INDIA in F1

Category: Rally

  • An island adventure for Team MRF Tyres in the ERC

    An island adventure for Team MRF Tyres in the ERC

    San Miguel (Portugal), 16 Sept. 2021: Team MRF Tyres returns to the FIA European Rally Championship as the second half of the season gets underway with the Azores Rallye held in the Portuguese island of San Miguel.

    WRC ace and multiple winner, Dani Sordo joins the team as the aggressive development push continues.

    Cándido Carrera will sit beside Sordo in the MRF Tyres Hyundai i20 R5 for the first of the Portuguese rounds that takes place on the Azores archipelago, some two hours flying time off the Portuguese mainland.

    The Azores Rallye sees the Championship return to gravel, and with the volcanic nature of the island, the surface will present a unique challenge to the crews.

    With 13 stages and 201km of competitive action, the crews will face a series of long stages. To complicate matters, the weather on the Azores is notoriously fickle, where rain and fog can come and go at a moment’s notice.

    The rally commences on Thursday with free practice and qualifying with a blast around the 3.12km Lagoa test, which will help determine the starting order for the Friday stages.

    Friday takes the crews into the forest on the east of the island where the crews will face six stages and 111.90km of competitive action.

    The drivers will have to concentrate from the first kilometres as a 24.03 km Graminhais test starts the rally. Immediately, the 21.89km Tronqueira 1 stage follows before the 15.96km Lagoa de São Brás completes the leg.

    The first two stages are repeated in the afternoon loop but the final stage of the day is a run around the spectator super special stage of Grupo Marques.

    Saturday is the final day of the 55th Azores Rallye and sees seven stages and 88.84km of competitive action. The day starts to the north of the Ponta Delgada service park with the 11.40km Coroa da Mata stage.

    Feteiras follows at 7.46km before the legendary 24.01km Sete Cidades stage takes the crews around the edge of the volcano on the east of the island. A second run around the spectator super special stage ends the loop.

    The final three stages are a repeat of the morning’s three stages, meaning that the rally will end on the spectacular Sete Cidades stage. Ending the rally on a 24.01km stage means that concentration is needed to the final metres.

    Team MRF Tyres along with Sordo and Carrera will be looking for important data on this unique surface.
    Fans on the Azores can spectate in a Covid-19 safe manor and those at home can follow each stage live on FIA ERC radio (www.fiaerc.com/live-radio).

    The pre-event press conference will be live-streamed on Thursday. Stages two and five will be streamed on Friday and stages nine and 13 will be streamed on Saturday. The FIA ERC will host their live streams on Facebook and YouTube.

    You can follow Team MRF Tyres throughout the rally on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

    Quotes
    Dani Sordo, Driver, Hyundai i20 R5

    “It is the first time that I am in the Azores and the first time I am with MRF Tyres. I have to say it looks amazing. I was happy with the conditions in testing and the MRF Tyres worked well.”

    “I am happy to be here to help develop the tyres. They have a lot of potential and running here this weekend will gain a lot of data for the development.”

    “Primarily we are here to develop the tyre but we also want to fight for a good result. I am looking forward to starting the rally.”

  • WRC star Dani Sordo teams up with MRF Tyres

    WRC star Dani Sordo teams up with MRF Tyres

    Sao Miguel (Portugal), 7 Sept 2021: Team MRF Tyres will continue the aggressive development push at next round of the FIA European Rally Championship at the Azores Rallye that takes place on the Portuguese archipelago.

    For the Azores Rallye, Spanish ace and multiple World Rally Championship winner, Dani Sordo joins the team to drive the MRF Tyres Hyundai i20 R5.

    Sordo is the third driver to compete in the Team MRF Tyres Hyundai i29 R5 in 2021 after Craig Breen started the year, taking a podium in Rally Liepaja, and Jari Huttunen competed in the Barum Czech Rally Zlin.

    The development program now has a rotational roster of drivers, with the cooperation of Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing.

    After two rallies in a row on tarmac, the FIA European Rally Championships starts the second half of the season on gravel with the 55th Azores Rallye.

    Sordo and Team MRF Tyres will compete over 13 stages and 201.94km of competitive action.

    For many rally fans, Sordo needs no introduction. A WRC veteran with 174 starts to his name, he has taken three overall wins, two with the Hyundai World Rally Team. Additionally, he has won the Junior World Rally Championship and the Spanish Rally Championship in 2005.

    He has made just one appearance in the European Rally Championship. In 2018 he started the Barum Czech Rally Zlin a Hyundai i20 R5, taking third place.

    His mission for MRF Tyres will follow the strategy that the team has been following for the past two seasons – that is data gathering and tyre development for the next generation of MRF rally tyres.

    MRF Tyres is taking advantage of its unique position to access multiple drivers from the Hyundai stable to help provide additional experiences to its development program.

    In addition, MRF Tyres have engaged the services of Paolo Andreucci, Simone Campedelli, Tamara Molinaro and Emil Lindholm in testing and competition to help gather data for the development of the tyres.
     Round five of the FIA European Rally Championship, the Azores Rallye will take place from 16-18 September and you can follow the progress of Team MRF Tyres on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

    Quotes
    Dani Sordo, Driver, Hyundai i20 R5
    “I am really excited to do the Azores Rallye with Team MRF Tyres and the Hyundai i20 R5. The Azores Rallye is an amazing rally to drive. I will give a lot of information for the tyres. We will use this rally as a test for the development of MRF Tyres.”

    “We will be there to get more information, to get a good result and to work with the MRF Tyres.”

  • Czech dream ends early for Team MRF Tyres: ERC

    Czech dream ends early for Team MRF Tyres: ERC

    Zlin (Czech Republic), 29 August 2021: Team MRF Tyres’ visit to the FIA European Rally Championship’s  Barum Czech Rally Zlin ended early after showing good pace.

    The rally got to a good start for Jari Huttunen and Mikko Lukka in the Team MRF Tyres Hyundai i20 R5 by taking fifth spot in the qualifying session.

    The duo would take the fifth starting position and drove safely through the first night stage in the streets of Zlin.

    The event was able to welcome spectators to both the stages and the service park, providing a carnival atmosphere.

    Saturday’s stages started well, with the tyre development program front of mind. The potential of the tyres was shown through top six stage times.

    However, the rally came to an end on Stage 7, the 18.86 Hošťálková stage. An off damaged the rear side on the driver’s side. It also damaged the engine, and that was too great to repair onsite within the timeframe allowed.

    Team MRF Tyres will be back in action in the FIA European Rally Championship with the Azores Rallye from September 16-18.

    Quote
    Jari Huttunen, Driver, Hyundai i20 R5
    “We were enjoying the Barum Czech Rally Zlin for Team MRF Tyres. We were going through our plan to get more data for the tyre. Unfortunately, we crashed on SS7 and the damage was too great to repair on site and we have to retire. Both Mikko and I are ok and want to get back behind the wheel. I feel bad for the team. The MRF Tyre was performing well to that point.”

  • Czech point for Team MRF Tyre development

    Czech point for Team MRF Tyre development

    Zlin (Czech Republic) 26 August 2021: The 2021 FIA European Rally Championship heads to the famous tarmac of the 50th Barum Czech Rally Zlin this weekend. It marks the halfway point of the 2021 season and Jari Huttunen joins Team MRF Tyres.

    The 50th Barum Czech Rally Zlín, is a tarmac rally held in Zlín, Czech Republic. It is currently part of the European Rally Championship and previously has been part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. Founded in 1971, it is part of the ERC schedule since the championship’s streamlining in 2004. Barum Czech Rally Zlín is based in the South Moravian university city, 300 kilometres south of the Czech capital Prague. It is a Tarmac test like no other due to the bumpy and sometimes broken nature of the road surface. To add to the challenge, several stages feature high-speed blasts through forests and intermittent showers are always possible. While the weather might be hard to predict, huge numbers of fans follow the action, especially on the opening night-time Zlín superspecial stage. The long-term ERC rally turns 50 in 2021.

    Huttunen with codriver, Mikko Lukka are joining Team MRF Tyres as the team’s tyre development strategy evolves.

    Through the driver pool that Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing has developed, MRF Tyres can take advantage of the feedback from a variety of drivers, starting with Huttunen and Lukka who are joining the team for the Barum Czech Rally Zlin.

    Coming into its 50th edition, the Barum Czech Rally Zlin will offer a tarmac rallying feast for drivers and fans alike.

    The crews face 15 special stages and 210.92km of competitive action. Friday sees the qualifying stage, with an early start for the crews. From 7:30 am local time (11:00 am in India), Huttunen and Lukka will have the opportunity for shakedown before qualifying starts at 9:30 am (1:00 pm in India).

    The 4.07km stage will set the starting order for the rally that gets underway with a street stage through Zlin on Friday evening.

    Saturday is a monster day with eight stages and 127.18km of action.

    After a late finish on Friday, there is no chance to catch up on sleep with the first of the day’s stages getting underway at 9:31 am local time (1:01 pm in India).

    The day sees two stages Březová (12.73km) and Hošťálková (18.86km) before morning service.

    After service, a loop of four stages awaits the crews, with Komárov (8.46km) and Pindula (18.95km) before a repeat of Březová and Hošťálková. With almost 60km in the loop, a measure of speed and patience will be important.

    The day then ends with a repeat run through Komárov and Pindula with the last stage due to start after sunset.

    It is another early start on Sunday with the day’s six stages getting underway at 8:03 am local time (11:33 in India).

    Sunday sees two loops of three stages with repeated runs through Halenkovice (8.85km), Biskupice (7.59km) and Májová (25.43km).

    With the longest stage of the rally making up the final stage of the loop and of the rally, there will be no chance for the drivers to relax throughout the event.

    With a huge field of world-class competitors, the 50th edition of the Barum Czech Rally Zlin is one not to be missed.

    You can follow the action at home with every stage live on radio (www.fiaerc.com/ive-radio) or with SS5 and SS7 streamed live on Facebook or Youtube on Saturday and SS12 and SS15 streamed live on Sunday.

    You can follow Team MRF Tyres throughout the rally on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

    Quotes
    Jari Huttunen, driver, Hyundai i20 R5
    “It is nice to be part of Team MRF Tyres here at Barum Czech Rally Zlin. I am looking forward to getting into the rally on the tyres. It will be my first rally on MRF Tyres. So far in testing, I am impressed.”

    “We have come to Zlin to help develop the tyres. Our main aim is to gain data for the development of the tyres. I am looking forward to the opportunity to contribute to the team.”

    “I have rallied here before in 2017. Rally Zlin is a difficult rally and the weather will also play a part. I will try to drive without any mistakes as gaining data here on this unique rally is very important for me and for Team MRF Tyres.”

  • Yuvakumar of Hero Motosports begins campaign in style

    Yuvakumar of Hero Motosports begins campaign in style

    Bengaluru, 22 August 2021: Celebrated Hero MotoSports rider Yuvakumar of Bengaluru bagged the overall honours and opened his 2021 campaign in serious style winning fastest rider tag of Round 1 in the Motorsport Inc FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship for motorcycles for South Zone at the Moto Farm in Kanakapura near here on Saturday.

    Astride a Hero Xpulse200, the three-time Desert Storm winner, who also has five National titles in two-wheeler Rally and Dirt Track, clocked the fastest time 08 min, 36 seconds for the 7.5km dash on way to a gold in the Group B upto 260cc Class. “Today the track was really tough and tricky but I managed to finish first overall competing against the foreign bikes. I thank Hero team for the well-tuned bike,” said the 34-year Bengalurean.

    Sarath Mohan of Malappuram had a commanding victory in the Open Class upto 600cc but the Asura garage supported 25-year rider missed the Overall honours by 2 seconds clocking 8min 38sec astride a Suzuki RMX 450.

    Yuvakumar of Hero Motosports at Moto Farm, Kanakapura on Saturday. Photo by Sriharsha Nadiger.

    Vishwas SD, Rakesh Kumar V, Naresh VS, Sudeep Kottary, Suhail Ahmed, Elango, Sanjay Somasekhar and Sneha won their respective classes.

    “The Championship began in a strict bio-bubble and a Covid officer was appointed to take care of the safety protocols and the welfare of the riders and other participants,” said Jaidas Menon of Motorsports Inc, the promoters.

    Round 1 Sprint Nationals 2021 Final (provisional) results (Sat):

    1. Group A Upto 600cc Class (Foreign bikes only): 1. Vishwas SD (Bengaluru) (09min, 03sec); 2. Badal Subash Doshi (Pune) (09:06); 3. Sarath Mohan (Malappuram) (09:11).

    2. Group B Upto 130cc Class: 1. Rakesh Kumar V (Bengaluru) (09:35); 2. Sudeep Kottary (Mangaluru) (09:41); 3. Ajin Abraham (Kottayam) (09:48).

    3. Group B 131cc to 165cc: 1. Naresh VS (Bengaluru) (08:55); 2. Pavan BK (Bengaluru) (09.10); 3. Subramanya T (Bengaluru) (09:14).

    4. Group B 166cc Upto 260cc Class: 1. Yuvakumar (Bengaluru) (08:36); 2. Pavan BK (Bengaluru) (08:48); 3. Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru) (08:49).

    5. Group B 261cc to 400cc Class: 1. Sudeep Kottary (Mangalore) (09.26); 2. V Venu Rakesh Kumar (Coimbatore) KTM-90 (10:12); 3. Sajeesh Reghunathan (10:15).

    6. Group D upto 260cc Class: 1. Yuvakumar (Bengaluru) (08:42); 2. Samuel Abraham (09:08); 3. Sajay Somasekhar (Bengaluru) (09:09).

    7. Scooter Class: 1. Elango G (Erode) (09:50); 2. Subramanya T (09:56); 3. Karthik N (Bengaluru) (10:00).

    8. Bullet Class: 1. Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru) (09:17); 2. Naresh VS (Bengaluru) (09:18); 3. Sharath Kumar S () (09:20).

    9. Open Class upto 600cc: 1. Sarath Mohan (Malappuram) (08:38); 2. Badal Subhash Doshi (Pune) (09:01); 3. Sinan Francis (Ernakulam) (09:06).

    Non-Championship classes: Ladies Class: 1. Sneha (09:56).

    South Zonal Star (formerly Star of Karnataka): 1. Sanjay Somashekar (Bengaluru) (09:12); 2. Karan M (10:34).

  • MRF Tyres’ Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen excel

    MRF Tyres’ Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen excel

    Lahti, 15 August 2021: Team MRF Tyres took maximum points with the win in the Ralli SM (Finnish Rally Championship) and the Top Building Ralli in Lahti this weekend.

    The driving team of Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen were strong over each of the nine stages and 110.45km of competitive action, finishing second overall but as the leading driver was not registered for points, it is a maximum haul for Team MRF Tyres.

    The rally took place on dry gravel roads and it is important for Team MRF Tyres as the team came into the rally just two points off the lead in the Driver’s Championship.

    The first three stages, Rapala (11.94km), Kukkolanmäki (11.54km) and Ylemmäinen (12.16km) took place on Friday afternoon and Lindholm/Hämäläinen took two stage wins and a second place to lead into the night’s service.

    The Saturday running saw two loops of three stages, with two runs through the Porvola (14.78km), Neroskulma (10.34km) and Avus (13.17km) stages.

    Lindholm and Hämäläinen were immediately on the pace again, always keeping inside the top five in the stage times.

    With an eye on the Championship, it was more important to look to the likes of Mikko Heikkilä and Teemu Asunmaa and not Egon Kaur. Kaur had not registered for Finnish points while Lindholm Heikkilä and Asunmaa are engaged in a tight championship battle.

    Though the day, Egon took the lead of the rally but Team MRF Tyres held onto the lead of the Finnish Championship beating their title rivals.

    In the end, Lindholm and Hämäläinen finished the nine stages in 54:00.4 which was ensured that they beat their Championship rivals.

    The weather became quite treacherous and it became a matter of managing the gap, knowing that second on the road would bring the Finnish Championship win. The management was done to perfection with Lindholm/ Hämäläinen taking the position by 0.6 second.

    MRF Tyres were also found on customer entries. Juuso Metsälä/Matti Kangas won the SM6 class in their Ford Fiesta Rally3.

    Jere Pensas and Jouni Saarijärvi were leading the SM4 class overnight but were forced to retire on Saturday.

    With just one round to go of the Finnish Rally Championship, the points are tight. The best four of five scores count for the first five rounds.

    The Mikko Heikkilä leads the Championship on 86 points (including the dropped score), from Lindholm on 85 points and Teemu Asunmaa on 79 points. The SM KokUA 60-v Juhlaralli will take place on the last weekend of September and it will be a winner-takes-all event.

    Team MRF Tyres will be back in action next at the Czech Rally Zlin in the FIA European Championship on from 27-29 August.

    Quotes
    Emil Lindholm, Driver, Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo
    “The last stages of the rally were clearly muddy after the rain, and it was somewhat difficult for us. The line left for us by the historic cars didn’t fit the Rally2 cars which made it challenging. I am very happy to have come out of the difficult conditions with maximum points for us and for Team MRF Tyres in the Finnish Championship.”

    “We once again took a lot of important data for MRF Tyres. We rallied in circumstances in which I haven’t driven before with MRF Tyres, and of course development has an important part for every rally.”

    “Egon Kaur drove fast and all the credit to him for winning. For us, maximum points were more important this time. We saw his speed after the morning and we didn’t have any sense to go raise our own speed and increase the risk. In this rally we had more in the form of points and being the fastest in the Finnish Championship.”

  • Breen-Nagle take first podium for MRF in ERC

    Breen-Nagle take first podium for MRF in ERC

    Talsi/Liepaja, 3 July 2021: With a second place finish at the Rally Liepaja, Team MRF Tyres today registered their first ever podium since entering the European Rally Championship in 2020. 

    It was a hard fought podium with Craig Breen and Paul Nagle battling against Europe’s best throughout the day.

    The day’s action saw six stages and 90.92km of action in warm and sunny conditions on roads around the Latvian coastal town of Liepaja.

    The Team MRF Tyres Hyundai i20 R5 started the day in second place, involved in a great fight with Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (VW), Efrén Llarena/ Sara Fernández (Skoda) and Alexey Lukyanuk/Dmitriy Eremeev (Citroën). Just 13.4 seconds separated the four cars.

    The day started with the 18.42km Neste stage. The roads on Saturday differed from the previous day with a harder surface being presented to the drivers.

    Breen and Nagle came in third in the stage with a time of 9:18.2, just 3.4 seconds off the lead.

    The pace was repeated on the second stage of the day, with Breen/Nagle taking second just 3.1 seconds off the stage win on the Invest in Liepaja! stage.

    Third on stage nine, solidified Team MRF Tyres second place going into the final service. With just three stages remaining, Breen and Nagle sat in second 15.2 seconds off Gryzain/Konstantin in the lead and 16.0 seconds ahead of Lukanuk/Eremeev in third.

    After final service, the need to push still existed. All of the drivers were at 100 percent, and there would be no room for mistakes.

    SS10 saw a repeat of the Neste stage with Breen/Nagle coming home in fifth, 3.9 seconds off the stage win.

    The eleventh stage would be a new one for the rally with the 9.93km blast setting up a setting up a grandstand finish.

    Breen and Nagle were able to bring the car home third on the final stage to finish second in the overall standings as they stood at the final stopline.

    The result demonstrates the advancements that Team MRF Tyres have made in the development of their tyres.

    In Rally Poland, just the second gravel rally for Team MRF Tyres, Breen and Nagle took the first stage wins on gravel for MRF Tyres.

    In Latvia, the first repeat rally for MRF Tyres, the team takes the first podium. 

    MRF Tyres customer cars Michal Pryczek/ Jacek Pryczek (Subaru Impreza N15) and Igor Widłak/Daniel Dymurski (Ford Fiesta Rally 3) ran strongly over the day.

    Pryczek/Pryczek finished third in the ERC2 category and Widlak/Dymurski also finished third in the RC3 category.

    Team MRF Tyres will be out in the next round of the European Rally Championship with the Rally di Roma Capitale on 23-26 July.

    Quotes
    Craig Breen, Driver, Hyundai i20 R5
    “We had to push all rally long. There was no room to relax this weekend. This series is so strong and you have to fight for the podium.”

    “Team MRF Tyres has achieved so much in this campaign and a podium was a big part that was missing. To achieve a podium for Team MRF Tyres is very satisfying.”

    “The Hyundai i20 R5 felt so good through the rally but we had to push the entire way. The entire team at MRF Tyres should be proud of what we have achieved in a short amount of time.”

    “We entered the European Rally Championship a year ago and Rally Liepaja is only our third gravel rally. It is a great result.”

    *Results provisional

  • Ogier santches Safari win after Neuville heartbreak: WRC

    Ogier santches Safari win after Neuville heartbreak: WRC

    Nairobi (Kenya), 27 June 2021: The French crew of Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia emerged unscathed from a gripping final morning’s action to secure victory in Safari Rally Kenya and increase their leads in the FIA World Rally Championship.

    Third overall at the start of the day, the Toyota Yaris WRC driver moved up to second when Thierry Neuville damaged his Hyundai’s rear suspension on the opening stage. Ogier then displaced Toyota team-mate Takamoto Katsuta on the penultimate special and went on to record victory by the margin of 21.8 seconds.

    “One out of one (Safari) is not so bad,” said Ogier, who now leads the Drivers’ Championship by 34 points after his fourth win of the season. “We had amazing support from the people. It has been incredible. The people have been cheering for us on the road sections. It is a beautiful country. It is a great win for us. After the trouble on Friday we had a good weekend. Well done also to Taka. It was not easy to catch him.”

    The victory was Toyota’s first on the Safari since Japanese driver Yoshio Fujimoto and Swedish co-driver Arne Hertz won the 43rd Safari in 1995 in a Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD. It was the Japanese manufacturer’s ninth in total after winning for the first time in Kenya with the late Björn Waldegård and fellow Swede Hans Thorszelius in 1984.

    Safari success marked Ogier’s 53rd WRC win as he continues to close in on fellow Frenchman Sébastien Loeb’s record 79 successes.

    Partnered by Daniel Barritt, Katsuta’s second place marked a career best finish and first ever WRC podium for the young Japanese talent. “It’s feeling very good,” said Katsuta. “It has been a very long weekend. Everybody had some problems but we survived.”

    The Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team suffered agony and disappointment for the third consecutive rally. After Ott Tänak’s woes in Portugal and Sardinia, it was Thierry Neuville’s turn to suffer the same cruel twist of fate in Kenya.

    The Belgian had dominated the Safari for two days and looked set to cruise to the finish and take the win until a rear-right damper exploded on the first stage of the morning and he was not able to continue. It was a bitter blow to the Belgian’s title challenge and a major setback for the team in the battle with Toyota for the Manufacturers’ title. They now trail their rivals by 59 points.

    “Basically we came to a very slow left-right corner and something broke on the car,” said Neuville. “We saw that the damper exploded and we had to retire there. It is a big disappointment, not only for me but for the whole team. It’s a tough time after three rallies in a row retiring from the lead.”

    Ott Tänak’s third place was scant consolation for the effort that the team had put in over the weekend. But the Estonian claimed five maximum bonus points for winning the Power Stage and closed to within eight points of third-placed Neuville in the title race.

    The Safari was a success for the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team in the absence of senior management because of the UK’s Covid quarantine rules for arrivals from Kenya.

    Adrien Fourmaux and Gus Greensmith were closely matched throughout the event, but a career-first fastest stage time and a pacey morning enabled Fourmaux to overhaul his English team-mate to secure a personal best fourth position. The ever-improving Greensmith finished fifth.

    Kalle Rovanperä won two stages and led the rally outright after the fifth one, but the Finn suffered his very own disappointment on Friday afternoon and spent the rest of the weekend avoiding trouble to give himself a chance to gain Power Stage points. He finished sixth overall and second in the Power Stage with his Toyota.

    Throughout WRC history, rallies with a high rate of attrition – like the Safari and the Ivory Coast – enabled amateur drivers to score WRC points for impressive performances.

    This year’s returning African classic was no exception and Kenyan driver Onkar Rai finished a superb seventh overall. The Volkswagen Polo GTi driver won the WRC3 category and devoted the victory to his brother Tejveer, who crashed heavily and sustained a spinal injury on Friday.

    “It’s amazing,” said an overwhelmed Rai at the finish. “I hope he’s watching (brother). It was a really hard drive and I am so happy that Kenya has got it back (WRC).”

    Fellow countryman Karen Patel and five-time Safari winner Carl Tundo were Rai’s closest challengers and crossed the finish line in eighth and ninth places.

    After losing any chance of taking a win on Friday, title contender Elfyn Evans fought back from the lower reaches of the top 20 to finish in 10th place and collect a solitary WRC point to add to the three he scored on the final Power Stage. He now trails team-mate Ogier by 34 points in the Drivers’ Championship.

    Sunday – as it happened 

    Evans was handed road-sweeping duties on the first pass through the 11.33km of the narrow and twisty Loldia stage and completed in 7min 49.4sec.

    Dani Sordo had been 20 minutes late leaving service because of a reported fuel pressure issue and then clocked in 10 minutes early to the stage start and lined up in third place behind Lorenzo Bertelli with 13min 20sec of additional time penalties to his name.  

    Fourmaux and Greensmith were separated by just 12 seconds at the start of the day and locked in a tussle for fifth place. The Frenchman threw caution to the wind to post a time of 7min 41.2sec and reduced his M-Sport team-mate’s advantage to just six seconds.

    Ogier opted for four soft tyres in his quest to hunt down Katsuta and snatch second place and the Japanese saw his 18.1-second cushion whittled down to 4.6 seconds when the seven-time World Champion carded the fastest time of 7min 37.1sec.

    Neuville struggled through the stage with right-rear suspension damage and haemorrhaged 59.2 seconds to the Frenchman. But the Belgian somehow managed to hold on to a lead of 11.7 seconds after a stunning development at the start of the final morning.

    The first pass through Hell’s Gate was shortened to 5.63km by rally officials after regrading and repair work. Crews were then permitted to recce the repaired section for the subsequent Wolf Power Stage after the stage finish.

    Hyundai confirmed that Neuville would not be able to continue after breaking a rear damper. The Belgian’s demise lifted Katsuta into the outright lead, but he was running on a far from ideal tyre option and was coming under severe pressure from Ogier.

    Evans was closing in on 10th overall and he carded the fastest time of 3min 14.3sec to move within seven seconds of Lorenzo Bertelli.

    Fourmaux pinched another tenth of a second from Greensmith, who summed up his thoughts: “It’s hard to put into words this rally. One minute it’s fine and then it’s going end-over-end – metaphorically!”

    Ogier continued to reel in Katsuta and his team-mate’s lead was reduced to 0.8 seconds heading to a single pass through the abrasive Malewa (9.71km) stage. But Katsuta led a WRC rally for the first time with three stages to go.

    Malewa may have been a short stage but it was rough and demanding. Evans managed to pass Bertelli and claim 10th place and a potential WRC point with a time of 7min 21.9sec.

    An inspired Fourmaux delivered a scintillating time of 7min 01.1sec to go 15.8 seconds quicker than Sordo and his efforts were rewarded when he displaced Greensmith to take fifth place by 2.3 seconds. He also confirmed a first personal stage win in the WRC.

    Ogier erred on the side of caution to preserve his soft compound tyres and moved into a tie for the outright lead after beating Katsuta by 0.8 seconds. The pair headed to the re-run of Loldia tied to the fraction of a second to set up a grandstand finale in Kenya.

    Evans beat his opening run by two seconds to consolidate 10th place and Fourmaux continued to push hard and extended his advantage over Greensmith to 4.7 seconds in the fight for fourth overall. The Frenchman was 8.5 seconds faster than Evans and second quickest on the stage.

    Ogier was quickest and managed to snatch the outright lead for the first time since the super special on Thursday afternoon. He headed to the final special with an 8.3-second cushion over Katsuta, with Tänak a distant third.

    Attention turned to the Wolf Power Stage and the second run through the regraded Hell’s Gate (10.56km) with crucial bonus points at stake for the fastest five drivers.

    After the Kenyan trio of Rai, Patel and Tundo had confirmed the top three places in WRC3, Sordo laid down the Power Stage gauntlet with a run of 6min 17.517sec but a flying Evans was 9.135 seconds faster than the Spaniard.

    Rovanperä pushed hard and managed to sneak inside Evans’s target by 1.183 seconds with a new fastest time of 6min 07.199sec. Fourmaux and Greensmith were unable to match the Finn’s time but confirmed two solid finishes for the M-Sport team.

    Tänak was desperate for Power Stage points and the Estonian managed to beat the benchmark by 0.734 seconds to snatch the fastest time with Ogier and Katsuta still to run. The Japanese confirmed a career-best WRC finish but was not able to match the target time.

    That left the stage free for Ogier but the Frenchman was more concerned with securing a first Safari win and he finished the Power Stage in fourth place to seal outright victory by the margin of 21.8 seconds.

    2021 Safari Rally Kenya – positions after SS18 (@14.35hrs):

    1. Sébastien Ogier (FRA)/Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Toyota Yaris WRC                     3hr 18min 11.3sec

    2. Takamoto Katsuta (JPN)/Daniel Barritt (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC                        3hr 18min 33.1sec

    3. Ott Tänak (EST)/Martin Järveoja (EST) Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC                        3hr 19min 20.8sec

    4. Adrien Fourmaux (FRA)/Renaud Jamoul (BEL) Ford Fiesta WRC                             3hr 19min 56.0sec

    5. Gus Greensmith (GBR)/Chris Patterson (GBR) Ford Fiesta WRC                     3hr 20min 05.9sec

    6. Kalle Rovanperä (FIN)/Jonne Halttunen (FIN) Toyota Yaris WRC                  3hr 29min 04.7sec

    7. Onkar Rai (KEN)/Drew Sturrock (GBR) Volkswagen Polo GTi (WRC3)                             3hr 47min 37.7sec

    8. Karen Patel (KEN)/Tauseef Khan (KEN) Ford Fiesta (WRC3)                                         3hr 51min 41.7sec

    9. Carl Tundo (KEN)/Timothy Jessop (KEN) Volkswagen Polo GTi (WRC3)                3hr 54min 52.0sec

    10. Elfyn Evans (GBR)/Scott Martin (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC                                  4hr 07min 34.0sec

    11. Lorenzo Bertelli (ITA)/Simone Scattolin (ITA) Ford Fiesta WRC                             4hr 08min 28.8sec

  • MRF Tyres win Italian gravel rally for first wi

    MRF Tyres win Italian gravel rally for first wi

    Sardinia, 5 June 2021: Team MRF Tyres has won the Campionato Italiano Rally Terra (CIRT) in style with Paolo Andreucci and Rudy Briani winning three out of four stages to win the Rally Italia Sardegna – National.

    The success for MRF Tyres continued by taking third place with Simone Campedelli and Gianfrancesco Maria Rappa and by Tamara Molinaro and Piercarlo Capolongo winning the Ladies Division.

    This result is the first victory for Team MRF Tyres in top-line national rallying in Europe after the Indian tyre manufacturer committed to European rallying in 2019.

    The Rally Italia Sardegna – National was the second round of the CIRT, or the Italian Rally Championship – Gravel. Team MRF Tyres had succeeded in taking a podium in the first round and was coming into this weekend after a podium run the weekend before in Finland.

    The rally, which took place on the Italian island of Sardinia, featured rough gravel rounds and would be a test for man and machine.

    The crews would tackle four stages and 73.3km of competitive action. They would run the 22.29km Filigosu – Sa Conchedda test, then the 14.36km Terranova test, then take to service before running the two stages again in the afternoon.

    The key was that the WRC cars would run these stages before the Italian Championship cars, ensuring that the stones and rough conditions would lay in wait for anyone that would put a wheel wrong.

    For Andreucci and Briani, they put in a flawless run in their MRF Tyres Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo.
    They started the day in style winning the first stage by 9.9 seconds before confirming their pace by winning the second stage.

    They went into service with a 12.5 second lead.

    After service, they extended their lead with a third stage win from three stages. Their pace in each of the three stages was good enough for them to take the WRC3 stage wins, proving the pace of the MRF Tyre.

    Coming into the final stage, Andreucci and Briani ensured their place on the top step. In the end, they won by 31.8 seconds from Umberto Scandola and Guido D’Amore.

    Campedelli and Rappa made it a double podium for Team MRF Tyres by taking third place in their Volkswagen Polo R5.

    They started the day with a third on SS1, followed by a fourth and two more third positions to take their second podium in two rounds of the CIRT.

    Molinaro and Capolongo kept up the celebrations for Team MRF Tyres in their Citroën C3 Rally2. The duo finished seventh and achieved their goals of winning the Ladies Trophy for the second rally in succession and finished second in the Under 25’s Division.

    This success shows that the aggressive development campaign from MRF Tyres has yielded results.

    MRF Tyres is competing in the toughest rally championships in the world and to be able to beat the best demonstrates the effort and skill from the team at MRF Tyres.

    The work will continue with the opening round of the European Rally Championship taking place with Rally Poland from 18-20 June.

    The next round of the CIRT will take place with the San Marino Rally from 25-26 June.

    Paolo Andreucci, Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, Winner
    “We are very satisfied with this victory! We were very careful in this rally since the beginning and paid great attention so as not to make mistakes or puncture.  From the very first step we felt very competitive with our MRF Tyres.” 

    “Here in Sardinia, our victory rewards us for the growth with the developments made in recent weeks.  Our times have been excellent since the first stage.  We were able to impose our pace thanks also to the reliability of the vehicle made available by Silvio Lazzara’s H Sport team, who took care of the Skoda Fabia R5 Evo 2, set up with our partner Sparco.”

    “The development activity is giving its positive results, and we can only be satisfied with this important result today thanks also to the important work of the entire MRF Tyres team.  Our development activity continues and today, thanks also to the result achieved, we have collected very important data.” 

    “Now we are concentrating on the next appointment at the San Marino Rally, which will be the third round of the Italian Rally Championship – Gravel.”

    Simone Campedelli, Volkswagen Polo R5, 3rd
    “I was thinking about the Championship. In the previous years, I retired in Sardinia and I had to make it to the end today. I managed my pace today as Paolo had better pace on the MRF Tyres but I was thinking about the Championship.”

    “To take another third here with MRF Tyres and make it through such a rough rally with no issues at all is great. I am now looking forward to the getting back in the car at the next round. Well done to everyone at MRF Tyres for this result.”

    Tamara Molinaro, Citroën C3 Rally2, 7th & winner Ladies
    “We are really about the weekend, it was a great weekend and a great achievement for the MRF Tyres family. Paolo and Simone had incredible pace and showed the potential of the tyres. On a rough rally like this, the tyre is the most important thing. It is impressive to see the work and the development and the work from MRF Tyres has paid off.”

    “For us, it was a great rally. The feeling of the tyres is really important for someone like me, with less experience. We finished seventh overall and won the female class. We took important points for the Championship and delighted for this result.”

    “I have to say thank you to MRF Tyres, it wouldn’t be possible without their support,” she concluded.

  • Team MRF Tyres on the podium at Länsirannikon Ralli

    Team MRF Tyres on the podium at Länsirannikon Ralli

    Lindholm/ Hämäläinen finish third in the Finnish Rally Championship round. Grönholm and Linnaketo retire after showing good pace

    Avanti (Finland), 30 May 2021: The Länisrannikon Ralli saw the Finnish Championship move from winter to summer conditions. It was the first time that Team MRF Tyres has competed on Finnish gravel after achieving podium finishes in the winter conditions.

    The rally consisted of a planned 101.61km of competitive action spread over 13 stages.

    Lindholm and Hämäläinen got the event underway in the best possible style on Friday, taking the stage win on the 7.5km Halisoja test. Grönholm and Linnaketo came home third.

    The good times from SS1 were backed up on SS2 with Lindholm and Hämäläinen taking the stage win on the 9.49km Ohensaari test. Grönholm and Linnaketo were in the top 10 too, coming home in seventh on stage.

    The final stage of the day was the 6.29km Hujala test and it was a third stage win from three for Lindholm and Hämäläinen. They lead the rally by 3.7 seconds ahead of Mikko Heikkilä and Topi Luhtinen.
    Meanwhile, Grönholm and Linnaketo sat in fourth, just 23.4 seconds off the lead after the first day.

    The Friday stages were held on tarmac and the rally moved to gravel on Saturday for 75km of action.
    The first loop consisted of the 6.42km Vintala test before moving to the 8.13km and 14.21km tests of Mahlio and Saukonoja. These stages are used just once.

    It was an ultra-competitive morning on the fast gravel stages with Lindholm and Hämäläinen demonstrating that the MRF Tyre could compete at the front and that a top result was going to be possible.

    Even though this was the first rally that Team MRF Tyres has competed on Finnish gravel, the duo strengthened their grip on the podium in what was a very competitive field.

    However, the team would be down to one car after a crash for Grönholm and Linnaketo. After showing great pace, they carried a little too much speed into a corner late on the third stage of the day. The crew was uninjured, but their rally was over.

    The remaining stages see two runs through the 5.15km Vanha Karuna stage, 13.40km test of Pöylä, and the 5.27km test of Juntola. The final stage is a short 1.93km shootout at Avanti.

    Lindholm and Hämäläinen continued to set top times through the day, achieving a top-five result on each of the remaining stages.

    MRF Tyres is competing in Finland to test ourselves against the fastest rally drivers in the world and this was evident with the tough fight for the podium positions.

     By the final loop, Lindholm and Hämäläinen were in a three-way battle for third with Aleksi Röyhkiö/ Ville Mannisenmäki and Juha Salo/ Mikko Markkula. It was a tight finish and coming into the final loop, the final 1.93km stage was cancelled.

    This meant that SS12 would host the last stage of the rally and Team MRF Tyres was able to achieve a podium, 0.6seconds ahead of Röyhkiö/ Mannisenmäki and 8.3 seconds ahead of Salo/Markkula.
    Team MRF Tyres has now achieved two third-place finishes and a fourth-place finish in the Finnish Rally Championship in 2021 with Emil Lindholm.

    The next round of the Finnish Rally Championship takes place at Seinäjoki with the SM Pohjanmaa Ralli on 18-19 June.

    Team MRF Tyres will be rallying next weekend in the Italian Rally Championship – Gravel (CIRT) with a three-car effort for Paolo Andreucci/ Francesco Pinelli, Simone Campedelli/ Gianfrancesco Maria Rappa, and Tamara Molinaro/ Piercarlo Capolongo.

    Emil Lindholm – Driver, Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, 3rd
    “Team MRF Tyres and I did well on the asphalt. I think driving gravel rally tires on the asphalt is what it should be like to drive a rally on asphalt: fun. Gravel tyres prefer asphalt than on a hard-coated gravel road, and still, you get to drive a lot and skate a car in curves. A fun experience!”

    “We aimed for the podium and we got there. This morning’s special stages were challenging when the ground was a bit damp. The setup worked better for us in the warmer afternoon stages.

    “The development from MRF Tyres is impressive. In just over a year, we have reached a situation where we can compete to win the rally, and once again we took stage wins and a podium. It’s a great achievement and the development will continue!”

    Niclas Gronholm – Driver, Skoda Fabia R5, DNF
    “It was really difficult today, I really didn’t have the confidence and couldn’t maximize the potential of the car and the MRF Tyres. In the end, I heard a pace note wrong and went a bit too fast into the corner and ended up on some loose gravel and drifted into a tree. But at least it was fun and we had good pace while it lasted!”