Rally Estland förra månaden,
även de i WRC3-klassen. 19-åringen debuterar på de svåra
grusvägarna på Sardinien, och han kör sitt sjätte VM
rally någonsin. Tävlingen fortsätter med sex nya specialsträckor
på lördag och avslutas på söndagen efter totalt 16 sträckor.
20-10-09 Pontus Tidemand leder
Rally Italia Sardegna
Mästerskapsledande Pontus Tidemand är i full färd med att tackla
sitt första Rally Italia Sardegna. Trots bristen på tidigare erfarenhet
från tävlingen har han tagit täten i WRC2-klassen och leder
med en halvminut.
- Det går knappast att säga annat än att det har varit en
bra dag när man är i ledning. Men det har inte varit lätt att
köra de här sträckorna för första gången. Det
knepigaste var att hitta en bra rytm när man inte riktigt vet exakt hur
man bäst tar sig igenom, säger Pontus.
Sex sträckor stod på fredagens program, varav den långa förmiddagen
bestod av två sträckor som upprepades utan serviceuppehåll.
De förrädiska stenarna tittade upp ur de sandtäckta vägarna
framförallt under andra loopen och orsakade många punkteringar,
men den här gången klarade sig Pontus och kartläsaren Patrik
Barth fint.
- Vi har som tur är klarat oss utan problem och bilen funkar bra. Vi
kan absolut hitta mer fart men det är svårt att ge de där
sista tio procenten när allt är nytt, men vi ska göra vårt
bästa för att försvara vår position imorgon. Tävlingen
är lång så vi får helt enkelt ta en dag i taget, konstaterar
Pontus.
Rally Italia Sardegna WRC2 efter SS6/16:
1. Pontus Tidemand (SWE) 1:16:30.8
2. Adrien Fourmaux (FRA) +31.9
3. Eyvind Brynildsen (NOR) +1:11.9
4. Ole Christian Veiby (NOR) +1:25.3
5. Mads Østberg (NOR) +5:02.5
20-10-09 Rally Monza to form
2020 FIA World Rally Championship finale
ACI Rally Monza joins 2020 FIA WRC calendar in season-closing slot
· Italian asphalt encounter to take place on 4 - 6 December
· Monza’s iconic race circuit set to decide destiny of world titles
Munich, 9 October 2020 – Italy’s ACI Rally Monza will host the final
round of the FIA World Rally Championship after being added to the calendar
today (Friday).
The asphalt event will take place on 4 - 6 December and will be based at the
famous Autodromo Nazionale de Monza race circuit near Milan, in the north
of the country.
The itinerary will adopt the FIA WRC’s short format schedule, featuring
about 220km of special stages, with the majority of the first and last day
action at the circuit.
Saturday’s middle leg speed tests will comprise demanding closed public
roads in the Lombardy region close to Monza.
The rally has been held since 1978 and will be the second Italian counter
of an FIA WRC season severely affected by Covid-19. This weekend’s Rally
Italia Sardegna forms the sixth round of the eight-event series.
Traditionally an end-of-season celebration event contested by both rally and
track racing experts, the Monza Rally has been won on seven occasions by MotoGP
legend Valentino Rossi.
WRC stars to taste success there include Dani Sordo in 2010 and 2013, nine-time
world champion Sébastien Loeb in 2011 and Robert Kubica in 2014.
WRC Promoter managing director Jona Siebel said the rally would provide an
exciting challenge for competitors.
“As the final round of the championship, there’s a strong chance
both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ WRC titles could go right down
to the wire on Monza’s roads.
“The WRC prides itself on rewarding rallying’s best all-round driver
across multiple terrains and varied conditions. This type of rally is rare
in our championship but will provide a thrilling finale to an unpredictable
year,” he added.
FIA Rally Director Yves Matton said confirming an eighth round for the series
in such complex times was a reward for the efforts and hard work of all involved
to ensure valuable titles for the 2020 championship.
“In the current situation, we’re developing new approaches and ACI
Rally Monza Italia is a great illustration of this. It’s the marriage
of an iconic circuit event and more traditional rally stages in the nearby
countryside.
“This new concept could eventually help bring the WRC to countries or
regions where new formats are required.”
“It has required a great deal of flexibility from ACI and its President
Angelo Sticchi Damiani to bring this new event to the calendar at such a late
stage and I would like to thank them for their great commitment and professionalism,”
he added.
Angelo Sticchi Damiani, Automobile Club d’Italia president, said the
club had accepted with great dedication towards the FIA, and in the interests
of international motorsport, to organise the final round.
“For Automobile Club d’Italia it will be another commitment during
a season where we were the protagonists in all the major sports events.
“Our discussions with WRC Promoter have also led to it being considered
as a contingency event for 2021.
“The event in the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, the ‘Temple of Speed’,
will be great for the series. It will be an incredible show and a unique experience
for car and tyre manufacturers, teams, drivers and all the other protagonists
of a high-quality WRC event,” he added.
Next rally: Rally Italia Sardegna, 8 - 11 October 2020.
20-10-07 Elfyn Evans promises
it's business as usual as he defends WRC lead
Championship frontrunner unfazed by being the man to beat in Italy.
Elfyn Evans is adamant his position at the top of the FIA World Rally Championship
will not affect his approach to Rally Italia Sardegna (8 - 11 October).
The Welshman opened an 18-point lead over Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Sébastien
Ogier when becoming the first driver to win twice this year in Turkey last
month. He insists he won’t be distracted by the biggest margin enjoyed
by the series leader this season.
“Anything can happen between now and the end of the season. One retirement
and the whole thing is on its head again. I’m not thinking about it,”
said the Toyota Yaris driver, who also won in Sweden in February and is hunting
a maiden world title.
“Ultimately, it’s better to be out front than behind, but all I’m
thinking about right now is the next rally. All I can do is look at the event
that’s in front of me. That’s Sardinia this week,” added Evans,
who made his debut at the highest level there as a late replacement in 2013.
After being postponed from June due to Covid-19, this sixth round is staged
in the autumn for the first time since 2012. It means cooler temperatures
and possible rain, but the narrow and sandy gravel roads are likely to be
as rocky and rutted as normal on the second pass.
20-10-07 Rally Italia Sardegna
nästa tävling i JWRC för Tom Kristensson
Just ni förbereder sig Tom Kristensson och co-driver Joakim
Sjöberg för den tredje deltävlingen i JWRC, Rally Italia Sardegna
på Sardinien.
Tävlingen startar på fredag morgon från Alghero, och fram
till målgången på söndag eftermiddag skall man ha avverkat
18 specialsträckor på drygt 26 mil, 9 sträckor som körs
två gånger vardera, samtliga på grusunderlag. På grund
av Corona är tävlingen helt publikfri, och det råder strikta
restriktioner för de tävlande och teamen, bl.a. mätning av
kroppstemperaturen med jämna mellanrum.
- Sträckorna är som vi förväntat oss, sämre väg
på vissa sträckor och bättre på andra, rapporterar Tom
från rekognoseringen, eller "reccen" som man säger på
fackspråk, och som körs under tisdag och onsdag.
- Det är i stort sett samma sträckor som vi körde förra
året här, och vi vet att vägen ser lite annorlunda ut, framför
allt på de sämre och lösare sträckorna, när vi kommer
efter WRC-bilarna i tävlingen. Det är inte alltid man kan ta det
spår man tänkt efter reccen, utan får anpassa sig till hur
det ser när vi kommer.
- Fördelen med att tävlingen körs senare på året
i år är att det inte är så varmt, just nu är det
en behaglig temperatur på drygt 20 grader, och det gör att däcksslitaget
blir mindre. Dock kommer det fram en hel del stenar, så det gäller
att försöka undvika punkteringar, analyserar Tom
- Jag har en helt annan känsla inför tävlingen i år än
förra året, eftersom jag nu vet vad som väntar oss.
- Fokus är att göra allt så bra som möjligt, och ta sträcksegrar.
förra året tog vi inte en enda trots att vi blev trea i tävlingen,
och eftersom varje sträckseger ger en poäng är det viktigt
i poängsammandraget.
- Oturen från Rally Estonia med havererad motor är nu glömd,
och vi ser bara framåt, vi vet vad vi kan och vi skall njuta av tävlingen,
avslutar Tom från en paus i reccen.
Ställningen i JWRC inför tävlingen är att segraren i Rally
Estonia, Martins Sesks från Lettland leder på 47 poäng före
finnländaren Sami Pajari 39 poäng och Tom på tredje plats
med 29 poäng efter sin seger i Rally Sweden. Sesks och Pajari blir de
främsta konkurrenterna, men även några italienska hemmaförare
vill nog blanda sig i leken om topplatserna.
Samtliga deltagare i JWRC kör identiska bilar, framhjulsdrivna Ford Fiesta
Rally 4 från M-Sport.
20-10-07 Mads Østberg
og Torstein Eriksen vil sikre VM tittel
Mads Østberg og kartleser Torstein Eriksen i Citroen C3 R5 håper
å sikre seg verdensmestertittelen når de skal gjøre Rally
Italy Sardegna førstkommende helg. Rallyet starter i Alghero fredag
morgen den 9. og avsluttes søndag den 11. Men andreplassen vil tittelen
være vunnet, med ett løp til å kjøre.
”Jeg må si at vi er veldig motivert for å vinne løpet,”
sier Mads i en kommentar, “det er ikke planen å safe for å
sikre mesterskapet. Det er gode konkurrenter vi må slå. Men vi
har bevist at vi er raskest og har vunnet alle de forrige rundene vi har deltatt
i. Vi håper å gjenta det. Vi har en veldig god bil, vi hadde en
veldig god pre-event test, jeg liker dette rallyet og vi er godt forberedt.
Vi må ha fullt fokus fra start til mål, hvis vi unngår problemer
er sjansene gode for en fjerde seier på rad. Og med det mesterskapet
også,” avslutter Mads.
Rallyet kan følges på WRC.com, hver etappe kan sees live på
WRC + All live.
20-10-06 Tidemand taggar upp
för Sardinien-debut
Det börjar gå mot slutspurten i årets något förkortade
WRC-serie. Rally Italia Sardegna är näst på tur och det värmländske
rallyesset Pontus Tidemand kommer till medelhavsön som ledare i WRC 2-mästerskapet.
Han är redo, motiverad och spänd på en ny, stor utmaning när
han tar sig an den italienska deltävlingen för första gången.
Pontus Tidemand och kartläsaren Patrik Barth har haft en riktigt bra
säsong i rally-VM:s WRC 2-klass tillsammans med det tyska teamet Toksport
WRT. Det har blivit pallplats i samtliga tävlingar, däribland två
segrar, och efter den senaste av dessa två - en imponerande insats på
Turkiet tuffa vägar - leder de mästerskapet.
- Det känns förstås jättebra, säger Pontus. Vi visar
att vi är att räkna med och att vi vill vara med i fighten. Men
mästerskapet är långtifrån avgjort. Jag körde rekognosering
här på Sardinien en gång för några år sen
men jag har aldrig tidigare tävlat här. Kanske att det sätter
oss i ett underläge jämfört med våra största konkurrenter,
men vi ska göra allt vi kan för att ge dem en match och siktar på
att plocka poäng.
Under de två veckor som gått sen tävlingen i Turkiet har
Pontus bland annat varit på ett intensivt test i Tyskland med Skoda
Motorsport och han intygar att kläderna inte har svalnat än:
- Jag har knappt hunnit sitta ner sen vi lämnade senaste rallyt och just
nu känns det bara positivt. Det har blivit en hel del körning under
de här veckorna så jag hoppas lite på att jag fortfarande
är kvar i tävlingsbubblan och att det går lättare att
kasta sig in i ett nytt event då.
Rally Italia Sardegna har sitt säte kring den omåttligt populära
serviceplatsen i Alghero och tävlingens 16 specialsträckor körs
på öns karaktäristiskt sandiga vägar. De är snabba
men smala och kantas av buskar, träd och stenar, något som inte
ger mycket till utrymme för misstag.
- Vägarna är inte lika steniga och knaggliga som i Turkiet, men
de är långt ifrån släta och man gör bäst i
att ha huvudet med sig här också och ha en hållbar strategi.
Vi ska dessutom ta oss igenom sträckorna två gånger på
förmiddagarna innan vi kommer till service så där vill man
inte göra någon stor tabbe. Det kommer bli svårt och riktigt
tufft men framförallt kul och vi vill inget hellre än att få
ännu ett bra resultat att ta med oss hem härifrån, säger
Pontus.
Nuvarande ställningen i WRC 2
1. Pontus Tidemand (SWE) 80poäng
2. Mads Østberg (NOR) 75p
3. Adrien Fourmaux (FRA) 66p
4. Nikolay Gryazin (RUS) 51p
5. Ole Christian Veiby (NOR) 33p
6. Eyvind Brynildsen (NOR) 27p
7. Rhys Yates (GBR) 22p
Tidsplan Rally Italia Sardegna 2020
Torsdag
12:01 Shakedown Olmedo (3,79 km)
Fredag
07:50 SS1 Tempio Pausania 1 (12,08 km)
08:44 SS2 Erula – Tula 1 (21,78 km)
10:03 Regroup – Tempio Pausania Viale Fonte Nuova
10:40 SS3 Tempio Pausania 2 (12,08 km)
11:34 SS4 Erula – Tula 2 (21,78 km)
14:07 Service Alghero
16:14 SS5 Sedini – Castelsardo 1 (14,72 km)
16:59 SS6 Tergu – Osilo 1 (12,81 km)
18:17 Flexi Service Alghero
Lördag
05:15 Service Alghero
07:37 SS7 Monte Lerno 1 (22,08 km)
08:38 SS8 Coiluna – Loelle 1 (15,00 km)
09:31 Regroup – Pattada – Nuraghe Lerno
10:07 SS9 Monte Lerno 2 (22,08 km)
11:08 SS10 Coiluna – Loelle 2 (15,00 km)
13:58 Service Alghero
16:08 SS11 Sedini – Castelsardo 2 (14,72 km)
17:02 SS12 Tergu – Osilo 2 (12,81 km)
18:20 Flexi Service Alghero
Söndag
07:15 Service Alghero
08:15 SS13 Cala Flumini 1 (14,06 km)
08:36 Regroup – La Pedraia
09:08 SS14 Sassari – Argentiera 1 (6,89 km)
10:00 Regroup - Alghero
11:10 SS15 Cala Flumini 2 (14,06 km)
11:31 Regroup – La Pedraia
12:18 SS16 Sassari – Argentiera 2 Wolf Power Stage (6,89 km)
13:25 Service Alghero
15:00 Podium Ceremony Alghero service park
20-09-20 Evans wins gruelling
Rally Turkey to regain title lead
Welshman benefits from rival Ogier retirement as Loeb finishes in third. Elfyn
Evans won a mad Rally Turkey on Sunday afternoon to reclaim the lead of the
FIA World Rally Championship.
He soared from fourth to grab his second victory of the season in a Toyota
Yaris by 35.2sec after a remarkable final morning when punishing rocky roads
caused chaos for his rivals. He leads the standings by 18 points with two
rounds remaining.
The Welshman was the only front-running driver to escape from the clutches
of the fearsome 38.15km Çetibeli speed test with his car intact early
this morning as his adversaries were laid low by punctures and mechanical
problems.
"It has been a tough weekend," said Evans. "We tried to drive
well and stay in the middle of the road and that rewarded us. I'm well aware
that a bit of luck needs to go your way and I never like to inherit positions
from others in that way, but that's the nature of Rally Turkey."
Overnight leader Thierry Neuville finished second in a Hyundai i20, 24.2sec
clear of team-mate Sébastien Loeb. The hopes of both ended when they
punctured in Çetibeli, Neuville conceding 1min 45sec and Loeb 1min
20sec.
Belgian Neuville was arguably the fastest driver of the weekend, winning seven
of the 12 special stages and leading on two separate occasions.
Championship leader Sébastien Ogier dropped 1min 15sec with a similar
problem. He remained on course for a podium until he stopped in the second
pass through the stage with smoke pouring from the engine bay of his Yaris.
Kalle Rovanperä finished fourth, more than 90sec adrift of Loeb after
also falling victim to the Çetibeli curse. The points garnered by Evans
and the teenage Finn enabled Toyota Gazoo Racing to extend its manufacturers'
championship lead to nine points over Hyundai Motorsport.
Gus Greensmith was a career-best fifth in a Ford Fiesta after escaping the
carnage. He headed team-mate Esapekka Lappi who limped through the final stage
with a broken damper, having also joined the puncture victims earlier.
Teemu Suninen retired his Fiesta in Çetibeli with broken suspension,
while Pierre-Louis Loubet stopped in the same test with engine troubles.
The championship switches to the Mediterranean island of Sardinia next month
for the sixth and penultimate round. Rally Italia Sardegna is based in Alghero
from October 8-11.
Rally Turkey final standings
1. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota Yaris 2hr 43min 02.7sec
2. T Neuville / N Gilsoul BEL Hyundai i20 +35.2sec
3. S Loeb / D Elena FRA Hyundai i20 +59.4sec
4. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota Yaris +2min 35.9sec
5. G Greensmith / E Edmondson GBR Ford Fiesta +4min 08.3sec
6. E Lappi / J Ferm FIN Ford Fiesta +5min 36.2sec
FIA World Rally Championship (after round 5 of 7)
1. E Evans 97pts
2. S Ogier 79
3. O Tänak 70
20-09-20 Tidemands styrkor
gav honom segern i Turkiet
Med smart taktik kommer man långt - i Pontus Tidemands fall ända
till toppen. I helgens Rally Turkey bevisade han att huvudet ibland väger
tyngre än gasen när han lät sin tidigare erfarenhet från
det turkiska VM-rallyt bana väg till seger. Det betyder även att
han går upp i ledning i WRC 2-mästerskapet.
Rally Turkey benämns som ett av WRC-kalenderns mest svårbemästrade
event och i år var inget undantag. De gassande temperaturerna på
runt 30-strecket i kombination med oförlåtande steniga vägar
skördade snabbt sina offer - även Pontus och co-drivern Patrik Barth
fick smaka på Turkiets trubbel redan under den första korta tävlingsdagen.
- I fredags hade vi tre punkteringar. Den första på shakedown på
morgonen och de andra två på öppningssträckorna. Som
tur var hade vi det i bakhuvudet att punkteringar kommer att komma, det var
bara en fråga om när. Vi fortsatte bara enligt planen att köra
smart och hoppades att det skulle löna sig i slutändan, säger
Pontus och återigen visar han sin förmåga att hålla
huvudet kallt och se helheten i uppgiften.
Lördagen var en lång och väldigt krävande dag, men till
skillnad från sina konkurrenter som åkte på problem, klarade
sig Pontus och Patrik fläckfritt genom att växla mellan att gasa
på och köra taktiskt. I slutet av dagen ledde de klassen med en
relativt stor marginal på en och en halv minut.
Rallyt avrundades med en mastig finaldag på söndagen, där
bland annat rallyts längsta sträcka på närmare fyra mil
väntade. Vad planen var för den svenska duon rådde det inga
tvivel om - att ta hand om försprånget hela vägen till mål.
Det innebar att hålla ett stabilt tempo utan risker och helt enkelt
att hålla sig borta från trubbel.
- Att starta med en så lång sträcka var tufft som attans
med damm och stenar överallt, men vi mer eller mindre cruisade genom
den med god marginal eftersom vi hade tiden på vår sida. Andra
gången var vi snabbare men tog ändå inga risker. De två
kortare sträckorna kunde vi verkligen njuta av att köra och det
kändes fantastisk att komma i mål och veta att vi har säkrat
poängen vi kom hit för, säger Pontus, som till och med tog
ytterligare två sträcksegrar i tillägg till de fyra han tog
under lördagen.
I och med segern tar Pontus ledningen i det totala WRC 2-mästerskapet
och kan konstatera att han haft en bra säsong hittills med pallplats
i samtliga VM-tävlingar han deltagit i, inklusive en vinst även
i Mexiko.- Det här var vad vi ville ha ut av den här helgen, nu
är vi med i leken på riktigt. Patrik och Toksport-teamet gör
ett utomordentligt jobb och vi är i en perfekt position. Nu är det
bara att ladda på inför nästa tävling, avslutar Pontus.
Resultat WRC 2 Rally Turkey 2020
1. Pontus Tidemand 2:56:02.4
2. Adrien Fourmaux +1:42.9
3. Eyvind Brynildsen +1:08:24.7
20-09-19 Belgian Neuville
on top at Rally Turkey after dramatic Saturday
Loeb and Ogier stay in touch as Tänak retires with steering problem.
Thierry Neuville thrived in Rally Turkey's gruelling conditions on Saturday
to build a substantial lead during an enthralling and topsy-turvy leg.
He won three of the six punishing speed tests to close the penultimate day
of this fifth round of the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship with a 33.2sec
advantage in his Hyundai i20.
Rocky mountain roads and high temperatures took a heavy toll on championship
leader Sébastien Ogier, world champion Ott Tänak and title challenger
Elfyn Evans who all suffered in the toughest conditions the WRC season has
to offer.
Eventually Friday leader Sébastien Loeb, driving another i20, and fellow
Frenchman Ogier ended tied on time, with Loeb claiming second on a tie-break.
Ogier and Neuville swapped seconds during the three morning tests, the former
holding a slender 1.6sec lead at the mid-leg service in his Toyota Yaris.
Neuville was unhappy with his car's balance, but set-up changes improved his
confidence. Two afternoon stage wins, to add to a morning success, promoted
him into the lead as Ogier fell to fourth with a puncture and a suspected
hydraulic problem.
"The afternoon was much better than the morning," said Neuville.
"We worked on the set-up and I was happier with the car in the rough
sections. But nothing is done. Tomorrow has the roughest stage of the rally
and we need to avoid punctures and damage on the car, but we still need to
drive fast."
Ogier recovered to second and was joined by Loeb, who won the final stage
to leap from fourth after losing time this morning with a poor tyre choice.
"We had an electronic issue I believe, I don't know exactly what,"
said Ogier. "The consequence was that I was losing the shifting and also
I was losing the hydraulic pressure, so only going in front-wheel-drive. It's
a little disappointing but happy to be here tonight."
Evans was fourth in his Yaris after holding second in the early afternoon.
Tyre troubles cost the Welshman almost 40sec and he ended 27.6sec adrift of
the duelling Sébastiens.
Tänak's hopes of defending his title suffered a massive hit when a steering
problem caused his i20 to spear off the road in the day's opening test and
he retired.
Kalle Rovanperä was fifth in another Yaris, 18.0sec behind Evans after
suffering a front right puncture, while Teemu Suninen completed the top six
in a Ford Fiesta.
Sunday's finale promises a sting in the tail with the longest closing day
on a WRC round for more than four years. Two passes through the rally's longest
and toughest stage allied with a double run through a short test add up to
88.86km. The closing Marmaris Wolf Power Stage offers bonus points to the
fastest five drivers.
Leading positions after Saturday:
1. T Neuville / N Gilsoul BEL Hyundai i20 1hr 36min 38.6sec
2. S Loeb / D Elena FRA Hyundai i20 +33.2sec
3. S Ogier / J Ingrassia FRA Toyota Yaris +33.2sec
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota Yaris +1min 00.8sec
5. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota Yaris +1min 18.8sec
6. T Suninen / J Lehtinen FIN Ford Fiesta +1min 35.0sec
20-09-19 Tidemand toppar
i Rally Turkey
Årets kanske tuffaste VM-rally är i full gång och Pontus
Tidemand har kopplat grepp om ledningen i WRC 2-klassen efter tävlingens
andra dag.
Efter en inledning kantad av punkteringar på fredagen laddade Pontus
Tidemand batterierna ordentligt över natten för att tackla Rally
Turkey på bästa sätt under lördagen.
- Vi började dagen med en sträcka på över tre mil och
vi såg till att ta det säkra före det osäkra. Det kanske
verkade för försiktigt, men erfarenheten säger att det är
det enda sättet att tackla det här rallyt. Man måste snabbt
bedöma när man ska pusha och när man ska använda huvudet,
säger Pontus.
På följande sträckor la han däremot i en högre växel
och började knappa in på Adrien Fourmaux i täten. När
det sen blev fransmannens tur att åka på en punktering, tog Pontus
och kartläsaren Patrik Barth över ledningen, som efter fyra sträcksegrar
av sex möjliga är så mycket som en och en halv minut.
- Det här har varit tufft för alla, jag är bara glad att vi
klarade dagen utan problem, säger Pontus. Vi har en bra ledning nu, men
här kan det försvinna otäckt snabbt om man gör ett misstag
eller kör på en av alla tusen stora stenar som ligger på
vägarna. Det är fortfarande många mil kvar imorgon då
vi har helgens längsta sträcka. En utmaning blir det, men vi ska
fortsätta köra smart och inte ta några risker nu när
vi har en bra chans här.
Rally Turkey WRC 2 efter SS8/12:
1. Pontus Tidemand 1:43:44.2
2. Adrien Fourmaux +1:32.2
3. Eyvind Brynildsen +59:29.4 (brutit under dagen)
20-09-18 Veteran
Loeb turns back clock to lead Rally Turkey after Friday
Frenchman becomes oldest driver to lead WRC round over tough gravel roads.
Sébastien Loeb was the surprise leader of Rally Turkey on Friday night
after a vintage performance from the nine-time world rally champion.
Rocky mountain roads, endless twists and turns and dust provided gruelling
conditions, but the 46-year-old Frenchman used all his guile to complete the
short opening leg with a 1.2sec advantage. He became the oldest driver to
lead an FIA World Rally Championship round.
Team-mate Thierry Neuville, driving an identical Hyundai i20, was second,
just a tenth ahead of championship leader Sébastien Ogier in a Toyota
Yaris. Less than five seconds covered the top seven after a frantic opening
to this fifth round of the season.
Loeb, competing on his first rally since January's season-opening fixture
in Monte-Carlo, was second in the two speed tests, despite never having driven
these roads before. He has won in Turkey on three occasions.
"I didn't expect to be leading tonight. The last stage, I had a lot of
pressure at the start because we didn't find the road so good. I had precise
notes so I was able to do it and leading the rally tonight is the best thing
that can happen," he said.
Despite covering only 25.22km of a 221km rally, Friday night's action was
pivotal. Drivers are reseeded for Saturday in reverse order of classification,
handing an advantage to the frontrunners who can expect cleaner and grippier
roads lower down the start order.
Neuville led by 3.3sec following the first Içmeler stage before dropping
behind his colleague. He held off Ogier who had the best visibility as the
road opener and won the following Gökçe test.
Ogier topped a Toyota trio, with Elfyn Evans 0.8sec behind in fourth and teenager
Kalle Rovanperä a further six-tenths adrift. Teemu Suninen completed
the top six in a Ford Fiesta, just 4.2sec off Loeb's pace. World champion
Ott Tänak was seventh in another i20.
Saturday is the longest leg of the weekend. It journeys west of Marmaris and
packs 107.38km into three rugged coastal tests, which are driven morning and
afternoon. Service in Asparan between the loops offers welcome respite from
the demanding conditions.
Leading positions after Friday:
1. S Loeb / D Elena FRA Hyundai i20 18min 50.9sec
2. T Neuville / N Gilsoul BEL Hyundai i20 +1.2sec
3. S Ogier / J Ingrassia FRA Toyota Yaris +1.3sec
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota Yaris +2.1sec
5. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota Yaris +2.7sec
6. T Suninen / J Lehtinen FIN Ford Fiesta +4.2sec
20-09-17 Leader Ogier chases
more Turkey success to boost 2020 title tilt
Frenchman needs to hold off rivals Evans and Tänak on tough gravel roads.
Sébastien Ogier starts Rally Turkey (September 18-20) knowing a repeat
of his victory 12 months ago would be a major step in his quest to regain
the FIA World Rally Championship.
The series is boiling up into another thrilling finale with just three rounds
of a Covid-shortened season remaining. As so many times previously, the six-time
champion is calling the shots at the top of the standings.
He is nine points clear of Toyota Yaris team-mate Elfyn Evans, with Ott Tänak,
the man who ended Ogier's title winning spree last season, a further four
back in third. The trio have put daylight between themselves and their rivals,
each having claimed one win to date this year.
Turkey features some of the toughest terrain in the championship. The mountain
speed tests are tricky and technical, the rocky gravel roads pose big demands
on hard-working mechanical components and the heat is intense.
The Yaris has not been at its best in the Marmaris-based event previously,
but following a confidence-boosting test on similar roads in Greece, Ogier
believes the Japanese manufacturer has made progress.
"To repeat last year's result this time is not going to be easy. It's
a tough rally for everybody, but for us opening the road will be especially
challenging, I'm sure," explained the Frenchman, whose 2019 win came
in a Citroën C3.
"We had some very good tests recently to prepare for the event, and I
believe we have definitely made some improvements and some steps forward with
the car."
20-09-17 INTERVIEW: "I
needed help to guide me on the right path" - Solans
Jan Solans broke through last season with victory in the Junior World Rally
Championship and the Spanish driver has revealed that rally legend compatriot
Carlos Sainz was a big inspiration behind his 18-point victory over chief
rival Tom Kristensson of Sweden.
The 22-year-old comes from a motorsport family and received a Junior R2 Scholarship
in 2018 so he could drive a Ford Fiesta R2T the following JWRC season, in
which he won in Italy and Great Britain to seal the title - two years after
his brother Nil Solans did.
Here is what he had to say ahead of Rally Turkey from September 18-20 where
he will line up with co-driver Mauro Barreiro in the WRC3 category:
1. What was it like to win the JWRC title?
For me, it was like a dream come true to win the Junior World Rally Championship.
Winning a world championship has been one of my goals from the beginning of
my motorsports career. Honestly, I didn't expect to win the Junior WRC in
my first year. In the WRC you normally need a lot of experience to be successful,
so winning in my first year was unexpected.
2. Did your brother Nil play a big part in your entry into the rallying world?
I have a really good relationship with Nil and he has always been my teacher.
He's older than me, so he has more experience. He has competed in the Junior
WRC for three years, so he knows perfectly how the championship works and
what must be done to achieve success. I'm really grateful for his help and
everything he has done for me.
3. Was there sibling rivalry growing up or even now you are both in your twenties?
With Nil, there has never been rivalry between us. In rallies, you mainly
compete against the clock rather than against other drivers. Even so, in the
rallies we have both competed in we always help each other with pace notes
and places where we need to take care. We're always in touch and trying to
help each other.
4. Were you gripped the moment you tried rallying and how young were you?
My family has always been involved in the world of motorsport. Since I was
a child I always wanted to compete in rallying. However, in Spain, you must
be 18 and have a driving licence to compete. I started out with karting, then
in autocross with a cross kart. I won the Junior Cross Kart Spanish Championship
then - when I was 18 years old - I started rallying with Mitsubishi and Repsol,
and have been going step by step since then.
5. You did a lot of co-driving initially. Was that a possible career course
for you or simply aimed at making you a better rally driver?
At the beginning, I did some co-driving because I wasn't yet 18. It was the
best way to learn how everything about rallying works. I did some rallies
as a co-driver with my brother. I think it was the best way to introduce myself
into the world of rally.
6. Spain has a rich history in motorsport. Who were your driving inspirations?
Without any doubt Spain has a rich history in the world of motorsport. We
have some really great icons and some really great drivers. From my point
of view, Carlos Sainz was the most revolutionary. He created a lot of impact
around the world - he has also done a lot for the Spanish sport. Now we have
Dani Sordo, another talented driver that I really appreciate. We also have
Fernando Alonso in Formula One.
20-09-15 Tidemand satsar högt
bland Turkiets bergstoppar
Efter tredjeplatsen i Estland ligger Pontus Tidemand och hans co-driver Patrik
Barth tvåa i de totala ställningarna i årets WRC 2-mästerskap
- ett väldigt lovande utgångsläge för att fortsätta
poängjakten tillsammans med Toksport WRT. Nu är det dock inte hastighet
som står i främsta rummet, utan smart körning, när VM-cirkusen
når Turkiet.
- Vi satsar utan tvekan på toppen. Jag har tävlat i Turkiet två
gånger tidigare och även om jag vet exakt hur svårt det är,
känns det bra att jag har erfarenhet med mig. Dessutom vet jag att Skodan
är en stark bil som passar perfekt i ett tufft rally som det här,
säger Pontus.
Rally Turkey är en av årets hårdaste utmaningar i VM-serien.
Med höga temperaturer, ibland på över 30 grader, och väldigt
skrovliga vägar med mycket stora stenar, ställs höga krav på
både man och maskin. Bland sydvästra Turkiets berg är det
en klok strategi som är det vinnande konceptet snarare än fart.
- Det gäller att undvika problem i den utsträckning det går
och att ha lite flyt, förklarar Pontus. Man måste nästan räkna
med att åka på någon punktering under tävlingen, men
det är samma utmaning för alla. Sträckorna är i stort
sett samma som förra året så jag känner att jag har
koll på dem och i ett såpass speciellt rally som det här
betyder den erfarenheten mycket.
Rallybasen är belägen nära staden Marmaris och tävlingen
startar i stadskärnan på fredag eftermiddag för att sen följas
av två inledande sträckor. Lördagen är den distansmässigt
längsta dagen och är exakt identisk med programmet från 2019,
medan det på söndagen är upplagt för en rafflande avslutning
med bland annat rallyts längsta sträcka.
Tidsplan Rally Turkey 2020 (svensk tid +1 timme)
Fredag
09:01 Shakedown Asparan (4,70 km)
17:08 SS1 Içmeler (13,90 km)
18:21 SS2 Gökçe (11,32 km)
20:06 Service Asparan
Lördag
07:57 Service Asparan
08:50 SS3 Yesilbelde 1 (31,79 km)
10:08 SS4 Datça 1 (8,75 km)
11:06 SS5 Kizlan 1 (13,15 km)
13:32 Service Asparan
14:50 SS6 Yesilbelde 2 (31,79 km)
16:08 SS7 Datça 2 (8,75 km)
17:06 SS8 Kizlan 2 (13,15 km)
18:27 Service Asparan
Söndag
06:27 Service Asparan
07:30 SS9 Çetibeli 1 (38,15 km)
09:08 SS10 Marmaris 1 (7,05 km)
09:43 Service Asparan
11:10 SS11 Çetibeli 2 (38,15 km)
13:18 SS12 Marmaris 2 Wolf Power Stage (7,05 km)
14:15 Podium Ceremony Asparan service park
20-09-06 Tänak flies
to Estonia win despite late fright
Estonian delights with top spot on home turf and third in standings.
Ott Tänak survived a late scare to deliver a popular home victory at
Estonia’s first-ever FIA World Rally Championship round on Sunday afternoon.
He led most of the way to win the three-day gravel road Rally Estonia by 22.2sec
in a Hyundai i20. Team-mate Craig Breen completed a 1-2 for Hyundai Motorsport
and matched his career-best result.
Estonia was the 600th WRC round since the championship began in 1973 and marked
the championship’s return after a six-month pause due to the Covid-19
pandemic.
Tänak was the pre-event favourite and after taking the lead early in
Saturday’s opening leg, the Estonian was never headed. But his bid for
a maiden victory with the Korean manufacturer almost came unstuck in the penultimate
speed test.
He swiped a bank with the rear of his i20, but the damage proved cosmetic
only and he eased through the final special stage to secure his first victory
for the team.
“To be in the bush and then bring it home, I’m happy to win with
Hyundai for the first time,” he said. “We had some previous knowhow
and if you race at home, even if you don’t know some roads, you feel
the support you get from the people around. It’s a great feeling.”
Tänak climbed to third in the championship, 13 points behind leader Sébastien
Ogier. Second for an emotional Breen enabled the squad to close the gap to
manufacturers’ series leaders Toyota Gazoo Racing to five points.
Breen finished only 4.7sec clear of Ogier, admitting his attempt to measure
his pace in the final stage allowed the Frenchman to come closer than intended.
It was, however, a hugely impressive performance from the Irishman who is
not a regular WRC starter.
Ogier headed a trio of Yaris finishers, satisfied that a podium keeps his
hopes of a seventh world title on track, but disappointed he did not have
the grip to match Tänak’s pace on Saturday afternoon.
Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä were fourth and fifth, both losing time
with tyre troubles. Rovanperä incurred a 60sec penalty last night for
working on his car in a prohibited zone, but the 19-year-old earlier became
the youngest driver to lead a WRC rally at just 19.
Takamoto Katsuta rolled out of what would have been a career-best fifth place.
His error promoted the Ford Fiestas of Teemu Suninen and Esapekka Lappi to
sixth and seventh, the Finns swapping places after Lappi lost time with a
big spin.
Round five takes crews to Rally Turkey which is based in Marmaris on 18 -
20 September.
Final Positions
1. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 1hr 59min 53.6sec
2. C Breen / P Nagle IRL Hyundai i20 +22.2sec
3. S Ogier / J Ingrassia FRA Toyota Yaris +26.9sec
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota Yaris + 41.9sec
5. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota Yaris +1min 18.7sec
6. T Suninen / J Lehtinen FIN Ford Fiesta +2min 39.6sec
FIA World Rally Championship (after round 4 of 7)
1. S Ogier 79pts
2. E Evans 70pts
3. O Tänak 66pts
20-09-06 Motorhaveri stoppade
Tom Kristensson i Rally Estonia
Ett motorhaveri redan på sträcka tre på lördagsförmiddagen
grusade alla förhoppningar för SMK Hörby föraren Tom Kristensson,
med co driver Joakim Sjöberg, till en topplacering i andra deltävlingen
i JWRC, Rally Estonia i Estland.
Annars hade tävlingen börjat på bästa sätt med en
andraplats på fredagskvällens korta stadssträcka och sträckvinst
på lördagens drygt 2 mil långa förstasträcka.
- Motorn bara dog på den tredje sträckan, och vi kollade elkablar
och lite annat direkt men inget hjälpte, så det var bara att parkera,
säger Tom
- Vi hade dock förhoppningen att servicefolket skulle kunna hitta felet
och fixa det så vi skulle kunna starta om på söndagen enligt
de s.k. Rally 2-reglerna. Även om vi fått ett rejält tidstillägg
för de sträckor som var kvar på fredagen, så hade vi
haft möjligheten att plocka några poäng och ta sträcksegrar
och få bonuspoäng för detta Och inte minst fått lite
mer mil i bilen inför de resterande tävlingarna
- Tyvärr visade det sig att det var ett rejält motorras, så
en omstart var utesluten, säger en något bedrövad Tom
- Då kändes det bara tomt, trots att vi vet att i den här
branschen kan allting hända. Vi hade stora förhoppningar, speciellt
som jag gillar och vet att jag kan göra bra ifrån mej på
den typ på sträckorna som finns här.
Nu är ändå inte allt hopp ute för en slutlig topplacering
i mästerskapet, då en av 4 deltävlingar får räknas
bort och att poängen i finaltävlingen räknas upp med faktorn
1,5.
- Det är bara att använda, det i sportsammanhang klassiska uttrycket,
det är bara att bryta ihop och komma igen. Om någon dag så
ser vi fram mot nästa deltävling på Sardinien i början
av oktober.
JWRC-klassen vanns nu av lettländaren Martins Sesks före Sami Pajari
från Finland och hemmaföraren Robert Virves. I mästerskapet
leder Martins Sesks på 47 poäng före Sami Pajari, 39 poäng
och Tom på tredje plats med 29 poäng.
För den andre svensken i JWRC, Pontus Lönnström slutade tävlingen
även i sorti. På lördagen brast en drivaxel, men det blev
omstart på söndagen, men ett nytt drivaxelbrott satta då
definitivt stopp för vidare tävlande.
- Jag vill ge ett stort beröm till arrangörerna som, trots att man
fick hoppa in som VM-arrangör efter tidigare under året inställda
tävlingar, bjöd på en fin och välorganiserad tävling.
Framför allt fungerade det bra med allt extra på grund av Corona
restriktionerna, avslutar Tom från Tartu.
Det har blivit ytterligare förändringar i kalendern för JWRC
i höst. Rallye Deutschland som skulle körts i mitten av oktober
har tvingats ställa in på grund av Tysklands restriktioner. Rally
Italia Sardegna har flyttats fram och körs den 8-11 oktober och ny finaltävling
blir Renties Ypres Rally Belgium i Belgien den 19-22 oktober.
20-09-06 Tuff helg för
Pontus Lönnström i Estland
Rallyföraren Pontus Lönnström och kartläsaren Stefan Gustafsson
körde i helgen Rally Estonia, den andra deltävlingen i Junior-VM
i rally för säsongen. Det blev en strulig tävling för
Pontus och Stefan som bitvis visade bra fart, men tvingades bryta både
lördag och söndag på grund av drivaxelbrott.
– Vi är några erfarenheter rikare efter denna helg. Men körmässigt
är jag inte helt nöjd. Vi fick bara köra fem sträckor
totalt i helgen med alla problem vi hade. Det har var fräna vägar
och bra att få prova åka på det. Men den farten vi haft
är jag inte helt nöjd med. Vi startade om idag och tänkte försöka
hitta mer fart, men sen börjar man tveka lite och det är svårt
att hitta motivationen när man brutit och tappat chansen på ett
bra resultat. Vi trodde att vi skulle vara med bättre men det är
väldigt svårt att första gången i ett nytt land hänga
med de som har mycket erfarenhet av vägarna, säger Pontus.
Redan om två veckor sitter Pontus och Stefan i en rallybil igen, då
körde finalen i Rally-SM i Sandviken där de har chans att ta dubbla
SM-guld i klassen Otrimmat 2WD och i Junior-SM.
– Vi ser mycket fram mot SM. Egentligen hade vi inga tankar på
att åka hela SM. Men nu när vi har chans på guld finns det
inget att spara på, avslutar Pontus.
20-09-06 Med denne seieren
gjorde Mads og Torstein et ekte hattrick
Med denne seieren gjorde Mads og Torstein et ekte hattrick, da
de før lockdown vant begge løpene de deltok i, Rally Monte Carlo
og Rally Sweden.
Mads ledet WRC2 fra første etappe, men mistet ledelsen etter å
ha punktert på SS4, med cirka 30 sekunders tap. Etter det vant de alle
WRC2-etapper fra SS 5 til og med SS 17. De tok tilbake ledelsen etter SS6
og kontrollerte seieren derfra og inn. I mål var de 1 minutt og 28,4
sekunder før nummer to, Adrien Fourmaux og Renaud Jamoul. Pontus Tidemand
med Patrik Barth som kartleser fulgte som nummer 3, 2 minutter og 50,1 sekunder
etter Mads og Torstein.
“Det var veldig bra å komme i gang igjen», sier Mads i en
kommentar. «Vi hadde et helt problemfritt rally, bortsett fra punkteringen.
Som kom som lyn fra klar himmel, etter at vi landet litt hardt etter et sidelengs
hopp. WRC2 er en fabrikks supportert klasse, og det er viktig for Citroen,
som det er for Torstein og meg å vinne VM tittelen. Vi kontrollerte
løpet fra SS6 og til mål uten å ta noen sjanser, uten «tilbud»
og uten en eneste skrape i lakken», sier Mads med et smil. «WRC2
bruker samme R5 bilklasse som privatteamene i WRC3. Det er mange sterke team
og gode førere i WRC 3. Derfor titter vi ofte over på den klassen,
av prestisjemessige årsaker. Med tidstapet etter punkteringen, i tillegg
kjører vi mange biler foran de beste WRC3 førerne, og derfor
har dårligere feste, bestemte vi oss tidlig for ikke å risikere
noe for noe som ikke betyr noe. Vi fokuserte på vårt mesterskap,
som vi fikk et godt grep på etter denne seieren, og er superfornøyd
med å vinne WRC2, og bli nummer 10 totalt. Selv om vi hadde en WRC3
bil på plassen foran oss på totallisten.»
Mads og Torstein leder mesterskapet med 75 poeng, etter å ha deltatt
i 3 av de 4 løp som har gått. Tidemand/Barth er nummer 2 med
55 poeng. Gryazin/Aleksandrow følger på 3 med 51 poeng.
Neste WRC-runde er Rally Tyrkia. Citroen har bestemt at de ikke melder på
Mads og Torstein der. De to gjenstående løp for Citroen, Mads
og Torstein er Rally Italia/Sardinia og Rally Belgia. Men det kan forandre
seg p.g.a. Covid 19, selv om antall løp neppe blir færre.
20-09-06 Oliver delivers stunning
win on the world stage
- 18-year-old scores first WRC points with
stunning Rally Estonia class win
- Faultless drive from the Monster Energy-backed driver to take ninth overall
- Wins nine from 17 stages in WRC3; second fastest on seven
- “Now I know my world championship speed and I’m happy.”
A Solberg standing on the roof of his car is nothing new in the World Rally
Championship.
Oliver followed firmly in family footsteps set down by his world
champion father Petter with a stunning victory at Rally Estonia, dominating
Rally2 and finishing a staggering ninth overall.
Monster Energy driver Oliver was on commanding form through the Tartu-based
WRC round to win WRC3 and place his family run Volkswagen Polo R5 at the very
top of the classification for Rally2 machinery. A top-10 result means WRC
points for the first time in his career.
Rally2 cars are the backbone of the second tier of the WRC – it’s
where the champions of tomorrow are found.
This weekend Oliver drove the drive of a champion.
Through a changeable opening day, Oliver and co-driver Aaron Johnston showed
both supreme speed and total confidence to move into a clear lead. If Saturday
was about outrageous pace, Sunday was about exceptional rally management.
Eighteen-year-old Oliver drove like a seasoned professional from the first
until the final stage.
“I’m so happy,” said Oliver. “We made a good result on
this rally last year (WRC Promotional event, where Oliver finished seventh
overall). I thought it was possible to make a podium finish, but I just didn’t
know how would be the speed against the other R5 factory cars. Now I know
my world championship speed and I’m happy.
“To make this result, to win and to be in the top-10 overall is amazing.
Yesterday we were pushing in some places, but when it was tricky – and
sometimes it was really tricky – or on the small roads I was taking it
more sensibly. We had two punctures on the first day and that made me even
more cautious in sometimes. Once we had built the advantage, I wanted to take
two spare wheels to protect this result.
“Estonia was a lot of fun this weekend. I love these fast roads. OK,
we have had some ruts in some places, but that’s good for the experience
to understand how the car is working in these conditions.”
Understandably, Petter was a very happy father on Sunday afternoon.
“Oliver’s speed has been very, very impressive here,” said
the three-time FIA world champion. “We have seen with his wins in Latvia
that he likes the fast stages, but to come here and do this at the WRC level
was really special.
“He was really in control of this thing. It was not easy to be running
in the ruts and in the conditions which were changing, but he was so sensible
and so clever. This is good. Do you think he takes after me?”
Oliver’s next outing will be on the Rally Fafe Montelongo (October 2-4),
where he will continue his pursuit of the European Rally Championship.
“We made a good start in ERC,” said Oliver, “so it’s nice
to go to these rallies to push for the championship. There are no clashes
with our WRC programme, so it’s no problem for us to do both [WRC3 and
ERC].”
Oliver Solberg in numbers:
Rallies started: 38
Rallies won: 9
WRC rounds started: 5
WRC class wins: 1
WRC debut: Wales Rally GB (2019)
Number of titles won: 9*
20-09-06 Tidemand på
pallen i krävande Rally Estonia
Som nykomling i WRC-sammanhang bjöd Rally Estonia på en tuff utmaning
för rallyeliten när världsmästerskapet gjorde comeback
i helgen. Pontus Tidemand fann sig snabbt i en strid för pallplats som
höll i sig ända till sista sträckan då kan kammade hem
tredjeplatsen.
- Det har varit grymt kul att vara tillbaka i VM och äntligen få
kämpa på den här nivån igen. Men det har inte varit
lätt. Vi var förberedda på ett väldigt tufft rally med
hårt motstånd, men oavsett hur väl förberedd man är,
vet man aldrig riktigt vad som väntar förrän man är igång.
Jag kände snabbt av att det var ett halvår sen man satt i en sådan
här bil under en sådan här tävling, säger Pontus.
Med ett komprimerat schema under tre tävlingsdagar istället för
fyra, startade Rally Estonia med en kort öppningssträcka på
fredagskvällen. Pontus och co-drivern Patrik Barth gick ut starkt och
satte en andratid, endast 0,2 sekunder från ledningen. Men det var inte
förrän på lördagen som den stora uppgiften drog igång
när de längre sträckorna skulle bemästras för allra
första gången. Till en början hade den svenska duon svårt
att hitta rytmen, men allteftersom blev känslan bättre och tiderna
allt mer stabila.
- Vi gjorde hela tiden framsteg och hittade tillslut ett okej tempo som faktiskt
kändes bättre än vad tiderna visade. Men det är svårt
att helt komma in i det och behålla känslan när sträckorna
är nya och dessutom förändras såpass mycket mellan förmiddag
och eftermiddag när andra loopen körs, förklarar Pontus.
När de sista sträckorna startade på söndagen hade Pontus
pallen inom räckhåll med bara 12,9 sekunder till tredjeplatsen.
Planen var en ordentlig attack från start, något som snabbt tog
en vändning när de fick problem med turbon redan på morgonen.
Trots att det kostade tid försökte de hänga med så bra
de kunde - vilket lönade sig när ryssen Nikolay Gryazin hamnade
i trubbel på den allra sista sträckan. Pontus och Patrik seglade
då förbi och knep tredjeplatsen i sista stund.
- Pallen är alltid huvudmålet och den här gången kändes
det mörkt. Samtidigt vet man att man aldrig ska ge upp utan kämpa
på, för vad som helst kan hända och det är inte över
förrän mållinjen passerats. Det var trist att inte kunna pusha
på som vi ville idag men jag får ändå vara nöjd
med tävlingen. Med tanke på hur lite vi kört de senaste månaderna
känns det som vi gjorde vad vi kunde utefter våra förutsättningar.
Jag är också glad att vi säkrar poäng för teamet,
det var av stor vikt för säsongen som helhet, summerar Pontus.
Resultat Rally Estonia WRC 2
1. Mads Østberg 2:08.10.9
2. Adrien Fourmaux +1:28.4
3. Pontus Tidemand +2:50.1
4. Eyvind Brynildsen +2:52.2
5. Nikolay Gryazin +3:52.6
20-09-05 Home hero Tänak
supreme on home roads in WRC return
Ott Tänak excels as favourite leading Rally Estonia with stellar Saturday.
Ott Tänak lived up to his billing as pre-event favourite to lead the
FIA World Rally Championship’s restart event at Rally Estonia on Saturday
night.
Driving on home roads, Tänak shrugged aside the series’ six-month
Covid-19 lay-off to head Estonia’s first world rally by 11.7sec.
On a superb day for his Hyundai Motorsport squad, team-mate Craig Breen held
second in an identical i20 World Rally Car.
Estonia became the 33rd country to stage a championship round as the series
reached a landmark 600th event since it began in 1973.
Tänak celebrated by taking an iron grip on the blisteringly fast sandy
roads on which he developed his career.
Teenager Kalle Rovanperä grabbed the lead in this morning’s opening
speed test.
Tänak was only fourth after being hampered by a soft tyre, but charged
to the front on the next stage and built a 6.8sec mid-leg margin over Breen.
The repeated roads were rougher this afternoon, but Tänak doubled his
lead before throttling back, content to have won three of today’s 10
stages.
“This afternoon, especially, the middle stages were really rough,”
he said. “I know I can’t risk anything, I need to come through if
I want to fight for the championship. It’s been a demanding and tricky
day, so high-speed and rough.”
Breen’s part-time programme brings less chance to impress, but the Irishman
laid claim to being driver of the day. He won two stages and was second on
three more. “You feel a super-hero on some of these stages, they are
some of the fastest I’ve driven,” he said.
Hyundai was on course for a clean sweep of the top three as Thierry Neuville
was on Breen’s heels. But his i20 bounced out of a rut, swiped a bank
and smashed the rear right suspension, leaving the Belgian stranded.
Championship leader Sébastien Ogier replaced Neuville in third. The
Frenchman, driving a Toyota Yaris, won two stages but was hindered by two
tyres delaminating and a final test stall.
Ogier trailed Breen by 17.0sec and headed team-mate Rovanperä by 6.2sec.
The young Finn’s early lead vanished with a puncture which relegated
him to eighth, but he recovered to snatch fourth from fellow Yaris driver
Elfyn Evans in the final stage.
Evans was third initially but struggled to retain his rhythm and tyre troubles
saw him slide back to fifth. The Welshman had 25.1sec in hand over team-mate
Takamoto Katsuta, the Japanese youngster belying his lack of experience to
stay on course for a career-best sixth.
Sunday’s final leg follows a similar format, with two identical loops
of three stages south of Tartu adding up to 84.94km. The rally ends at the
Kambja Wolf Power Stage, which features bonus points to the fastest five drivers.
Leading positions after Saturday:
1. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 Coupe 1:15:08.4
2. C. Breen/ P. Nagle Hyundai IRL i20 Coupe + 11.7sec
3. S. Ogier / J Ingrassia FRA Toyota Yaris + 28.7sec
4. K. Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota Yaris +34.9sec
5. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota Yaris +36.8se
20-09-05 Tidemand i estländsk
pallkamp
Med den första hellånga dagen av Rally Estland avklarad,
befinner sig Pontus Tidemand mitt i en tajt kamp för en åtråvärd
pallplacering i WRC 2-klassen.
- Det var lite tricky med att hitta rytmen i morse när tempot är
så högt, berättar Pontus. Det blev bättre och bättre
för varje sträcka, men jag får nog erkänna att jag kände
av att det var ett bra tag sen jag satt i en sådan här rallybil.
På eftermiddagen var det som att köra ett helt nytt rally igen,
spårigt, uppkört och en annan karaktär på vägarna.
När lördagens 11 sträckor är körda, ligger Pontus
och kartläsaren Patrik Barth på fjärde plats, men inte mer
än 12,9 sekunder från tredjeplatsen.
- Vi har kul och njuter, både av fighten och av att vara tillbaka i
VM. Det är fortfarande en bra bit kvar imorgon och vi förbättrar
oss hela tiden. Vi ska göra vad vi kan för att få med oss
ett gäng poäng, säger Pontus.
Rally Estonia WRC 2 efter SS11 av 17
1. Mads Østberg 1:20:34.8
2. Nikolay Gryazin +37.8
3. Adrien Fourmaux +45.5
4. Pontus Tidemand +58.4
5. Eyvind Brynildsen +1:28.5
20-09-03 WRC comes back
to life with Tänak hoping to close gap
Rally Estonia marks first event since March as home hero targets victory.
The FIA World Rally Championship roars back into post-lockdown action this
weekend when Rally Estonia (4 - 6 September) hosts the series for the first
time.
It is nearly six months since the coronavirus pandemic halted the championship
after the third round in Mexico. A revised calendar begins in the Baltic state,
which has the honour of hosting the series’ 600th rally since it started
in 1973.
Estonia becomes the 33rd country to stage a WRC round and the rally operates
under strict protocols to ensure a safe restart. Social distancing, mandatory
pre-event testing, the use of face coverings and the creation of team groups
have been introduced to limit the Covid-19 risk.
Sébastien Ogier carries an eight-point championship lead over Toyota
Yaris team-mate Elfyn Evans into the super-fast gravel road encounter, which
runs to a condensed format of three days instead of four.
However, all eyes will be on world champion and home hero Ott Tänak.
He is 24 points adrift of Ogier in fifth place and eager to make up lost ground
after a massive opening round crash in January’s season-opener.
The Hyundai i20 pilot’s knowledge of the sandy roads and big jumps around
Tartu in the south-east of the country makes him many people’s favourite,
especially after two recent victories in warm-up rallies in Estonia.
“It’s nice to be back in the championship again,” Tänak
said. “Having the first event back in Estonia is special for us. It’s
a big thing for Estonia to run a WRC event. I really hope we have a home advantage
and it’s most important we really use it.
20-09-03 Återstart
i JWRC för Tom Kristensson och Joakim Sjöberg i helgen i Rally Estonia
Efter ett uppehåll ända sedan Rally Sweden i februari på
grund av Corona, är det i helgen äntligen återstart i JWRC
för Tom och Joakim i den nyinsatta tävlingen Rally Estonia i Estland.
För WRC blir det den fjärde deltävlingen i årets mästerskap,
där det avkortade Rally Mexico i mars, innan Corona slog till med full
kraft.
Tävlingens huvudort är Tartu i sydöstra Estland och börjar
med en kort sträcka på dryga kilometern intill serviceplatsen på
fredagskvällen, och sedan skall man avverka totalt 17 sträckor på
samanlagt drygt 230 km, under lördagen och söndagen i området
Otepää, samtliga på grus.
I JWRC är det 12 anmälda ekipage, och alla kommer att köra
med den uppdaterade Ford Fiesta Rally4 från M-Sport.
- Jag har inte känt på bilen ännu, det blir först på
shakedown på fredag morgon, men uppdateringarna har gjort den bl.a.
lite starkare, och jag tror inte att det blir något problem att komma
underfund med hur de fungerar, säger Tom.
Tävlingen är omgärdad av strikta Corona regler, bl. a. krävdes
det ett godkänt test i Sverige före avresan och ytterligare ett
godkänt test inom 12 timmar när Tom och Joakim kom till Estland
plus en del annan pappersexercis-
- Vi åkte hit redan i slutet på förra veckan för att
vara på den säkra sidan, men testerna och allt annat gick bra,
säger Tom.
- Tuffa utmanande sträckor med skiftande karaktär med en hel del
lyft, men samtidigt fantastiska, rapporterar Tom efter den avslutade rekognoseringen
på torsdagsmiddagen.
- Det har kommit en del kraftiga regnskurar nu på förmiddagen,
så det lär inte damma i alla fall och det kommer att bli ett drömrally
säger Tom entusiastiskt
Som ledare mästerskapet kommer Tom att jagas hårt av främst
Matins Sesks från grannlandet Lettland, och två i mästerskapet,
och snabbe hemmaföraren Ken Torn. Det andra svenska ekipaget Pontus Lönnström
och Stefan Gustavsson kommer säkert även köra för seger,
man hade ett fint genrep i SM-tävlingen snapphanerallyt för någon
vecka sedan
- Vi kommer att satsa på att vara fortsatta ledare efter tävlingen,
men det blir hårt, avslutar Tom.
20-09-02 Estonia’s WRC
debut features the world’s best drivers and driverless vehicles
This week, Estonia joins the list of 33 countries honoured with the chance
to host a WRC stage. Rally Estonia finds place on September 4th to 6th and
not only brings in action the beloved rally cars and world’s best drivers,
but also features self-driving vehicles.
The preparations for Estonia’s WRC debut are in full swing and the organizers
are paying a great deal of attention to the mass gathering recommendations
regarding COVID-19 in order to make the first WRC stage during these unprecedented
times safe and special for all the rally fans around the world.
“Organizing such a big event in such a small country with such a tight
schedule is definitely a challenge and an opportunity at the same time. Being
trusted with this amazing task, we devote ourselves to showing both the whole
Estonia and FIA that Estonia is capable of fulfilling such an exceptional
duty,” says Urmo Aava, the Director of Rally Estonia.
Even though Rally Estonia had only 63 days to organize the whole event they
decided to not only tribute the art of rally but also showcase a little something
that Estonia has to offer to the world. “This is an opportunity to deliver
the stream of the astonishing rally from our tiny country to more than 100
million people all over the world and we wish to add more to the experience,”
Aava adds.
Estonia is known for its diversified landscape both in nature and in the tech-world.
As the live stream takes the viewers on a journey through the rally stages
that feature picturesque gravel roads in the middle of the domed landscape,
it also sheds a light on the smart solutions developed in Estonia. The service
area located in the Estonian National Museum features a center for the media
that will be serviced by an all-electric autonomous shuttle developed and
manufactured by Auve in Estonia.
Auve’s self-driving shuttles started out from a cooperation project with
TalTech university and have now evolved into road legal vehicles that currently
operate in Estonia and Finland. The shuttle is aimed at covering the last-mile
distances by seamlessly completing the public transportation chain without
any additional modifications to the existing infrastructure.
During the rally, Iseauto will be serving the last mile for the media and
attend the exhibition in Estonian National Museum that features the Estonian
automotive history. “Motorsport has always been a driver of innovation
in the automotive industry and therefore it is an honour for us to be a part
of this WRC stage. The beauty of this sport lies in the collaboration between
the smartest innovators and the greatest drivers and while Iseauto does not
compete with the world’s best drivers on the challenging rally stages,
it does complete the exhibition with a glimpse into the future and demonstrates
its solutions for enhancing daily commutes” said Auve Tech CEO Johannes
Mossov.
Don't come if you don't feel well
Move with your group
Stay with your group
Disinfect your hands
Wear a mask
Don't socialize
Bring your identity document
20-09-01 VM-äventyret
fortsätter för Pontus Lönnström i Estland
Rallyföraren Pontus Lönnström från Nora fortsätter
efter ett halvårs uppehåll sin debutsäsong i Junior-VM i
rally när serien återstartar med Rally Estonia i Estland till helgen.
Det är årets andra tävling i Junior-VM, JWRC, efter premiären
som kördes i Sverige i februari. Där Pontus och hans kartläsare
Stefan Gustafsson slutade 8:a efter att ha kört punktering redan på
rallyts första sträcka. De visade bra fart i avslutningen av Svenska
Rallyt med sträcksegrar, som de hoppas kunna bygga vidare på i
Estland.
– Det ska bli väldigt skönt att det äntligen drar igång
igen. Det ska bli spännande att äntligen få komma iväg
och köra, säger Pontus som för några veckor sedan vann
SM-rallyt i Hässleholm som uppladdning inför Estland.
Tävlingen i Estland var inte planerad att ingå i VM i år.
Men efter att kalendern fick göras om på grund av coronasituationen
blev Estland ersättningstävling, och Pontus ser fram mot att få
köra tävlingen.
– Jag är glad över att det blev just Estland. Tävlingen
verkar frän med sina snabba vägar, som jag tror passar oss bra.
Så jag ser fram mot helgen.
I Junior-VM tävlar alla deltagare i identiska Ford Fiesta från
M-Sport Poland. Till Estland får alla den nya Rally4-bilen, en uppgraderad
bil jämfört med den Pontus och Stefan körde i Sverige. Och
det var just i en Rally4-Fiesta som de vann samtliga sträckor i SM-deltävlingen
i Hässleholm.
– Det var lite svårt att komma in i nya bilen från start
i Hässleholm. Men mot slutet fick vi till körningen riktigt bra
och det gick över förväntan, det blev en riktigt bra genomkörare
inför Estland, fortsätter Pontus.
Sedan första tävlingen i Sverige i februari har Pontus och Stefan
haft mycket tid att analysera och gå igenom sin första tävling
i Junior-VM och dragit lärdomar som blir viktiga inför fortsättningen
av året.
– Vi har hittat många saker som kan bli bättre, men tar också
med oss det som var bra. Som avslutningen med två sträcksegrar,
det blir viktigt att få en bra start på rallyt denna gången,
säger Pontus som har höga målsättningar:
– Målet är högt, vi vill vara med och slåss om
segern. Men det är mycket bra motstånd och högt tempo i klassen,
så det blir inte lätt, avslutar Pontus.
20-09-01 Motiverad Tidemand
redo för helt ny VM-utmaning
Väntan har känts oändligt lång men nu är det äntligen
dags för VM-rally igen efter nästan ett halvårs uppehåll.
Toksport World Rally Team tror fortsatt på Pontus Tidemand och ger honom
chansen igen i WRC 2, denna gång i nykomlingen i VM-sammanhang: Rally
Estonia.
- Det här blir en helt ny utmaning för de flesta av oss i startfältet,
vilket gör det lite extra spännande. Vägarna är supersnabba
och tekniska, med många hopp och krön och jag hoppas det ska påminna
om det finska rallyt, för det gillar jag, säger Pontus, som trots
att några månader passerat sen senaste VM-tävlingen fortfarande
har segern i Mexiko färskt i minnet.
- Visst kändes det som vi hade något riktigt bra på gång
och teamet kände detsamma, och det tog oss till startlinjen igen. Nu
hoppas jag att vi kan fortsätta där vi slutade och kämpa för
ännu ett bra resultat och viktiga poäng i WRC 2-mästerskapet.
Under de senaste månaderna har förstås den internationella
sporten tvingats ta en paus, men Pontus har tagit alla möjligheter att
hålla ringrostigheten borta. I början av juni deltog han i Rally
Sweden Lockdown, där han slutade tvåa, och senare samma månad
hoppade han in i rallycrossbilen för All-Star Magic Weekend" i Höljes,
för att förra helgen göra säsongspremiär i EM i rallycross.
Efter EM-premiären hann han knappt packa om väskan förrän
det bar av till Tyskland för test med SKODA Motorsport.
- Det är så viktigt att få tid bakom ratten och jag är
tacksam att jag har fått de här tävlingarna under sommaren.
Att sen få gå tillbaka till rallybilen förra veckan kunde
inte ha kommit mer lägligt med tanke på Estland. Jag känner
mig faktiskt så varm i kläderna och förberedd som jag kan
bli i nuläget, säger Pontus som i sällskap av kartläsaren
Patrik Barth även genomförde ett test på plats i Estland nu
under måndagen.
Totalt 28 ekipage är anmälda i RC2, eller Rally 2, som samlingskategorin
för R5-bilarna kallas, och Pontus är beredd på en ordentlig
fight.
- Konkurrensen kommer minst sagt att bli tuff. Jag är som sagt glad att
jag fått köra en del under de här månaderna, men jag
vet också att många av mina motståndare legat i rejält
på sistone. Efter en så här lång paus tror jag alla
är taggade att komma ut och köra så det lär bli åka
av, skrattar Pontus.
Rally Estonia körs för tionde gången men gör först
nu intåg i VM-serien och gör Estland till den 33:e nationen att
stå värd för ett WRC-event. Serviceplatsen är belägen
i Tartu, medan merparten av sträckorna är lokaliserade till Otepää,
som kallas Estands "vinterhuvudstad", i södra delen av landet.
Totalt ska 12 specialsträckor på sammanlagt drygt 230 kilometer
klaras av under helgen.
Tidsplan Rally Estonia 2020 (svensk tid +1 timme)
Fredag
09:01 Shakedown Abissaare (6,23 km)
19:08 SS1 Tartu (1,28 km)
Lördag
06:38 Service Raadi
07:40 SS2 Prangli 1 (20,23 km)
08:21 SS3 Kanepi 1 (16,89 km)
09:08 SS4 Otepää 1 (9,60 km)
10:00 SS5 Mäeküla 1 (14,76 km)
11:19 SS6 Elva 1 (11,72 km)
13:14 Service Raadi
14:37 SS7 Prangli 2 (20,23 km)
15:18 SS8 Kanepi 2 (16,89 km)
16:08 SS9 Otepää 2 (9,60 km)
17:00 SS10 Mäeküla 2 (14,76 km)
18:19 SS11 Elva 2 (11,72 km)
19:34 Service Raadi
Söndag
06:02 Service Raadi
07:35 SS12 Arula 1 (6,97 km)
08:09 SS13 Kaagvere 1 (15,46 km)
09:08 SS14 Kambja 1 (20,05 km)
10:49 SS15 Arula 2 (6,97 km)
11:28 SS16 Kaagvere 2 (15,46 km)
13:18 SS17 Kambja 2 Wolf Power Stage (20,05 km)
15:30 Podium Ceremony Raadi service park
20-08-26 New date confirmed
for Italy’s 2020 FIA WRC fixture
· Italy advances three weeks in FIA World Rally Championship calendar
· Rally Italia Sardegna to be held on 8 - 11 October 2020
· Switch avoids date clash with F1 Grand Prix at Italy’s Imola
circuit
· ADAC Rallye Deutschland called off due to Covid-19 pandemic
Munich, 26 August 2020 – Italy’s 2020 FIA World Rally Championship
fixture at Rally Italia Sardegna will move forward by three weeks to 8 - 11
October.
The request to reschedule came from event organiser Automobile Club d’Italia
and was agreed by the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, and WRC Promoter
following the forced cancellation of ADAC Rallye Deutschland.
The switch avoids a clash with Formula 1’s Gran Premio dell’Emilia
Romagna, which will be held at Italy’s Imola circuit on the same late-
October weekend on which Rally Italia Sardegna was scheduled.
The move forward offers the prospect of better weather on the Mediterranean
island for the gravel road fixture, as well as additional daylight hours as
Europe moves deep into autumn.
Angelo Sticchi Damiani, president of Automobile Club d’Italia, said finalising
a date which aligned with other championship calendars was a tricky task.
“In ACI we have worked hard to redefine the new dates for the 2020 Rally
Italia Sardegna,” he explained. “It has not been easy to find the
right days which could put together the needs of all stakeholders and could
work well for the region of Sardinia.
“In this very difficult year ACI has wanted, as already shown with the
F1 GPs in Monza, Mugello and Imola, to protect national and international
motorsport by confirming also our competition. I personally thank the region
of Sardinia for their absolute support to make all this happen.”
The change was made possible after ADAC Rallye Deutschland was called off.
The Bostalsee-based event on 15 - 18 October was scheduled to be round six
of the season, but organisers have cancelled it due to restrictions on mass
gatherings in Germany related to Covid-19.
The 2020 calendar is:
1 Monte-Carlo 23 - 26 January
2 Sweden 13 - 16 February
3 Mexico 12 - 15 March
4 Estonia 4 - 6 September
5 Turkey 18 - 20 September
6 Italy 8 - 11 October
7 Belgium 19 - 22 November
20-08-22 MOMU exhibition "Estonian
Motorsport 1921-2021" opens at the Estonian National Museum
The exhibition "Estonian Motorsport 1921-2021" of MOMU - Motorsport
Museum will be opened at the Estonian National Museum (ERM) on August 25th.
Celebrating together the 100th anniversary of Estonian motorsport in 2021,
with Rally Estonia, the first ever FIA World Rally Championship round in Estonia
occurring from the 4th – 6th September.
From the 25th of August to 13th of September (except 01.09-07.09 when ERM
will be the Rally Estonia headquarter and closed) you will be able to see
100 years of the most important Estonian motorsport exhibits brought in from
their usual location, MOMU in Turba, Estonia. You can see a large variety
of formula cars, rally cars and motorcycles, and much more, which has left
its important mark in the history of Estonian motorsport. During Rally Estonia,
the participants of the WRC rally can also get acquainted with the exhibition,
to not only show that Estonia has strong athletes and good organizers, but
also as a manufacturer of valued racing cars.
On August 28th, 1921, the first motorsport competition was held in the young
Republic of Estonia, Tallinn - Rapla - Tallinn Rally. It is largely considered
as the start of Estonian domestic motorsports. The exhibition is dedicated
to the soon-to-be first one hundred years of Estonian motorsport. In addition
to the large number of enthusiasts, the racing equipment industry was also
very developed in Estonia. The first factory to manufacture racing machines
was Saar & Co, which made racing motorcycles, Tempo, were being built
before 1940. During the USSR times, the production of racing equipment expanded
greatly when the Estonian engineering culture quickly developed and many companies
were engaged in production: Tallinn Car Repair Testing Plant, Tartu Car Repair
Testing Plant, a small company Kavor, joint ventures ESTTEC and Viro, and
factories Vihur and Teras. In addition, smaller more limited quantities of
racing equipment for many various fields were manufactured by smaller companies
and motorsport clubs.
The largest car racing equipment manufacturer in Estonia was the Tallinn Car
Repair Test Plant (abbreviated - TARK), whose production of formula cars reached
a total of 1,331 cars, and in addition, roughly 4,000 karts were built for
youth sports. In 1985, the factory became the second largest in the world
in terms of formula cars produced (The largest at the time was Lola located
in the UK).
Today, these traditions are kept alive, and one of the best examples is the
Formula Student team, whose members have built highly innovative machines
over the years, from internal combustion engine formula cars to self-driving
electric formula cars.
The exhibition also features a large variety of model cars from collector
Rauno Paltser. More than 100 models related to Estonian rally drivers can
be seen, from Uno Aava's 1967 East African Safari Rally Moskvich model to
Ott Tänak & Martin Järveoja's 2020 WRC Sweden Hyundai i20 Coupe
WRC model. The exhibition also features 5 models of Markko Märtin - Michael
Park’s winning cars from their time in the WRC, as well as all 12 winning
models of the Ott Tänak - Martin Järveoja’s WRC cars. As the
exhibition at the ERM is related to Rally Estonia, you can also see the Suzuki,
Citroen and Ford models driven by Rally Estonia director Urmo Aava during
his career, as well as 10 different models with Rally Estonia history.
Rally Estonia 2020 is held on 4-6 September on the roads of Tartu, Otepa¨a¨,
Elva, Kanepi and Kambja municipalities. Rally Estonia is a round of the FIA
World Rally Championship.
20-08-19 Belgium added to 2020
FIA World Rally Championship
· WRC Promoter and FIA confirms adjusted 2020 WRC calendar
· Renties Ypres Rally Belgium joins fixture list for the first time
· Asphalt event takes over prestigious season-closing slot
· Final round in Japan called off due to Covid-19 travel restrictions
· News images available at
https://bulldrive.redbull.com/fl/WJHuVj4Dji
Munich, 19 August 2020 – Belgium will host a round of the FIA World Rally
Championship for the first time after Renties Ypres Rally Belgium was added
to the 2020 calendar.
The asphalt event will take place on 19 - 22 November, replacing Rally Japan
as the eighth and final round of the season.
Japan’s return to the WRC after a 10-year hiatus has been regrettably
called off due to border entry restriction policies imposed by the government
due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Belgium will become the 34th nation to stage a WRC round since the series
started in 1973.
Ypres was first held in 1965 and has become established as one of Europe’s
most demanding rallies. Previous winners include current Hyundai Motorsport
WRC driver and home hero Thierry Neuville in 2018 and team-mate Craig Breen
last season.
It will feature about 300km of special stages across three full days of competition.
Sunday’s final leg will be focused on the iconic Spa race circuit, with
the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage featuring the famous Eau Rouge / Raidillon
section of the track.
A service park in the heart of Ypres’ historic Grote Markt will be the
rally hub and Simon Larkin, WRC Promoter’s senior director events, said
the rally would provide a unique test for competitors.
“For many years Ypres was a hugely popular cornerstone of the FIA European
Rally Championship. Its elevation to the WRC will provide one of the sternest
challenges of the year for competitors and a fitting finale to the 2020 season,”
he said.
“Its tricky mix of narrow asphalt lanes and big ditches lining the roads,
allied with some stages in the dark and the potential for mixed weather, will
provide plenty of thrills and spills for fans.”
FIA Rally Director Yves Matton said: “We’re very disappointed Rally
Japan will not happen this year due to the pandemic, in particular given all
the hard work undertaken by the Japanese authorities, the Japanese Automobile
Federation and the organising team. I thank them for that.
“Belgium has a great tradition and passion for rally, evidenced by the
number of Belgians in various roles – drivers, mechanics, team principal,
journalists – in the WRC. The route will showcase the DNA of the rally
as it crosses the country by linking Ypres to Spa-Francorchamps, two iconic
venues of Belgian motorsport,” he added.
Jan Huyghe, board member for Ypres promoter Club Superstage, said it had always
been an ambition of the club to host a WRC round in Belgium.
“It’s a tremendous honour because as an organiser you always want
to reach the highest level,” he added.
“Ypres Rally has a cast-iron reputation in terms of organisation and
safety and the city of Ypres has had the rally in its genes for 56 years.
Rally is integral to the region and we receive a lot of support and facilities
from the city to organise our rally in a unique historical context.”
A disappointed Koji Takahashi, chairman of the Rally Japan 2020 executive
committee, said the focus would now turn to preparations for the 2021 event
in the Aichi and Gifu regions. Japan is one of nine rounds already confirmed
for next season’s FIA WRC calendar.
The 2020 calendar is:
1 Monte-Carlo 23 - 26 January
2 Sweden 13 - 16 February
3 Mexico 12 - 15 March
4 Estonia 4 - 6 September
5 Turkey 18 - 20 September
6 Germany 15 - 18 October
7 Italy 29 October - 1 November
8 Belgium 19 - 22 November
20-07-31 FIA WRC’s Rally
Turkey finalises September date change
· Turkey advances one week in FIA World Rally Championship calendar
· Gravel road fixture to run on 18 - 20 September 2020
· Switch increases opportunities to add further rallies to WRC schedule
Turkey’s 2020 FIA World Rally Championship fixture will move forward
by one week to 18 - 20 September.
WRC Promoter has agreed a switch with the Turkish Automobile Sports Federation
(TOSFED), organiser of the Marmaris-based gravel road encounter, which has
been rubber-stamped by motorsport’s governing body, the FIA.
The date change facilitates the opportunity to introduce additional events
to the calendar in the second half of the season in what remains an evolving
situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The switch means the event, round five of the championship, will be held two
weeks after Rally Estonia (4 - 6 September) which restarts the WRC season
following lockdown.
WRC Promoter managing director Jona Siebel thanked Turkey’s Ministry
of Youth and Sports and TOSFED for agreeing the change.
“The date switch provides us with options if we wish to introduce further
events to the 2020 calendar and we’re extremely grateful to TOSFED for
its flexibility in what are challenging times for sport across the world.
“Marmaris, a popular holiday resort in Turkey, is open for business and
welcoming tourists. Competitors and fans can feel confident about travelling
there again after the Coronavirus lockdown.
“The event will, of course, run with Covid-19 protocols in place. FIA
and WRC Promoter guidelines will be applied to Turkey’s health laws to
create a safe environment for all involved and for fans to enjoy,” added
Siebel.
TOSFED president Eren Üçlertopragi said: “We’re delighted
to be welcoming the FIA WRC back to Turkey for the third time and will do
all that’s required for running a safe and successful event under the
required conditions.”
The 2020 calendar is:
| 23-26 jan |
Monte
Carlo |
|
|
| 13-16 febr |
Rally Sweden |
|
|
| 12-15 mars |
Mexico |
|
|
| 4-6 sept
|
Estland |
|
|
| 18-20 sept |
Turkiet |
|
|
| 15-18 okt |
Tyskland |
|
|
| 29-1 nov |
Italien |
|
|
| 19-22 nov |
Japan |
|
|
20-07-16 Klart med höstens
tävlingar i JWRC för Tom Kristensson och Joakim Sjöberg
I dagarna har Internationella Bilsportförbundet, FIA, godkänt vilka
tävlingar som i höst skall ingå i Junior VM, JWRC, i rally.
Det blir 3 deltävlingar, och totalt 4 deltävlingar i årets
mästerskap, mot från början 5 planerade. Den enda hittills
avverkade är Rally Sweden i februari där Tom och Joakim vann.
Återstarten blir i Estland och Rally Estonia den 3-6 september, en nyinsatt
tävling i WRC-kalendern. Därefter följer Rallye Deutschland
den 15-18 oktober och avslutning sker i Rally Italia Sardegna på Sardinien
den 29 oktober-1 november. De båda sistnämnda fanns i JWRC-kalendern
redan från början, men tävlingen på Sardinien skulle
körts i början av juni, men blev på grund av Corona pandemin
framflyttad till i höst.
Nu kommer 3 av 4 tävlingar räknas i mästerskapet, och i stället
för dubbla poäng i sista deltävlingen kommer det endast att
bli 1,5 gånger poängen, medan bonuspoäng för sträcksegrar
räknas för samtliga deltävlingar. Priset till den slutlige
segraren, en Ford Fiesta R5 plus ett antal däck, kvarstår.
- Jag ser verkligen fram emot att få sitta i rallybilen igen, det har
varit en lång och oviss väntan, säger Tom. Nu får vi
bara hoppas att det inte kommer en andra våg av Corona pandemin som
sätter käppar i hjulen.
- I Estland har jag inte tävlat tidigare, men karaktären på
sträckorna liknar dem i både Finland och Lettland. I Finland vann
jag förra året i JWRC och i Lettland har jag vunnit två gånger
i Rally Liepaja, senast i JERC 2018, så jag har goda och positiva erfarenheter
på den här typen av sträckor.
- Det enda orosmolnet är vi från Sverige inte får resa in
i Estland just nu på grund av pandemin. Det gäller förutom
mej och Joakim även våra svenska medtävlare Pontus Lönnström
med co-driver Stefan Gustavsson.
- Arrangören i Estland har diskussioner med de estniska myndigheterna
för att hitta en lösning, så jag hoppas att det löser
sig på något sätt, det är ju ändå en dryg
månad tills det är tid att resa.
I Rallye Deutschland har Tom tävlat både i Opel Adam Cup och för
Opel Junior Team, när han körde tävlingen som extratävling,
under året i JERC. Årets tävling är i samma område
som tidigare, med bland annat sträckor i vinodlingarna på floden
Mosels sluttningar, och det beryktade övningsfältet Baumholder med
Panzerplatte. Där kör man på alltifrån betong, dålig
asfalt och bra asfalt, och vägarna är på många ställen
kantade med Hinkelstein, stridsvagnshinder i betong.
- Det gäller att ta i på asfaltvägarna, speciellt på
Baumholder, som brukar fälla avgörandet, eftersom det är en
stor del av tävlingen. Men där det är lätt att få
punktering på de dåliga avsnitten
Finaltävlingen på Sardinien ingick i JWRC även förra
året, där fick Tom sin "sämsta" placering för
säsongen med en tredjeplats.
- Jag trivs på Sardinien, även om sträckorna till stor del
består av lös grus och sand, och i år skall vi ta revansch
och förbättra placeringen, avslutar Tom
Ställningen i JWRC efter Rally Sweden är att Tom leder på
28 poäng före Martins Seks från Lettland, 19 poäng och
Ken Torn från Estland på 15 poäng.
20-07-09 Dennis Rådström
och Johan Johansson värmer upp inför Rally-EM i Tjeckien
Värmländska rallyföraren Dennis Rådström och hans
kartläsare Johan Johansson från Valdemarsvik har den senaste veckan
befunnit sig i Tjeckien som uppladdning inför årets Junior-EM i
rally, som startar helgen den 24-26 juli i den Italienska huvudstaden Rom.
Dennis och Johan, som tävlar för det tjeckiska teamet ORSAK Rally
Sport med en Ford Fiesta Rally4 från M-Sport Poland, har den senaste
veckan kört ett test med den nya Rally4-Fiestan från M-Sport Poland
och ställer nu till helgen upp i Tjeckiska mästerskapstävlingen
Rally Bohemia för att få värdefull erfarenhet och mil i bilen
innan EM.
– Testet gick bra, och det var första gången vi fick testa
på nya Ford Fiesta Rally4 från M-Sport Poland på asfalt.
Nya bilen är helt klart snabbare, den har mer grepp i bakvagnen och mer
traction med de nya komponenterna i drivlinan. Det var väldigt kul att
kunna få en bra känslan direkt. M-Sport Poland har gjort ett fantastiskt
jobb med nya Rally4-bilen, säger Dennis.
Dennis och Johan har inte suttit i tävlingsbilen sedan de vann VM-tävlingen
Rally Sweden i februari tillsammans med nya teamet ORSAK Rally Sport, och
ser fram mot att säsongen äntligen drar igång.
– Det ska bli jättekul att få komma igång igen, säger
Johan. Uppehållet har vart väldigt långt, så det känns
nästan lite ovant att ta på sig overallen igen.
Helgens Rally Bohemia ingår i det Tjeckiska mästerskapet, och blir
ett skarpt genrep för Dennis, Johan, teamet och nya Ford Fiesta Rally4
innan EM-premiären på asfalt i Italien om några veckor.–
Känslan inför tävlingen är bra. Vi har kört igenom
alla sträckor och det finns både snabba och krokiga partier med
bred och smal väg. Man kan gena en del på sina ställen. Vi
kommer ta Rally Bohemia som vilken tävling som helst för att komma
in i tävlingsbubblan och få en perfekt genomkörare inför
Rom. Vi kommer som vanligt att gör vårt bästa här i Rally
Bohemia, avslutar Dennis.
20-07-04 Estonia to host September
WRC restart as new date found for Italy
Baltic country will become 33rd nation in history to stage championship
round. Estonia will become the 33rd nation since 1973 in FIA World Rally Championship
history to stage a round when the 2020 WRC season restarts from September
4-6 following the release of the revised calendar.
Three rounds in Monte Carlo, Sweden and Mexico were staged before the global
pandemic lockdown with six-time champion Sébastien Ogier holding an
eight-point advantage over his Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT teammate Elfyn Evans
thanks to his victory last time out.
Rally Estonia's debut joins the fixture list after running as a WRC Promotional
Event in 2019 and was announced at a press conference in Tallinn on Thursday
attended by Prime Minister Ju¨ri Ratas and WRC Promoter managing director
Oliver Ciesla.
It will ensure an emotional weekend for reigning world champion Ott Ta¨nak,
who will have the opportunity to compete in front of his home fans for the
first time.
Rally Estonia will be a short format event with a shakedown and opening ceremony
on Friday, then two legs on Saturday and Sunday. It will be based in Tartu,
in the east of the country, with the service park at the Estonian National
Museum.
Rally Italia Sardegna, based in Alghero, has been moved up from June to October
29-November 1 and its switch to autumn means crews will face cooler conditions
on tough tracks in the north of the Mediterranean island.
Estonia's gravel road encounter precedes scheduled events in Turkey (September
24-27) and Germany (October 15-18) with Italy the penultimate round before
the season-closing return of Japan (November 19-22).
Rally Argentina, which was postponed from April and traditionally attracts
almost a million fans to Cordoba province, has unfortunately now been cancelled.
The championship will comprise at least eight events and WRC Promoter will
continue its already advanced talks with Ypres Rally (October 2-4), with the
aim of presenting Belgium as another available host country shortly. Talks
with the Croatian Automobile & Karting Federation will also move forward.
2020 revised calendar
Monte-Carlo: January 23-26
Sweden: February 13-16
Mexico: March 12-15
Estonia: September 4-6
Turkey: September 24-27
Germany: October 15-18
Italy: October 29-November 1
Japan: November 19-22
*Belgium's Ypres Rally (October 2-4) and Croatia (TBC) remain as calendar
options.
20-07-02 Newcomer Estonia hosts 2020 WRC restart in
September
WRC Promoter confirms adjusted 2020 WRC calendar
· Estonia promoted into championship for the first time
· New date for Italy’s delayed round in Sardinia
· News assets available at https://bulldrive.redbull.com/fl/3j3Yo7dnV4
Munich, 2 July 2020 – Estonia will host the FIA World Rally Championship
for the first time in September when the 2020 series restarts following an
enforced break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rally Estonia (4 - 6 September) joins the fixture list after running as a
WRC Promotional Event in 2019. The country will become the 33rd nation to
stage a championship round since the series started in 1973.
In a revised calendar announced by WRC Promoter, Rally Italia Sardegna moves
to 29 October - 1 November after being postponed in June as the virus temporarily
halted the championship after three rounds.
Estonia’s gravel road encounter precedes scheduled events in Turkey (24
- 27 September) and Germany (15 - 18 October) in the new schedule. Next up
is Italy, before the season-closing return of Japan (19 - 22 November), whose
date also remains unchanged.
The championship will comprise at least eight events and WRC Promoter will
continue its already advanced talks with Ypres Rally (2 - 4 October), with
the aim of presenting Belgium as another available host country shortly. Talks
with the Croatian Automobile & Karting Federation will also move forward.
Rally Argentina, which was postponed from its original date in April, and
which traditionally attracts almost a million fans to Cordoba province, has
unfortunately now been cancelled for the season.
Estonia’s WRC debut was announced at a press conference in Tallinn today
(Thursday) attended by Prime Minister Jüri Ratas and WRC Promoter managing
director Oliver Ciesla.
It will ensure an emotional weekend for reigning world champion Ott Tänak,
who will have the opportunity to compete in front of his home fans on a WRC
round for the first time.
Rally Estonia will be a short format event comprising two legs on Saturday
and Sunday after a shakedown and opening ceremony on Friday. It will be based
in Tartu, in the east of the country, with the service park at the Estonian
National Museum. Full details will be announced shortly.
Rally Italia Sardegna’s switch from Europe’s early summer to autumn
means crews will face cooler conditions on tough gravel tracks in the north
of the Mediterranean island. It will be based in Alghero and details of the
itinerary will be confirmed soon.
WRC successfully completed the first three rounds in Monte-Carlo, Sweden and
Mexico before Coronavirus put the brakes on the series. Six-time champion
Sébastien Ogier leads the drivers’ standings with his Toyota Gazoo
Racing squad topping the manufacturers’ points.
WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla said a September restart allowed
sufficient lead time for event organisers and competitors to be fully prepared.
“Today’s restart announcement sends a clear signal that the 2020
WRC is back in business,” he said.
“WRC Promoter has worked tirelessly with the FIA, our competitors, teams
and potential rallies, in exceptional circumstances, to revise the calendar.
Today’s news allows the WRC to restart at an appropriate time and ensure
a season worthy of world championship status.
“Fans demonstrate huge passion for WRC in both Estonia and Italy. The
expectation there, and across the sport in general, will build rapidly from
now ahead of September’s championship restart,” added Ciesla.
FIA rally director Yves Matton said: “I am pleased to announce the 2020
WRC restart calendar following a few months of discussions that have required
a great deal of flexibility from all stakeholders in unprecedented times.
“In light of this revised schedule, I am confident we will secure a minimum
of eight events this year and this is thanks to the great commitment and work
from organisers.
“As one of the newly proposed rounds, Rally Estonia will be reopening
the season in September and I know the Estonian Autosport Union and organising
team are putting all their efforts to deliver an event to world championship
standards from an already solid foundation.
“Also, extensive work was made with ACI and organisers of Rally Italia
Sardegna to reschedule the event and I am happy that they could find a workable
slot at the end of October for this much-awaited encounter.
“Preparations for these rounds are now in full swing while paying the
greatest attention to key planning recommendations for mass gatherings in
the current Covid-19 context.
“We are naturally truly disappointed we couldn’t find a logistically
viable solution to reschedule Rally Argentina, particularly given all the
hard work undertaken by Automóvil Club Argentino and every member of
the organisation,” concluded Matton.
All remaining events are eligible for competitors in the WRC 2 and WRC 3 support
categories. Future dates for the FIA Junior WRC Championship will be announced
separately.
The 2020 calendar is:
1 Monte-Carlo 23 - 26 January
2 Sweden 13 - 16 February
3 Mexico 12 - 15 March
4 Estonia 4 - 6 September
5 Turkey 24 - 27 September
6 Germany 15 - 18 October
7 Italy 29 October - 1 November
8 Japan 19 - 22 November
* Belgium’s Ypres Rally (2 - 4 October) and Croatia (date TBC) remain
as further calendar options.
20-07-01 Väntans tider
för Tom Kristensson om fortsättningen av årets Junior-VM i
rally
Det rådande Corona pandemiläget runt om i världen gör
att årets tävlingskalender för både Rally-VM och Junior-VM
har ställts helt på ända.
I stora VM, WRC, har endast 3 av totalt 13 deltävlingar körts, Rally
Monte Carlo i januari, Rally Sweden i mitten av februari och Rally Mexico
i mitten av mars. De två senare blev båda avkortade, "Svenska"
på grund av dålig vinter och Mexiko på grund av utbrottet
av Corona.
Av de återstående är vårens tävlingar i Argentina,
Portugal och Safari Rallyt i Kenya inställda, och den italienska deltävlingen
på Sardinien är preliminärt flyttad till i början av
december. Av höstens tävlingar är Rally Finland, Rally New
Zealand och Wales Rally GB inställda. Kvar i kalendern, ännu så
länge, är Rally Turkey i slutet av september, Rallye Deutschland
i mitten av oktober och Rally Japan i andra halvan av november. Om dessa kan
arrangeras beror på hur läget och restriktionerna ser ut i respektive
land i höst, och framför allt vilka restriktioner som då gäller.
FIA och WRC jobbar även på att hitta ev. möjliga ersättningstävlingar,
med avkall på att man inte fullt ut uppfyller kraven för en VM-tävling.
I nuläget är inget klart. Man har sagt att det skall vara sju deltävlingar
totalt för att det skall kunna räknas som ett fullvärdigt VM.
För Tom och hans kollegor i Junior-VM, JWRC, skulle mästerskapet
avgöras i fem av de tretton ursprungliga deltävlingarna. Endast
en har kunnat köras, Rally Sweden, där Tom och co-drivern Joakim
Sjöberg vann.
Nästa deltävling var Rally Italia i början av april, den är
preliminärt flyttad till början av december, Rally Finland i början
av augusti och Wales Rally GB i slutet av oktober är båda inställda.
Kvar just nu i den ursprungliga kalendern är endast Rallye Deutschland
i mitten av oktober, men där gäller nuvarande restriktioner, som
kan göra det svårt att genomföra tävlingen, till och
med oktober.
Vilka tävlingar som eventuellt skall ersätta, eller om det blir
färre deltävlingar i JWRC, har FIA och WRC inte kunnat ge besked
om ännu.
- Det är bara att vänta och se, det är inget som jag kan påverka
eller göra något åt. Det viktigaste är trots allt att
man runt om i världen får bukt med pandemin, säger Tom.
- Jag brinner för motorsport och rally och såg verkligen fram emot
årets säsong, men jag har största respekt för att detta
just nu inte är det viktigaste. Liv, hälsa och arbetssituationen
för människor, och funktionerna i samhället, främst belastningen
på sjukvården, är det vi måste tänka på
i första hand.
- Jag tror och hoppas dock att vi skall få besked snart hur det blir
i höst, och att det skall kunna bli någon tävling.
- Under tiden är det bara att fortsätta att hålla fysiken
igång, sköta körträningen genom min rallysimulator och
njuta av sommaren.
20-06-25 WRC Promoter and ERC
Rally Liepaja organiser colclude Combined ERC/WRC event discussions
RA Events and WRC Promoter have concluded their discussions over the possible
inclusion of Rally Liepaja on the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship calendar
alongside the existing FIA European Rally Championship event.
While there was interest from both parties and the support of Eurosport Events,
the ERC promoter, for a combined rally, RA Events will now focus its efforts
on making the planned second round of the ERC season from 14-16 August.
"Firstly, we thank WRC Promoter for recognising ERC Rally Liepaja as
an event worthy of inclusion in the WRC. This is great testament to the work
we have done since 2012 when we started preparations for the first Rally Liepaja
in 2013. We also thank the FIA and Eurosport Events for their assistance,"
comments Raimonds Strokšs, RA Events director.
"In these past few days we have done an enormous job. We have shown to
the WRC Promoter that we and the whole of Latvia are not afraid to work hard
and accept a challenge as massive as organising a WRC event in such a short
amount of time. However, due to various reasons, it has been agreed that the
ERC Rally Liepaja will not be a new addition to the revised WRC calendar this
year.
"We want to thank the Government of Latvia, our rally host cities, our
partners, media and every single one of the rally enthusiasts for the trust
they showed and support they provided. But we have to remember that Latvia
and ERC Rally Liepaja were offered a unique opportunity. We were a step away
from finding an agreement to host a WRC rally in the Baltics for the first
time, and we are yet to find out what opportunities this might lead to in
future.
"But over the last few weeks we never stopped working on preparing for
the second round of the FIA ERC season and we can't wait to deliver another
hugely successful edition of our rally, which has always been our objective,"
says Raimonds Strokšs.
As stated before, Rally Liepaja will host the FIA European Rally Championship
round on August 14-16 and the route will lead from Talsi to Liepaja.
20-06-17 Estonian Autosport
Union and Rally Estonia continue their joint efforts to host a WRC round in
Estonia
A renewed 2020 WRC calendar should be announced in the coming days. Due to
the coronavirus pandemic several WRC rounds have been cancelled. There is
understanding that at least seven rounds must be held in order to hand out
world championship titles. The situation requires new solutions and Estonian
organizing team is willing to find and offer these to the World Rally Championship
series. This might open a door to Estonia to host a WRC round in 2020 for
the first time.
Urmo Aava, Rally Estonia director: „For the last 10 years we have been
building our team and rally together with Estonian Government and sponsors.
In 2014 Rally Estonia was the best round in FIA European Rally Championship
series and this title opened many international doors to us. Also, it introduced
Estonia as a country and travel destination. After three successful years
in FIA ERC our team felt that we would like to move ahead and aim for the
highest level in world rally – WRC. We started the work in 2017, in the
next year we hosted a test rally and in 2019 the first official WRC Promotional
Event. All these years we have laid a strong foundation to be able to offer
an attractive as well as safe rally to the FIA and WRC Promoter. I can confirm
that that we are in talks with the WRC Promoter to organize a WRC round in
Estonia in 2020. We have submitted applications to several institutions and
the answers to them should arrive in the following days. After that we can
continue our discussions with FIA and WRC Promoter. Our goal is to present
Estonia and Estonian autosport in the best possible light and in front of
a maximum worldwide audience. It is important to all the parties involved
to work together in order to get best value from such a major event. The Rally
Estonia team and Estonian autosport in general are very glad and flattered
about this opportunity. Our common goal is to host a great event which globally
promotes Estonia and provides a positive economic impact.”
Janis Kaal, Chairman of the board of Estonian Autosport Union: “We are
in a good situation where in addition to the reigning World Champions we also
have local competence to organize top class sport events. Urmo Aava and his
team have proved during the years that they are capable of organizing an event
at the WRC level. Also, we are thankful that the Estonian government has been
a great supporter. To organize an event at this level without the funding
from government is impossible.”
The coronavirus pandemic has forced our sport to take a break. It has given
us an opportunity to have discussions about the future of the autosport. Together
we have reached an understanding how to strengthen cooperation and support
the development of autosport. This helps us to bring the next World Championship
titles and World Championship rounds to Estonia and not only in rally.
20-06-16 ERC Rally Liepaja
considered for 2020 Season
WRC Promoter and the organisers of Rally Liepaja - RA Events - have begun
talks about a possible inclusion of Rally Liepaja, a round of the FIA European
Rally Championship, in the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship season.
The FIA World Rally Championship 2020 season has been severely impacted by
the Covid-19 worldwide pandemic that has led to the necessary cancelation
of five rallies and further postponement of another two. Last week FIA WRC
Managing Director Oliver Ciesla confirmed that the WRC is in search of a unique
solution for this season by possibly including rallies that have proved themselves
in the international arena. Amongst those is Rally Liepaja. Since it was first
run in 2013 Rally Liepaja has been highly regarded by the FIA European Rally
Championship (ERC) promoter Eurosport Events, FIA and competitors. It is scheduled
to host the second event of the 2020 FIA ERC season from August 14-16.
"RA Events and WRC Promoter held the first round of talks on Monday,
where we discussed multiple organisational aspects, terms and conditions,
and many other topics that need to be covered for Latvia to host a FIA World
Rally Championship round alongside a round of the FIA ERC. I want to emphasize
that this is just a first round of talks and neither of the parties are close
to the final decisions on this matter," said RA Events director, Raimonds
Strokšs.
"This will be a very challenging task as there is less than two months
until the set event date. We will invite our partners - the Government of
Latvia, our rally cities Liepaja and Talsi - to a discussion, in order to
evaluate all the organisational workload, financial conditions and other aspects
of the proposal. Only by working together and at a very rapid pace, can we
find a solution to host a FIA WRC round in Latvia alongside the FIA ERC,"
concluded Strokšs.
Should agreement be reached to host a FIA WRC round in Latvia, discussions
will then be concluded with Eurosport Events as to how a combined event would
be managed in the best interests of the ERC and its drivers and teams, many
of whom have competed on Rally Liepaja from the outset. Eurosport Events is
a founding partner of Rally Liepaja and a key component of the event's ongoing
success and the terms of its agreement will be honoured at all times.
Regardless of the result of above discussions, and as it has been previously
stated, Rally Liepaja will retain its place in the 2020 FIA European Rally
Championship. Running of the event is scheduled for August 14-16, 2020.
20-06-02 eSports WRC series
reveals Toyota GR Yaris as top prize
eSports WRC series reveals Toyota GR Yaris as top prize
· 2020 eSports WRC champion to land all-new Toyota GR Yaris*
· Toyota Gazoo Racing becomes eSports WRC Championship presenting sponsor
· WRC manufacturer seals multi-year agreement to back tournament
· Assets to support this release can be downloaded for editorial use
from https://bit.ly/2XQtfJG
This season’s eSports WRC champion will drive away with a recently unveiled
Toyota GR Yaris* road car in a multi-year agreement with Toyota Gazoo Racing
to become the series’ title partner.
The eSports WRC Championship presented by Toyota Gazoo Racing is now in its
fifth season with the battle for places in the grand final at a crucial point
after seven of the 11 qualifying rounds.
Thousands of gamers are challenging for the Toyota GR Yaris prize on WRC 8,
the official game of the FIA World Rally Championship. The tournament features
many iconic special stages used in the real-life WRC from classic rallies
including Monte-Carlo, Argentina and Finland.
The co-operation between WRC 8 publisher Nacon and Toyota Gazoo Racing celebrates
the recent unveiling of the GR Yaris, an exciting new road car incorporating
technology developed from the Japanese manufacturer’s successful WRC
participation.
Featuring all-wheel drive and a punchy 1.6-litre, three-cylinder turbo engine
which delivers 261DIN hp and 360Nm of torque, the lightweight GR Yaris will
be a fitting prize for the eSports WRC champion.
After returning to the WRC in 2017 after a 17-year absence, Toyota Gazoo Racing
won the manufacturers’ world title the following season with its Yaris
World Rally Car. It then lifted the drivers’ crown last year.
WRC 8 is published by Nacon and development studio KT Racing under licence
from WRC Promoter, which owns the commercial rights to the FIA World Rally
Championship.
WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla highlighted the recent growth
in eSports competition, particularly fuelled by the current enforced pause
in global motorsport.
“Since physical events have been affected by recent circumstances, eSports
is, now more than ever, a way for our fans to experience the thrill of motorsports
competition even more intensely,” he said.
“The eSports WRC Championship has grown in stature over the last five
years to become one of motorsport’s leading virtual competitions. We’re
pleased to welcome the enthusiastic participation of Toyota Gazoo Racing,
a WRC manufacturer team, to the tournament.”
The agreement between Nacon and Toyota Gazoo Racing will extend into further
promotions spanning both WRC 8 and WRC 9, the latest instalment of the highly
successful game to be released in September.
“We’re very proud of the progress we’ve made since the creation
of eSports WRC, which has become inseparable from the development and work
performed all year long on the WRC video games,” said Benoît Clerc,
Nacon’s head of publishing.
“It has now become an unmissable event for every fan of off-road racing
games. Thanks to the support of Toyota, the 2020 year will benefit from significant
reinforcement, and we’re very impatient to continue collectively expanding
WRC eSports.”
Andrea Carlucci, director of product and marketing management of Toyota Motor
Europe, said: “We’re pleased to partner with eSports WRC to bring
the excitement of rallying to more fans around the world.
“As one of the pillars of Toyota Gazoo Racing, e-motorsports is key for
us to make motorsport and sports cars more accessible to more people and to
foster a new generation of car lovers everywhere.
“With the growing interest in eSports, and our increasing sports car
offering, we’re looking forward to working closely with our partners
to bring our brand value and exciting products closer to consumers and fans,”
he added.
Lebanese competitor Sami-Joe currently leads the 2020 eSports WRC Championship
presented by Toyota Gazoo Racing. He claimed his second win of the year at
Rally Portugal, moving a point ahead of 2017 and 2019 champion Lohan ‘Nexl’
Blanc with four rounds remaining.
Both could qualify for the grand final with victory at Italy’s Rally
Sardinia next month.
WRC 8 is available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
20-05-20 WRC faces Moto GP
on virtual Portuguese rally battleground
· WRC’s rising stars challenge home heroes in Portugal sim
shootout
· MotoGP rider joins rally line-up for knockout eSports contest
· Three nights of furious WRC 8 competition streamed live for fans
Three of Portugal’s leading motorsport stars will compete for national
pride against the FIA World Rally Championship’s young hotshots on the
country’s virtual rally roads this weekend.
This week’s WRC fixture in Portugal was called off due to the Covid-19
pandemic, but fans can enjoy three nights of #RaceAtHome head-to-head sim
action in the Vodafone Rally de Portugal eSports WRC Shootout (22 - 24 May).
The tournament will be streamed live on Facebook.
Portugal’s home heroes are former national rally champion and WRC support
series regular Bernardo Sousa and double national champion José Pedro
Fontes. They will be joined by MotoGP World Championship rider Miguel Oliveira,
runner-up in the 2018 Moto2 series.
The WRC challenge will be headed by WRC 2 high-flier Rhys Yates. The young
Briton made a remarkable virtual driving competition debut to win last month’s
eSports WRC Shootout on Rally Argentina’s roads – with a learner
driver plate fixed to the back of his gaming rig.
He celebrated with a ‘shoey’ – downing a celebratory drink
of tea from his shoe before ripping up the learner plate!
Bolivian WRC 3 driver Marco Bulacia, who lost to Yates in the final, returns
in a bid to exact revenge. They will be joined by Frenchman Pierre-Louis Loubet,
who lifted the WRC 2 world title in 2019.
The eight-strong field is completed by driver / co-driver partnership Sean
Johnston and Alex Kihurani from the United States.
The shootout will use WRC 8, the official video game of the WRC and all competitors
will drive Rally 2 category cars. Fontes, Bulacia, Johnston and Kihurani will
be at the wheel of Citroën C3s, Oliveira and Loubet will pilot Hyundai
i20s and Sousa and Yates will drive Fiestas.
The eight drivers will be pitted against each other on their simulators in
a series of knockout special stages.
Friday night’s quarter-finals will take place on the iconic Fafe test,
which climaxes with the famous big-air jump close to the finish.
The fastest driver from each pairing advances to Saturday’s semi-finals
in the Amarante stage. Sunday’s title decider will be fought out over
two tests. The Viana stage will precede a second pass through Fafe.
Fans can watch the tournament live on Facebook at 21.00 CET each night. The
English language version is available on the WRC page at facebook.com/WRC
with the Portuguese version streamed at facebook.com/rallydeportugal.
Alongside the shootout, the seventh round of the hugely popular eSports WRC
Championship will also take place this weekend on Portugal’s roads. Scheduled
on 21 - 24 May, it is open to all players of the WRC 8 game.
Automóvel Club de Portugal president Carlos Barbosa said: “Unfortunately,
this global health emergency brought by Covid-19 prevented us from hosting
Vodafone Rally de Portugal this week.
“But there’s nothing preventing us from hosting a virtual rally,
precisely during the week Vodafone Rally de Portugal should take place. So
that’s what we’ve decided to do with professional drivers, at the
same time as the Portuguese round of the eSports WRC Championship, aimed at
all WRC 8 players. May the best drivers win!”
20-05-05 Carlos Sainz crowned
The Greatest WRC Driver
· Double world champion Sainz voted the greatest by WRC fans
· Spanish hero wins knockout poll featuring 20 WRC stars
· Sainz beats nine-time champion Sébastien Loeb in close final
· Over 300,000 votes cast on WRC website during month-long contest
· News assets available at
https://bulldrive.redbull.com/fl/xUNFPinFF6
Carlos Sainz has been crowned The Greatest WRC Driver of all time in a poll
of fans and expert journalists on the FIA World Rally Championship’s
official website.
The double world champion, from Spain, defeated Sébastien Loeb in the
head-to-head final. Sainz claimed 57.28 per cent of the vote in a close climax
to the contest.
The competition on wrc.com captured the imagination of rally fans across the
globe with more than 80,000 votes cast in the final. More than 300,000 votes
were polled during the month-long tournament, organised by WRC Promoter and
supported by Pirelli.
“I cannot be more happy and more proud about this recognition,”
58-year-old Sainz told fans. “Thank you very much for bringing me first
to the final and, of course, secondly for allowing to me to win this recognition
against Sébastien Loeb.
“I don’t need to tell you how much I rate Sébastien Loeb
and how much he deserves to be the greatest. But I have to say not only him,
all the world champions merit this recognition. But somebody has to win and,
in this case, it has been myself.
“I gave everything to rallying. Rallying has been my life, rallying has
been my dream and today rallying and the whole family of rallying is giving
me a big smile and this big recognition,” he added.
Sainz, nicknamed El Matador, won the drivers’ world title in 1990 and
1992 with Toyota and scored 26 WRC wins from 196 career starts. He was one
of the WRC’s most consistent performers and also finished second or third
in the championship on a remarkable nine occasions.
He stood on the podium in almost half the rallies he started and was renowned
for his attention to detail and pre-event preparation.
All 18 champions since the introduction of the WRC drivers’ title in
1979 were joined in the competition by two wildcard entries.
A tournament-style knockout draw brought drivers into head-to-head battles
against each other. Every day, fans and a panel of expert journalists voted
for their favourite from each pairing.
Sixth seed Sainz defeated Hannu Mikkola in the opening round of the competition
before toppling third-ranked Tommi Mäkinen. He then beat six-time champion
Sébastien Ogier, seeded second, in the semi-final.
Loeb, nine-time world champion and top seed, eclipsed Richard Burns and Walter
Röhrl in the early rounds. He then ousted Flying Finn Juha Kankkunen
in the semi-final.
The panel of six expert journalists could not split the two drivers in the
final as each gained three votes. It meant the ultimate decision rested with
the fans and Sainz’s incredible popularity carried him to victory.
The panel of journalists comprised Julian Porter (WRC commentator and broadcaster),
Marco Giordo (Autosprint magazine, Italy), Reiner Kuhn (Motorsport aktuell,
Germany), David Evans (DirtFish, USA), Loic Rocci (AUTOhebdo, France) and
José-Manuel González (WRC+ All Live commentator, Spain).
WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla was bowled over by the huge response
to the competition.
“Firstly, my congratulations to Carlos for adding the title of The Greatest
WRC Driver to his numerous achievements,” he said.
“He was already a WRC legend thanks to his incredible driving skills
in the most brutally tough and unforgiving terrain on the planet. This accolade
confirms the esteem in which he is held by both fans and pundits. He is known
as King Carlos – now he is officially the King of the WRC!
“Sébastien is statistically the most successful driver in WRC
history. But we wanted fans to think beyond the numbers in choosing their
greatest.
“The popularity of this competition far exceeded our hopes. We wanted
it to provide some fun for our fans when there is no WRC action, but its popularity
grew and grew across the media. To receive more than 300,000 votes is remarkable
– a big thanks to everyone who took part,” added Ciesla.
20-04-27 Yates wins eSports
WRC Shootout on sim driving debut
British driver Rhys Yates triumphs in eSports WRC contest
· Competition viewed by almost 700,000 fans
· WRC’s rising talent showcased in WRC Shootout
· Three nights of furious competition streamed live for fans
Rhys Yates made a remarkable virtual driving debut to win the FIA World Rally
Championship’s eSports WRC Shootout.
The young Briton ripped up the learner driver plate fixed to the back of his
virtual driving rig after defeating Bolivian teenager Marco Bulacia in a tense
head-to-head final in his first #RaceAtHome eSports tournament.
Organiser WRC Promoter turned the spotlight on the sport’s stars of the
future during three nights of intense action streamed via the WRC’s social
media channels. Nearly 700,000 fans viewed the tournament across the championship’s
platforms.
Yates, more usually seen at the wheel of M-Sport Ford’s Fiesta R5 in
the WRC 2 support series, overcame 10 other young chargers on WRC 8, the championship’s
official video game.
After successfully negotiating the qualifying round, Yates ousted M-Sport
Ford team-mate Adrien Fourmaux in the quarter-finals. In the semi-final he
defeated Romania’s Raul Badiu, who previously won the Junior WRC eSports
warm-up event.
The final was fought out over two classic gravel speed tests from Rally Argentina.
The real-life South American event was due to take place last weekend before
being postponed due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Yates was fastest through Cuchilla Nevada by more than seven seconds after
Bulacia spun off the road. He extended his advantage by a further two seconds
with a measured drive through El Condór, while Bulacia’s hopes
ended when he rolled his Citroën C3.
Yates prepared for the tournament by acquiring a sim-rig, complete with seat,
wheel, pedals and a handbrake in an attempt to match the set-up of his competitors.
But the new kit wasn’t an immediate hit.
“I couldn’t get used to it,” he said. “In the end I went
back to the hand controller for the qualifying rounds. When I got through
that and I knew I was into the more serious competition, then I set aside
time each day to get on the sim and go through the stages.
“Waiting on the start line in the final I was really nervous. We were
going head-to-head, so I’d changed my approach from going absolutely
flat out to make my best possible time and now I was more focused on getting
to the finish with no mistakes. There was one shot.
“Winning is what it’s all about for me, so to have won the eSports
WRC Shootout is great. There were some big names in there from the world of
rallying and to have won and been quicker than all of them is something I’m
happy with,” added Yates, who celebrated with a victory drink of tea
from his shoe!
Bulacia, who shares the lead in the real-life WRC 3 category after winning
in Mexico last month, overcame Oliver Solberg in the semi-finals.
“It was a great competition and a whole lot of fun too. I think the people
here in Bolivia were happier yesterday when I beat Oliver to reach the final
than after my WRC 3 victory at Rally Guanajauato Mexico!” he joked.
WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla said the eSports WRC Shootout
provided great entertainment for fans and competitors alike.
“The tournament generated some exceptional competition, with a gripping
final. To achieve nearly 700,000 views on the WRC’s social media channels
was remarkable, and well above our expectations.
“These are trying times for everybody and to be able to bring together
some of rallying’s brightest rising stars from around the world was a
great achievement.
“Congratulations to Rhys. We’ve seen his speed already this season
and now we’ve had this confirmed in virtual time too. He was super-quick
throughout the competition and is a worthy winner,” he added.
Video footage of the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final is available to
view at
https://www.wrc.com/en/archive/videos/.
20-04-20 More than 11,000
gamers join Solbergs at HTB Racing Rally Monte Carlo
Solbergs stunned as 11,405 (and counting) join Solberg World Cup in association
with DirtFish
Lukáš Matêja takes opening round HTB Racing Rally Monte
Carlo
Codemasters delighted with biggest ever gaming community
It was a classic Monte. In the words of a Solberg, it was a proper one. The
conditions were that nightmare mix of snow, ice, melting ice and dry asphalt
– more often than not – all in one stage.
But they came to have a go at the opening round of the Solberg World Cup in
association with DirtFish.
And they came in their masses to enjoy this DiRT Rally 2.0-based event. By
the end of the 12-stage HTB Racing Rally Monte Carlo, an unbelievable 11,405
gamers had signed up to challenge Oliver Solberg and his father Petter –
the 2003 World Rally Champion competing in a virtual rally for the first time.
Oliver completed the event 15th overall – the same position he climbed
to driving his Volkswagen Polo R5 on the real Rally Monte-Carlo in January
– and was pleased with his times through the event.
“It was tricky,” he said. “Monte is never easy and this is
where this thing is so realistic! The ice and snow coming in places like the
Col de Turini really made you focus so hard on the tyre choices and how hard
you wanted to push.
“On the game, we have the damage turned really high, so if you clip a
rock or something then you are going to get a puncture or some suspension
damage. It’s incredible when you are in the middle of the stage, you
completely lose yourself in this game. I came to the end and my concentration
was so hard, it was amazing.
“But, more than the competition, the number of people who have joined
us in this Solberg World Cup in association with DirtFish. Did you see, more
than 11,000 – that’s just incredible. It’s crazy! Thank you.”
Petter testified to the realistic damage simulation, getting a puncture early
in the HTB Racing Rally Monte Carlo. He recovered to finish a fine 143rd.
“I’m pretty happy with that,” he said. “It was not easy.
Like Oliver said, you get so focused in there. I didn’t have so much
experience of driving rally cars like this, so that result is good for me.
The pace is so, so high. These guys are completely on the limit everywhere,
but I know from experience that the mountains can bite you!
“Like Oliver said, we have to say a big thank you to all of the people
who have joined us. When we started talking about doing this, we hoped we
would get a few hundred people to take part, maybe even a thousand. But now,
11,000 for the championship, that’s fantastic!”
Lukáš Matêja won the HTB Racing Rally Monte Carlo opener,
finishing 11.081s ahead of everybody in his Volkswagen Polo GTI R5.
The Solberg World Cup in association with DirtFish moves on to Circle K Norge
Rally Värmland for round two, where the winter conditions continue on
some of the finest, fastest flowing Swedish roads around.
Circle K Norge Rally Värmland is open for competition between the 11,405
gamers from today (Monday April 20).
Codemasters, the firm behind DiRT Rally 2.0, is delighted with the numbers
joining the Solberg family’s gaming community in the game.
Codemasters Game Director Ross Gowing said: “We have been overwhelmed
with the response from players who wish to compete in the Solberg World Cup
while the sporting calendar takes a backseat. We have a proud history working
with Oliver and Petter, and for them to create and deliver our most competitive
and active DiRT Rally 2.0 competition is testament to the respect they hold
within the world of rally."
Follow the latest Solberg World Cup in association with DirtFish updates on
Oliver’s social media channels: @oliversolberg01.
20-04-17 Oliver back to WRC
action for #RaceAtHome
Oliver Solberg will take on the world’s finest and fastest emerging
rally talents when he tackles the FIA World Rally Championship’s eSports
WRC Shootout (#RaceAtHome) Rally Argentina next week.
Prior to the arrival of COVID-19, 18-year-old Oliver would have been making
the final preparations for his first trip to compete in South America at Rally
Argentina proper, initially scheduled to start from Villa Carlos Paz, west
of Buenos Aires, next week.
The global pandemic has, however, spiked global motorsport plans and left
Oliver and co. turning to the virtual world via the WRC 8 game.
“The competition will be a cool one,” said Oliver. “The roads
and the stages in the game are really technical – just like the ones
in real life! It’s going to be a close race, that’s for sure.
“When you are in the simulator practising you can just push the ‘reset’
button when you slide wide or make a spin or something. But in these competitions,
if you make a mistake then you are finished – the pressure is really
something like what we have in the real life.
The stages chosen for the event are El Condor, Parque Tematico and Cuchilla
Nevada, all classics from one of the WRC’s most iconic rallies on the
calendar.
The qualifying rounds for #RaceAtHome eSports WRC Shootout start on Monday
with the main competition coming in the quarter-finals, screened live on the
WRC’s Facebook channel at 2100 CET on Tuesday April 21.
The semi-finals run in the same place at 2100 CET on Wednesday April 22, with
the final on Thursday April 23, same time and same place.
WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla is looking forward to watching
the rivalry between the series’ future champions.
Ciesla said: “While the WRC is paused as the coronavirus outbreak
continues, we’ve turned the spotlight on the championship’s stars
of the future for the eSports WRC Shootout.
“Of course, our drivers are missing real-life competition, we all are.
But I’ve no doubt their competitive spirits and adrenaline will surge
as much as ever behind the WRC 8 wheel on Rally Argentina’s tricky stages.
“Virtual driving is a fast-growing part of motorsport and this shootout
sits alongside our popular eSports WRC Championship, which continues through
the WRC hiatus. I hope our fans will enjoy watching the Shootout from home
before competing themselves in our eSports Championship.”
The gaming simulator is pretty busy in the Solberg household right now, with
Oliver and his father, 2003 World Rally Champion Petter, competing against
over 9000 other racers in their own Solberg World Cup.
20-04-17 WRC’s young stars
primed for battle in eSports tournament
· WRC’s rising talent headlines eSports WRC Shootout
· Three nights of furious competition streamed live for fans
· Entry list topped by Loubet, Solberg and Veiby
Eleven of the FIA World Rally Championship’s eager young chargers will
fight for virtual rally glory when they face off in WRC Promoter’s eSports
WRC Shootout next week (21 - 23 April).
The future stars from the championship’s talent-packed support series
will #RaceAtHome in the three-night speedfest on WRC 8, the official video
game of the WRC.
Competitors from WRC 2, WRC 3 and the FIA Junior WRC will be pitted against
each other on a selection of demanding gravel special stages from Rally Argentina.
The real-life South American event was due to take place next week before
being postponed due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
The cast is headlined by 2019 WRC 2 Pro champion Pierre-Louis Loubet, and
current season WRC 2 manufacturer team drivers Adrien Fourmaux, Ole Christian
Veiby and Rhys Yates.
Also invited to compete are WRC 3 joint leader Marco Bulacia, fellow teenage
star Oliver Solberg and Junior WRC challenger Raul Badiu.
The 11 drivers firstly face a qualifying round. The fastest eight go forward
to the quarter-final head-to-head shootout in the classic El Condór
stage. The four duels will be streamed on the WRC Facebook page at 21.00 CET
on Tuesday (April 21).
The winners move into the semi-finals, to be decided on the famous Parque
Tematico theme park stage on the edge of Villa Carlos Paz and streamed at
21.00 CET on Wednesday (April 22).
The final will be fought out over two stages, returning to El Condór
and also featuring Cuchilla Nevada. It is scheduled for the same time on Thursday
(April 23).
The eSports WRC Shootout follows last weekend’s successful Junior WRC
trial event, which attracted tens of thousands of fans from across the world
who followed the exciting action on Facebook.
WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla said the eSports WRC Shootout
was a great way to entertain fans and keep competitors in trim.
“While the WRC is paused as the Coronavirus outbreak continues, we’ve
turned the spotlight on the championship’s stars of the future for the
eSports WRC Shootout,” he explained.
“Of course, our drivers are missing real-life competition, we all are.
But I’ve no doubt their competitive spirits and adrenaline will surge
as much as ever behind the WRC 8 wheel on Rally Argentina’s tricky stages.
“Virtual driving is a fast-growing part of motorsport and this shootout
sits alongside our popular eSports WRC Championship, which continues through
the WRC hiatus. I hope our fans will enjoy watching the Shootout from home
before competing themselves in our eSports Championship.”
The full list of invited entrants for the eSports WRC Shootout is:
Raul Badiu (Romania): Lies fifth in the FIA Junior WRC after the opening round
in Sweden. Won last weekend’s Junior WRC eSports trial event.
Marco Bulacia (Bolivia): Joint leader of WRC 3 after winning the category
at last month’s Rally Guanajuato Mexico.
Elia de Guio (Italy): The only co-driver in the event and partner to Junior
WRC challenger Enrico Oldrati. Second in the Junior WRC eSports trial.
Adrien Fourmaux (France): Touted as a future WRC star after winning France’s
renowned Rallye Jeunes talent-spotting scheme. Drives for M-Sport Ford in
WRC 2.
Pierre-Louis Loubet (France): Won WRC 2 Pro in 2019 and will step up to the
headline World Rally Car category when the WRC resumes.
Catie Munnings (Great Britain): Former children’s TV presenter and ex-European
ladies rally champion. Now competing in the Junior WRC.
Roland Poom (Estonia): Twice a Junior WRC podium finisher in 2019 and stepped
up to WRC 3 in 2020.
Yohan Rossel (France): French asphalt champion who competes in WRC 3 with
support from Citroën Racing.
Oliver Solberg (Sweden): Teenager competing in WRC 3 after becoming the youngest
rally winner in European Championship history in 2019.
Ole Christian Veiby (Norway): Represents Hyundai Motorsport N in WRC 2 and
boasts plenty of experience in the WRC’s support categories.
Rhys Yates (Great Britain): Switched from two wheels to four and lifted the
English Championship in 2015. Drives for M-Sport Ford in WRC 2.
The fifth round of the hugely popular eSports WRC Championship will also take
place next week on Argentina’s speed tests. Scheduled on 23 - 26 April,
this event is open to all players of the WRC 8 game.
20-03-28 Solbergs stunned by
overwhelming response to race one
The Solberg RACE proves a huge hit with 4,500 gamers joining
Late puncture costs Oliver Solberg a top-10 position in Rally Argentina
Australian racer Jarod Konig takes a six-second win after 12 DiRT Rally 2.0
stages
More The Solberg RACE news to come early next week
When 18-year-old Oliver Solberg first thought about running his own event
on DiRT Rally 2.0, he dreamed of a thousand gamers joining him in Argentina.
In the end, more than four times than number came in an overwhelming show
of support for the project. And the pace? The pace was incredible, with Australian
Jarod Konig taking victory by 6.081s from Frenchman Jonathan Schaeffer. Predictably
for the rally hotbed that is Finland, Jyväskylä wasn’t forgotten
with Flying virtual Finn Marko Räisänen (resident of Neste Rally
Finland’s hometown) taking third place.
The top three will all take away prizes including signed Oliver Solberg gloves
and one of Petter’s exclusive TW Steel watches. In addition to the podium
places, the Solbergs are also randomly selecting 10 further competitors to
send prizes to.
“This has been crazy popular,” said Solberg. “When I started
to plan this I was thinking: “It would be really cool if we could get
close to 1000 people doing it. But you know 1,000 people is a lot.
“In the end we had nearly 4,500 people competing and that’s really
a lot of people! I want to say a massive thanks to everybody for having a
go and making this a great event.”
Solberg finished 18th after a late puncture dropped him out of the top 10.
“The competition was so close,” he said. “Those guys at the
top were just amazing. Their speed was something else and I have to take off
my hat to them. I have to work on this. I know what I am doing to try to make
[stage] records, but I don’t know where they find this speed. I was very
impressed, but now I need more recce time!”
Solberg is already considering another event – with more details coming
next week.
“Why not do this again,” he said. “The reason we are doing
this is to take people’s minds from what’s going on - to give them
a distraction and something to be happy about. For that week, I think we did
that and, if we can do it again, why not?
“But if we do another one, then I need to make a better recce. I need
to find some more speed!”
20-03-24 Finnish WRC driver
talks Ogier, Rovanperä and his life in motorsports
Esapekka Lappi will not forget the recent Rally Mexico in a hurry after the
driver was forced to retire when the Ford he was driving unexpectedly caught
fire.
The 29-year-old from Pieksämäki and co-driver Janne Ferm escaped
the blaze unhurt but had to withdraw from the race.
Here is what the M-Sport Ford WRT driver had to say now he is back home in
Finland:
Now you have had time to reflect on the car burning up in Mexico, how do you
feel?
The feeling after the race hasn't really changed. It was a bit of a panic
anyway. After seeing it afterwards, for sure you can be wiser always after
the accident and maybe it would have been wiser to move the car slightly away
from the people and stop quite quickly. Stop pumping the oil out of it. It
is easy to say afterwards. Janne is fine. No drama. We were unhurt. It is
serious, but I am not in shock.
How did the other drivers feel after Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja's
huge crash in Monte Carlo?
We always know that the risk is present every time you jump in the car. We
need to understand that if they crash in sixth gear and, let's say, stop immediately
then that is going to hurt badly. The car kept continuing all the time, though,
which is not normally that bad. If you start to be scared about that, then
you will stop your career. The speed is getting higher, but thankfully also
the safety is getting better.
Now you have spent a decade in rallying, what has changed most about the sport?
What I didn't like about circuit racing is that when you are competing against
each other all the time, another driver can ruin your race very easily. It
is not happening in rally and it is what I really like. It is mainly you,
the co-driver, the clock and the car. It is only about you. On circuits, when
you put a lot of money in and somebody ruins your race in the final race then
all your money goes. It is not a nice feeling. I really like the feeling and
the atmosphere in the rally paddocks and the service parks. On circuit racing,
the drivers are fighting and the parents are fighting. In rallying, it is
more friendly!
20-03-22 Solberg WRC RALLY.
I've got my racing boots on. Have you?
Hello everybody!
These are difficult times for us all and I want you to know that me and my
family are wishing you and your families lots of good wishes. We will get
through this!
I know our routines are very different at the moment; many of us are at home
and have some time to fill. We want to help you as much as we can and we have
an idea..
That's why on Monday (March 23) we are kicking off the The Solberg RACE. We
invite all of our media friends, amazing sponsors and incredible fans from
across the globe to compete against each other in our very own Argentina Rally
on DiRT RALLY 2.0. Full details on how to take part will be revealed on Monday
on my social media (@oliversolberg01) and also my father's (@PetterSolbergWRX,
@Petter_Solberg, @petterwrc03), After joining you have one week to have one
go at the event.
You are only able to compete once on every stage and register one result between
Monday and Friday (that doesn't mean you can't make a really long recce, just
like the good old days, the good old, old days - even before papa was driving
??).
Argentina is one of the events I was really looking forward to and felt so
sad that it has been postponed. So I thought, why don't we just carry on?
Why don't we all go to Argentina. Virtually.
This is a really tough time for us all, but we're here and our love of this
fantastic sport didn't change. If something good can come from this time,
it's the chance for us to bring the media as well as all our fantastic partners
and fans even closer to us (you know what I mean!).
So, for now, maybe the time has come to forget the virus for a moment and
focus on your set-up for Argentina. It's going to have to be a good one to
beat me, my mum and my dad.
My dad would like to talk to you as well, but he's actually already in his
recce!
This is the first time we have ever tried to do something like this and you,
our friends in the media are such an important part of my new journey –
and this new and a little bit unexpected adventure. If you can help to promote
this that would be fantastic. We will keep you informed with lots of details
about how the rally is going.
#JoinUs
#TheSolbergRACE
20-03-20 Rally Argentina flyttas
fram
Rally Argentina flyttas fram pga coronaviruset och landet har stängt
sina gränser.
Planeringen för Rally Portugal, Rally Italien och Rally Kenya fortgår.
20-03-18 Dennis Rådström
gör ERC3 Junior satsning i nya Ford Fiesta Rally4
Rallyföraren Dennis Rådström från Torsby
och hans kartläsare Johan Johansson, Valdemarsvik, kommer i år
att satsa på ERC3 Junior-klassen i Rally-EM där de kommer köra
den nya M-Sport Polen-byggda Ford Fiesta Rally4 i sin jakt på EM-titeln
tillsammans med teamet ORSAK Rally Sport.
Den nyligen lanserade EcoBoost-drivna Ford Fiesta Rally4, är en utveckling
av den enormt framgångsrika Fiesta R2 2019 som, liksom den nya Fiesta
Rally4, byggdes och utvecklades på M-Sport Polens moderna anläggning
i Krakow, Polen.
Rådström kommer att attackera några av de mest ikoniska sträckorna
i Europa med ett av de mest ikoniska märkena inom rally. Rådström
och den nya Rally4 Fiestan har en tuff utmaning framför sig: Fiesta R2
2019 stod för enormt starka prestationer under ERC3 Junior 2019, med
fyra segrar på fem tävlingar.
Den nya Fiesta Rally4 för 2020 är förbättrad på
i stort sett alla plan för att leverera mer kraft och vridmoment att
driva de förstärkta drivaxlarna med genom uppdaterade och förbättrade
utväxlingar. Hjulupphängningen har också uppdaterats för
att förbättra Rally4:s väghållning, som har förbättrats
ytterligare tack vare en minskning i vikt genom ett lättare avgassystem.
För att komplettera detta har Fiesta Rally4 ett aggressivt nytt utseende
tack vare tillägg av air vents på motorhuven som också fungerar
som ett extra kylhjälpmedel.
Dennis Rådström har tre års erfarenhet från Junior
WRC med ett starkt CV i en mycket konkurrenskraftig serie, med 58 sträcksegrar,
sju pallplatser och två segrar. I sin debutsäsong i FIA Junior
WRC 2017 slutade han aldrig utanför topp-fem, och tog sträcksegrar
på fyra av de fem rallyna han körde. 2018 sågs den unga svensken
leverera mer imponerande prestationer, inklusive att ta sin debutseger i Junior
WRC i Rally Sweden - hans hemmatävling. Han utmanade om mästerskapet
igen 2019. Där slutade Rådström på tredje plats i mästerskapet,
med två pallplatser och mesta sträcksegrar av alla förare
i mästerskapet - med 34 snabbaste tider.
Dennis Rådström sa: ”Jag hade turen att ha varit med i utvecklingen
av Fiesta Rally4 under vintern och jag är verkligen imponerad av vad
M-Sport Polen har uppnått. R2 2019 var redan ett extremt konkurrenskraftigt
paket men Rally4-uppdateringen passar mig verkligen, den extra kraften ger
den en ny nivå så att du kan attackera hårdare. Jag har
alltid gillat ERC-kalendern, så jag ser verkligen fram emot de exotiska
tävlingarna som ERC har att erbjuda, varje rally är speciellt på
sitt sätt. Målet för mig i år är, som alltid, att
vara så snabb som möjligt och pusha mig till gränsen - det
är så jag ser på rally. Vi har tre års erfarenhet av
Junior WRC, vilket har varit en riktigt bra skola och jag kommer att använda
den kunskapen i ett försök att vinna ERC3 Junior-mästerskapet.
Tvåhjulsdrivna klassen har alltid varit väldigt tuff i ERC, vilket
är något jag verkligen ser fram mot, jag har inte sett alla konkurrenter
i ERC än men jag är säker på att det kommer att vara
tight som alltid och jag är redo för utmaningen."
Maciek Woda, styrelseledamot, M-Sport Polen, sa: ”Ford Fiesta Rally4
har uppdaterats för att erbjuda förare ännu bättre förutsättningar
för att kunna ta sig an konkurrensen. Dennis är en förare som
har visat sin förmåga att konsekvent köra en bil på
dess gräns för att nå toppen. Vi alla på M-Sport Polen
ser verkligen fram emot att se vad Dennis och Johan kommer att göra i
European Rally Championship. Vi har arbetat med Dennis i över tre år
nu och har sett honom utvecklas till en extremt konkurrenskraftig förare
i FIA Junior WRC Championship, där han var en utmanare till mästerskapet
vid två tillfällen. Jag är övertygad om att med den nya
Ford Fiesta Rally4 kommer Dennis att vara utrustad med den bästa utrustningen
för att köra för ERC3 Junior-segrar och mästerskapet.”
20-03-15 Ogier secures sixth
Rally Mexico victory as event ends day early
Frenchman eight points ahead of Evans in title race as Argentina postponed.
Sébastien Ogier scored a record-equalling sixth Rally Guanajuato Mexico
victory on Saturday night after the event was brought to an early conclusion.
The rally ended a day early in the face of fast-changing travel restrictions
connected with the global COVID-19 virus outbreak.
After snatching the lead on Friday morning, the Frenchman kept his Toyota
Yaris on the road in sizzling hot conditions. As many of his rivals hit trouble,
Ogier was level-headed and ended with a 27.8sec advantage over Hyundai i20
driver Ott Tänak.
In doing so, he claimed his first victory for the Toyota Gazoo Racing team
and equalled the six victories achieved by fellow countryman and nine-time
world champion Sébastien Loeb.
"A victory is a victory of course, but this one feels different from
any other. I want to thank my team, they have done a fantastic job,"
Ogier said after moving to the top of the FIA World Rally Championship standings
after three rounds.
Tänak was left to rue what could have been. Had it not been for rear
suspension damage when he hit a wall on Friday morning, he could have been
in with a shot of the win.
After losing 40sec, the Estonian delivered an impressive comeback drive to
leapfrog Teemu Suninen on Saturday afternoon for a gutsy second place.
Suninen was 10.1sec further back, picking up valuable championship points
after a difficult weekend for the M-Sport Ford team. His team-mate Esapekka
Lappi retired in dramatic fashion when his Fiesta became engulfed in flames
on Friday.
"Actually, it's more than I hoped for at this rally. We were able to
have a consistent pace and stayed away from problems. At the end, we lost
one brake which basically stopped the fight. Even without those issues, I
don't think I would have beaten Ott," he said.
Elfyn Evans was fourth, 35.5sec adrift of the podium finishers in another
Yaris. The championship leader ahead of the rally was unable to match the
pace of the leaders as he struggled with road cleaning duties on Friday.
He ended 1min07.1sec ahead of team-mate Kalle Rovanperä, who gained more
valuable experience on his gravel debut in a Yaris.
Thierry Neuville had a disappointing weekend. Mechanical gremlins forced him
out on Friday, but he returned to action on Saturday and claimed five stage
victories in his i20 en route to finishing 16th.
Final positions:
1. S Ogier / J Ingrassia FRA Toyota Yaris 2hr 47min 47.6sec
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 +27.8sec
3. T Suninen / J Lehtinen FIN Ford Fiesta +37.9sec
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota Yaris +1min 13.4sec
5. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota Yaris +2min 20.5sec
6. P Tidemand / P Barth SWE Skoda Fabia +10min 29.3sec
FIA World Rally Championship (after round 3)
1. S Ogier 62pts
2. E Evans 54
3. T Neuville 42
20-03-15 Efterlängtad
seger för Pontus Tidemand i Rally Mexico
På grund av det rådande krisläget i världen avslutades
Rally Mexico på lördagskvällen istället för på
söndagen för att ge team och de som jobbar med mästerskapet
en chans att ta sig hem innan gränser och flygplatser stängs ner.
Värmländske rallyesset Pontus Tidemand gillar Mexiko - på
tre starter i det mexikanska VM-rallyt har han nu tagit lika många vinster.
Han visade sig fullkomligen oslagbar under de tre tävlingsdagarna och
kunde tillslut säkra segern i WRC 2 tillsammans med teamet Toksport WRT
efter en strålande uppvisning på såväl grusvägar
som smala stadsgator.
- Det här var exakt hur vi hoppades och kämpade för att helgen
skulle sluta. Men inget kommer gratis i Mexiko och det kan svänga snabbt
här så vi tog inget för givet även om vinst var målet.
Känslan just nu, den har jag verkligen längtat efter, säger
en segerglad Pontus.
Redan från Rally Mexicos första meter stod det klart att Pontus
och kartläsaren Patrik Barth ville vara med i leken. De kopplade grepp
om ledningen i WRC 2-klassen på torsdagens inledande stadssträckor
och höll hårt i den.
Under fredagens långa specialsträckor imponerade de stort när
de dominerade klassen och utökade ledningen till närmare en minut.
Vid fredagens slut hade de varit snabbast på alla då körda
sträckor och toppade både WRC 2-klassen och RC2, eller Rally 2,
som samlingskategorin för R5-bilarna kallas.
- Allt funkade perfekt för oss från start, berättar Pontus.
Det är lite tricky med däckval, omväxlande grepp och mindre
kraft i motorerna på hög höjd, men jag gillar utmaningen i
att hitta en bra och snabb rytm trots svårigheterna. Teamet gjorde ett
grymt jobb och gav oss en fantastisk bil och vi kunde ladda på utan
att ta risker som äventyrade chansen till ett bra resultat. Fredagen
var en kanondag och vi kunde köra till oss lite luft ner till andraplatsen
så vi hade något att ta av ifall oturen skulle vara framme.
Med en god ledning fanns det ingen anledning att vara våghalsig under
lördagen, men de tuffa vägarna kunde ändå ha ställt
till det för den svenska duon.
- Vi tog det lite försiktigt i början av dagen eftersom vi nog inte
gjorde helt rätt däckval. Vi valde hårda, men skulle nog ha
kört på mjuka istället. Vi lyckades ändå öka
på vårt försprång, men fick en smygpunka som kostade
lite tid, säger Pontus.
På eftermiddagen kom beskedet att man beslutat att tävlingen ska
avslutas efter lördagens sista sträcka på grund av det globala
utbrottet av COVID-19. Många länders gränser och flygplatser
stänger och man vill ge tävlade och team en chans att tryggt ta
sig hem i tid. På söndagens program stod endast tre sträckor
och med mer än 75% av rallyt genomfört, kan fulla VM-poäng
ändå delas ut.
Pontus var snabbast på fem av lördagens nio sträckor och kunde
säkert kamma hem segern efter kvällens tre avslutande publiksträckor.
- Det har inte varit lätt, men det är det som gör det intressant.
Vi försökte hålla balansen mellan ett hyfsat tempo och att
ta det säkra före det osäkra och samtidigt undvika stora stenar.
Det är oftast när man slår av på farten och slappnar
av som misstagen kommer och vi ville verkligen ta den här segern för
teamet. Jag är jättetacksam för att vi fick chansen att köra
här, helgen kunde inte ha blivit bättre, konstaterar Pontus.
Med detta vinner alltså Pontus WRC 2-klassen och var också totalsnabbast
bland R5-bilarna. Totalt i rallyt slutar han på sjätte plats, vilket
är hans bästa resultat någonsin.
Resultat WRC 2 Rally Mexico 2020
1. Pontus Tidemand 2:58:16.9
2. Nikolay Gryazin +1:57.7
3. Ole Christian Veiby +5:02.9
20-03-14 Klassisk El Chocolate
blev en hård motståndare för Oliver Solberg
El Chocolate - choklad. Alla älskar det, förutom Oliver Solberg.
Den 18-åriga rallystjärnan hade ett tufft första möte
med det berömda specialsträckan och var tvungen att bryta Rally
Mexico redan på fredag.
15 år efter att hans pappa Petter Solberg vann Mexiko-VM kom Oliver
för första gången till start i den populära tävlingen.
Oliver sökte så mycket erfarenhet som möjligt och en plats
på podiet från säsongens första VM-runda utanför
Europa, men hoppet släcktes redan på rallyts tredje specialsträckan.
Det som började på det bästa tänkbara sättet, som
snabbaste R5-bilen vid shakedown och två sträcksegrar på
publikfavoriten Guanajuato, förvandlades plötsligt till en liten
mardröm när Oliver och kartläsaren Aaron Johnston skulle bemästra
grus, den tunna luften och den krävande terrängen på El Chocolate.
18-åringen var påväg att utöka ledningen i WRC3-klassen
och hade positionen som bästa R5-bil innan olyckan var framme.
- En stor sten hade grävts fram och hamnat mitt i spåret av bilarna
framför. Jag försökte undvika den, men såg stenen för
sent och den slog hårt i skyddsplattan och skadade motorn. Att behöva
bryta loppet så tidigt är oerhört ledsamt. Det är också
sorgligt för alla runt omkring mig och Aaron som ligger i och jobbar
så hårt, sa Oliver Solberg.
Bara timmar tidigare såg allt mycket ljus ut med mycket bra körning
framför tusentals åskådare.
Jag har hört många historier om hur otroligt coolt det här
rallyt är, och särskilt publiksträckan i Guanajuato, men ändå
blev jag väldigt överraskad över den enorma atmosfären
och stämningen.
Även med tydliga säkerhetsmarginaler fick 18-åringen den bästa
tiden på båda varven på torsdagens sträcka.
- Det var underbart kul. Asfalten var väldigt halkig på vissa ställen,
så vi tog det lite lugnare, vilket gav mig tid att kunna njuta av stämningen,
sa han.
Efter missödet på fredagen visade det sig att skadorna på
motorn var för omfattande för att kunna repareras. Så han
var tvungen att kasta in handduken för resten av helgen.
- Jag visste att Rally Mexico skulle vara svårt med värmen, höjden
och svårigheterna på sträckorna. Nu fokuserar jag på
att åka hem för att arbeta med att utveckla både bilen och
mig själv. Mexiko var fantastisk, men levererade inte det resultat vi
hade hoppats på, sa Oliver Solberg.
Oliver Solberg i siffror:
Rally starter: 34
Rally segrar: 8
VM-tävlingar startade: 4
VM-debut: Wales Rally GB (2019)
Antal titlar: 9
20-03-14 Ogier tames slippery
Friday roads to impress at Rally Mexico
Frenchman opens up lead over rivals as Neuville, Lappi and Sordo suffer. Flying
Frenchman Sébastien Ogier edged towards a sixth Rally Guanajuato México
victory after building up an encouraging lead in Friday's first full day of
competition.
In sizzling hot conditions, the Toyota Yaris man avoided the drama of those
around him to end the first full day's competition with a 13.2sec lead over
M-Sport Ford pilot Teemu Suninen. Elfyn Evans was third, snatching the position
from world champion Ott Tänak in the final speed test.
Ogier grabbed the early lead from Tänak in Friday's opening El Chocolate
test and led for the remainder of the day. He capitalised on an uncharacteristic
mistake by the Estonian, who nursed his Hyundai i20 to the end of the stage
with rear suspension damage.
"I knew that being third on the road would give us a chance to make good
time," said Ogier. "I think we have all had challenges today, like
slippery roads and a lot of rocks to avoid, so it's never easy to drive here
but I enjoyed it. There is a long way to go but at least we have the best
road position."
Suninen's strong performance on the tricky gravel roads was overshadowed by
the gut-wrenching retirement of team-mate Esapekka Lappi, whose Ford Fiesta
became engulfed in flames immediately after the re-run of El Chocolate. Despite
the best efforts of fire teams, the car burned out.
"On the stop line, Janne opened the door and said the car is burning.
I didn't realise how big the fire was, so I tried to drive. Luckily we are
fine, but I don't know what caused it," Lappi explained.
Championship leader Evans ended the leg third in a Yaris. Running first on
the road, the Welshman struggled with low grip levels and rounded out the
day 33.2sec back from the lead.
Despite dropping over 40sec during the day's opener, Tänak showed determination
to climb back up the leaderboard. A daring drive through the Las Minas 2 speed
test saw the i20 driver climb four places in one stage. Just 0.2sec separated
him and Evans at close of play.
Tänak's return to the sharp end of the timesheets was partly due to the
demise of team-mate Thierry Neuville. The Belgian was battling in the top
three when his i20 ground to a halt with electrical gremlins. Dani Sordo's
similar car also succumbed to technical maladies, making it a day to forget
for the Korean manufacturer.
Kalle Rovanperä was fifth after a challenging day. He overcame a slow
puncture to lie just 2.3sec further back from Tänak. Gus Greensmith steered
clear of trouble to round out the top six in his Fiesta.
Leading positions after Friday:
1. S Ogier / J Ingrassia FRA Toyota Yaris 1hr 23min 09.2sec
2. T Suninen / J Lehtinen FIN Ford Fiesta +13.2sec
3. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota Yaris +33.2sec
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 +33.4sec
5. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota Yaris +35.7sec
6. G Greensmith / E Edmondson GBR Ford Fiesta +1min 16.8sec
20-03-14 Tidemand i ledning
i Mexiko
Rally Mexico fick en flygande start för Pontus Tidemand. Efter den första
långa tävlingsdagen leder han WRC 2-klassen och är snabbast
av alla R5-bilarna.
12 av Rally Mexicos 24 sträckor är avklarade och Pontus Tidemand
och co-drivern Patrik Barth har briljerat från start. Redan på
de inledande publiksträckorna på Guanajuatos gator greppade de
WRC 2-ledningen med en tydlig plan för helgen.
- Vi bestämde oss för att köra de första två sträckorna
på hårda däck för att spara på de mjuka till resten
av helgen. Men vi fick till en bra start, berättar Pontus.
På fredagen gick han från klarhet till klarhet när han fortsatte
att vara snabbast i klassen och dessutom dra ifrån och öka tidsglappet
bakom sig.
- Vi tappade cirka 30-40 sekunder på morgonens första sträcka
när vi kom ikapp Ole Christian (Veiby) som hade problem, men vi gjorde
vad vi kunde för att hämta tillbaka så mycket tid vi kunde
så snabbt som möjligt, säger Pontus.
De tappade aldrig någon placering utan fortsatte att dra ifrån
och när dagen knöts ihop har de inte bara varit snabbast i klassen
på samtliga sträckor så här långt i tävlingen,
utan är även totalsnabbast bland R5-bilarna.
- Det har varit en riktigt bra dag för oss. Bilen funkar helt perfekt
och vi har kört hårt, men på rätt sida om gränsen.
Vi har ett försprång på 51 sekunder och det känns bra,
men allt kan hända här i Mexiko och rallyt är långt så
vi får fortsätta att vara smarta imorgon också, summerar
Pontus.
Förutom klassledningen ligger Pontus även så högt som
sjua totalt i tävlingen.
Rally Mexico WRC 2 efter 12 av 42 sträckor
1. Pontus Tidemand 1:27:25.9
2. Nikolay Gryazin +51.1
3. Ole Christian Veiby +5:39.1
20-03-11 World Rally Championship
leader Evans faces gravel at Rally Mexico
Sweden winner faces the challenge of clearing the gravel roads for his rivals.
Elfyn Evans heads the FIA World Rally Championship for the first time going
into the opening gravel road fixture of the season in Mexico this week.
Toyota's table-topping star, who grabbed the points lead with victory in Sweden
last month, knows his achievement will come at a cost at Rally Guanajuato
Mexico (12 - 15 March), the year's first fixture outside Europe.
He must pay up in the mountains around Leon when he heads the start order
for Friday's first full day on roads coated in dry and slippery gravel. Those
tracks become cleaner and faster with the passage of every car as the dirt
is swept aside.
With temperatures topping 30°C and blue skies expected all event, Evans'
wish for rain to bind the loose gravel together looks a forlorn one.
"It was a bit of a long-shot for the rain. And it would have had to have
been raining for quite a while to make that much difference because the surface
dries quite quickly here," admitted the Welshman, who is tied on points
with Thierry Neuville but leads on countback.
"We'll just get our heads down and get on with it. There's no point thinking
about it or really talking too much about it. We almost have to forget about
that and just focus on the job in hand."
Neither Neuville nor five-time rally winner Sébastien Ogier benefit
that much from second and third in the order. But one man who does is Neuville's
Hyundai i20 team-mate, world champion Ott Tänak, who starts sixth.
20-03-10 Ole Christian Veiby
klar for Rally Mexico
Rally Mexico er sesongens tredje VM-runde, og det første
løpet på grus. Ole Christian Veiby har ambisjoner om å
kjempe om seier i WRC2-klassen med sin Hyundai i20 R5.
Når Rally Mexico starter torsdag kveld, er det første gang Ole
Christian Veiby skal være med å konkurrere her. Men løpet
er ikke fullstendig ukjent for Kongsvinger-gutten, som har vært med
på løpets gjennomkjøring to ganger tidligere. - Rally
Mexico er et nytt løp for meg, men vi har jo allikevel godt med erfaring.
Jonas har vært kartleser her 9 ganger før, og jeg var med på
gjennomkjøring i 2017 og 2018, så vi kommer ikke hit helt uten
noe erfaring, jeg har en viss pekepinn på hva som venter. Kartleser
Jonas Andersson har kjørt dette løpet 9 ganger før, med
en annen plass i 2015 som beste resultat.
Rally Mexico er kjent for å være både varmt, røft
og tøft for både bil, dekk og crew. I tillegg kjøres flere
av prøvene på hele 2600 moh og den tynne luften gjør det
utfordrende både for crew og for motor når det gjelder oksygenopptak.
– Dette er ikke ett flat-out løp, her gjelder det å bruke
hodet og ta vare på både bil og dekk. Den som gjør det
best, er den som vinner. Prøvene i Mexico er en mix av alt, og veldig
mange korte publikumsetapper. Men det er også noen raske prøver
og prøver hvor du ikke kan kjøre så fort. Du kan ikke
kjøre for bredt, det er lett å treffe noe som kan ødelegge
hjul eller bil i veikanten. Man må også hele tiden være
på vakt for at de foran har dratt med seg noen store steiner inn på
veien. Mexico-grusen er mer sand og store steiner enn vanlig grus, og det
gjelder å vite nøyaktig hvor du kan gasse på litt mer.
Rally Mexico sparkes i gang torsdag kveld i byen Guanajuato, med det som antagelig
er den mest fargerike og spektakulære startseremonien av alle løp
på VM-kalenderen. Både SS1 og SS2 kjøres på brostein
gjennom tunneler som slynger seg under selve byen. Totalt skal det kjøres
24 etapper gjennom helgen, før det hele avsluttes på søndag.
Ole Christian er optimistisk med høye ambisjoner for løpet.
- Vi fikk en god dag med test på grus, og det virker lovende. Vi håper
å kunne fortsette på den gode utviklingen fra Sverige, og selv
om dette rallyet er ganske uforutsigbart, er målet helt klart seier
i WRC2!
Dette er den tredje VM-runden for Ole Christian i 2020. Det ble andre plass
i Rally Sweden, mens han måtte bryte etter å ha kjempet i teten
på siste dag av Rally Monte-Carlo. I februar kjørte han også
inn til overlegen seier i Numedalsrally for tredje gang på rad, etter
å ha ledet løpet fra start til mål.
Tidsplan Rally Mexico
lokal tid oppgitt (norsk tid er – 7 timer)
Torsdag 12 mars
10:00 Shakedown (5,51km) (norsk tid 17:00) Se LIVE fra Shakedown på
Ole’s Facebook side.
20:08 SS1 Street Stage GTO 1 (1,12km)
20:31 SS2 Street Stage GTO 2 (1,12km)
Fredag 13 mars
07:45 Service (norsk tid 14:45)
09:08 SS3 El Chocolate 1 (31,45km)
10:16 SS4 Ortega 1 (17,24km)
11:14 SS5 Las Minas 1 (13,69km)
12:12 SS6 Parque Bicentenario (2,71km)
13:52 Service (norsk tid 20:52
15:35 SS7 El Chocolate 2 (31,45km)
16:43 SS8 Ortega 2 (17,24km)
17:41 SS9 Las Minas 2 (13,69km)
19:21 SS10 Autodromo 1 (2,33km)
19:26 SS11 Autodromo 2 (2,33km)
20:14 SS12 Street Stage Leon (0,73km)
Lørdag 14 mars
07:45 Service (norsk tid 14:45)
08:58 SS13 Guanajuatito 1 (24,96km)
10:01 SS14 Alfaro 1 (16,99km)
11:08 SS15 Derramadero 1 (21,78km)
13:18 Service (norsk tid 20:58)
14:56 SS16 Guanajuatito 2 (24,96km)
15:59 SS17 Alfaro 2 (16,99km)
17:08 SS18 Derramadero 2 (21,78km)
18:38 SS19 Autodromo 3 (2,33km)
18:43 SS20 Autodromo 4 (2,33km)
19:26 SS21 Rock & Rally Leon (1,62km)
Søndag 15 mars
07:30 Service (norsk tid 14:30)
08:38 SS22 Otates (33,61km)
09:56 SS23 San Diego (12,76km)
11:18 SS24 El Brinco Power Stage (9,64km) (norsk tid 18:18)
Eurosport Norge – Rally Mexico på TV i Norge
03:00 fredag 13 mars LIVE fra SS1.
18:00 lørdag 14 mars Høydepunkter fra dag 1
18:30 lørdag 14 mars LIVE fra SS15 (prøven starter kl 18, programmet
forskyves 30 minutter)
00:00 søndag 15 mars LIVE fra SS18
18:10 søndag 15 mars LIVE fra SS24 Power Stage
20-03-10 Tidemand ser fram
emot högtflygande action i Rally Mexico
Säsongspremiären på hemmaplan gav inte bara en pallplats utan
också mersmak. Nu är den värmländska rallyduon Pontus
Tidemand och kartläsaren Patrik Barth på plats i Mexiko för
att återigen göra upp om de åtråvärda placeringarna
i WRC 2-klassen tillsammans med teamet Toksport WRT.
Den färgglada inramningen och de vackra vyerna gör utan tvekan Mexikos
VM-rally till en av årets mest uppskattade tävlingar. Men vid sidan
av det visuella väntar en utmaning som är krävande för
såväl förare som bilar. De höga höjderna, mer än
2700 meter över havet, i kombination med temperaturer uppemot 30 grader
ställer höga krav när det gäller uthållighet och
material.
- När det är 30 grader på utsidan har vi närmare 50 grader
inne i bilen. Den tunna luften stryper också motorerna, som kan tappa
närmare 20 procent av effektiviteten. Man måste köra smart
och rent eftersom det tar längre tid än vanligt att hämta upp
sig från ett misstag, berättar Pontus.
Rally Mexico är säsongens första grustävling och totalt
omfattar eventet 24 tuffa specialsträckor. Basen är belägen
i staden Leon i området Guanajuato, som finns med på UNESCOs världsarvslista,
och helgen inleds med två färgsprakande publiksträckor som
varje år lockar ut stora folkmassor på Guanajuatos gator. Därefter
väntar tre fullspäckade dagar med klassisk mexikansk rallyaction
där de påfrestande långa grusvägarna mixas med intensiva
och publikvänliga sträckor - bland annat körs en sträcka
som inte ens är en kilometer lång, vilket gör det till den
kortaste sträckan i rally-VM:s historia.
Det här blir Pontus tredje Rally Mexico och han kommer till start med
goda minnen från tidigare år – i bagaget finns två
tidigare segrar i WRC 2-klassen från 2017 och 2018.
- Jag är ett stort fan av Rally Mexico, säger Pontus. Det är
en rolig tävling med mycket, och framförallt glada och entusiastiska,
åskådare som triggar upp stämningen. Vägarna är
häftiga och jag gillar upplägget med varierade sträckor och
utmaningen i hur man får ut det bästa ur bilen på så
hög höjd.
Under måndagen genomfördes ett test där Pontus och Patrik
fick en försmak av vad de har att vänta sig de kommande dagarna.
- Bilen funkar lika bra som sist, precis som vårt teamwork både
i och utanför bilen. Vi trivdes otroligt bra med Toksport i Sverige så
det känns som vi har ännu en grym helg framför oss. Även
om vi bara har haft en liten testdag nu, så är vi redo att ge oss
ut och fighta. Vi siktar som vanligt högt och ska göra allt för
att få till ett lyckat resultat, säger en laddad Pontus.
Tidsplan Rally Mexico 2020 (svensk tid -7 timmar)
Torsdag 12 mars
10:01 Shakedown (5,51km)
20:08 SS1 Monster Energy Street Stage GTO 1 (1,12km)
20:31 SS2 Monster Energy Street Stage GTO 2 (1,12km)
Fredag 13 mars
07:45 Rally Campus Service Park
09:08 SS3 El Chocolate 1 (31,45km)
10:16 SS4 Ortega 1 (17,24km)
11:14 SS5 Las Minas 1 (13,69km)
12:12 SS6 Parque Bicentenario (2,71km)
13:52 Rally Campus Service Park
15:35 SS7 El Chocolate 2 (31,45km)
16:43 SS8 Ortega 2 (17,24km)
17:41 SS9 Las Minas 2 (13,69km)
19:21 SSS10 SSS Autodromo Shell V-Power 1 (2,33km)
19:26 SSS11 SSS Autodromo Shell V-Power 2 (2,33km)
20:14 SSS12 Street Stage Leon (0,73km)
Rally Campus Service Park
Lördag 14 mars
07:45 Rally Campus Service Park
08:58 SS13 Guanajuatito 1 (24,96km)
10:01 SS14 Alfaro 1 (16,99km)
11:08 SS15 Derra Madero 1 (21,78km)
13:18 Rally Campus Service Park
14:56 SS16 Guanajuatito 2 (24,96km)
15:59 SS17 Alfaro 2 (16,99km)
17:08 SS18 Derra Madero 2 (21,78km)
18:38 SSS19 SSS Autodromo Shell V-Power 3 (2,33km)
18:43 SSS20 SSS Autodromo Shell V-Power 4 (2,33km)
19:26 SSS21 Rock & Rally Leon (1,62km)
Rally Campus Service Park
Söndag 15 mars
07:30 Rally Campus Service Park
08:38 SS22 Otates (33,61km)
09:56 SS23 San Diego (12,76km)
11:18 SS24 El Brinco – Wolf Power Stage (9,64km)
Rally Campus Service Park
14:00 Podium
20-03-08 Oliver Solberg redo
för utmanande, tufft och coolt Rally Mexico
Ett halvt decennium efter att pappa Petter körde in till en populär
VM-triumf i Mexiko kommer sonen Oliver Solberg att skriva sin egen historia
i Guanajuato nästa vecka.
Tillbaka i den familjeägda Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 har 18-åringen
lyssnat noga på sin fars råd. Även om bilarna, utrustningen
och förarnas namn har ändrats sedan 2005, förblir utmaningarna
i ett av rally-VM mest svårkörda tävling desamma.
- Precis som Monte-Carlo var i början av säsongen är Rally
Mexico en unik utmaning. I Monaco är snö, is och ständigt föränderligt
underlag det svåraste. I Mexiko finns vägar på över
2000 meters höjd, vilket ger mindre motorprestanda i den tunn luft, och
själva vägarna är fulla av stenar, vassa kanter och faror,
säger Oliver Solberg.
- Pappa har rekommenderat ett lite annorlunda sätt att köra. När
man kan tappa upp till 25 procent av motoreffekten på grund av höjden
måste man vara mer exakt i svängarna. Om du får problem i
en sväng är det inte säkert att motorn har tillräckligt
med kraft för att få bilen på rätt köl igen.
- Hur vägarna förändras är också en viktig faktor.
Andra rundan på vissa vägar kan erbjuda extremt hårda förhållanden.
Man måste vara på sin vakt efter stora stenar utgrävda av
bilarna framför. Vi behöver all erfarenhet vi kan få, och
det är oerhört viktigt att vi passerar mållinjen på
söndagen. Det är mitt övergripande mål, säger 18-åringen.
- Jag har aldrig genomfört ett sådant rally tidigare. (Kartläsare)
Aaron Johnston och jag måste arbeta extra noggrant med noterna för
att helt lita på dem under hela rallyt. Att hålla sig borta från
problem är den säkraste vägen till ett bra resultat.
Det kommer att vara Oliver Solbergs första rally på den sydamerikanska
kontinenten, och förväntningarna är höga - särskilt
för de mexikanska fansen.
- Jag har varit i Mexiko flera gånger tidigare med mina föräldrar
när min pappa var aktiv,, men jag minns inte så mycket. Men vi
har bilder av mig som sitter på min fars knä i hans Subaru. Jag
har hört att atmosfären i Rally Mexico är väldigt speciell.
Jag har studerat rallyt noggrant på video, och jag ser fram emot det
första specialsträckan där vi går igenom flera tunnlar.
- Jag hoppas att de mexikanska fansen fortfarande kommer ihåg Solberg-namnet
och ger mig lite stöd på vägen.
I Rally Mexico får Oliver också chansen att träffa sin barndoms-idol
Ken Block, som också sponsras av energidryckstillverkaren Monster Energy.
- Jag ser fram emot att fa tävla mot Ken. Han är en riktigt cool
kille. Det var roligt att han bjöd in mig i filmprojektet Gymkhana 10,
och för Monster Energy är det fantastiskt att vi båda kör
i Mexiko. Liksom alla andra kan jag inte vänta med att se hans Escort
Cossie.
Rally Mexico:
Torsdag 12 mars
Shakedown - (5,51 km) 10:01
SS1 Monster Energy Street Stage GTO 1 (1.12km) 20:08
SS2 Monster Energy Street Stage GTO 2 (1.12 km) 20:31
Fredag ??13 mars
Service Leon 07:45
SS3 El Chocolate 1 1 (31.45km) 09:08
SS4 Ortega1 (17.24 km) 10:16
SS5 Las Minas 1 (13,69 km) 11:14
SS6 Parque Bicentenario (2,71 km) 12:12
Service León 13:52
SS7 El Chocolate 2 (31.45km) 15:35
SS8 Ortega 2 (17.24 km) 16:43
SS9 Las Minas 2 (13,69 km) 17:41
SS10 SSS Autodromo Shell V-Power 1 (2.33 km) 19:21
SS11 SSS Autodromo Shell V-Power 2 (2.33 km) 19:26
SS12 Street Stage León 90,73km) 20:14
Service León 20:44
Lördag 14 mars
Service Leon 07:45
SS13 Guanajuatito 1 (24,96 km) 08:58
SS14 Alfaro 1 (16.99 km) 10:01
SS15 Derramadero 1 (21,78 km) 11:08
Service León 13:18
SS16 Guanajuatito 2 (24,96 km) 14:56
SS17 Alfaro 2 (16,99 km) 15:59
SS18 Derramadero 2 (21,78 km) 17:08
SS19 SSS Autodromo Shell V-Power 3 (2.33 km) 18:38
SS20 SSS Autodromo Shell V-Power 4 (2.33 km) 18:43
SS21 Rock & Roll León (1,62 km) 19:26
Service León 19:56
Söndag 15 mars
Service Leon 07:30
SS22 Otates (33.61km) 08:38
SS23 San Diego (12,76 km) 09:56
SS24 El Brinco - Wolf Power Stage (9.64 km) 11:18
Mål Leon-service 12:38
Rally Översikt:
Rally Mexiko
12-15 mars
Bas: Leon
Yta: Grus
Total längd: 324,85 km (201,86 miles)
Webbplats:
https://www.rallymexico.com
20-02-25 Tidemand till start
i Rally Mexico
Efter framgångarna i Rally Sweden låter inte fortsättningen
vänta på sig för Pontus Tidemand och kartläsaren Patrik
Barth. Nu står det klart att de och teamet Toksport World Rally Team
redan om några veckor är tillbaka i rally-VM, då i Rally
Mexico.
- Teamet var väldigt nöjda med vår insats i Sverige så
nästa tävling kom snabbt upp på bordet, berättar Pontus.
Jag och Patrik fick verkligen blodad tand i Rally Sweden när allt flöt
på så bra och vi var sugna på mer direkt. Toksport är
väldigt professionella och samarbetet funkade jättebra så
vi är både glada och tacksamma att vi snart är på väg
över Atlanten för uppföljningen.
Pontus har tävlat i Rally Mexico två gånger tidigare, 2017
och 2018, och båda gångerna har han slutat som segrare i WRC 2-klassen
med sin SKODA Fabia R5. Nu hoppas han att kunna upprepa succén.
- Rally Mexico är en häftig tävling från start till mål
och värmen och den tunna luften uppe i bergen där vi kör gör
det till ett krävande rally, men jag tror och hoppas att det kan passa
oss bra i år också. Vi fick en bra start på säsongen
så nu behåller vi den känslan och fortsätter på
samma positiva spår. Jag ser fram emot det här och att få
tagga igång igen innan overallen kallnar, säger Pontus.
Rally Mexico avgörs mellan den 12 och 15 mars.
20-01-27 Solberg drives ŠKODA
Motorsport-supported FABIA Rally2 evo in WRC
•Oliver to drive selected WRC 3 rounds in ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo
•18-year-old working in co-operation with ŠKODA Motorsport
•The 2020 programme will start at Rally Sweden on February 13
•Oliver: “This is a fantastic opportunity and huge honour for me
Eighteen-year-old rally star Oliver Solberg will drive a ŠKODA Motorsport-supported
ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo (formerly known as ŠKODA FABIA R5 evo before
the R5 category was renamed into Rally2 by the International Automobile Federation
FIA) on selected rounds of this year’s WRC3 series, starting at next
month’s Rally Sweden.
Oliver, who became the youngest ever winner of an FIA European Rally Championship
round last season, tested the FABIA for the first time earlier this month.
The ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo will be run in cooperation with ŠKODA
Motorsport.
Oliver said: “ŠKODA has such an amazing history in the sport of
rallying. Look back all the time and you see them there. From before I was
born ŠKODA has been building World Rally Cars and more recently the FABIA
R5 has been right at the front and winning in the WRC and all around the world
for so many years.
“It’s a fantastic honour and a really huge honour for me to drive
with the support of ŠKODA. I went to the ŠKODA Motorsport headquarters
in Mladá Boleslav already and, wow, what a cool place that is. It was
so impressive.”
Oliver was equally impressed with the ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo when he
got behind the wheel.
“It’s not so difficult to see how this car is so successful,”
he said. “I heard they sold already 330 FABIA rally cars around the world
and I can say I agree with the decision those customers made! It’s a
great car with really nice balance, grip and power.”
Before his Rally Sweden debut aboard a ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo, Oliver
drove his Monster Energy-backed Volkswagen Polo Rally2 at the season-opening
Rallye Monte Carlo (January 23-26).
“We still drive the Polo on some rounds,” said Oliver, who made
his WRC debut at October’s Wales Rally GB. “The main thing for me
now is to try to make experience on as many WRC rounds as possible this year.
“Everybody talks about how much experience you need and how important
it is – I saw that for myself in Wales last year. These WRC rounds are
tougher and longer than anything me and Aaron [Johnston, co-driver] have done
before. But I’ve got to tell you, this year is like a dream for me. Driving
in the world championship is all I ever wanted to do. OK being world champion
is also something I’m still dreaming to, and with ŠKODA Motorsport’s
support I’m really on the right road.”
Oliver’s co-driver Aaron Johnston is equally keen to get aboard the ŠKODA
FABIA Rally2 evo.
“This is such a fantastic opportunity for us. To be supported by ŠKODA
Motorsport, who have brought along many young talents over the years, is very
special and I’m so proud to be part of this experience.”
Further details of Oliver and Aaron’s full program aboard the ŠKODA
Motorsport-supported ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo will be available soon.
20-01-26 WRC2 win for Østberg
in season opener Rallye Monte Carlo
The 88th Rallye Monte-Carlo lived up to the winter classic's reputation and
proved complex on both the sporting and technical fronts due to the week's
changeable, unpredictable weather conditions.
Mads Østberg and his co-driver Torstein Eriksen got to a perfect start
for their 2020 title chances with victory in the R5 manufacturer class, WRC2.
Mads' confidence behind the wheel of his PH Sport-run C3R5 helped him post
six stage wins, as well as the second-best RC2 time on the Power Stage, where
he took the time for a donut before the finish line to celebrate with the
fans.
QUOTE, UNQUOTE
Mads Østberg (1st, WRC2 / 10th overall):
"We are very pleased with our performance this week, although we were
unlucky on Friday when we dropped around 2m40s due to a damaged wheel rim.
Our car was competitive from the start and we set some great stagetimes that
led us to the WRC2 win. It was great to see an all-Citroën top five,
and all the hard work put in last year means we should be able to target other
victories this season."
20-01-26 Neuville seals revenge
win at Rallye Monte-Carlo
Belgian driver makes up for narrowly missing out in 2019. Thierry Neuville
delivered a stunning final day drive to score his first Rallye Monte-Carlo
victory on Sunday – 12 months after missing out in the event’s closest-ever
finish.
The Belgian won all four final-leg speed tests in the mountains above Monaco
to charge from third, sealing a perfect weekend with maximum bonus points
after winning the closing Wolf Power Stage by 0.016sec.
Last year Neuville was pipped by 2.2sec by French hero Sébastien Ogier.
Revenge was sweet this time as the Hyundai i20 driver demoted Ogier and overnight
leader Elfyn Evans to win the four-day opening round of the FIA World Rally
Championship by 12.6sec.
Ogier overhauled Toyota Yaris team-mate Evans in the final speed test to finish
1.7sec ahead in second. Both drivers were making their Toyota Gazoo Racing
debuts.
“The target was to win this rally and take revenge and it feels good
right now,” said Neuville. “It’s something we’ve been
fighting for for a very long time. Rallye Monte-Carlo is one of the most historic
events that every WRC driver wants to win at least once, and we’ve done
it.”
He led after Thursday night’s opening leg, but could only watch as Evans
and Ogier traded the lead several times over the next two days. Neuville was
not to be beaten, however, and he ended with nine fastest times from 16 special
stages.
Ogier missed out on a seventh consecutive Monte win, but the Frenchman was
satisfied with a podium start to his Toyota career. Evans failed to find the
same pace which had taken him to the top of the standings ahead of Sunday’s
finale.
Esapekka Lappi finished fourth in a Ford Fiesta, securing a record-breaking
250th consecutive points finish for M-Sport Ford. The Finn was almost three
minutes adrift of Evans and more than a minute clear of Toyota debutant Kalle
Rovanperä in fifth, a career-best result for the teenager.
Both moved ahead of Sébastien Loeb, who ended sixth after sliding off
the road and dropping further time when a poor tyre choice left him driving
with badly worn rubber.
The series moves to Sweden for round two as Torsby hosts the snow and ice
encounter on February 13-16.
Final positions
1. T Neuville / N Gilsoul BEL Hyundai i20 3hr 10min 57.6sec
2. S Ogier / J Ingrassia FRA Toyota Yaris +12.6sec
3. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota Yaris +14.3sec
4. E Lappi / J Ferm FIN Ford Fiesta +3min 09.0sec
5. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota Yaris +4min 17.2sec
6. S Loeb / D Elena FRA Hyundai i20 +5min 04.7sec
FIA World Rally Championship (after round 1 of 13)
1. T Neuville 30pts
2. S Ogier 22pts
3. E Evans 17pts
20-01-26 Solberg delivers on
his Monte Carlo Rally plan
•Monster Energy driver Oliver Solberg impresses on his Monte debut
•18-year-old takes experience from measured approach to the season-opener
•That measured approach is still good enough for some top R5 times though…
•“Driving over the Col de Turini… now that was amazing!”
What happened?
For this week’s Rallye Monte-Carlo the emphasis was very much on Oliver
gaining experience of his first ever Tarmac rally and only his second ever
round of the FIA World Rally Championship (following his debut at last year’s
Wales Rally GB).
Taking safe tyre options throughout the event, Oliver and co-driver Aaron
Johnston took a sensible line through some of the world’s toughest stages
in ever-changing conditions to pick up knowledge and experience for the coming
years.
Even at that safe speed, they were able to post hugely impressive times, with
a third fastest of all R5 class cars on the second run at the Cubans –
Venterol test. The only incident for Oliver was when he clipped a kerb with
the left-rear of his Monster Energy-backed Volkswagen Polo R5.
The highlight of the event came for Oliver when he drove the Monte’s
most famous stage, the Col de Turini.
What did Oliver say?
“Everything everybody told me about the Monte was true. It is so difficult
rally. So difficult!
“Everything we did on this event was new. I never competed on Tarmac
before, everything we had done in the previous years had been getting ready
for gravel rallies – which are the ones we will be doing most. We had
a test before this event, but when we came to these conditions it was just
incredible.
“Everybody said we would be on the wrong tyre for a lot of the time and
this was exactly how it was. We were on the ice tyre for a long time on Saturday
morning, doing these huge slides as the studs have no grip on the dry asphalt.
All the time I was thinking: “Is this right?” And then you come
to the full ice and snow and the tyre is perfect. Then you think: “Yes!
This is right!”
“It was a real compromise of everything, but you have to come here to
learn that and if you go to the ditch on the first day then you learn nothing.
Sometimes I was maybe wanting to push a little bit harder, but I knew there
was too much at risk.
“Even when I hit the kerb, I learned so much. It was literally at walking
speed. I used the handbrake to rotate the car, but on the ice it slid too
far. The wheel hit the kerb at a really low speed, but just at the wrong angle.
We broke a bolt in the suspension and had to stop and make the repair ourselves.
This doesn’t matter. I always said I wasn’t coming here for the
race, I was coming here to learn and I learned so much!
“The problem is, I can’t wait another 12 months to come back –
I want to go and do it all again now.”
Monster Energy moment of the rally?
“Definitely driving over the Col de Turini. Like every rally fan, for
my whole life I watched cars coming over this incredible mountain road and
to be there, to drive through that atmosphere with so many fans was just unbelievable.
I’ll never forget this.”
What’s next?
Rally Sweden and Oilver’s home round of the World Rally Championship.
Solberg Jr is excited every time he steps aboard a rally car, but this one
will be special for lots of reasons. Stay tuned…
Rally detail
Rallye Monte-Carlo
January 23-26
Based: Monaco/Gap
Surface: asphalt/snow/ice
Competitive distance: 304.28km (189.07 miles)
Total distance: 1505.64km (935.60 miles)
Website: www.acm.mc/en/edition/rallye-monte-carlo-edition-2020/
Oliver Solberg in numbers:
Rallies started: 33
Rallies won: 8
WRC rounds started: 2
WRC debut: Wales Rally GB (2019)
Number of titles won: 9*
20-01-25 Elfyn Evans holds
advantage in Monte-Carlo thriller
Welshman grabs narrow lead over Toyota team-mate Ogier. Elfyn Evans finished
Saturday’s penultimate leg of Rallye Monte-Carlo with a narrow lead after
a gripping see-saw battle with team-mate Sébastien Ogier in the French
Alps.
The Toyota Yaris debutants swapped the lead on three occasions before Evans
ended with a 4.9sec advantage over Ogier, with Thierry Neuville hot on their
heels in his Hyundai i20.
Neuville won three of the day’s four speed tests and is only 1.5sec further
back, leaving this opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship poised
on a knife-edge ahead of tomorrow’s closing leg in the mountains above
Monaco.
Studded winter tyres were essential for this morning’s two special stages
which contained lengthy sections of snow and ice. Overnight leader Ogier stretched
his advantage in the first, before Evans struck back to lead at the mid-leg
service.
Rising temperatures ensured drier afternoon conditions when the two stages
were repeated. The pair were tied after the first, with Ogier ahead on a tiebreak,
before Evans fought back to snatch the lead for the third time in the rally.
The Welshman admitted he had a close escape after flirting with a ditch in
the final stage.
“On the last corner of ice on the stage I decided to be a little optimistic
with the throttle and off she went. I definitely used my lucky card for the
weekend - it was a good job there was nothing in the ditch,” he said.
Ogier admitted a safety-first approach cost the lead. “I was a bit cautious
in the last stage and I lost too much, but the gap is still very close and
it’s a simple reset for tomorrow. We still have the chance to win,”
he said.
Neuville was happier with the last-minute information provided by his safety
note crew, which drives the stages a couple of hours before competitors to
provide condition updates.
“We’re still in the fight for the win which is positive and we’re
pleased with the performance today. We’ve had improvements in the corrections
to our ice notes and that provided us with more confidence during the day,”
said the Belgian.
Sébastien Loeb was fourth in another i20, more than two minutes further
back, after swiping a bank this morning and spinning this afternoon. His errors
allowed Esapekka Lappi to close to within 14.1sec in his Ford Fiesta.
Kalle Rovanperä was an untroubled sixth in another Yaris, ahead of Takamoto
Katsuta who
spun this morning. WRC 3 leader Eric Camilli was eighth, ahead of WRC 2 frontrunner
Mads Østberg and Nicolas Ciamin.
Sunday’s finale is based in the Alpes-Maritimes mountains above Monaco.
It features two passes of two stages, covering 63.54km, and includes the legendary
crossing of the Col Turini. The afternoon finish takes place against the backdrop
of Monaco’s famous harbour.
Leading positions after Saturday
1. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota Yaris 2hr 28min 35.1sec
2. S Ogier / J Ingrassia FRAToyota Yaris +4.9sec
3. T Neuville / N Gilsoul BEL Hyundai i20 +6.4sec
4. S Loeb / D Elena FRA Hyundai i20 +2min 24.3sec
5. E Lappi / J Ferm FIN Ford Fiesta +2min 38.4sec
20-01-25 Ogier snatches Monte-Carlo
lead as champion Tänak crashes badly
Estonian has lucky escape as French legend excels in Toyota debut. Rallye
Monte-Carlo master Sébastien Ogier moved into position for a seventh
consecutive victory after snatching a slender lead in the 2020 FIA World Rally
Championship’s season-opener on Friday night.
The Frenchman, making his Toyota Yaris debut, ended the first full day’s
competition with a 1.2sec advantage over Elfyn Evans after demoting his team-mate
in the final kilometres. Thierry Neuville was hot on their heels, a further
5.2sec behind.
The main talking point was a massive crash for world champion Ott Tänak
on his first drive in a Hyundai i20.
The Estonian’s car flew off the road after a compression in this morning’s
Saint-Clément – Freissinières speed test. The car rolled
multiple times before coming to rest on a road more than 100 metres down the
hillside.
Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja climbed out of the badly-damaged
car on their own before being taken to hospital, where they will remain overnight
for observation.
"Our priority in such situations is always the condition of the crew
first and foremost," said Hyundai Motorsport team principal Andrea Adamo.
"It is customary after such incidents for hospital check-ups, the results
of which were clear."
The Toyota duo dominated the day. Evans, also making his Yaris debut, won
all three morning tests, where icy patches were a constant hazard, to relegate
overnight leader Neuville and open a 3.3sec margin over Ogier.
Ogier turned the tables this afternoon. On drier roads, he won two stages
to edge ahead.
"This morning I was a little bit cautious and was also having cautious
information from my gravel crew," he said. "This afternoon we made
some changes to the set-up and had a talk with our gravel crew and we were
feeling more comfortable."
Evans admitted to a wary approach this afternoon as mud was dragged onto the
road by the cars ahead.
Neuville won the final stage, but was frustrated to drop down the order. He
was forced to call-up non competing team-mate Dani Sordo to drive his safety
note car after regular pilot Bruno Thiry fell ill.
Sébastien Loeb was a lonely fourth in another i20. The nine-time world
champion was 47.5sec adrift of Neuville and 48.3sec clear of Esapekka Lappi,
who struggled with his Fiesta on his M-Sport Ford debut. The Finn also lost
time after sliding into a field.
Saturday brings two loops of two well-known tests near Gap, totalling 75.20km.
Teams then have their final chance to work on their cars before competitors
make the long journey south to Monaco for the final overnight halt.
Leading positions after Friday
1. S Ogier / J Ingrassia FRA Toyota Yaris 1hr 43min 31.5sec
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota Yaris +1.2sec
3. T Neuville / N Gilsoul BEL Hyundai i20 +6.4sec
4. S Loeb / D Elena FRA Hyundai i20 +1min 06.9sec
5. E Lappi / J Ferm FIN Ford Fiesta +1min 57.2sec
6. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota Yaris +2min 19.2sec
20-01-24 Thierry Neuville fires
early warning to lead Rallye Monte-Carlo
Belgian rockets into the lead ahead of Ogier and Tänak at season opener.
A sensational time through Thursday night’s second speed test rocketed
Thierry Neuville into the lead of Rallye Monte-Carlo after the opening loop
of stages in the French Alps.
The Hyundai i20 driver headed Sébastien Ogier’s Toyota Yaris by
19.1sec when the cars returned to service in Gap after the brace of night
time alpine tests.
Seven-time Monte winner Ogier led after the opener, but not even the Frenchman
could contain his rival’s speed through the 25.49km Bayons - Bréziers
stage which followed.
Since the recce, all eyes had been on that second stage, with reports of plenty
of ice remaining from last weekend’s snowfall. Universally, the drivers
talked of the risk and reward of a big attack and it was the Belgian who was
bravest.
He was rewarded with an astonishing time that was 25.5sec faster than anybody
else. Neuville was calm and collected at the finish, saying: “They were
tricky conditions. I was trying to read the road as well as I could and not
take risks. I think we have done a good time.”
Like Ogier and his world champion team-mate Ott Tänak, Neuville opted
for a mixture of soft and super soft Michelin tyres, shunning the studded
option. Leading after the opening stage, a test Ogier described as ‘one
of the easiest of the weekend’ courtesy of bone dry conditions, was the
perfect start to his season as a Toyota driver.
Tänak was wide-eyed at the end of SS2, admitting: “I’m happy
to be alive! That was more of a challenge than I expected.”
The Estonian is just three-tenths of a second ahead of Toyota Yaris newcomer
Elfyn Evans. The Welshman was the fastest of the drivers to take a studded
option in the second stage.
“The tyres helped us in some places,” he said, “but they hampered
us a lot as well.”
Evans’ mood was lifted by news that he was 25.6sec ahead of the Rallye
Monte-Carlo’s joint most successful driver, seven-time winner Sébastien
Loeb in an i20. Loeb admitted the road was getting dirty in stage one, with
plenty of leaves making the line more slippery.
Those leaves caused major issues for M-Sport Ford’s Fiestas. The discarded
foliage gathered in the radiators and air intakes, choking the engine of air
and sending temperatures soaring on all three works cars of Esapekka Lappi,
Teemu Suninen and Gus Greensmith.
Worse was to come when Suninen retired with a transmission problem in the
next test.
Friday brings the most intense leg with more than a third of the event’s
total competitive distance tackled in three repeated tests south-east and
east of the town. They add up to 122.58km.
Positions after leg 1:
1. T Neuville / N Gilsoul BEL Hyundai i20 26min 23.5sec
2. S Ogier / J Ingrassia FRA Toyota Yaris +19.1sec
3. O Tänak / M Jarveoja EST Hyundai i20 +25.1sec
4. E Evans / S Martin Toyota Yaris 26m +25.4sec
5. S Loeb / D Elena FRA Hyundai i20 +51.0sec
6. E Lappi / J Ferm FIN Ford Fiesta +1min 07.8sec
20-01-21 INTERVIEW: "We
will fight hard to win" - Ogier excited for Toyota drive
Frenchman opens up on Toyota switch and hopes of winning the WRC title back.
Sébastien Ogier's incredible run of six FIA World Rally Championship
titles came to an end last season when Estonian Ott Tänak claimed a maiden
triumph, however the Frenchman believes he can win a seventh after his switch
from Citroën to Toyota to cap a fine WRC career.
The Japanese team has a rich history in rally driving with 2020 Dakar Rally
champion Carlos Sainz, Finnish great Juha Kankkunen and Frenchman Didier Auriol
all winning titles driving the Celica, while they also have four constructors'
titles.
After testing the latest Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT contender, the 36-year-old
explained what he feels the Yaris car can produce from Monte Carlo onwards
this week as he looks to win the title with a third different constructor
before he finishes his WRC career.
Here is what the Gap native had to say:
Toyota has a rich WRC history with iconic cars and drivers, so what is it
like to be part of that story?
It's definitely something special to be competing for Toyota with what they
have achieved in the past and, of course, Juha. Toyota is such an iconic brand
and we definitely hope to write some history together. On top of that, it's
even more special for me personally because when I first started following
rally I was rooting for Tommi (team principal Mäkinen) so it's actually
a dream come true to be able to work with him now.
What are your first impressions of the Yaris WRC?
The car feels really good. We just had our last test before the season starts
and I have a good feeling heading into the first event. Obviously, we don't
know where we are compared to the other teams before the first couple of stages
at Rally Monte Carlo but I’m confident.
It has been a while since you started the year without the championship, so
how have you prepared mentally for 2020?
To be honest, I've been preparing in the same way as before. Nothing has changed
really, but we will obviously fight hard to win the championship back.
Have you and Julien (navigator Ingrassia) changed your approach for this season?
As I say, nothing has changed for us. We are still the same as before and,
if anything, the fact that we didn't win last year has just given us even
more hunger to succeed.
What is it like being reunited with Elfyn Evans as a team-mate?
I know Elfyn from my time at M-Sport and I'm very happy to have him in the
team. He is a really good driver and can give a lot of feedback to the team
about the car and therefore push the development as well.
20-01-17 Oliver looks to load
the odds in his favour in Monte Carlo
Oliver starts his World Rally Championship with a classic, the
Monte
18-year-old can’t wait to take on the mountains in world’s most
famous rally
Exciting year ahead for Monster Energy’s history-making youngster
Experience is everything for the family-run team in a Volkswagen Polo R5
The challenge:
Rallye Monte-Carlo is the oldest rally in the world. Naturally, things have
changed a fair bit since it ran for the first time in 1911, but the concept’s
still pretty similar: it’s about a bunch of cars driving through the
French Alps, trying to work out who’s fastest.
Monster Energy-backed 18-year-old Oliver Solberg is taking to the hills high
above the French Riviera for the first time next week.
Starting from Monaco’s world-famous Casino Square on Thursday (January
23) afternoon, the crews waste no time in getting to some of the season’s
most complicated and challenging stages. The itinerary dictates the photographs
and adulation of the principality will be followed by the 17.47-kilometre
test from Malijal to Puimichel.
Two nighttime stages take Oliver and his co-driver Aaron Johnston back north
to the service park in Gap, where the next two days are based. After Friday
and Saturday in the Hautes-Alpes, it’s another trip south to the harbourside
in Monte Carlo. Sunday’s final day comprises two stages run twice, one
of which is arguably the most famous test in the history of the series. The
road from La Bolléne-Vésubie to Piera Cava might not be instantly
recogniseable, but the name of the mountain pass over which that road passes
mostly certainly is. It’s the Col de Turini.
The switchback Alpine stages are just part of the challenge of Rallye Monte-Carlo.
The other part comes in the shape of ever-changing weather and meteorological
microclimates which deliver widely differing grip levels from one corner to
the next.
Driving a Volkswagen Polo R5 run by his family’s team, Oliver will experience
dry and wet asphalt, ice, snow, slush and just about everything in between
this week. And, what’s more, because of the compromised tyre choice,
he can just about guarantee he’ll be on the wrong tyre much of the time.
Get through and an appointment with Prince Albert II awaits you outside his
Palace on a Sunday afternoon. Get through faster than anybody else and you
become a member of an exclusive and distinguished band of motorsport heroes.
You become a Monte Carlo winner.
Oliver’s answers:
Rallye Monte-Carlo’s waiting. How do you feel?
OS: It’s so exciting. I know I have been excited a lot by things in the
last 12 months – competing in a Subaru in the same colours as my father
in America, making my debut in the WRC with him in Wales, becoming the youngest
driver ever to win a round of the FIA European Rally Championship – but
this is reallyspecial. It’s Monte Carlo!
How much do you know about the event?
OS: I know it’s tough. One of the toughest. My Dad has told me a lot
of stories about how difficult the rally will be. Because of the way rallies
run, we have to choose our tyres for a loop of stages really early. Really
early in the morning, we’ll be deciding on the tyres we’re still
going to be using at lunchtime – you have to try to understand what the
weather’s going to do.
It’s a gamble?
OS: It’s a big gamble – starting in the casino!
How was your test?
OS: Good. We drove near to Sisteron, where we were able to find some snow
and ice. It’s so important to test in a place like this; it’s really
important for me to get the feeling of what the car’s going to be doing
when it’s on the wrong tyres. In a test like this, it’s a lot about
preparing for the worst kind of situation. We did that.
What’s the key to Rallye Monte-Carlo?
OS: You’re asking me? Honestly, I don’t know for myself. I will
find out next week. I think the biggest thing is to be comfortable in the
car and to be able to find confidence. If you have those two things then you
can deal a little bit more easily with what’s coming. If you go to this
rally with a racing car set-up, ready to push hard then it’s easy to
have some trouble.
What’s your approach?
OS: To take experience. This rally is so specific – we get one chance
each season to come to Rallye Monte-Carlo and to build up some ideas and some
knowledge of what the roads can be like and how the pacenotes work. This is
the priority for me. I’m really not so worried about the times or the
speed or anything like that, I just want to get to the end of the stages and
keep building my experience.
You’re not competing in WRC 2 or WRC 3 in Monte Carlo, what’s the
reason for that?
OS: I know this rally is going to be complicated. I never did anything like
this before. Even if the roads are all dry, I still have done virtually nothing
really on Tarmac. OK, we have some snow at home, but we have nothing like
the Monte stages. For this time, I don’t want any pressure or anything,
I want to go to this rally, enjoy it and make the experience.
Finally, you lived in Monaco for a while – do you remember much about
that time?
OS: I do. It was a really cool place to live and the sun was always shining.
The only problem with Monaco is that there wasn’t really enough space.
When we moved back to the farm in Sweden, I could get out and about on the
quadbikes and snowmobiles – there wasn’t much chance of doing that
in Casino Square!
Rally detail
Rallye Monte-Carlo
January 23-26
Based: Monaco/Gap
Surface: asphalt/snow/ice
Competitive distance: 304.28km (189.07 miles)
Total distance: 1505.64km (935.60 miles)
Website:
www.acm.mc/en/edition/rallye-monte-carlo-edition-2020/
Oliver Solberg in numbers:
Rallies started: 32
Rallies won: 8
WRC rounds started: 1
WRC debut: Wales Rally GB (2019)
Number of titles won: 9*
Want to know more?
Check the Words PR archive for chapter, verse and pictures of Oliver’s
career to date.
Make a date
Oliver will be available in the service park, Gap on Wednesday January 22
(2045-2100) for any questions.
*Oliver’s first championship was the Norwegian Crosskart title in 2012,
aged 11. He defended that win successfully and added a hat-trick of Nordic
Crosskart crowns in 2014, 15 and 16. Two years later he’d switched to
cars and harnessed the 600bhp on offer from a DS 3 Supercar to be crowned
RallyX Nordic champ. The success kept on coming as he progressed into rallying
with a hat-trick of titles (Latvian Rally champion, Baltic Rally Trophy and
an Estonian class title) aboard the Volkswagen Polo R5 last season.
20-01-14 Ole Christian Veiby
skal kjøre for Hyundai Motorsport i 2020
Ole Christian Veiby har fått fabrikks-kontrakt med Hyundai Motorsport
og skal konkurrere i WRC2-klassen i en Hyundai i20 R5 i 2020. – Jeg er
ganske stolt over at Hyundai Motorsport, som ble verdensmestere i rally i
2019, velger å satse på meg for neste år, sier Ole Christian.
Kongsvinger-gutten, som er regjerende norgesmester i rally, skal kjøre
en Hyundai i20 R5 ‘20 med kartleser Jonas Andersson på minst 8
VM-runder i 2020. Team-kollega blir Nikolay Gryazin. R5-satsingen til Hyundai
Motorsport vil driftes av RedGrey Team fra Estland i nært samarbeid
med Hyundai Motorsport og de vil konkurrere for Hyundai Motorsport N, i WRC2-klassen,
som er det nye navnet på WRC2pro-klassen. Det som tidligere var WRC2-klassen,
har nå byttet navn til WRC3.
Ole Christian Veiby sier:
«Det er en ubeskrivelig god følelse, og jeg gleder meg til å
kjøre for Hyundai Motorsport neste år. Jeg er ganske sikker på
at vi kommer til å bli ett sterkt team. Jeg håper også at
erfaringen jeg har fra andre R5-biler kommer godt med i videreutvikling av
bilen. Jeg har jo fått konkurrert med i20’en ved ett par anledninger
allerede, så jeg føler jeg kan sette ett hårete mål
for sesongen, det er vel bare totalseier som gjelder!»
23-åringen har i 2019 sesongen konkurrert både i Rally-VM og Rally-NM,
og kan skilte med en imponerende tredjeplass fra det legendariske Rallye Monte
Carlo og seier i Sverige. Han vant også 4 av 5 kjørte NM-runder
og ble dermed årets norgesmester i Rally.
Roy Snellingen, sportssjef i EVEN management sier:
«Vi i EVEN management er meget godt fornøyd med at Ole Christian
og Jonas får denne muligheten i et knalltøft førermarked.
Vi har med dette en solid sportslig pakke med mye kjøring som må
til for å utvikle gutta ytterligere. Vi er allerede godt i gang med
å planlegge neste sesong og det gjelder nå og utnytte erfaringen
gutta har, maksimere alle nye muligheter og jobbe systematisk hard med et
smil.»
Første løp på agendaen er klassikeren Rallye Monte-Carlo
som kjøres på snø og is i de franske alpene 23 –
26 januar 2020. Her er både Ole Christian Veiby og Mads Østberg
påmeldt i WRC2-klassen, og vi finner også Oliver Solberg på
start-listen i en R5-bil.
.