INDIA in F1

Tag: Rally

  • Three-way fight to the Swedish finish: WRC Second Round Rally Sweden

    Rally Sweden 2015Split by less than 10 seconds, Thierry Neuville, Andreas Mikkelsen and Sebastien Ogier have set the scene for a sensational fight for victory in Rally Sweden

    Vargasen (Sweden), 14 Feb 2015:
    Hyundai i20 WRC driver Thierry Neuville catapulted himself into the lead of Rally Sweden this evening and heads a thrilling three-way battle for victory in the second round of the FIA World Rally Championship. The young Belgian is a mere 1.5 seconds ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen, who lost his lead on the final stage, while Volkswagen team-mate Sébastien Ogier – who was expected to mount a big come-back today – is third, a further 8.1 seconds adrift.
    Today’s route was more familiar to the crews and took them over two identical loops of four stages split by a mid-day service in Hagfors. Neuville, second last night, has been pushing hard all day, despite being handicapped by the weight disadvantage of running with two spare wheels when his rivals only had one. However, it was this that ultimately powered him into the lead, as he was able to use fresh rubber in the final stage to claim his second fastest stage time and the overall advantage. Mikkelsen has been impressive too, but the Norwegian’s two mistakes during the day saw his lead increase and decrease in equal measures. An encounter with a ditch as well as a spin enabled Ogier to close the gap but the reigning World Champion struggled with the road conditions at the front of the field this afternoon and was unable to mount a serious assault on the lead. The three Hyundai and Volkswagen drivers are however split by just 9.6 seconds this evening and have set the scene for a great battle over Sunday’s closing three stages and 46.74 competitive kilometres
    Behind the leading trio, Mads Østberg suffered early disappointment when he ran wide, hit a bank and sustained a puncture in the opening stage, dropping himself behind Ogier into fourth position and out of the intense fight for the podium positions. He is 35.8 seconds ahead of fifth placed Ott Tanak and Hayden Paddon has held off Martin Prokop to maintain sixth. Prokop had a bad landing on the nose of the car this afternoon but has otherwise escaped unscathed. Elfyn Evans has had another improving day and the Welshman has moved from 10th last night to eighth, also benefiting with a more advantageous road position. Kris Meeke has similarly had a better day and also set his first-ever fastest stage time on snow. He is ninth but ready to overhaul the four-tenths of a second deficit to Evans. Yuriy Protasov rounds off the top 10, the Ukrainian having been off the road earlier in the day.
    Rally Sweden – Unofficial Results after Section 6
    1.  Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 WRC 2hr 29min 54.5sec
    2.   Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene Volkswagen Polo R WRC 2hr 29min 56.0sec
    3.   Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Volkswagen Polo R WRC 2hr 30min 04.1sec
    4.   Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson DS 3 WRC 2hr 30min 47.9sec
    5.   Ott Tanak/Raigo Molder Ford Fiesta RS WRC 2hr 31min 23.7sec
    6.   Hayden Paddon/John Kennard Hyundai i20 WRC 2hr 32min 30.2sec
    7.   Martin Prokop/Jan Tomanek Ford Fiesta RS WRC 2hr 32min 57.6sec
    8.   Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta RS WRC 2hr 33min 16.6sec
    9.   Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle DS 3 WRC 2hr 33min 17.0sec
    10. Yuriy Protasov/Pavlo Cherepin Ford Fiesta RS WRC 2hr 34min 14.1sec

  • Norway’s day – Mikkelsen/Fløene lead the Rally Sweden with Volkswagen

    A day out in Norway proved to be a great day for the Norwegians – Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Fløene top the overall standings after day one of the second round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). Having completed the only special stages on the WRC calendar in their native Norway, and with them 126 of the Rally Sweden’s 308 kilometres against the clock, the Volkswagen pair finds itself 19.1 seconds clear of second-placed Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) and a further 0.3 seconds ahead of Mads Østberg (Citroën). However, the battle for the podium positions was dominated by the Volkswagen duos for long stretches of the leg. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) moved into the lead on stage two of the rally, a position they held on to until a matter of kilometres before the end of day one – they became caught up in a snow bank on the ninth special stage “Torsby” and remained stationary for a short time. As such, they now trail their team-mates Mikkelsen/Fløene by 24.7 seconds going into Saturday’s stages, but are still well within striking distance of the front-runners.
    The dream of a fourth victory in Sweden also came to an abrupt and premature end for Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila on the “Torsby” special stage. They had just moved into the virtual lead when they crashed off the road just a few hundred metres from the end of the stage, dropping just short of nine minutes as they struggled to get the car back onto the route. The Finnish duo had previously won “Finnskogen” on the first loop of the day, and in doing so presented the Polo R WRC with its 350th stage win in 504 special stages. In total, Volkswagen has now clocked the fastest time on 354 of the 510 stages it has contested since joining the World Rally Championship in 2013.

    Volkswagen is currently unbeaten with the Polo R WRC at the Rally Sweden. In 2013, Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia claimed the maiden victory for the World Rally Car from Wolfsburg. One year later it was the turn of Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila, who won a thrilling duel with team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula.
    Quotes after day one of the Rally Sweden
    Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
    “To put a positive spin on it: it was certainly not a boring day for Julien and me. It was one with highs and lows. Everything ran superbly in the morning: we went flat out and the conditions were perfect. The 18-kilometre ‘Röjden’ stage was particularly fantastic to drive. You enjoy every metre in the cockpit on a stage like that. Things did not run quite so smoothly for us on the second loop in the afternoon. First the windscreen wiper stopped working. Then, in our efforts to repair it, we forgot to fasten the bonnet down, which resulted in the windscreen taking a battering later on. And on the ninth stage I slid into a snow bank in a slow corner. I just braked too late. By the time you put all those set-backs together, we had lost the lead. However, the rally is far from over. Anyone who knows Julien and me knows that we will keep on fighting to the very end.”

    Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
    “I am very disappointed. I was just too quick and thought I had more grip. As it turns out, I didn’t. The rear of the car got caught in a snow bank in the corner, and I then skidded into a ditch. Nothing happened to our Polo. I’d like to thanks all the fans on the route again. Without their fantastic and quick help, we would never have got out. I must now try to finish the rally in a decent fashion.”

    Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
    “It is fantastic to be leading the Rally Sweden after the special stages in Norway. However, it does come as a bit of a surprise. We did not find our rhythm straight away today. Only in the afternoon did things pan out as we had envisaged. The fans in Norway cheered us on furiously, and gave us an extra boost of motivation. It is nice to be able to present them with this result after day one, even though we did benefit from our team-mates’ misfortune. And, it is only the lead after day one. We still have a lot of work to do and must continue to drive intelligently if we are to convert it into something that counts. There is still a long way to go to the finish, and I am certain my team-mate Sébastien Ogier, Mads Østberg and Thierry Neuville will not give in without a fight.”

    Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
    “Dream conditions, an all-Volkswagen three-way battle for the lead for much of the day, and the kind of drama Sweden is renowned for. As a fan, what more can you ask for? To be honest, I personally would not have had anything against it remaining a Volkswagen one-two-three at the end of the day. All three Volkswagen drivers performed fantastically today, and set the pace together for a long time. However, both Jari-Matti Latvala and Sébastien Ogier were unlucky to get caught up in a snow bank and lose time. That is all part and parcel of the Rally Sweden. Andreas Mikkelsen leads the rally – I am extraordinarily pleased about that, and it is richly deserved. However, Sébastien Ogier is still in with a chance of winning, as are our rivals at Hyundai and Citroën. There is no doubt about it: the next two days are going to be exciting.”

    And then there was …
    … a remarkable comparison. Thanks to the ‘Sweden Spikes’ provided by tyre partner Michelin, the grip generated by the World Rally Cars is greater on the ice and snow than it is on a typical gravel rally. Last year the three Polo R WRCs took an average 124.87 metres to accelerate from nought to 100 km/h at the start of each stage at the Rally Argentina. In contrast, it took an average of just 107.32 metres to hit the same speed on Friday at the Rally Sweden.

    FIA World Rally Championship (WRC),
    Rally Sweden – Results
    Thursday,
    12 February 2015    		 km #1
    Ogier/
    Ingrassia    		 #2
    Latvala/
    Anttila    		 #9
    Mikkelsen/
    Fløene
    Mikkelsen and Floene lead after Day 1 of Sweden Rally. A Volkswagen Motorsport image
    Mikkelsen and Floene lead after Day 1 of Sweden Rally. A Volkswagen Motorsport image
    SS 01S Karlstad I 01.90 P07
    (+ 1.1s)    		 P03
    (+ 0.4s)    		 P05
    (+ 0.7s)
    Overall classification P07
    (+ 1.1s)    		 P03
    (+ 0.4s)    		 P05
    (+ 0.7s)
    Friday,
    13 February 2015    		 km #1
    Ogier/
    Ingrassia    		 #2
    Latvala/
    Anttila    		 #9
    Mikkelsen/
    Fløene
    SS 02 Torsby I 14.76 P01 P02
    (+ 2.7s)    		 P05
    (+ 8.6s)
    SS 03 Röjden I 18.73 P01 P05
    (+ 5.8s)    		 P02
    (+ 2.2s)
    SS 04 Finnskogen I 20.76 P02
    (+ 1.6s)    		 P01 P03
    (+ 4.6s)
    SS 05 Kirkenær I 07.07 P01 P02
    (+ 2.9s)    		 P04
    (+ 6.2s)
    SS 06 Kirkenær II 07.07 P08
    (+ 8.0s)    		 P02
    (+ 2.2s)    		 P05
    (+ 4.1s)
    SS 07 Finnskogen II 20.76 P04
    (+ 2.3s)    		 P01 P03
    (+ 2.2s)
    SS 08 Röjden II 18.73 P04
    (+ 4.1s)    		 P06
    (+ 6.0s)    		 P01
    SS 09 Torsby II 14.76 P20
    (+ 38.6s)    		 P41
    (+ 8m 36.5s)    		 P02
    (+ 1.0s)
    SS 10S Karlstad II 01.90 P01 P07
    (+ 1.5s)    		 P06
    (+ 1.4s)
    Overall classification P04
    (+ 24.7s)    		 P23
    (+ 8m 27.0s)    		 P01

  • Mikkelsen leaps into Swedish lead; Ogier-Latvala hit a snow bank

    The Rally Sweden leaderboard sees Volkswagen, Hyundai and Citroen world rally cars in a tight battle for honours on one of the most spectacular rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship
    FRI 13.02.15, 8:08PM
    Volkswagen Motorsport driver Andreas Mikkelsen leapt up the Rally Sweden leaderboard late this afternoon after team-mates Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala both went off in the same stage. The Norwegian climbed from third to first in the penultimate stage of the day and heads Hyundai i20 WRC driver Thierry Neuville by 19.1 seconds. In a neck and neck fight, Mads Østberg in the DS 3 WRC is just three tenths of a second further adrift after 10 of the 21 scheduled stages.
    Rally Sweden got underway last night with the now traditional super special stage at the Karlstad trotting track and Sweden’s own Pontus Tidemand was a popular winner of this short 1.9 kilometre test in his Ford Fiesta RRC. Today, however, the crews headed into the snowy forests for two identical loops of four stages – three largely based in Norway – before returning to Karlstad for the second and final run around the super special stage. Ogier immediately powered into the lead and by the mid-day re-group, three victories from the first four stages helped him build up a 9.1 second advantage over Latvala. This afternoon, however, the Frenchman lost time with intermittent windscreen wipers and, while trying to fix the problem on a road section, the crew failed to secure the bonnet and were forced to slow in stage 7 when it flew up and cracked the windscreen. While Ogier’s lead over Latvala diminished, the Frenchman remained in control until hitting a snow bank in the final forestry stage, dropping him nearly 40 seconds and three positions. Latvala, winner of two stages, had been matching Ogier’s pace but he too went off the road in the same stage, getting stuck in a ditch and losing over eight minutes and potentially the lead. He plummeted to 23rd as a consequence and team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen – another stage winner – found himself heading the leaderboard of Rally Sweden.
    Neuville has climbed from fifth, his improving pace throughout the day being rewarded with a stage win in SS9, but the Belgian and Citroën’s Mads Østberg are in the thick of a battle. Ogier is also only a further 5.3 seconds adrift and behind him, Ott Tanak is fifth in the lead Fiesta RS WRC. The Estonian went off the road in the first stage and his team-mate Elfyn Evans has struggled with confidence and is 10th overall. Hayden Paddon is sixth after a trouble-free day and he heads Martin Prokop, Yurii Protasov and Henning Solberg. After a fine showing during yesterday’s shakedown, Robert Kubica overshot a junction this morning and then plummeted down the leaderboard with a broken propshaft this afternoon.
    Rally Sweden – Unofficial Results after Section 4
    1.   Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene Volkswagen Polo R WRC 1hr 14min 03.6sec
    2.  Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 WRC 1hr 14min 22.7sec
    3.   Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson DS 3 WRC 1hr 14min 23.0sec
    4.   Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Volkswagen Polo R WRC 1hr 14min 28.3sec
    5.   Ott Tanak/Raigo Molder Ford Fiesta RS WRC 1hr 15min 09.8sec
    6.   Hayden Paddon/John Kennard Hyundai i20 WRC 1hr 15min 40.7sec
    7.   Martin Prokop/Jan Tomanek Ford Fiesta RS WRC 1hr 16min 04.1sec
    8.   Yurii Protasov/Pavlo Cherepin Ford Fiesta RS WRC 1hr 16min 15.0sec
    9.   Henning Solberg/Ilka Minor Ford Fiesta RS WRC 1hr 16min 21.8sec
    10. Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta RS WRC 1hr 16min 53.2sec

  • Winterproof – Volkswagen raring to go at the Rally Sweden after Shakedown

    Karistad (Sweden), 12 Feb 2015: Volkswagen finished first, fifth and sixth fastest in the Shakedown ahead of the Rally Sweden. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassi

    Sebastian Ogier and Julien Ingrassia at the Shakedown in Kristad, Sweden on Thursday. A Volkswagen Motorsport image.
    Sebastian Ogier and Julien Ingrassia at the Shakedown in Karistad, Sweden on Thursday. A Volkswagen Motorsport image.

    a (F/F) were the fastest duo on the 4.30-kilometre “Råda” stage, which was used for the FIA World Rally Championship’s (WRC) free practice. They were followed by Robert Kubica (M-Sport-Ford), Mads Østberg and Kris Meeke (Citroën), as well as Volkswagen team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (N/N) and Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN). Without having to look after the so-called Sweden spikes, the top drivers completed at least four runs – sometimes up to seven – with every attempt quicker than the previous run. On the whole, conditions improved with every World Rally Car, as they swept the snow and slush from what at the start of the day were icy, snow-covered roads.
    The Rally Sweden is the second round of the season in the 2015 World Rally Championship. The only rally on the calendar to be held entirely on snow and ice officially gets underway this evening with a 1.90-kilometre stage on the racecourse in Karlstad.

    Quotes after the Shakedown at the Rally Sweden
    Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
    “Ice and snow are some of my very favourite conditions, so I am glad to be back in Sweden again. The roads were in perfect condition when we did the ‘Recce’. Unfortunately it has warmed up a little, and you could really notice this on the Shakedown. When it starts to thaw, the conditions become very slippery and far from easy. For this reason, I hope it freezes over again during the night. If so, the fans can look forward to a spectacular rally. The fiercest opposition will certainly come from the Nordic drivers like Østberg, Tänak and, of course, my team-mates Jari-Matti and Andreas. Julien and I are feeling just as good as our Polo R WRC coming into this event.”
    Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
    “The Shakedown went perfectly. Our Polo feels good and the conditions are top-class, despite the rise in temperature. The competition will be fierce. Not just from our own team. You cannot afford to underestimate anyone, particularly Mats Østberg and Ott Tänak. And it goes without saying that you have to take the starting order into account. Winning here for the fourth time would certainly be very special for me. However, we have a long way to go before then.”
    Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
    “That was the first time that I have completed the Shakedown stage here at full speed. In previous years we have always had to look after the tyres, but this time we had access to a set of spikes specifically for the Shakedown. The walls of snow along at the sides of the road are particularly high this time, so the route was very narrow. It was anything but easy out there, but this made it a good warm-up for the coming days. Unfortunately you could also see how the conditions were improving with every car.”
    Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
    “Everybody in the WRC circus loves the Rally Sweden, as it is truly one of a kind. This is the only place you get to plough full-speed through the snow-covered forests on studded tyres. And this year the drivers, teams and spectators can look forward to a particularly beautiful edition of this classic. There is a thick layer of ice on the stages, which are nestled in a perfect winter wonderland. However, today’s Shakedown also showed us that the conditions can change quickly when the temperatures rise. Whatever happens, we will do our best to remain unbeaten here in Sweden with the Polo R WRC.”

    FIA World Rally Championship (WRC),
    Rally Sweden – TV broadcast
    Western Europe
    Andorra (Canal +); Austria (ORF, Servus TV, Sport1, N-TV, LAOLA1.tv); Belgium (Canal +, RTBF); Denmark (Viasat); Europe (MOTORS TV); Finland (YLE, Nelonen); France (Canal +, France TV, Léquipe 21); Germany (Sport1, N-TV, Servus TV, LAOLA1.tv, Sky); Greece (OTE); Italy (RAI, Fox Sports, Dinamica); Ireland (BT Sport); Lichtenstein (N-TV, Sport1, Servus TV); Luxembourg (Canal +, N-TV, Servus TV, Sport1); Israel (Charlton); Monaco (Canal +, France TV, Léquipe 21); Netherlands (RTL7); Norway (VIASAT); Portugal (Sport TV, RTP); Slovakia (Sport 5); Spain (Canal +, TVE, TV3); Sweden (SVT); Switzerland (Canal +, N-TV, Sport1, Servus TV); Turkey (NTV); UK (BT Sport, itv4); Wales (S4C)
    Eastern Europe
    Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan (Auto Plus); Bosnia and Herzigovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia (Arena TV); Czech Republic (Czech TV, Sport 5); Hungary (Sport1); Lithuania (Auto Plus, BTV, LNK); Poland (TVP); Romania (Dolce Sport); Ukraine (First Automotive Channel, Auto Plus)
    Middle East and Africa
    Angola, Cap Verde, Mozambique (Canal +, Sport TV, SuperSport); Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, São Tomé, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe (Canal +, SuperSport); Ethopia, Mauritania, Seychelles (Canal +); Lesotho, Liberia, Mayotte, Reunion, Socotra, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, St Helena & Ascension, Sudan, Swaziland (SuperSport)
    Asia Pacific
    Australia (Fox Sports); American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Islands, Jarvis Island, Kingman Reef, Micronesia, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Norther Marianas, Palau, U.S. Virgin Islands, Wake Islands (MAV TV); China (PPTV); Indonesia (MNC); Japan (J Sports); Malaysia (Astro); New Zealand (Sky Sports, TV 3); Thailand (Truevision)
    North and Latin America
    Argentina, Uruguay (Channel 12, Fox Sports); Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago (MAV TV); Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Venezuela (Fox Sports); Mexico (Fox Sports, TV4); Paraguay (Fox Sports, Telefuturo), USA (MAV TV, Fox Sports)

    eom/Volkswagen Motorsport press release

  • Ogier leads a Volkswagen 1-2-3 at Monte Carlo, with 3 stages remaining

    With just three stages remaining, Volkswagen Motorsport looks set to claim a clean sweep of the Rallye Monte-Carlo podium
    Monte Carlo, 24 Jan 2015: Sébastien

    Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen Polo R WRC. A Volkswagen Motorsport GmbH photo
    Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen Polo R WRC. A Volkswagen Motorsport GmbH photo

    Ogier heads an impressive one-two-three for Volkswagen Motorsport after the third day of Rallye Monte-Carlo competition. The French reigning World Champion has 42.8 seconds in hand to team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, and Andreas Mikkelsen is a further minute adrift in the third Polo R WRC.

    Today’s route was scheduled to take in four stages, however the first running of the 19.93 kilometre Prunieres – Embrun stage was cancelled for safety reasons due to the high number of spectators. As a consequence, the first stage the crews tackled was the daunting 51.70 kilometre run from Lardier-et Valenca to Faye, where conditions were mainly dry but with patches of snow and ice. As always, tyre choice was critical and Ogier played it safe, such was his overnight advantage. The Frenchman lost 40 seconds to Latvala and a staggering two minutes to stage winner Robert Kubica, but maintained his overall advantage going into the lunchtime service. This afternoon he continued to control the pace at the front of the field and arrived in Monaco this evening with a comfortable advantage with three stages remaining on Sunday. Latvala has had a trouble-free day and is keen to maintain position, being that his best Monte-Carlo result is fifth. Similarly, Andreas Mikkelsen has escaped unscathed and following Ott Tanak’s off earlier in the day, the Norwegian is under less pressure.
    Mads Østberg has moved into fourth in the lead DS 3 WRC but suffered engine problems late his afternoon. Dani Sordo, eighth last night, has climbed to fifth, despite going off this morning and then struggling with a steering problem this afternoon. He and team-mate Thierry Neuville are split by just 4.7 seconds, the Belgian having a clean run through today’s stage. Elfyn Evans has dropped from sixth to seventh with suspension problems in the last stage, and Martin Prokop is eighth, the Czech driver losing time in the first stage with a lack of confidence. Citroën team-mates Sébastien Ogier and Kris Meeke have moved back into the top 10 after their problems yesterday and both won a stage apiece.
    Rallye Monte-Carlo – Unofficial Results after Section 5
    1.   Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Volkswagen Polo R WRC 3hr 00min 39.9sec
    2.   Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila Volkswagen Polo R WRC 3hr 01min 22.7sec
    3.   Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene Volkswagen Polo R WRC 3hr 02min 29.7sec
    4.   Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson DS 3 WRC 3hr 03min 22.7sec
    5.   Dani Sordo/Marc Marti Hyundai i20 WRC 3hr 03min 56.0sec
    6.   Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 WRC 3hr 04min 00.7sec
    7.   Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta RS WRC 3hr 05min 31.6sec
    8.   Martin Prokop/Jan Tomanek Ford Fiesta RS WRC 3hr 08min 57.4sec
    9.   Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena DS 3 WRC 3hr 09min 42.1sec
    10. Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle DS 3 WRC 3hr 10min 45.9sec

     

    eom/FIA press release

  • Karthick Maruthi and Sankar Anand pair clinch National title in a thriller: TSD Rally championship

    Chennai, 21 Dec 2014: Karthick Maruthi and Sankar Anand clinched the National title in the Pro-Expert Category in the last and ninth round of the Indian National TSD (Time, Speed, Distance) Rally Championship that concluded at Sriperumbudur, near here, on Sunday.

    In an exciting run to the post, both the teams had a neck and neck battle and clocked identical time penalties of 46 seconds. Team Tata Motors’ Ajgar Ali and Mohammad Musthafa, who led by four points before this round but their rivals, Maruthi and Anand, took the National honours winning the tie-breaker with eight zero penalty times compared to six of Ali-Musthafa. In TSD rallying, the time closer to zero penalty determines the winners. Ali-Mohammad lost by three points on 166 while Maruthi-Anand garnered 169 with the first place. Another Team Tata Motors entry of Srikanth GM and Chandrashekar M finished third in the Pro Expert category, losing out by just two seconds.

    However, Team Tata Motors swept the Pro-Stock Category scoring a 1-2-3. Kolkata pair of Saurav Chatterjee and Ashoke Kumar Basu won the class in the MRF Chennai TSD Rally, attracting a total time penalty of two minutes, 25 seconds.

    Meanwhile, Chidananda Murthy and BS Sujith Kumar (In the file picture posing with the car), with a total time penalty of 02:43 minutes lost the last round despite winning the National title with a round to spar. With the second place today, they amassed 192 points. This is their third Pro Stock National title in a row. Somashekar D/ Chandar (Team Tata Motors) finished third with a penalty of 09:42.

    “We tried our best but we are happy to get another `1-2-3′ for Tata Motors. We are happy that the National title is ours for the third year in a row and the hat-trick is definitely special,” said Chidananda Murthy.

    Sujith Kumar added: “It would have been nice to clinch a win in the Chennai event and finish the season with a bang. However, we are the National champions for this year too and that is what matters.”

    Results: Pro Stock: 1. Saurav Chatterjee/ Ashoke Kumar Basu (Team Tata Motors, 02:25 minutes penalty); 2. Chidananda Murthy/ BS Sujith Kumar (Team Tata Motors, 02:43); 3. Somashekar D/ Chandramouli (Team Tata Motors, 09:42).

    Pro Expert: 1. KP Karthick Maruthi/ Sankar Anand (00:46 seconds penalty); 2. Ajgar Ali/ Mohammad Musthafa (Team Tata Motors, 00:46); 3. Srikanth GM/ M Chandrashekar (Team Tata Motors, 00:48).

     

    Chidu and Sujit win hat-trick kof National titles by winning the INRC (TSD) for the third year.: A Tata Motors image
    Chidu and Sujit win hat-trick kof National titles by winning the INRC (TSD) for the third year.: A Tata Motors image

    Eom/Tata Motors press release

  • Ali-Mustafa duo to fight it out with Maruthi-Anand pair for pro-expert class title: TSD Nationals

    Chennai, 20 Dec 2014: The real fight for the title will be in the Pro-Expert category in the FMSCI Chennai TSD Rally Nationals that will be held in and around Sriperumbudur, near here, on Sunday. Team Tata Motors’ Ajgar Ali (Kolkata) and Mohammad Musthafa (Erode) are leading the championship table with a narrow 4-point lead on 148 points while Karthick Maruthi and Sankar Anand are second with 144 points and the final round is expected to throw some exciting stuff to decide the championship in the top class.

    Ganesh Moorthy and T Nagarajan (Team Tata Motors) are third with 110 points. The Team Tata Motors will also field Srikanth GM-M Chandrashekar (Bangalore) and Sachin Singh (Hyderabad)-Prakash M (Erode) in this category.

    Bangaloreans Chidananda Murthy and BS Sujith Kumar may have won the Pro-Stock National title in the 2014 Indian National TSD Rally Championship but it definitely does not stop them from eyeing another win. This time, the Team Tata Motors entrants are determined to end the year with a win They will be driving a Tata Sumo in the ninth and final round in the 2014 season.

    Murthy and Sujith Kumar have already wrapped up the National title in the Pro Stock category and have 174 points in the bag. They have won three National titles on the trot. Another win on Sunday will only confirm their status as the undisputed TSD rally specialists in the country. They have won the Jaipur, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Goa, Kolkata and Ranchi rounds and are keen on adding the Chennai feather to their crowns.

    “It will be special to win the Chennai round too and establish ourselves as the undisputed leaders in the Pro Stock category. We will give it our best,” said Chidananda Murthy.

    Sujith Kumar added: “Despite having won six rounds, we are hungry for more and the Chennai round is one of our favourites. We are keen on winning here on Sunday.”

    The second entry from Team Tata Motors in the Pro Stock category is the pair of Saurav Chatterjee and Ashoke Kumar Basu (Kolkata). The duo has 143 points. The third entry from the automobile giant is the D Somashekhar-Chandramouli combine from Bangalore.

    Team Tata Motors will also field Sheena Sabharwal and Prathibha Anand as the entry in the all-Ladies class.

    eom/Tata Motors press releaseChidananda Murthy and BS Sujith Kumar

  • Samir Thapar, Vikram Mathias thrill the crowds in super-special stage

    Chikkamagaluru, 12 Dec 2014: The three Mitsubishi Evolution variants swept the time sheets with JCT Rallying’s Samir Thapar (co-driver Gurinder Singh Mann) winning the Super Special Stage as the Coffee Day Rally, the sixth and concluding round of the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship commenced here on Friday.

    While the huge crowd at the Amber Valley School grounds were disappointed when National champion Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) of Mahindra Adventure retired barely 200 metres after the start with a broken drive shaft, Thapar, driving the Evo X, along with Vikram Mathias (Swaroop Mohan) and PG Abhilash (Anoop Kumar) provided much of the entertainment.

    Thapar topped the charts with a blistering two minutes, 27.3 seconds, to finish ahead of former National champion Mathias (02:27.8), in the Evo IX and Abhilash (02:32.2) piloting the Evo VI, in the IRC class. The trio put on a memorable display in their powerful cars much to the delight of nearly 3,000 spectators.

    Topping the IRC 2000 class was young Karna Kadur (Sujith Kumar BS) in the Mitsubishi Cedia, with a time of 02:38.5, well clear of Team Yokohama’s Rahul Kanthraj (Vivek Bhatt), also in a Cedia, and Byram Godrej (Somaya AG) of Slideways Industries, driving the Volkswagen Polo.

    Dean Mascarenhas (Shanmugha SN), the 20-year old from Mangaluru, put in a solid performance in the VW Polo to dominate the IRC 1600 class, clocking 02:41.4.

    Equally impressive was Adith KC (Harish KN), the freshly crowned National champion in the FMSCI 1600 who clocked 02:37.7 to top his category.

    The action will escalate when the 34 competitors head to the nearby coffee estates for the three Special Stages which will be run twice on Saturday and once on Sunday, the concluding day of the Coffee Day Rally.

    Provisional classification (Leg 1, Section 1):

    IRC Overall: Samir Thapar / Gurinder Singh Mann (JCT Rallying, Evo X) 1 (02mins, 27.3secs); Vikram Mathias / Swaroop Mohan (Evo IX) 2 (02:27.8); Abhilash PG / Anoop Kumar (Evo VI) 3 (02:32.2).

    IRC 2000: Karna Kadur / Sujith Kumar BS (Mitsubishi Cedia) 1 (02:38.5); Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama, Cedia) 2 (02:40.2); Byram Godrej / Somaya AG (Slideways Industries, VW Polo) 3 (02:42.0).

    IRC 1600: Dean Mascarenhas / Shanmugha SN (VW Polo) 1 (02:41.4); Ritesh M Guttedar / Lokaranjan (VW Polo) 2 (02:43.1); Anirudha Ranganekar / Ninad Mirajgaonkar 3 (02:46.3).

    FMSCI 1600: Adith KC / Harish KN (Honda City V-Tec) 1 (02:37.7); Raghu Nandan B / Suraj K (Honda City V-Tec) 2 (02:41.7); Shahid Khan / Dhananjayan B (Maruti Esteem) 3 (02:43.4).

    eom/

    Dean Mascarenhas and Shanmugha SN top the time sheets in INC 1600 cc class in the SSS on Friday
    Dean Mascarenhas and Shanmugha SN top the time sheets in INC 1600 cc class in the SSS on Friday

  • Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif seal fourth National rally title

    By Vivek Phadnis

    Bengaluru, 22 Nov 2014

    Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif in action in the Beta stage on the opening day of the Mahindra Adventure presents IMG 40th K-1000 Rally near Tumakuru on Saturday. Photo by Vivek Phadnis
    Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif in action in the Beta stage on the opening day of the Mahindra Adventure presents IMG 40th K-1000 Rally near Tumakuru on Saturday.
    Photo by Vivek Phadnis

    : Team Mahindra Adventure’s Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif, driving a Mahindra XUV 500, have assured themselves of the 2014 Indian Rally Championship Overall title after the first leg of the Mahindra Adventure presents IMG 40th K-1000 Rally near Tumakuru on Saturday. Local star Arjun Rao Aroor-Satish Rajagopal, who are second in the Overall standings, had a bad day and retired after barely starting the first stage of the day. Their rally-specific Volkswagen Polo R2 suffered an engine failure.

    Gill-Sherif have 145 points, while Aroor-Rajagopal have 78 and Sidhu-Murthy 62 with one round remaining at Chikkamagaluru next month. This will be Gill-Sherif’s fourth National title, despite them trailing teammates Sunny Sidhu-PV Srinivasa Murthy by two seconds after Saturday’s leg one. Sidhu-Murthy’s total time after leg one was one hour, five minutes, 12.2 seconds, while Gill-Sherif were 01:05:14.4. Their teammates Amittrajit Ghosh-Ashwin Naik were third Overall with a time of 01:06:42.0.

    “It was not a great day,” said Gill. “We had a comfortable lead but there were electrical problems with the cooling fan and the car began to overheat. Due to this, we had to nurse the car but managed to stay in second place. Hopefully, we will be able to get the lead on Sunday.”

    A disappointed Aroor said: “We were barely 300 metres into the first stage of the day when the engine packed up. It is going to be very difficult to get the car back in action tomorrow. We will have to try our best in the last round in Chikkamagaluru next month.”

    In the IRC 2000 class, Karna Kadur-BS Sujith Kumar, in a Mitsubishi Cedia, led after leg one with a time of 01:07:26.4, while championship leaders Rahul Kanthraj-Vivek Bhatt were 01:08:19.0.

    The IRC 1600cc class saw Phalguna Urs-Anoop Kumar, in a Volkswagen Polo, take the first leg lead with a time of 01:06:50.5, while Hrishikesh Thackersey-Ninad Mirajgaonkar were second with 01:08:48.8.

    In the FMSCI 1600 class, Adith KC-Harish KN are in the lead with a time of 01:09:18.9 in their Honda City VTec.

    In all, 10 out of the 41 cars retired on Saturday.

    In the Super Special Stage, held at the Bangalore International Exhibition grounds under floodlights on Friday, Abhilash PG-Sanjay Agarwal were the fastest (one minute, 33.2 seconds) in a Mitsubishi Evo XI. Gill-Sherif were second fastest with 01:34.5, while Sidhu-Murthy were third with a 01:35.9.

    Results (leg one, provisional and unaudited):

    IRC: 1. Sunny Sidhu/PV Srinivas Murthy (Team Mahindra Adventure, Mahindra XUV500, 01:05:12.2); 2. Gaurav Gill/Musa Sherif (Team Mahindra Adventure, Mahindra XUV500, 01:05:14.4); 3. Amittrajit Ghosh/Ashwin Naik (Team Mahindra Adventure, Mahindra XUV500, 01:06:42.0).

    IRC 2000: 1. Karna Kadur/BS Sujith Kumaar (Mitsubishi Cedia, 01:07:26.4); 2. Rahul Kanthraj/Vivek Bhatt (Mitsubishi Cedia, 01:08:19.0); 3. Byram Godrej/Somayya AG (VW Polo, 01:09:06.8).

    IRC 1600: 1. Phalguna Urs-Anoop Kumar (VW Polo, 01:06:50.5); 2. Hrishikesh Thackersey-Ninad Mirajgaonkar (VW Polo, 01:08:48.8); 3. Vikram Devadasen-Chandramouli (VW Polo, 01:10:13.7).

    FMSCI 1600: 1. Adith KC-Harish KN (Honda City Vtec, 01:09:18.9); 2. Aniruddha Rangnekar-Nitin Jacob (Maruti Baleno, 01:15:15.20); 3. Parag C Dhiwar-Aditya R Dhiwar (Maruti Baleno, 01:15:35.0).

    Ends/KMSC press release

     

     

    Pic caption: Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif in action in the Beta stage on the opening day of the Mahindra Adventure presents IMG 40th K-1000 Rally near Tumakuru on Saturday.

  • Chidananda Murthy-Sujith Kumar bag hat-trick of National titles

    Chidu and Sujit: A Tata Motors image
    Chidu and Sujit: A Tata Motors image

    By Vivek Phadnis

    Kolkata, 17 Nov 2014: It is time to pop the champagne bottle. After the disappointment in Bhubaneswar recently, Team Tata Motors’ Chidananda Murthy and BS Sujith Kumar, both Bangaloreans, clinched a hat-trick of National titles in the Pro Stock category when they won the Monsoon Drive 3, the seventh round of the 2014 Indian National TSD Rally Championship here. They have won the National title for the third time with two rounds to spare, in Ranchi and Chennai.

    The results of the championship are taken for the best six results in the season. The excellent driving skills of Chidananda Murthy and superb navigation skills of Sujith Kumar ensured that they won five rounds. The wins came in Jaipur, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Goa and Kolkata. They finished third in Bhubaneswar but got 18 points (second place points) as the second place finishers in the rally were not in contention for the championship. Murthy and Sujith Kumar have 149 points, while another Team Tata Motors pair of Saurav Chatterjee-Ashoke Kumar Basu has 125 points.

    Here, the Bangalore pair attracted a total time penalty of two minutes and six seconds to win the event ahead of Chatterjee and Basu. The third Team Tata Motors entry of Rajiv Sarkar and Moulinath Ghosh finished third. Thus, it was another 1-2-3 for Team Tata Motors in the Pro Stock category in this event that ended late on Sunday night.

    “It feels great to have won three titles in a row. This is a title we will always cherish due to all the hard work and effort we have put in all through the year in the TSD Championship,” said Chidananda Murthy.

    Sujith Kumar said: “Celebration time has come a little early for us and this title is very close to our heart because it is the third in a row. Nevertheless, we will be giving it our best in the two remaining rounds.”

    Team Tata Motors’ Sachin Singh and Prakash M clinched second place in the Pro Expert category here and their teammates MD Ganesh Moorthy-T Nagarajan finished third. Singh and Prakash have 78 points, while Moorthy and Nagarajan have 92 points.

    Results:

    Pro Stock: 1. Chidananda Murthy-BS Sujith Kumar (Total penalty time: 0:02:06 minutes, Team Tata Motors); 2. Saurav Chatterjee-Ashoke Kumar Basu (0:02:32, Team Tata Motors); 3. Rajiv Sarkar-Moulinath Ghosh (0:17:00, Team Tata Motors).

    Pro Expert: 1. KP Karthik Maruti-Sankar Anand (0:00:35 seconds); 2. Sachin Singh-Prakash M (0:00:41, Team Tata Motors); 3. MD Ganesh Moorthy-T Nagarajan (0:00:49, Team Tata Motors).

    Ends/A Tata Motorsport press release