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Author: David Bodapati
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Newey wins MRF Challenge 2017 by a whisker
MRF Challenge championship winner Harrison Newey (centre) flanked by Joey Mawson (right) and Mick Schumacher on 19 Feb 2017. Image by Anand Philar Chennai, 19 Feb 2017: In a thrilling finish, British teenager Harrison Newey snatched a dramatic victory for a brilliant treble to emerge champion in the MRF Challenge 2016 that was run concurrently with the second round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Racing Championship which concluded at the MMRT track, Sriperumbudur, near here on Sunday.
The highlight of the day’s proceedings was the presence of cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar who put in a few laps of the circuit in a twin-seater racing car much to the delight of the crowd.
In a tight finish, Harrison and championship leader Joey Mawson from Australia tied on 277 points, but the British driver was adjudged champion on the basis of his six wins. Mawson had three wins, including the one on Saturday. Mick Schumacher of Germany finished third in the championship with 213 points.
Harrison, the 18-year old son of noted Formula One engineer Adrian Newey, trailed Mawson by 27 points going into the fourth and concluding round of the MRF Challenge, but the British youngster won three of the four races this weekend to pip Mawson at the post.
Going into the fourth and last race of the weekend, Newey, who had won Race 3 in the morning session, trailed Mawson by 15 points. The Aussie looked certain to clinch the championship when he led until the 11th lap when he conceded track position to Newey and then to Schumacher, son of seven times F1 champion Michael Schumacher, to eventually finish third
in the race that saw Safety Car being deployed following an on-track incident.
Newey did himself a favour by putting in the fastest lap of the race which fetched him two crucial points that helped him tie with Mawson before the deadlock was broken on the basis of number of wins.
Earlier, starting from pole on the reverse grid, Sandeep Kumar scored an emphatic win in the MRF Formula 1600 to make up for his fourth place finish in the first race on Saturday. He drove a near-flawless race to win from Raghul Rangasamy and former champion Karthik Tharani.
Three rookie drivers, Arya Singh (DTS Racing) from Kolkata, Mumbai’s Bhushan Thareja (Momentum Motor Sports) and Hyderabad’s Arun Showry (Momentum Motor Sports) dominated the Formula LGB 1300 race by finishing the race in that order and the trio also topped the Rookie Cup class to complete a fruitful weekend.
Arya Singh made capital of the pole position and managed to hold off stiff challenge from Thareja while Bengaluru’s Yash Aradhya (Wallace Sports), who started from seventh on the grid, came up with a fine performance as he cut through the field to finish on the podium, but was subsequently excluded for “technical infringement”. Showry thus gained a spot from fourth to third.
Narendran of RAD Racing yet again underlined his supremacy in the Saloon car category by comfortably winning the race for a fine double, having won the first outing on Saturday. The race was interrupted by a Safety Car period, but Narendran, who had started fourth on the reverse grid, timed his run to near perfection for a comfortable victory.
Provisional results:
MRF Challenge (F2000) – Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Harrison Newey (Britian) (23mins, 19.855secs); 2. Juri Vips (Estonia) (23:27.768); 3. Ralf Aron (Esonia) (23:28.971).
Race 4: Newey (27:33.142); 2. Mick Schumacher (Germany) (27:36.826); 3. Joey Mawson (Australia) (27:38.411).
National Championship – MRF F1600 (Race 2, 8 laps): 1. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (13:35.993); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Mahabalipuram) (13:36.536); 3.Karthik Tharani (Chennai) (13:40.090).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race 2, 8 laps): 1. Arya Singh (DTS Racing) (18:00.626); 2. Bhushan Thareja (Momentum Motor Sports) (18:09.998); 3. Arun Showry (Momentum Motor Sports) (18:10.725). Rookie Cup: 1. Arya Singh; 2. Bhushan Thareja; 3. Arun Showry.
Saloon cars – Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race 2, 8 laps): 1. Hisham KP (DTS Racing) (19:29.060); 2. Kamlesh Parmar (Team N1) (19:44.851). Super Stock: 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (18:52.938); 2. Veeresh Prasad (Race Concepts) (18:55.226); 3. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (19:11.183). Esteem Cup: 1. Narendran (RAD Racing) (18:51.292); 2. Anant Pithawalla (Team N1) (18:53.144); 3. Sudanand Daniel (Red Rooster Racing) (18:53.754).
About Madras Motor Sports Club
The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors and to this end, it has chalked out a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.
eom/AP Media Comm. press release
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Jr Schumy beats Harry Newey to go fastest at MMRT
Chennai, 17 Feb 2017: Mick Schumacher struck back in Free Practice 2 to go fastest ahead of Harrison Newey at Round 4 of the MRF Challenge 2016 at the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai. He was fastest overall and ahead of Newey and championship leader Joey Mawson in Free Practice 2. In the opening practice session of the weekend Newey had beaten Schumacher and championship leader Joey Mawson. Mawson currently leads the championship by 27 points over Newey with Schumacher a further 40 points behind. Raghul Rangasamy and Sandeep Kumar topping FP1 and FP1 in the MRF 1600 championship.
In the opening practice session of the weekend the drivers took their time as they familiarized themselves in one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar. Newey was the first to set a competitive time as he did a 1:33.249. Brazilian driver Felipe Drugovich was quick to respond and did a 1:32.398 to go on top. Meanwhile Schumacher continued to make steady progress and jumped to the top of the charts. Newey struck back to do an impressive lap of 1:31.799. Schumacher was close behind with a 1.31.813 with Mawson a further tenth behind. Drogovich ended up in 4th place ahead of Australian driver Dylan Young. Behind them was Juri Vips, Daniel Ticktum and Ralf Aron.
Free practice 2 saw the top drivers wasting no time in getting up to speed and Newey was one of the front runners to go fastest with a 1:31.883. The three title protagonists traded fastest laps through session with Mawson, Newey and Schumacher all being on top at some point through the session. It was Schumacher who finally finished on top with a 1:30.861. Newey finished in 2nd place ahead of Mawson. Vips finished in 4th place ahead of Red Bull junior driver Dan Ticktum, British driver impressing on his first visit to the circuit. It is very close at the top with 4 drivers within three tenth off a second of each other.
The MRF 1600 was also in action with Raghul Rangasamy setting the fastest time in FP1. He set a 1:40.401 to be comfortably ahead of Sandeep Kumar and 2015 champion Karthik Tharani. Anindith Reddy was in 4th place ahead of a returning Siddharth Trivellore. In FP2 it was Sandeep who set the fastest lap on his final lap to just beat Raghul. Sandeep did a 1:39.787 to beat his closest rival by 0.024seconds. Behind them was Tharani, Anindith and Chetan Korada.
Qualifying and Races 1&2 will take place on Saturday, February 18, with Races 3&4 taking place on Sunday, February 19. All the action will be streamed live this weekend and can be seen at www.mrfracing.in
eom/MRF press release
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Mawson, Newey, Schumacher in frame for title: MRF Challenge
Chennai, 16 Feb 2017: There is plenty of high octane action on cards as the second round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Racing Championship kicks off at the MMRT track in Sriperumbudur, near here this weekend along with the grand finale of MRF Challenge (Formula 2000) which boasts of a highly competitive grid containing young guns from abroad, some of them boasting rich racing pedigree.
In all, 10 races have been scheduled over Saturday and Sunday after Friday’s free practice sessions. Much of the attention will be on the four MRF Challenge races where Australian Joey Mawson (211 points), Harrison Newey of the UK
File photo of MRF Challenge in progress. Image by Anand Philar. (184) and German Mick Schumacher (171) are locked in a three-way battle for the championship. The MRF Challenge returns to Chennai after previous rounds in Bahrain, Dubai and Greater Noida (Buddh International Circuit).
One of the highpoints of the weekend will be the presence of MRF brand ambassador Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar who is expected to do a few laps of the circuit in a twin-seater racing car on Sunday.
The MRF Challenge is being run concurrently with the National Racing Championship that includes MRF F1600, a revamped Formula LGB 1300 and the Saloon cars which comprise the Indian Junior Touring Cars and the Super Stock while the Esteem Cup will be making its debut, but not counting towards the National championship. The high-end Indian Touring Cars will be joining the championship in the next round to be run in March.
The entry-level Formula LGB 1300 which also has a Rookie class provides an option for youngsters moving up from karting to open-wheel racing. The Rookie class is part of MMSC’s continuing efforts to attract fresh and young talent, especially among students and the initiative has met with an encouraging response with 22 entries.
Chairman of the Meet Vicky Chandhok said: “Now that we have the single-seater category in place as a platform for talent to move up the ladder, we decided to focus on saloon cars in our effort to encourage participation of more car manufacturers in the National Championship in keeping with MMSC’s vision.
“With this in mind, we have thrown open the Super Stock to all comers and not just restricted to the Maruti Esteem.
“The production of Esteem cars has been stopped, but considering that many have already invested in this make, we decided to have a separate Cup for this make. We hope that this move will see bigger grids and more manufacturers coming aboard.”
The MRF F1600, where the champion at the end of the season will be eligible to participate in the Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States, is no doubt the flagship of the National championship with a very competitive grid.
The first round in Noida last month saw Bengaluru’s Ananth Shanmugam and Nayan Chatterjee from Mumbai winning a race apiece. The two share the top spot with 40 points apiece, ahead of 2015 Volkswagen Vento Cup champion Anindith Reddy (36) from Hyderabad. The grid also has 2016 Vento Cup champion Ishaan Dodhiwala (Hyderabad) who is in his first single-seater season and managed just six points in the previous round.
eom/AP Media Comm. press release
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Jehan Daruvala, first Indian to win New Zealand GP
Jehan Daruvala (centre) becomes the first Indian to win New Zealand GP on Sunday. 12 Feb 2017. Image courtesy Rayo Racing. Manfeild (New Zealand), 13 Feb 2017 : Sahara Force India Academy Racer, Jehan Daruvala registered the first Grand Prix victory for 2017 when he won the New Zealand Grand Prix in style at the Chris Amon Circuit here on Sunday.
Jehan’s brilliant lights-to-flag feat makes him the first and only Indian to win a Grand Prix in motorsport. Keke Rosberg, Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Jack Brabham, Sir Stirling Moss, John Surtees, Bruce McLaren are some of the illustrious past winner of this Grand Prix.
Earlier in the weekend of the Toyota Racing Series, Jehan bagged pole position for Race 1 and the New Zealand GP as well. The extremely close qualifying sessions saw four racers within two tenths of a second in each session. Jehan lapped the 3-km circuit to bag pole in race 1, just seven hundredths of a second in front of former Brazilian World F1 Champion’s son, Pedro Piquet. Ferrari Academy Racer Marcus Armstrong of New Zealand was a further eight hundredths of a second adrift. The top two remained the same for the New Zealand GP, while Thomas Randle bagged third.
Jehan started well from pole for race 1, but relinquished his position to Piquet, after having to brake on the dirty side the circuit into turn one. Piquet held his lead which remained for the entire race. Jehan followed him home with another second place, ahead of Marcus Armstrong.
The result meant that Jehan had to start third due to the reverse grid regulations for race 2. Jehan lost a position and eventually finished in seventh after damage to his car after contact from another driver.
The New Zealand Grand Prix was the main feature race and the third race of the weekend. This Grand Prix is the only other ‘Grand Prix’ besides the Macau GP, in motorsport, outside of Formula 1 and therefore very prestigious for all racers. Jehan had a good start from pole and went on to open up a lead while the racers behind him fought for position. Jehan was able to stay ahead of the pack while continuing to make no mistakes up in front. An incident then brought out the red flag, but Jehan kept up his rhythm by getting a good re start and leading once again. The 35 lap long race was the longest of the season and towards the end of the race Marcus Armstrong pulled closer to Jehan. Jehan was able to keep his cool and won the Grand Prix with a margin of less than a second ahead of Armstrong. Thomas Randle was less than half a second further behind in third.
Jehan is the first Indian to ever stand on the podium in any FIA World Championship, when he was second runner up at the FIA CIK World Karting Championship in 2014. Prior to that, he became the first and only Indian to win a Karting Championship in Europe when he won the British KF3 Championship. In 2012 he became the first and only Indian to win a CIK Championship when we won the FIA CIK Asia Pacific KF3 Championship in Macau. Now, Jehan has earned another feather in his cap by becoming the first and only Indian to win a Grand Prix in Motorsport.
Jehan’s brilliant lights to flag Grand Prix victory, is in addition to his 9 podiums in the Toyota Racing Series. Jehan’s tally meant that he had the most number of podiums and also the most number of pole positions in the 2017 series. Unfortunately a few incidents contributed heavily to his loss of points in the middle of the series and Jehan ultimately finished fifth overall.
“I am happy with the pace I have had throughout the series. Winning the Grand Prix is absolutely fantastic and is a proud moment in my racing career so far. I am thankful for everyone around who has helped me achieve this. I am completely focused on what lies ahead and I am confident of a good first year in Formula 3. I will be continuing to work hard with testing and fitness as well” said the Indian teenager.
Jehan will now graduate to the ultra-competitive FIA F3 European Championship where some of the world’s best Formula 1 stars have graduated from. Numerous racers from the previous years will be competing in their second or third seasons, ensuring that Jehan will have a lot to learn in his rookie season. The Sahara Force India Academy racer has however shown, he is comfortable with the higher powered car in early testing with competitive times in testing.
eom/Rayo Racing press release
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Sweden win pushes Latvala to table top: WRC
For the first time since Rally China in 1999, Toyota has won a round of the FIA World Rally Championship: on only the second event for the all-new Yaris WRC. Jari-Matti Latvala inherited the lead after yesterday’s super special stage, when the former leader broke his steering. Latvala then won all three stages today to extend his advantage and claim the first rally win for Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team. Juho Hänninen had a trouble-free day and scored more manufacturer points, meaning that Toyota Gazoo Racing is now second in the manufacturers’ championship, while Latvala heads the drivers’ standings, having sealed his 17th career win, his fourth in Sweden, and his first since Mexico 2016. In total, Jari-Matti won six stages: SS1, SS4, SS13, SS16, SS17 and SS18.
Double podium for M-Sport: Meanwhile, as the Ecoboost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC secured a second successive double podium, M-Sport have strengthened their lead at the head of the manufacturers’ standings – holding a 20 point advantage over their closest rivals, adds an M-Sport release.
Having won four stages and delivered an impressive performance over the course of the weekend, Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja were just 3.8 seconds adrift of the lead going into the final-day showdown.
Ultimately however, the pairing struggled to find the confidence-boosting rhythm they had previously enjoyed and had to settle for second place – reserving an elusive first victory for another day.
In the sister M-Sport Fiesta WRC, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia secured a fine third place overall after being hampered by a less than perfect road position throughout much of the event.
Biding their time, the Frenchmen did what they do best and secured a strong haul of points for their championship defence.
Toyota release adds: Latvala started the day with just a 3.8-second advantage over the second-placed man but won all three stages (including the power stage) to seal an emotional victory, having experienced no problems at all. Hänninen finished just outside the top 20, continuing to test settings for future rallies.
Quotes:
Akio Toyoda (Team chairman)
“It’s a great feeling to win a round of the World Rally Championship after a break of 17 years. I have always been looking forward to this moment, but I never imagined that it would come so soon. A special thanks not just to each and every member of the team, but also to all the fans who have been waiting for our return and shared the joy with us. So I’d like to share with everyone a discussion I had with Tommi and Jari-Matti before the start of Rally Sweden about communication with cars. Jari-Matti said he tries to communicate with them with love, and drive them with care. Tommi said he can have a good understanding of how to drive them faster because he loves cars. Their words, full of love for cars, touched me because I feel the same. So my wish is for us all to keep on enjoying this feeling and facing the challenges together to make the Yaris an ever-better car.”Tommi Mäkinen (Team principal)
“It’s very hard to find the words to describe what I am feeling right now: what we are all feeling. Monte-Carlo was an unexpected result, but this is beyond unexpected. Of course we were lucky to have this win, but it’s also a huge tribute to the talent of Jari-Matti and the united team work that has taken place in Finland, Germany and Japan. It’s an incredible feeling and I just want to thank everybody who has made it possible: especially our chairman Mr Toyoda for his faith in us, Jari-Matti, Miika, Juho, and Kaj. This is a special day that we are all going to remember for a very long time, but at the same time we will keep our feet on the ground now and continue to work as hard as always.”Jari-Matti Latvala (Driver car 10)
“I am so, so happy. For a new team and new car to win its second rally: I really have no words. I think I drove my best power stage ever today. Huge thanks to all the team. Now we are super-motivated to continue like this: I just can’t wait to get to Mexico. It’s fantastic to win but I also feel very sorry for Thierry Neuville, who lost the lead yesterday at the super special stage. I have been in a similar situation myself in the past, so I completely understand how he must be feeling now. We know we were lucky, so we need to carry on improving and working for our goal.”Juho Hänninen (Driver car 11)
“I am so proud to be part of this team of dedicated and hard-working people and so happy. This is an amazing result for all of us. From our point of view we spent the rally recovering from our mistake on Friday, but we completed plenty of useful testing and I increased my time and confidence in the car.”Provisional final result, Rally Sweden:
1 Jari-Matti Latvala/Miika Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) 2h36m03.6s
2 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Fiesta WRC) +29.2s
3 Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) +59.5s
4 Dani Sordo/Marc Marti (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +2m11.5s
5 Craig Breen/Scott Martin (Citroen C3 WRC) +2m51.2s
6 Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC) +5m26.6s
7 Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +5m31.2s
8 Stephane Lefebvre/Gabin Moreau (Citroen DS3 WRC) +7m14.7s
9 Pontus Tidemand/Jonas Andersson (Skoda Fabia R5) +9m11.1s
10 Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (Ford Fiesta R5) +10m02.9s
23 Juho Hänninen/Kaj Lindström (Toyota Yaris WRC) +23m05.6s2017 FIA World Rally Championship for drivers after round two:
1 Jari-Matti Latvala 48
2 Sebastien Ogier 44
3 Ott Tanak 33
4 Dani Sordo 25
5 Craig Breen 20
6 Elfyn Evans 18
7 Stephane Lefebvre 10
8 Thierry Neuville 8
9 Hayden Paddon 7
10 Andreas Mikkelsen 6
12 Juho Hänninen 32017 FIA World Rally Championship for manufacturers after round two:
1 M-Sport World Rally Team 73
2 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 53
3 Hyundai Motorsport 40
4 Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team 26
(Results as of 16:00 on Sunday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com )What’s next?
The next stop on the World Rally Championship, round three, is Rally Mexico from March 9-12. This will be the first gravel round of the year and the first run in high temperatures, with the stages at high altitude as well, which deprives the engine of oxygen. As a result it represents another brand new challenge for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing.eom/Toyota Gazoo Racing press release with inputs from M-Sport for 2nd and 3rd places
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Day 1: Thierry, Nicolas top the timesheets by 28s
Against a perfect snowy backdrop, Rally Sweden began its first complete day of action on Friday morning with our three crews raring to go.
Fresh from a Super Special Stage at the Karlstad trotting track on
Hyundai i20 WRC of Thierry and Nicolas leads after full Day 1 (SSS on Thurs) on Friday in Rally Sweden. A Hundai WRC team image evening, held in front of a crowd of passionate fans, it was all systems go for the first full loop of the rally.
Our Belgians Thierry and Nicolas wasted no time getting back to the speed they showed during the season-opener at Monte-Carlo in January. The #5 crew claimed victory in the opening two stages – the classic Röjden and the all-new Hof-Finnskog – that crossed over the Norwegian border.
Opening the Door
Despite an initial close battle for the lead of the rally with the Toyota of Jari-Matti Latvala, it was in the afternoon loop where our Belgians showed their real potential. They added three more stage wins in succession and built up a lead of 28 seconds – despite the door of their car coming open on the final run!
“It’s been a good day’s work for us,” said Thierry. “To lead the rally by such a margin is obviously very encouraging, but we’re not getting carried away. My door kept opening slightly on the final stage, which was a distraction, but otherwise the car has been working very well.”
Lunchtime Transformation
Hayden and John had a tough morning but a detailed discussion at lunchtime helped them get to grips with Sweden’s fast and furious terrain. After finishing second at this event last season, they plan to make up ground on Saturday.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s not been the start we wanted,” admitted Hayden. “Things were not coming very naturally. I sat down with my engineer at service and he suggested some changes. That really helped. I had more confidence and felt that I was driving the car, not the other way around.”
In the #6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, Dani and Marc also endured some difficulties. A missed hairpin in SS4 (the morning’s 24.88km Svullrya test) saw them lose 20 seconds of time and drop to seventh place.
Dani said: “We had a good morning loop, generally speaking. The car was working well and I enjoyed the stages a lot. I just got distracted in SS4 and we lost a lot of time recovering. I couldn’t get back into the rhythm after that.”
Building on Success
We finished on the Swedish podium in 2015 with Thierry and Nicolas, and again last season with Hayden and John, so there’s plenty of hope to make it three in a row by Sunday. But it’s never guaranteed, as our Team Principal Michel warns: “We have been successful in Sweden in recent years. After the performance we showed in Monte, we had hopes of fighting at the front. With ten stages still to run, we’ve got a long way to go, and lots more work to do,” he said.
Those remaining stages get underway on Saturday morning with a repeat loop that includes the 31.6km run at Knon, a 15.87km test at Hagfors and the famous Vargåsen. Why famous? Because it contains the legendary Colin’s Crest jump, for which we won the award for longest jump in 2014 and 2015!
Overall Classification after Day One
1. T. Neuville / N. Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) 1:16:24.7
2. J. M. Latvala / M. Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) +28.1
3. O. Tanak / M. Jarveoja (Ford Fiesta WRC) +49.7
4. K.Meeke / P.Nagle (Citroën C3 WRC) +51.8
5. S. Ogier / J. Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) +55.7
6. H. Paddon / J. Kennard (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +1:17.8
7. D. Sordo / M. Martí (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +1:40.3
8. C. Breen / S. Martin (Citroën DS3 WRC) +1:54.3
9. E. Evans / D. Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC) +3:01.05
10. S. Lefebvre / G. Moreau (Citroën C3 WRC) +3:23.6eom/Hyundai WRC team release
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Latvala’s Toyota Yaris fastest in Super Special Stage: WRC Rally Sweden
Rally Sweden got underway this evening on a short 1.9-kilometre spectator super special stage at the Karlstad trotting track, with the Toyota Yaris WRC provisionally leading the rally thanks to a fastest time from Jari-Matti Latvala. Both cars completed the day, which started with shakedown in the morning, with no problems before heading back to parc ferme for the real action tomorrow.
The Karlstad super special stage pitted drivers against each other in twos, so for the very first time the Toyota Yaris WRC experienced side-by-side racing in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Jari-Matti took a slim rally lead, while Juho Hänninen made a solid start in the top 10. Temperatures were just below zero degrees, which is expected to be the case for the remainder of the event.
Jari-Matti Latvala (Driver car 10)
”We’ve got a big motivation after the result in Monte Carlo, which was not what we were expecting. People are asking if we can do even better now, but the season has only just started and we need to be patient. So really, we have to take thing one step at a time, and this rally is an important step. It’s one of the fastest rallies, so you can really see where you are with the car and the engine in particular. The super special was great and I’m more than happy. Now I just need to hold all the horses!”
Juho Hänninen (Driver car 11)
”The car worked very well, better than the driver I think! I was a bit nervous at the start but conditions were good and the super special stage was really nice for the spectators. This morning was a good shakedown for us and we concentrated on looking to check that everything was working properly, rather than to see the performance. We achieved everything we wanted so far, so I’m happy.”
END OF DAY ONE (THURSDAY):
1 Jari-Matti Latvala/Miika Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) 1m34.1s
2 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +0.6s
3 Dani Sordo/Marc Marti (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +0.7s
4 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Fiesta WRC) +0.8s
5 Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) +0.9s
6 Mads Ostberg/Ola Floene (Ford Fiesta WRC) +1.2s
7 Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Citroen C3 WRC) +2.0s
8 Juho Hänninen/Kaj Lindström (Toyota Yaris WRC) +2.1s
9 Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC) +2.1s
10 Ole Christian Veiby/Stig Rune Skjaermoen (Skoda Fabia R5) +2.4s
(Results as of 21:15 on Thursday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)Photo Caption: Toyota Gazoo Racing team leads after Day 1 in Round 2, WRC at Rally Sweden. A Toyota Gazoo Racing image 9Feb2017
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The car is big and it is an awesome feeling: Craig Breen, on his switch to C3
Present:
Craig Breen, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
Thierry Neuville, Hyundai Motorsport
Ott Tänak, M-Sport World Rally Team
Juho Hänninen, Toyota GAZOO Racing World Rally TeamQ:
Craig, great start to the season for you in the older DS3 but now you switch to the C3 – will expectations be high?
CB:
Now I get to try the big car and it’s an awesome feeling, the car is fantastic to drive. It’s starting a new chapter in my career.Q:
You are the driver with the most experience here in Sweden out of the team. Were you aware of that? Does that add more pressure?
CB:
It is actually something we only figured out last night. It’s the rally where I have the most experience and that in theory should mean I should do something special, but at the same time it’s a big step up. Now I just want to get started.Q:
This is a moment you have been waiting for for quite a while, does that make you nervous or are you calm about it?
CB:
I’ve waited all my life for a chance like this so of course I’m a bit nervous, but whenever the nerves kick in I think how a chance like this is so rare and there’s no point letting the stress get to me but that I might just as well enjoy it.Q:
Your pace in Monte-Carlo was something special; can you replicate that pace here on snow?
TN:
The pace in Monte-Carlo somewhat surprised me, but everything came together in a good way and made me feel confident and comfortable. The opening of the season is always special.Q:
Thierry, how has the new Hyundai been performing on snow in testing? How many kilometres have you covered on this surface?
TN:
For sure it’s been better than before Monte-Carlo. I’m really happy and have been able to do two full days in good snow conditions. The conditions this year look so much better than last year.Q:
You mentioned yesterday that you feel that the pace at the top will be closer here in Sweden than in Monte-Carlo. Why is that?
TN:
In Monte-Carlo the guy with the most confidence is leading the rally, but here I think we’re going to see more of the real speed from the teams. I expect a much tougher and more difficult fight.Q:
So who do you think will win?
TN:
It’s a tough question, we saw some surprises in Monte-Carlo, but I think we will have a more regular race this weekend. Ogier will be strong and some other guys too and we will try to keep pace with all of them. There’s going to be a few of us fighting it out.Q:
Ott, you had a great start to the season in Monte-Carlo. Does that bring you confidence coming here to Sweden?
OT:
Obviously Monte-Carlo was a good event for us and now we’re here with some good points and it feels nice to start like this.Q:
The route has been altered this year, what are your thoughts on the stages? What could we see being the toughest aspect of this event this year?
OT:
It looks quite nice, it’s a lot better than last year and from the outset it looks good. Obviously we miss some snowbanks but it looks very nice out in the forests.Q:
So without those snowbanks you have to be more precise out there?
OT:
Well, it’s like a normal gravel rally [without the snow banks] and I think in the end it’s still the sameQ:
What’s the aim here for you? Are you targeting the top step of the podium?
OT:
This is one of my favourite rallies and especially this year with some really fast and smooth stages. Normally I feel confident here and now I just want to enjoy it.Q:
Toyota achieved a podium in Monte-Carlo with Jari-Matti but it was you who opened up the event with strong pace Juho. Were you surprised at the pace or did you know the car would be on par?
JH:
I knew that the car was good and I was confident with it, but at the same time, yes, it was a surprise since we didn’t have any idea where we stood compared to the other cars. So it was a big thing for the entire team, having put in so much work and getting results straight away.Q:
How much testing have you done on snow? Are you happy with the setup? What areas still need more work?
JH:
I did three days last week in Finland. The conditions were a little bit different than here but the set-up of the car is not all that far from the gravel set-up which I did quite a bit of testing with last year. I’m really happy with the car.Q:
What areas of the car would you say still need development work on them?
JH:
We’ve been quite lucky from the start of the project with the car. There are no weak areas or points, so it’s more a case where all areas can be improved a bit but it’s getting more and more close to finished. But at the same time it’s only the second rally for us so we just need to stay calm.Q:
How quick do you think you will be here?
JH:
I honestly have no idea. It’s been three years since I last competed here so it’s difficult to say. The main thing is to relax and the results will come.Q:
Is it a different atmosphere now in the team after Monte-Carlo? Is it more relaxed?
JH:
It’s difficult to be more relaxed, but the feeling is we have something unique and I’m very happy with the team.
FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIPPresent:
Pontus Tidemand, Skoda Motorsport
Emil Bergkvist
Teemu Suninen, M-Sport World Rally TeamQ:
Pontus, how are you feeling ahead of this year’s event? We’ve seen some success from you in the past here, what’s the objective this time around?
PT:
I feel very good for this event. For me it’s the highlight all year round and I really enjoy this road and the surface. I’ve had good preparations and the car is very good but for sure it’s a very hard competition in this class. For sure it will be a good fight but I’m ready for it and I’m really looking forward to the start tonight.Q:
You’re talking about good preparations, how much in terms of testing have you been able to do?
PT:
Two days of test, last weekend and this weekend also, so for me the team has done very good preparations as always so they’ve done their work from last year so I think we have the best chance to, yeah, take this rally. But for sure we need to stay focused, that’s the key point.Q:
You mentioned that there is strong competition in WRC 2, and it certainly is at this event. How much are you willing to risk out there Pontus, to get maximum points?
PT:
It’s hard to say. It’s a long championship and in this rally there are many drivers that can do really well, lots of Norwegian drivers and some more. We just need to start and see where we are and I think it’s important to be on the spot from the beginning and avoid any mistakes. Thirty seconds in one snow bank I think can be the difference between, maybe a podium place here so it’s the main thing I think.Q:
I’m guessing this season is very important for you, aiming for the WRC 2 Championship title?
PT:
Yes, that’s the main target this year so me and the team will give 100 percent for this. That’s what we’re working hard for every day.Q:
What do you feel that you’ve learned from last year?
PT:
Obviously you learn and get better on everything, but for sure you need to finish the rallies. That’s very important if you’re going to have a chance to take the title in WRC 2. If you have two-three results out of the normal points obviously it’s very tough so that’s what you learn.Q:
Pontus is obviously confident, how about yourself, how are you feeling ahead of the rally Emil?
EB:
We have quite a good feeling. It’s my third time here so, yeah, it feels great actually. We had a good test as well, which is important, but like Pontus said, there are a lot of fast drivers here and it’s important to be on it from the beginning on the stages in Norway. But we will try.Q:
Now we do see changes to the route here in Rally Sweden this year. What are your thoughts on the new stages we’ve seen, the new sections?
EB:
On the recce it looked quite okay actually. This stage, Knon, is a quite fast stage I would say and the organisation has done a really good job to put everything together for us, and yeah, I think a lot of drivers are happy to get out on the stages.Q:
Being your home event, would you say this is your best opportunity, your best advantage here for you to get maximum points?
EB:
Yeah, I think so. Okay, we did some WRC 2 events last year but we had some struggles in many ways. But I feel well prepared for this rally and I think this our biggest chance to get a great result.Q:
Is this going to be a full season in WRC 2 this year?
EB:
Not at the moment, but if we do a good result here I think it can help us. If we can do some more rallies it would be great.Q:
So at the moment, this is the only event you’ll be competing in?
EB:
No, also France, Portugal and Germany.Q:
From a sponsorship point, getting a good result here would obviously help those sponsors to maybe give you more funding to help you get more events?
EB:
Yeah, I hope so. If you show that you can be among the fast guys, it’s helpful.Q:
The Swedes are on form. Are you confident as well Teemu?
TS:
Yeah, quite confident. Of course we have a new car and have done testing, and I’m really happy for the car, but as always when something is new it means new challenges.Q:
How many kilometers testing have you done?
TS:
200.Q:
Do you feel that was enough for you to adapt to the new car?
TS:
Yeah, that’s enough.Q:
What’s your opinion of the stages? You were successful here last year, do you feel that the stages are going to favour you this year?
TS:
I think so. This year the stages are in good condition, good ice on the ground, so I think it will be faster than last year.Q:
So, you’re aiming for the top spot on the podium?
TS:
I’m aiming for a better result than last year.Q:
Well you were second here last year so that will be the top of the podium you’re aiming for then. What about the season ahead, I know you’re doing a lot of WRC 2 events in Europe, but there is a possibility of seeing you in a WRC car as well this year. What’s happening with that?
TS:
I think we will get the new WRC car for Poland and Finland. I’ll try to learn and get a good result from here to be able to be fast in the WRC car.Q:
So how much are you thinking about the WRC 2 season, Teemu, how focused are you on that knowing that you’re actually going to get into a WRC car?
TS:
Both of them are really important. I’ll try to do my best here and then move my focus in two rallies, then back to WRC 2.eom/FIA press release
WRC file photo courtesy FIA. 9 Feb 2017 -
Chance for Sahara Force India fans to go behind the scenes at its HQ in Silverstone
Sahara Force India headquarters at Silverstone. A Force India image Silverstone, 7 Feb 2017: Sahara Force India is offering fans the unique opportunity to step through the doors of a Formula One team and experience the passion, excitement and exhilaration of the world’s fastest sport, the team announced through its website and through the twitter handle.
Opening the doors to its usually secretive HQ, the team brings fans into the pulsating heart of our Silverstone base, just opposite the famous gates of the British GP circus. Discover where our VJM10 is designed and manufactured: on your tour, you will see all stages of this process, including the normally off-limits design office, inspection departments, proof testing, machining, composite manufacture, sub assembly, race bays, our simulator and of course, the cars themselves*.
Discover just what it takes to go racing 20 times a year in one of the most competitive stages in the world – and get ready to Feel the Force!
The tour will take approximately 90 minutes and includes refreshments and a gift. There will be a photo opportunity with an F1 car.
Dates available for the next three months are as follows:
February – Friday 24th
March – Friday 3rd, 10th and Thursday 23rd and Friday 31st
April – Thursday 6th and 13ths, Friday 21st and Thursday 27thFor information and to get in touch, contact Rachel Moroney – rachel.moroney@forceindiaf1-tours.com.
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Foresight & Vision partner with Sahara Force India
Silverstone, 6 Feb 2017: Sahara Force India is pleased to welcome eyewear specialists, Foresight & Vision, as a partner for the 2017 season.The partnership will introduce eyewear brands, Eye Respect and LDNR, to the high profile world of Formula One racing with the Sahara Force India drivers and team members wearing a range of sunglasses at race events.The Eye Respect and LDNR brands combine fashion and practicality. Crafted by leading designers and made by hand, the brands have become a firm favourite for discerning users of spectacles andsunglasses.LDNR logos will appear on the team’s new car, the VJM10, as well as on the drivers’ race suits.Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director, Sahara Force India: “I’m very excited to begin our collaboration with Foresight & Vision. Formula One is the most glamorous global sport and a great match for a fashion brand. Eye Respect and LDNR have developed a wonderful range of glasses and sunglasses, which combine colour, style and elegance – the perfect addition to the Formula One paddock.”Jonathan van Blerk, CEO and Creative Director, Foresight & Vision: “Working with Sahara Force India is a perfect fit for our brand. We share their fighting spirit and we always strive to punch above our weight as we develop our eyewear brands. The Formula One environment gives us a fantastic opportunity to tell the world about our products and I’m truly delighted to begin our partnership with Sahara Force India.”eom/Sahara Force India press releaseEye Respect Sahara Force India F1 Team Photoshoot.
2nd February 2017.
Silverstone, UK
Quotes:
Tom Fowler (Chief Engineer)
“The first stage is complete but we’ve got a long way to go and real action only begins tomorrow. For the shakedown stage this morning we had a similar situation to Monte-Carlo, in that it was important to save tyres in order to give our drivers the best choice possible during the actual rally. We’re expecting a solid ice base on the stages, maybe with more snowfall in the next couple of days, so our running today was reasonably representative of that. We’re happy with what we have seen today and looking forward to the considerable challenge of tomorrow: the longest day of the rally.”