INDIA in F1

Category: WRC, Rally

  • Toyota’s Ott Tanak, Martin Jarveoja win Rally Finland

    Toyota’s Ott Tanak, Martin Jarveoja win Rally Finland

    Toyota driver Ott Tänak, co-driven by Martin Järveoja, has won Rally Finland for the second consecutive year, extending his lead in the drivers’ championship to 22 points over Sébastien Ogier. In total, the Estonian won six of the 23 stages, including the Power Stage, to claim the victory with a 25.6 second margin over Citroën’s Esapekka Lappi.

    Tänak hit the front on Saturday, with Lappi also moving into the runner-up spot. The Finn was challenged by his compatriot and former rally leader Jari-Matti Latvala, whose Toyota topped the time sheets on Friday night and briefly on Saturday morning, before suffering a left-rear puncture – his second in two days – on the Kakaristo stage.

    Lappi was able to take a morale-boosting second place, his first podium after Sweden. Latvala finished 7.6 seconds behind after an up and down weekend, having won eight stages – more than anyone else on the rally – and claiming his first podium since Australia last year.

    In fourth, Andreas Mikkelsen was the top finisher for Hyundai, which continues to lead the manufacturers’ championship ahead of Toyota. Although Mikkelsen was satisfied with the development on the i20 Coupé WRC, the team maintains its unwanted record of never finishing on the podium in Finland.

    The Norwegian came out on top in after a close battle with six-time champion Ogier, who was unwell throughout Saturday. The Frenchman closed to within one second of the Norwegian on Sunday, but Mikkelsen responded with the fastest time on the penultimate stage (Laukaa 2) to head Ogier by 2.7s.

    Championship contender Thierry Neuville inherited sixth place after team mate Craig Breen moved aside for him on Sunday morning. Neuville struggled with pace from the start, but managed to gradually improv his car’s set-up throughout the rally.

    For Breen, it was a dream debut for his first WRC attendance of 2019. The Irishman set a couple of second-fastest stage times on the opening day and spent most of the rally locked in a tight battle with Mikkelsen, Ogier and Neuville, before he was asked to check in early in SS22 to Neuville’s benefit.

    Behind him, M-Sport Ford driver Teemu Suninen finished with a disappointing eighth place on his home  event.

    The top FIA WRC 2 Pro finisher was Finland’s youngster Kalle Rovanperä in ninth overall with the Škoda Fabia R5 Evo – his fourth consecutive win in the category. Russia’s Nikolay Gryazin however took his very first FIA WRC 2 win, while Sweden’s Tom Kristensson claimed a dominant win in the FIA Junior WRC category, having led from the start.

    2019 Rally Finland – Final Results:

    1. Ott Tänak (EST) / Martin Järveoja (EST) Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 30min 40.3sec
    2. Esapekka Lappi (FIN) / Janne Ferm (FIN) Citroën C3 WRC 2hr 31min 5.9sec
    3. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) / Mikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 31min 13.5sec
    4. Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR) / Anders Jaeger-Amland (NOR) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 31min 33.7sec
    5. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Citroën C3 WRC 2hr 31min 36.4sec
    6. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 32min 12.17sec
    7. Craig Breen (IRL) / Paul Nagle (IRL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 32min 18.5sec
    8. Teemu Suninen (FIN) / Marko Salminen (FIN) Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 33min 14.1sec
    9. Kalle Rovanperä (FIN) / Jonne Halttunen (FIN) Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 2hr 38min 34.4sec
    10. Nicolay Griazyn (RUS) / Yaroslav Fedorov (FIN) Škoda Fabia R5 2hr 41min 09.0sec
  • Toyota 1-2-3 at half-way stage: WRC Rally Finland

    Toyota 1-2-3 at half-way stage: WRC Rally Finland

    Toyotas take lead mid-way through Finland Rally. An FIA image

    With the first cool and cloudy morning of Rally Finland completed, it was a Toyota one-two-three so far on the team’s home event.

    Although he was running first on the road, championship points leader Ott Tänak finished on top after the first five gravel stages.

    The Estonian is only 5.4 seconds ahead of his team mate Jari-Matti Latvala, who won more stages than anyone else this morning. The Finn was delayed slightly by a rear-left puncture on SS5, the same issue that affected the third Toyota driver Kris Meeke, who completed the top three at lunchtime, just 0.4 seconds behind Latvala. All the stage wins were shared by Toyota this morning: three to Latvala, plus one each for Meeke and Tänak.

    Esapekka Lappi drove back to Jyväskylä for the midday service in fourth place after a fault-free run. This means that the current top four are all former Rally Finland winners.

    The leading Hyundai driver is surprise entrant Craig Breen in fifth. The Irishman put in a strong performance on his first WRC appearance this season, despite feeling he had gone too soft on his i20 Coupe WRC’s set-up.

    Citroën’s Sébastien Ogier is 3.5 seconds behind Breen in sixth, however he is not entirely clear on the best way to improve the settings on his car for the afternoon’s loop of five more stages.

    The reigning champion is ahead of the two Hyundais of Andreas Mikkelsen and Thierry Neuville, with the Norwegian considerably happier than the Belgian, who had taken an early lead after last night’s Super Special stage. Frustrated by his lack of pace, Neuville’s aim was to make some changes to the set-up of his car at service.

    Teemu Suninen is the top Ford Fiesta WRC in ninth, despite losing a big piece of his front splitter this morning. The Finn is half a minute ahead of his 10th placed team mate Gus Greensmith, who is on only his second event in a World Rally Car.

    Leading the FIA WRC2 Pro category, Finland’s rising rally star Kalle Rovanperä is in 11th overall. But it wasn’t an easy morning for the Škoda Fabia R5 driver, suffering from too much oversteer. Frenchman Pierre-Louis Loubet is just behind him in another Škoda Fabia R5 Evo to lead the FIA WRC 2 class.

    The first stage of the day ended in retirement for local hero Erik Pietarinen, who hit a bank and had a high speed spin. Emil Lindholm was also reported as having stopped his Volkswagen Polo R5 in the Moksi stage.

    In the FIA Junior WRC, Sweden’s Tom Kristensson leads the Fiesta R2T category by just 17 seconds ahead of his fellow compatriot Dennis Rådström.

  • WRC Round 9 resumes in Finland with all the jumps

    Jyvaskyla (Finland), 31 July 2019: The FIA World Rally Championship resumes after a six-week break with Rally Finland (August 1-4), round nine of the 2019 season and one of rallying’s most demanding events.

    Part of the WRC schedule since the inaugural season in 1973, the event was formerly known as the ‘1000 Lakes Rally’ and is famed for its fast and smooth gravel roads, which test both the bravery of the drivers and the performance of their machines. Co-drivers also play a crucial role on the rally, as accurate pace-notes are vital for the crew to carry maximum speed on the stages lined with numerous jumps and crests.

    With six events to go, the fight for the drivers’ championship remains intense. Ott Tänak, who took an impressive win in Finland 12 months ago, is at the top of the 2019 standings since the last event in Sardinia. But the Toyota driver only holds a very slim margin over his closest rivals: Sébastien Ogier (Citroën) is just four points behind him with Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville only three points further back.

    Elfyn Evans, currently fourth in the overall classification, will miss Finland while he recovers from a back injury sustained in the recent Rally Estonia – a round of the European Rally Trophy’s Baltic series which took place mid-July. His place among the top-class contenders will be taken by WRC 2 Pro regular Gus Greensmith, who will get a second outing in the Ford Fiesta WRC, following an encouraging debut in Portugal. Also joining the M-Sport line-up as an additional third entry for Finland is Hayden Paddon. The New Zealander is making his first WRC appearance this season, just like Craig Breen, who makes his debut for the Hyundai team alongside Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen.

    A native of the rally’s host city Jyväskylä, Finland’s young gun Kalle Rovanperä will be out to add to his FIA WRC2 Pro championship lead on his home event. Škoda Motorsport enters an all-Finnish line-up with Eerik Pietarinen driving a second Fabia R5 Evo. M-Sport meanwhile gives a WRC debut to its new Ford Fiesta R5 with the Frenchman Eric Camilli at the wheel.

    Camilli’s fellow compatriot Pierre-Louis Loubet heads the FIA WRC 2 entry after back-to-back wins in Portugal and Sardinia, and upgrades to the latest-specification Škoda for Finland. The Corsican will face tough competition with the fast young Finns Jari Huttunen and Emil Lindholm, Russia’s Nikolay Gryazin, as well as Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta.

    Rally Finland is the fourth round of five in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship, with Spaniard Jan Solans leading the standings. Debutant Sami Pajari will be one of the youngsters to watch as the latest product of the Flying Finn Future Star initiative.

    THE 2019 ROUTE

    This year’s Rally Finland route features only small changes to the 2018 itinerary. The traditional mixed-surface Harju test kicks off the action in Jyväskylä on Thursday evening, before a total of 10 stages on Friday, held mostly to the west. Saturday features a return of the Leustu stage – last run in 2014 – in a marathon day that totals 132.98 kilometers. Two passes of the Laukaa and Ruuhimäki tests provide an exciting finale on Sunday.

    Watch the video here!

  • Phil Short, FIA Junior WRC Sporting Supervisor, to retire

    After over a decade of service to WRC’s various young driver championships, Phil Short, FIA Junior WRC Championship Sporting Supervisor, will retire at the end of the season.

    Short has been a cornerstone of FIA Junior WRC and its various guises for 11 years, providing essential guidance to over 100 young drivers including the likes of Ott Tänak, Elfyn Evans, Hayden Paddon, Craig Breen, Pontus Tidemand and Gus Greensmith.

    His experience in international rallying extends to almost half a century and has made him one of the most knowledgeable members of the sport. Starting in 1970 he had a successful international co-driving career, claiming 17 international victories, before moving onto team management. Seeing even greater success as a team manager for various marques, including Ford and M-Sport, Short supervised nine world drivers’ titles and seven manufacturers’ championships.

    Aside from his role as a co-driver and team manager, he has also acted as an advisor, supervisor and steward. He will leave his current position at the end of Wales Rally GB 2019, the final round of 2019 FIA Junior WRC in October.

    Maciej Woda, FIA Junior WRC Championship Manager, said: “On behalf of everybody at FIA Junior WRC Championship and M-Sport Poland, I would like to extend a huge thanks to Phil for his unrivalled dedication to Junior WRC and it’s different forms in the last 11 years. Phil has been there for so many talented young rally drivers and co-drivers, offering them crucial advice and guidance at the start of their careers. Some of these drivers have gone on, or are certainly on their way, to incredible success in international rallying and Phil is definitely owed thanks for that.

    “His eye for detail and almost infinite knowledge bank that he has developed through his experience in a variety of roles throughout his career will be greatly missed in the Junior WRC service park along with his never-ending kindness and good humour. Phil, I certainly hope to see you at a rally or two next year and in future years and please know that you are always welcome in Junior WRC or at M-Sport Poland.”

    Phil Short, FIA Junior WRC Sporting Supervisor, said: “For the past 11 years I have supervised the young driver championships on WRC –including Junior WRC, working for FIA, M-Sport and M-Sport Poland. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with a good number of very talented young drivers. I calculate well over 100 promising drivers, not to mention a similar number of talented co-drivers, have passed through my hands over those 11 years. I always take pleasure in seeing those guys & girls obtain the success they deserve – in whatever theatre of the sport – in subsequent years. I don’t claim to have ‘discovered’ these prodigious talents, but I hope I have been instrumental in giving them help, advice, guidance and support along the way.

    “My mind is very much a rallying one, and I feel I may still have something to offer, while hopefully doing something not quite as stressful as supervising 14 enthusiastic young drivers and their dedicated co-drivers. It has been my pleasure to work with senior FIA Officials, WRC Event Organisers, Teams, Tyre & other suppliers, Sponsors, TV, Radio & Print Media and all the other enthusiastic people involved in the sport of rallying. I hope our paths will cross again before too long.”

  • Talented Dean Mascarenhas stops a marauding Gaurav Gill to win INRC opener

    Talented Dean Mascarenhas stops a marauding Gaurav Gill to win INRC opener

    Team Champions’ Dean Mascarenhas(L) & Shrupta Padival(R) after winning the South India Rally at MMRT on Sunday. A Team Champions image

    Irungattukottai (Sriperumbudur), 30 June 2019: Team Champions’ Dean Mascarenhas survived a late but spirited onslaught from three-time APRC winner and WRC2 driver Gaurav Gill to win the opening round of the Champions Yacht Club – FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship here on a nail-biting Sunday.

    Going into the third and final leg with a 10-second overall lead and a handy 1.41 minutes over Gill, Mascarenhas (Shruptha Padival) would have hoped for a pressure-free day in the office. But an errant car and a possessed Gill saw his lead being steadily wiped out from both ends, raising the specter of a sensational last-minute upset.

    However, Team Mahindra’s Gill (Musa Sherif) who finished second in the day’s first stage and won all remaining four, suffered a massive blow in the penultimate stage. Just as he was racing like the wind, a herd of cows came in his path, costing him anything between 7 to 10 seconds.

    Dean gets an affectionate hug from his mother after winning the INRC opening round at MMRT on Sunday. Photo by Anand Philar

    He was awarded 10 seconds by the Stewards for the unfortunate delay, catapulting him to the third position in the overall category. It was sufficient to win him the INRC category too but not good enough to dislodge Mascarenhas or Fabid Ahmer.

    Rahul Kanthraj (Vivek Bhatt), however, was edged out of the podium in the overall category by a mere one second.

     

    “We worked very hard to make up for the lackluster first two days,” Gill said. “We changed the tyres and the setup at every opportunity and it paid dividends until bad luck hit us,” he added.

    Gill’s JK Tyre partner Mascarenhas was, however, delighted with his breakthrough victory. “My car had lost one of the four cylinders on Saturday itself and it kept stalling, adding to the pressure. I, however, held my nerves and came through, making this one of my sweetest wins,” he said.

    The South India Rally, Round One of the INRC powered by MRF, turned out to be a thrill-a-minute blockbuster, with the 19-strong Team Champions stunning all and winning almost all the categories.

    Dean and Fabid Ahmer (Sanath G) made it a sensational 1-2 for the Shubhakar Rao-owned team, with Dean also taking the INRC 2 and Fabid the INRC 3. Vaibhav Marate (Arjun SSB) annexed the INRC 4.

    RESULTS

    INRC Overall

    1) Dean Mascarenhas & Shruptha Padival – 1:45.10.800 hr; 2) Fabid Ahmer & Sanath G – 1:45:24.400 hr; 3) Gaurav Gill & Musa Sherif – 1:45:27.800 hr

    INRC
    1) Gaurav Gill & Musa Sherif – 1:45:27.800 hr; 2) Phalguna URS & Srikanth Gowda – 1:48:04.500 hr

    INRC 2
    1) Dean Mascarenhas & Shruptha Padival – 1:45.10.800 hr; 2) Rahul Kanthraj & Vivek Bhatt – 1:45:28.600 hr; 3) Ritesh Guttedar.M & Lokaranjan H.J – 1:53:13.300 hr

     INRC 3
    1) Fabid Ahmer & Sanath G – 1:45:24.400 hr;  2) Arjun Rao & Shanmuga Sundaram – 1:46:40.200 hr; 3)  Daraius Shroff & Sheeraz Ahmed – 1:47:40.700 hr

    INRC 4
    1) Vaibhav Marate & Arjun SSB – 1:53:02.100 hr; 2) Rakshith Iyer & Chandrashekar – 1:54:30.700 hr; 3) Shirole Prakhyat. H & Bharath S.M – 1:59:19.700 hr

  • After 12 years, Gaurav Gill leaves MRF and returns to JK Tyre fold; 3 WRC2 rounds in the offing

    After 12 years, Gaurav Gill leaves MRF and returns to JK Tyre fold; 3 WRC2 rounds in the offing

    Sanjay Sharma Head- Motorsport, JK Tyre (L) with Gaurav Gill at New Delhi on Friday. A JK Tyre image

    New Delhi, 21 June 2019: In a stunning move that jolted the motorsport fraternity of India, celebrated Indian rally driver Gaurav Gill returned to the JK Tyre fold after 12 long years with MRF and breathed a fresh life into his dream… to continue the quest for a full run in the World Rally Champioship.

    JK Tyre announced here on Friday that the 37-year old speed merchant will be their primary force and face behind JK Tyre’s all-new rallying programme. More importantly, Gill is expected to take part in at least three rounds of WRC2 this year.

    The three-time Asia Pacific and six times Indian National Rally champion, who began his sparkling career as a JK Tyre Go-karting prodigy almost two decades ago, will return to lead Team JK Tyre Rallying’s charge in all national and various international events, making it a true homecoming for the prodigal star after 12-long years. He joined MRF in January 2007 and his last rally for the red-outfit was Rally Finland 2018.

    The Delhi-based Speed Master got into motorsport making his debut on bikes in the National Motocross Championship in 1999. He then moved to 4-wheel racing and soon also started to take part in rallies and endurance races. He was runner-up in the National Road Racing Championship in 2003 and won the title in the following year. He finished the 2006 season, second overall.

     “I am thrilled to be back with JK Tyre under whose guidance and inspiration I learnt everything about this beautiful sport,” Gaurav said during an interaction with senior journalists.

    The star will embark on a bold new journey later this month, starting with the Champions Yacht Club Indian National Rally Championship in Chennai. At the same time, a much bigger and more exciting plan has been laid out for him, which will etch the champion’s legacy in the annals of motorsports forever.

    “We are delighted to have one of the world’s finest rallying talent with us,” Sanjay Sharma, Head- Motorsport, JK Tyre, said. “He will not only strengthen our immediate rallying thrust but more excitingly will work with us to develop the next generation of drivers. Gaurav’s experience and expertise will also come in handy for the brand in testing and developing even more robust tyres,” he added.

    Gaurav, who is easily at the peak of his driving as also his fitness, will make a fresh assault on key international events, with his eyes firmly locked on the European Rally Championship, to begin with. He will continue to pursue his long-cherished dream of making his presence felt in the World Rally 2 Championship too, taking part in at least some of its events.

    The fearless and nearly invincible rallyist will play multiple roles during his new stint, with the JK Tyre powered Gaurav Gill Rallying Academy soon becoming the hub for all off-roading activities. He and the team’s array of experts will work in tandem to develop a new breed of drivers in his own mould.

    The immediate goal is to zero in on young talented drivers from the existing grid, sharpen them and absorb them for bigger things if they show the aptitude for it. A full-fledged JK Tyre Rallying team too will soon be launched even as international FIA- R2 spec cars of various Indian manufacturers are being developed with collaborations and inputs from world-class tuners and teams by JK Tyre.

    A clear and logical progression ladder will be put in place for all worthies, with even cross-karts powered by 600cc superbike engines to be simultaneously introduced for beginners.

    “The sport has given me everything that I have today. I want to give something back to it, even as I chase my other goals in motorsport. JK is the perfect platform for both. Their programme has been designed to help new talent be on par with international counterparts, honing their skills in the most conducive environment and ambience,” Gaurav Gill said.

  • Jan Solans-Mauro Barreiro become third different winners in FIA Junior WRC

    Alghero, Sardinia (Italy), 16 June 2019: Jan Solans and Mauro Barreiro claimed their first FIA Junior WRC victory of the 2019 season on Rally d’Italia following a hard-fought battle with Dennis Rådström and Johan Johansson that went down to the wire.

    Solans and Rådström were a cut above the rest of the FIA Junior WRC field sharing all of the 17 possible stage wins between them with twelve and five respectively.

    Solans has now taken the championship lead with 71 points, it is largely thanks to his impressive haul of stage win points which comes to a total of 19 – the most of any other driver this season. Rally Sweden winner Tom Kristensson sits second with 62 points and Rådström remains in third with 55 points.

    The FIA Junior WRC field has been in impressive form all weekend as each crew demonstrated well thought out and mature drives on Rally d’Italia. It resulted in nine out of eleven EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta R2 Junior WRC cars crossing the ceremonial finish in Alghero – an achievement that underlines the depth of talent in the 2019 FIA Junior WRC Championship.

    Solans won the opening Super Special Stage at the Ittiri Arena on Thursday evening, edging Rådström by just 0.1 seconds, however Friday was Rådström’s day. He was able to rely on his experience and asserted his dominance, ending Friday 16.8 seconds ahead of fellow Swede Tom Kristensson. The opening full day of rallying did not start according to plan for Solans after a series of mistakes across stages three and four saw him 29.5s off the lead at the start of SS7.

    In stark contrast to Friday, Solans pushed hard from the get-go on Saturday morning, delivering five stage wins in a row, closing down the gap to Rådström from 17.4s to 1.2s by the conclusion of SS14. Rådström denied Solans of a perfect streak and claimed the final stage win of the day, extending his lead to 4.4s.

    Sunday saw Solans regroup and repeat his Saturday form in the morning loop, adding another pair of stage wins to his name to claim the rally lead by just 1.3s. It set FIA Junior WRC up for a nail-biting conclusion in the Sardinian sun as the duelling duo headed into the final two stages of the rally.

    Solans added another two seconds to his lead after SS18, starting the Wolf Power Stage with a 3.3s cushion to Rådström. In a final display of talent and speed Solans pushed through the last stage of the day, beat Rådström by 11.5 seconds to win the rally by 14.9s.

    FIA Junior WRC Championship Manager, Maciej Woda, said:
    “First of all, I would like to express my sincere condolences to Krisjanis Caune whose father sadly passed away on Saturday. Krisjanis made the decision to continue the rally today and for that I have the upmost admiration and respect for him as it required true bravery and determination.

    So“This rally is an incredibly demanding and tough one. I don’t think anybody imagined that nine out of 11 Junior WRC crews would finish, especially when you consider previous rough rallies in Junior WRC! It is an amazing accomplishment for every crew and we have been very impressed by the level of maturity everybody has demonstrated. The battle for the lead has been a classic and very enjoyable to follow as Jan and Dennis have been on another level. Dennis’s experience has helped him to keep cool in certain moments which allowed him to deliver a very consistent and impressive pace to maintain his lead throughout Saturday even though he won only one stage. Considering Jan was almost 30 seconds behind at one point on Friday, he has certainly raised a few eye brows by delivering so many stage wins while staying on the road and his victory is fully deserved.”

    RALLY D’ITALIA SARDEGNA CLASSIFICATION AND DRIVER QUOTES:

    1. Jan Solans / Mauro Barreiro 4h02m36.2s

    “Amazing weekend, seriously, we have been on the limit on every stage since Friday after we had our problems. We decided to push on every stage and in the end, we achieved victory, so we are really happy and very proud. There’s a little bit of pressure now, I didn’t expect it to be leading the championship after this rally. Next up is Finland so it will be really difficult for us because it will be my first time there on fast roads so it’s time to work and prepare for that rally.”

    1. Dennis Rådström / Johan Johansson + 00:14.9

    “For sure it’s a little bit sad but we had strong competition from Jan this time. Jan did a really great job, we really pushed on the penultimate stage today and he beat us. We should be proud to be here without any problems in Sardinia.”

    1. Tom Kristensson / Henrik Appelskog + 03:27.2

    “I didn’t imagine that we would have finished this rally without any mistakes, punctures or major issues so I am extremely happy with that. Of course, there was more performance available on the stages but I really need to focus on the championship and that is what I am doing. You can lose too much time taking these kinds of risks.”

    1. Raul Badiu / Gabriel Lazar + 04:37.5

    “I’m feeling relieved now after a tough rally, I really enjoyed the car on the gravel. I was perhaps a little too cautious on the rough sections, but it doesn’t matter as we finished the rally, finally without any issues at all.”

    1. Martins Sesks / Krisjanis Caune + 05:34.9

    “We need to analyse this rally and see what to do next. After two big disasters on the previous two rallies this one was a finish which is good but it is not what I am aiming for.”

    1. Julius Tannert / Jurgen Heigl + 06:41.8

    “For sure it was a difficult weekend for us, especially in the beginning, we lost a lot of time. On Saturday morning we had to fix a leaking radiator and lost more time by arriving late to the next stage. In the end we are sixth overall which is not the result we wanted.”

    1. Fabrizio Zaldivar / Fernando Mussano + 08:58.9

    “I’m really happy, we came here, and we wanted a good result so seventh place is great for my first year in the championship. It’s completely different on these European stages, here there are a lot of mountains, in my home country it is just a flat surface.”

    1. Enrico Oldrati / Elia de Guio + 17:44.6

    “It was a very unlucky rally for us but it’s ok as we finished the rally without making too many mistakes. I am really tired but also happy to be here and finish the rally, let’s look forward to Finland.”

    1. Nico Knacker / Michael Wenzel +19:53.9 

    “We learned so much, it was a really difficult rally. We are happy to finish, it was really hard, the stages were so difficult. The last stage time was encouraging for us and we are happy.”

    RETIRED:  Tom Williams / Phil Hall

    “Rally Sardinia’s not gone well for us, it has been a really tough weekend. We learned a huge amount, but we broke the sump on the very last stage and we had to retire on the final road section. This will be a rally to forget for us but we will be pushing stronger in Finland.”

    Sean Johnston / Alex Kihurani

    “It’s definitely been a character-building rally with the incident on Friday. We’ve had lots of good learning experiences and today we had a big compression on the first run of the power stage and when were swapping wheels we noticed an oil leak so called it a day.”

  • Dani Sordo-Carlos del Barrio bring unexpected victory for Hyundai: WRC Rally Italia

    Dani Sordo-Carlos del Barrio bring unexpected victory for Hyundai: WRC Rally Italia

    Dani Sordo (Carlos) takes the unexpected win for Hyundai in 2019 FIA World Rally Championship
    Round 08. Photo: Austral/ Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

    Alghero, Sardinia (Italy), 16 June 2019: Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio have taken victory on a dramatic final test of Rally Italia Sardegna after Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja slowed and spun in the Power Stage with a steering issue.

    It is the second win in the Hyundai driver’s FIA WRC career. Teemu Suninen and Jarmo Lehtinen claim second for M-Sport Ford in their first event together, while Sordo’s team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jaeger complete the podium after passing Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin in the last stage.

    Tänak fell to fifth position but does take the championship lead away from Sébastien Ogier… if he makes it to Parc Fermé to close the final road section.

    Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen are also celebrating a hat-trick in the FIA WRC 2 Pro class, leading Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler in a second consecutive one-two finish for Škoda.

    Pierre-Louis Loubet and Vincent Landais have taken their second straight win in FIA WRC 2 after the retirement of the overnight leaders Takamoto Katsuta and Daniel Barritt due to a fire caused by oil leaking from their engine.

    Jan Solans and Mauro Barreiro have scored the FIA Junior WRC win after getting ahead of Dennis Rådström and Johan Johansson on the final day.

    Hyundai Motorsport Report:
    Hyundai Motorsport has taken its third victory of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) after a dramatic conclusion to Rally Italia Sardegna that saw Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio crowned winners.The Spanish crew headed into the final morning aiming to secure second place after a competitive weekend. However, problems for rally leader Ott Tänak on the Power Stage saw the Estonian drop down the order. Having secured the runner-up position, Sordo was unexpectedly elevated to the top spot as a result of Tänak’s woes to claim his first victory for Hyundai Motorsport and the second WRC win of his career.

    Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger-Amland had their sights set on fourth place but had to dig deep to overturn a 14-second deficit to Elfyn Evans. The Norwegians went about the challenge in style, taking a clean sweep of stage wins on the final morning. Their efforts were further rewarded as they moved up into third place to claim their second podium of 2019 as part of a Hyundai Motorsport 1-3.

    Sunday’s itinerary included two runs through the 14.06km Cala Flumini and 6.89km Sassari-Argentiera stages, narrow, dusty and fast routes that put an emphasis on precision and commitment. The final run acted as the rally’s Power Stage, offering additional points towards the drivers’ championship with Mikkelsen scoring the maximum five points (for the first time since Spain 2015) and Thierry Neuville, who ended the rally in sixth place, picking up three extra points.

    The surprise result sees Hyundai Motorsport extend its lead in the WRC manufacturers’ standings to 46 points over Toyota Gazoo Racing. Neuville retains third place in the drivers’ table on 143 points, three behind Sébastien Ogier and seven adrift of Tänak with six events left of the season.

    Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Carlos del Barrio (#6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

    • First victory as a Hyundai Motorsport driver, second of Spaniard’s career
    • 25 points gives the team a much-needed boost in the manufacturers’ standings
    Sordo said: “This is incredible. I have no words; it’s just an amazing feeling to take my first win for Hyundai and the second WRC win of my career. Of course, I am very sorry for Ott and Toyota to have experienced such bad luck on the Power Stage. At the same time, we knew we had to keep the pressure on in case this sort of situation occurred. I just can’t believe it happened. We have been quick and consistent all weekend. There was no chance to beat Ott on outright pace so we just did what we could and avoided mistakes. It wasn’t easy but we made it through to the end – and we now have this fantastic victory as a reward. Thanks to Carlos and to the team for the support and for sharing this result. I think it will take some time to fully sink in.” Crew Notes: Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger-Amland (#89 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

    • Clean sweep of stage wins including Mikkelsen’s first Power Stage win since Spain 2015
    • Third place result marks crew’s second podium of 2019 season
    Mikkelsen said: “We gave it a massive push on the final morning in an effort to cut the gap to Elfyn Evans. We had to dig deep but we were confident in our chances. The car felt really nice and we were properly in the zone. Taking all four stage wins was a fantastic feeling and we would have been content to take fourth. Unfortunately, Ott had his issues, which then handed us a podium finish, which was an unexpected but very welcome bonus. Although it has been achieved at one of our rival’s expense, we are grateful to score a 1-3 result this weekend.”    Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (#11 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

    • Sixth place and three extra Power Stage points keeps Neuville in drivers’ title chase
    • Difficult weekend prevented Belgians from capturing their usual performance level

     Neuville said: “Absolutely not the weekend we were looking for. We have not been in the fight, so it’s been a case of damage limitation. A combination of incorrect tyre choice and other issues on Friday put us on the back foot from the start, and we’ve not been able to play a role since. We have to put it down to ‘one of those weekends’ and look to regroup and fight back in Finland. We pushed as hard as we could in the Power Stage but we could do no more. Congratulations to Dani; we have worked together at Hyundai for six years now and I am really pleased to see him and Carlos secure their first win for the team.”

    Team Director Andrea Adamo: “Personally, I find this result quite difficult to accept. Firstly, we extend our empathy to everyone at Toyota Gazoo Racing, to Tommi, Ott and Martin, for the cruel way that they had a deserved victory taken away from them. For the second time this season, we have inherited a victory that we did not earn on the road. We should not have to rely on unreliability to secure these results. I appreciate that I am perhaps looking at things too much through a sympathetic lens but this is the reality of the situation. At the same time, I am pleased for Dani and Carlos who have worked professionally all weekend, as have all our three crews, to put themselves in a position to capitalise on today’s situation.”

    Next Rally

    • WRC takes its traditional summer break before the championship resumes with Rally Finland August 1-4
    • The popular event will be the fifth consecutive gravel rally on the 2019 calendar, with six weeks for teams and crews to prepare for the extreme high-speed challenge.
    Final Overall Classification – Rally Italia Sardegna
    1 D. Sordo C. del Barrio Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3:32:27.2
    2 T. Suninen J. Lehtinen Ford Fiesta WRC +13.7
    3 A. Mikkelsen A. Jæger-Amland Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC +32.6
    4 E. Evans S. Martin Ford Fiesta WRC +33.5
    5 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC +1:30.1
    6 T. Neuville N. Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC +2:16.7
    7 E. Lappi J. Ferm Citroën C3 WRC +2:59.6
    8 K. Meeke S. Marshall Toyota Yaris WRC +4:40.1
    9 K. Rovanperä J. Halttunen Škoda Fabia R5 +8:24.6
    10 J. Kopecky P. Dresler Škoda Fabia R5 +8:49.2
    2019 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings 
    After round 8
    1 O. Tanak 150
    2 S. Ogier 146
    3 T. Neuville 143
    4 E. Evans 78
    5 T. Suninen 62
    6 K. Meeke 60
    7 A. Mikkelsen 56
    8 D. Sordo 52
    9 E. Lappi 40
    10 J.M Latvala 40
    11 S.Loeb 39

    2019 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
    After round 8

    1 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 242
    2 Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 198
    3 Citroën Total World Rally Team 170
    4 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 152

    All results remain subject to official FIA confirmation.

  • Ott Tanakm Martin Jarveoja duo surges into the lead of Rally Italia Sardegna on Saturday: WRC

    Ott Tanak and codriver Martin Jarveoja take lead in Rally Italia, the8th round of the FIA World Rally Championship 2019 . Photo: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC

    Alghero, Sardinia (Italy), 15 June 2019: Ott Tänak surged into the lead of Rally Italia Sardegna on Saturday morning, the Toyota driver setting the fastest time in all three stages to take the top spot away from Hyundai’s Dani Sordo.

    Saturday morning’s loop on the Mediterranean island was made up of three classic Sardinian tests to the east of Alghero, totalling 71.21 competitive kilometres and rounded out by the famous Monte Lerno stage and its hugely popular Micky’s Jump.

    As was the case on Friday, there was a diverse range of tyre choices among the crews. While rally leader Sordo went for five hard tyres, Tänak opted for three mediums and two hards. Tänak’s decision quickly paid off in SS10, allowing the Estonian to move past Teemu Suninen to take second place and reduce Sordo’s advantage from 6.5 to 4.7 seconds.

    In SS11, Tänak took 2.1 second out of Sordo and in SS12, he was nine seconds quicker, despite suffering a stall on a hairpin. He now leads Sordo by 6.4 seconds, heading into the afternoon loop.

    Teemu Suninen also left the morning service with five hard tyres and although he couldn’t match the times of Tänak or Sordo, he consolidated his podium place, opening up a gap of 27.9 seconds over M-Sport team-mate Elfyn Evans.

    Andreas Mikkelsen and Evans began the day just 0.1 second apart and traded places in every stage during the morning. Evans won out in SS12 with a tight advantage of 2.6 seconds after Mikkelsen ran wide into a wall near the end of the stage.

    Kris Meeke has run steadily through the morning to maintain his sixth position, 10.8 second behind Mikkelsen.

    After an eventful Friday, Thierry Neuville struggled during the morning, regretting his choice of hard tyres and confessing he wasn’t able to find the confidence. He is now 51.9 seconds behind Meeke in seventh, with Esapekka Lappi 20.1 seconds further back in eighth.

    Rally restarter Sébastien Ogier was due to run first on the road, but the Frenchman checked in late in the first stage of the morning to run third ahead of his team-mate Lappi. He started SS11 even further back in the order, before stopping to fix a damaged left-rear suspension, which continued to hamper him in SS12.

    Kalle Rovanperä continues to lead FIA WRC 2 Pro in ninth overall with his Škoda Fabia R5 Evo, moving ahead of FIA WRC 2 leader Pierre-Louis Loubet, who closes the top 10.

    In the FIA WRC 2 Pro battle, Jan Kopecky is second with a gap of 20.1 seconds to his Škoda team-mate, while Citroën’s Mads Ostberg is about 10 minutes behind his rivals.

    WRC 2 contender Nikolay Gryazin dropped out of second when he ripped off a wheel of his Škoda on SS10, promoting Takamoto Katsuta. Kajetan Kajetanowitz is third.

    Dennis Rådström remains out front in the FIA Junior WRC category, with Jan Solans passing Tom Kristensson for second.

  • Dennis Radstrom holds on to a narrow 4.4 sec lead over Jan Solans on Saturday: FIA Junior WRC

    Alghero, Sardinia (Italy), 15 June 2019:  The FIA Junior WRC Championship is set up for a nail-biting conclusion to Rally d’Italia Sardegna as Dennis Rådström holds onto a narrow 4.4-second lead over Jan Solans going into the final day of the rally.

    Solans pushed hard from the get-go on Saturday morning and delivered five stage wins in a row, closing down the gap to Rådström from 17.4s to 1.2s by the conclusion of SS14.

    The Spaniard was maintaining an impressive and consistent pace while reeling off stage wins and looked set to claim a perfect day together with the rally lead. Rådström, the only current Junior WRC driver to win a Junior WRC gravel event, denied Solans of a perfect streak and claimed the final stage win of the day, extending his lead to 4.4s.

    In terms of stage wins and stage win points, Solans now has eight to his name and Rådström five.

    Solans took victory on SS12 and a stage point, but Rådström was awarded a notional time stage time identical to the Spaniard’s due to being stuck behind a slower car on the stage. Rådström did not receive a stage point due to his time being an artificial stage time.

    Championship leader Tom Kristensson who is yet to win a stage on the rally sits in third position, 1m59.9s adrift from the lead. The Swede kept to his plan of making no mistakes and finishing every stage. The strategy did mean losing a large amount of time on the rough and difficult final stage of the day (SS15) although he has a comfortable margin of 1m02.9s over Raul Badiu in fourth.

    Julius Tannert started the day in fifth position, radiator damage during SS10 meant the German had to make a repair between stages and was 22 minutes late for his start time on SS11. He was handed a 3m40s penalty which dropped him to eighth after completing SS11. Tannert bounced back with consistent pace and ended the day sixth, 2m08.1s behind Latvian Martins Sesks.

    Fabrizio Zaldivar from Paraguay, the youngest driver in the 2019 FIA Junior WRC field, sits in seventh with a five-minute gap to eight placed Tom Williams. Provided Zaldivar has an issue-free Sunday, he could claim his best finish of the season on the final day of Rally d’Italia.

    Dennis Rådström said: “It’s been a typically Sardinian day, a rough one, but we have completed it without problems. I focussed and just made sure I took care of the car. I think we will continue like we have done because this time we have to keep leave our ‘Junior mind’ at home, focus on our job and just go on tomorrow.”

    CLASSIFICATION, SECTIONS FOUR AND FIVE:

    1.Dennis Rådström / Johan Johansson 01:48:26.2
    2. Jan Solans / Mauro Barreiro + 00:04.4
    3. Tom Kristensson / Henrik Appelskog + 01:59.9
    4. Raul Badiu / Gabriel Lazar + 03:02.8
    5. Martins Sesks / Krisjanis Caune + 03:46.3
    6. Julius Tannert / Jürgen Heigl + 05:54.4
    7. Fabrizio Zaldivar / Fernando Mussano + 07:20.3
    8. Tom Williams / Phil Hall + 12:23.2
    9. Enrico Oldrati / Elia de Guio + 14:58.1
    10. Nico Knacker / Anne Stein + 16:49.2
    11. Sean Johnston / Alex Kihurani + 42:43.1