INDIA in F1

Tag: Craig Breen

  • Breen and Campedelli ready for ERC challenge for Team MRF Tyres

    Breen and Campedelli ready for ERC challenge for Team MRF Tyres

    Mikolajki (Poland), 18 June 2021: Team MRF Tyres is in Mikolajki for the opening round of the 2021 FIA European Rally Championship that will be held from 18-20 June.

    Two cars will fly the Team MRF Tyres colours with Irish ace Craig Breen being joined by Paul Nagle in a Hyundai i20 Rally2 and Italian Simone Campedelli joined by Tania Canton in a Volkswagen Polo R5.

    The crews will face fast and narrow gravel roads for this special version of Rally Poland. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first time the event was held, with six cars starting the original test in 1921.

    Fast forward 100 years and the event offers a hugely competitive field with more than 40 Rally2 cars competing for the outright win.

    There are 14 special stages that wait for the drivers, offering 202.76km of competitive action.

    The first stage gets underway on Friday night, with a short 2.5km blast through the Mikołajki Arena. The bulk of the rally takes place on Saturday with 133.12km of action across seven stages.

    The first look sees the 18.20km of Świętajno, 17.16km of Olecko and 28.70km of Wieliczki. This loop is repeated again in the afternoon but with the Mikołajki Arena ending the day. With such long stages between services, the drivers will have to balance speed with maintaining their car.

    Sunday’s action gets underway early with 07:25 Mikołajki MAX stage of 9.34km getting underway at 7:50am. It is followed by the 15.55km gm. Mrągowo stage before the crews head back to service.

    The afternoon loop sees these stages repeated before the crews take the long drive to Warsaw. On the way they will complete a 17.9km stage of Przasnysz before the rally takes a special ending.

    For the 100th anniversary, a 1.96km stage will take place in Warsaw before the ceremonial finish is held in the Polish capital.

    MRF Tyres will also be represented with eight crews from the Polish Championship who will be rallying in the national section of the rally..

    Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this rally will be held behind closed doors. For those following at home, the FIA ERC will free live radio of all the stages which can be found on their website at www.fiaerc.com and will live stream selected stages on their Facebook page.

    You can follow Team MRF Tyres throughout the rally on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

    Quotes
    Craig Breen, Hyundai i20 Rally2
    “It has been a while since the European Rally Championship competed on gravel and I am looking forward to driving the MRF Tyres on gravel again.”

    “This rally will be very fast and the road conditions in some places will be quite rutted. We had a successful test day, where we were able to see how the car performed in the ruts and on a good surface. It will make for an exciting rally!”

    Simone Campedelli, VW Polo R5
    “I am excited to be starting in the ERC with MRF Tyres. I have been in the Italian Championship for many years but coming to Rally Poland, I will have to learn the roads. I am looking forward to the challenge.”

    “Team MRF Tyres have done a great job in developing the tyres and I am looking forward to continuing the development work with them. The aim is to get more tyre data so stage miles are important. Though I am looking forward to pushing on these fast Polish roads!”

  • Breen and Nagle qualify 2nd behind Marczyk-Gospodarczyk

    Breen and Nagle qualify 2nd behind Marczyk-Gospodarczyk

    Gran Canarias, 26 Nov 2020: It was a great start to the final round of the FIA European Rally Championship for Team MRF Tyres with Craig Breen and Paul Nagle qualifying second at Rally Islas Canarias.

    For this rally, the fastest 15 drivers get to select their starting position, always important in rallying.

    The qualifying stage was held on the 3.45km Guia stage with strong and gusting winds making the stage more challenging than expected.

    For Team MRF Tyres, a long day of testing on the preceding Monday proved beneficial with the Hyundai i20 R5.

    Breen and Nagle set a time of 1:55.184, just 0.752 behind Miko Marczyk and Szymon Gospodarczyk.

    Later, the top drivers were able to choose their starting positions in an event that took place in the Las Palmas Football Stadium on the island of Gran Canarias.

    Due to his top qualifying time, Breen was second to choose and will start from 15th on the road. Given the nature of this rally, the road should get better after the top competitors go through.

    The Friday stages see just over 99km of competitive action and nine stages with one opportunity for service.

    The Saturday stages see another 101km of competition over eight stages in the north of Gran Canarias. In total, 201.79km will be driven at speed in the 2020 season finale.  

    The first stage gets underway with the 11.91km Valsequillo stage which will be live streamed. It gets underway at 10:19 local time or 15:49 if you are in India.

    Stage eight will also be live streamed with the 12.95km Tejeda stage due to commence at 16:10 local time or 21:40 in India.

    All nine stages of the loop are due to be covered by live radio and live timing available at www.fiaerc.com.

    Follow Team MRF Tyres’ progress on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

    Quotes:
    Craig Breen (Driver, Hyundai i20 R5)
    “It was so nice on the stage. The testing and setup work that we did earlier this week worked well and I am glad that we were able to test the MRF Tyres on this smooth but abrasive surface.”

    “I have not driven on anything so smooth in ages. I am really looking forward to this rally. Again we are looking for data and development for Team MRF Tyres and we will push as much as we can.”

  • Craig Breen takes on new challenge to test MRF tyres: Rally Islas Canarias to ERC

    Craig Breen takes on new challenge to test MRF tyres: Rally Islas Canarias to ERC

    It is the final round of the 2020 FIA European Rally Championship with the Rally Islas Canarias. The event is on tarmac but the roads are very different to what we saw last time out in Hungary. It is the final round of Team MRF Tyres’ inaugural season in the FIA ERC and we talked to our driver, Craig Breen on what to expect this weekend.

    Team MRF Tyres: Craig, you have completed the pre event test for Rally Islas Canarias. First of all, how did it go? And what have you aimed to learn from this test?

    Craig Breen: This is the first time we’ve really tested in conditions quite like this. Really, it is probably the most abrasive tarmac we’ve had and at this time of year it is strangely warm still. So, it’s been interesting and we’ve tried a lot of different things. We’ve obviously been doing a bit more development on the tyre side. We have also been trying to develop the car to make it a bit more agile, a bit more racy for these roads, compared to the roads we found a lot earlier this year.

    Team MRF Tyres: We have tarmac again this weekend but, a very different tarmac to what we saw last time out and in Hungary. What are some of the differences in how you make time on this on these roads?

    Craig Breen: Honestly, it’s very difficult to make any time on these roads. In Hungary, Fafe, and other rallies like that you can, you can stick your neck out in some narrow places, some tricky, some tricky parts where the grip is changing a little bit and there you can make a difference. But here, it’s just like a racetrack. And the grip is very consistent from start to end. You just have to try and be as smooth and efficient as possible. Try not to overheat the tyre. It’s a difficult rally in that respect. I am looking forward to it.

    Team MRF Tyres: What are your expectations, this is still the first year for MRF and the development of the tyre?

    Craig Breen: I think this  honestly is going to be one of the more difficult rallies, given the specifics of what we’ve seen in the past and how a lot of other tyre manufacturers have struggled here in the past to get the package right. Even with years and years of experience, it’s been difficult. So coming for the first time it’s going to be hard to get it right out of the box. But it’s definitely going to be a learning experience. I think what we’re seeing in testing, we’ve got a tyre that definitely works. It definitely gives us a starting point to work on these types of roads. Let’s hope that we improve with every stage that goes by and we can take a lot of data.

    Team MRF Tyres: We have 17 stages, some 200 kilometers, the weather is going to be a lot warmer than we’ve seen in previous rallies. So how do you manage and maintain and plan for a rally like that?

    Craig Breen: When you’re in the rally you have to try and manage the tyres. You have to be smooth and as efficient as possible. Try not to over think things too much. We have to try and set up the car to cope with the conditions as best we can. We have to be able to manage the tyres as best as we can. The surface here is very abrasive. However, once the event starts, we will push to do our best!

    Team MRF Tyres: Finally, we see another spectacular lineup here in the FIA ERC. What’s it like, running here in Europe for the final time this year against such a great field?

    Craig Breen: It is a great way!  it’s got good entries for the end of the year. I think a lot of people have been looking forward to this event. So it’s going to be nice, looking forward to it and we will have a good weekend. 

    Team MRF Tyres: Thanks, Craig. Best of luck. Craig Breen: Thank-you.

  • MRF’s Breen encounters mechanical failure; Mikkelsen wins: ERC

    MRF’s Breen encounters mechanical failure; Mikkelsen wins: ERC

    While Andreas Mikkelsen celebrated a winning return to the FIA European Rally Championship, Alexey Lukyanuk fought back like a champion with a charging display on Rally Hungary’s deciding leg today, scoring eight potentially crucial points in his bid to win the coveted title for a second time.

    Breen explains podium heartache
    Craig Breen was firmly on course for a podium finish for Team MRF Tyres only for a mechanical failure to force him to retire his Hyundai i20 R5 on SS12 while running in second. The Irishman, a five-time winner in the ERC, explained what went wrong. “Unfortunately, a few kilometres from the end of the third stage of the loop we had an engine failure. There’s no point to point fingers and blame anyone. There was little warning and I think by the time the warning came, the damage [was] already done. There was not a whole lot more that we do to be honest. Today was very simple just to bring it home. That was the task. We took it very easy over the stages. It’s really disappointing, considering all the work that everybody has done, but it is life unfortunately. The progress of MRF Tyres has definitely been impressive. We’ve been we’ve been trying very, very hard and all the tests in the meantime to make tyre more and more competitive and we’re definitely making big improvements and we are going to try and make it even better in the future.”

    Lukyanuk was firmly in the victory fight, a mere 5.1s behind Mikkelsen after five stages on Saturday. But when he was erroneously checked in five minutes early for stage six, his hopes of a third 2020 ERC win came crashing down as a five-minute penalty was applied to the Saintéloc Junior Team driver’s total time.

    Despite languishing in a distant P18 at the overnight halt in host city Nyíregyháza, Lukyanuk didn’t give up and went on a flat-out charge to win leg two courtesy of four stage wins in P13 overall. His performance cut the margin to winner Mikkelsen to 4m53.5s in the ultimate case of what might have been.

    “We won the day so the mission is complete,” said Lukyanuk, who was competing in a Citroën C3 R5 on Pirelli tyres with co-driver Dmitry Eremeev. “Risk management is something to learn of course and we see it’s possible to be faster. All in all, we tried to concentrate on speed and consistency and it feels good.”

    For Mikkelsen, his victory alongside co-driver Ola Fløene, came on the back of seven stage bests, a remarkable performance given this was the Norwegian’s first rally of 2020 and his first in his Pirelli-equipped, Topp-Cars Rally Team-run Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo.

    “I’m undefeated in 2020 so far!” said a jubilant Mikkelsen, a winner of three World Rally Championship events in the past. “It’s been a good weekend. As I said I haven’t been competing, only testing as most of you know, for the last couple of years on Tarmac has been really difficult for me and I think maybe people thought I couldn’t drive on Tarmac any more so it’s nice to come here and show we’ve still got it and we’re still fast. I have to say a huge thanks to our team, Topp-Cars, for delivering me this car, it’s been working flawless all weekend and as well to Skoda for making this really, really nice car. I tried it in 2017, I loved it then but a lot has happened since then and now it’s even better. I feel so comfortable driving and it’s all about confidence. I felt I’ve pretty much been in control all the rally. I felt very good,. We drove a clever strategy, not taking too big risks but we were still quick so it’s really enjoyable.”

    BMA Autosport Hyundai i20 R5 driver Grégoire Munster won ERC1 for the second rally in succession in a career-best second overall with Efrén Llarena, the ERC3 Junior champion from 2019, also landing a personal best in third for Rallye Team Spain having completed leg one in fifth spot.

    MOL Racing Team’s Norbert Herczig was third with two stages remaining but a puncture on SS15 denied the Hungarian a home podium. “I’m really sad, we had a puncture but I don’t know how because we drive carefully,” said the four-time national champion, who drives a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5. “Unfortunately, we lose the podium and I’m sorry for everybody. I wanted very much the podium, but life is life. Next time.”

    As well as benefiting Llarena, Herczig’s delay promoted Oliver Solberg – who was ninth overnight after two punctures on Saturday – to fourth and Niki Mayr-Melnhof to fifth, the Austrian dropping time with a moment through a ditch on SS14.

    Callum Devine was seventh for the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy to continue his strong recent run, while Erik Cais produced a succession of rapid stage times as he recovered from his second-stage off to finish eighth for the Yacco ACCR Team. Double ERC Junior champion Marijan Griebel overcame a high-speed spin this morning to finish ninth for Saintéloc Junior Team. András Hadik, from Hungary, completed the top 10 with Josh McErlean marking his ERC debut with an impressive P11 for the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy.

    Dominik Dinkel (Brose Motorsport) battled back from several delays – plus no working intercom for several Saturday stages – to finish P12 ahead of the recovering Lukyanuk and Yoann Bonato. The Michelin-supported Citroën driver was delayed going off the road on the opening morning then received a one-minute penalty for an early check-in. ORLEN Team’s Polish champion Miko Marczyk, who led after SS1 but lost out on a top result due to a puncture, was P15 with Albert von Thurn und Taxis taking P16.

    More Munster magic in ERC1 Junior
    Grégoire Munster staked his claim on the FIA ERC1 Junior title with a second successive victory as a double puncture hit rival Oliver Solberg’s hopes hard on day one. But Luxembourg driver Munster, in his family-run BMA Autosport Hyundai i20 R5, had issues of his own when his car failed to start prior to leaving overnight parc fermé and then service this morning.

    “It was maybe something to do with the cold night we had,” said Munster. “Today we tried to keep the car always running to not get any more problems. I’m really happy with our weekend, it was a really, really tricky rally. On the first day we pushed and showed some great pace. On the second day we had to manage the gap we had. I did not want to take any risk this morning and we managed it a bit better in the second loop when we showed we were capable of driving fast without making any mistakes.”

    Like Munster, Efrén Llarena was also competing on Rally Hungary for the first time but shrugged off his lack of experience of the event and his Rallye Team Spain-entered Citroën C3 R5. “We tried to have a good pace to do all the stages at 80/85 per cent,” said the ERC3 Junior champion. “This afternoon we were in the fight and saw we could be on the podium so we tried to attack. It was a fantastic podium for the team and also Rallye Team Spain and all the guys that support me.”

    Behind Solberg in third, Callum Devine took fourth ahead of Erik Cais, Dominik Dinkel and Miko Marczyk. Emil Lindholm restarted on day two after he went off the road on SS9 while in the thick of the ERC1 Junior podium battle for Team MRF Tyres. He placed eighth. Hungarian category newcomer Ádám Velenczei retired with a technical issue on leg one and did not restart on Sunday.

    Érdi Jr takes clear ERC2 win as Mabellini makes up for lost time in Abarth Rally Cup
    For the second rally running, Hungarian hero Tibor Érdi Jr was fastest in ERC2 on all but two stages to take a dominant triumph, his third of 2020. Zelindo Melegari finished second with Andrea Mabellini third after Dmitry Feofanov stopped on the final day with an oil leak. Mabellini retired on Friday evening’s superspecial with suspension failure but fought back to complete the ERC2 podium and win the Abarth Rally Cup section for a third time. Martin Rada finished second but Mihnea Mureșan and Roberto Gobbin were non-starters on leg two after crashing out on Saturday. “We are very happy to win our home race,” said Érdi Jr. “We had no problems apart from a slow puncture on SS12. The feeling is amazing and we are very happy, it’s a good job. We tried to be safe without risk and this is what we did.”

    Torn turns on the heat in ERC3/ERC3 Junior title bid
    Ken Torn did his chances of a combined ERC3/ERC3 Junior title triumph the power of good with his third win of the season at the wheel of the Pirelli-equipped Ford Fiesta Rally4 he shares with co-driver Kauri Pannas. The Estonian Autosport Junior Team driver was embroiled in a close battle with Rallye Team Spain’s Pep Bassas, which ebbed and flowed for much of the event.

    “For sure the result is brilliant,” said Torn. “It was a tough weekend, one of the hardest weekends we’ve had, but a big job is done. It’s good experience in the pocket for the future. We had a front-right puncture on stage 15, it was not the best news but we did not lose too much time. The chances of winning the title seem good but there is a lot more to do, we can’t be lazy and we need to keep working and be stronger on the next event.”

    Romanian Raul Badiu completed the ERC3 podium behind Bassas with Norwegian rookie Ola Jr Nore third in ERC3 Junior in Toksport’s all-new Renault Clio RSR Rally5. Hungarian lady driver Adrienn Vogel was a strong fifth in ERC3 with Amaury Molle battling an engine issue for much of the event to finish fourth in ERC3 Junior and sixth in ERC3.

    Csaba Juhász was next up followed by impressive Romanian newcomer Norbert Maior, who was in the ERC3 Junior lead battle until a driveshaft failure forced him out on Saturday. Martin László also showed strong form but his hopes were undone by a trip into a ditch on SS5 and a gearbox issue. Csaba Viszlo crashed out, while Rachele Somaschini retired with the recurrence of an old shoulder injury.

    P1 Racing Fuels Podium Challenge awards drivers
    The P1 Racing Fuels Podium Challenge, run for the first time during the 2019 ERC season finale in Hungary, continued on this year’s event. It rewarded the top three finishes in ERC1 and ERC2 with fuel vouchers that can be exchanged for P1 XR5 race fuel at subsequent events, helping competitors to further reduce the cost of competing. Across both categories, the winning drivers received 150 litres of fuel, while the second and third placed drivers received 100L and 50L respectively.

    PROVISIONAL TOP 15 ERC POSITIONS (after 16 stages, 191.06 kilometres)
    1 Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR)/Ola Fløene (NOR) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo 1h48m31.1s
    2 Grégoire Munster (LUX)/Louis Louka (BEL) Hyundai i20 R5 +1m32.2s
    3 Efrén Llarena (ESP)/Sara Fernández (ESP) Citroën C3 R5 +2m00.3s
    4 Oliver Solberg (SWE)/Aaron Johnston (IRL) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +2m04.8s
    5 Niki Mayr-Melnhof (AUT)/Poldi Welsersheimb (AUT) Ford Fiesta R5 MklI +2m08.2s
    6 Norbert Herczig (HUN)/Ramón Ferencz (HUN) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 +2m31.4s
    7 Callum Devine (IRL)/James Fulton (IRL) Hyundai i20 R5 +2m50.3s
    8 Erik Cais (CZE)/Jindřiška Žáková (CZE) Ford Fiesta R5 MkII +3m24.3s
    9 Marijan Griebel (DEU)/Tobias Braun (DEU) Citroën C3 R5 +3m32.4s
    10 András Hadik (HUN)/Krisztián Kertész (HUN) Ford Fiesta R5 MkII +4m13.6s
    11 Josh McErlean (IRL)Keaton Williams (GBR) Hyundai i20 R5 +4m16.8s
    12 Dominik Dinkel (DEU)/Ursula Mayrhofer (AUT) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +4m35.1s
    13 Alexey Lukyanuk (RUS)/Dmitry Eremeev (RUS) Citroën C3 R5 +4m53.5s
    14 Yoann Bonato (FRA)/Benjamin Boulloud (FRA) Citroën C3 R5 +4m57.7s
    15 Miko Marczyk (POL)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +5m44.5s

    FIA ERC2: Tibor Érdi Jr (HUN)/Zoltán Csökő (HUN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X
    FIA ERC3: Ken Torn (EST)/Kauri Pannas (EST) Ford Fiesta Rally4
    FIA ERC1 Junior: Grégoire Munster (LUX)/Louis Louka (BEL) Hyundai i20 R5
    FIA ERC3 Junior: Ken Torn (EST)/Kauri Pannas (EST) Ford Fiesta Rally4
    Abarth Rally Cup: Andrea Mabellini (ITA)/Nicoló Gonella (ITA) Abarth 124 rally

  • MRF’s Craig Breen-Paul Nagle finish second behind Mikkelsen-Floene: ERC

    MRF’s Craig Breen-Paul Nagle finish second behind Mikkelsen-Floene: ERC

    *Norwegian leads on European championship return for newcomer Topp-Cars Rally Team

    *Title pacesetter Lukyanuk picks up five-minute time penalty for early check-in

    *Breen and ERC1 Junior leader Munster complete overnight podium in Nyíregyháza

    *Torn heading to victory in ERC3/ERC3 Junior, Érdi Jr on course for home triumph in ERC2

    *Rada holds first place in Abarth Rally Cup as Mabellini battles back into contention

    Andreas Mikkelsen came, saw and has so far conquered Rally Hungary, leading on his return to the FIA European Rally Championship as part of a high-quality, multi-national entry.

    The world championship event winner, competing in a Topp-Cars Rally Team-run, Pirelli-equipped Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, was a contender from the start alongside co-driver Ola Fløene.

    After trailing ORLEN Team’s Polish champion Miko Marczyk through Friday’s opening superspecial, Mikkelsen was second to Alexey Lukyanuk on SS2, but able to take a lead he has yet to relinquish, despite a spin on SS3.

    “It’s been a very good day,” said Mikkelsen, who has been fastest on five stages. “We’ve been driving within the limits and have a good gap for tomorrow, we can’t ask for much more. It’s one thing going testing with Pirelli, it’s great and keeps me fit but I’m a competitive guy, I love sports and I like to challenge myself and see where I am against the others. This is a good opportunity to do that.”

    European championship leader Lukyanuk was 5.1s behind Mikkelsen at the midday service halt in Nyíregyháza but far from happy at the completion of SS6, reporting live on Facebook and YouTube that he’d been checked in to the stage start control five minutes early. The ensuing five-minute penalty has dropped the Russian firmly out of contention to the extent he’s unlikely to score ERC points of the first time this season in his Saintéloc Junior Team Citroën C3 R5.

    Craig Breen is second overnight, 23.6s behind Mikkelsen after an overshoot and a spin this morning. However, the Irishman underlined his star quality and the progress of his MRF Tyres by claiming a brace of stage wins in his Hyundai i20 R5. “To get a podium for MRF Tyres and the team is very important, they’ve been working so hard. It’s quite incredible to be getting stage wins after a short period of time.”

    Third-placed Grégoire Munster reported the “biggest moment of my life” through a muddy section on SS8. Driving a Hyundai i20 R5 for BMA Autosport, Munster’s 51.8s ahead of closest ERC1 Junior rival, Rallye Team Spain’s ERC3 Junior champion Efrén Llarena, who is fifth overall behind fourth-placed Norbert Herczig, MOL Racing Team’s four-time national champion.

    Emil Lindholm was fourth and firmly in contention for an overnight podium place after eight stages but was reported to have got stuck after going off the road in his Team MRF Tyres Škoda on SS9.

    Oliver Solberg, Munster’s closest ERC1 Junior title rival, dropped down the order with a front-right puncture on SS7 then lost more time with a left-rear deflation on SS9. “I was running in the middle of the road, I honestly don’t know how it happened,” he said. “It’s so annoying to have two punctures now. The other drivers have moments and they don’t get anything.”

    Solberg’s double delay in his Eurosol Fabia demoted him from third to ninth with double ERC Junior champion Marijan Griebel moving up to sixth, followed by Niki Mary-Melnhof and Callum Devine, who completed SS7 with a front-left puncture on his Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy Hyundai then lost 20s when he went backwards into a field on SS9. A mere 2.8s covers Llarena, Griebel and Mayr-Melnhof.

    Simon Wagner, on his first European championship start since his ERC1 Junior podium in the Czech Republic in August 2019, is a strong P10 after nine stages, followed by Devine’s Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy team-mate Josh McErlean, who is making his ERC debut in Hungary, and former Hungarian champion András Hadik.

    Erik Cais started Rally Hungary on the back of winning two national rallies in his Yacco ACCR Team Ford Fiesta R5 MkII. But an off on SS2 wrecked his hopes of a strong result, although the Czech youngster underlined his promise with the second fastest time on the final stage, which he completed 1.2s down on rally leader Mikkelsen. He’s P13 overnight.

    Brose Motorsport’s German hope Dominik Dinkel is P14 having been hampered by a pop-off valve issue, damaged wheel rim and, more significantly, a faulty intercom, which meant he was hearing co-driver Ursula Mayrhofer’s pacenotes only intermittently. Yoann Bonato is P15 after he went off on SS3. Miko Marczyk is P16 after stopping to change a puncture.

    Albert von Thurn und Taxi is P17 with Alexey Lukyanuk a distant P18. Frigyes Turán, last year’s winner, is P19 having dropped out of contention with a puncture on SS2. Rally driver turned rallycross regular Csuscu is P20.

    Russian Rocket’s rousing run in ruins
    Alexey Lukyanuk had been the man to beat in this season’s ERC with two wins and a second-place finish alongside new co-driver Dmitry Eremeev. But their run is over after Eremeev erroneously checked in to start SS6 five minutes ahead of schedule. With a five-minute penalty dropping him down to P18, Lukyanuk hinted he might not start Sunday’s stages. “I will decide later,” the dejected Russian said.

    Torn turns things round in ERC3/ERC3 Junior battle
    Estonian Autosport Junior Team’s Ken Torn was leading ERC3/ERC3 Junior after four stages in his Ford Fiesta Rally4 but slipped behind Rallye Team Spain’s Pep Bassas – his main title rival – following a puncture on SS5. Bassas, in a Peugeot 208 Rally4, extended his margin on SS6 but a time loss on SS7 allowed Torn to get back in front. He’s 27.9s ahead of Bassas heading into leg two. Ola Jr Nore is third on his ERC debut at the wheel of a Toksport WRT-run Renault Clio RSR Rally5, which was sporting a damaged intercooler at the end of SS9. Amaury Molle is fourth in ERC3 Junior after Norbert Maior retired his Napoca Rally Academy-backed 208 Rally4 with a broken driveshaft. Rachele Somaschini withdrew with the recurrence of a shoulder injury. Raul Badiu is fourth in ERC3 followed by Hungarian lady driver Adrienn Vogel. Martin László was in the podium fight in ERC3 until he got stuck in a ditch on SS5. A gearbox issue has plagued him throughout the afternoon.

    Érdi Jr on course for a third ERC2 victory at home, Rada leads Abarth Rally Cup
    Hungarian hero Tibor Érdi Jr is on course for a third ERC2 win this season after he completed leg one with a comfortable margin ahead of Zelindo Melegari. Dmitry Feofanov is third with Abarth Rally Cup leader Martin Rada fourth followed by Andrea Mabellini. The Italian retired on SS1 with a suspension and restarted this morning with a five-minute time penalty. Mihnea Mureșan was leading the Abarth Rally Cup on his debut but went off the road on SS6. Roberto Gobbin crashed out on SS7.

    Hard day for Hungarian title hopefuls
    It was a disastrous start to the day for reigning Hungarian champion Ferenc Vincze Jr, who retired 300 metres from the beginning of SS3 with a turbo issue. As well as chasing ERC points, Vincze Jr began Rally Hungary locked in a close fight with Ádám Velenczei in his bid to defend his title. Velenczei, who is making his ERC1 Junior debut this weekend, was P15 after five stages but retired following SS6 with broken right-rear suspension.

    PROVISIONAL TOP 15 ERC POSITIONS (after 9 stages, 118.88 kilometres)
    1 Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR)/Ola Fløene (NOR) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo 1h07m55.9s
    2 Craig Breen (IRL)/Paul Nagle (IRL) Hyundai i20 R5 +23.6s
    3 Grégoire Munster (LUX)/Louis Louka (BEL) Hyundai i20 R5 +1m21.3s
    4 Norbert Herczig (HUN)/Ramón Ferencz (HUN) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 +1m57.0s
    5 Efrén Llarena (ESP)/Sara Fernández (ESP) Citroën C3 R5 +2m13.1s
    6 Marijan Griebel (DEU)/Tobias Braun (DEU) Citroën C3 R5 +2m15.2s
    7 Niki Mayr-Melnhof (AUT)/Poldi Welsersheimb (AUT) Ford Fiesta R5 MklI +2m15.9s
    8 Callum Devine (IRL)/James Fulton (IRL) Hyundai i20 R5 +2m31.7s
    9 Oliver Solberg (SWE)/Aaron Johnston (IRL) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +2m36.8s
    10 Simon Wagner (AUT)/Gerald Winter (AUT) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +2m48.4s
    11 Josh McErlean (IRL)Keaton Williams (GBR) Hyundai i20 R5 +3m09.6s
    12 András Hadik (HUN)/Krisztián Kertész (HUN) Ford Fiesta R5 MkII +3m13.2s
    13 Erik Cais (CZE)/Jindřiška Žáková (CZE) Ford Fiesta R5 MkII +3m42.1s
    14 Dominik Dinkel (DEU)/Ursula Mayrhofer (AUT) Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo +3m43.0s
    15 Yoann Bonato (FRA)/Benjamin Boulloud (FRA) Citroën C3 R5 +4m06.8s

    FIA ERC2: Tibor Érdi Jr (HUN)/Zoltán Csökő (HUN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X
    FIA ERC3: Ken Torn (EST)/Kauri Pannas (EST) Ford Fiesta Rally4
    FIA ERC1 Junior: Grégoire Munster (LUX)/Louis Louka (BEL) Hyundai i20 R5
    FIA ERC3 Junior: Ken Torn (EST)/Kauri Pannas (EST) Ford Fiesta Rally4
    Abarth Rally Cup: Martin Rada (CZE)/Jaroslav Jugas (CZE) Abarth 124 rally

    Live timing and results: https://www.fiaerc.com/live-timing/

  • I use karting to hone my skills on tarmac, says Craig Breen

    I use karting to hone my skills on tarmac, says Craig Breen

    In attendance:
    Craig Breen, Team MRF Tyres
    Erik Cais, Yacco ACCR Team
    Callum Devine, Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy
    András Hadik, DVTK SE
    Norbert Herczig, MOL Racing Team
    Andreas Mikkelsen, Topp-Cars Rally Team
    Frigyes Turán, Turán Motorsport SE
    Ferenc Vincze, Pilis Racing Kft. / Dani Fischer Team

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1324783406614519808

    Q:
    You’ve done the recce Craig so how big is the challenge you’ll face on Rally Hungary?

    CB:
    It’s a challenge definitely. I’m not really sure what we’re going to find this weekend because the stages are something like I’ve never seen before. Some parts are really nice with a nice profile, nice roads and the weather has definitely been playing in a nice way so hopefully for the rest of the weekend we can have some nice feelings on those roads but the rest of the weekend is going to be more tricky.

    Q:
    Do any of the stages resemble what you have back home in Ireland and can you use that to your benefit?

    CB:
    Some of the roads back home are broken but at least it’s Tarmac. Here it’s full gravel in some places. We’ve some Tarmac sections in Valais but I’ve never done a Tarmac rally with so much gravel before. It was obviously like this last year, it’s another challenge and we’ll just have to see how it goes but compared to back home, to give some credit to the council people making the roads back home it is Tarmac most of the time in Ireland. But for sure the normal, wider roads are bumpy in places so we’ll enjoy that.

    Q:
    We’ve seen on your social media that you’ve been doing a lot of karting in the run-up to this event. Is that your normal preparation for a Tarmac event?

    CB:
    Honestly the karting is something I finished incorrectly is the right way to put it. When I stopped karting about 10 years ago I did it in the wrong way and always felt I had some unfinished business there. Honestly my idea is to try to do something at European or world level again in the next while if I can squeeze it in. Every time I get back in the kart again it always comes really quickly and really naturally to me and I always enjoy it. I suppose it’s good training and for me it’s the most physically demanding thing I’ve done and I always use it to hone my skills on Tarmac and keep myself strong but honestly it’s part of a long, long plan to give it a proper shot again.

    Q:
    From Alasdair Lindsay (DirtFish.com) by email: Which stage do you think will make the biggest difference to the outcome of the rally and why?

    CB:
    It depends on what the weather is doing. It’s dried up a lot since we did the recce but the first two stages of the rally on the Saturday morning are the ones with the most amount of gravel on it, the most tricky ones, I suppose unknown because we’ve recced them in the worst conditions and I think that’s where we’ll see the most amount of difficulties. Sunday is a relatively ‘easy’ day compared to that but there are still some gravel parts, but the main part of the action should be on Saturday.

    Q:
    Turning to Erik Cais, two wins on national rallies since we last saw you on Rally Fafe Montelongo in Portugal. How have they helped you and how much confidence have they given you?

    EC:
    It was my first overall win and it was twice in Italy and in Poland and it was a really good feeling before Hungary. But it was for testing and the big battle will be here.

    Q:
    Given your mountain bike racing background you’ve commented before that you quite enjoy the slippery conditions. Is it the same with a roof over your head and can you enjoy those conditions?

    EC:
    I like mostly when the weather is changing a lot but I feel like a gentleman because I am not dirty and I am in a car inside. But I also like the mud and the feeling of the car when it’s going sideways at high speed. I hope for rain but the weather forecast is looking like it will be sunny but that will also be okay because in Hungary there is a lot of mud on the road.

    Q:
    There was obviously a lot of mud and water on the road last year when you won in ERC3. How can that help you move forward this year?

    EC:
    For sure the experience of the roads and what they look like with the mud on the road and everything is helping but the difference between the Fiesta R2 and R5 is really big. It will be something different compared to last year, some of the stages are similar but maybe even faster because there will not be so much mud and water on the road so for me it will also be about getting experience of driving this car in these conditions.

    Q:
    Your co-driver Jindřiška Žáková injured her finger on Rally Fafe Montelongo and had to take a rally off but how is she doing now?

    EC:
    She still has something on the finger but hopefully she will be okay. We tried to do some puncture training and it was a little bit different but I think she will be okay to do it.

    Q:
    From Alasdair Lindsay (DirtFish.com) by email: How did the conditions on the recce compared to last year’s event – are they better or worse?

    EC:
    It seems to be better but last year in cuts were trees and if you cut you completely damaged the car. Now there are some things that if you cut you don’t completely damage the car and many drivers will try to cut the corners and also the mud from these corners will be on the road so you need to be careful to see if the mud is coming or not. But from the recce it seems to be better than last year.

    Q:
    And which stage, from the recce, do you believe will be the key stage that we all need to look out for?

    EC:
    For everybody it will be the longest one because the conditions on that stage change every metre.

    Q:
    Turning to Callum Devine, you famously had a podium here last year so what are the memories from that weekend 12 months on?

    CD:
    It’s a little than last year, that’s for sure! It’s quite similar but we’re looking forward to it and the memories were picking up for me doing the recce.

    Q:
    Are the conditions we experienced last year something to be enjoyed or endured?

    CD:
    A bit of both. Last year was a bit of luck because of the punctures but I also like the slippery conditions from back home and it’s very slippery here.

    Q:
    Can you summarise your season so far?

    CD:
    It’s probably been the most challenging year for us. In Latvia we had our first big accident, we’ve also had a bit of bad luck. But we had a good result in Portugal and we hope we can kick off from there and get another good result this weekend.

    Q:
    You’ve got a team-mate at the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy this weekend in Josh McErlean. How much can that help you when discussing strategy and how much can you help him with your experience of last year?

    CD:
    It’s great and it’s brilliant the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy is bringing Josh here. They are doing so much for the young drivers back home. It’s good to have Josh here and it will be good experience for him because he’s probably hasn’t tried anything like this before. I’ve been helping him as much as I can, showing him some onboards from last year, which is also helpful. It’s nice to have him here, he’s a quick driver himself and it will be good to see him progress this weekend.

    Q:
    From Alasdair Lindsay (DirtFish.com) by email: 12 months on from last year’s recce, what can you tell us – better or worse from then to now?

    CD:
    The recce is still quite the same, some of the cuts are still there from last year. There was a lot of rain last year and that was actually cleaning the roads but now it’s a lot more slippery because there’s no rain cleaning the roads, a lot more greasy. It will be quite similar to last year with a lot of anti-cut devices in there too so it’s going to be a tricky rally.

    Q:
    Which stage do you believe will be the one that fans and journalists should look out for?

    CD:
    Sunday should be good, it’s a little bit more cleaner and everybody will have bedded into it a bit more and will be able to push on.

    Q:
    Turning to András Hadik, what does this event mean to you?

    AH:
    Two years ago I claimed my Hungarian title here at a very exciting race that was decided only on the last stage. It was a difficult race, dry, but foggy. Due to the pandemic situation we started the season very late this year. The focus is on the national championship, I think we have no chance at the ERC race because of the top drivers coming to Rally Hungary, but we try to benefit from our experiences on the stages. This morning we realised that almost all of the stages were fully dry, while we had wet test on Wednesday, but we do not worry, because we have the setup for dry weather as well. On the first day we try to focus on the Hungarian championship, and if we still stand on Sunday, we will keep going and push as we can.

    Q:
    Turning to Norbert Herczig, how have your preparations gone for the event and what’s it like to be competing on the same event as your son, Patrik?

    NH:
    The recce went well, and fortunately, we have had some experience from last year, so we had to modify our notes only a bit and now we are ready for the race. Last year there were many punctures, but the organizers took some sections out of the stages to make our lives easier. We are far behind in the overall standing, so there is no sense to figure out any tactics, we have to simply push as we can and prepare for the 2021 season. A year ago, I never thought that I was going to compete at an ERC race with my own son, Patrik. I think he is much smarter, more relaxed than me, he is going step by step, so I do not worry about him, he is here to collect kilometres.

    Q:
    Turning to Andreas Mikkelsen, what’s brought you back to the European Rally Championship and also to Rally Hungary?

    AM:
    Well obviously I’m very happy just to be competing again. It’s such a great feeling to enter rally. I’ve been doing a lot of testing this year but when Topp-Cars Rally Team contacted me and asked me if I wanted to do Rally Hungary. Obviously I was very happy and really happy to be back competing and I’m very glad we made it happen. We had a great test this week and the team feels really good, nice people and we’re ready to give it a go this weekend.

    Q:
    You’ve done the recce so what do you think? A big challenge ahead or can it be enjoyable?

    AM:
    It’s a huge challenge that lies ahead of us. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Tarmac rally with this amount of mud and gravel on the stages. This is very particular for this rally. I remember doing a rally in Hungary almost 10 years ago now but it was in a different area in Pécs and this is very different type of nature, different types of stages. But it’s a good challenge and the same for everyone. We tested on completely dry but some weeks ago I tested for Ypres when we also had a lot of mud and gravel on the road so I think I should be confident driving in these sections. It’s really hard to know the grip levels and how hard you can push. Obviously when we did the recce it was some days before when we arrived and some of the places have dried up but to predict these kinds of surface change since the recce will be very difficult and I think day one will really tell the outcome of the rally.

    Q:
    From Alasdair Lindsay (DirtFish.com) by email: What’s your aim here this weekend?

    AM:
    My aim is very clear, I come here to try to win. I know the competition will be really tough and it’s a new rally for us, which adds to the difficulties of coming here. But I feel really good in the Škoda and I obviously have a long history with Škoda. Already on the test the car felt really, really nice, I felt comfortable and I was able to push straight away. If I can have this feeling during the rally then I will feel quite confident that I can fight at the top. If not I will be quite disappointed with myself. But we will give it a go and let’s see where we are.

    Q:
    Which stage will be key to the rally?

    AM:
    If there is a big gap to the front before the last day, Sunday, it’s really tough because the Sunday stages are a bit more easy. They’re really fast and it’s hard to make a big difference. I do believe Saturday’s stages will be crucial and staying away from punctures will also be important when you look last year how much happened. But stages two and three are pretty different because you have a lot of muddy sections, especially stage three because it’s quite a long stage as well. Stage four is new to everyone and there you can make a gap and do something different. Stage five I guess will be close between everyone so I will say stages two, three and four.

    Q:
    Finally, your old co-driver Ola Fløene is back in the car rather than Anders. Can you give us an update on why that is?

    AM:
    It’s like going 10 years back to the ERC and IRC, back with Ola and back with the Škoda. Anders is having a kid or his wife is having a kid, luckily, not him! So he wants to stay at home which is very understandable and I’m sure that will be a special feeling. I’m very happy to have Ola back on board. We know each other very well from before. We know our systems and already on the first test it was like we’d never been away from each other. Things are working well and I’m confident we can deliver a good result together.

    Q:
    Turning to Frigyes Turán, the winner here last year. What were your memories of that day?

    FT:
    I think we could have deserved the second place last year, and finally, we won due to the others’ problem on the last stage, which was a gift for us. It was an awesome feeling to win the race, we learnt a lot. Now we aim for getting a good result in the National Championship, and if we go well on Saturday, we will be happy on Sunday, too. The race is long, very complex, we must choose the speed very smartly. We have great tyres, we did not even have a puncture last year, so I am not really happy for the changes of the stages, because I love difficult conditions. Overall I think it will be a bit easier this year, but there are some critical sections. We have a good car, a good team, we are absolutely ready for the race. The field is strong, of World Rally Championship standard that gives extra motivation. I hope we can keep up with the top drivers and we can be in the top five.

    Q:
    Turning to Ferenc Vincze, you led here last year but what can you achieve this year?

    FV:
    We are leading the Hungarian national championship by a single point, certainly, it makes me happy, but last year’s race was a bit more relaxed, because we had already won the title by Rally Hungary. We did not have any pressure back then, we pushed as we could. Now the Hungarian championship is the first priority, we focus on trying to defend our title. We try to go safe, but surely fast. Two years ago we did not have the speed, last year we had it, but we had technical problems and punctures, so I think we have to find the balance between speed and safety for this year. The race will be easier than it was last year as it will be dry, but we would love to have a wet race, because we found a good setup for wet surface during the test. We know the stages quite well, they are tight and difficult, so we must drive very accurately, otherwise, we can have a risk to retire at any corner.

    ENDS

  • Team MRF Tyres eager to get on stage at ERC Rally Hungary

    Team MRF Tyres eager to get on stage at ERC Rally Hungary

    Nyíregyháza (Hungary), 4 Nov 2020:Team MRF Tyres returns to the stages for Rally Hungary this weekend. The fourth round of the European Rally Championship will take place near the town of Nyíregyháza in Hungary’s east.

    In total, 16 stages and 191.06km of competitive action awaits the crews. Like last time out, the weather looks to be changeable and it is expected that there will be a lot of mud dragged onto the tarmac s
    surface.

    Craig Breen and Paul Nagle return in their Hyundai i20 R5. After taking the first stage win for Team MRF Tyres in the FIA ERC last time out, the pair are hoping to bring that pace to Hungary.

    Breen and Nagle currently sit fourth in the ERC standings, after being forced to run under Rally 2 rules after hitting oil on stage and taking off a wheel in Portugal, leaving them with no points from the event.

    The focus continues to be on development for the duo as they hope they can get more data on the MRF Tyres in these conditions. Like the opening rounds of the season, it is important to get the information for the next generation of MRF Tyres.

    Emil Lindholm and Mikael Korhonen will join them in their Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. The Finnish duo also showed great pace last time out, topping the Shakedown stage. Their Portuguese rally ended after brake failure and they are keen to get back on stage.

    2020 is the second time that this event has been held in the FIA ERC. The roads are narrow and feature a lot of short corners, making cutting and grip a priority.

    In all, the crews will attack 16 stages, the first of which takes place on Friday night with the Rabócsiring Super Special Stage. The 2.4km test will be a great warm up for the Saturday action.

    Saturday’s stages get underway at 9:33 local time and two loops of four stages will await. Each loop is a touch over 60km with the day seeing 121.18 km of competitive action.

    The day starts off with the 14.45km Újhuta – Bózsva stage before the crews move to the 23.90km Füzér – Abaújvár stage. The 10.85km Fony – Óhuta stage and 10.19 km Mád – Disznókő stage finish the loop.

    It makes tyre choice and tyre management important for the teams with just one visit to service and longs stages waiting to take time off anyone who gets the call wrong.

    Sunday’s action gets underway at 8:33am and features seven stages, totalling 69.88km. The first loop sees four stages, none of which are as long as the Saturday stages.

    Erdőbénye – Aranyospuszta starts the day with 11.20 km of action followed by the 13.1km stage of Telkibánya – Rakodó. The 7.75km Kőkapu – Újhuta is next and will be the final stage of the rally. However the city stage of Nyíregyháza will be a treat for the fans.

    It is a world class entry list for this event with Europe and Hungary’s best vying for a podium position.

    This competition is an ideal way for MRF Tyres to test and develop the tyres – in real conditions against the world’s best drivers.

    As the second half of Team MRF Tyres’ first European Rally Championship season commences, the fight for development never stops.

    Each stage will be streamed live on radio from ERC Radio and MRF Racing will continually update through the weekend on our social channels.

    Quotes
    Craig Breen (Driver – Hyundai i20 R5)

    Rally Hungary is another round of the European Rally Championship I have not done before. With Team MRF Tyres, I am hoping we can have some more consistent conditions with the weather! The wet-dry-wet roads in Fafe gave us a lot of data in those conditions so I hope it can be full wet or full dry to give us chances to gain data in those situations.

    It would be great to capitalize on the pace Team MRF Tyres had in Portugal in the next rally. It showed we had the pace to fight for a podium and showed some of the progress we have made through the season. We will primarily continue focus on development and collecting data as we still looking to learn and develop the next generation of MRF Tyres.

    Credit must go to the team for being able to hold a Covid safe event and I can say that I am looking forward to the rally!

    Emil Lindholm (Driver – Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo)

    Rally Hungary is a new rally for me so it will be interesting to drive the Team MRF Tyres Skoda on those roads. We’ve had a bit of a mixed season this year – we had good pace our pace in Rome and Liepaja even though we were concentrating on development. We again had a lot of speed in Portugal, taking out Shakedown but the brake failure meant we couldn’t capitalize on that.

    Data collection remains to the key for us as we look to develop the future of MRF Tyres rallying product. Before Fafe we were third in ERC1 and we have shown that there is potential in the tyre. So, it would be great to go to Rally Hungary and demonstrate the continued progress from Team MRF Tyres. It will be important for us to have a clean rally so we can maximize the kilometres on the tyres.

    I am looking forward to Rally Hungary and congratulations to the organisers for being able to hold the event at this time.

    About MRF Tyres: MRF Tyres was established in 1946 and now employs over 16,000 people and has revenue of around US$2.5 billion making it the biggest tyre supplier in India. MRF Tyres supplies rally and race tyres around the world.

    About the European Rally Championship: The FIA European Rally Championship, established in 1953 is one of the oldest and most prestigious rally championships in the world. Crews rally across eight rounds from March to November with four tarmac and four gravel events.

    The 2020 ERC calendar is as follows:
    Round 1: Rally di Roma Capitale (asphalt), 24-26 July
    Round 2: Rally Liepāja (gravel), 14-16 August
    Round 3: Rally Fafe Montelongo (asphalt), 2-4 October
    Round 4: Rally Hungary (asphalt), 6-8 November
    Round 5: Rally Islas Canarias (asphalt), 26-28 November
    Round 6: Spa Rally (asphalt), 12-13 December 

  • Team MRF Tyres finish strongly in ERC Round 2

    Team MRF Tyres finish strongly in ERC Round 2

    Liepaja (Latvia), 16 August 2020: Team MRF Tyres have taken provisional fifth and sixth positions in Rally Liepaja, the second round of the FIA European Rally Championship.

    In the first ERC event for the Team MRF Tyres, Craig Breen & Paul Nagle in the Hyundai i20 R5 showed great pace to take fifth position.

    The duo had battled dust problems on Saturday’s stages and made changes to the car in the overnight service to find additional pace for the six Sunday stages.

    The Sunday stages saw six stages in two loops, for a total distance of 87.66 km. The weather was sunny and warm and the dusty gravel roads meant that the road sweeping effect was in full force. Meaning the more cars that ran on the road, the more grip there was.

    Breen/Nagle started the day by taking fifth on SS5 – the longest of the day at 18.11 km. This was followed by sixth on SS6. Unfortunately, an issue on SS7 meant the crew lost 56 seconds and fell down the leader board.

    They bounced back on the other side of service taking the second-best time on SS8. The time of 7:55.4 was just 1.5seconds off the stage winner, Mads Ostberg & Torstein Eriksen.

    After the short stage nine, they had consolidated their fifth place in their first gravel rally in the ERC with MRF Tyres.

    For Emil Lindholm & Mikael Korhonen, it was a tough start to the day. The duo started sixth but an awkward landing after a jump saw them take to a field. They were able to get back on stage and continue in sixth but the battle to move up the leader board had ended.

    Their rally became one of consolidation and, importantly data gathering.   

    They came home in sixth just 1.8 seconds behind their Team MRF Tyres stablemates.

    Lindholm & Korhonen are also competing in the ERC1 Junior Championship. It is a very positive result for the Finnish duo in that category, taking a second behind Solberg/Johnston.

    The final positions of fifth and sixth represent a positive finish for Team MRF Tyres. By pushing the boundaries and gaining important data against some of the best competition, the products will continue to improve. 

    The next round of the 2020 European Rally Championship takes place on the Portuguese Islands with the Azores Rallye. Craig Breen & Paul Nagle will compete on the gravel stage from 17-19 September.

    Craig Breen (Driver, Hyundai i20 R5) 5th

    “It was a tough rally but we showed some good pace. It was important that we got to the end of the rally to pick up good points and get more data for the development of the tyres.”

    “We are pushing the tyres to the limits and we are aggressive on the development of the tyre. The MRF Tyres are durable and it is important to learn develop the tyres. We are happy with the direction of the development of the tyres.”

    “Being able to take a second on one stage was good and shows our pace. What happened to us on SS7 could have happened to anyone. I am looking forward to continuing on gravel at the next round in the Azores Rallye.”

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

    “We wanted to make sure we got to the end of this rally. After our moment in the morning, our focus certainly turned to consolidating our sixth place and gaining data. Saying that, we did have some good pace through the weekend.”

    “Taking a second on a stage is encouraging and like Craig, the development of the MRF Tyres is going in the right direction.”

    “It was also important to get the points in ERC1 Junior. We finished second in that class, which is quite a positive result for us and Team MRF Tyres!”

  • Breen finishes 4th; MRF Tyres look competitive

    Breen finishes 4th; MRF Tyres look competitive

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    P1 Racing Fuels Podium Challenge begins
    The P1 Racing Fuels Podium Challenge, run for the first time during the 2019 ERC season finale in Hungary, will reward the top three finishes on every ERC1 and ERC2 round with fuel vouchers that can be exchanged for P1 XR5 race fuel at subsequent events, helping competitors to further reduce the cost of competing. Across both categories, winning drivers will be entitled to 150 litres of fuel, while second and third placed drivers will receive 100L and 50L of the product respectively.

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

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

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

  • Breen to rally with MRF Tyres in first ERC campaign

    Breen to rally with MRF Tyres in first ERC campaign

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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