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Tag: Ford Fiesta

  • Strong entry list for 2019 FIA Junior World Rally Championship

    The FIA Junior WRC Championship has attracted another strong entry and 13 all-new EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta R2s will line up for the start of the season at next month’s Rally Sweden.

    The exciting 2019 line-up sees drivers representing 10 countries across three continents, and the competition is expected to be stronger than ever as they do battle for one of the biggest prizes in motorsport – ownership of a brand-new Ford Fiesta R5 expected to launch this summer and 200 competition tyres from Pirelli.

    A number of familiar faces are back and more determined than ever – not least Sweden’s Dennis Rådström who was last year’s runner-up with two victories to his name.

    Estonia’s Ken Torn proved he has the speed to win and will be looking for more of the same, as will Germany’s Julius Tannert who puts his experience to good use in pursuit of a return to the top-step of the podium.

    Italy’s Enrico Oldrati and the UK’s Tom Williams are keen to show their progress over the past 12 months, and Romania’s Raul Badiu is returning for a full season having enjoyed his taster at last year’s Rally Turkey.

    The 2018 FIA European Under 27 Junior Champion and Vice Champion are stepping up to the world stage – Latvia’s Mārtiņš Sesks and Sweden’s Tom Kristensson both signed up for the year.

    Jan Solans – younger brother of 2017 Champion Nil Solans – is confirmed having secured six wins out of six on his way to the Junior R2 Championship title in Spain.

    Estonia’s Roland Poom joins the ranks having finished second only to Torn in last year’s Estonian Junior Championship, and Nico Knacker makes his WRC debut after competiting in his native Germany.

    Two competitors from outside Europe are also signed up – Fabrizzio Zaldivar from Paraguay and Sean Johnston from the United States. Zaldivar will be making his debut outside South America next month, whereas Johnston started his career in Europe last year.

    The championship is still taking entries for the following rounds in Corsica, Italy, Finland and Wales and all those interested are encouraged to contact Michał Moździerz (mmozdzierz@m-sport.co.uk).

    FIA Junior WRC Championship Manager, Maciej Woda, said:

    “It’s fantastic to see such a strong entry for this year’s FIA Junior WRC Championship and I can’t wait to see what this year’s crop of talented young drivers are capable of. 

    “With 13 crews from 10 different countries and three different continents, the championship has retained its global appeal and we have more national and European champions within our ranks than ever before!

    “I’m extremely proud of the all-new EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta R2 that we launched at the end of last year, and I’m thrilled to have 13 of these fantastic new cars lined up on the start line in Sweden. 

    “These young guys are going to have a lot of fun behind the wheel of this car, and the prize is bigger than ever – ownership of one of the very first Ford Fiesta R5s which is due to launch in the summer as well as a generous tyre package from Pirelli.

    “We’re in for another thrilling season and I can’t wait for the action to get underway. I expect the competition to be more competitive and more exciting than ever, and there’s still time for further drivers to get involved so I’d encourage any interested parties to get in touch without delay!”

    FIA Junior WRC Championship entries:

    Raul Badiu (ROU)
    Sean Johnston (USA)
    Nico Knacker (GER)
    Tom Kristensson (SWE)
    Enrico Oldrati (ITA)
    Roland Poom (EST)
    Dennis Rådström (SWE)
    Mārtiņš Sesks (LAT)
    Jan Solans (ESP)
    Julius Tannert (GER)
    Ken Torn (EST)
    Tom Williams (GBR)
    Fabrizzio Zaldivar (PAR)

  • Loeb snatches dramatic WRC win in Spain; Ogier regains championship lead after finishing second

    Loeb snatches dramatic WRC win in Spain; Ogier regains championship lead after finishing second

    Sebastien Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena on the podium after their win in Spain. Photo: rallyracc.com

    Salou, 29 October 2018: Sébastien Loeb (co-driver Daniel Elena) claimed his first WRC victory for more than five years in a pulsating finale to RallyRACC Catalunya – Rally de España, the penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship on Sunday. The 44-year old nine-time World champion, making his final guest appearance of the season with Citroën Racing, edged defending title holder Sébastien Ogier by 2.9sec in an intense finale to the four-day mixed surface event.

    Ogier’s consolation was that he regained the championship lead by three points from Thierry Neuville with one round remaining. The Belgian was relegated from third to fourth, and missed out on crucial bonus points, after hitting a stone near the finish.

    After winning every year from 2005 to 2012, Loeb (Citroën C3 WRC) achieved his ninth victory at the RallyRACC, an amazing feat, as he is not currently participating in this season and had chosen the Spanish round as one of the three in which he competed this season. This victory is also the second consecutive achieved by Citroën at the Catalan round, after the one Meeke-Nagle took last year.

    Loeb, who retired from full-time competition in 2012, last stood on the winners’ podium in Argentina in 2013. He lay third overnight but charged into the lead by winning Sunday’s opening two speed tests as an inspired tyre choice reaped rewards. Loeb threw away vital seconds with a spin in the penultimate test to allow Ogier to close in his Ford Fiesta. He held on through the final 14.50km test for his ninth Spanish win.

    “The information we had from the weather team was right. The roads were drying and I knew if I used hard tyres in these conditions I could be fast,” he said. “To win after almost six years is incredible, but to do so in a battle like this, where you only discover after the finish line that you have won, is amazing. I never believed I would win again.”

    Tyre choice errors early in the event cost Ogier dear, but this season’s remarkable title fight swung back in his favour when Neuville hit a stone close to the finish. The impact broke his Hyundai i20’s right rear wheel and allowed Elfyn Evans, team-mate to Ogier, to snatch third and aid his colleague’s title bid. Evans ended 0.5sec clear of Neuville.

    Spain’s Dani Sordo was a further 1.6sec behind in fifth, while early leader Ott Tänak recovered to sixth after yesterday’s puncture. The Estonian is 23 points adrift of Ogier and with a maximum 30 available at the last round, his hopes hang by a thread.

    Esapekka Lappi finished seventh ahead of Toyota Yaris team-mate and overnight leader Jari-Matti Latvala. The Finn remained second until he hit a barrier in the penultimate stage, punctured his front left tyre and dropped nearly 50sec. Craig Breen and Andreas Mikkelsen completed the top 10.

    The championship showdown takes place at Kennards Hire Rally Australia. The gravel event is based in Coffs Harbour on 15-18 November.

    Sebastien Ogier….back at the top of the championship. Photo: M-Sport.

    Ogier said; “It’s been an eventful weekend but we’re feeling good at the end of it. We knew that it would be difficult starting second on the road and the wet conditions made it really challenging as well. But we never gave up and gave it everything we had. You’re always a little frustrated when you miss the victory by such a small margin, but we tried everything we could and it’s still been a positive weekend as we regained the lead of the championship. Starting first on the road in Australia will be difficult, but I prefer to have the points in hand. It will be a tough rally and we will have to give it everything we have if we want to regain the title.”

    The day started with a first pass through the Riudecanyes (16.35 km) and Santa Marina (14.50 km) stages, where Loeb set the fastest time, taking the lead after this first loop and leaving Latvala Miikka (Toyota Yaris WRC), 7.1 seconds behind, and Ogier (Ford Fiesta WRC) at 10.8.

    With all options open before the second loop over the same two stages, Riudecanyes had a surprising winning duo, Elfyn Evans-Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC), who took the fifth place overall ahead of the Spanish Dani Sordo-Carlos del Barrio (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC). Nevertheless, the highlight in that stage was a spin by Loeb at the Coll de la Teixeta roundabout, where he lost some seconds but kept the lead, as well as a puncture for Latvala, this time in the left front tyre, that took him definitively out of the fight for victory.

    At Santa Marina, the Power Stage, Loeb and Ogier met for the final duel and the last stage could not be more exciting: Ott Tänak was the fastest and took the 5 extra points. But the drivers fighting for victory were right behind him, Ogier second and Loeb third, which allowed the Citroën driver to take the win, for the ninth time at the RallyRACC, a historical feat that no one else had achieved in the 54 editions held.

    Thierry Neuville lost the third final position in the last few meters, as he damaged his rear tyre, so Elfyn Evans, who was fourth in the Power Stage, completed the overall podium. Dani Sordo, who took one additional point in this last stage, was not able to do any better than the sixth place, ahead of Ott Tänak, who is now definitively out of the fight for the drivers’ title.

    Teenager Rovanpera leads 1-2 WRC 2 finish for Skoda

    Kalle Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen celebrating their WRC 2 category. Photo: Skoda Motorsport

    Exactly on the day of the 100 years celebration of the country Czechoslovakia, Czech ŠKODA factory crew Jan Kopecký/Pavel Dresler celebrated their WRC 2 championship win with a second place behind team-mates Kalle Rovanperä-Jonne Halttunen. Before the event, ŠKODA Motorsport also had secured the WRC 2 Championship for Teams, making the 2018 season the most successful in its history.

    After the rally switched from gravel to tarmac for the Saturday leg, 18-year old Rovanperä stormed into the category lead, unimpressed by heavy rain. Finally, he secured his second WRC 2 win of the season, which made them climb up to third overall in the WRC 2 championship standings behind teammates Jan Kopecký and Pontus Tidemand.

    Kopecký said:  “This is a very special day for me. On the date today, my home country celebrates its 100th birthday. We are delighted to become WRC 2 champions and so could crown a fantastic season!”

    One of the first to congratulate was Christian Strube, Head of Technical Development ŠKODA AUTO. ŠKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek added: “Now it is time to celebrate! Kalle and Jan did a great job. The whole team made it possible, that we enjoy the most successful year in the history of ŠKODA Motorsport!”

    Overall Classification:

    1. Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (Citroen C3 WRC) 3:12:08.0
    2. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) +2.9
    3. Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC) +16.5
    4. Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +17.0
    5. Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +18.6
    6. Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (Toyota Yaris WRC) +1:03.9
    7. Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm (Toyota Yaris WRC) +1:16.6
    8. Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) +1:26.4
    9. Craig Breen / Scott Martin (Citroen C3 WRC) +2:07.0
    10. Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jaeger (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +2:48.2
    11. Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula (Ford Fiesta WRC) +3:52.0

    Drivers’ Championship Standings:

    1. Sébastien Ogier – 204
    2. Thierry Neuville – 201
    3. Ott Tänak – 181
    4. Esapekka Lappi – 110
    5. Jari-Matti Latvala – 102
    6. Andreas Mikkelsen – 84
    7. Dani Sordo – 71
    8. Elfyn Evans – 70
    9. Craig Breen – 61
    10. Hayden Paddon – 55
    11. Teemu Suninen – 54

    Manufacturers’ Championship Standings:

    1. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC – 331
    2. Hyundai Motorsport – 319
    3. M-Sport Ford World Rally Team – 306
    4. Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team – 216
  • Neuville snatches dramatic win over Ogier to extend WRC title lead

    Neuville snatches dramatic win over Ogier to extend WRC title lead

    Thierry Neuville reacts after scoring a sensational win over Sebastien Ogier in the Rally Italia Sardegna. Photo: WRC

    Alghero, 10 June 2018: Thierry Neuville snatched a thrilling Rally Italia Sardegna victory on Sunday afternoon after edging WRC title rival Sebastien Ogier in an electrifying shootout in the final speed test. He trailed Ogier by 0.8sec ahead of the 6.96 kms test, but delivered a daredevil drive in his Hyundai i20 to overhaul the Frenchman and claim his third win of the season by 0.7sec. Neuville extended his championship lead over Ogier to 27 points.

    Esapekka Lappi finished third in a Toyota Yaris, a further 1min 51.3sec behind. The results remain provisional after a bizarre incident at the finish of the penultimate stage when Ogier hurriedly departed in his Ford Fiesta without collecting his time card. It was later delivered to him by Ott Tänak. It was a breach of regulations which prohibit the crew receiving items from a third party.

    After investigating the issue, stewards removed the 22 points Ogier and Ingrassia gained from the rally and the 18 earned by their M-Sport Ford team. The penalty was suspended, meaning it will only be applied if the pair repeat the offence before the end of the season. They were also fined 10,000 Euros. The decision means Ogier remains 27 points adrift of Neuville with six rounds remaining.

    Ingrassia admitted his mistake at the hearing. He said they left the stage finish without checking the time card had been returned by marshals and when he realised the error, it was too late to return to the finish line by car or on foot. Stewards accepted it was a genuine mistake which had no effect on the performance of their Ford Fiesta.

    Neuville won the final live TV Power Stage to claim five bonus points. Ogier took four points for second with Ott Tänak scoring three in third in a Yaris. Andreas Mikkelsen and Elfyn Evans took two and one point respectively.

    It was the third smallest winning margin in the WRC’s 45-year history, matching Neuville’s dramatic success in Argentina last year when he performed a similar snatch and grab on Elfyn Evans.

    The Belgian started the sun-kissed short final leg along Sardinia’s north-west coast 3.9sec adrift of Ogier. He won the opening three tests before both drivers threw caution to the wind in the finale. Both made mistakes on the dusty, rocky tracks but Neuville emerged on top.

    “I gave it everything, it was a really great fight and such a small difference at the end,” he said. “We needed to make a decision at the start of the last stage and our decision was to go for the win. We believed strongly and pushed hard.”

    Ogier was far from downhearted. “We lost one battle but definitely not the war. It’s not the time to panic. I tried everything I could today but I was always losing a few tenths here and there,” he said.

    Kopecky takes third WRC 2 win of the season

    Jan Kopecky on a high after enjoying a comfortable win in WRC 2, his third of the season. Photo: WRC

    A clean run through the final day of the rally enabled Jan Kopecky to seal his third WRC 2 win of the year by more than three minutes. After Stéphane Lefebvre’s retirement on Saturday, the Skoda Motorsport driver knew all he had to do was clear Sunday’s four stages cleanly to claim victory, and that is exactly what he did. He kept his Fabia R5 out of trouble on the rocky and rutted roads to win by 3m 02.6sec.

    Twenty-five points for victory keeps Kopecky second in the drivers’ standings, behind team-mate Pontus Tidemand. But with the Swede not participating in Italy, the gap between them slims to 18 points.

    “The feeling is really nice because the Czech fans are everywhere here,” Kopecký explained. “The rally didn’t start completely perfect, but we’ve been fast the rest of the weekend and there were no mistakes.”

    Ole Christian Veiby…..brilliant run. Photo: WRC

    Ole Christian Veiby secured runner-up spot in the second Skoda Motorsport Fabia R5. The Norwegian claimed a hat-trick of stage wins to add to his six from Saturday as he overhauled Hyundai i20 driver Nicolas Ciamin on the rally’s penultimate stage.

    Ciamin claimed the final podium spot, deciding to focus on bringing the car home in one piece as the gravel tracks got rougher on the second run and rocks were pulled onto the racing line.

    Pierre-Louis Loubet was one of the drivers caught out by the rough conditions in his i20 R5, he lost more than two minutes on the second run of the 14.06km Cala Flumini stage. That dropped him from fourth to sixth as Fabio Andolfi and Lukasz Pieniazek both squeezed their Skodas into the top five, despite a stall for the latter on the same stage.

    Loubet’s woes were compounded when he was forced to retire at final control. That promoted Benito Guerra to sixth after his retirement yesterday. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Lefebvre rounded out the finishers – the Frenchman showing strong pace in his Citroën C3 R5 by claiming fastest WRC 2 time in the Sassari-Argentiera Live TV Power Stage.

    Toyota development driver Takamoto Katsuta retired on SS17 with a broken driveshaft in his Ford Fiesta R5, while Simone Tempestini was unable to restart after mechanical issues with his Citroën on Saturday.

  • Rally de Portugal: Thierry Neuville takes control, extends lead

    Rally de Portugal: Thierry Neuville takes control, extends lead

    Thierry Neuville….well placed to claim victory in Rally de Portugal. Photo: WRC

    Matosinhos, 19 May 2018: Thierry Neuville gave his World title hopes a major boost after doubling his lead in Saturday’s penultimate leg of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal. He starts Sunday’s short finale with a 39.8sec advantage in his Hyundai i20, and victory would propel him back to the head of the FIA World Rally Championship for the first time since February.

    Conditions were more benign than yesterday when rock-strewn dirt roads caused carnage among the frontrunners, and the Belgian focused on the double pass through the 37.60km Amarante speed test, the longest of this sixth round of the series.

    He protected his Michelin tyres through the two previous stages of the morning and afternoon loops, before attacking in Amarante. He distanced closest rival Elfyn Evans on both occasions to build a comfortable advantage.

    “I was comfortable in the car, especially in the long stage. I tried to make a difference in there and it worked twice. It’s not finished yet but it could be a great weekend,” said Neuville whose conservative mix of hard and soft compound tyres was ideal for the wet final test.

    Evans won two of the day’s six stages in his Ford Fiesta, one more than Neuville, and the Welshman looked increasingly secure in second as the day progressed. He struggled for confidence in both passes through Amarante, but had a 17.4sec margin over Dani Sordo.

    The Spaniard stiffened his i20’s set-up following the morning’s opening test but slipped back into the clutches of Teemu Suninen with a final stage spin. The margin between them narrowed to 4.7sec.

    The young Suninen had a stellar day in his Ford Fiesta, holding off fellow-Finn Esapekka Lappi in a furious fight. Both were on the limit throughout as they traded seconds in every stage and Lappi ended 11.1sec adrift in his Toyota Yaris.

    Mads Østberg was a distant sixth, the Norwegian conceding almost a minute after sliding onto a bank at a muddy corner. The Citroën C3 driver was almost 1min 40sec clear of team-mate Craig Breen.

    Breen endured a tough day opening the roads in the sandy conditions but gained a place following more disappointment for Kris Meeke in the French squad’s third C3. The Ulsterman slid wide on a fast left bend and his C3 rolled heavily down a bank and into trees. Both Meeke and co-driver Paul Nagle were unhurt.

    Pontus Tidemand took the WRC 2 lead and held eighth place, ahead of fellow support category drivers Lukasz Pieniazek and Stéphane Lefebvre.

    Five more stages covering 51.53km lie in wait on Sunday, including two passes through the classic Fafe test and its famous jump. The second pass forms the Power Stage with bonus points on offer to the fastest five drivers.

    Pontus Tidemand recovers to forge ahead

    Pontus Tidemand….grand recovery to lead WRC 2. Photo: WRC

    Tidemand recovered from a disappointing Friday to claim all six Stage victories on Saturday and move into the lead of the WRC 2 category. The Skoda Fabia R5 driver started the day 1m 44.6sec off the lead in fifth place after two a double puncture yesterday, but he combined blistering pace with bad luck befalling his rivals to move his way up the order. By lunch-time service, he was second, with 49.4sec to make up to Stéphane Lefebvre. Another three wins on the afternoon loop sealed his place at the top of the class at the end of the day.
    He was helped by a puncture for Lefebvre on SS14 and then brake and transmission problems cost the C3 R5 driver more than two minutes one stage later. The Frenchman finished the day in third.

    Overnight leader Gus Greensmith had a day to forget in his Ford Fiesta. On the opening Vieira do Minho test, he had a puncture which forced him to use his spare, and then another tyre de-beaded. With no more spares, he had to be cautious through the next two stages. Having slipped to sixth, he was quickly reclaiming the time he lost but had to retire with broken suspension on the road section before the second run of Amarante.

    Benefiting from his retirement was Lukasz Pieniazek in a Fabia R5, who kept his second place despite a puncture of his own on SS14. Fourth place went to Pierre-Louis Loubet. The Hyundai i20 R5 driver had a clean run through the tests to move to within 8.0sec of compatriot Lefebvre.

    Toyota development driver Hiroki Arai grew in confidence as the day went on, with top-five stage times allowing him to claim fifth place before the final stages on Sunday. Juuso Nordgren ended the day sixth in his Fabia, despite a puncture on SS14 slowing his progress.

    Pedro Heller dropped out of the top five after a challenging day of his own. After a puncture this morning, he retired with mechanical issues 6.4km into SS15. His team-mate Nil Solans also hit trouble on the final stage, retiring at the 24.1km mark.

    Finnish ŠKODA junior Juuso Nordgren was delayed by another two punctures and are sixth after the Saturday leg.

  • Rally de Portugal: Neuville makes profit amidst crashes and retirements

    Rally de Portugal: Neuville makes profit amidst crashes and retirements

    Thierry Neuville, who made most of the situation to take early lead on Friday. Photo: WRC

    Porto, 18 May 2018: Thierry Neuville led the Vodafone Rally de Portugal on Friday night after a chaotic opening leg destroyed the hopes of a host of front-runners. The lead changed hands on six occasions on rock-strewn dirt roads near the Spanish border before the Belgian took a 17.7sec advantage in his Hyundai i20 over Elfyn Evans. Dani Sordo was a further 6.6sec adrift in third.
    WRC leader Sébastien Ogier, previous round winner Ott Tänak, Toyota Yaris team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala and Hyundai duo Andreas Mikkelsen and Hayden Paddon were all sidelined as the gruelling roads took a heavy toll.

    Neuville’s gamble to select soft tyres for this afternoon’s second loop of three speed tests appeared to have backfired as temperatures rose and the tracks became rougher than expected. He held his nerve and jumped from sixth to first as bedlam broke out around him, retaining his advantage over two asphalt stages in the streets of central Porto.

    “Today was tough, but we managed to stay out of trouble. It was very rough and there were many, many surprises. So I tried to save the car a bit. It was a risky tyre choice which was maybe not great but we made it work,” he said.

    Evans held second in a Ford Fiesta until a spin dropped him down the order, but the Welshman vaulted from seventh to second in the twists and turns of the final dirt road stage.

    Sordo topped the leaderboard midway through the leg in his i20. Like team-mate Neuville, the Spaniard opted for soft tyres this afternoon, but regretted his decision and had to slow as they became worn.

    Teemu Suninen was fourth in another Fiesta, the Finn avoiding the carnage to trail Sordo by 10.1sec and head Esapekka Lappi in the sole-surviving Toyota Yaris by 11.4sec. Mid-leg set-up changes resolved Lappi’s traction problems.

    Mads Østberg was sixth in a Citroën C3, half-a-minute clear of team-mate Kris Meeke who twice led. Tyre troubles forced Meeke to drive the final Porto stages with just a wheel rim on the rear left of his car and he conceded a minute.

    Craig Breen plunged from third to eighth after stopping to change a puncture, while WRC 2 leader Gus Greensmith and Lukasz Pieniazek completed the leaderboard.

    End of road for Sebsatien Ogier. Photo: WRC

    Ogier was fourth until he broke a steering arm in his Ford Fiesta after hitting a tree root and he crashed at the next bend. Tänak hit a rock and damaged his engine’s cooling system, forcing him to retire from the rally. Toyota’s turmoil continued when Latvala hit a rock and broke his front right suspension.

    Paddon retired from the lead after a heavy impact damaged the front left of his i20 and blocked the stage. The Kiwi was taken to hospital for precautionary checks after complaining of back pain. Broken power steering and engine issues accounted for team-mate Mikkelsen.

    Saturday’s leg is the longest of the event, journeying east of the rally base in Matosinhos to demanding roads in the Cabreira Mountains. Three stages are driven morning and afternoon covering 154.64 Kms.

    Gus Greensmith takes early lead in WRC 2

    Gus Greensmith. Photo: WRC

    Greensmith profited when championship leader Pontus Tidemand (Skoda Fabia R5) suffered a puncture on the very first Stage. Driving a Ford Fiesta R5, Greensmith was battling for the lead with Citroën Racing’s Stéphane Lefebvre from the very start of the day as the pair took a stage win apiece. Tidemand recovered from a right-rear puncture early on Friday to claim a stage victory on the third test of the day, but his time loss on the opener dropped him to seventh after the morning loop.

    The leader going into mid-day service was Lefebvre, as an intercom failure for Greensmith before the 27.54 kms Ponte de Lima stage wiped out his early gains.

    In the afternoon, it was Skoda Motorsport’s Tidemand who was on the pace as he claimed a trio of wins – including a double on the Porto Street Stage – to recover some of the time he lost, ending Friday in fifth.

    Greensmith came out on top after Lefebvre was struck with a right-rear puncture on SS5 with the Brit claiming the category lead one stage later. He will start Saturday’s second leg with a lead of 34.3sec.

    Citroën C3 driver Lefebvre finished the day third, 0.5sec behind Lukasz Pieniazek who kept out of trouble to work his way onto the podium. Fourth was Pedro Heller, the Fiesta driver rewarded for a clean run through the day while others hit trouble.  Sixth was Nil Solans, who couldn’t match the pace of the front-runners, while Pierre-Louis Loubet ended the day’s eight stages seventh in his Hyundai i20 R5.

    Six crews retired from the leg, including Sweden category winner Takamoto Katsuta as well as Simone Tempestini and Max Vatanen – who are both making their first appearance of 2018. Also running into issues was Hyundai Racing’s Jari Huttunen who retired after a mechanical problem on SS6.

  • Sebastien Ogier leads by 33 seconds; Loeb crashes out in Tour de Corse

    Sebastien Ogier leads by 33 seconds; Loeb crashes out in Tour de Corse

    Ogier after taking the lead on Friday. Photo: FIA

    Corsica, April 6: After the repeated afternoon stages on the opening day of the 2018 Tour de Corse, Sebastien Ogier has extended his advantage and now heads Thierry Neuville by 33.6 seconds on Friday.

    The Frenchman won all but one of the day’s four stages and has a comfortable lead over his nearest Championship rival as the crews head into the longest day of the rally on Saturday. The fight behind the second-placed Belgian is however intense with Kris Meeke just 5.1 seconds further adrift in third and Ott Tanak 5.5 more seconds behind in fourth.

    Ogier has reigned supreme and has had a virtually totally trouble-free run and was able to start pulling out a clear advantage when Sebastien Loeb retired after going off the road this morning.

    Neuville, third going into the afternoon stages, was able to move ahead of Kris Meeke in the first of the repeated tests, second fastest through the long 49 kilometre stage aiding his charge. He maintained position through the final stage, pushing hard to stay ahead of a chasing Meeke.

    The Northern Irish driver once again suffered with a faulty intercom this afternoon but was happy with his day in the C3 WRC. Tanak heads Toyota’s challenge in fourth, the Estonian admitting he was playing with a few settings in his first outing in the Yaris WRC on asphalt.

    Toyota team-mate Esapekka Lappi has upped the pace this afternoon and had a great final stage, taking the fastest time in his first drive in a World Rally Car in Corsica. He is fifth albeit nearly 30 seconds adrift of Tanak.

    Behind the Finn, there is a big battle with four other drivers; Elfyn Evans is chasing hard and only three-tenths of a second behind Lappi, Dani Sordo sits a further six-tenths of a second away and previous Tour de Corse winner Jari-Matti Latvala is eighth and again within striking distance of his rivals. Andreas Mikkelsen is a close ninth and Bryan Bouffier rounds off the top 10.

    In the FIA WRC 2 Championship category, the fight is between Jan Kopecky and Yohan Bonato, the rivals split by 20.8 seconds at the end of a long day of competition in the mountains. The FIA Junior WRC Championship is headed by Terry Folb, the Frenchman 10.9 seconds ahead of Jean-Baptiste Franceschi.

    Tour de Corse – Unofficial classification after Section 2

    1 Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 1hr 19min 39.0sec
    2 Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 1hr 20min 12.6sec
    3 Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle Citroen C3 WRC 1hr 20min 17.7sec
    4 Ott Tanak / Martin Jarveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 1hr 20min 23.2sec
    5 Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 1hr 20min 52.5sec
    6 Elfyn Evans / Phil Mills Ford Fiesta WRC 1hr 20min 52.8sec
    7 Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio Hyundai i20 Couple WRC 1hr 20min 53.4sec
    8 Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 1hr 21min 04.0sec
    9 Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 WRC 1hr 21min 08.2sec
    10 Bryan Bouffier / Xavier Panseri Ford Fiesta WRC 1hr 21min 23.8sec

  • Tanak, Jarveoja take 2nd WRC win: Rallye Deutschland

    Ford Fiesta WRC drivers Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja claimed their second FIA World Rally Championship victory today when they took the top step of the podium on Rallye Deutschland. The Estonians led from the first full day of competition on Friday to take their first Tarmac win on an event their M-Sport team had yet to conquer. Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger held off Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia for second position, a fine result for the Norwegians on their third event with Citroën and first on asphalt for the French manufacturer.

    “It’s a great feeling!” said Tänak. “The start to the rally went perfectly. After that it was just about controlling our lead. Winning our first Tarmac event feels cool. With 25 points here I don’t see any reason why we can’t fight for the Championship. We will keep fighting; we need to keep winning if we’re going to win the Championship.”

    In the race for the title, Ogier had hoped for better but with Thierry Neuville retiring yesterday and failing to score any Power Stage points, the Frenchman now has a 17 point advantage over the Belgian with three rounds remaining. Ott Tänak maintains third but still with a chance of fighting for the title. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, M-Sport’s double podium sees it take an impressive 64 point advantage over Hyundai who had a more than disappointing weekend in Germany.

    Today’s route was by far the shortest and covered two identical loops of two stages covering 51.94 competitive kilometres. In confident mood, Tänak was able to control his pace through the closing stages and never looked challenged before ultimately taking the win by 16.4 seconds. Mikkelsen nevertheless kept the pressure on the Estonian and fended off Ogier to take Citroën’s second podium of the season after Kris Meeke’s victory in Mexico. With both Ogier and Neuville making mistakes earlier in the event, Ogier adopted a more cautious approach after his Championship rival retired yesterday and the Frenchman set his sights on maintaining position and scoring as many points in the Power Stage as possible. He picked up two additional points.

    Behind the leading trio, Juho Hänninen managed to climb to fourth; the Finn overhauled Elfyn Evans in the day’s opener when the Welshman overshot a junction and stalled. Evans’ woes continued with probably not the best tyre choice and he was passed by Craig Breen in the final stage, the Irish driver closing the gap in the penultimate stage with fastest time and powering ahead in the final one, dropping Evans to sixth. Jari-Matti Latvala salvaged some extra points for third in the Power Stage, adding to his tally for seventh overall. Hayden Paddon was the lead Hyundai driver in eighth and while team-mate Dani Sordo finished way down the order, the Spaniard took some consolation from maximum points in the Power Stage. Germany’s Armin Kremer finished ninth in his first outing in a 2017 spec WRC car.

    Eric Camilli rounded off the top 10 and also won the FIA WRC 2 Championship category in a Fiesta R5. He headed asphalt ace Jan Kopecky by nearly a minute. Pontus Tidemand’s third position was enough to secure the Swede an unassailable lead in the category and he and Skoda provisionally take the title with three rounds remaining*. In the FIA Junior WRC Championship, local driver Julius Tannert took a dream win by an enormous margin after his rivals hit problems. Nil Solans, second in the category, looks on course to win the title on the final round of their Championship in Spain, but the Spaniard claimed the FIA WRC 3 Championship title here in Germany*.

    The FIA World Rally Championship contenders now take a break before returning to action for Rally España (5-8 October).

     

    Rallye Deutschland – Final unofficial results (subject to scrutineering)

    1.   Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 57min 31.7sec
    2.   Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Citroën C3 WRC 2hr 57min 48.1sec
    3.   Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 58min 02.1sec
    4.   Juho Hänninen / Kaj Lindström Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 59min 20.9sec
    5.   Craig Breen / Scott Martin Citroën C3 WRC 2hr 59min 33.2sec
    6.   Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 59min 35.1sec
    7.   Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 01min 29.9sec
    8.   Hayden Paddon / Sebastian Marshall Hyundai i20 WRC 3hr 02min 04.1sec
    9.   Armin Kremer / Pirmin Winklhofer Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 07min 51.1sec
    10. Eric Camilli / Benjamin Veillas Ford Fiesta R5 3hr 08min 16.0sec

     

    * Subject to the official publication of the results by the FIA

  • Interview with Chris Williams, the man behind the Ford Fiesta WRC

    Interview with Chris Williams, the man behind the Ford Fiesta WRC

    Head of Rally Engineering at M-Sport and the man behind the all-new Ford Fiesta WRC, Chris Williams gives us his thoughts ahead of Rallye Monte-Carlo.

    When did work begin on the Ford Fiesta WRC?

    “We’ve had people working on the concept since the middle of 2015. As with any new car, the first job is to get an understanding of the regulations and where we can explore new ideas or make changes. This was particularly hard at the outset as the regulations were very fluid.”

    How much freedom did the new regulations allow?

    “These new regulations have definitely provided greater scope for doing something different – and you can see that in the aerodynamics alone. Working in secrecy each team has come up with something slightly different, although there are some themes that are common amongst cars.

    “We set an aero balance target and we’ve achieved that. You constantly have to balance the equation of drag, downforce, durability and robustness. We’re looking for efficiency all around and everyone has had to calculate what risks they’re willing to take when it comes to the balance between performance and durability.”

    How much of the Fiesta WRC has been designed from scratch?

    “A lot is the simple answer. Almost every part of the car has been specifically optimized for this project with very little if any compromise. We’ve been focused to build the best car we possibly can and we’ve had everything we needed to get the job done.

    “If we take the transmission as an example, the old unit was taken from the Ford Fiesta S2000 and developed for use in WRC. This year, the transmission has been specifically designed and optimised purely as a component for this car and the new regulations.”

    Has the development process gone to plan?

    “It’s involved a lot of hard work. We have a small, but strong team of people working around the clock behind the scenes. The design guys have been flat-out and we are pretty hopeful we can punch above our weight.

    “We implemented as much as we possibly could. With any new car there are always a few areas that you would have liked to have investigated further if time allowed, but I think that is the same for everyone. Anything that we thought we had an advantage on has been incorporated.

    “We have put absolutely everything we could into this project. At this point it’s hard to gauge how competitive the car will be, but we will soon see! We’ve definitely made a huge step up from our previous car.”

    What’s it like to have the four-time World Champion behind the wheel of the Fiesta WRC?

    “It brings a lot of pressure for sure, but it also brings a massive opportunity. The motivation here has stepped up two or three notches and everyone is extremely driven to deliver the very best over the course of the season.

    “I think it’s probably fair to say that everyone was in need of a little boost at the end of last year, and Sébastien [Ogier] and Julien [Ingrassia] have certainly provided that. They got in the car and said yes, that’s a 2017 world rally car, so that’s a very good start.”

    What will the atmosphere in the team by like at the start of Rallye Monte-Carlo?

    “I don’t think we’ll sleep at all before the rally starts! Waiting for that first split time to come through will be a very anxious moment and it will be interesting to see if it will be a straight fight or if the conditions play a deciding factor.

    “But, we’ve got the best chance that we’ve had in years. We’ve got the best drivers that we could possibly get and we need to go out there and do well. It’s as simple as that, we need to deliver, so the pressure is on!”

    eom/David

    Seb Ogier will be behind the wheel of an all-new Ford Fiesta for the WRC 2017 season with M-Sport. An M-Sport image