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Category: WRC, Rally
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Team MRF to do four rounds of WRC 2 this year with Gill; Macneall returns as co-driver
Gaurav Gill (right) and Glenn Macneall. File photo by Anand Philar Bengaluru, 11May 2018: Team MRF and three times Asia Pacific Rally champion Gaurav Gill along with his long-time co-driver Glenn Macneall (Ausralia) will launch their World Rally Championship campaign in the WRC 2 category at Rally Italia Sardegna scheduled to be held from June 7-10.
Gill and Macneall, who have rallied together for seven years as Team MRF in the APRC, will be in a Ford Fiesta R5 run by M-Sport team which also has in its stable Sebastien Ogier, the 2017 WRC champion. With MRF as the tyre choice, Team MRF will compete compete in four of the five gravel rallies on the calendar.
According to an official press release, MRF Tyres is participating in the following four rounds of WRC in Ford Fiesta R5 (RC2 category):
- Rally Italia Sardegna – June 7-10
- Rally of Finland – July 26-29
- Wales Rally GB – October 4-7
- Rally Australia – November 15-18
With the season well underway, Gill and Team MRF will not be eligible for championship points, but will utilise the four gravel rallies to collect valuable data on the tyres that will be used to further develop the rubber for a full-season entry next year. Gill will be taking part as a non-priority Driver for the four rounds.
Since 2018 is a development and familiarization year to study the various parameters like terrains, tyres, cars etc., and as a part of this exercise, a two-day private test session in Europe is scheduled at the end of this month.
Gill said: “It is a huge honour for me to represent Team MRF in the World Rally Championship. I have always wished to participate in WRC and compete against the best in the World. I have been associated with the team for over 10 years now and I am thankful for this opportunity to showcase my skills at this level. I am training extremely hard in preparation for a tough challenge ahead and I hope to be on pace with the best in the world from day one.”
Speaking on the occasion, Arun Mammen, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MRF Limited, said: “This is a huge step for MRF. We have been actively involved in promoting racing in India over the last 30 years and it gives us immense satisfaction to have a champion Indian racer in Gaurav Gill to spearhead our campaign in the World Rally Championship.
“Motorsports is a platform where we can demonstrate our tyre technology and apart from that it will also help us in developing new cutting-edge technology through extensive R&D and analysis of data collected from the track. I look forward to our season ahead and to our partnership with M-Sport.”
Malcolm Wilson, Managing Director, M-Sport, said: “It is great to welcome Gaurav Gill and MRF tyres to not only the WRC, but also M-Sport. We as a company are well aware of their achievements in the APRC for the past 16 years and it is great to see them take their first step into the World Rally Championship with M-Sport and the Ford Fiesta R5.
“It will be a tough learning curve, competing on four very different rallies – but M-Sport will do all they can to help them with the transition this year. We hope this will be the start of a long and exciting partnership and wish them all the best of luck.”
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Rally Argentina: Tanak-Jarveoja snatch win for Toyota; double podium for Hyundai
Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja who scored a win for Toyota in Rally Argentina. Photo: FIA Villa Carlos Paz, 30 April 2018: Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja won the legendary Rally Argentina on Sunday after a weekend-long display of dominance in which they won 10 of the event’s 18 stages. The Estonians were able to manage their pace over the closing three stages to take their first victory with Toyota by 37.7 seconds. Last year’s winners Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul were second and team-mates Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio made it a double podium celebration for Hyundai with third.
In the FIA World Rally Championship, Neuville has managed to close the gap to Championship leader Ogier to 10 points with Tänak 18 points further adrift in the standings. Hyundai’s double podium also sees the Korean manufacturer extend its advantage over M-Sport Ford to 15 points. Toyota is third with Citroen trailing in fourth.
In the second run of El Cóndor, counting towards all-important Power Stage points, Tänak was able to control the pace and points for fourth fastest added to his Championship haul. Neuville was flat-out however and the Belgian set fastest time to add five points to his tally, his objective always to be ahead of Ogier. Sordo was happy with his Rally Argentina outing and the Spaniard finished well ahead of Ogier in the overall classification.
Ogier and Mikkelsen went into the stage fighting for fourth but the reigning FIA World Rally Champion managed to hold onto his position by just four seconds at the end of the event. Both Elfyn Evans and Kris Meeke moved up the standings into sixth and seventh respectively after Lappi dropped time with a puncture this morning. He finished eighth on his debut outing in Argentina, the Finn lamenting a huge amount of bad luck in Argentina. Teemu Suninen finished ninth, another debutant on the event.
Pontus Tidemand and Jonas Andersson snatched the FIA WRC 2 Championship category win after Škoda team-mate Kalle Rovanperä rolled in the penultimate stage while leading. Tidemand beat Gus Greensmith by over seven minutes to take the lead in the Championship standings.
The sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship takes the contenders back to Europe for Rally de Portugal (17-20 May).
Rally Argentina – Final Unofficial classification (subject to scrutineering)
1 Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 43min 28.9sec 2 Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 44min 06.6sec 3 Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio Hyundai i20 Couple WRC 3hr 44min 44.6sec 4 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 45min 27.5sec 5 Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 WRC 3hr 45min 31.5sec 6 Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 46min 35.2sec 7 Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle Citroen C3 WRC 3hr 46min 54.6sec 8 Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 48min 01.5sec 9 Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 49min 07.5sec 10 Pontus Tidemand / Jonas Andersson Škoda Fabia R5 3hr 55min 44.7sec -
Tidemand keeps nerve to win Rally Argentina; leads WRC 2 Championship
Pontus Tidemand (right) and co-driver Jonas Andersson celebrate Rally Argentina win. The Swediesh pair leads WRC 2 Championship standings. Photos: SKODA Motorsports Villa Carlos Paz, 29 April 2018: Reigning WRC 2 Champions Pontus Tidemand and co-driver Jonas Andersson from Sweden repeated their last year’s victory at Rally Argentina, the fifth round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship, here on Sunday. The Swedish pairing takes the lead in the WRC 2 championship standings from ŠKODA teammate Jan Kopecký who did not compete in Argentina.
ŠKODA factory-supported crews Tidemand and Andersson, and Finland’s Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen were leading the WRC 2 category going into the event’s last day. But in the penultimate stage, Rovanperä went off the road close to the finish. Thanks to the safety package of the ŠKODA FABIA R5, the crew was unhurt, but had to retire. Norwegians Ole Christian Veiby and Stig Rune Skjaermœn, another duo of ŠKODA juniors, finished second in RC 2 class, which includes the WRC 2 category.
On the final day of Rally Argentina, three more stages, covering 55.27 kilometres, had to be driven. Tidemand tried everything to catch their young Finnish teammate. With a tremendous effort on the opening “El Condor” stage, he was 13.3 seconds quicker than Rovanperä, reducing the gap to only 9.9 seconds.
Kalle Rovanperä On the penultimate stage, the Rovanpera went off the road close to the end of the stage. Thanks to the safety package of their ŠKODA FABIA R5, they escaped without injury, however. With the WRC 2 lead back in his hands, Tidemand drove cautiously in the last stage and won the category with the huge margin.
The Swedish crew moved as well into the lead of the WRC 2 championship standings. “Sorry for Kalle. We had a tense fight and I always followed our Team instructions. I believed in my speed myself and obviously did not want to win this way,” Tidemand said.
After two punctures on the Saturday stages, ŠKODA junior Ole Christian Veiby managed to regain the third position in RC 2 class after a fast time on the opening Sunday stage. In the end, the Norwegian finished in second place.
ŠKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek commented: “Accidents are a part of the game. Luckily, the safety standards of modern rally cars like our ŠKODA FABIA R5 are extremely high. So Kalle and Jonne escaped from that accident without being injured. Nevertheless, I want to thank both crews for the tremendous performance they delivered, the whole ŠKODA Motorsport Team did an excellent job.”
Final Result Rally Argentina (WRC 2): 1. Tidemand/Andersson (SWE/SWE), ŠKODA FABIA R5, 03hrs, 55mins, 44.7 secs; 2. Greensmith/Parry (GBR/GBR), Ford Fiesta R5, +7:39.1 min; 3. Heller/Olmos (CHL/ARG), Ford Fiesta R5, +9:02.9 min; 4. Dominguez/Galindo (MEX/MEX), Hyundai i20 R5, + 15:49.6 min; 5. Solans/Ibanez (ESP/ESP), Ford Fiesta R5, +37:43.9 min.
Current standings WRC 2 (after 5 of 13 rounds): 1. Tidemand (SWE), ŠKODA, 68 points; 2. Kopecký (CZR) ŠKODA, 50 points; 3. Greensmith (GBR), Ford, 36 points; 4. Heller (CHL), Ford, 30 points; 5. Katsuta (JPN), Ford, 29 points.
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FMSCI nominates Gaurav Gill for Arjuna Award
Chennai, 29 April 2018: Three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion Gaurav Gill of Mahindra Adventure team won the 40th South India Rally, the season opener of the Indian National Rally Championship, at Irungattukottai, about 40 km from here on Sunday to strengthen the Federation’s demand for an Arjuna Award.“Talent Personified,” was how former FMSCI president Vicky Chandhok, who brought F1 to India said about Gill on Friday. Talking to media, he had said that India needs a Hero in rallying and no one has come close. Gill is talent personified and definitely his going to the world stage will improve the profile of rallying in the country,” he added.
FMSCI, the Indian Motorsports Federation has announced in a tweet that the name of Gaurav Gill was nominated for Aruna Award. This is the third time that the federation has nominated his name. Gill, if selected, would become the first Indian sportsman from Motorsports to get the coveted honour. However, Narain Karthikeyan was honoured with Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in 2010.
#FMSCI nominates India’s Top rallyist Gaurav Gill, a three-time winner of the prestigious FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, for the Arjuna Award.Coming back to INRC, Gill was ably navigated by his long-time co-driver Musa Sherif, a veteran of 266 rallies till date. The five-time National champion clocked 1 hour, 28 minutes 43.1 seconds to take a massive lead of close to two minutes to the nearest rival and teammate Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) who fought hard for the second place with 2016 champion Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai.
“The first South India Rally was held in 1953. It was a TSD Rally from Madras to Pondy and back,” recollected Vicky Chandhok, who took a well-deserved podium as a senior citizen taking the third place in the INRC 1 class behind Gill and Ghosh. Chandhok clocked 1:34:31.7 in his Volkswagen Polo R2 factory-prepared car. Incidentally, his last rally in 2010 was the South India Rally, before he retired. `I kept in touch with driving and had 100 other things to do with motorsports,” Chandhok said.
Vicky Chandhok tweeted soon after the rally saying:
Podium in class & 8th overall on my return to the driver’s seat with
@VWmotorsportind after 18 years!! Congratulations to the very talented@Gillracing on winning the@MMSCChennai South India Rally. He first rallied when i last did in the year 2000!! YES!!! -
Ott Tanak-Martin Jarveoja extend lead; set-up Toyota for Rally Argentina honours: WRC
Ott Tanak, navigated by Martin Jarveoja take a big jump towards Rally Argentina win for Toyota Yaris. Photo: FIA Villa Carlos Paz, 29 April 2018: Ott Tänak will take a 46.5 second advantage into the closing stages of Rally Argentina having once again dominated proceedings on Saturday. The Estonian won five of the day’s seven stages and only missed out on a clean sweep of victories in the mountains with a couple of technical problems in the final stage of the day. Thierry Neuville remains second overnight but when Kris Meeke was forced to stop and change a puncture, Dani Sordo climbed into the final podium position.
On 27th April, Tanak won his 100th Stage in WRC at Rally Argentina and tweeted: It’s my 100th
@OfficialWRC stage win in World Rally Car! What a journey it has been so far! #RallyArgentina#WRC#GoOttThis afternoon saw the crews head back out into the Punilla Valley for three stages, two of which were shrouded in fog this morning. Clear conditions were a welcome sight and Tänak was again immediately setting the pace, instantly claiming another two stage wins. However, in the final stage of the day, he briefly lost the power steering and then the oil from one of the dampers and could only manage fourth fastest. Even so, the Estonian’s 46.5 second advantage leaves him well-placed to take his first victory with Toyota tomorrow afternoon.Tyre preservation was the name of the game for Neuville this afternoon and he now heads team-mate Sordo by 21.7 seconds. The Spaniard has been flying again and set the fastest time in the final 40 Kms stage.
Sébastien Ogier has had a trouble-free run and is now up to fourth with Andreas Mikkelsen nearly 15 seconds adrift, the Norwegian with a better feeling having made changes to the i20 Coupe WRC before the final stage.
Esapekka Lappi passed Elfyn Evans for sixth and the rivals will head into the final day split by 6.2 seconds. Kris Meeke’s puncture dropped him to eighth, yet more disappointment for Citroën after Craig Breen retired during the mid-leg service with roll cage damage.
Teemu Suninen is ninth, comfortably ahead of FIA WRC 2 Championship category leader Kalle Rovanperä. The 17-year-old Finn won six of the day’s stages and has 23.6 seconds in hand to Škoda team-mate and reigning FIA WRC 2 Champion Pontus Tidemand.
The final day of Rally Argentina takes in three stages in the rock-strewn Traslasierra Mountains: El Condor and Mina Clavero, the second run through El Condor counting as the Power Stage.
Rally Argentina – Unofficial results after Section 8
1 Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 58min 33.9sec 2 Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 59min 20.4sec 3 Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio Hyundai i20 Couple WRC 2hr 59min 42.1sec 4 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 00min 32.9sec 5 Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 WRC 3hr 00min 47.7sec 6 Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 01min 16.8sec 7 Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 01min 23.0sec 8 Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle Citroen C3 WRC 3hr 01min 54.3sec 9 Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 02min 51.5sec 10 Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen Škoda Fabia R5 3hr 09min 24.1sec -
Gaurav Gill tops time charts to take comfortable lead: INRC MRF South India Rally
Action, Gaurav Gill on a charge. Photos – Anand Philar Chennai, 28 April 2018: The legend of Gaurav Gill continued to grow following another superlative performance that put him firmly in control of the MRF South India Rally, the first round of the Indian National Rally Championship here today. At the end of Leg 1, Gill, piloting the XUV 500 for Mahindra Adventure, led the field by over a minute and with just five more Stages to be run tomorrow, victory for the three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion is virtually assured.
With his vehicle suffering from a locked hand-brake leading to overheating of the turbo and the engine, Gill, with Musa Sherif in the co-driver’s seat, still had enough in the tank to destroy the opposition.
“We had an issue with the hand-brake during the first loop in the morning. The rear wheels got locked and the turbo temperature soared. So, we were down on power which is reflected in the Stage timings.“During service after the first run, we decided to do away with the handbrake. It meant I had to change my driving style. It was absolutely wild to drive this XUV without handbrake especially the Track Stage being very twisty. Anyway, I still managed to make plenty of time on others. Tomorrow, I will just cruise as the priority is to bring the car home safely,” said the 36-year old Delhi-based ace.
Second overall after Leg 1 was Younus Ilyas (co-driver Harish KN) of Race Concepts, driving a Mitsubishi Cedia in the INRC 2 class.
Younnus Ilyas He came up with an excellent drive to lead Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) of ARKA Motorsports, albeit by just 4.7 seconds to set up a thrilling battle on Sunday when the remaining five Stages will be run.
Slotted in fourth place and 3.8 seconds behind Kadur was Mahindra Adventure’s Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik), also in the XUV 500 while young Dean Mascarenhas (Shruptha Padival), piloting the VW Polo (INRC 3) was placed fifth overall.
Among the front-runners, Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal) of Falcon Motorsports struggled with his VW Polo R2 after losing the third gear at the very first corner in the day’s first Stage, the SSS, and lost precious time to finish the day overall sixth.
Veteran Vicky Chandhok (Chandramouli), also in a VW Polo R2, ended up overall 11th after starting the day by topping the time sheets in the Super Special Stage, some three seconds ahead of Gill! The nimble R2, running on slicks, had the advantage on the bulkier XUV 500, but that should not take anything away from Chandhok’s competitiveness.
But as the day wore on, 61-year old Chandhok, returning to competitive rallying after a lapse of 18 years, dropped down the charts, but seemed pretty pleased with his performance.
“The R2 is an excellent vehicle, but needs to be driven hard. I pushed a bit, but had to remind myself that I was not here to prove a point to anybody. Overall, it’s been a fun day,” said Chandhok.
The extreme heat and humidity was among the topics of heated discussion in the garages and also those connected with the event. The weather conditions took a heavy toll on just about everyone and for sure, there will be no respite on the morrow!
Provisional classification (Leg 1):
Overall: 1. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (44mins, 35.0 secs); 2. Younus Ilyas / Harish Kumar (Race Concepts, Mitsubishi Cedia) (45:39.5); 3. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (45:44.2).
INRC-1: 1. Gill / Sherif; 2. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (45:48.0); 3. Arjun Rao / Satish Rajagopal (Falcon Motorsports, VW Polo R2) (45:56.7).
INRC-2: 1. Ilyas / Harish Kumar; 2. Kadur / Pai; 3. Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (46:57.7).
INRC-3: 1. Mascarenhas / Padival; 2. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya AG (Falcon Motorsports, VW Polo) (46:10.2); 3. Chetan Shivram / Rupesh Kholay (Team Akshara, VW Polo) (46:16.4).
FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1. Adith KC / Suraj K (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (46:46.0); 2. Suraj Thomas / Sob George (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (47:56.5); 3. Ravi MS / Priyamvada Saradhi (Pvt, Maruti Baleno) (50:48.4).
FMSCI 4WD Cup: 1. Nikhil J / Arjun Dheerendra (Pvt, Maruti Gypsy) (01:00:55.5).
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Ott Tanak-Martin Jarveoja dominate Friday stages: WRC Round 5 Rally Argentina
Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja take lead in the 5th round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship at Rally Argentina on Friday, April 26-19, Photo by Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC Ott Tänak has dominated Friday afternoon’s stages of Rally Argentina, the Estonian winning each of the three repeated tests to claim a 22.7 second advantage after just over 155 competitive kilometres. Kris Meeke moved ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen for second position and Thierry Neuville has climbed from sixth to third overnight
This afternoon posed an equally tough challenge for the crews and only three of the top 10 retained the positions they held leaving the mid-leg service. Tänak has taken total command and has flown through the stages, his rivals at a loss to match his stage-winning pace. As such, he has extended his slim 0.8 second advantage to 22.7 seconds this evening, happy the car is really starting to suit him. Meeke started the afternoon third behind Mikkelsen, but when the Norwegian had a puncture in the first stage and dropped nearly 30 seconds, he was able to move ahead into second. Meeke then dropped time with a puncture of his own in the last stage, but is happy to remain in contention with potentially bad weather forecast tomorrow. Thierry Neuville took a bit of a tyre gamble this afternoon and while he knew his hard selection wouldn’t fare best on the first stage, he is just a handful of seconds behind Meeke and in the fight after a clever drive this afternoon.
He and team-mate Dani Sordo have been trading positions and from fifth at the mid-leg service the Spaniard is now up to fourth having overhauled Sebastien Ogier. He and Neuville are still however locked in a fight with only 0.9 second between them, with Ogier just 6.9 seconds further behind. The Frenchman has been on the limit today and minimised time loss running at the head of the field. He is looking to capitalise with a better road position tomorrow. Craig Breen has had a better afternoon and is sixth and battling to stay ahead of Mikkelsen who, from leading this morning, is now seventh after the puncture. Esapekka Lappi continues to be frustrated by small mistakes and problems and after a great run this morning picked up two punctures and is now over a minute adrift of the lead in eighth. Elfyn Evans has had a disappointing day and the Welshman is ninth ahead of team-mate Teemu Suninen who rounds off the top 10. Toyota also confirmed that Jari-Matti Latvala would not be returning to competition tomorrow, damage to the engine oil lubrication system forcing him out terminally.
In the FIA WRC 2 Championship, Pontus Tidemand continues to lead and the Swede has 20.2 seconds in hand to team-mate Kalle Rovanperä. Gus Greensmith retains third.
Rally Argentina – Unofficial results after Section 5
1 Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 1hr 30min 38.6sec 2 Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle Citroen C3 WRC 1hr 31min 01.3sec 3 Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 1hr 31min 07.2sec 4 Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio Hyundai i20 Couple WRC 1hr 31min 08.1sec 5 Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 1hr 31min 15.0sec 6 Craig Breen / Scott Martin Citroen C3 WRC 1hr 31min 19.8sec 7 Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 WRC 1hr 31min 37.1sec 8 Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 1hr 31min 46.5sec 9 Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 1hr 31min 48.9sec 10 Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta WRC 1hr 32min 12.3sec -
Tidemand eyeing repeat win in Argentina and take WRC 2 championship lead
Pontus Tidemand seeking a repeat win in Argentina. Photo: SKODA AUTO Mladá Boleslav, 24 April 2018: With a repetition of their last year’s win at the upcoming Rally Argentina (26 – 29 April), reigning WRC 2 Champions Pontus Tidemand and Jonas Andersson (SWE/SWE) could move into the championship lead again ahead of their SKODA Motorsport team-mates Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler (CZE/CZE) who won two of the four rounds so far.
Kalle Rovanperä, the 17-year old ŠKODA junior from Finland, is the youngest driver in the Rally Argentina entry list and together with co-driver Jonne Halttunen (FIN) proved his speed on the gravel tracks of the recent Rally Mexico. Norwegians Ole Christian Veiby and Stig Rune Skjaermœn, another duo of ŠKODA juniors, will contest Rally Argentina without being registered for WRC 2 championship points.
Rally Argentina, fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, will see ŠKODA Motorsport competing with Tidemand and Rovanperä. One year ago, Tidemand achieved a dominant win in Argentina for the Czech brand in the WRC 2 category.
Kalle Rovanpera. Photo: SKODA AUTO On the other hand, Rovanperä and Veiby are newcomers to Rally Argentina. Veiby finished fourth at the recent Tour de Corse. In Argentina, he is not registered to score points for the WRC 2 championship.
ŠKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek says: “So far, the 2018 Motorsport season is running very well for ŠKODA. After winning in Monte Carlo, Mexico and Corsica we have a double lead in the WRC 2 championship standings. And the development program for our young drivers runs perfect as well. Kalle and OC have shown great performances on World Championship level.
“Juuso Nordgren made a good impression finishing on the podium with an excellent third place at the last round of the Czech Championship. We will see him during the 2018 season on selected events including some of WRC 2.”
A strong pillar of the ŠKODA motorsport programme is the activity with customer teams. The ŠKODA FABIA R5 is currently the most successful car in its category and will do its best to keep its position after getting a recent engine upgrade.
“We’re proud, that with no fewer than seven ŠKODA FABIA R5 in Argentina. We’re the strongest brand in WRC 2 and RC 2 category there. It absolutely proves that our strategy is working. With the presence of our works team we demonstrate the attractiveness and competitiveness of our rally car,” says Hrabánek.
In Argentina, around 360 Kms over 18 special stages, ranging from the Argentine prairie to altitudes of more than 2,000 metres, sandy tracks across flatlands and rutted mule trails high in the mountains, are waiting for the crews. Demanding tracks in the foothills of the Andes near Cordoba are quite similar to those of Rally Mexico.
The two ŠKODA FABIA R5, the one that carried Tidemand to victory in Mexico and Rovanperä’s car, were transported directly from Mexico to Cordoba. To a certain extent, they are already “acclimatised” to the Argentine environment.
The Rally Argentina starts on the evening of Thursday, 26 April, with a spectacular show stage close to the service park in Villa Carlos Paz. The winner is expected on the podium at the shores of Lake San Roque on Sunday, 29 April.
SKODA AUTO Press Release
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Team MRF and Gaurav Gill head to WRC 2; quit APRC after 16 seasons and nine titles
Gaurav Gill (right) and co-driver Stephane Prevot with the 2017 FIA APRC trophy. Photo: Anand Philar By Anand Philar
Bengaluru, April 16: In a major motorsport move, India’s leading tyre manufacturer MRF Tyres on Monday announced their entry into the FIA World Rally Championship 2 category with Gaurav Gill at the wheels, thus ending their 16-season campaign in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship which they had dominated with nine titles.
In a rather cryptic official press release today, Chennai-based MRF Tyres said: “Team MRF, having successfully won 9 APRC titles over the last many years, is now foraying into the WRC 2 with Gaurav Gill at the wheel. Further details will be shared shortly.”
INDIAinF1.com first broke this story in January 2018.
Gill, who is all set to launch his Advanced Driving Academy in his hometown Delhi shortly, said: “I am obviously thrilled. It is a dream come true for me. In the APRC, I had competed and beaten some of the best drivers from Europe and now, it is time for me to compete with them in their territory. Read my piece on his training sessions at Coimbatore here.
“This year, it is all about learning for both me and MRF. We will be participating in limited number of WRC 2 rounds, gathering a lot of data for tyre development etc. So, I do not expect any big results. As of now, we haven’t decided on the car I will be driving and also other details are being worked out. The picture will be clear in the coming weeks.”
The move up to WRC 2 was on the cards pending confirmation from MRF with Gill often expressing his desire to compete on the World stage after winning three APRC titles in 2013, 2016 and 2017.
For both MRF and Gill, it is a huge step forward, though it is more than likely that the team will use the 2018 WRC 2 season, which has seen four of the 13 scheduled rounds already completed, as a dip-stick prior to doing the full championship next year. It is not known which round MRF and Gill will enter this season with Round 5 to be held in Argentina (April 26-29), followed by Portugal (May 17-20).
Since MRF and Gill are not registered for 2018 WRC 2 championship, they will not be eligible for any points as per FIA regulations regardless of where they finish in the rounds they will be participating.
It is also to be confirmed whether MRF will continue their association with Czech car manufacturer Skoda or go with another make of car in the WRC 2.
File picture of Gaurav Gill in action. Photo: Anand Philar Skoda and MRF first partnered in the 2012 APRC season with the S2000 before the Czech manufacturer moving to the Skoda Fabia R5 in 2016. The MRF-Skoda partnership dominated the APRC by winning six championships on the trot between 2012 and 2017.
MRF made their APRC entry in 2002 with India’s top drivers at the time, Naren Kumar and Arjun Balu before opting for more experienced European crews in 2003 beginning with Germany’s Armin Kremer who won the championship on debut.
As for Gill, his long-cherished dream of competing at the World-level is about to become reality. The 36-year old Delhi-based ace, since his APRC debut in 2007, has evolved from a driver with raw speed to a mature pilot capable of competing with the best in the World. While winning three APRC titles, Gill time and again defeated Skoda’s factory-supported drivers to emphasise the point that he belongs to World level of rallying.
Gill is not new to the WRC scene. Backed by a Bengaluru-based company Sidvin, he participated in PWRC rounds in 2008 (Wales) and 2009 (Portugal and Cyprus), while becoming the first and only Indian to score points when he finished seventh in Portugal.
Gaurav Gill’s APRC record:
Starts: 57. Wins: 17. Podium: 12. Championship titles: 3 (2013, 2016 and 2017). Debut: 2007 in Mitsubishi Evo IX. First win: 2008, Indonesia in Mitsubishi IX. Last win: 2017, India (Coffee Day India Rally, Chikmagalur) in Skoda Fabia R5.
Team MRF’s Scroll of Honour in FIA APRC:
2003 – Armin Kremer / Fred Bressen (Germany) – Mitsubishi Evo VII
2005 – Jussi Valimaki / Jarko Kalliolepo (Finland) – Mitsubishi Evo VIII
2010 – Katsuhiko Taguchi (Japan) / Mark Stacey (Australia) – Mitsubishi Evo X
2012 – Chris Atkinson (Australia) / Stephane Prevot (Belgium) – Skoda Fabia S2000
2013 – Gaurav Gill (India) / Glenn Macneall (Australia) – Skoda Fabia S2000
2014 – Jan Kopecky / Pavel Dressler (Czech Republic) – Skoda Fabia S2000
2015 – Pontus Tidemand / Emil Axelsson (Sweden) – Skoda Fabia S2000
2016 – Gaurav Gill (India) / Glenn Macneall (Australia) – Skoda Fabia R5
2017 – Gaurav Gill (India) / Stephane Prevot (Belgium) – Skoda Fabia R5
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Kopecky races SKODA to victory in Corsica to retain WRC 2 championship lead
Jan Kopecky (right) and Pavel Dressler celebrate their WRC 2 win in Corsica. Photo: SKODA AUTO Bastia, April 9: ŠKODA factory team Jan Kopecký and co-driver Pavel Dresler (CZE/CZE) achieved a dominant start-to-finish win in WRC 2 category at Rally France / Tour de Corse on Sunday while their young Norwegian team-mates Ole Christian Veiby and Stig Rune Skjaermœn came in fourth, missing the podium by just 1.8 seconds.
Veiby, who scripted two more fastest stage times, finished behind Italian ŠKODA privateer Fabio Andolfi (co-driver Simone Scattolin) while the French pair of Yoann Bonato and Benjamin Boullourd were placed second in a Citroen C3 R5.
The second from three legs of the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship on Saturday brought mixed emotions for the team members of ŠKODA Motorsport. While Kopecký with four stage wins stretched his WRC 2 lead to nearly one and a half minutes, Veiby moved up to second place after the second run through the longest stage of the day. But in the last test of the day, a malfunctioning gear link shift made the gearbox of his ŠKODA FABIA R5 stuck in first gear. Veiby lost more than two and a half minutes and as a result also second place.
Veiby’s rival, Bonato, was delayed by a false alarm of the GPS safety device in his car which forced him to stop on stage eight. Hours later, the stewards gave him a time compensation and the Frenchman moved back into second in WRC 2 category.
After his ŠKODA FABIA R5 had been successfully revised at the service on Saturday evening, at the restart on Sunday morning Veiby found himself in fourth position, more than 55 seconds behind Andolfi. The first of Sunday’s two stages was the gruelling 55.17 Kms test which reached the highest geographical point of the rally with an altitude of more than 885 metres above sea level. Since 1986, this also was the longest stage of the Tour de Corse. Veiby drove a fantastic stage time, beating Andolfi by impressive 47.7 seconds and closing the gap to a mere 7.9 seconds before the final Power Stage.
Kopecký meanwhile took a cautious approach. “I had a huge gap to the guys behind me. I avoided every stone on the road to just bring the car to the finish in one piece. We are happy, our ŠKODAFABIA R5 was working perfectly.”
On the last stage, the Czech champion even managed to defend eighth position in the overall classification. Veiby set the last fastest time in the WRC 2 category, but in the end missed the podium by just 1.8 seconds.
ŠKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek was delighted. “Our perfect season continues. Now we have a double lead in the WRC 2 category standings of the FIA World Rally Championship. Jan demonstrated that on asphalt he is the man to beat in WRC 2. And OC impressed me not only with his pure speed and fantastic stage times, but he also proved his great morale after his mishap during leg two and was very close to fight back into a podium position.”
Final Result Rally France / Tour de Corse (WRC 2):
- Kopecký / Dresler (CZE/CZE), ŠKODA FABIA R5, 03hrs, 37mins, 27.5secs; 2. Bonato / Boulloud, (FRA/FRA), Citroën C3 R5, +1:51.2 sec; 3. Andolfi / Scattolin (ITA/ITA), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +3:08.5 min; 4. Veiby / Skjaermœn (NOR/NOR), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +3:10.3 min; 5. Pieniazek / Mazur (POL/POL), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +13:05.6 min.
Current championship standings WRC 2 (after four of 13 rounds):
- Kopecký (CZE), ŠKODA, 50 points; 2. Tidemand (SWE), ŠKODA, 43 points; 3. Katsuta (JPN), Ford, 29 points; 4. Veiby (NOR), ŠKODA, 27 points.
SKODA AUTO Press Release
What a journey it has been so far! 
