INDIA in F1

Category: WRC, Rally

  • Gaurav Gill ends Turkey campaign in WRC2, wins accolades

    Gaurav Gill ends Turkey campaign in WRC2, wins accolades

    Gaurav Gill takes a huge jump on the final day of Rally Turkey. An MSport image

    New Delhi, 15 Sept 2019:  India’s top rally driver Gaurav Gill won commendations of his co-competitors in the World Rally Championship, overcoming mechanical failures and a series of punctures in the grueling Rally of Turkey before it all ended in heartbreak for him and the country late on Sunday.

    Gaurav Gill said:

    “This has been one of the toughest rallies of my life. Right from the start it was difficult to get into a good rhythm because the stages were so slow and twisty with so many rocks and boulders.

    “Without much experience of this car and set-up I wanted to take my time and I think that worked out well for us. But luck was not on our side and we were marred by quite a few issues.

    “We failed to finish the rally this weekend, but we set some good times which is a big positive and I’ll look to build on that at the next event.”

    Going into the final day with a top-five finish firmly in sight, the JK Racing ace underlined his mettle by finishing second in the first stage of the day. He continued in the same vein, taking the third place in the next stage too, demonstrating phenomenal speed and control to post spectacular timings to inch up the leader-board.
    These two added up to a top-3 finish in five out of the 9 stages that he had conquered without a hitch, not counting the shakedown in which he proved to be the fastest among the lot.
    In the penultimate stage with a strong finish beckoning him, disaster struck: the transmission of the car seized and ground him to a halt. The car locked up completely and could not even be pushed into neutral, killing all chances of recouping and making up in the final stretch of the WRC.
    “It was one of the toughest weekends, rather toughest rallies of my life. Right from the beginning, it was difficult to get into a good rhythm because the rally was so slow and twisty, with so many huge rocks and boulders around,” Gaurav said.
    “I of course didn’t have much previous experience with the car and the setup, making it that much more difficult. The plan was to take one step at a time and it almost paid off. But we were marred by so many issues, including mechanical problems in the car. The good thing is we got some great timings and should keep us in a positive frame for the next round,” he added.
    “Almost all the top drivers congratulated me for the way I drove and handled the situations,” Gaurav revealed.
    The Rally of Turkey lived up to its reputation of being the toughest in the world, pushing as many as 11 drivers to the brink and a DNF. Spread over four days, Gaurav had to cover a total distance of 988.50 kms, with 310.10 kms earmarked for special stages. More tellingly, every stage was a test for the driver as well as the car, traversing past picturesque locales that could transform into death-traps at the tiniest of errors.
    The 3-time APRC champion and Arjuna Awardee began his campaign on the world stage on a high note.
    He faced major mechanical issues in 4 stages, starting with front suspension collapse to tear damper seizure to transmission failure. He even did a couple of stages with punctures.
    He left a lasting impression on the grid which’ll help boost his confidence for future international outings.
  • We are still learning the car, says Gaurav Gill; Greensmith closes on the win: WRC2

    We are still learning the car, says Gaurav Gill; Greensmith closes on the win: WRC2

    Gaurav Gill in action on Saturday. Photo courtesy M-Sport

    M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Gus Greensmith and Elliott Edmondson are back in the lead of the FIA World Rally Championship’s premier support series – leading the way in the WRC 2 Pro category with their Ford Fiesta R5 Mk II.

    The new Fiesta secured its maiden victory in the hands of Anders Grøndal at Norway’s Rally Tron last weekend, and Greensmith continues to showcase the power and performance of M-Sport’s latest global rally car at this weekend’s Rally Turkey.

    Despite picking up a puncture through the early stages (SS3), the young Brit rebounded with stage-winning pace throughout the weekend – now holding more than a minute’s lead with just 38.59 competitive kilometres left to contest.

    In the WRC 2 category, Gaurav Gill and Glenn MacNeall were back in action and getting to grips with the notoriously challenging terrain. The pairing showed good speed, but their bad luck continued into the second day of competition with two punctures (SS10 and SS11) and a broken damper on the penultimate speed test (SS12).

    Gus Greensmith said: “It’s been a much better day for us today. We took a bit of a gamble this afternoon with only one spare and just pushed as much as we could which really paid off. We’ve jumped into a good lead in WRC 2 Pro now, and from where we were after the second stage on Friday [when we lost time having to stop and change a puncture] I’d say we’re doing pretty well.”

    Gaurav Gill said: “We were still learning the car in the first stage morning, but had some good speed in the next ones and I was happy with the confidence and the feeling of the car. We wanted to build on that over the second loop but unfortunately we had an issue with the damper which meant we had to cruise through the last stage and get the car back to service in one piece. I guess that’s the nature of this event and that these things can happen, but overall I think it’s been a positive day and we can be happy with the speed.”

  • Sebastian Ogier leads a 1-2 for Citroen: WRC Rally of Turkey

    Sebastian Ogier leads a 1-2 for Citroen: WRC Rally of Turkey

    Ogier takes lead. An FIA image

    Marmaris, 14 Sept 2019: Citroën’s Sébastien Ogier and Esapekka Lappi were the class of the field on the second full day of Rally Turkey and managed their pace to preserve their tyres and secure a comfortable first and second in the overall standings after 13 special stages.

    Lappi started the day with a 17.7 second advantage over the six-time World Champion, but the Frenchman pulled off a brave and canny tyre choice for the longer stage at the start of the morning. The duo became embroiled in a fascinating tussle, until Ogier grabbed the lead in SS12 when Lappi stalled under braking for a downhill hairpin.

    Ogier takes a lead of just 0.2s into the night halt and is on course for a 47th career WRC win and a first since Mexico in early March.

    Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen delivered impressive stage times throughout the day and conserved his tyres to hold third overall, once his team-mate and Ogier’s title rival Thierry Neuville lost his way in the dust on the first stage of the morning, slid off the road and slipped down the rankings to eighth at the night halt. Mikkelsen now finds himself 1min17.1s behind the rally leader.

    In what developed into a dramatic morning on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, FIA WRC leader Ott Tänak suffered a ECU failure on the road section to SS9 and was sidelined, his demise throwing the title race wide open.

    M-Sport Ford’s Teemu Suninen finished the day in a strong fourth and closed the gap on Mikkelsen to just 9.8 seconds at the end of the leg.

    Spaniard Dani Sordo managed to fend off the challenge from the Toyotas of both Jari-Matti Latvala and Kris Meeke to reach the Asparan Service Park in fifth overall. Meeke survived a late scare when the Yaris snapped sideways due to a lack of grip and slid off the road to hand sixth position to his team-mate.

    Suninen’s team-mate Pontus Tidemand was classified in ninth and FIA WRC 2 front-runner Kajetan Kajetanowicz rounded off the Top 10.

    A flat tyre and then a second puncture on his Škoda Fabia R5 Evo cost long-standing FIA WRC 2 Pro leader Jan Kopecký crucial time and gifted the advantage England’s Gus Greensmith. The Ford Fiesta R5 driver reached the end of the leg with a lead of 1min00.07s. Series leader Kalle Rovanperä returned to action today after a series of punctures blighted his progress on Friday and held third.

    Behind the dominant Kajetanowicz from Poland, Bolivian driver Marco Bulacia and Italy’s Fabio Andolfi were second and third in FIA WRC 2.

    2019 Rally Turkey – Unofficial results after Section 5:

    1. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Citroën C3 WRC 3hr 20min 12.0sec
    2. Esapekka Lappi (FIN) / Janne Ferm (FIN) Citroën C3 WRC 3hr 20min 12.2sec
    3. Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR) / Anders Jaeger-Amland (NOR) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 21min 29.1sec
    4. Teemu Suninen (FIN) / Marko Salminen (FIN) Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 21min 38.9sec
    5. Dani Sordo (SPA) / Carlos Del Barrio (SPA) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 22min 36.7sec
    6. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) / Mikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 23min 26.4sec
    7. Kris Meeke (GBR) / Sebastian Marshall (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 23min 41.5sec
    8. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 24min 50.2sec
    9. Pontus Tidemand (SWE) / Ola Floene (NOR) Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 27min 07.8sec
    10. Kajetan Kajetanowicz (POL) / Maciej Szczepaniak (POL) Škoda Fabia R5 3hr 33min 04.5sec

  • Gaurav Gill bounces back in Rally of Turkey

    New Delhi, 14 Sept 2019: Seasoned Indian rallyist Gaurav Gill showed great grit and tenacity to bounce back from Day 2’s reverses to catapult to the sixth position in WRC2 by the end of Stage 12 in the Rally of Turkey on Saturday.
    Gaurav (along with co-driver Glenn Macneall), driving as a registered driver for JK Racing in the WRC 2 category of the World Rally Championship for the first time, was cruising on Friday too before a mechanical failure prompted him to withdraw for the day with two more stages to go.
    Taking advantage of the scratch time plus seven minutes penalty for three stages that he could not complete, the Arjuna Awardee drove with typical elan to emerge as one of the top drivers on Saturday. He finished the 12 stages so far in 3:51:39.2 hours to be poised for a podium finish in WRC2.
    In the overall scheme too, he is placed 17th despite driving a totally new car with barely any testing time in it. The Rally of Turkey is anyway rated among the toughest in the world, with long rough stretches and unrelenting terrains.
    Starting the day from the 10th position, Gaurav got off to a slow start, taking 27:33.5 minutes to finish the 33-km  long eighth stage. Hence finishing 5th fastest in wrc 2. Once he felt comfortable in the car, he began to push and took just 7.28.3 minutes in the ninth stage, posting the third fastest time.
    He was equally impressive in the 10th stage, once again finishing with the third best time of 7.51.6 minutes.
    As the day progressed, the three-time APRC champion seemed to be in his groove, coming up with yet another impressive performance in the 11th stage, setting the third fastest time (27.56.5 minutes) for the third consecutive time.
    In the 8.75-km long 12th stage, he took 8.49.5 minutes with a seized damper but the rhythm he displayed  today should position him for a top 5 finish.
  • Esapekka Lappi continues to lead in Turkey over Sebastian Ogier: WRC

    Esapekka Lappi continues to lead in Turkey over Sebastian Ogier: WRC

    Action in Rally of Turkey on Friday. An FIA image

    Citroën’s Esapekka Lappi stunned his more illustrious FIA World Rally Championship rivals to snatch a lead of 17.7 seconds after six punishing gravel special stages of Rally Turkey on Friday.

    Abrasive stage surfaces, large rocks, critical tyre choices, heavy rain on one stage and the threat of the unknown forced every driver to err on the side of caution to protect their cars. But Lappi and co-driver Janne Ferm guided their C3 WRC to a stage win and a useful overnight advantage over team-mate and six-time World Champion Sébastien Ogier.

    Like Ogier, Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville kept his title hopes alive with a stage win and third overall, a useful tyre choice in the rain on the longest stage of the day helping the Belgian finish the leg just 0.7s behind his French title rival.

    M-Sport Ford’s Teemu Suninen stayed clear of serious trouble to hold fourth overall and joint overnight leader Andreas Mikkelsen rounded off the top five in the second works Hyundai.

    A fastest time on the last stage of the day enabled Dani Sordo to leap frog both Kris Meeke and Ott Tänak to snatch sixth place, the Spaniard having lost a lot of time with a flat tyre in SS2. A puncture proved costly for series leader Tänak as well and the Estonian now trails the overnight leader by 1min 37.4s.

    Meeke, likewise, had tyre issues and a broken jacking point on the Yaris, although he did claim a stage win.

    The Ulsterman’s Toyota team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala claimed two stage wins, but a puncture, a less advangeous tyre choice and little niggling issues cost the Finn the outright lead he held at the end of SS2. He held ninth place with M-Sport Ford’s Pontus Tidemand rounding off the top 10 on his return to the main factory team.

    Friday the 13th placed its curse on FIA WRC 2 Pro leader Kalle Rovanperä. The Finn sustained a puncture and a roll in his Škoda R5 on the opener and then two further flat tyres put him out of the running for the rest of the day.

    A flat tyre on the Ford Fiesta of his rival Gus Greensmith played into Rovanperä’s team-mate Jan Kopecky’s hands and the Czech headed to the night halt 1min 22.8s in front of the Brito, after erring on the side of caution towards the end.

    11th-placed Polish driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz dominated the FIA WRC 2 section and finished the day over three minutes ahead of young Bolivian Marco Bulacia after veteran Norwegian Henning Solberg lost a lot of time in the sixth stage. Italy’s Fabio Andolfi holds third place.

     

    2019 Rally Turkey – Unofficial results after Section 3:

    1. Esapekka Lappi (FIN) / Janne Ferm (FIN) Citroën C3 WRC 1hr 59min 53.7sec
    2. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Citroën C3 WRC 2hr 00min 11.4sec
    3. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 00min 12.1sec
    4. Teemu Suninen (FIN) / Marko Salminen (FIN) Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 00min 38.1sec
    5. Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR) / Anders Jaeger-Amland (NOR) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 00min 57.8sec
    6. Dani Sordo (SPA) / Carlos Del Barrio (SPA) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 01min 18.9sec
    7. Kris Meeke (GBR) / Sebastian Marshall (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 01min 25.8sec
    8. Ott Tänak (EST) / Martin Järveoja (EST) Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 01min 31.1sec
    9. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) / Mikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 01min 36.2sec
    10. Pontus Tidemand (SWE) / Ola Floene (NOR) Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 03min 39.1sec
  • Gill set for WRC2 Rally of Turkey

    Gill set for WRC2 Rally of Turkey

    New Delhi, 6 Sept. 2019: India’s first and only Arjuna Awardee in motorsports, Gaurav Singh Gill, is all set to take part in FIA World Rally Championship 2, in the Rally of Turkey from September 12 to 15.

    The three-time APRC and six-time INRC champion will be driving a 1.6 Turbo R5 that has been developed by M-Sport. Supported by JK Tyre Motorsport, the rally ace will fancy his chances as most of the stages in the Rally of Turkey will be run on gravel, something that he relishes.

    “We will carefully pick and choose the rallies that I will participate in this year, keeping in mind the car, the terrain and my strengths,” Gill revealed at a press interaction here on Friday. “I am excited about my first stint with a renowned team and a new support system in formidable JK Tyre Motorsport,” he added.

    Gaurav Gill in his new JK Racing attire. Photos: JK Racing

    The recently decorated Arjuna Awardee has already had a satisfying exploration in the WRC-2 2018, having taken part in four rallies, one each in Italy, Finland, Wales and Australia as an unregistered driver. He won 11 stages despite facing challenges, underlining his prowess and skill at the top level.

    Gaurav Gill was felicitated by JK Tyre Motorsport for his Arjuna Award recognition at the press interaction. The company’s Marketing Director Vikram Malhotra congratulated the champion, declaring the award as a watershed moment for Indian motorsport.

    “JK Tyre is the pioneer in promoting motorsport in India. 90% of the kids racing abroad have come from JK’s programmes. Our association with Gaurav Gill has also started yielding results in developing our tyres, with the last two domestic rallies leading to the development of 3 variants of rally tyres. With top performances in international events, our victories with Gaurav will only add to our excitement and result in strengthening our programmed that will benefit Gen Next,” Mr. Vikram Malhotra, Marketing Director, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd, said.

    Gill will be competing as a registered driver for the first time and will be picking up championship points, making it a huge landmark for Indian motorsport.

    “I have worked with Gaurav briefly last year and it’s great to be able to continue that collaboration with him again this year. As a three-time Asia Pacific Champion, Gaurav is a talented driver with a lot of potential and we’re all looking forward to seeing how he progresses in the FIA World Rally Championship’s WRC 2 series,” Team Principal, Richard Millener, said.

    “He’ll be taking to the wheel of our latest rally car – the all-new EcoBoost-powered R5 MkII which made its competitive debut earlier this summer. A lot of work and technology has gone into the design and development of this new car, and we’re all excited to see what some of the world’s best drivers can do behind the wheel – Gaurav included,” he added.

    “This will change the way all stakeholders will look at Indian motorsport. Youngsters can hope for brighter prospects in the sport as schools and colleges will acknowledge Gaurav’s recognition and will treat it at par with any other sport. Sponsors will see more value in associating with the sport too, beyond using it as a testing ground. I wish Gaurav all the luck ahead of this important sojourn and hope that he will be able to live up to the expectations of the entire country,” Mr. Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport, JK Tyre, said.

    The 2019 Rally of Turkey will see the drivers cover a total distance of over 988.50 kms with 310.10 kms earmarked for 17 special stages. Most of the stages will be gravel with few of the stages running on concrete tiles and tarmac. The WRC will be broadcast live over 40 countries, featuring registered drivers and also could be seen online by registering on WRC+.

  • Ott Tanak leads Toyota 1-2-3 sweep in WRC Round 10

    Ott Tänak clinched a commanding third Rallye Deutschland victory on Sunday in Bostalsee, boosting his drivers’ championship lead, as he headed a historic one-two-three finish for Toyota.

    The final day of the event took the crews back to the vineyards above the Mosel river for a pair of stages, each run twice, totallingf 79.5 competitive kilometres.

    Following the demanding Panzerplatte on Saturday, the Japanese manufacturer began the day in the provisional first three positions. The Yaris WRC drivers took a relatively cautious approach to the final day, although Jari-Matti Latvala took the win SS17, as he was defending his third place against    attack from Hyundai’s Dani Sordo.

    A brake issue in the final stage held Tänak back from fighting for the extra Power Stage points but the victory of the Estonian seemed quite assured thanks to a comfortable buffer of 20.8 seconds over his team-mate Kris Meeke.

    Meeke’s second place was his best result of the year and his first podium finish with Toyota, while Latvala repeated the third position he scored last time out in Finland.

    Toyota is the first manufacturer to claim all three places on the podium of a FIA WRC round since Volkswagen did so in Germany in 2015. It’s also Toyota’s first WRC 1-2-3 since the 1993 Safari Rally.

    Sordo finished fourth but checked in late at the final time control to give the position to his team-mate Thierry Neuville. Demoted after the puncture he suffered in Panzerplatte on Saturday, Neuville showed he had not conceded defeat by taking the maximum five points in the Power Stage. By taking fourth overall, he is now 33 points behind Tänak in the championship.

    Citroën also used similar tactics at the finish. Esapekka Lappi had beaten Andreas Mikkelsen to claim sixth place during the final day, but checked in late to enable team-mate Sébastien Ogier to climb up to seventh, with Mikkelsen also benefitting from the transaction to get sixth.

    Gus Greensmith was ninth for M-Sport and Takamoto Katsuta scored his maiden point in 10th on his WRC debut for Toyota.

    Czech Republic’s Jan Kopecký is the winner of the FIA WRC 2 Pro class for Škoda in 11th overall, ahead of  his French rival Eric Camilli, driving for M-Sport Ford, and his Finnish team-mate Kalle Rovanperä.

    Fabian Kreim took FIA WRC 2 honours on home ground in 12th, in front of fellow compatriot and team-mate Marijan Griebel, and Russia’s Kajetan Kajetanowicz.

    2019 Rallye Deutschland – Final Results

    1. Ott Tänak (EST) / Martin Järveoja (EST) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 15min 29.8sec
    2. Kris Meeke (GBR) / Sebastian Marshall (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 15min 50.6sec
    3. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) / Mikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 16min 05.8sec
    4. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 16min 28.3sec
    5. Dani Sordo (SPA) / Carlos Del Barrio (SPA) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 16min 46.4sec
    6. Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR) / Anders Jaeger-Amland (NOR) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 17min 16.0sec
    7. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Citroën C3 WRC 3hr 17min 26.1sec
    8. Esapekka Lappi (FIN) / Janne Ferm (FIN) Citroën C3 WRC 3hr 17min 32.0sec
    9. Gus Greensmith (GBR) / Elliott Edmondson (GBR) Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 21min 52.0sec
    10. Takamoto Katsuta (JAP) / Daniel Barritt (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 23min 49.0sec

  • Ott Tanak leads Toyota 1-2-3 heading into final day

    Panzerplatte (Germany), 24 August 2019: Ott Tänak sits at the top of a Toyota 1-2-3 heading into the final day of Rallye Deutschland, after the infamous Panzerplatte stage dented the championship hopes of his rivals Thierry Neuville and Sébastien Ogier.

    After midday service, the drivers tackled two loops on the Baumholder military area, consisting of the short “Arena Panzerplatte” stage (10.73km) and the 41.17 kilometre “Panzerplatte” test, with an 15 minute service at Bostalsee in-between.

    Tänak and Neuville were separated by just five seconds heading into the afternoon, but disaster struck Neuville early in the first run through the long Panzerplatte stage, when he had to stop and change a tyre on his Hyundai, losing 1min26sec to Tänak.

    Ogier meanwhile struggled for pace in the same stage and was passed by Tänak’s team-mates Kris Meeke and Jari-Matti Latvala, who both moved into podium places. But the problems continued for Ogier on the repeat of Panzerplatte, when he also suffered a puncture, losing 1min33sec and dropping four places in the overall standings.

    Meeke was fastest on Panzerplatte 2 to build a gap of 9.4 seconds between himself and Latvala, while Tänak ended the day with a lead of 32.4s over his British team-mate.

    After starting the day in ninth, Dani Sordo finished in fourth as the lead Hyundai, in front of Neuville and Mikkelsen. Ogier dropped to eighth behind his team-mate Esapekka Lappi, with Gus Greensmith and Takamoto Katsuta rounding out the top 10.

    Jan Kopecký leads the FIA WRC2 Pro category in his Škoda Fabia R5 Evo in 11th overall, while Fabian Kreim heads FIA WRC 2, ahead of fellow German Škoda driver Marijan Griebel.

    2019 Rallye Deutschland – Unofficial Results after Section 7:

    1. Ott Tänak (EST) / Martin Järveoja (EST) Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 27min 21.9sec
    2. Kris Meeke (GBR) / Sebastian Marshall (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 27min 54.3sec
    3. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) / Mikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 28min 03.7sec
    4. Dani Sordo (SPA) / Carlos Del Barrio (SPA) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 28min 32.7sec
    5. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 28min 57.1sec
    6. Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR) / Anders Jaeger-Amland (NOR) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 28min 59.2sec
    7. Esapekka Lappi (FIN) / Janne Ferm (FIN) Citroën C3 WRC 2hr 29min 05.0sec
    8. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Citroën C3 WRC 2hr 29min 39.6sec
    9. Gus Greensmith (GBR) / Elliott Edmondson (GBR) Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 33min 24.5sec
    10. Takamoto Katsuta (JAP) / Daniel Barritt (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 34min 19.3sec

     

  • Tanak takes early lead in Rally Deutschland: WRC

    Tanak takes early lead in Rally Deutschland: WRC

    Ott Tanak takes lead in the German Rally on Friday. An FIA image

    Baumholder, 23 August 2019: Toyota Yaris WRC driver Ott Tanäk has emerged on top of the opening loop of Rallye Deutschland, which consisted of three stages on vineyard roads close to the Mosel River, characterised by narrow roads and tight hairpin bends, north of the Bostalsee Service Park.

    The championship leader had claimed the lead after last night’s opening super special but he lost it briefly to Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville on today’s first stage SS2 “Stein und Wein 1”. Tanäk then won SS3 and SS4 to reclaim the top spot and mark three stage wins out of the four speed tests run so far.

    Neuville ended up second overall, 3.2 seconds behind Tanäk, as the cars headed to service in Bostalsee. Satisfied with his performance, the Belgian however admitted that it was a big effort to keep up with the pace set by his Estonian rival.

    Behind them, Citroën’s Sébastien Ogier was third, having struggled with an understeer problem throughout the morning. Although he identified the potential issues, the French wasn’t sure of the solution and may have tweaked the set-up on his C3 WRC during the midday service.

    Toyota’s Kris Meeke finished in fourth, a tiny tenth of a second ahead of Hyundai’s Dani Sordo, a former winner of Rallye Deutschland. Sordo, who was starting quite far down the order, has been suffering with roads getting dirty with mud and gravel pulled out by earlier runners – the opposite problem to gravel rallies, where those running at the back generally have an advantage compared to the first in the start order, who have to clean the road.

    Andreas Mikkelsen, in eighth, wasn’t entirely happy with the feel of his Hyundai under braking. He is ahead of Gus Greensmith, the lead Ford Fiesta WRC, who is still gaining mileage and experience on his third WRC participation this year. His M-Sport teammate Elfyn Evans is still recovering from a back injury he sustained before Rally Finland.

    In 10th overall, Finland’s Kalle Rovanperä leads the FIA WRC 2 Pro for Škoda, ahead of his Czech team-mate Jan Kopecky, while Stéphane Lefebvre is the FIA WRC 2 leader in his Volkswagen Polo R5.

    Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta occupies the 13th place in the provisional ranking on his WRC debut in the Toyota Yaris after a sensible morning.

    It was a frustrating start to the rally for M-Sport’s Teemu Suninen, who stopped in the first stage of the day with a technical problem. His car will now be recovered to the service area to restart tomorrow.

    This afternoon’s three stages is a repeat of the morning’s action.

  • Ott Tanak on hattrick for Rallye Deutschland, the 10th round of the WRC

    Bostalsee (Germany), 17 August 2019: Round 10 of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship takes the crews back onto tarmac for Rallye Deutschland (22-25 August), an event known for its demanding roads and often changeable weather conditions. 

    First run in 1982, it was part of the FIA European Rally Championship before becoming Germany’s round of the WRC in 2002. Although the rally base moved from Trier to Bostalsee two years ago, it has remained faithful to a popular formula combining twisty vineyard roads above the Mosel river, the varied and sometimes broken surfaces of the Baumholder military ground, and fast country lanes of the Saarland region.

    Winner of the last two editions, Ott Tänak could target a hat trick to further increase his championship lead, which grew to 22 points after the triumph of the Toyota driver on the last round in Finland. His rivals Sébastien Ogier (Citroën) and Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) – who are separated by just three points – are also both former winners of the event, opening up the prospect of a thrilling, flat-out battle between the trio.

    With Elfyn Evans continuing to recover from a back injury, Gus Greensmith gets another top-level start with M-Sport. After skipping Finland, Rally Sardinia’s winner Dani Sordo returns to the Hyundai line-up alongside Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen. Meanwhile, Toyota offers its Japanese protégé Takamoto Katsuta his first WRC outing in a Yaris – entered by Tommi Mäkinen Racing – after several impressive demonstrations in FIA WRC 2.

    FIA WRC 2 Pro leader Kalle Rovanperä has four consecutive class wins under his belt but the Finn will face stiff competition in Germany, from his Škoda team-mate and asphalt expert Jan Kopecký, as well as Citroën’s Mads Østberg and Eric Camilli, competing in M-Sport’s latest Ford Fiesta R5.

    Fresh from his maiden win in Finland, Russia’s Nikolay Gryazin heads a strong 15-car entry in the FIA WRC 2, which includes the French trio Adrien Fourmaux, Nicolas Ciamin and Stéphane Lefebvre, and the German pair Marijan Griebel and Fabian Kreim.

    Tidemand returns with Fiesta WRC

    Pontus Tidemand will return to the wheel ofthe EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC to contest the 11th round of the FIA World Rally Championship at the next month Rally Turkey. Partnered by Norwegian codriver Ola Foene, the pairing were in action at Rallye Monte Carlo as well as Rally Sweden earlier this year, and are now keen to show what they can do with the top-spec Fiesta on gravel.

    THE 2019 ROUTE

    This year’s Rallye Deutschland begins with a new twist, as the 5.2 kilometre “St. Wendeler Land” Shakedown is then run again on Thursday evening as the first competitive stage. Friday’s loop consists of a pair of vineyard stages, plus the Wadern-Weikirchen circuit test, with all three run twice. Saturday’s format offers two Saarland country lane stages to be run twice in the morning, ahead of two loops around Baumholder in the afternoon. On Sunday, the rally returns to the vineyards for another pair of repeated stages to conclude the event.
    RALLY DATA

    Total distance: 1’228.23 km
    Stage distance: 344.04 km (28%)
    Number of stages: 19