Information in other languages

[PLuto]

PBRC: New national four-wheel-drive series to run alongside British Rally Championship

Organisers of the MSA British Rally Championship are delighted to announce the introduction of brand new series for 2012: the Production BRC (PBRC), which has been created exclusively for four-wheel-drive production cars

With the announcement made at the start of 2011 that the BRC will only feature R1, R2 and R3 class two-wheel-drive cars next year, an opportunity has arisen to create a high-profile, professionally organised, UK-wide series that caters solely for four-wheel-drive cars.

The new series will follow all six rounds of the British Championship – four gravel and two asphalt- with the rallies running under a National B permit, which will allow recce to take place on asphalt events, but not gravel.

The rallies will be approximately 25% shorter than the International events which make up the British Championship, with distances estimated at 65-70 competitive miles for forest rallies and 100-110 for asphalt. Although the 2WD cars will run at the front of the field, it is planned that the final loop of stages on the international event will be omitted from that of the national rally and therefore, PBRC competitors will cross the finish line first.

In addition to All homologated R4, N4 and Super 2000 cars, organisers are proposing to allow cars vehicles that were previously homologated in N4 during the past 10 years and are currently looking at ways in which the older machinery can be fairly and economically upgraded in order to compete on a level playing field with the newer and faster variants. World Rally Cars will not be permitted to enter however.

Organisers anticipate that, by virtue of the series following the BRC, many of the advantages and promotional benefits will carry over to the PBRC, such as: offering classic and , well-managed events featuring some of the best special stages in the British Isles, spectator friendly town centre starts; PR and publicity campaigns; well organised service areas and a dedicated series website. Television coverage is also being planned.

“We made the decision to go to a two-wheel-drive only British Championship in 2012 for a number of very good reasons. However, we are aware that some competitors using four-wheel-drive machinery want to compete in a high-profile, well-managed national series that offers more stage mileage than is currently available elsewhere, but without the commitment of doing full international rallies”, said BRC Manager Mark Taylor. “After carrying out extensive market research, we believe that the PBRC ticks all of the boxes and will provide competitors with eligible four-wheel-drive cars with exactly what they are looking for, at a cost that represents excellent value for money.”

Regulations will be available in November, subject to approval by the MSA. For further information, contact the British Rally Championship Office: +44 (0) 1244 303150, info@rallybrc.co.uk

2012 PBRC Calendar (subject to MSA approval)
25 February: Rallye Sunseeker – Bournemouth/Poole, Dorest (Gravel)
31 March: Bulldog Rally North Wales – Welshpool, Wales (Gravel)
28 April: Pirelli Rally - Carlisle, Cumbria (Gravel)
1/2 June: Jim Clark Rally - Duns, Scottish Borders (Asphalt)
17/18 August: Todds Leap Ulster Rally – Antrim, Northern Ireland (Asphalt)
29 September: Rally Yorkshire – Scarborough, Yorkshire (Gravel)

Eligible vehicles
Homologated Group N4, Group R4 and Super 2000 cars or
Subaru Impreza N9 and Mitsubishi Evolution VII onwards, featuring restrictions that will include a weight limit of 1320kgs, the use of standard transmission/differential casings and a 34 mm turbo restrictor. Full details will be defined by technical regulations due for publication in November 2011.

[PLuto]

Peugeot Sport Portugal abandona os Ralis

A Peugeot Portugal decidiu abandonar a competição automóvel a partir desta época. A situação de crise que o sector automóvel atravessa, num mercado que se estima ***** o pior dos últimos 25 anos, e com perspectivas ainda mais negativas para 2012, não permitirá à Peugeot Portugal dispor dos meios necessários para manter a presença no desporto automóvel, como fez nos últimos 16 anos.

Esta é uma decisão que lamentamos, por aquilo que a Peugeot Portugal representou para o desporto nacional. A Peugeot orgulha-se de ter sido a marca que mais lutou para elevar a modalidade dos Ralis ao patamar que ela merece, e de ter criado as condições para a descoberta de novos valores do automobilismo português. Foi, desde 1996, a única marca presente a nível oficial, e de forma ininterrupta, na disciplina dos ralis em Portugal.

Em 16 anos de competição, a Peugeot Sport Portugal participou em 148 ralis, conseguiu 55 vitórias e subiu 91 vezes ao pódio. Conquistou 7 títulos de Pilotos e 6 de Marcas em 12 épocas no campeonato nacional, além de ter sido a única formação portuguesa a sagrar-se vice campeã no Campeonato Europeu de Ralis.

A Peugeot Portugal expressa o maior reconhecimento a Carlos Barros e à sua equipa, a todos os pilotos e co-pilotos que estiveram connosco, aos patrocinadores e a todos os fãs que nos acompanharam ao longo destes 16 anos.

[PLuto]

Poděkování Bruna Magalhaese Peugeotu

Caros amigos e fãs.

Infelizmente a Peugeot Portugal decidiu hoje colocar um ponto final no seu envolvimento no desporto automóvel, depois de 16 anos de actividade.
Como calculam, é uma noticia bastante triste para todos os envolvidos neste projecto e para os amantes da modalidade. Nesta hora dificil, não posso esquecer que foi ao serviço desta marca que ganhei todos os títulos da minha carreira e... que obtive todas as minhas vitórias em Ralis. Assim, apenas posso dizer que levo a marca no meu coração e não posso deixar de agradecer a quem muito me deu.
Obrigado a todos os que colaboraram de forma directa ou indirecta neste projecto, a quem soube fazer criticas construtivas e imparciais que me permitiram evoluir e ganhar campeonatos. Nesta hora díficil, palavra muito especial a todos os nossos Concessionários Peugeot pelo apoio que sempre tive, bem como a todos os restantes patrocinadores ao longo dos anos. Palavra de agradecimento para a Peugeot Sucursal de Lisboa, pois foi aí que o meu percurso nesta marca começou, principalmente ao meu amigo Rui Trindade pois foi o primeiro a acreditar em mim.
Por fim, um agradecimento profundo a todos os que estão no mesmo "barco" que eu, ou seja, todos os elementos do nosso departamento de competição que tanto me deram nestes anos. Aos meus co-pilotos, director de comunicação, mecânicos e restantes elementos pelo carinho e dedicação, e principalmente ao grande Carlos Barros, uma pessoa única no mundo automóvel, a nível de motivação, profissionalismo, dedicação e seriedade. A todos vocês MUITO OBRIGADO pelo que me proporcionaram, até breve.... num troço qualquer!!

[PLuto]

Preparing for the Big Return

VW Team Manager Peter Utoft explains how Volkswagen are planning to re-enter the world rally championship after an absence of 21 years.

The starting date of 2013 sounds a long way away, but developing a state-of-the-art rally car is hardly the work of an evening and there is far more to rallying than cars and drivers. It is very much the matter of getting the show on the road in the first place. "Road" in this case, of course, is the critical thing. After so many successful seasons off the road, coming back to the road of the world rally championship is in fact a huge step.

Utoft: "The planning for the world championship entry in 2013 is on schedule. The first test Polo R WRC car is going to be ready to run before Christmas this year. For 2012 we also plan to do more rallies with our Skoda S2000 cars, to set up the complete structure and to prepare the team even better for the world championship.”

Testing for the new WRC car has already begun using an existing Skoda as a basis, with certain parts that you were thinking of using in the Volkswagen. What sort of parts are you testing?

"I will not comment on these because that we keep in secret, but I think it is obvious that we will be using Sachs dampers. Our team has had a long history with Sachs. The Skoda Fabia S2000 is a good basis for initial test work, Skoda is in the same family, the Fabia is same basic car as the Polo. It gives us the chance to fit some of the things that we are developing for the new car. And we use the car for the stress load tests to find out if a different part will be suitable, to find out how strong do the parts need to be to survive.”

After the first few outings running the Skoda cars, what differences has the team discovered working in the closed environment of rallies compared with the open spaces of the deserts?

"We are still working on cars with four wheels! It is the working schedule every day that is different. Our people have much more spare time by doing rallies than we had with doing Dakar. On the Dakar the team had to travel every day and then work each night. However on the Dakar we have unlimited service time and were able to work all through the night. In rallies we have two or three services a day. A short period each morning, then service at the midday and the flex service at the evening, so in between the guys have a lot more spare time. This means the work is much more intense when the cars are at service but we have not really discovered any problems with the change of style of operation. OK, we've also had no unexpected big shunts or anything like that which we have had to repair. But it is looking good and professional already. Our experienced WRC engineer FX Demaison and the team’s adviser Carlos Sainz says it already looks like the technicians and engineers have not been doing anything else in their life. I think rally is like all other types of motorsport. It's a question about having good dedicated mechanics who know what to do and then have a good plan for the service. Then it also works well. Many of our engineers have already come from working in the WRC so they know about all the service.”

Coming to work for the first time in over 20 years in WRC, what do you think are the good things and what are the bad things about the world championship these days?

"The good thing is that the races take place on good locations and there is good infrastructure around the races. Obviously we need more manufacturers in the sport. I hope that the ones that are in now stay in the championship. We also need more television, that's so we can attract more interest in the outside world.”

What about the rally regulations? Some good rules and some bad rules?

“I think they are good. They seem to be fair rules and they work. And personally with the new running order rules for next year when the fastest in Shakedown can choose his Day 1 starting position, I think it is going to be even better. Of course it has to be promoted in the right way.”

Has your team learned many things from Skoda Motorsport?

“Yes. We have tried to use all their experience running the Fabias. We have tried to use everything that they have told us. We work closely together with them in different departments. We are still part of the same family so we can work together the whole time, not only about the car but also about drivers, that's normal.”

What is the programme for 2012?

“We are planning to do not only a lot of testing with the Polo R WRC next year, but we are planning a lot of rallies in the Fabia S2000. I would say at the moment it is between six and eight rallies we are going to do with the team, only World Championship Rallies. We see no reason to do IRC or other types of event. The purpose is to learn the differences between the individual rallies. I can say we are going to Monte Carlo then Mexico and Argentina because they are “fly-away”
rallies, to get the experience with using containers and with air freight. Fly-away rallies are not new to us because we have been doing Raids. For Dakar we did not work with containers but we had to fly the cars there and send all the equipment in advance. We are doing those rallies to get the system up and running. When we come to 2013, we will give up using the Skodas and replace them with the Polo.”

About the drivers?

“That is our Director Kris Nissen's job though we (Kris, Carlos and I) have been talking about this. Carlos has a big role in that together with Kris”.

[PLuto]

Norway's Røkland Wins FST International Shootout

Reigning Swedish Fiesta SportTrophy Champion Steve Røkland has finished his season on a high by winning the 2011 FST International Shootout, held on Wednesday and Thursday this week at M-Sport in Cumbria.

Røkland from Kongsvinger in Norway beat off stiff competition from 13 other finalists to take the victory at the sixth annual Shootout. He was joined in the final six by fellow Norwegian Petter Kristiansen, Britain’s Jack Rowe and Phil Scholes and Belgian duo Hugo Arellano and Manu Canal.

Røkland’s Shootout prize includes a 12 month work experience contract with M-Sport and their WRC programme. He will also have the chance to work in a number of different areas of the company, travelling to the European WRC events, attending press functions and driving at PR days.

While the 19-year-old driver had been one of the favourites to take the title, he faced stiff opposition over the two day competition. The 14 competitors, who had qualified for the Shootout based on their performances in FST championships around the globe, faced a series of physical, media and psychological tests as well as a final driving challenge over a 3 kilometre loop at Carlisle airport. Kristiansen led the Shootout overnight with Røkland in second place.

Røkland’s ability behind the wheel shone through as he posted the fastest time on Thursday’s test at Carlisle airport at the wheel of a Ford Fiesta R2. Fellow Swede Kristiansen set the second-fastest time and Rowe was third.

With all of their scores tallied, the final six candidates were interviewed by M-Sport Managing Director Malcolm Wilson OBE and Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team driver Jari-Matti Latvala.

The first part of Røkland’s prize begins tomorrow [Friday 18 November] when he gets the chance to take the wheel of the award-winning Ford Fiesta S2000 with M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team driver Matthew Wilson.

“It feels absolutely fantastic to have won,” said Røkland. “I didn’t think I actually would win because of my younger age but I’m really happy. Petter [Kristiansen] was a very strong candidate and I honestly thought he would have been won over me. I’m really looking forward to the whole experience at M-Sport and I can’t wait to get started.”

M-Sport Managing Director Malcolm Wilson OBE said, “The standard of this year’s candidates was very strong. All the finalists would have been very worthy winners but we felt Steve would benefit the most from the opportunity of working with us at M-Sport. His pace in the car was very impressive and he performed very strongly in all areas of the competition.

[PLuto]

JUKKA KORHONEN ELECTED 2012 PIRELLI UK STAR DRIVER

Burton upon Trent, November 20th, 2011 – Up-and-coming Finnish rally driver Jukka Korhonen has been elected by a distinguished panel of judges as the Pirelli UK Star Driver for 2012.

Korhonen, the first driver not from Great Britain to win the award in its four-year history, will receive a fully-funded drive on next year’s British Rally Championship in a Skoda Fabia R2 run by TEG Sport. The car will run in a unique Pirelli Star Driver livery, highlighting the exceptional opportunity that Pirelli continues to give young rallying talent in Britain.

The 27-year-old Finn won the drive following a two-day selection process held earlier in the week, during which six drivers went head-to-head for the coveted prize. They were assessed by a team of judges that comprised Pirelli senior tyre engineer Matteo Braga, former British Rally Champions Gwyndaf Evans and Jim McRae, and World Rally Championship co-driver Chris Patterson. The tests included interview technique and pace-note preparation, as well as a driving assessment over a specially-created stage at Rowrah circuit in Cumbria with the Skoda Fabia R2, together with other practical exams such as a timed wheel change.

Korhonen, co-driven by his compatriot Marko Salminen, was announced as the winner at the British Rally Championship Awards in Manchester tonight, having impressed the judges in every area. The Finn won the Fiesta Trophy in Finland this year, taking five dominant victories, and also impressed with a stellar performance on the Pirelli International Rally in April, where he won the R2 class and finished sixth overall.

The other finalists for this year’s Pirelli Star Driver nomination were Tommy Doyle, Desi Henry, Osian Pryce, Siim Plangi and Peter Taylor – all of whom performed brilliantly during the selection process.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery commented: “First and foremost, I’d like to say that all the drivers can feel proud of themselves for having got to the final selection. But we can only pick one winner, and all the judges thought that Jukka would make an excellent ambassador for Pirelli on the British Rally Championship as part of the prestigious Star Driver scheme, with the right performance and mental strength to really make a difference.”

Korhonen added: “I’m very grateful to Pirelli for this fantastic opportunity – and I fully intend to make the most of it. I really enjoyed my first taste of the Skoda Fabia R2 during the shoot-out and I think that we can fight for overall wins with this car. Coming to compete in Britain with Pirelli is one of my dreams, and I am so happy to have achieved it.”

Korhonen follows in the footsteps of Darren Gass (2008), Adam Gould (2009), Keith Cronin (2010) and Elfyn Evans (2011): all of whom are previous winners of the Pirelli Star Driver prize. Next year’s British Rally Championship takes in six rounds on gravel and asphalt.

[PLuto]

The return of Hyundai?

By Anthony Peacock

One of the manufacturers linked to a rally return over the last few months has been Hyundai: no doubt because of the rallycross Veloster that has been seen in the United States.

The Veloster is an odd car – it has two doors on one side and only one on the other – but Hyundai is a company that has always done things a little differently.

At least the Veloster is designed to appeal to the young and funky, whereas the machine that Hyundai last went rallying with – the Accent – was designed to appeal to the old and slow.

For most Hyundai drivers, getting lucky on a Saturday night meant remembering where they had parked their Accent outside the bingo hall, rather than anything else. The grey army actually took to the Accent in their hordes, which made the decision to take it rallying even more puzzling, as the sport was about as appealing to the existing sales demographic as white water rafting.

Maybe that was the point: to challenge expectations and build a new customer base. But it was still a brave move: if Lady Gaga, to use a random example, were to sign up for a Saga holiday tomorrow, it would be unlikely to have enough of a halo effect to tempt youth away from Ibiza and onto cruise ships in perpetuity. Because cruise ships are boring, basically.

It could be that I’m just far too cynical about the whole thing, because not every Hyundai driver actually possessed a blue rinse matched with a rose-tinted view of the 1950s. Alister McRae, for example, took the Accent WRC to a career-best fourth overall on the 2001 Rally Great Britain (despite driving one stage in torrential rain with no windscreen wipers).

And Belgium’s Freddy Loix heroically drove an Accent to 10th overall on the 2003 Rally Sweden, despite a broken foot (in plaster) that he sustained after losing an argument with a bridge parapet in Monte Carlo.

The Hyundai Accent WRC was built and run by Motor Sport Developments in Milton Keynes, presided over by the genial David Whitehead: a Northerner who says what he thinks and thinks what he says. This invariably made him one of the most interesting people in the service area to seek out for entertainment, but in order not to offend anyone we sadly can’t repeat any of his classic one-liners here. Suffice it to say that his muse is gloriously unfettered by questions of political correctness, appropriateness, or taste.

Having started off the programme with the Coupe Kit Car in 1998-1999, MSD then built the Accent WRC – which showed promise but lacked budget throughout its three distinct evolutions. In 155 rally starts, the Accent failed to finish 87 times, but it did win eight stages, with a driver line-up that also featured a four-time World Champion: Juha Kankkunen. The high point was probably finishing fourth in the 2002 manufacturers’ championship (just), but it wasn’t to last. By 2003 the dream was all over, with Hyundai announcing an extended sabbatical until 2006, which came and then went. No word from anyone in Korea. And so, it seemed, Hyundai’s brief but glorious sojourn within the WRC was definitively over. Until now, maybe?

[PLuto]

Civic Type-R Confirmed by Takanobu Ito

Honda CEO, Takanobu Ito, has confirmed to the European press that the next generation of the Civic Type-R will debut in 2015. According to Dave Hodgetts, Honda UK Managing Director, the upcoming performance hatchback, will come with at least 265horsepower, but the Japanese engineers are trying to squeeze around 300bhp. The power unit is yet to be confirmed and will come from either a 1.6 (used in the Honda WTCC car) or 2.0 liter unit, but the second engine is a more possible choice for the needed power output.

The testing will begin this fall at the German track Nurbugring. Honda wants the Civic Type R to claim the front-wheel drive Nürburgring lap record from the Renault Megane RS Trophy which clocked a time of 8 minutes and 7.97 seconds.

[PLuto]

[Melmisek]

Jako ze fakt?