INDIA in F1

Category: WRC, Rally

  • Team MRF Tyres drivers in a tight battle at Rally Liepaja

    Team MRF Tyres drivers in a tight battle at Rally Liepaja

    It was a successful day of action for Team MRF Tyres on Rally Liepaja, the second round of the European Rally Championship with Craig Breen and Paul Nagle just ahead of their stablemates Emil Lindholm and Mikael Korhonen sitting in fifth and sixth.

    The day saw four stages and over 88 km of competitive action near the town of Talsi in the north west of Latvia. Adding to the challenge was the fact at the crews did not return to service throughout the day, rather having a flexi-service in Talsi.

    Crews faced warm conditions on faster roads. A crucial factor to the day’s running was the road cleaning. The more cars went through, the faster the roads became.

    Breen and Nagle started eighth on the road while Lindholm and Korhonen were ninth.

    The first stage of the day saw a 25 km test with the crews battling to take the advantage so early on.

    Lindholm took fifth on the first stage, while Breen was eighth.

    Stage 2 saw a further 17.45 km and Lindholm repeated his fifth position from the first stage while Breen took seventh to move into seventh the first service.

    It became clear through the day that while the road would be clearing, hanging dust would be an issue.

    Breen in the MRF Tyres Hyundai i20 R5 had to slow slightly in the third stage because of the dust, but he still ended up sixth.

    Lindholm, however found his groove in his Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo, finishing second on stage, just 5.6 seconds off stage winner, Oliver Solberg.

    Lindholm had a small spin on the final stage of the day, dropping more than 10 seconds. Despite this, he ends the day in sixth.

    Breen consolidated his position in the final stage, taking advantage of Lindholm’s issue to leap from his Team MRF Tyres stablemate to end the day in fifth. Breen sits just 0.2 seconds off Eerik Pietarinen in fourth.

    The two MRF Tyres drivers are separated by just 6.2 seconds at the end of day.

    The final day of Rally Liepaja sees the crews stay closer to Liepaja, with six stages over a further 88 km. There will be just the one service throughout the day, meaning that any mistakes will be punished.

    The first stage of the day gets underway at 10am local time or 12:30pm in India.

    Quotes:
    Craig Breen (Driver, Hyundai i20 R5) 5th
    “Today was a tough day. We lost some time in the dust which was hanging in the air. We were doing as much as we could throughout the day.

    “The direction of development for the tyres is positive and this is the first time I have run on these tyres in the European Championship.

    “Tomorrow we will push again. The road position will be important again and we will be looking to find more pace on these roads while getting the data we need.”

    Emil Lindholm (Driver, Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) 6th

    “The roads are challenging. There are a lot of fast sections but then some narrow roads and it is quite difficult to find the entry to those parts. We had a spin on SS4 which cost us a bit of time.”

    I pushed throughout the day and I am happy with my pace and the wear of the tyres. The loops and the stages were long and the wear and the grip were good. We are continuing to get data for development of these tyres so that is good.”

    “Tomorrow will be interesting. The stages are a bit shorter but the legs are just as long. We will push and see!”

  • Mission successful for Team MRF Tyres at Rally di Roma Capitale

    Mission successful for Team MRF Tyres at Rally di Roma Capitale

    Rome, 27 July 2020: It is mission positive for Team MRF Tyres on the Rally di Roma Capitale, the opening round of the 2020 European Rally Championship.

    It is the first time the development tarmac tyres have seen competition and the first time Team MRF Tyres have competed at the top level of tarmac rallying.

    Team MRF Tyres drivers, Craig Breen and Paul Nagle led the MRF Tyres charge in the Hyundai i20 R5. He came into the day in fifth and was involved in a huge battle for fourth position with Simone Tempestini/Sergiu Itu with the pair swapping positions through the day.

    Breen had started the final loop in fifth place but immediately moved to fourth. He consolidated the gap on the second last stage, building 4.5 second gap before the final stage.

    In the end Breen controlled the pace to take fourth place by 1.3 seconds to Tempestini.

    For Emil Lindholm and Mikael Korhonen in the Skoda Fabia evo2 R5, it was all about consolidation and improving the cars across each of the loops.

    The Skoda duo continued to refine their setup throughout the day with the three passes over each stage giving the team a great opportunity to collect data for the future development of the tyre.

    In the overall classification, the pair took a top 10 finish, controlling their position throughout the rally. Additionally, the pair are entered in the ERC1 competition for junior drivers. In this category, he took fifth position, a great start to his campaign.

    Stage 10 – Rocca di Cave (7.25km) provided incredible moment for Team MRF Tyres as both drivers posted the exact same time. Both drivers posted a time of 5:12.2, just 7.5 seconds off the stage win.

    The crews faced a total distance of 197km competitive action and with 44 R5 cars in the field, it was always going to be a tough rally.

    The day was split into three loops of three stages, with 100.8km of total competitive kilometres. The weather was warm and the stages were fast and wide.

    It provided the ideal conditions for the tyres development for Team MRF Tyres with both drivers taking the opportunity to test different elements of the tyres in order to gain important data for future development.

    It was a successful rally for Team MRF Tyres. In the first tarmac rally for the tyre, it was important to reach the end and gain data and provide some insight on the competitiveness of the tyre.

     With both cars reaching the end of the rally, it was a success. To be so competitive, taking a top five position and setting top two stage times, the Rally di Roma Capitale proves to be a positive for the team.

    Next time out in the European Rally Championship is the fast gravel roads of Latvia with Rally Liepāja from 14-18 August.

    Craig Breen (Driver, Hyundai i20 R5) – 4th

    “We gave it pretty much everything we had. We made gradual improvements over the weekend to learn how to get the best out of the tyre. To finish fourth is great and an absolute credit to the team.

    “To think that this tyre barely existed a few weeks ago and to come out and be so competitive is a credit to the team. We gained a lot of valuable data on this rally.

    “I really enjoyed it. It has been a pleasure from start to finish. Let’s bring on the next one. Pico just dominated everything and reminds me of home. I would love to go do that stage again!”

    Emil Lindholm (Driver, Skoda Fabia evo2 R5) – 10th

    “We were able to make improvements to the set up at each service point. It is a process of learning how to maximise the tyre and maximise my own performance. It has been over a year since I have done a tarmac rally, so I am pleased with my result.

    “This rally was always about gaining more information on the tyre for its future development. We did this successfully for Team MRF Tyres. Undoubtedly, we will be much wiser next time out!”

    “It was a weekend without any issues and that is good. There has not been a rally for months and it is good to be back. Importantly, we can see that the tyre is working, and we have more knowledge to work with them.”

  • Breen finishes 4th; MRF Tyres look competitive

    Breen finishes 4th; MRF Tyres look competitive

    Rome, 26 July 2020: Indian Tyre giant made their debut in ERC with a big impact as International rallying returned with a bang this weekend and Russian Rocket Alexey Lukyanuk charged to victory on Rally di Roma Capitale, round one of the delayed 2020 FIA European Rally Championship here on Sunday.

    Irishman Craig Breen in MRF colours did a wonderful job matching the pace of Pirellis and finished fourth with focus on tyre development.

    “It’s not often I would be happy with finishing 4th, but after all the hard work, the testing, it has been immensely satisfying to have been competitive with our MRF Tyres! Both the tyres and the i20 R5 performed faultlessly, we still have some work to do but thank you MRF!” tweeted Breen.

    “Our primary aim is to test our tyres and see how they are faring when compared with our competitors. We have gathered some data late last year and I am happy with the way we ran this rally,” added the 30-year old Breen, who has Paul Nagle as his navigator, driving a Hyundai i20 R4, shod with MRF Tyres.

    “A fantastic result for #MRFTyres. On what is a new tyre and a new challenge for us. The purpose is development at the moment and getting both cars home, in P4 and P10 is great!,” tweeted MRF Tyres.

    Lukyanuk, partnered by new co-driver Dmitry Eremeev, the Saintéloc Junior Team ace led from start to finish in his Pirelli-equipped Citroën C3 R5 to claim his second win in Rome and his 10th in the ERC by 16.1s.

    “It’s good points for the championship and of course winning in Rome is something special,” said Lukyanuk, who hadn’t driven a rally car for 255 days prior to a test on Tuesday. “It’s a unique race with very hard competition. It was a long rally, very tough and very hot. It took a lot of effort to achieve the result and I’m delighted for the performance and happy for the team. I thank our sponsors for their support in this hard situation. You never expect to be the winner and when it comes it’s a special feeling. It was a controlled drive, quite calculated with reasonable pace. It’s very pleasant to see we didn’t lose our feeling and our performance during this lockdown. But without my new co-driver this result would not have been possible.”

    Giandomenico Basso, the two-time ERC champion who won this event 12 months ago, finished second with Oliver Solberg taking third and winning the ERC1 Junior category on his Roma debut.

    Zelindo Melegari claimed a richly-deserved ERC2 victory on his first start since he and co-driver Corrado Bonato were hospitalised following a crash on Barum Czech Rally Zlín 11 months ago. ERC newcomer Andrea Mabellini bagged Abarth Rally Cup honours.

    Ken Torn won a frenetic battle for ERC3 and ERC3 Junior glory, as his rally-long rival Pedro Antunes crashed out of first place on the final stage. Pep Bassas took second for Rallye Team Spain on his first event as the winner of Spanish federation RFEDA’s Beca Júnior R2 scholarship.

    ERC3 Junior champion Efrén Llarena (Rallye Team Spain) marked his graduation to ERC1 Junior by finishing sixth overall behind fourth-placed Craig Breen (Team MRF Tyres) and Romanian champion Simone Tempestini, who came home 1.3s behind the five-time ERC winner from Ireland after a spin. Grégoire Munster held seventh ahead of the advancing ERC1 Junior champion Filip Mareš, who narrowed the Hyundai Junior Driver’s margin to 5.5s. Emil Lindholm and Miko Marczyk filled out the top 10.

    Leg two round-up
    After winning all six stages on Saturday to build an advantage of 34.1s, Lukyanuk was second best to Basso this morning, with the two-time ERC champion going quickest on the first and second stages north of rally hub Fiuggi. At the regroup in the thermal spa town earlier, Basso had narrowed Lukyanuk’s overall lead to 29.3s with Oliver Solberg maintaining his grip on third as the top ERC1 Junior driver.

    Basso scored a brace of stage wins in the middle loop to start the final trio of tests 23.9s behind Lukyanuk. Although he would win the penultimate test, Lukyanuk’s controlled performance and measured approach in ambient temperatures exceeding 30 degrees centigrade meant the Russian was never truly threatened.

    Solberg belied his absence of Rally di Roma Capitale experience on his first pure Tarmac rally in a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 to take third with Hyundai-powered Craig Breen taking advantage of a spin for Simone Tempestini on SS13 to grab fourth.

    Tempestini admitted he struggled to “wake up” and repeat his flying form from Saturday this morning. Despite only confirming his Roma entry on Tuesday, Tempestini was 2.3s ahead of Breen starting the final trio of stages, but his spin caused a six-second delay and Breen finished 1.3s in front. Meanwhile, Breen, on his return to ERC action with Team MRF Tyres, was hugely praiseworthy of the rate of progress of the Indian company’s development programme.

    ERC3 Junior champion Efrén Llarena starred on his step up to ERC1 Junior, finishing sixth after adapting the handling of his Rallye Team Spain C3 R5 more to his liking by tweaking the spring and anti-roll bar settings. Hyundai Junior Driver Grégoire Munster took seventh on his second outing in an i20 R5 with ERC1 Junior champion Filip Mareš battling back to eighth after a tough rally, which began with a roll in Friday practice. Young guns Emil Lindholm and ORLEN Team’s Polish champion Miko Marczyk impressed as they rounded out the top 10.

    More drivers rewarded in ERC 2020
    With points awarded to the top 15 classified finishers from this season, more drivers than ever before scored ERC points on Rally di Roma Capitale. By finishing in positions 11-15, Alessandro Re, Antonio Rusce, Dominik Dinkel, Albert von Thurn und Taxis and Marijan Griebel all scored.

    COVID-19 protocol takes centre stage on international rallying’s restart
    With myriad strict measures in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rally di Roma Capitale is the first FIA international-level event to run since lockdown restrictions eased in certain countries. Drivers and teams have united in their praise of the extensive steps taken by organiser Motorsport Italia to provide a safe and secure environment for competitors and volunteer officials alike in partnership with the FIA, ERC promoter Eurosport Events and Italian federation ACI Sport.

    Solberg clinches ERC1 Junior victory on Roma debut
    Oliver Solberg, son of 2003 World Rally champion Petter Solberg, made it two ERC1 Junior wins from two starts, overcoming the handicap of losing his glasses prior to stage two. ERC3 Junior champion Efrén Llarena followed Simone Tempestini home in third with Grégoire Munste, Emil Lindholm, Miko Marczyk, Dominik Dinkel (Brose Motorsport) and Albert Battistolli next. Erik Cais (Yacco ACCR Team) restarted after his stage one crash to place ninth on his step up from ERC3 Junior in a Ford Fiesta MkII. Callum Devine retired his Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy Hyundai with engine failure after the finish of SS3.

    Hard time for Kreim
    A strong fifth overnight on his return to ERC1 Junior action, three-time German champion Fabian Kreim’s debut in a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 ended on Sunday’s first stage when he crashed into a wall. “It was my mistake,” he said. “I did a mistake on my pacenotes and have written left-entry-flat and 40-metre hairpin-left. And for this I was definitely too fast and crashed into a wall and broken the front-right wheel.”

    Crugnola quick on restart
    For the second Rally di Roma Capitale running it was a case of what might have been for Andrea Crugnola. After a puncture robbed him of victory 12 months ago, a crash on stage one wrecked his hopes of first place. He restarted on day two, scored six stage bests and five ERC bonus points for winning leg two. There was no restart for Adrien Fourmaux, however, the Frenchman having rolled his M-Sport Ford World Rally Team entry on SS2.

    Melegari savours his “perfect day” in ERC2 on injury comeback
    Zelindo Melegari described winning ERC2 on his comeback from injury as a “perfect day”. Melegari hadn’t competed since a crash on Barum Czech Rally Zlín last August left him and co-driver Corrado Bonato with serious injuries. But he showed no lasting affects to win ahead of ERC newcomer and Abarth Rally Cup winner Andrea Mabellini and Porsche 997 GT3 driver Petr Nešetříl.

    “I am very happy for this result after one year away from rally,” said Italian Melegari. “It was the first rally with the new car on Tarmac, a perfect day. I was happy also to fight with the young drivers in the Abarth Rally Cup. It’s a good result for continuing the season.”

    Roberto Gobbin drove his Abarth 124 rally to fourth with Latvia-based Dmitry Feofanov fifth, hitting back from a roll during testing on Tuesday on his second start on Tarmac. Poland’s Igor Widłak retired prior to SS7 with a sensor failure.

    Abarth Rally Cup contender Dariusz Poloński was back in action for leg two after a turbo issue forced him out on Saturday morning. After going fastest in the one-make series and in ERC2 on SS7 and SS8, more turbo problems struck on SS9, forcing the Pole to retire for a second day running.

    Ford Fiesta Rally4 driver Torn takes ERC3 and ERC3 Junior double in dramatic finale
    Ken Torn scored a memorable ERC3 and ERC3 Junior victory double in his Estonian Autosport Junior Team-entered Ford Fiesta Rally4 following a thrilling battle with Pedro Antunes.

    Driving a Peugeot 208 Rally4 on Pirelli tyres, Antunes snatched the lead from Torn with two stages remaining only to crash out on the final run.

    That left Torn to take the win in his Pirelli-equipped car as Pep Bassas inherited second place for Rallye Team Spain, with Amaury Molle battling to the finish in a fine third as technical issues struck the Belgian’s older-specification 208 in the closing stages.

    Italian Junior champion Marco Pollara finished fourth with Nikolai Landa and Rachele Somaschini fifth and sixth respectively. Pedro Almeida and Dennis Rådström restarted after retiring on Saturday and came home in seventh and eighth.

    A brake issue caused Adam Westlund to crash out of fifth place on SS11. An electrical issue stopped William Creighton on SS10, while Miika Hokkanen went off the road on SS3 when a damaged steering rod failed. Sergio Cuesta retired with engine failure on SS6.

    Vogel victorious
    Adrienn Vogel claimed a fine fifth place in ERC3, following home fellow Hungarian drivers Martin László and his father Zoltán. She also finished as the leading lady driver.

    P1 Racing Fuels Podium Challenge begins
    The P1 Racing Fuels Podium Challenge, run for the first time during the 2019 ERC season finale in Hungary, will reward the top three finishes on every ERC1 and ERC2 round 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, winning drivers will be entitled to 150 litres of fuel, while second and third placed drivers will receive 100L and 50L of the product respectively.

    LEG ONE REPORT: Click here for leg one report
    DAY TWO NEWSFEED AVAILABLE BY EMAILING: Paula_Dequidt@discovery.com

    TOP 15 POSITIONS (after 15 stages, 197.80 kilometres)
    1 Alexey Lukyanuk (RUS)/Alexey Arnautov (RUS) Citroën C3 R5 1h58m57.0s
    2 Giandomenico Basso (ITA)/Lorenzo Granai (ITA) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 +16.1s
    3 Oliver Solberg (SWE)/Aaron Johnston (IRL) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 +1m03.2s
    4 Craig Breen (IRL)/Paul Nagle (IRL) Hyundai i20 R5 +1m57.0s
    5 Simone Tempestini (ROU)/Sergiu Itu (ROU) Škoda Fabia R5 +1m58.3s
    6 Efrén Llarena (ESP)/Sara Fernández (ESP) Citroën C3 R5 +2m15.9s
    7 Grégoire Munster (LUX)/Louis Louka (BEL) Hyundai i20 R5 +2m20.5s
    8 Filip Mareš (CZE)/Radovan Bucha (CZE) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +2m26.0s
    9 Emil Lindholm (FIN)/Mikael Korhonen (FIN) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +2m54.0s
    10 Miko Marczk (POL)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +3m25.1s
    11 Alessandro Re (ITA)/Paolo Zanini (ITA) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 +3m25.8s
    12 Antonio Rusce (ITA)/Sauro Farnocchia (ITA) Citroën C3 R5 +4m10.2s
    13 Dominik Dinkel (DEU)/Ursula Mayrhofer (AUT) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +4m47.1s
    14 Albert von Thurn und Taxis (DEU)/Bernhard Ettel (AUT) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +4m54.4s
    15 Marijan Griebel (DEU)/Pirmin Winklhofer (DEU) Citroën C3 R5 +6m24.1s

    FIA ERC2: Zelindo Melegari (ITA)/Corrado Bonato (ITA) Subaru Impreza STI
    FIA ERC3: Ken Torn (EST)/Kauri Pannas (EST) Ford Fiesta Rally4
    FIA ERC1 Junior: Oliver Solberg (SWE)/Aaron Johnston (IRL) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
    FIA ERC3 Junior: Ken Torn (EST)/Kauri Pannas (EST) Ford Fiesta Rally4
    Abarth Rally Cup: Andrea Mabellini (ITA)/Nicola Arena (ITA) Abarth 124 rally

  • Breen to rally with MRF Tyres in first ERC campaign

    Breen to rally with MRF Tyres in first ERC campaign

    Chennai, 21 July 2020: Team MRF Tyres is preparing for the European Rally Championship (ERC) opener this week; the first time the Indian tyre company is competing in a full season of European rallying.

    The Irish star, Craig Breen will team up with Paul Nagle in the Team MRF Tyres Hyundai i20 R5, competing in each of the six rounds of the 2020 ERC season. Breen is no stranger to top-level rallying in Europe, having achieved podiums in the World Rally Championship and having five wins in the ERC

    The Team MRF Tyres design is a clear sign of progression into Europe for the team but is recognisable to past success for the team. The solid geometric shapes meld with the curves of the Hyundai i20 R5.

    Craig Breen and Paul Nagle in MRF colours getting ready for ERC campaign on Hyundai I20. MRF image
    Craig Breen and Paul Nagle in MRF colours getting ready for ERC campaign on Hyundai I20. MRF image

    Meanwhile, the Finnish duo of Emil Lindholm and Mikael Korhonen will drive the Team MRF Tyres Skoda Fabia R5 evo2 in the ERC1 category taking a partial 2020 campaign. It provides Team MRF Tyres, with a mixture of experience and youth. Lindholm is no stranger to R5 machinery. He currently leads the Finnish Championship after taking two wins and a podium so far this year.

    The opening round of the 2020 ERC is the Rally di Roma Capitale and it represents the next step in MRF Tyres development. After years of success in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship that included nine titles, the move to the ERC represents a new challenge for MRF Tyres. The team has been hard at work developing tyres to compete across tarmac, gravel and snow representing the various conditions that can be found in European rallying.

    Mr. Arun Mammen (MRF Tyres Vice-Chairman & Managing Director) said, “We are happy to see MRF Tyres progress to compete at the highest level of rallying in Europe with the European Rally Championship. We know that the road ahead is filled with challenges which we shall strive to overcome, but this is a start for us in this competitive arena. We at MRF Tyres along with our partners in this journey are committed to the development of our product and learning about our competition. After our success at the APRC level with our nine titles, it is natural for MRF Tyres to aim higher with the European Rally Championship. These are the next steps for us as India’s motorsport pioneers. I wish the team the best of luck for the 2020 season.”

    Craig Breen (Driver, Team MRF Tyres, Hyundai i20 R5) said, “I am excited to get behind the wheel of the Team MRF Tyres Hyundai i20 R5. I think we can agree that it is a great looking car! We started testing at the end of last year. This year, except for the lockdown, we had been testing quite extensively. We have done one rally in Finland for the Finnish championship and we got on the podium there. For sure, there are some exciting plans, a lot of work and a lot of testing. We hope to make the tyre better and better and prove the talent behind Team MRF Tyres and this challenge.”

    Emil Lindholm (Driver, Team MRF Tyres, Skoda Fabia R5 evo2) said, “It’s great to be back behind the wheel after a five-month break. It’s interesting to start the summer season from tarmac rally but then again, this year has been quite extraordinary so far. I have had a chance to drive with the MRF tyre once before. It felt good considering it is on the beginning of its development. Hyundai’s Craig Breen is driving as the tyre manufacturers’ driver in the same rallies. It’s great that a really good professional driver drives the same tyre so I can compare my speed to him. I am looking forward to getting in the car on the Italian stages.”

    The 2020 ERC season will get underway with the Rally di Roma Capitale. The service park is Fiuggi, south of Rome, for a 200km blast across 15 tarmac stages. This will be the first time MRF Tyres has competed on tarmac at the highest level of European rallying.

    Team MRF Tyres crews will move to Rally Liepāja on the coast of Latvia for the second round. Ten gravel stages will greet the crews for 180km of rally action. The third round is the Azores Rallye on the Portuguese island of São Miguel in the Atlantic Ocean.

    Round four takes the crews to another island rally, this time the rough gravel roads in Cyrus. MRF Tyres competed in this rally in 2019, achieving a podium with Mikko Hirvonen as the team prepared for 2020. The final two rounds of the Championship are scheduled to take place in November. Rally Hungary will take place on the first weekend before the Spanish Rally Islas Canarias will decide the Champion in late November. 

    Overall, the season sees three gravel rallies and three tarmac rallies and will present a challenge for Team MRF Tyres in the ultra-competitive championship. The opening round will be a challenge with 87 crews signed up to rally in Rome.

  • M-Sport and Michelin to attend Rally Legend in Oct

    M-Sport and Michelin to attend Rally Legend in Oct

    M-Sport and Michelin will attend Rally Legend in October with their top-specification EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC. Regarded as one of rallying’s most prestigious festivals, the San Marino ‑based event attracts an incredible entry with some of the most exciting and inspiring cars from throughout a rich and celebrated history.

    Meanwhile, M-Sport are delighted to announce the M-Sport Return to Rally Stages – a one-off event taking place in Greystoke Forest on Saturday 22 August 2020. Celebrating all things M-Sport, the entry will be limited to any M‑Sport manufactured Focus or Fiesta, while the event itself will act as an example of how the UK can return to rallying.

    Back in March, Greystoke and the Malcolm Wilson Rally marked the last UK gravel event before COVID-19 brought the industry to a standstill. Five months later, and the Cumbrian forest is set to host the return of competition whilst showcasing how club rallying can return safely and responsibly.

    Plans came about after M-Sport reached out to Motorsport UK to see how they could help get the industry back up and running as quickly as possible. After a number of brainstorming sessions, a day in Greystoke was organised to produce a series of short films explaining the necessary safety measures and advising event organisers how to best combat the effects of COVID-19.

    The M-Sport Stages will showcase these new practices in operation – including the electronic management of information and documentation, socially distanced time controls and the safe recovery of vehicles and crews.

    Organised in conjunction with the West Cumbria and Eden Valley Motor Clubs, the event will run six timed stages across 38 competitive miles – all within the confines of Greystoke forest. The service park will also be situated within the forest complex and, although spectators will unfortunately not be permitted, work is afoot to deliver the best of the action to the public.

    For the first time in the history of all Greystoke-based events, there will be a recce convoy on Friday evening – reminiscent of the legendary Mille Pistes of the early 1980s – and pace notes will be available to purchase from former M-Sport co-driver and Greystoke regular Craig Parry.

    The event will also be a special one for M-Sport as the entry is limited to 45 M-Sport manufactured cars only. This could include everything from the Ford Focus and Ford Fiesta World Rally Cars to the Ford Fiesta ST, S2000, RRC, R1, R2 and R5 as well as the latest Ford Fiesta Rally4 and Ford Fiesta R5 MkII. It will be a showcase of what M-Sport has achieved over the past 20 years – creating an effective ‘Ladder of Opportunity’ with competitive cars across all levels of rallying.

    Further information, regulations and special announcements will be issued on the M-Sport website and fans will be able to follow the action and preparations on the company’s social media platforms.
     
    M-Sport and Michelin achieved one of the sport’s most inspiring success stories when they launched the Fiesta WRC in the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship – a private team from the edge of the English Lake District National Park overcoming the might of three of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers to secure the Driver, Co-driver and Manufacturer Championships.
     
    That achievement would not have been possible without the support of dedicated and long-standing partners like Michelin, and the two companies are delighted to showcase the top-specification Fiesta at Rally Legend. The team will announce which driver will take to the wheel at a later date.
     
    M-Sport Ford Team Principal, Richard Millener, said:
     
    “The Ford Fiesta WRC is one of our most special and successful cars and what we achieved will be remembered for a very long time. But none of it would have been possible without the support of our partners, and it’s a pleasure to be able to showcase it at an event as prestigious as Rally Legend with a partner as valued and respected as Michelin.”

  • Newcomer Estonia to host 2020 WRC restart

    Newcomer Estonia to host 2020 WRC restart

    Tallinn (Estonia), 2 July 2020: Estonia will host the FIA World Rally Championship for the first time in September when the 2020 series restarts following an enforced break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Rally Estonia (4 – 6 September) joins the fixture list after running as a WRC Promotional Event in 2019. The country will become the 33rd nation to stage a championship round since the series started in 1973.

    In a revised calendar announced by FIA and WRC Promoter, Rally Italia Sardegna moves to 29 October – 1 November after being postponed in June as the virus temporarily halted the championship after three rounds.

    Estonia’s gravel road encounter precedes scheduled events in Turkey (24 – 27 September) and Germany (15 – 18 October) in the new schedule. Next up is Italy, before the season-closing return of Japan (19 – 22 November), whose date also remains unchanged.

    The championship will comprise at least eight events and WRC Promoter will continue its already advanced talks with Ypres Rally (2 – 4 October), with the aim of presenting Belgium as another available host country shortly. Talks with the Croatian Automobile & Karting Federation will also move forward.

    Rally Argentina, which was postponed from its original date in April, and which traditionally attracts almost a million fans to Cordoba province, has unfortunately now been cancelled for the season.

    Estonia’s WRC debut was announced at a press conference in Tallinn today (Thursday) attended by Prime Minister Jüri Ratas and WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla. It will ensure an emotional weekend for reigning world champion Ott Tänak, who will have the opportunity to compete in front of his home fans on a WRC round for the first time.

    Rally Estonia will be a short format event comprising two legs on Saturday and Sunday after a shakedown and opening ceremony on Friday. It will be based in Tartu, in the east of the country, with the service park at the Estonian National Museum. Full details will be announced shortly.

    Rally Italia Sardegna’s switch from Europe’s early summer to autumn means crews will face cooler conditions on tough gravel tracks in the north of the Mediterranean island. It will be based in Alghero and details of the itinerary will be confirmed soon.

    WRC successfully completed the first three rounds in Monte-Carlo, Sweden and Mexico before Coronavirus put the brakes on the series. Six-time champion Sébastien Ogier leads the drivers’ standings with his Toyota Gazoo Racing squad topping the manufacturers’ points.

    WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla said a September restart allowed sufficient lead time for event organisers and competitors to be fully prepared: “Today’s restart announcement sends a clear signal that the 2020 WRC is back in business,” he said.

    “WRC Promoter has worked tirelessly with the FIA, our competitors, teams and potential rallies, in exceptional circumstances, to revise the calendar. Today’s news allows the WRC to restart at an appropriate time and ensure a season worthy of world championship status.

    “Fans demonstrate huge passion for WRC in both Estonia and Italy. The expectation there, and across the sport in general, will build rapidly from now ahead of September’s championship restart,” added Ciesla.

    FIA Rally Director Yves Matton said: “I am pleased to announce the 2020 WRC restart calendar following a few months of discussions that have required a great deal of flexibility from all stakeholders in unprecedented times. In light of this revised schedule, I am confident we will secure a minimum of eight events this year and this is thanks to the great commitment and work from organisers.

    “As one of the newly proposed rounds, Rally Estonia will be reopening the season in September and I know the Estonian Autosport Union and organising team are putting all their efforts to deliver an event to world championship standards from an already solid foundation.

    “Also, extensive work was made with ACI and organisers of Rally Italia Sardegna to reschedule the event and I am happy that they could find a workable slot at the end of October for this much-awaited encounter.

    “Preparations for these rounds are now in full swing while paying the greatest attention to key planning recommendations for mass gatherings in the current Covid-19 context.

    “We are naturally truly disappointed we couldn’t find a logistically viable solution to reschedule Rally Argentina, particularly given all the hard work undertaken by Automóvil Club Argentino and every member of the organisation,” concluded Matton.

    All remaining events are eligible for competitors in the WRC 2 and WRC 3 support categories. Future dates for the FIA Junior WRC Championship will be announced separately.

    The revised 2020 calendar is:

    Round Rally Date 
    1Monte-Carlo 23 – 26 January 
    2Sweden 13 – 16 February 
    3Mexico 12 – 15 March 
    4Estonia 4 – 6 September 
    5Turkey 24 – 27 September 
    6Germany 15 – 18 October 
    7Italy 29 October – 1 November 
    8Japan 19 – 22 November 

    * Belgium’s Ypres Rally (2 – 4 October) and Croatia (date TBC) remain as further calendar options.

    Photo credit WRC Promoter: 2019 Rally Estonia, Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja, TGR

  • Lindholm expects `lots and lots of learning’ in the ERC

    Lindholm expects `lots and lots of learning’ in the ERC

    Emil Lindholm expects to learn plenty in this season’s FIA European Rally Championship.

    The 23-year-old Finn will represent Team MRF Tyres in ERC1 Junior during what will be his first European campaign.

    “Progression is the main thing for us, but the level in the ERC is high, the rallies are completely new for me so there will be lots and lots of learning,” said Lindholm. “I still want to do the world championship and this is a good step forward.”

    Lindholm will compete in a Rally2-specification ŠKODA Fabia with a four-event programme planned.

    Emil Lindholm. Photo FIAerc.com
  • Sebastien Ogier, Julien Ingrassia win Rally Mexico; it’s Ogier’s 6th

    Sebastien Ogier, Julien Ingrassia win Rally Mexico; it’s Ogier’s 6th

    Mexico City, 15 March 2020: Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia claimed the win at the end of Saturday on Rally México after the decision was taken to stop the event in the face of fast-changing travel restrictions connected with the global COVID-19 virus outbreak. Ott Tänak piped Teemu Suninen to second place in a thrilling afternoon finale.

    Rally officials, the WRC Promoter and FIA reached a decision to halt the event after SS21. Enough stage distance had been covered to ensure that the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship was eligible for full championship points – with the exception of points for the cancelled Power Stage – and it gave team personnel and members of the international media additional time to return to their countries before any further restrictions were put in place on air travel because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
     
    Ogier guided his Toyota Yaris WRC to four stage wins on his way to a 27.8-second victory over defending World Champion Ott Tänak. The success was the Frenchman’s 48th WRC career win, a feat surpassed only by Loeb’s remarkable 79 successes. It also moved Ogier and co-driver, Julien Ingrassia, to the top of the World Championship standings and enabled Toyota to increase its lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship. It was the factory Toyota team’s first success on the event and marked the fourth manufacturer with whom the Frenchman has won the rally.

    Rally Mexico podium on Saturday as it ends early due to Corona fears. An FIA image

    M-Sport Ford’s Teemu Suninen fought gallantly to fend off a fierce afternoon challenge from Tänak in his defence of second place, but the young Finn came up just short as the Estonian moved up to fifth in the Drivers’ Championship behind Ogier, Evans, Neuville, and Rovanperä. Tänak won six of the 20 special stages after fighting back from an accident that damaged the rear of the car on Friday morning.

    Elfyn Evans came into the weekend as the series leader but it was never going to be easy for the Welshman to finish on the podium from his first day starting position. Fourth overall enabled the Toyota driver to stay on the coattails of his team-mate in the title race. Young Kalle Rovanperä finished fifth in the third of the Yaris WRCs.

    Sixth-placed Pontus Tidemand wrapped up his third victory in the FIA WRC2 category in Léon with a dominant performance in a Toksport Škoda Fabia Evo. The Swede erred on the side of caution over the final day and eased to victory over Rally Mexico debutant Nicolay Gryazin by 1min 57.7sec, the gap exacerbated by a late drive shaft issue for the Russian.

    Gryazin’s Hyundai team-mate Ole-Christian Veiby ran off a string of stage wins over the final leg, but brake issues had cost the Norwegian too much time on Friday. He finished in 10th place.
     
    Gus Greensmith reached the finish in ninth. He lost out on a top six finish in the second of the Ford Fiesta WRCs after a time-consuming battery issue on the second stage of the day and recovered strongly to gain an extra pace on the closing super specials.
     
    Young Bolivian driver Marco Bulacia had missed out on a FIA WRC2 category win on the event in 2019, but the talented Škoda Fabia driver dominated the newly-named FIA WRC3 section, finished eighth overall and 4min 11.1sec in front of the Citroën C3 of Chilean runner-up Emilio Fernández. Ricardo Triviño was the leading Mexican driver in 12th overall, third in WRC3 and winner of the NACAM category after an impressive drive.

    2020 Rally Mexico – Final official results:

    1. Sébastien Ogier (FRA)/Julien Ingrassia (FRA)Toyota Yaris WRC     2hr 47min 47.6sec
    2. Ott Tänak (EST)/Martin Järveoja (EST)          Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2hr 48min 15.4sec
    3. Teemu Suninen (FIN)/Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN)                  Ford Fiesta WRC2hr 48min 25.5sec
    4. Elfyn Evans (GBR)/Scott Martin (GBR)     Toyota Yaris WRC          2hr 49min 01.0sec
    5. Kalle Rovanperä (FIN)/Jonne Halttunen (FIN)Toyota Yaris WRC2hr 50min 08.1sec
    6. Pontus Tidemand (SWE)/Patrick Barth (SWE)                 Škoda Fabia Evo2hr 58min 16.9sec
    7. Nicolay Gryazin (RUS)/Yaroslav Fedorov (RUS)Hyundai NG i20 3hr 00min 14.6sec
    8. Marco Bulacia (BOL)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA)                  Citroën C33hr 01min 25.1sec
    9. Gus Greensmith (GBR)/Elliott Edmondson (GBR)      Ford Fiesta WRC     3hr 01min 44.1sec
    10. Ole-Christian Veiby (NOR)/Jonas Andersson (SWE) Hyundai NG i203hr 03min 19.8sec
  • Ogier takes lead as Hyundai pair suffers setbacks: WRC

    Ogier takes lead as Hyundai pair suffers setbacks: WRC

    Mexico City, 13 March 2020: Toyota driver Sébastien Ogier has made a strong start to his bid for a sixth Rally Mexico victory, leading at the end of Friday morning as Hyundai drivers Ott Tänak and Dani Sordo both suffered early setbacks.

    After two street stages through Guanajuato city on Thursday evening, the drivers faced the first true gravel action of the season with a trio of stages in the surrounding mountains, plus a new short test in Parque Bicentenario.

    In his first appearance of 2020, Sordo was expected to be a strong contender with a favourable road position, but he was forced to stop in the morning’s first stage – El Chocolate – after a radiator pipe came loose, causing him to drop over five minutes.

    Team-mate Ott Tänak – running sixth on the road as he plays catch-up in the championship following his crash on Rallye Monte-Carlo – set an impressive pace in El Chocolate, completing the 31.45 kilometres of stage 10.3 seconds faster than anyone else.

    However, the reigning world champion then lost 45.9s to Ogier in SS4 Ortega due to damage at the rear of his car. He and co-driver Martin Järveoja were able to make repairs on the road section, but ended the morning loop in seventh.

    With Tänak’s issues, Ogier claimed the lead with the fastest time in Ortega, and took a lead of 9.7 seconds back to León for the midday service.

    Sebastian Ogier of Toyota Yaris takes lead on Friday. An FIA image
    Sebastian Ogier of Toyota Yaris takes lead on Friday. An FIA image

    Teemu Suninen has made an impressive start in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta to sit in second place, but Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville is on his heels just 0.6s behind after setting the fastest time in Parque Bicentenario.

    Suninen’s team-mate Esapekka Lappi is fourth in front of championship leader Elfyn Evans, who is running first on the road on a Friday for the first time. His fellow Toyota driver Kalle Rovanperä occupies sixth place, forced to take caution through much of the morning following a slow puncture in SS3.

    Behind Tänak sits the third M-Sport driver Gus Greensmith, while Pontus Tidemand leads FIA WRC2 in ninth, 23.4s in front of category rival Nikolay Gryazin. Marco Bulacia is just eight seconds further back in 11th and leading FIA WRC3.

  • Emil Lindholm, Mikeal Korhonen join Team MRF Tyres for ERC

    Emil Lindholm, Mikeal Korhonen join Team MRF Tyres for ERC

    Chennai, 5 March 2020: Team MRF Tyres is strengthening its presence in the European Rally Championship (ERC) in 2020 by announcing their support to Finnish duo Emil Lindholm and Mikeal Korhonen who will take part in ERC1 campaign.

    Lindholm will campaign on MRF Tyres in a Skoda Fabia R5 EVO in four rallies of the first six rallies as they campaign for the ERC1 title. They join alongside Craig Breen and Paul who are campaigning in the ERC outright title on MRF Tyres.

    Lindholm, son of Finnish rally legend Sebastian, has had a stellar start to his Finnish Rally Championship, winning the first two of three rounds and is an ideal driver for Team MRF Tyres.

    Emil Lindholm on way to his win in the SM Itaralli on March 1. Photo: http://emillindholm.fi

    MRF Tyres have undergone an extensive year of testing in 2019 in order to produce development tyres for the first year of full competition in the European Rally Championship. Meanwhile, Lindholm has been building his rally career and moving to the ERC1 with MRF Tyres as an ideal step.

    This season represents Team MRF Tyres continued expansion in European rallying and is committed to continuing the learning and development process. Lindholm’s addition to the team strengthens this approach.

    The ERC1 Championship sees junior drivers compete against each other in R5 cars with the top driver after the first six rounds winning 100,000 Euros to contest the 2020 season-closing events in Cyprus and Hungary with a car and team of their choosing.

    Lindholm’s first rally with team will be at the Azores Rally on the Portuguese island at the end of March, now likely to be put-off due to Carona Virus scare.

    Team MRF Tyres driver Emil Lindholm said: “It’s a great opportunity for me to expand my career to ERC-rallies with MRF Tyres, and an important step in my career to get the experience of a more international rallying scene. From what I’ve seen this weekend in Itäralli, with Breen behind the wheel, MRF is really serious and already has a great product for winter rallies. I’m in no doubt they’ll deliver on the events in ERC and keep on pushing with the development. Personally, I hope I can support MRF with knowledge especially about winter conditions, but also serve them in the development of their complete tyre range.”

    MRF Tyres Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, Arun Mammen said: “We are excited to enter the European Rally Championship in 2020 after winning nine titles in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship. We have a front runner with Craig Breen, and we are excited to support the career of another young, upcoming and fast driver in Emil Lindholm. It will be a great relationship as he will help develop and prove the pace of MRF Tyres and we look forward to helping him achieve his potential in the European Rally Championship.”