INDIA in F1

Category: WRC, Rally

  • MRF’s Breen encounters mechanical failure; Mikkelsen wins: ERC

    MRF’s Breen encounters mechanical failure; Mikkelsen wins: ERC

    While Andreas Mikkelsen celebrated a winning return to the FIA European Rally Championship, Alexey Lukyanuk fought back like a champion with a charging display on Rally Hungary’s deciding leg today, scoring eight potentially crucial points in his bid to win the coveted title for a second time.

    Breen explains podium heartache
    Craig Breen was firmly on course for a podium finish for Team MRF Tyres only for a mechanical failure to force him to retire his Hyundai i20 R5 on SS12 while running in second. The Irishman, a five-time winner in the ERC, explained what went wrong. “Unfortunately, a few kilometres from the end of the third stage of the loop we had an engine failure. There’s no point to point fingers and blame anyone. There was little warning and I think by the time the warning came, the damage [was] already done. There was not a whole lot more that we do to be honest. Today was very simple just to bring it home. That was the task. We took it very easy over the stages. It’s really disappointing, considering all the work that everybody has done, but it is life unfortunately. The progress of MRF Tyres has definitely been impressive. We’ve been we’ve been trying very, very hard and all the tests in the meantime to make tyre more and more competitive and we’re definitely making big improvements and we are going to try and make it even better in the future.”

    Lukyanuk was firmly in the victory fight, a mere 5.1s behind Mikkelsen after five stages on Saturday. But when he was erroneously checked in five minutes early for stage six, his hopes of a third 2020 ERC win came crashing down as a five-minute penalty was applied to the Saintéloc Junior Team driver’s total time.

    Despite languishing in a distant P18 at the overnight halt in host city Nyíregyháza, Lukyanuk didn’t give up and went on a flat-out charge to win leg two courtesy of four stage wins in P13 overall. His performance cut the margin to winner Mikkelsen to 4m53.5s in the ultimate case of what might have been.

    “We won the day so the mission is complete,” said Lukyanuk, who was competing in a Citroën C3 R5 on Pirelli tyres with co-driver Dmitry Eremeev. “Risk management is something to learn of course and we see it’s possible to be faster. All in all, we tried to concentrate on speed and consistency and it feels good.”

    For Mikkelsen, his victory alongside co-driver Ola Fløene, came on the back of seven stage bests, a remarkable performance given this was the Norwegian’s first rally of 2020 and his first in his Pirelli-equipped, Topp-Cars Rally Team-run Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo.

    “I’m undefeated in 2020 so far!” said a jubilant Mikkelsen, a winner of three World Rally Championship events in the past. “It’s been a good weekend. As I said I haven’t been competing, only testing as most of you know, for the last couple of years on Tarmac has been really difficult for me and I think maybe people thought I couldn’t drive on Tarmac any more so it’s nice to come here and show we’ve still got it and we’re still fast. I have to say a huge thanks to our team, Topp-Cars, for delivering me this car, it’s been working flawless all weekend and as well to Skoda for making this really, really nice car. I tried it in 2017, I loved it then but a lot has happened since then and now it’s even better. I feel so comfortable driving and it’s all about confidence. I felt I’ve pretty much been in control all the rally. I felt very good,. We drove a clever strategy, not taking too big risks but we were still quick so it’s really enjoyable.”

    BMA Autosport Hyundai i20 R5 driver Grégoire Munster won ERC1 for the second rally in succession in a career-best second overall with Efrén Llarena, the ERC3 Junior champion from 2019, also landing a personal best in third for Rallye Team Spain having completed leg one in fifth spot.

    MOL Racing Team’s Norbert Herczig was third with two stages remaining but a puncture on SS15 denied the Hungarian a home podium. “I’m really sad, we had a puncture but I don’t know how because we drive carefully,” said the four-time national champion, who drives a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5. “Unfortunately, we lose the podium and I’m sorry for everybody. I wanted very much the podium, but life is life. Next time.”

    As well as benefiting Llarena, Herczig’s delay promoted Oliver Solberg – who was ninth overnight after two punctures on Saturday – to fourth and Niki Mayr-Melnhof to fifth, the Austrian dropping time with a moment through a ditch on SS14.

    Callum Devine was seventh for the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy to continue his strong recent run, while Erik Cais produced a succession of rapid stage times as he recovered from his second-stage off to finish eighth for the Yacco ACCR Team. Double ERC Junior champion Marijan Griebel overcame a high-speed spin this morning to finish ninth for Saintéloc Junior Team. András Hadik, from Hungary, completed the top 10 with Josh McErlean marking his ERC debut with an impressive P11 for the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy.

    Dominik Dinkel (Brose Motorsport) battled back from several delays – plus no working intercom for several Saturday stages – to finish P12 ahead of the recovering Lukyanuk and Yoann Bonato. The Michelin-supported Citroën driver was delayed going off the road on the opening morning then received a one-minute penalty for an early check-in. ORLEN Team’s Polish champion Miko Marczyk, who led after SS1 but lost out on a top result due to a puncture, was P15 with Albert von Thurn und Taxis taking P16.

    More Munster magic in ERC1 Junior
    Grégoire Munster staked his claim on the FIA ERC1 Junior title with a second successive victory as a double puncture hit rival Oliver Solberg’s hopes hard on day one. But Luxembourg driver Munster, in his family-run BMA Autosport Hyundai i20 R5, had issues of his own when his car failed to start prior to leaving overnight parc fermé and then service this morning.

    “It was maybe something to do with the cold night we had,” said Munster. “Today we tried to keep the car always running to not get any more problems. I’m really happy with our weekend, it was a really, really tricky rally. On the first day we pushed and showed some great pace. On the second day we had to manage the gap we had. I did not want to take any risk this morning and we managed it a bit better in the second loop when we showed we were capable of driving fast without making any mistakes.”

    Like Munster, Efrén Llarena was also competing on Rally Hungary for the first time but shrugged off his lack of experience of the event and his Rallye Team Spain-entered Citroën C3 R5. “We tried to have a good pace to do all the stages at 80/85 per cent,” said the ERC3 Junior champion. “This afternoon we were in the fight and saw we could be on the podium so we tried to attack. It was a fantastic podium for the team and also Rallye Team Spain and all the guys that support me.”

    Behind Solberg in third, Callum Devine took fourth ahead of Erik Cais, Dominik Dinkel and Miko Marczyk. Emil Lindholm restarted on day two after he went off the road on SS9 while in the thick of the ERC1 Junior podium battle for Team MRF Tyres. He placed eighth. Hungarian category newcomer Ádám Velenczei retired with a technical issue on leg one and did not restart on Sunday.

    Érdi Jr takes clear ERC2 win as Mabellini makes up for lost time in Abarth Rally Cup
    For the second rally running, Hungarian hero Tibor Érdi Jr was fastest in ERC2 on all but two stages to take a dominant triumph, his third of 2020. Zelindo Melegari finished second with Andrea Mabellini third after Dmitry Feofanov stopped on the final day with an oil leak. Mabellini retired on Friday evening’s superspecial with suspension failure but fought back to complete the ERC2 podium and win the Abarth Rally Cup section for a third time. Martin Rada finished second but Mihnea Mureșan and Roberto Gobbin were non-starters on leg two after crashing out on Saturday. “We are very happy to win our home race,” said Érdi Jr. “We had no problems apart from a slow puncture on SS12. The feeling is amazing and we are very happy, it’s a good job. We tried to be safe without risk and this is what we did.”

    Torn turns on the heat in ERC3/ERC3 Junior title bid
    Ken Torn did his chances of a combined ERC3/ERC3 Junior title triumph the power of good with his third win of the season at the wheel of the Pirelli-equipped Ford Fiesta Rally4 he shares with co-driver Kauri Pannas. The Estonian Autosport Junior Team driver was embroiled in a close battle with Rallye Team Spain’s Pep Bassas, which ebbed and flowed for much of the event.

    “For sure the result is brilliant,” said Torn. “It was a tough weekend, one of the hardest weekends we’ve had, but a big job is done. It’s good experience in the pocket for the future. We had a front-right puncture on stage 15, it was not the best news but we did not lose too much time. The chances of winning the title seem good but there is a lot more to do, we can’t be lazy and we need to keep working and be stronger on the next event.”

    Romanian Raul Badiu completed the ERC3 podium behind Bassas with Norwegian rookie Ola Jr Nore third in ERC3 Junior in Toksport’s all-new Renault Clio RSR Rally5. Hungarian lady driver Adrienn Vogel was a strong fifth in ERC3 with Amaury Molle battling an engine issue for much of the event to finish fourth in ERC3 Junior and sixth in ERC3.

    Csaba Juhász was next up followed by impressive Romanian newcomer Norbert Maior, who was in the ERC3 Junior lead battle until a driveshaft failure forced him out on Saturday. Martin László also showed strong form but his hopes were undone by a trip into a ditch on SS5 and a gearbox issue. Csaba Viszlo crashed out, while Rachele Somaschini retired with the recurrence of an old shoulder injury.

    P1 Racing Fuels Podium Challenge awards drivers
    The P1 Racing Fuels Podium Challenge, run for the first time during the 2019 ERC season finale in Hungary, continued on this year’s event. It rewarded the top three finishes in ERC1 and ERC2 with fuel vouchers that can be exchanged for P1 XR5 race fuel at subsequent events, helping competitors to further reduce the cost of competing. Across both categories, the winning drivers received 150 litres of fuel, while the second and third placed drivers received 100L and 50L respectively.

    PROVISIONAL TOP 15 ERC POSITIONS (after 16 stages, 191.06 kilometres)
    1 Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR)/Ola Fløene (NOR) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo 1h48m31.1s
    2 Grégoire Munster (LUX)/Louis Louka (BEL) Hyundai i20 R5 +1m32.2s
    3 Efrén Llarena (ESP)/Sara Fernández (ESP) Citroën C3 R5 +2m00.3s
    4 Oliver Solberg (SWE)/Aaron Johnston (IRL) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +2m04.8s
    5 Niki Mayr-Melnhof (AUT)/Poldi Welsersheimb (AUT) Ford Fiesta R5 MklI +2m08.2s
    6 Norbert Herczig (HUN)/Ramón Ferencz (HUN) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 +2m31.4s
    7 Callum Devine (IRL)/James Fulton (IRL) Hyundai i20 R5 +2m50.3s
    8 Erik Cais (CZE)/Jindřiška Žáková (CZE) Ford Fiesta R5 MkII +3m24.3s
    9 Marijan Griebel (DEU)/Tobias Braun (DEU) Citroën C3 R5 +3m32.4s
    10 András Hadik (HUN)/Krisztián Kertész (HUN) Ford Fiesta R5 MkII +4m13.6s
    11 Josh McErlean (IRL)Keaton Williams (GBR) Hyundai i20 R5 +4m16.8s
    12 Dominik Dinkel (DEU)/Ursula Mayrhofer (AUT) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +4m35.1s
    13 Alexey Lukyanuk (RUS)/Dmitry Eremeev (RUS) Citroën C3 R5 +4m53.5s
    14 Yoann Bonato (FRA)/Benjamin Boulloud (FRA) Citroën C3 R5 +4m57.7s
    15 Miko Marczyk (POL)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +5m44.5s

    FIA ERC2: Tibor Érdi Jr (HUN)/Zoltán Csökő (HUN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X
    FIA ERC3: Ken Torn (EST)/Kauri Pannas (EST) Ford Fiesta Rally4
    FIA ERC1 Junior: Grégoire Munster (LUX)/Louis Louka (BEL) Hyundai i20 R5
    FIA ERC3 Junior: Ken Torn (EST)/Kauri Pannas (EST) Ford Fiesta Rally4
    Abarth Rally Cup: Andrea Mabellini (ITA)/Nicoló Gonella (ITA) Abarth 124 rally

  • MRF’s Craig Breen-Paul Nagle finish second behind Mikkelsen-Floene: ERC

    MRF’s Craig Breen-Paul Nagle finish second behind Mikkelsen-Floene: ERC

    *Norwegian leads on European championship return for newcomer Topp-Cars Rally Team

    *Title pacesetter Lukyanuk picks up five-minute time penalty for early check-in

    *Breen and ERC1 Junior leader Munster complete overnight podium in Nyíregyháza

    *Torn heading to victory in ERC3/ERC3 Junior, Érdi Jr on course for home triumph in ERC2

    *Rada holds first place in Abarth Rally Cup as Mabellini battles back into contention

    Andreas Mikkelsen came, saw and has so far conquered Rally Hungary, leading on his return to the FIA European Rally Championship as part of a high-quality, multi-national entry.

    The world championship event winner, competing in a Topp-Cars Rally Team-run, Pirelli-equipped Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, was a contender from the start alongside co-driver Ola Fløene.

    After trailing ORLEN Team’s Polish champion Miko Marczyk through Friday’s opening superspecial, Mikkelsen was second to Alexey Lukyanuk on SS2, but able to take a lead he has yet to relinquish, despite a spin on SS3.

    “It’s been a very good day,” said Mikkelsen, who has been fastest on five stages. “We’ve been driving within the limits and have a good gap for tomorrow, we can’t ask for much more. It’s one thing going testing with Pirelli, it’s great and keeps me fit but I’m a competitive guy, I love sports and I like to challenge myself and see where I am against the others. This is a good opportunity to do that.”

    European championship leader Lukyanuk was 5.1s behind Mikkelsen at the midday service halt in Nyíregyháza but far from happy at the completion of SS6, reporting live on Facebook and YouTube that he’d been checked in to the stage start control five minutes early. The ensuing five-minute penalty has dropped the Russian firmly out of contention to the extent he’s unlikely to score ERC points of the first time this season in his Saintéloc Junior Team Citroën C3 R5.

    Craig Breen is second overnight, 23.6s behind Mikkelsen after an overshoot and a spin this morning. However, the Irishman underlined his star quality and the progress of his MRF Tyres by claiming a brace of stage wins in his Hyundai i20 R5. “To get a podium for MRF Tyres and the team is very important, they’ve been working so hard. It’s quite incredible to be getting stage wins after a short period of time.”

    Third-placed Grégoire Munster reported the “biggest moment of my life” through a muddy section on SS8. Driving a Hyundai i20 R5 for BMA Autosport, Munster’s 51.8s ahead of closest ERC1 Junior rival, Rallye Team Spain’s ERC3 Junior champion Efrén Llarena, who is fifth overall behind fourth-placed Norbert Herczig, MOL Racing Team’s four-time national champion.

    Emil Lindholm was fourth and firmly in contention for an overnight podium place after eight stages but was reported to have got stuck after going off the road in his Team MRF Tyres Škoda on SS9.

    Oliver Solberg, Munster’s closest ERC1 Junior title rival, dropped down the order with a front-right puncture on SS7 then lost more time with a left-rear deflation on SS9. “I was running in the middle of the road, I honestly don’t know how it happened,” he said. “It’s so annoying to have two punctures now. The other drivers have moments and they don’t get anything.”

    Solberg’s double delay in his Eurosol Fabia demoted him from third to ninth with double ERC Junior champion Marijan Griebel moving up to sixth, followed by Niki Mary-Melnhof and Callum Devine, who completed SS7 with a front-left puncture on his Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy Hyundai then lost 20s when he went backwards into a field on SS9. A mere 2.8s covers Llarena, Griebel and Mayr-Melnhof.

    Simon Wagner, on his first European championship start since his ERC1 Junior podium in the Czech Republic in August 2019, is a strong P10 after nine stages, followed by Devine’s Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy team-mate Josh McErlean, who is making his ERC debut in Hungary, and former Hungarian champion András Hadik.

    Erik Cais started Rally Hungary on the back of winning two national rallies in his Yacco ACCR Team Ford Fiesta R5 MkII. But an off on SS2 wrecked his hopes of a strong result, although the Czech youngster underlined his promise with the second fastest time on the final stage, which he completed 1.2s down on rally leader Mikkelsen. He’s P13 overnight.

    Brose Motorsport’s German hope Dominik Dinkel is P14 having been hampered by a pop-off valve issue, damaged wheel rim and, more significantly, a faulty intercom, which meant he was hearing co-driver Ursula Mayrhofer’s pacenotes only intermittently. Yoann Bonato is P15 after he went off on SS3. Miko Marczyk is P16 after stopping to change a puncture.

    Albert von Thurn und Taxi is P17 with Alexey Lukyanuk a distant P18. Frigyes Turán, last year’s winner, is P19 having dropped out of contention with a puncture on SS2. Rally driver turned rallycross regular Csuscu is P20.

    Russian Rocket’s rousing run in ruins
    Alexey Lukyanuk had been the man to beat in this season’s ERC with two wins and a second-place finish alongside new co-driver Dmitry Eremeev. But their run is over after Eremeev erroneously checked in to start SS6 five minutes ahead of schedule. With a five-minute penalty dropping him down to P18, Lukyanuk hinted he might not start Sunday’s stages. “I will decide later,” the dejected Russian said.

    Torn turns things round in ERC3/ERC3 Junior battle
    Estonian Autosport Junior Team’s Ken Torn was leading ERC3/ERC3 Junior after four stages in his Ford Fiesta Rally4 but slipped behind Rallye Team Spain’s Pep Bassas – his main title rival – following a puncture on SS5. Bassas, in a Peugeot 208 Rally4, extended his margin on SS6 but a time loss on SS7 allowed Torn to get back in front. He’s 27.9s ahead of Bassas heading into leg two. Ola Jr Nore is third on his ERC debut at the wheel of a Toksport WRT-run Renault Clio RSR Rally5, which was sporting a damaged intercooler at the end of SS9. Amaury Molle is fourth in ERC3 Junior after Norbert Maior retired his Napoca Rally Academy-backed 208 Rally4 with a broken driveshaft. Rachele Somaschini withdrew with the recurrence of a shoulder injury. Raul Badiu is fourth in ERC3 followed by Hungarian lady driver Adrienn Vogel. Martin László was in the podium fight in ERC3 until he got stuck in a ditch on SS5. A gearbox issue has plagued him throughout the afternoon.

    Érdi Jr on course for a third ERC2 victory at home, Rada leads Abarth Rally Cup
    Hungarian hero Tibor Érdi Jr is on course for a third ERC2 win this season after he completed leg one with a comfortable margin ahead of Zelindo Melegari. Dmitry Feofanov is third with Abarth Rally Cup leader Martin Rada fourth followed by Andrea Mabellini. The Italian retired on SS1 with a suspension and restarted this morning with a five-minute time penalty. Mihnea Mureșan was leading the Abarth Rally Cup on his debut but went off the road on SS6. Roberto Gobbin crashed out on SS7.

    Hard day for Hungarian title hopefuls
    It was a disastrous start to the day for reigning Hungarian champion Ferenc Vincze Jr, who retired 300 metres from the beginning of SS3 with a turbo issue. As well as chasing ERC points, Vincze Jr began Rally Hungary locked in a close fight with Ádám Velenczei in his bid to defend his title. Velenczei, who is making his ERC1 Junior debut this weekend, was P15 after five stages but retired following SS6 with broken right-rear suspension.

    PROVISIONAL TOP 15 ERC POSITIONS (after 9 stages, 118.88 kilometres)
    1 Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR)/Ola Fløene (NOR) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo 1h07m55.9s
    2 Craig Breen (IRL)/Paul Nagle (IRL) Hyundai i20 R5 +23.6s
    3 Grégoire Munster (LUX)/Louis Louka (BEL) Hyundai i20 R5 +1m21.3s
    4 Norbert Herczig (HUN)/Ramón Ferencz (HUN) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 +1m57.0s
    5 Efrén Llarena (ESP)/Sara Fernández (ESP) Citroën C3 R5 +2m13.1s
    6 Marijan Griebel (DEU)/Tobias Braun (DEU) Citroën C3 R5 +2m15.2s
    7 Niki Mayr-Melnhof (AUT)/Poldi Welsersheimb (AUT) Ford Fiesta R5 MklI +2m15.9s
    8 Callum Devine (IRL)/James Fulton (IRL) Hyundai i20 R5 +2m31.7s
    9 Oliver Solberg (SWE)/Aaron Johnston (IRL) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +2m36.8s
    10 Simon Wagner (AUT)/Gerald Winter (AUT) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +2m48.4s
    11 Josh McErlean (IRL)Keaton Williams (GBR) Hyundai i20 R5 +3m09.6s
    12 András Hadik (HUN)/Krisztián Kertész (HUN) Ford Fiesta R5 MkII +3m13.2s
    13 Erik Cais (CZE)/Jindřiška Žáková (CZE) Ford Fiesta R5 MkII +3m42.1s
    14 Dominik Dinkel (DEU)/Ursula Mayrhofer (AUT) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +3m43.0s
    15 Yoann Bonato (FRA)/Benjamin Boulloud (FRA) Citroën C3 R5 +4m06.8s

    FIA ERC2: Tibor Érdi Jr (HUN)/Zoltán Csökő (HUN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X
    FIA ERC3: Ken Torn (EST)/Kauri Pannas (EST) Ford Fiesta Rally4
    FIA ERC1 Junior: Grégoire Munster (LUX)/Louis Louka (BEL) Hyundai i20 R5
    FIA ERC3 Junior: Ken Torn (EST)/Kauri Pannas (EST) Ford Fiesta Rally4
    Abarth Rally Cup: Martin Rada (CZE)/Jaroslav Jugas (CZE) Abarth 124 rally

    Live timing and results: https://www.fiaerc.com/live-timing/

  • I use karting to hone my skills on tarmac, says Craig Breen

    I use karting to hone my skills on tarmac, says Craig Breen

    In attendance:
    Craig Breen, Team MRF Tyres
    Erik Cais, Yacco ACCR Team
    Callum Devine, Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy
    András Hadik, DVTK SE
    Norbert Herczig, MOL Racing Team
    Andreas Mikkelsen, Topp-Cars Rally Team
    Frigyes Turán, Turán Motorsport SE
    Ferenc Vincze, Pilis Racing Kft. / Dani Fischer Team

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1324783406614519808

    Q:
    You’ve done the recce Craig so how big is the challenge you’ll face on Rally Hungary?

    CB:
    It’s a challenge definitely. I’m not really sure what we’re going to find this weekend because the stages are something like I’ve never seen before. Some parts are really nice with a nice profile, nice roads and the weather has definitely been playing in a nice way so hopefully for the rest of the weekend we can have some nice feelings on those roads but the rest of the weekend is going to be more tricky.

    Q:
    Do any of the stages resemble what you have back home in Ireland and can you use that to your benefit?

    CB:
    Some of the roads back home are broken but at least it’s Tarmac. Here it’s full gravel in some places. We’ve some Tarmac sections in Valais but I’ve never done a Tarmac rally with so much gravel before. It was obviously like this last year, it’s another challenge and we’ll just have to see how it goes but compared to back home, to give some credit to the council people making the roads back home it is Tarmac most of the time in Ireland. But for sure the normal, wider roads are bumpy in places so we’ll enjoy that.

    Q:
    We’ve seen on your social media that you’ve been doing a lot of karting in the run-up to this event. Is that your normal preparation for a Tarmac event?

    CB:
    Honestly the karting is something I finished incorrectly is the right way to put it. When I stopped karting about 10 years ago I did it in the wrong way and always felt I had some unfinished business there. Honestly my idea is to try to do something at European or world level again in the next while if I can squeeze it in. Every time I get back in the kart again it always comes really quickly and really naturally to me and I always enjoy it. I suppose it’s good training and for me it’s the most physically demanding thing I’ve done and I always use it to hone my skills on Tarmac and keep myself strong but honestly it’s part of a long, long plan to give it a proper shot again.

    Q:
    From Alasdair Lindsay (DirtFish.com) by email: Which stage do you think will make the biggest difference to the outcome of the rally and why?

    CB:
    It depends on what the weather is doing. It’s dried up a lot since we did the recce but the first two stages of the rally on the Saturday morning are the ones with the most amount of gravel on it, the most tricky ones, I suppose unknown because we’ve recced them in the worst conditions and I think that’s where we’ll see the most amount of difficulties. Sunday is a relatively ‘easy’ day compared to that but there are still some gravel parts, but the main part of the action should be on Saturday.

    Q:
    Turning to Erik Cais, two wins on national rallies since we last saw you on Rally Fafe Montelongo in Portugal. How have they helped you and how much confidence have they given you?

    EC:
    It was my first overall win and it was twice in Italy and in Poland and it was a really good feeling before Hungary. But it was for testing and the big battle will be here.

    Q:
    Given your mountain bike racing background you’ve commented before that you quite enjoy the slippery conditions. Is it the same with a roof over your head and can you enjoy those conditions?

    EC:
    I like mostly when the weather is changing a lot but I feel like a gentleman because I am not dirty and I am in a car inside. But I also like the mud and the feeling of the car when it’s going sideways at high speed. I hope for rain but the weather forecast is looking like it will be sunny but that will also be okay because in Hungary there is a lot of mud on the road.

    Q:
    There was obviously a lot of mud and water on the road last year when you won in ERC3. How can that help you move forward this year?

    EC:
    For sure the experience of the roads and what they look like with the mud on the road and everything is helping but the difference between the Fiesta R2 and R5 is really big. It will be something different compared to last year, some of the stages are similar but maybe even faster because there will not be so much mud and water on the road so for me it will also be about getting experience of driving this car in these conditions.

    Q:
    Your co-driver Jindřiška Žáková injured her finger on Rally Fafe Montelongo and had to take a rally off but how is she doing now?

    EC:
    She still has something on the finger but hopefully she will be okay. We tried to do some puncture training and it was a little bit different but I think she will be okay to do it.

    Q:
    From Alasdair Lindsay (DirtFish.com) by email: How did the conditions on the recce compared to last year’s event – are they better or worse?

    EC:
    It seems to be better but last year in cuts were trees and if you cut you completely damaged the car. Now there are some things that if you cut you don’t completely damage the car and many drivers will try to cut the corners and also the mud from these corners will be on the road so you need to be careful to see if the mud is coming or not. But from the recce it seems to be better than last year.

    Q:
    And which stage, from the recce, do you believe will be the key stage that we all need to look out for?

    EC:
    For everybody it will be the longest one because the conditions on that stage change every metre.

    Q:
    Turning to Callum Devine, you famously had a podium here last year so what are the memories from that weekend 12 months on?

    CD:
    It’s a little than last year, that’s for sure! It’s quite similar but we’re looking forward to it and the memories were picking up for me doing the recce.

    Q:
    Are the conditions we experienced last year something to be enjoyed or endured?

    CD:
    A bit of both. Last year was a bit of luck because of the punctures but I also like the slippery conditions from back home and it’s very slippery here.

    Q:
    Can you summarise your season so far?

    CD:
    It’s probably been the most challenging year for us. In Latvia we had our first big accident, we’ve also had a bit of bad luck. But we had a good result in Portugal and we hope we can kick off from there and get another good result this weekend.

    Q:
    You’ve got a team-mate at the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy this weekend in Josh McErlean. How much can that help you when discussing strategy and how much can you help him with your experience of last year?

    CD:
    It’s great and it’s brilliant the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy is bringing Josh here. They are doing so much for the young drivers back home. It’s good to have Josh here and it will be good experience for him because he’s probably hasn’t tried anything like this before. I’ve been helping him as much as I can, showing him some onboards from last year, which is also helpful. It’s nice to have him here, he’s a quick driver himself and it will be good to see him progress this weekend.

    Q:
    From Alasdair Lindsay (DirtFish.com) by email: 12 months on from last year’s recce, what can you tell us – better or worse from then to now?

    CD:
    The recce is still quite the same, some of the cuts are still there from last year. There was a lot of rain last year and that was actually cleaning the roads but now it’s a lot more slippery because there’s no rain cleaning the roads, a lot more greasy. It will be quite similar to last year with a lot of anti-cut devices in there too so it’s going to be a tricky rally.

    Q:
    Which stage do you believe will be the one that fans and journalists should look out for?

    CD:
    Sunday should be good, it’s a little bit more cleaner and everybody will have bedded into it a bit more and will be able to push on.

    Q:
    Turning to András Hadik, what does this event mean to you?

    AH:
    Two years ago I claimed my Hungarian title here at a very exciting race that was decided only on the last stage. It was a difficult race, dry, but foggy. Due to the pandemic situation we started the season very late this year. The focus is on the national championship, I think we have no chance at the ERC race because of the top drivers coming to Rally Hungary, but we try to benefit from our experiences on the stages. This morning we realised that almost all of the stages were fully dry, while we had wet test on Wednesday, but we do not worry, because we have the setup for dry weather as well. On the first day we try to focus on the Hungarian championship, and if we still stand on Sunday, we will keep going and push as we can.

    Q:
    Turning to Norbert Herczig, how have your preparations gone for the event and what’s it like to be competing on the same event as your son, Patrik?

    NH:
    The recce went well, and fortunately, we have had some experience from last year, so we had to modify our notes only a bit and now we are ready for the race. Last year there were many punctures, but the organizers took some sections out of the stages to make our lives easier. We are far behind in the overall standing, so there is no sense to figure out any tactics, we have to simply push as we can and prepare for the 2021 season. A year ago, I never thought that I was going to compete at an ERC race with my own son, Patrik. I think he is much smarter, more relaxed than me, he is going step by step, so I do not worry about him, he is here to collect kilometres.

    Q:
    Turning to Andreas Mikkelsen, what’s brought you back to the European Rally Championship and also to Rally Hungary?

    AM:
    Well obviously I’m very happy just to be competing again. It’s such a great feeling to enter rally. I’ve been doing a lot of testing this year but when Topp-Cars Rally Team contacted me and asked me if I wanted to do Rally Hungary. Obviously I was very happy and really happy to be back competing and I’m very glad we made it happen. We had a great test this week and the team feels really good, nice people and we’re ready to give it a go this weekend.

    Q:
    You’ve done the recce so what do you think? A big challenge ahead or can it be enjoyable?

    AM:
    It’s a huge challenge that lies ahead of us. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Tarmac rally with this amount of mud and gravel on the stages. This is very particular for this rally. I remember doing a rally in Hungary almost 10 years ago now but it was in a different area in Pécs and this is very different type of nature, different types of stages. But it’s a good challenge and the same for everyone. We tested on completely dry but some weeks ago I tested for Ypres when we also had a lot of mud and gravel on the road so I think I should be confident driving in these sections. It’s really hard to know the grip levels and how hard you can push. Obviously when we did the recce it was some days before when we arrived and some of the places have dried up but to predict these kinds of surface change since the recce will be very difficult and I think day one will really tell the outcome of the rally.

    Q:
    From Alasdair Lindsay (DirtFish.com) by email: What’s your aim here this weekend?

    AM:
    My aim is very clear, I come here to try to win. I know the competition will be really tough and it’s a new rally for us, which adds to the difficulties of coming here. But I feel really good in the Škoda and I obviously have a long history with Škoda. Already on the test the car felt really, really nice, I felt comfortable and I was able to push straight away. If I can have this feeling during the rally then I will feel quite confident that I can fight at the top. If not I will be quite disappointed with myself. But we will give it a go and let’s see where we are.

    Q:
    Which stage will be key to the rally?

    AM:
    If there is a big gap to the front before the last day, Sunday, it’s really tough because the Sunday stages are a bit more easy. They’re really fast and it’s hard to make a big difference. I do believe Saturday’s stages will be crucial and staying away from punctures will also be important when you look last year how much happened. But stages two and three are pretty different because you have a lot of muddy sections, especially stage three because it’s quite a long stage as well. Stage four is new to everyone and there you can make a gap and do something different. Stage five I guess will be close between everyone so I will say stages two, three and four.

    Q:
    Finally, your old co-driver Ola Fløene is back in the car rather than Anders. Can you give us an update on why that is?

    AM:
    It’s like going 10 years back to the ERC and IRC, back with Ola and back with the Škoda. Anders is having a kid or his wife is having a kid, luckily, not him! So he wants to stay at home which is very understandable and I’m sure that will be a special feeling. I’m very happy to have Ola back on board. We know each other very well from before. We know our systems and already on the first test it was like we’d never been away from each other. Things are working well and I’m confident we can deliver a good result together.

    Q:
    Turning to Frigyes Turán, the winner here last year. What were your memories of that day?

    FT:
    I think we could have deserved the second place last year, and finally, we won due to the others’ problem on the last stage, which was a gift for us. It was an awesome feeling to win the race, we learnt a lot. Now we aim for getting a good result in the National Championship, and if we go well on Saturday, we will be happy on Sunday, too. The race is long, very complex, we must choose the speed very smartly. We have great tyres, we did not even have a puncture last year, so I am not really happy for the changes of the stages, because I love difficult conditions. Overall I think it will be a bit easier this year, but there are some critical sections. We have a good car, a good team, we are absolutely ready for the race. The field is strong, of World Rally Championship standard that gives extra motivation. I hope we can keep up with the top drivers and we can be in the top five.

    Q:
    Turning to Ferenc Vincze, you led here last year but what can you achieve this year?

    FV:
    We are leading the Hungarian national championship by a single point, certainly, it makes me happy, but last year’s race was a bit more relaxed, because we had already won the title by Rally Hungary. We did not have any pressure back then, we pushed as we could. Now the Hungarian championship is the first priority, we focus on trying to defend our title. We try to go safe, but surely fast. Two years ago we did not have the speed, last year we had it, but we had technical problems and punctures, so I think we have to find the balance between speed and safety for this year. The race will be easier than it was last year as it will be dry, but we would love to have a wet race, because we found a good setup for wet surface during the test. We know the stages quite well, they are tight and difficult, so we must drive very accurately, otherwise, we can have a risk to retire at any corner.

    ENDS

  • Team MRF Tyres eager to get on stage at ERC Rally Hungary

    Team MRF Tyres eager to get on stage at ERC Rally Hungary

    Nyíregyháza (Hungary), 4 Nov 2020:Team MRF Tyres returns to the stages for Rally Hungary this weekend. The fourth round of the European Rally Championship will take place near the town of Nyíregyháza in Hungary’s east.

    In total, 16 stages and 191.06km of competitive action awaits the crews. Like last time out, the weather looks to be changeable and it is expected that there will be a lot of mud dragged onto the tarmac s
    surface.

    Craig Breen and Paul Nagle return in their Hyundai i20 R5. After taking the first stage win for Team MRF Tyres in the FIA ERC last time out, the pair are hoping to bring that pace to Hungary.

    Breen and Nagle currently sit fourth in the ERC standings, after being forced to run under Rally 2 rules after hitting oil on stage and taking off a wheel in Portugal, leaving them with no points from the event.

    The focus continues to be on development for the duo as they hope they can get more data on the MRF Tyres in these conditions. Like the opening rounds of the season, it is important to get the information for the next generation of MRF Tyres.

    Emil Lindholm and Mikael Korhonen will join them in their Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. The Finnish duo also showed great pace last time out, topping the Shakedown stage. Their Portuguese rally ended after brake failure and they are keen to get back on stage.

    2020 is the second time that this event has been held in the FIA ERC. The roads are narrow and feature a lot of short corners, making cutting and grip a priority.

    In all, the crews will attack 16 stages, the first of which takes place on Friday night with the Rabócsiring Super Special Stage. The 2.4km test will be a great warm up for the Saturday action.

    Saturday’s stages get underway at 9:33 local time and two loops of four stages will await. Each loop is a touch over 60km with the day seeing 121.18 km of competitive action.

    The day starts off with the 14.45km Újhuta – Bózsva stage before the crews move to the 23.90km Füzér – Abaújvár stage. The 10.85km Fony – Óhuta stage and 10.19 km Mád – Disznókő stage finish the loop.

    It makes tyre choice and tyre management important for the teams with just one visit to service and longs stages waiting to take time off anyone who gets the call wrong.

    Sunday’s action gets underway at 8:33am and features seven stages, totalling 69.88km. The first loop sees four stages, none of which are as long as the Saturday stages.

    Erdőbénye – Aranyospuszta starts the day with 11.20 km of action followed by the 13.1km stage of Telkibánya – Rakodó. The 7.75km Kőkapu – Újhuta is next and will be the final stage of the rally. However the city stage of Nyíregyháza will be a treat for the fans.

    It is a world class entry list for this event with Europe and Hungary’s best vying for a podium position.

    This competition is an ideal way for MRF Tyres to test and develop the tyres – in real conditions against the world’s best drivers.

    As the second half of Team MRF Tyres’ first European Rally Championship season commences, the fight for development never stops.

    Each stage will be streamed live on radio from ERC Radio and MRF Racing will continually update through the weekend on our social channels.

    Quotes
    Craig Breen (Driver – Hyundai i20 R5)

    Rally Hungary is another round of the European Rally Championship I have not done before. With Team MRF Tyres, I am hoping we can have some more consistent conditions with the weather! The wet-dry-wet roads in Fafe gave us a lot of data in those conditions so I hope it can be full wet or full dry to give us chances to gain data in those situations.

    It would be great to capitalize on the pace Team MRF Tyres had in Portugal in the next rally. It showed we had the pace to fight for a podium and showed some of the progress we have made through the season. We will primarily continue focus on development and collecting data as we still looking to learn and develop the next generation of MRF Tyres.

    Credit must go to the team for being able to hold a Covid safe event and I can say that I am looking forward to the rally!

    Emil Lindholm (Driver – Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo)

    Rally Hungary is a new rally for me so it will be interesting to drive the Team MRF Tyres Skoda on those roads. We’ve had a bit of a mixed season this year – we had good pace our pace in Rome and Liepaja even though we were concentrating on development. We again had a lot of speed in Portugal, taking out Shakedown but the brake failure meant we couldn’t capitalize on that.

    Data collection remains to the key for us as we look to develop the future of MRF Tyres rallying product. Before Fafe we were third in ERC1 and we have shown that there is potential in the tyre. So, it would be great to go to Rally Hungary and demonstrate the continued progress from Team MRF Tyres. It will be important for us to have a clean rally so we can maximize the kilometres on the tyres.

    I am looking forward to Rally Hungary and congratulations to the organisers for being able to hold the event at this time.

    About MRF Tyres: MRF Tyres was established in 1946 and now employs over 16,000 people and has revenue of around US$2.5 billion making it the biggest tyre supplier in India. MRF Tyres supplies rally and race tyres around the world.

    About the European Rally Championship: The FIA European Rally Championship, established in 1953 is one of the oldest and most prestigious rally championships in the world. Crews rally across eight rounds from March to November with four tarmac and four gravel events.

    The 2020 ERC calendar is as follows:
    Round 1: Rally di Roma Capitale (asphalt), 24-26 July
    Round 2: Rally Liepāja (gravel), 14-16 August
    Round 3: Rally Fafe Montelongo (asphalt), 2-4 October
    Round 4: Rally Hungary (asphalt), 6-8 November
    Round 5: Rally Islas Canarias (asphalt), 26-28 November
    Round 6: Spa Rally (asphalt), 12-13 December 

  • MRF’s Lindholm hoping for a Hungarian high: Jr ERC1

    MRF’s Lindholm hoping for a Hungarian high: Jr ERC1

    Nyíregyháza (Hungary), 3 Nov 2020: Emil Lindholm is a man with a plan in the FIA European Rally Championship in Hungary this week.

    Keen to make up for the lost kilometres following his early Rally Fafe Montelongo exit, the Team MRF Tyres driver is eager to go the distance on the sealed-surface showcase.

    “We’ve had a bit of a mixed season this year – our pace in Rome and Liepāja was impressive,” said the ERC1 Junior contender. “We again had a lot of speed in Portugal, taking out shakedown but the brake failure meant we couldn’t capitalise on that.

    “Data collection remains key for us as we look to develop the future of MRF Tyres’ rallying product. Before Fafe we were third in ERC1 and we have shown that there is potential in the tyre. So, it would be great to go to Rally Hungary and demonstrate the continued progress from Team MRF Tyres. It will be important for us to have a clean rally so we can maximise the kilometres on the tyres.”

    Craig Breen

    Rally Hungary is another round of the European Rally Championship I have not done before. With Team MRF Tyres, I am hoping we can have some more consistent conditions with the weather! The wet-dry-wet roads in Fafe gave us a lot of data in those conditions so I hope it can be full wet or full dry to give us chances to gain data in those situations.

    It would be great to capitalize on the pace Team MRF Tyres had in Portugal in the next rally. It showed we had the pace to fight for a podium and showed some of the progress we have made through the season. We will primarily continue focus on development and collecting data as we still looking to learn and develop the next generation of MRF Tyres.

    Credit must go to the team for being able to hold a Covid safe event and I can say that I am looking forward to the rally!

    Emil Lindholm

    Rally Hungary is a new rally for me so it will be interesting to drive the Team MRF Tyres Skoda on those roads. We’ve had a bit of a mixed season this year – our pace in Rome and Liepaja was impressive. We again had a lot of speed in Portugal, taking out Shakedown but the brake failure meant we couldn’t capitalize on that.

    Data collection remains to the key for us as we look to develop the future of MRF Tyres rallying product. Before Fafe we were third in ERC1 and we have shown that there is potential in the tyre. So, it would be great to go to Rally Hungary and demonstrate the continued progress from Team MRF Tyres. It will be important for us to have a clean rally so we can maximize the kilometres on the tyres.

    I am looking forward to Rally Hungary and congratulations to the organisers for being able to hold the event at this time.

  • Tom Kristensson wins Junior WRC Rally Sardinia

    Tom Kristensson wins Junior WRC Rally Sardinia

    • Tom Kristensson took a commanding victory on Rally d’Italia Sardinia bouncing back from retirement on Rally Estonia.
    • Fabrizio Zaldivar becomes the first every Paraguayan to take a podium in FIA Junior WRC, taking his best ever result with the second.
    • Martins Sesks and Sami Pajari were hampered by issues but clawed back 11 Wolf Stage Points out of an available 15 between them, with Sesks finishing third and Pajari fifth.

    Sardinia, 11 October 2020: Kristensson led from the start, opening a convincing 20-second lead on Pajari and 40 seconds Sesks who span on the tight and technical first stage.

    Sesks responded to win on SS2, taking 10 seconds out of Kristensson’s lead and moved into second as Pajari struggled.

    Stage four brought a lot drama, seeing Sesks, Ruairi Bell, and Enrico Oldrati retire for the day as Zaldivar kept his cool and found himself third at the conclusion of the opening loop.

    Bell’s pace was impressive, with his confidence building stage to stage until he sent his Fiesta Rally4 hurtling into a bale at some speed on the second pass of Erula-Tula at the end of the first loop. 

    Kristensson was handed the perfect opportunity to close the championship points gap seizing another stage win on SS5 as flying Finn Pajari responded on the final stage of the day to claim his second stage win of the rally. By this point Kristensson already had a significant lead over second-placed Pajari but the drama continued in the FIA Junior WRC Championship on Saturday. 

    Kristensson extended his lead through Saturday’s six stages with Pajari hitting trouble on the opening stage of the day after breaking a driveshaft over a jump.

    Pajari’s retirement saw Zaldivar climb to second with a healthy gap to Martins Sesks in third who was a cut above the rest in terms of stage times. The Rally Estonia winner began his opening streak of stage wins on SS7, signing off stages eight and nine in the same fashion with a puncture preventing the Latvian from winning every stage of the loop. He returned to form on Saturday’s final pair of stages delivering back to back stage wins.

    By the conclusion of Saturday Kristensson held almost a nine-minute lead and four stage wins.

    Briton Ruairi Bell posted a good haul of top-three stage times and even looked set for a stage win on stage 12 until a spin cost him that opportunity. Bell was holding fourth until the final stage of the rally, where he retired after breaking a driveshaft.

    Pajari hit back with blistering pace on Sunday, taking a pair of stage wins on the first passes of Cala Flumini and Sassari-Argientera. The penultimate stage was cancelled meaning a stage point wasn’t awarded for SS15 however Pajari was straight back on it on the final stage, grabbing another crucial stage point. Kristensson openly admitted to sticking to a safe and steady pace to secure 25 classification points for his fourth victory in FIA Junior WRC. 

    Sesks now leads the championship with 68 points as Kristensson has closed the gap down to just ten points and is now second with 58 as Pajari has slipped to third with 54 points.

    The fight is even closer when discounting the top three’s worst classification points, with Kristensson actually leading on 58 points, Sesks second with 53 and Pajari third on 44. 

    Wolf Stage Win points have massively closed the gap between the top three and there are 60.5 points available and everything to play for on Renties Ypres Rally Belgium, the FIA Junior WRC Championship finale on 19-22 November.

    Maciej Woda, FIA Junior WRC Team Director, said: “Congratulations Tom and Joakim on a superbly driven rally with no mistakes, this was definitely redemption for them after retiring on Estonia and they are in a very strong championship position now. Fabrizio Zadlivar becomes the first ever Paraguayan to stand on the FIA Junior WRC podium which is a huge achievement for him and his country, he should be really proud. Martins and Sami, despite their issues delivered some incredible stage times yesterday and today. It’s evident they have a lot of motivation to do everything they can to win the championship which makes the prosect of the championship finale all the more exciting.”

    RALLY ESTONIA CLASSIFICATION
    1. Tom Kristensson / Joakim Sjöberg 3:07:49.1
    “We started very good, actually we started on a really high pace and went slower or safer from there! There have been many tough places on the rally, but we enjoyed it very much. There have been many twisty and nice places, this island is amazing, at the end the last day was about bringing the victory home and getting to the finish. I’m not 100% focussed on the championship still, I will focus on the next rally and push for a victory like here.”

    2. Fabrizio Zaldivar / Fernando Mussano +11:25.4
    “This is amazing! It has been a long weekend, on Friday we secured a very good position and on Saturday we got second position which was a big surprise. After that it was very long for me with many things to manage to not get a puncture or hit anything with the car. Finishing today with my first podium in FIA Junior WRC is amazing.”

    3. Martins Sesks / Renars Francis +29:56.2 
    “Well the weekend was such a big rollercoaster filled with ups and downs for sure, after the fourth stage it felt like a nightmare and then we had issues with the car. But we managed some good points and third place, it’s incredible.”

    4. Enrico Oldrati / Elia de Guio +37:01.1
    “For us it was an unlucky weekend, but this is rallying and we accept it. The first day we broke the steering arm and restarted the rally on Saturday, after that the rally was good for us as we tried to improve our pace notes and pace. I am super happy to finish, the car went well as well as the tyres.”

    5. Sami Pajari / Marko Salminen +58:14.7
    “The rally was really difficult so I needed to take the points that were available. We had some difficulties but mostly everyone did, it was really frustrating and sad to have them but there’s nothing we can do about it now. We tried to win the stages on Sunday to take all the stage points which worked out well in the end. I think that the three top guys have got a serious chance at winning the championship, maybe I am the weakest at the moment but you will never know.”

    6. Marco Pollara / Maurizio Messina +76:50.4
    “For me it wasn’t a good rally or week because I had a lot of problems but today I chose not to push because I wanted to make it across the finish.”

    RETIRED:
    Ruairi Bell / Darren Garrod
    Fabio Andolfi / Stefano Savoia

  • Dani Sordo-del Barrio win Rally Sardinia

    Dani Sordo-del Barrio win Rally Sardinia

    Sardinia, 11 October 2020: Hyundai driver Dani Sordo along with co-driver C del Barrio has taken back-to-back victories on Rally Italia Sardinia, winning this year’s event by 5.1 seconds, to repeat his victory on the same event last year. Sordo went in front on Friday and controlled his advantage all the way to the finish, winning five out of the 16 gravel stages in total.

    Although he had his lead reduced this morning, the Spaniard’s victory was assured after a nearly flawless run. Behind him, the runner-up spot was contested in an intense battle right down to the final six-kilometre Power Stage.

    Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier – the winner of six stages in Sardinia out of sixteen – regained strength from Saturday onwards, once he was running a bit lower down the order, hence being less affected by sweeping away loose gravel.

    The Frenchman fought a very close battle against Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville, with the duo separated by only a tenth of a second after the first of three stages today. In the end, Neuville sealed the runner-up spot on the final stage: by just one second.

    Championship leader Elfyn Evans was most affected by the soft and sandy gravel of Sardinia though, running first on the road throughout Friday with his Toyota. He too could improve his pace from Saturday onwards to seal fourth, although nearly a minute behind the battle for the podium. Nevertheless, this was enough for the Welshman to retain the top spot in the championship standings.

    M-Sport Ford driver Teemu Suninen finished fifth – a disappointing result for the Finn after hos strong performance on Friday as he set the first fastest stage time and run in a strong second place for a long time. Unfortunately, mechanical problems on Saturday meant that he dropped down the order, eventually finishing in fifth place.

    The Finn was still the top Fiesta driver, after his team mates Esapekka Lappi and Gus Greensmith encountered problems of their own. Lappi was out on the first day, while Greensmith’s car switched itself off on the Power Stage before re-starting.

    Reigning World Champion Ott Tänak was sixth, having fought back from suspension problems on the opening day to win the Power Stage. Another Hyundai i20 WRC, driven by French privateer Pierre-Yves Loubet, was seventh – his first finish in a World Rally Car.

    The FIA WRC2 category was won by Toksport WRT’s Pontus Tidemand, who made steady progresses with his Škoda Fabia Evo to win the class after moving into the category lead on Friday afternoon. Hyundai Motorsport N’s Ole Christian Veiby finished 28.8s behind him,while Tidemand’s team-mate Eywind Brynildsen completed the class podium for manufacturer-backed competitors. 

    Finland’s Jari Huttunen claimed a second FIA WRC3 victory this year in the Rally2-specification i20, also finishing eighth overall. Kajetan Kajetanowicz is the class’ second and Marco Bulacia third.

    Tom Kristensson won the FIA Junior World Rally Championship classification in his Ford Fiesta R2T, by a considerable margin in front of Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zaldivar and Latvia’s Martin Sesks.

    2020 Rally Italia Sardegna – Final unofficial results:

    1. Dani Sordo (ESP) / Carlos Del Barrio (ESP)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2 hr 41min 37.5sec
    2. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2 hr 41min 42.6sec
    3. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Toyota Yaris WRC2 hr 41min 43.6sec
    4. Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Scott Martin (GBR)Toyota Yaris WRC2 hr 42min 39.8sec
    5. Teemu Suninen (FIN) / Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN) Ford Fiesta WRC2 hr 43min 11.4sec
    6. Ott Tänak (EST) / Martin Järveoja (EST)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2 hr 44min 05.0sec
    7. Pierre-Louis Loubet (FRA) / Vincent Landais (FRA)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2 hr 46min 21.3sec
    8. Jari Huttunen (FIN) / Mikko Lukka (FIN) FIA WRC3Hyundai NG i202 hr 50min 19.2sec
    9. K. Kajetanowicz (POL) / M. Szczepaniak (POL) FIA WRC3Škoda Fabia Evo2 hr 51min 40.4sec
    10. P. Tidemand (SWE) / P. Barth (SWE) FIA WRC2Škoda Fabia Evo2 hr 51min 58.4sec
  • Tom Kristensson takes convincing lead on Saturday: Junior WRC

    Tom Kristensson takes convincing lead on Saturday: Junior WRC

    • Tom Kristensson extended his lead through Saturday’s six stages on Rally d’Italia Sardegna while also increasing his stage win points tally.
    • Sami Pajari started the day in a short-lived second position, retiring on the opening stage of the day after breaking a driveshaft over a jump.
    • Fabrizio Zaldivar now sits second and is on the cusp of taking his best result in FIA Junior WRC to date with a healthy gap to Martins Sesks in third.

    Sesks went into the day fourth, but soon climbed to third following Pajari’s retirement on stage one where the Rally Estonia winner began his opening streak of stage wins, signing off stages two and three in the same fashion. The Latvian suffered a puncture on stage four, ending his mission to tick off every stage win of the loop and opted to bring the car home safely to service and hold his podium spot. He returned to form on the final pair of stages delivering back to back stage wins bringing his total stage win points to six for the rally which could prove crucial for the championship.

    Kristensson had a fairly uneventful, but crucially consistent day, delivering safe and competitive stage times to finish Saturday with almost a nine-minute lead and one stage win.
    Briton Ruairi Bell didn’t finish outside of the top-three on Saturday cementing his fourth position by building a comfortable three-minute gap to Enrico Oldrati. A stage win was on the cards on stage 12 until an untimely spin cost him that opportunity and ultimately meant he finished third. Should Bell maintain his position throughout the four remaining stages on Sunday, he will match his best finish in FIA Junior WRC yet.

    Zaldivar’s opening loop was less than ideal in terms of pace with the South American claiming he went for a poor setup choice. He was able to keep his Fiesta Rally4 on the road though and hold second position.

    Marco Pollara was able to get his rally back on track on Saturday, making it safely through every stage until SS12 where he broke his steering arm and retired. Pollara will restart the rally on Sunday for the final four stages of the rally.

    Maciej Woda, FIA Junior WRC Team Director, said: “Today has delivered some interesting strategies and performances throughout the FIA Junior WRC field. Tom has delivered a level-headed performance and kept control of his lead as it is important for his championship hopes to take a good haul of classification points. Martins meanwhile has dominated in terms of stage wins today which in turn helps his championship campaign as all stage win points are counted towards the championship. It was a big shame for Sami and it is never easy to see a drive retire in such circumstances, I am looking forward to seeing what he will do tomorrow as it’s potentially damage limitation mode with four stage win points up for grabs.”

    Tom Kristensson, rally leader, said:“Well it’s a crazy situation at the moment with the results but for sure we are really happy to be in the lead. I could not imagine the rally could be so tough and we would perform as well as we could have done. We are really satisfied, and tomorrow will also be a tough day but we will just take the car to the end and take home the victory.”

  • Dani Sordo extends lead; Neuville, Ogier fight over 2nd

    Dani Sordo extends lead; Neuville, Ogier fight over 2nd

    Sardinia, 10 October 2020: Dani Sordo increased his lead on Rally Italia Sardegna as he continued to deliver a strong performance on Saturday morning.

    The Hyundai driver set the fastest time in SS8 Coiluna-Loelle 1, the morning’s second stage, and completed the loop of four stages with an advantage of 31.6 seconds at the head of the field.

    Teemu Suninen began the day in second position in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta but lost the use of his handbrake and faded to fifth place. That opened the door for the championship contenders, with Sébastien Ogier winning both passes of the Monte Lerno test in his Toyota as he moved past Thierry Neuville and into second overall.

    Neuville struck back on SS10 with the fastest time to get back into second place, three second ahead of Ogier who reported a stall in one corner on the final test of the loop.

    No longer having to run first on the road, championship leader Elfyn Evans showed stronger pace this morning as he moved up into fourth ahead of Suninen, 19.6s behind Ogier.

    Gus Greensmith was holding sixth place for M-Sport but failed to start SS10 due to an alternator issue. That gave another position to Ott Tänak as the Hyundai driver progressively recovers from the suspension problem he had on Friday morning.

    Tänak had earlier also moved ahead of the privately-entered i20 WRC of Pierre-Louis Loubet.

    Kalle Rovanperä crashed out of ninth position on SS8, hitting two trees with the rear of his Toyota.

    Pontus Tidemand in 11th overall continues to lead FIA WRC2 over his Toksport WRT Škoda team-mate Eyvind Brynildsen and Ole-Christian Veiby after Adrien Fourmaux stopped on SS9.

    Just 0.1s separate Jari Huttunen and Kajetan Kajetanowicz at the front of FIA WRC3, with Oliver Solberg, now in 3rd, 4.9s from the lead after a puncture cost him first place in SS9.

    Sweden’s Tom Kristensson now has a comfortable advantage in FIA Junior WRC after rival Sami Pajari stopped in the morning’s first test with a broken driveshaft. He leads Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zaldivar and Latvia’s Mārtiņš Sesks.

  • Hyundai’s Dani Sordo takes lead after Day 1: WRC

    Hyundai’s Dani Sordo takes lead after Day 1: WRC

    Sardinia, 9 October 2020: At the end of the first day of Rally Italia Sardinia, Hyundai’s Dani Sordo, the winner of the 2019 edition, continues to lead, ahead of M-Sport Ford’s Teemu Suninen and Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville, who moved ahead of Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier.

    Sordo, on his first FIA WRC round since Mexico in March, won both afternoon stages to extend his lead to 17.4 seconds overnight from Suninen. The Finn wasn’t happy with his tyre choice in the afternoon, as he expected the conditions to be warmer – so he couldn’t use his two hard tyres.

    It was a better afternoon for Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, despite two stalls on hairpins during the day. The Belgian went past Ogier in the overall classification with a second-fastest time on the final stage. This meant that he is now a provisional third – by less than a second though.

    Ogier struggled with road-sweeping in the afternoon, which also affected his team mate, Championship Leader Elfyn Evans, who called the situation “impossible”. The Toyota duo finished Friday in fourth and fifth places respectively, and are looking forward to a better day tomorrow.

    Behind them was the M-Sport Ford Fiesta of Gus Greensmith, who was happy enough with his progress throughout the day but felt that he still had a lot more to learn.

    Reigning champion Ott Tänak resolved his suspension problems from the morning at service midday service, with his Hyundai back to full fitness in the afternoon. He finished the day in eighth overall, one place ahead of Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä.

    The Finn dropped nearly two minutes in the afternoon with an unidentified technical problem that affected him on both stages. He ended the day nearly 40 seconds behind Tänak.

    The FIA WRC2 standings are now led by Toksport WRT driver Pontus Tidemand with his Škoda, after previous leader Adrien Formaux of M-Sport Ford WRT dropped time with a puncture on his Fiesta in SS5, hitting a rock in a corner cut. The Frenchman is second in the provisional standings, with Tidemand’s team-mate Eyvind Brynildsen in third.

    Norway’s Oliver Solberg continues to lead FIA WRC3 in another Škoda Fabia, with his advantage in the class now standing at half a minute, ahead of Frenchmen Yohann Rossel and Nicolas Ciamin.

    There was no change in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship classification either, with Sweden’s Tom Kristensson carrying on his impressive progress from the morning, 50 seconds clear of Finland’s Sami Pajari and almost 4 minutes over Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zaldivar.

    Tomorrow’s action takes in six more demanding stages, starting with Monte Lerno at 07:37. The rally finishes on Sunday, covering 16 stages in total.

    2020 Rally Italia Sardegna – Unofficial results after Section 3:

    1. Dani Sordo (ESP) / Carlos Del Barrio (ESP)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC1 hr 12min 40.9sec
    2. Teemu Suninen (FIN) / Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN) Ford Fiesta WRC1 hr 12min 58.3sec
    3. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC1 hr 13min 16.1sec
    4. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Toyota Yaris WRC1 hr 13min 16.9sec
    5. Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Scott Martin (GBR)Toyota Yaris WRC1 hr 13min 32.8sec
    6. Gus Greensmith (GBR) / Elliott Edmondson (GBR)  Ford Fiesta WRC1 hr 13min 48.0sec
    7. Pierre-Louis Loubet (FRA) / Vincent Landais (FRA)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC1 hr 14min 14.4sec
    8. Ott Tänak (EST) / Martin Järveoja (EST)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC1 hr 14min 34.6sec
    9. Kalle Rovanperä (FIN) / Jonne Halttunen (FIN) Toyota Yaris WRC1 hr 15min 13.2sec
    10. Oliver Solberg (SWE) / Aaron Johnston (IRL)Škoda Fabia Evo1 hr 15min 42.1sec