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Category: WRC, Rally
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FIA Rally Star, a programme to develop young rally drivers
Paris, 23 Feb 2020: The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile has announced a FIA Rally Star, a global, FIF-funded programme to detect, train and develop talented young drivers. Spotted by the National Sporting Authorities, the best young people between 17 and 25 years old will eventually be able to join the World Rally Championship, benefiting from a sporting programme set up by the FIA and its partners.
File photo of Gaurav Gill in the APRC Malaysian leg with MRF tyres. Gill won three APRC titles on MRF tyres. Photo by Anand Philar At the heart of the FIA’s strategy for the development of rallying throughout the world, FIA Rally Star aims to encourage the emergence of a new generation of drivers and to identify those with the greatest potential to target a professional career. The programme is funded by the FIA Innovation Fund (FIF), which aims at supporting innovative and high-impact initiatives that generate lasting benefits for the FIA community.
At the base of the pyramid, the 144 member National Sporting Authorities (ASNs) of the FIA will be encouraged to organise detection operations, offered to young boys and girls between the ages of 17 and 25. In order to make these selections accessible to as many people as possible, two grassroots disciplines will make the framework for these operations:
– Digital Motorsport, using driving simulators and the FIA Rally Star partner video game;
– Motorkhana, which involves manoeuvring a production vehicle through a handling course.ASNs will also be able to use their own detection methods to identify young talent.
The second phase of the programme will be a tour of six continental finals organised by the FIA in Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Africa, Asia-Pacific, South America and North America. Candidates selected by the ASNs will compete against the clock at the wheel of XC Cross Cars to win one of the seven seats granted: one per continent, plus one for the best woman driver in the world.
This group of seven youngsters will then benefit from an intensive season of training, including personal coaching, testing sessions and participation in a minimum of six rallies at the wheel of Rally3 cars. This development programme will identify the four most promising drivers, including at least one female competitor, who will then join the FIA Junior WRC.
Over the next two seasons, these future stars will need to demonstrate that they can compete for victories and then for the title, as a full season in FIA WRC 3 will be the ultimate reward for a FIA Rally Star driver winning the championship.
Innovative and far-reaching, the FIA Rally Star programme will benefit from the support of ambassadors and partners already acclaimed in the world of rallying. The official launch is scheduled for mid-June, during the FIA Sport Conference in Thailand. The ASNs will then be able to deploy the first selections.
Jean Todt, President of the FIA: “When we talk about the detection of rally drivers, we obviously think of Rallye Jeunes, which enabled the FFSA to identify the potential of Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier with the success that we know. Thanks to the support of the FIA’s Innovation Fund, we are embarking on an extremely ambitious and innovative programme, made available to our 144 ASNs for worldwide deployment and amplification. FIA Rally Star is a great opportunity for those who dream of becoming rally drivers.”
Yves Matton, FIA Director: “At a time when the World Rally Championship is exploring new territories, FIA Rally Star will encourage the emergence of a new generation of drivers. By using grassroots disciplines such as Digital Motorsport and Motorkhana, we will be able to give many young enthusiasts their chance. The most promising will then benefit from a tailor-made development programme, ultimately enabling them to join the WRC. With FIA Rally Star, we hope to find a future World Champion, wherever they are, whoever he or she is.”
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FIA Junior WRC gets underway at Rally Sweden
File photo courtesy Jr WRC championship Torsby (Sweden), 11 Feb 2020: The 2020 FIA Junior WRC Championship gets underway at this weekend’s Rally Sweden – with 16 of the sport’s most promising young talents going head-to-head for one of the biggest prizes in motorsport.
Since the junior series as we know it first started, only the 2011 FIA WRC Academy can boast more entries and it goes without saying that this year’s championship is expected to be extremely close-fought.
Taking to the wheel of identical EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta R2T19s equipped with Pirelli’s Sottozero ICE tyres, it all gets underway this weekend with the youngsters keen to showcase their skills on the FIA World Rally Championship’s only true winter rally.
Due to unseasonably mild weather impacting the rally route, a reduced schedule will see the crews tackle 180 competitive kilometres across 11 stages in Sweden and neighbouring Norway – and it has never been more important to be quick out of the box!
And with the potential for a relatively thin layer of ice, the crews will also have to pay close attention to their strategy, set-up and tyre management – especially when it comes to ensuring they retain as many studs as possible over the entire loop.
Rally Sweden has formed a part of the Junior WRC three times, and all three times there has been a Swedish winner – Per-Gunnar Andersson in 2006, Dennis Rådström in 2018 and Tom Kristensson in 2019.
So it goes without saying that all eyes will be on the Swedes once again this year – Kristensson looking to do the double against strong competition from last year’s Swedish Junior Rally Champion, Pontus Lönnström.
Fellow Scandinavians include Sami Pajari who was pushed all the way to last year’s Finnish SM3 Championship by compatriot Lauri Joona, as well as the latest in a long line of Norwegian Solbergs – son of Henning and nephew of Petter, Oscar Solberg.
Estonian’s Ken Torn and Latvia’s Mārtiņš Sesks are also no strangers when it comes to winter rallying and should not be discounted when it comes to challenging for the win.
Others may not be as used to snow and ice, but last year’s graduates – Raul Badiu, Fabrizio Zaldivar and Enrico Oldrati – will be able to draw on the experience they gained 12 months previously, and Ruairi Bell is no novice when it comes to the white stuff having rallied in Latvia since starting his career in 2016.
Fellow Brit Catie Munnings also got some recent experience of ice and snow when she took to the wheel of a specially modified Bentley Continental GT3 at Austria’s GP Ice Race earlier this month.
Returning to the rally car after being crowned the 2018 eSports Champion, Jon Armstrong will contest Rally Sweden for the first time in reality and it’s a similar story for Fabio Andolfi as the Italian looks to use his four-wheel-drive experience to his advantage.
Fellow Italians Tommasco Ciuffi and Marco Pollara will be making their world stage debut outside Rally Italia Sardegna, and all crews are keen to make a strong start to their 2020 seasons.
FIA Junior WRC Team Director, Maciej Woda, said: “Firstly, on behalf of the entire FIA Junior WRC Championship, I would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to Glenn Olsson [Rally Sweden CEO] and his team who have been working around the clock to ensure this event goes ahead. Rally Sweden is such an iconic round of the FIA World Rally Championship, and always provides fantastically close-fought competition – especially in the Junior WRC and I’m looking forward to more of that this year.
“It’s always great to start the season here in Sweden, and this year we have 16 highly talented and motivated youngsters all keen to show what they can do on the snow, gravel and asphalt of the FIA World Rally Championship. The Swedish stages offer a unique challenge and it will be interesting to see if anyone can topple the two locals this year. This will be a rally of strategy, and those who are quick out of the box and on the ball when it comes to tyre strategy could well come out on top.”
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Team MRF Tyres to take on 2020 FIA European Rally Championship
File photo of Gaurav Gill in the APRC Malaysian leg with MRF tyres. Gill won three APRC titles on MRF tyres. Photo by Anand Philar Chennai, 4 Feb 2020: Team MRF Tyres will be back on the international rally stage in 2020 with a full season European Rally Championship campaign. Ireland’s Craig Breen and co-driver Paul Nagle will spearhead the campaign driving a Hyundai i20 R5 prepared by the Italian BRC Racing Team.
Craig Breen needs no introduction to rally fans having competed in 61 WRC rallies, twice finishing on the podium. He is the reigning Irish Tarmac Rally Champion and finished second in the 2015 European Rally Championship.
Paul Nagle has won five WRC events as a co-driver. Now back with Breen, they bring a wealth of experience to the MRF Tyres team.
The MRF Tyres Rally team has won the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) nine times, and made an entry into the World Rally Championshop in 2018 in the WRC2 class for gathering data for product development. This led to a year of testing and development in 2019 of the next generation of MRF Tyres with Breen and WRC legend Mikko Hirvonen. The 2020 European Rally Championship represents the next big step for MRF Tyres.
The first round of the Championship is the Azores Rallye, which will take place on the Portuguese island from 26-28 March.
MRF Tyres driver Craig Breen said: “I am really happy to start this adventure with MRF Tyres. We worked together last year placing emphasis on tyre development. Now I am really looking forward to embarking on this journey in the European Rally Championship. It will be a great adventure to get back to some rallies I have done in the past along with some new rallies. It will be a great year with MRF Tyres, BRC Racing Team and Hyundai Motorsport. I am looking forward to the Azores Rally and getting the program started.”
Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Andrea Adamo said: “I am really looking forward to seeing the results of this new partnership between MRF Tyres and the BRC Racing Team. The European Rally Championship is one of the most important series in the sport. The season includes some very famous events, and is a great test for the cars, and for the tyres in all conditions. MRF Tyres have already had great success in rallying, establishing themselves as very competitive option for drivers and teams. Hopefully this season between them, BRC and the Hyundai i20 R5, they can add more to their story in motorsport.”
MRF Tyres Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, Mr. Arun Mammen said: “MRF Tyres has a long and proud history in rallying in India and the Asia Pacific region. With nine APRC titles, it is the right time to take the next step and take Indian motorsport into the European Rally Championship. To work with great professionals in the field like Craig Breen, Paul Nagle, BRC Racing Team and Hyundai Motorsports is a great privilege. We know it will be a challenge to compete with our European rivals but we are committed to rallying in the long term and we are aiming to learn and develop. After all, MRF Tyres is India’s number one tyre company and pioneering motorsports in India.”
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: Azores Rallye (gravel), 26-28 March,
Round 2: Rally Islas Canarias (asphalt), 7-9 May,
Round 3: Rally Liepâja (Latvia, gravel), 29-31 May,
Round 4: 77th Rally Poland (gravel), 26-28 June,
Round 5: Rally di Roma Capitale (asphalt), 24-26 July,
Round 6: Barum Czech Rally Zlín (asphalt), 28-30 August,
Round 7: Cyprus Rally (gravel), 9-11 October,
Round 8: Rally Hungary (asphalt), 6-8 November. -
Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul take first Rallye Monte-Carlo win
Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul receive the trophy after winning the Monte Carlo Rally, the first round of the WRC on Sunday. Photo: Fabien Dufour /Hyundai Motorsport GmbH Monte Carlo, 26 Jan 2020: Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul have triumphed on Rallye Monte-Carlo for the first time, after winning all the stages on the final day: including the rally-closing Power Stage – which awarded the Belgian pair five additional championship points – by a margin of just 0.016 seconds ahead of Sébastien Ogier.
The duo only moved into the lead again on Sunday morning, having been fastest after the two Thursday night stages that opened the rally. In total, Neuville claimed nine of the sixteen Monte-Carlo stages this year – to snatch the victory by just 12.6 seconds. Behind them, the Toyota crews of Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans were separated by less than two seconds at the finish in second and third respectively.
Evans and Ogier had both led throughout Friday and Saturday, but Neuville gained more confidence in his set-up and pace notes throughout Saturday and his two rivals dropped time – especially during the repeated Col de Turini stages on Sunday, which was characterised by black ice.
Ogier only overhauled his team mate on the very last stage, claiming four extra championship points for second-fastest time on the Power Stage. In the end though, all three podium finishers were separated by less than 15 seconds after 304 competitive kilometres, showing how close the margins had been throughout the most famous event on the World Rally Championship calendar.
Neuville now leads the drivers’ championship by eight points from Ogier, while Hyundai has a two-point advantage over Toyota in the manufacturers’ standings.
On Sunday morning, M-Sport’s new recruit Esapekka Lappi passed Monte legend Sébastien Loeb for fourth. Due to a wrong choice of tyres for Sunday as he thought that it would rain, the Frenchman first went briefly off on worn tyres.
The problem continued to affect him on the final loop of stages, which made him loose another position to the promising Kalle Rovanperä, who finished his first event with a World Rally Car in fifth, behind Lappi.
Both Finns said that they were learning more about their new cars, with Lappi’s progress having been hampered by mechanical problems on Thursday night.
In seventh, more than six minutes behind Loeb, was Toyota protégé Takamoto Katsuta, completing his first Rallye Monte-Carlo in a World Rally Car. The Japanese driver finished in front of the M-Sport factory Fiesta WRC of Teemu Suninen, eighth overall after being badly affected by the same overheating problems as Lappi on Thursday night. Third place on the Power Stage was a good consolation for Suninen, with three extra championship points.
Two Citroën C3 R5 cars completed the top 10 in Monaco, with the privateer Eric Camilli winning the FIA WRC 3 class, ahead of PH Sport’s factory driver Mads Østberg, the FIA WRC 2 winner in 10th overall.
2020 Rallye Monte-Carlo – Final Official Results
1. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 10min 57.6sec 2. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 11min 10.2sec 3. Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Scott Martin (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 11min 11.9sec 4. Esapekka Lappi (FIN) / Janne Ferm (FIN) Citroën C3 WRC 3hr 14min 06.6sec 5. Kalle Rovanperä (FIN) / Jonne Halttunen (FIN) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 15min 14.8sec 6. Sébastien Loeb (FRA) / Daniel Elena (MNC) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 16min 02.3sec 7. Takamoto Katsuta (JAP) / Daniel Barritt (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 22min 25.5sec 8. Teemu Suninen (FIN) / Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 24min 28.0sec 9. Eric Camilli (FRA) / F. Buresi (FRA) – FIA WRC3 Citroën C3 3hr 24min 39.8sec 10. Mads Østberg (NOR) / T. Eriksen (NOR) – FIA WRC 2 Citroën C3 3hr 25min 19.4sec -
Elfyn Evans of Toyota reclaims lead in the Monte Carlo WRC round
Monte Carlo action Photo MSport Ford Gap (France), 25 Jan 2020: Today’s itinerary on Rallye Monte-Carlo contains the longest road distance but a comparatively short 75-kilometre competitive distance, featuring two identical loops of two stages split by the midday service in Gap before the crews make their way down to Monaco in the evening. Because of the icy conditions, most drivers chose studded tyres to ensure maximum grip.
Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, who led most of the action on Friday before losing the lead to his team mate Sébastien Ogier on the final stage yesterday, reclaimed the top position on the second stage this morning, thanks to a time that was 7.6 seconds faster than his closed rival.
After extending slightly his overnight lead on the first stage this morning, Ogier dropped to second after the incredible run from Evans. The Frenchman is now 4.8 seconds off the lead with two stages to run this afternoon.
Thierry Neuville won the opening stage of the day but couldn’t match the pace on the following tests. The Hyundai i20 Coupe driver ended Saturday morning in third place, 16.6sec behind the flying Welshman.
Neuville’s team-mate Sébastien Loeb maintained a lonely fourth, now more than a minute and a half behind the leader. Loeb tried to save his tyres in the first part of the stage but said that he
probably slowed down too much.He’s now coming under threat from M-Sport’s Esapekka Lappi, now within 35 seconds of the Frenchman, while Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä continued his solid progress in sixth overall on
his World Rally Car debut.In seventh, more than six minutes behind, is the FIA WRC3 leader Eric Camilli with his privately-run R5 Citroën, going from strength to strength.
Unlike yesterday, this morning’s action featured a classic Monte weather in the mountains around Gap, with black ice on the road causing hazardous road conditions for the competitors. One of the victims was Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, who lost three minutes when he spun and hit a snow bank on SS9, dropping down to eight overall behind Camilli.
Frenchman Nicolas Ciamin is ninth overall in another Citroën C3 R5, while Norway’s Mads Ostberg is 10th, leading FIA WRC 2 in an identical factory-entered car.
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Elfyn Evans sets the pace in Monte Carlo; Ott Tanak, Martin Jarveoja safe after a heavy crash
Elfyn Evans takes the lead on Friday in the Monte Carlo WRC round. An FIA image Gap (France), 24 Jan 2020: Elfyn Evans snatched the Rallye Monte-Carlo lead from Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville after dominating Friday morning’s loop of three stages around Gap, while reigning World Rally Champion Ott Tänak crashed out.
Tänak’s crash was the biggest drama of this first full day of action, when the Estonian rolled his i20 Coupe WRC halfway through SS4 as he was challenging for a top three position. He and his co-driver Martin Järveoja got out of the car on their own following the incident and were taken to hospital for precautionary checks.
Tänak’s team mate Neuville had led after yesterday’s opening pair of night stages but the Belgian was overhauled this morning by Toyota’s debutant Evans, who led by 8.9 seconds as the cars reached the midday service, having won all three Friday morning stages.
The asphalt was generally dry and clean, with none of the snow seen on SS2 yesterday, although some crews were affected by rain during the final stage this morning.
Neuville still managed to keep pace with Evans and finished Friday morning in second, while Sébastien Ogier is less than a second behind in third on his first rally with a Toyota. The local hero is ahead of another well-known Rallye Monte-Carlo master, Sébastien Loeb, who however is more than 30 seconds further back. Ogier promised that he had more in hand but was just concentrating on finding out more about his new Yaris WRC today.
This makes two Toyotas and two Hyundais in the top four so far, while their closest challenger is Esapekka Lappi in fifth, driving M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta. Lappi recovered from the overheating issues that were affecting all the Fiestas yesterday but still didn’t feel so confident. His team mate Gus Greensmith was another retirement after going off the road on the first stage this morning.
M-Sport’s third factory driver Teemu Suninen is still in the rally, albeit far down the order in 22nd position.
In sixth and seventh overall are two young Toyota drivers, with 19-year-old Kalle Rovanperä leading the team’s Japanese protégé Takamoto Katsuta, who will complete a partial WRC learning programme this year.
They are classified ahead of Eric Camilli, the FIA WRC3 leader – and fastest non World Rally Car – in eighth overall.
He leads the R5 contingent ahead of FIA WRC2 leader Ole-Christian Veiby, officially representing Hyundai in ninth overall with the NG i20. Frenchman Nicolas Ciamin rounds out the top 10.
This afternoon, the cars are tackling three more stages as a repeat of this morning, before returning to final service in Gap.
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Ogier leads his first shakedown in the Toyota Yaris WRC: Rallye Monte-Carlo shakedown
Sebastien Ogier and J Ingrassia during shakedown in the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 01 / Rallye Monte Carlo on Jan 22, 2020. Photo: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC Monte Caarlo, 22 Jan 2020: Sébastien Ogier recorded the fastest time in shakedown for Rallye Monte-Carlo: his competitive debut behind the wheel of the Toyota Yaris WRC. Two-thirds of the team’s all-new line-up featured in the top three, with Elfyn Evans in third, while Kalle Rovanperä was seventh as he prepares for his first appearance at rallying’s highest level, a Toyota Yaris release says.
The shakedown was held on a 3.35-kilometre stage close to the service park in Gap, with dry conditions giving the drivers a chance to get a good feeling with their machinery.
Ogier recorded a time of 1m57.1s on his first run over the stage, with that time remaining unbeaten. Evans was just six tenths of a second slower with his best effort, set on his second run. Rovanperä also improved on his second pass, finishing less than three seconds behind his team-mates.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Rally Challenge Program driver Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top 10 as he prepares for the first of eight events this season in an separately-run Toyota Yaris WRC.
Quotes:
Tom Fowler (Technical Director)
“Going into our first rally with the new drivers, they were all pretty settled on their setups after our successful pre-event tests, so there wasn’t much to do from a setup point-of-view in shakedown. Given the unpredictable nature of the weather on the Monte, we have a few different settings for the car depending on the conditions, so we did change a few things during shakedown just to run the parts in anticipation of the different possibilities that can come up over the weekend. Everything went smoothly for everybody, and Ogier posted the fastest time with the first run. You can’t take too much from the shakedown results, but it’s always nice. The road was then getting muddy so it was difficult to take much from the later runs. But everyone is feeling confident, so it’s a good start.”Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“So far, everything is good and running like we were hoping. Shakedown doesn’t mean much and you don’t need to make any conclusions from the results, but it’s always a good sign if you are in the rhythm already. I’ve had the chance to have a good amount of testing already in the car before the start of the season. Of course, there are still some details to learn but the general feeling is there, and the sensations from the test came straight away here in shakedown. We can be confident heading into the rally, but this is probably the one rally of the season where you need to stay humble at the start as the conditions can make it so tricky.”Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It was a really nice feeling to get started with the Yaris here in shakedown. I found a good feeling pretty much straight away. The car was working really well and I’m looking forward to getting going now. The shakedown was very dry to begin with, so I doubt it will be representative of the whole rally, but that’s typical Rallye Monte-Carlo. It would be nice if we can start the first stage with a clear, dry road, but I’m sure it will get interesting after that.”Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“It felt amazing to be in the car in shakedown. It was my first time back on asphalt after one month, and it was not so easy on the first run, but the second run was already better. The car was feeling really good and the setup also, and I think the small changes that we did in the test were now correct. There is still some work to do with myself for sure, but it feels good.”Shakedown times:
1 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Toyota Yaris WRC) 1m57.1s
2 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +0.1s
3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota Yaris WRC) +0.6s
4 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +1.2s
5 Teemu Suninen/Jarmo Lehtinen (Ford Fiesta WRC) +2.3s
6 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Ford Fiesta WRC) +2.6s
7 Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota Yaris WRC) +2.9s
8 Gus Greensmith/Elliott Edmondson (Ford Fiesta WRC) +3.1s
9 Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +3.3s
10 Takamoto Katsuta/Daniel Barritt (Toyota Yaris WRC) +4.8sWhat’s next?
The rally starts from Monte Carlo’s famous harbour on Thursday evening before two night-time stages en-route back to Gap. The first test, Malijai-Puimichel, is being run for the first time since 1994. The darkness and falling temperatures can often combine to make a particularly tricky start to the season. -
WRC 2020 Calendar
The FIA today announced a number of changes to the World Rally Championship calendar for the 2020 season, following an e-vote by the World Motor Sport Council last week.
Following a request by the organiser of Rally Chile, it has been approved to withdraw this event from the 2020 World Rally Championship calendar.
The date of the next event on the WRC calendar, Rally Argentina, initially scheduled from April 30 to May 3, has been brought forward by one week to allow additional time for the shipment of equipment from South America to Africa.
The World Motor Sport Council also approved Wales Rally GB as the fifth and final round of the 2020 Junior World Rally Championship.
The revised 2020 calendar, comprised of 13 rounds, is confirmed as follows:
1. 26 January Rally Monte-Carlo 2. 16 February Rally Sweden* 3. 15 March Rally Mexico 4. 26 April Rally Argentina 5. 24 May Rally Portugal 6. 7 June Rally Italy* 7. 19 July Rally Kenya 8. 9 August Rally Finland* 9. 6 September Rally New Zealand 10. 27 September Rally Turkey 11. 18 October Rally Germany* 12. 1 November Rally Great Britain* 13. 22 November Rally Japan *Rounds that count for the FIA Junior WRC Championship
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Young and ambitious team for 2020 WRC: M-Sport Ford World Rally team
Photo by M-Sport World Rally team Esapekka Lappi will join forces with Teemu Suninen and Gus Greensmith this season as the M‑Sport Ford World Rally Team put youth at the head of their FIA World Rally Championship campaign.
Taking to the wheel of the EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRCs, the three drivers have an average age of 25 and will be led by a similarly young and ambitious team – the average age of the engineers just 30, and Team Principal Richard Millener a mere 35 years young!
As a proven rally winner, Lappi will lead the team alongside compatriot co-driver Janne Ferm. The Finns last took to the wheel of a Fiesta in 2012 when they stormed to Finnish Championship success with a clean-sweep of victories behind the wheel of the Ford Fiesta S2000. Eight years later, the popular duo are now regularly challenging for top results on the world stage.
Securing their maiden win on home soil in 2017, Lappi and Ferm have gone on to secure seven FIA World Rally Championship podiums and claimed the runner-up spot on three occasions last year. Competitive on all surfaces, the Finns have speed in abundance and the team are keen to see what they can do when reunited with the Blue Oval.
Teemu Suninen and Jarmo Lehtinen continue their partnership as the young Finn contests his second full season at the sport’s highest level. Developing at pace, Suninen made his world rally car debut in 2017, secured his first podium in 2018, and led his first rally in 2019 – so the team are eager to see what he can do in 2020.
This also marks the first time an all-Finnish line-up has led the team since Mikko Hirvonen was partnered with Marcus Grönholm in 2006 and 2007, and Jari Matti Latvala from 2008 to 2011. Over those six years the Finns delivered two championships, 31 victories, 99 podiums and 592 stage wins; and M-Sport Ford are now looking forward to promoting the next generation of Flying Finns.
Joining the Finns in the third Ford Fiesta WRC on nine events are British talents Gus Greensmith and Elliott Edmondson. The Brits will get their season underway in Monte-Carlo before events in Mexico, Argentina, Portugal, Sardinia, Finland, Turkey, Germany and Wales.
The youngsters made a strong debut when they took to the wheel of the top-specification Fiesta for the first time last year – bettering the time of both Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier on their very first speed test; and the team are keen to see them continue their development at the highest level this year.
Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:
“We’re going back to our roots in more ways than one this year – fielding a young team and welcoming two sets of Finns back to the family. We enjoyed some fantastic results with Marcus, Mikko and Jari-Matti, and now I’m looking forward to seeing how the next generation of Flying Finns develop.
“But our core philosophy has always been the promotion and progression of young talent, and in Esapekka, Teemu and Gus we have three talented youngsters who are all capable of delivering some strong results.
“The team may be a young one, but they have the experience and ambition to go far – and I’m keen to see what they can achieve in 2020.”
Team Principal, Richard Millener, said:
“There’s a lot of potential in our 2020 line-up and our aim is to continue challenging for the top results. A rally win is the ultimate goal, and I think we have every chance of achieving that. Everyone is determined to deliver, and we can’t wait to get stuck in.
“Esapekka is a proven winner and there is no doubting his speed. He finished second three times last year so I’m looking forward seeing how he gets to grips with the Fiesta. And if it’s anything like the last time he got behind the wheel of a Ford then we’re in for one hell of a season!
“I think a lot of people will be keen to see what Teemu can do too. He and Jarmo work really well together and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw them challenging for the top results on quite a few events this year.
“It’s also great to see Gus back with nine events in the Fiesta WRC. He had a really strong debut last year and he’s only going to get stronger and more confident as the season progresses. This is very much a learning year for him, but if I know Gus he’ll want to make his mark too!”
Esapekka Lappi said:
“I’m really looking forward to this new adventure and I’m excited to see what we can achieve. M‑Sport Ford has a real passion for rally and there were a lot of talented drivers available for this seat, so I’m very happy they put their trust in us – giving myself and Janne an opportunity to show what we can do in 2020.
“We start testing this week, and I’m really looking forward to discovering the Fiesta. The last time I drove a Ford we had a lot of success and it would be great to see that continue this year. I can’t wait to get started, and hope we can push for some strong results.”
Teemu Suninen said:
“I’m really grateful to Malcolm and the team for their belief in me. I feel as though I learnt a lot over the past 12 months, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Jarmo and I can do in 2020. Last year taught me that I need to give everything in all of the rallies if I want to reach the top results – and that’s what I hope to do this year.
“It’s also really great to be in a team with Esapekka because he was something of a hero to me in my childhood. When I started go-karting as a teenager in Finland, he was in the same team and winning the championship. Three years later I was able to do the same, and now we’re both in rally and both back in the same team!”
Gus Greensmith said:
“I have been waiting for this opportunity my whole life, and now I have it. I’ve progressed through M-Sport Ford’s, ‘Ladder of Opportunity,’ from R1, to R2, to R5 and now WRC. I owe a lot to everyone at M-Sport and Ford who has helped me progress as a driver, but there is still a lot more to come.
“The team may be young, but we’re all ultra-competitive and together I’m sure we can deliver some strong performances. During the off season I have made some big improvements to myself outside of the rally car. I have never been fitter, and I have never been faster, and when the light turns green for the first stage of 2020 I will be ready.” -
Ford is official partner of FIA Jr WRC for 2020
Ford to partner Jr WRC in 2020. A Jr WRC image The iconic blue oval joins FIA Junior WRC as an official partner for 2020.
Working with M-Sport Poland, Ford Performance assisted with
thedevelopment of the EcoBoost-powered Fiesta R2T – the car that is exclusively used by all FIA Junior WRC competitors. The newpartnership sees Ford extend its commitment to finding the next generation of FIA World Rally Championship superstars offering a clear pathway from the Fiesta R2T to the Fiesta WRC – all using M-Sport built cars with EcoBoost power. The most powerful car (per driven axle) in WRC
Thanks to the 200HP one-litre EcoBoost engine the
Fiesta R2T features 200HP per driven axle, which is the highest in the WRC, with the top tier WRC cars delivering 190HP per driven axle. Same EcoBoost power, very different conditions
The EcoBoost powered Fiesta R2Ts use the same base engine as their road going variants and will be put through their paces on both ends of the spectrum of extreme conditions. From the snow and ice of Rally Sweden, where ambient temperatures drop as low as -25°C, to the ruttedand rocky Rally d’Italia, reaching a searing 40°C, FIA Junior WRC’s 2020 crews will demonstrate the capabilities of the EcoBoostpowerplant.
Maciej Woda, FIA Junior WRC Championship Manager: “To have Ford join FIA Junior WRC as an official partner underlines the importance of supporting and growing the potential future World Rally Champions to manufactures such as Ford. Elfyn Evans is a great example of a driver that Ford has been involved with since he started his WRC career in the championship when it was known as WRC Academyin 2012 which he won in a Ford Fiesta R2. Elfyn graduated to the WRC 2 category in 2013 with a Ford Fiesta R5 and joined the M-Sport World Rally Team full-time for the 2014 season and took his maiden WRC overall victory in 2017 on Wales Rally GB in an EcoBoost poweredFord Fiesta WRC.”
Gerard Quinn, Senior Manager Ford Performance Europe: “Ford has been a proud partner and advocate of the JWRC from its inception several years ago. Since the foundation of Ford Motor Company we have consistently been at the forefront of making opportunities for talent to flourish in motorsport. The JWRC provides a valuable opportunity for Ford to be involved in a professional rally series that continues to find world class driving talent. Obviously we are delighted that the Ford Fiesta continues to be the competition car of choice for this exciting programme in 2020.”
