INDIA in F1

Tag: WRC, Rally

  • Gill touches unbelievable speeds, thrills fans; Karna/Nikhil win INRC2; Dean/Shruptha INRC3

    Gill touches unbelievable speeds, thrills fans; Karna/Nikhil win INRC2; Dean/Shruptha INRC3

    Gaurav Gill took a substantial lead on Saturday in the APRC. Photo by Anand Philar
    Ole Christian Veiby takes a corner at blistering speed after the gearbox was changed in the afternoon reverse run. Image by Srinivasa Krishnan

    Chikkamagaluru,  25 Nov 2017: The `King of Indian Motorsports’ was at it again. The Speed Maestro touched speeds of over 170 kmph as he enjoyed a lone `straight’ at the picturesque Coffee Estates owned by sponsors Coffee Day in Chikmagalur on Saturday, the first day of the final round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship .

    “I was on 6th for a long stretch and I enjoyed the stage touching high speeds,” said a visibly-pleased Gaurav Gill, who loves his speed. The reigning APRC champion was talking to the reporters at the service park, about his run in Special Stage 1 where he did an average of 63.63 kmph for the stretch of 11.58kms. One veteran driver said, “if you get that kind of an average speed means that Gill was going over 90-kmph consistently for many stretches of these tight and twisty corners.”

    Gill and co-driver Stéphane Prévot scored wins in New Zealand and Japan while Ole Christian Veiby and co-driver Stig Rune Skjærmoen succeeded in Australia and Malaysia.

    Though Gill is leading by 6 points, whoever wins the Coffee Day India Rallly wins the APRC title this year. “Gaurav and Veiby are allowed to drive without team order for the victory in India and winning the championship, ” said Skoda Motorsport boss, Michal Hrabanek before the rally began. But there was no need for any team orders on Saturday as Veiby, the 21-year-young  exciting talent from Norway got into technical issues in the very first stage of the day and lost time on Gill, who by that time was galloping away on his Skoda Fabia R5 like a war horse, with navigator Stephane Prevot, giving the calls accurately on the tricky terrain which is nicknamed as a `Rally of 1000 corners’ by Gill himself, until Veiby renamed it as a `Rally of One million corners’. His first time here at the winding and twisty turns of Chikmagalur estates. In the pre-event press conference, Gill turned to OC and joked, “you are lucky”.  And then told the press that the stages were made broader this year. “They opened up the stages and they are much faster and safer,” the current championship leader added.

    Only a co-driver can understand the story behind all those umpteen corners one had to drive through. The co-driver prepares pace notes during the recce and say, if each page has about 10 calls, this rally demands a pace notes of over 400 pages which keeps the co-driver busy, and any wrong call will result in an immediate casualty what with the narrow stretches. Different navigators, as they were called in the days of yore, have different styles of preparing notes and different ways of making the calls.

    By the end of the day Veiby (OC), Gill’s closest rival and team-mate,  despite a late aggression after the gear box change, lost the chance of preventing the Indian from pulling away. Gill created a safe lead of 15min 21.0 seconds, and still not easing off, as is his wont, and is sitting pretty for a grand victorious run on Sunday.

    Meanwhile, in the fourth round of the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship that was run concurrently, Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil V Pai in a Volkswagen Polo emerged overall winners, ahead of Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal). Karna Kadur, whose ancestral home is at the nearby Kadur, enjoyed the home coming for another great win with Pai calling the pace notes, for a well-deserved victory in INRC2, even if it is by a very close margin of one second, where a charging Arjun Rao, ended at that. Dean, who also has his home in Mangalore, a neighbourhood city, won the INRC3 category with his old-time navigator Shruptha Padival. They slipped to overall third as the results were updated after midnight due to some scratch times, which were awarded for a cancelled stage. The youngster is considered as an up-and-coming talent, who shot into limelight doing great speeds as a teenager, a few years back.

    Gill, winner of APRC crowns in 2013 and 2016, enjoyed a six-point lead in the championship over Veiby going into the final round. In order to win the title Veiby has to score seven points more than Gill, which now looks extremely bleak. With four more Special Stages to be run on Sunday covering 64.12 kms, Gill, who leads second-placed PG Abhilash of R3A PGA Motorsports team by 15 minutes, 21.0 seconds, has one hand on the trophy. Veiby is lying third, trailing Abhilash by 02:25.1.

    Gill, who turns 36 in six days, was virtually in cruise control mode in his RaceTorque prepared Skoda Fabia R5 after Veiby encountered gearbox and driveshaft problems midway through the day’s first Special Stage. It cost the 21-year old Norwegian massive amount of time with his car losing front-wheel drive and stuck in third gear.

    Veiby’s misfortune was to PG Abhilash’s benefit as the Keralite in a Subaru Impreza WRX Sti eased into second place, but remained very much in the sight of a hard-charging Veiby, who after mid-day service saw his team of mechanics change the gearbox in 20 minutes flat. Veiby cut the eight-minute deficit to Abhilash at half-way mark, to a little over two minutes at the end of the day by being the fastest over the last five Stages.

    “Somewhere in the day’s first Stage today, I heard some noise and then lost the front-wheel drive. It was very difficult thereafter and worse still, my car was stuck in third gear. My co-driver Stig (Rune Skjarmoen) had to use the handbrake for me. We spun a few times too.

    “This is rallying, but I feel the game is not over yet. Anything can happen as there is still a lot of driving left in this rally. Of course, I will push as hard as possible from now on,” said Veiby during the service break.

    Despite the healthy advantage, Gill felt he still needed to bring home his car safely on Sunday. “It is a very difficult and long rally. Though I have a big lead, my aim is to bring home the car in one piece. Overall, I am pretty pleased with the car and especially the tyres which are of a new pattern that MRF developed. The tyres offered good grip and I could attack the corners with far more confidence,” said Gill.

    Gill, the genial giant, had the advantage of knowing the stages here `nearly by heart’. But he didn’t compete with the Fabia R5 since Rally Japan in mid-September while Veiby in the meantime got a lot of mileage on gravel roads with the same car on World Championship rallies in Spain and the United Kingdom. But he debuts at these estate dirt roads where Gill had his baptism into rallying many years ago.

    Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Mike Young, driving the Volkswagen Polo, was forced to retire following a fuel leak and other mechanical issues. “I thought I had good pace today, but the fuel tank developed a leak on SS-6, though I am not sure how because I didn’t hit anything, and I decided to pull out rather than risk a mishap,” he said.

    Provisional results:

    APRC: 1. Gaurav Gill / Stephane Prevot (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia R5) (02Hrs, 24mins, 22.2secs); 2. PG Abhilash / Srikant Gowda (Team R3A, PGA Motorsports, Subaru Impreza WRX) (02:39:43.2); 3. Ole Christian Veiby / Stig Rune Skjarmoen (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia R5) (02:42:08.3).

    MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship – Overall placing):  1. Karna Kadur / Nikhil V Pai (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (01:32:18.3); 2. . Arjun Rao / Satish Rajagopal (VW Polo R2) (01:32:19.3); 3.Dean Mascarenhas / Shruptha Padival (VW Polo) (01:32:54.4).

    eom/with inputs from the press release; updated at 10am, 26nov2017

  • Gill unleashes fireworks and the crowd erupts into a thunderous applause: Coffee Day India Rally

    Gill unleashes fireworks and the crowd erupts into a thunderous applause: Coffee Day India Rally

    Gaurav Gill weaves his magic to thrill the crowd at the Amber Valley School on Friday. Image by Anand Philar

    Chikkamagaluru, 24 November 2017: With a deep penchant for raw speed, Gaurav Gill has proved beyond doubt that he is the Master of the Game. Considered as the best rally driver India has ever produced, Gaurav Gill, the defending champion and the current leader of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship, set the tone for the sixth and final round at the Amber Valley School here on Friday.

    He shook the earth and raised the dust, literally, and the 10,000-odd joyous crowd (approximate estimates) loved every second and every inch of it, and erupted into a thunderous applause. The man-made dirt track sprang to life and the crowd stood up in awe. Be it the speed or the drifting moves, the corners and the hand-brake manoeuvres, the daring and passionate champion provided seat-edged thrills in the Super Special Stage which is fashioned to provide the die-hard fan a real close-up treat. And Mr Gaurav Gill did not disappoint them today!

    It lasted just, 2 minutes and 17.7 seconds, but with the start order being in reverse direction, the 38 INRC cars had to go through their laps before the faster APRC cars, six of them, arrived. But the crowd which gathered much before the scheduled 1.30pm had their fill. And the hours of wait, for over three hours, was worth the while, as Gill’s teammate Ole Christian Veiby clocked a blistering 2:17.9 and the crowd cheered him all the way. And it was, as if he is laying a red-carpet for his teammate, to take over the job of entertaining the fans. And then came the king of Indian motorsports, who unleashed his magic and the fireworks in ample measure. Then the ground was covered in thick, brown dust, and when it settled down, it was all over.

    But those two minutes showcased THE MAN, THE SPEED, THE SKILL… It was just two minutes of an experience but those are the moments that we carry in our memories, for many years, maybe for life time. Thank you, Gill!

    A difference of just 0.2 seconds, many thought was a minimal difference. But Gill beat OC (as the Norwegian is fondly called) by a substantial margin, as explained by a veteran motorsports journalist. For a SSS distance of 2.12 km, a difference of 0.2 seconds means, the gap would have been 2 seconds for 10 km and the first day’s stage distance is 143.42. So for a day, that margin of 0.2 seconds may not be 28-second gap in real terms but it gives a fair idea and puts in right perspective the difference between the Young Turk, who is well on his way to greater speeds, and the veteran warrior who loves to exhibit his passion and brute speed, and the inborn talent, on a larger stage, a la WRC2 or even an Euro Championship, where his teammate is currently on. And that’s the only logical conclusion onc can provide, for all his hard work, dedication and commitment for over a decade.

    Is MRF listening? Only time will tell!

    Super Special Stage report:

    Gill (co-driver Stephane Prevot), the defending champion, clocked a blistering 02 minutes, 17.7 seconds over the 2.1 Kms circuit while APRC debutant Veiby (Stig Rune Skjarmoen) returned 02:17.9, both giving a thrilling exhibition of controlled aggression in their respective Race Torque-prepared Skoda Fabia R5 cars much to the delight of thousands of spectators.

    Finishing a distant third behind the leading duo was PG Abhilash (Srikant Gowda) of Team R3A PGA Motorsports in a Subaru Impreza WRX Sti who timed 02:30.5, but ahead of New Zealand’s Mike Young (Malcolm Read), Sumit Panjabi (Nitin Jacob) and Sri Lanka’s Shafraz Junaid (Akhry Ameer).

    Gill, who leads Veiby by six points in the winner-takes-all APRC title stakes, was last on the track and rode on the wave of popular support with a drive that would be long remembered after the 21-year old Norwegian, a regular in the WRC-2, posted a seemingly quickest time.

    With so little separating them, Gill and Veiby are thus set for a battle royale over the next two days as the APRC caravan heads out to the estates of title sponsors Coffee Day Global for the Special Stages.

    Earlier in the day, Veiby was the quickest in the shakedown clocking 01:23.3 as against Gill’s 01:25.0 as the pair had the first feel of the Skoda R5 this week, but the true test

    “The stages are lot more open and wider than last year. So, the average speeds will be much higher. However, given the twisty route, I feel there will be a lot of stress on the car,” said Gill soon after the shakedown and during the pre-event FIA press conference when asked about his thoughts on the Stages following Thursday’s reconnaissance run.

    Veiby said: “This event is nicknamed as “Rally of 1000 corners”, but it looks more like a million corners. The Stages are quite fast and I have never driven on such terrain. So, it is all about having a good feel of the car.”

    In the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship that is being run concurrently and also organized by the Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur, Younis Ilyas (Harish Kumar) was the quickest overall (02:35.7) followed by Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal) and Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) of Team Mahindra Adventure.

    Provisional results (Super Special Stage – 2.1 Kms):

    FIA APRC: 1. Gaurav Gill / Stephane Prevot (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia R5) (02mins, 17.7secs); 2. Ole Christian Veiby / Stig Rune Skjarmoen (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia R5) (02mins, 17.9secs); 3. PG Abhilash / Srikant Gowda (Team R3A PGA Motorsports, Subaru Impreza WRX Sti) (02:30.5).

    MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (Overall): 1. Younis Ilyas / Harish Kumar (02:35.7); 2. 2. Arjun Rao / Satish Rajagopal (Volkswagen Polo R2) (02:36.2); 3. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (02:36.6).

    eom/inputs from press release

  • JS group South Lake TSD rally successfully completes 7 editions

    JS group South Lake TSD rally successfully completes 7 editions

    Bengaluru, 13 Nov 2017: After a thrilling battle for top honours Vinay Prasanna and co-driver Ravi Kumar BM logged 18.46 penalty points to narrowly win the annual JS Group 7th South Lake TSD Rally organised by Startline Motorsports here on Sunday.

    Balaji Shetty along with navigator Natarajan were close behind in the TSD Challenge class with a penalty of 18.50 to take second behind Vinay and Ravi while the pair of Naveen and Lenin Joseph came third in 20.18. Mohan and Chandran duo won the Stock Amateur category with 40.49 penalty points. The drivers and organisers carried the messages of road safety and protection of lakes on the cars and promotion materials.

    Three categories were run in the TSD Endurance class. Akshay and Aprameya won the Corporate class. Supree Sagar along with co-drier Anushree won the couple class while Minaxi and Rajaratna claimed the all-Ladies class.

    Provisional results: TSD Challenge: Pro Expert: 1. Vinay Prasanna & Ravi Kumar BM 18.46 penalty points; 2. Balaji Shetty & Natarajan 18.50; 3. Naveen & Lenin Joseph 20.18. Pro Stock: 1. Mohan & Chandran 27.51; 2. Sai Prasad & Arun 37.56; 3. Pavan Kumar & Pradeep Nagaraj 46.02.

    TSD Endurance: Stock Amateur: 1. Shiva Kumar & Vignesh 40.49; 2. Manjunath & Shivaprasad 41.37; 3. Sachin & Vinay Prasad 44.09. Corporate: 1. Akshay & Aprameya 20.50; 2. Ponappa & Chengappa 23.20; 3. Prajwal Gowda & Devkanth GM 26.30. Couple: 1. Supreet Sagar & Anushree 15.30; 2. Abbas Anil & Aini Anil 18.37; 3. Suresh B & Manjushree 37.54. All ladies: 1. Minaxi & Rajaratna 15:14; 2. Noopur Agrawal & Nilofer Ibrahim 3:12.00; 3. Fernandes Dominic & Sonia Kaveriappa 3:32.00.

    eom

    Winners all: Winners of all the categories pose for a group picture after the PD in Bangalore on Sunday. Photo by Startline Motorsports
  • Back-to-back international rallies for Mike Young

    Back-to-back international rallies for Mike Young

    File photo of Mike Young at WRC Australia. Image by Geoff Ridder

    Bengaluru: The Coffee Day India Rally 2017 , the last round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) will be organised by Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (www.mscc.org.in) at the stages near Chikkamagaluru from November 24 to 26.

    New Zealand rally driver, Mike Young, is preparing for two back-to-back international events in India and Australia in November. After the APRC, he will rally at the final round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) Kennards Hire Rally Australia.

    Young will drive a Volkswagen Polo R2 in India with Malcolm Read in the co-driver seat, and Dunlop tyres as the duo are familiar and comfortable with how the package will perform on the notoriously difficult Indian stages.

    “I am so excited to get behind the wheel of the Volkswagen in India, thanks to Volkswagen India and GT Tuner’s Bengaluru. The Volkswagen is FIA R2 spec, so is a 1.6 litre car with a sequential gearbox and I think it will suit the narrow and twisty roads well,” said Young.

    “The roads are actually run in the coffee plantations along the narrow access roads. It’s quite mountainous and the average speed can be as low as 50 kilometres per hour. Plus add rock-lined banks and lots of trees, and you have a very tough environment but that’s why I think the nimble VW will be so good.”

    Both Young and Read enjoyed the buzz of the Indian event based in Chikmagalur last year and vowed to return this year after finishing second overall last year and winning the Group N category.

    “It is a very cool experience I must say. There is a crazy amount of spectators at every junction or spare piece of road. The first super special stage is a real highlight because thousands of people watch us fly around the Amber Valley School football field on a man-made track, which is very unique,” continued Young.

    Co-driver Malcolm Read from Hamilton is also looking forward to the events with Young and said he’s excited to compete with Young again, especially in India.

    “Mike and I haven’t had a lot of events together this year so I’m really looking forward to doing two rallies back to back. He’s a great driver so I’m sure he will adapt quickly to the front-drive Volkswagen and after our experience from last year I sure we can get another good result,” said Read.

    Fans can follow Young’s progress, and support his campaign by purchasing MYM merchandise through his Facebook page (www.facebook.com/mikeyoungmotorsport).

    Young’s campaign is supported by Cusco, Mike Young Motorsport, Dunlop, Yoda Rallying, Excelerate Media, APSM and Winnmax.

    Young is arriving in India on Nov 20 and will attend the Official Press Conference in Bengaluru on Tuesday Nov 21.

    eom/inputs from Young’s release

  • M-Sport World Rally Team makes history wins 2 World titles: WRC

    The M-Sport World Rally Team made history on Sunday by scooping two FIA World Rally Championship titles and the overall rally victory to claim a hat-trick celebration at the end of Wales Rally GB. Elfyn Evans and Daniel Barritt became the first Britons to win Rally of Great Britain since Richard Burns in 2000, and Evans is the first Welsh driver to win the event in its WRC history. Team-mates Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia also claimed an impressive fifth world title by just one tenth of a second in the Fiesta WRC for M-Sport, the team also clinching the FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers ahead of three of the world’s largest car manufacturers.

    The 2017 FIA World Rally Championship season has seen some of the closest competition in years. With the debut of the new world rally cars, a new manufacturer entering and drivers swapping teams, no fewer than seven different winners have stood on the top step of the podium over 12 events. Remarkably, Evans also joins Ott Tänak and Esapekka Lappi as one of three rookie WRC winners over the course of the campaign. For M-Sport, its title victory has come from having at least one car on the podium on every event so far this season and the British-based team has made history by winning its first manufacturers’ title – notwithstanding victories with Ford in 2006 and 2007 – and first-ever  drivers’ crown.

    Evans had a comfortable advantage going into the closing five stages and 41.17 competitive kilometres, but on Rally GB nothing is taken for granted over the fast, wet and muddy Welsh forestry stages. The Welshman pushed on, maintaining his weekend-long dominant performance to claim a maiden WRC victory on home soil and become only the fourth British driver – alongside Roger Clark, Colin McRae and Richard Burns – to win their home round of the Championship.

    Behind Evans and his 37.3-second winning margin, the fight for second and the Championship title was one of the closest and most intense of the season, with second to fifth positions split by just 12.9 seconds. Thierry Neuville managed to overhaul Ogier in the day’s opener, keeping his title bid alive in second position but also looking behind at the battle for fourth between Jari-Matti Latvala and team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen, who had the potential to help his bid for a maiden title. While both were closing on third-placed Ogier, the pair ran out of kilometres to pass the Frenchman and potentially influence the outcome. Ogier’s third position, coupled with two points in the closing Power Stage, was enough to stop the fight going to the final round in Australia. Astoundingly, he and co-driver Julien Ingrassia won their fifth FIA World Rally Championship titles by just one tenth of second with fourth position in the Power Stage.

    Mikkelsen managed to overhaul Latvala in the penultimate stage when the Finnish Toyota driver struggled for grip, but the pair continued their battle to the finish line and ended the rally split by only five-tenths of a second. Having dropped down the order in the fog last night, Ott Tänak finished sixth and Britain’s Kris Meeke was seventh, a further 18.2 seconds adrift, the Ulsterman enjoying a good run in the C3 WRC. Hayden Paddon, Esapekka Lappi and Dani Sordo rounded off the top 10.

    In the FIA WRC 2 Championship category, Pontus Tidemand provisionally wrapped up the title in Germany earlier in the season. He took another win – his fifth of the season – and finished nearly two minutes ahead of France’s Eric Camilli. WRC 3 was won by runaway leader Raphaël Astier.

    The FIA World Rally Championship draws to its close in three weeks’ time as the contenders head down under for Rally Australia (16-19 November).

    Wales Rally GB – Final Unofficial Results (subject to scrutineering)

    1.   Eflyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 57min 00.6sec
    2.   Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 57min 37.9sec
    3.   Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 57min 45.8sec
    4.   Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 57min 50.4sec
    5.   Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 57min 50.9sec
    6.   Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 58min 02.9sec
    7.   Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle Citroën C3 WRC 2hr 58min 21.1sec
    8.   Hayden Paddon / Sebastian Marshall Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 59min 16.9sec
    9.   Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 59min 47.1sec
    10. Dani Sordo / Marc Marti Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 00min 51.1sec

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

  • 2 tricky night stages alter the leaderboard; Evans leads: WRC Wales Rally

    Elfyn Evans has continued his supreme drive this evening and has extended his advantage at the head of the Wales Rally GB leaderboard after the last two tricky night stages. The Welshman has 53.1 seconds in hand, now over Sébastien Ogier despite the Frenchman going off the road in the first stage and collecting damage. Thierry Neuville has dropped to third a mere half a second adrift of Ogier while Ott Tänak fared the worst in the dark and has plummeted to a disappointing sixth.

    The longest day of the rally was rounded off with two night stages in the Welsh forests but conditions were incredibly tricky as fog descended and seriously reduced visibility for some of the crews. This is where the leaderboard was turned on its head behind Evans.

    Jari-Matti Latvala was the fastest through the fog-shrouded first stage but Evans was able to extend his lead by another 3.5 seconds with his chasing rivals largely dropping chunks of time. The flying Welshman was back on top in the final stage of the night, taking the win and another handful of seconds to head into the closing 42 kilometres of competition on Sunday with a commanding lead. Neuville, second going into the two stages, lost his hard-fought position in this stage and dropped to third, three seconds adrift of Ogier, but managed to claw back some of that time in the closing stage with second fastest time. Ogier may have moved from fourth to second in the first stage, but the Frenchman was lucky to escape reasonably unscathed after going off the road. He broke a wheel, got a puncture and shattered a brake disc, forcing him to make vital repairs on the road section. As a consequence he wasn’t able to push hard in the final stage but will be relieved to be back ahead of Neuville, albeit by such a slim margin.

    Latvala’s charge through SS15 rewarded him with fourth position and he managed to pull out an advantage over Andreas Mikkelsen, the rivals split by 5.9 seconds tonight. Mikkelsen was frustrated his bonnet lights were too high in the foggy first stage, adjusted them and was then even more frustrated to find them too low in the second where there was no fog. Nevertheless, the duo are both still in the fight for the podium with Ott Tänak only 2.5 seconds further adrift in sixth. The Estonian’s third position rapidly changed in the fog but he too can still fight for the podium.

    Kris Meeke found the first stage ‘hellishly tricky’ and then didn’t have a great run through the second after hesitating so much in the first one. He maintained seventh this evening however and is nearly 40 seconds ahead of Hayden Paddon. Esapekka Lappi admitted to being slow in the fog but the Finn is now ninth having overhauled Dani Sordo who dropped to 10th.

    Pontus Tidemand continues to top the FIA WRC 2 Championship leaderboard and the Swede has nearly two minutes in hand to Tom Cave. Raphaël Astier also has a runaway advantage in WRC 3, over six minutes in front of Enrico Brazzoli.
    Wales Rally GB – Provisional results after Section 6

    1.   Eflyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 32min 39.2sec
    2.   Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 33min 32.3sec
    3.   Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 33min 32.8sec
    4.   Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 33min 36.9sec
    5.   Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 33min 42.8sec
    6.   Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 33min 45.3sec
    7.   Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle Citroën C3 WRC 2hr 34min 06.8sec
    8.   Hayden Paddon / Sebastian Marshall Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 34min 43.2sec
    9. Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 35min 20.2sec
    10. Dani Sordo / Marc Marti Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 36min 15.0sec

     

    eom/FIA release

  • Meeke-Nagle win; Ogier-Ingrassia closer to 5th title

    Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle claimed their second victory of the WRC season on RallyRACC Catalunya – Rally de España, the Citroën crew dominating the day to claim the win by 28 seconds. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia took an important step towards a fifth world title by finishing second, and third position by team-mates Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja moves the Estonians ahead of the only other Championship contender, Thierry Neuville. The Belgian suffered a grim weekend and ended up retiring today, a potentially terminal blow to his hopes of a maiden title.

    “It’s been an exceptional weekend,” said Meeke. “It’s not about how many times you get knocked down, but it’s about how many times you get back up. And I’ve had to do that a few times in my career, let me tell you. We always knew this car was terrific on asphalt. This result goes to show that. It gives us all in the team a huge confidence boost.”

    With two rounds remaining in Great Britain and Australia, the titles are now heading towards their climax. With additional points in the Power Stage, Ogier takes a 37 point lead over Tänak into Wales Rally GB with Neuville just one point further behind the Estonian. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, second and third for M-Sport gives the British team a significant boost and it needs to claim just four points to take the win on home soil.

    Today’s route took in six stages and 74.26 competitive kilometres, all without service. Meeke drove faultlessly throughout, winning five of the six tests to take his fifth world rally victory during a difficult season for the team. Once Neuville had retired after clipping a rock and damaging the suspension and steering, Ogier focused on getting to the finish without risk. Tänak, who has been running the last two asphalt days with a gravel specification gearbox, didn’t really have the tools to push harder but was delighted to overhaul Neuville in the Championship standings, the Estonian going into the event claiming that he was never going to give up while he had a mathematical chance of winning.

    Behind the leading trio, Juho Hänninen has had a great rally and was the only Toyota driver to finish after team-mate Esapekka Lappi retired today when he hit a barrier. Mads Østberg also enjoyed his first outing in the 2017 WRC car on asphalt, learning all the way and loving the experience. Sixth position for Stéphane Lefebvre ensured Citroën scooped the most Championship points in Spain, and Elfyn Evans, in seventh, will be pleased to move back to gravel after a difficult hot tarmac event on his DMACK tyres.

    Rally 2 returnees Dani Sordo and Andreas Mikkelsen completed the day; Sordo was on fine form and finished 15th overall with Mikkelsen three places behind.

    Teemu Suninen claimed the FIA WRC 2 Championship win by over 30 seconds from Jan Kopecky. The Finn had a great opening day on gravel where he was able to establish his advantage, despite the Czech Škoda driver taking all the stage wins on Saturday and Sunday’s Tarmac stages. Nil Solans’ win in the FIA Junior WRC Championship category provisionally secures him the title, adding this to his already won WRC 3 crown.*

    The FIA World Rally Championship now heads back into the forests for the autumnal Wales Rally GB (26-29 October).

    * Subject to official publication of the results by the FIA
    RallyRACC Catalunya – Rally de España – Final Unofficial Results (subject to scrutineering)

    1.   Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle Citroën C3 WRC 3hr 01min 21.1sec
    2.   Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 01 min 49.1sec
    3.   Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 01min 54.1sec
    4.   Juho Hänninen / Kaj Lindström Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 02min 15.2sec
    5.   Mads Østberg / Torstein Eriksen Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 03min 47.3sec
    6.   Stéphane Lefebvre / Gabin Moreau Citroën C3 WRC 3hr 04min 04.1sec
    7.   Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 05min 58.5sec
    8.   Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta R5 3hr 09min 43.8sec
    9.   Jan Kopecky / Pavel Dresler Škoda Fabia R5 3hr 10min 15.6sec
    10. Ole Christian Veiby / Stig Rune Skjaermoen Škoda Fabia R5 3hr 10min 25.9sec
  • Gill-Sherif duo wins; Kadur, Ghosh crash out: INRC

    Gill-Sherif duo wins; Kadur, Ghosh crash out: INRC

    Jaipur, 24 Sep. 2017: Speed demon Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif asserted their supremacy in the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2017, comfortably winning the third round  here on Sunday.

    The ace duo were fastest in four out of the six special stages and clocked 57 minutes, 23.5 seconds to claim Round 3 of the six-round national championship and won the event with rivals Karna Kadur and Amittrajit Ghosh crashing out.

    Gill and Sherif began the march for Team Mahindra Adventure late on Saturday, conquering the championship’s first night stage with élan. They took barely 13:21.1 minutes to complete the 13.9 kilometre Night Hawk stage, zipping through the sharp turns and undulating curves in the dark with ease.

    The pair, however, suffered issues in SS 2, the tricky Shiv Shakti 1, taking 6:49.1 long minutes to finish fifth in the stage, yielding the lead to defending champion Karna Kadur of Arka Motorports (6:01.5) and his own teammate Amittrajit Ghosh (6:12.1) for the first time this year.

    “I suffered in the second stage as I couldn’t avoid a rock and picked up a puncture,” Gill said, about his that stage.

    “But I am glad I came through. This is one of the toughest rallies and the night stage has really got us all excited,” he added.

    Karna and Amittrajit’s joy was, however, short-lived. Gill was back in his elements in SS 3, the Flying Machine stage, taking an astounding 12:09.5 minutes to crack the 13.8 kilometres to reclaim the rally lead.

    Gill in his XUV was beyond anybody’s reach in the next two stages too, driving in his typically aggressive manner. He needed just 5:55.4 minutes to complete SS 4 and widen his lead. Karna and Amittrajit kept pace till that stage but then disaster struck both of them.

    Karna’s car broke down in SS 5 and he tumbled out of contention. Amittrajit too faced a mechanical problem and managed to clock only 18:16.9 minutes, nearly five and half minutes behind Gill to slip to the sixth position. He made up time quite dramatically in the final stage but couldn’t do enough to get on to the podium.

    The twin setbacks opened the path for Dean Mascarenhas’ INRC 3 team and Rahul Kanthraj’s INRC 2 outfit to jump into contention.

    Mascarenhas and his co-driver Shruptha Padival, in their VW Polo, had an impressive stage to climb all the way to the second position. They hung on to the godsend doggedly, despite being pushed to the fourth place in SS 7.

    Kanthraj and navigator Vivek Bhatt stunned the field by winning the final stage, the SS 7, although Gill went easy after being assured of winning the round. That ensured them the third place on the podium.

    One stage, the SS 6, had to be cancelled due to an emergency in the village that required the rally to be stopped to let an ambulance with a lady in labour rush to the hospital.

    Results: INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill & Musa Sharif (57:23.5); 2. Dean Mascarenhas & Shruptha Padival (1:00:03.1); 3. Rahul Kanthraj & Vivek Y Bhatt (1:02:31.3).

    INRC 2: 1. Rahul Kanthraj & Vivek Y Bhatt  (1:02:31.3); 2. Younus Ilyas & Harish Kumar (1:20:22.4); 3. Jacob KJ & Manoj Mohanan (1:27:58.5).

    INRC 3: Dean Mascarenhas & Shruptha Padival (1:00:03.1); 2. Saddam Ali Saikh & Abhijeet Singh (1:03:07.0); 3. Daraius Shroff & Nitin Jacob (1:03:33.0).

    FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1. Chetan Shivram & Rupesh Koley (1:04:11.7); 2. Suraj Thomas & Thomas Paul (1:06:40.0); 3. Sachin Sharma & Sagar Malappa (1:09:53.7).

    4WD Open: 1. S. Yadav & V. Kashyap (1:00:57.4); 2. Himangshu Arora & Kunal Kashyap (1:05:25.1); 3. Sanjay Razdan & Karan Aukta (1:07:07.0).

    2WD Open: Lakshya Veer Dabbas & Aakshay Suhhag (time not available).

    eom/An RRPM press release

    About RRPM: Ramakrishna Race Performance Management Pvt. Ltd.(RRPM) is a company formed with the sole intention of promoting “Professional Motorsports” in India and provides all kinds of technical assistance and information required to be at par with the National Level.

    RRPM was started in 2003 by Mr Arindam Ghosh, an icon in his own rights with over 40 years rallying and organizational experience. RRPM is proud to be a part of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), which is the apex body of India.

  • 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

  • It is not over until it is over: Tanak

    Present:
    1st – Ott Tänak, M-Sport World Rally Team
    1st – Martin Järveoja, M-Sport World Rally Team
    2nd – Andreas Mikkelsen, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
    2nd – Anders Jæger, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
    3rd – Sébastien Ogier, M-Sport World Rally Team
    3rd – Julien Ingrassia, M-Sport World Rally Team
    Malcolm Wilson, Team Principal, M-Sport World Rally Team

    Q:
    Ott, it is your second WRC victory, it is a win on tarmac at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland which M-Sport has never won before. How do feel?
    OT:
    It has been a great weekend and it is a great feeling. It was a tricky event which started in a very difficult way with extreme weather conditions and a lot of dirt on the road. We took a brave tyre decision which everybody on the team fought me for, but it worked out very well. The tyre decision decided the whole rally I would say.

    Q:
    Most of the rally was basically mistake-free for you?
    OT:
    The conditions were improving a lot after the rain. There was much more grip and it was much more enjoyable to drive.

    Q:
    We have seen a very confident Ott Tänak. Is this because you got your first WRC win already out your way? Did you feel less pressure?
    OT:
    For sure it is helping a bit. But the most important thing was the first drive through the long Panzerplatte stage where I managed to keep up with Seb [Ogier]. So I felt a bit more comfortable. He was pretty fast there before. But after this we managed to keep the pace up.

    Q:
    We thought you were going for more bonus points in the Power Stage. Was that going through your mind?
    OT:
    Not really. We are in this position in the championship where we need to collect all the points and it was very important to get these points. So I had to be smart this time. Let’s get some more experience so we can also start to push in these situations, but this time we needed to be safe.

    Q:
    How do you feel about your chances in the 2017 Championship?
    OT:
    It is never over before it is over. We managed to get closer to the two guys in front of us. It is three rallies to go and the gap is not too big, so let’s see what happens. We try to do our best job and it will be interesting at the end of the season.

    Q:
    Martin, the victory here is probably one of the best 30th birthday presents that you can get. How does it feel?
    MJ:
    The feeling is great. Thank you, Ott, for this present. It is always difficult to win on tarmac rallies with all these pace notes and especially so on Friday with the challenging weather conditions. In the end it was a perfect weekend for us.

    Q:
    The conditions on Friday were tough. How did you make it through there?
    MJ:
    We made a good tyre choice. That was the key to our win here in Germany.

    Q:
    Andreas, brilliant result on tarmac here in Germany. You must be feeling good with P2?
    AM:
    I feel great. When I saw the weather forecast coming into the rally I was sure I would not have a chance. Starting so far back on day one was really a challenge. But luckily I really enjoy the vineyard stages. By now I feel at home on these stages. So I pushed really, really hard because we knew that the weather would be better on day two and three. Our objective was to stay close to Ott which we did. The other days were also a challenge with small mistakes but I finally mastered the long Panzerplatte so our preparations paid off. So we are really happy to deliver this second place – for us but also for Citroën.

    Q:
    How much did you feel the pressure from Ogier sitting in P3?
    AM:
    Last year we were leading the rally going into the Panzerplatte stage. Then we lost 14 and 16 seconds on each run through. I knew that when he was four seconds behind me going into Panzerplatte I knew I needed to go for it because he was so much faster. But we managed to take some time out of Seb and this was the deciding moment.

    Q:
    This was an important result for Citroën but also for you. You said that Germany was your final event for Citroën. Do you have an update on whether you will appear in one of the remaining events this season?
    AM:
    I hope to do all the events. The important thing for me now is to find a place where we can fight for the championship next year. If this is for Citroën or not, I don’t know. But I have done three rallies with them and I enjoyed them. So let’s see if there are some more.

    Q:
    Anders, a tough weekend but a great result for you as well?
    AJ:
    We were excited for this event, considering our last tarmac event was Spain last year. Germany is not an easy tarmac rally. To be able to perform on this level in difficult conditions like on Friday and then to continue doing it is a confirmation for us that we are where we think we are. And to give Citroën a second place here we have to thank the team for a perfect car throughout this event. We are for sure very satisfied with this result.

    Q:
    It all worked out with the route note crews during the rally?
    AJ:
    Of course, when you start way back in the field like we did here, it is sometimes hard to really trust the information that you get from the crews because so many cars have already been through the stages. But they did an amazing job which is important to succeed in a rally like this.

    Q:
    Sébastien, how did you feel when you knew that your closest rival for the Championship, Thierry Neuville, had to retire for the day yesterday?
    SO:
    It changed a little bit at this point. We were aiming for more this weekend but we had a difficult start on Friday. It started with a wrong tyre choice in the afternoon. But when you are in a close fight for the championship like we were with Thierry it is difficult to take these rain tyres that we have never used before and don’t have any experience with. It is easier when you are a bit further back in the standings where you can try something, but for us we did not dare to make the choice at this point. In the end it cost us some time. I also struggled a bit with the car. But after that it was an okay weekend. But when Thierry stopped we did not want to take all the risk anymore. Ott did not leave any space for a comeback. He was strong and consistent at the top. We were not so far behind Andreas as well, but he was also fast. But we decided not to take any risks for three more points. At the end it was a good weekend. We are leading the championship again by 17 points. That’s the positive of the weekend for us.

    Q:
    What was your approach for the extra points on the Power Stage? Did you go for them or were you cautious there as well?
    SO:
    I saw that Thierry would not take so many points there so I did not have to go all crazy but some drivers were pushing hard at the same time. Once again, you have to take a lot of risks to get the max points. But still I wanted to get some points. Our two points are counting at the end of the season and maybe they will be the important ones.

    Q:
    You said that you wanted to have your future decided before the end of September. We have a little season break now so what will be happening in the next six weeks for you?
    SO:
    I am sure we will know much more in Spain. It would be great for M-Sport to get the full support again. What the team has achieved so far this year is amazing. It has a good lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship as a private team. It would be good to see their efforts rewarded.

    Q:
    So if the team got the manufacturer funding you would stay?
    SO:
    Yes, I always mentioned it. It is never easy to switch teams every year. I needed some time this year to get used to the team and the car. This always takes some time. If I could continue and build on what we did this year, I am sure we would be strong. But I also think that we would need a little bit more support to be where I want to be.

    Q:
    Julien, three rallies to go this season. It is a close fight for the championship but this is also very motivating for everyone, isn’t it?
    JI:
    I hope fans will also follow the rest of the championship as it gets more and more exciting. Everybody will come back motivated from the six-week break that is upon us. But speaking for us, we are determined to come strong for the final push.

    Q:
    Malcolm, you are leading in the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships, how do you feel about it?
    MW:
    Very, very happy as you can imagine. We did not think that we would achieve this kind of result prior to the event. But all the guys have done a fantastic job, particularly on Friday under difficult conditions. No real mistakes, stayed out of trouble, I could not ask for more from these guys. It has been a fantastic weekend for us.

    Q:
    How do you feel about the Manufacturers’ Championship in particular, because it was a big gain this weekend?
    MW:
    Finland turned out better than we expected, so that was a bonus. Getting this result was a real positive. Historically, we have been in this position before and ended up losing it. There are only three events left but we will try to do everything we possibly can to try and secure both championships.

    Q:
    It is the first victory for M-Sport in Germany, how about this?
    MW:
    All the boxes are ticked. Now I can retire!

    Q:
    Success in the WRC, but also success in the WRC 2 with Eric Camilli taking a win as well, so this has been good for the brand?
    MW:
    Eric had a great rally and he is really showing the promise that we all know he has got. He is really a solid professional driver. This win will further lift his confidence so hopefully Eric can go on to better things as well.

    Q:
    What will be going on during the upcoming six week break to keep that fantastic line-up of drivers that you have?
    MW:
    The results tell you that we have a great driver line-up. I would really love to retain all the guys. Whether this is achievable, I genuinely don’t know. If it was all in my power, that is what I would definitely like to be doing.
    FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP (event winner)

    Present:
    1st – Eric Camilli, M-Sport World Rally Team
    1st – Benjamin Veillas, M-Sport World Rally Team

    Q:
    Eric, it’s fantastic to see you on the top step of the podium of the FIA WRC 2 Championship on what has been such a tough weekend in Germany. How are you feeling right now?
    EC:
    Thank you, I’m feeling good of course. It’s an incredible weekend for us. We did what we needed to do. For us, it was very important to win here, especially on tarmac. We’ve done a good job this weekend, as well as the team. It was not an easy weekend for them and for us. We started with a problem but the mechanics were very, very efficient and professional. That’s why we were able to avoid a penalty because of the clutch, to continue the rally, to come back and to be able to fight. Thanks to all of them.

    Q:
    As you say, you had a clutch issue on Friday morning and brought the car back to service. Lots of mechanics were working really hard to change the clutch in time.
    EC:
    We were 100 percent sure that we would receive a penalty. On the last minute, we decided to not change it and try. We lost only 30 seconds. Later, when the car was okay again, we did the maximum to attack on Mittelmosel in the afternoon. After Kopecký had the puncture, it would have been very easy to have a puncture in Panzerplatte. We tried to avoid that and maybe we were just a little bit lucky compared to them.

    Q:
    Kopecký dropped over a minute behind you. Was it difficult to stay concentrated?
    EC:
    Yes, of course. With a one minute lead, you can say it’s easy to win. But in fact, it’s not. When you are in the car you can as well have a puncture. You can make a mistake or something else can happen. You don’t know. So, you need to stay focused, concentrated, as we did this morning.

    Q:
    Were you feeling a little bit nervous with your first win in WRC 2 on the cards here in Germany?
    EC:
    No pressure, to be honest, I was free. Because since this year in Mexico, okay we finished second after we had a big battle. In Sardinia we won the category, Finland went well, Poland as well. We were free and just wanted to win and finish the race correctly.

    Q:
    What happens now for the rest of the season? What can you tell us about 2018?
    EC:
    The next rally we’ll do is Spain. We don’t score points there but we’ll do Rally GB and score points there. We need to prepare for these two events and after that we’ll see.

    Q:
    Benjamin, congratulations to you, too. How was it from the co-driver’s seat? Stressful?
    BV:
    Stressful, maybe, yes – also on Friday morning honestly. I was focusing on my job.

    Q:
    How tough is a co-driver’s job here in Germany? Tougher on the Friday in the vineyard stages or is it generally tough all weekend?
    BV:
    No, all the weekend.

    Q:
    I know you had some mechanical issues on Friday. Were there any big moments out there that Eric hasn’t told us about?
    BV:
    Yes, sure. But I’m feeling very happy right now.
    FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP (Championship winner*)

    Present:
    1st – Pontus Tidemand, Škoda Motorsport
    1st – Jonas Andersson, Škoda Motorsport

    Q:
    Welcome to the 2017 FIA WRC 2 Champions, Pontus Tidemand and Jonas Andersson. Pontus, this must be such a good feeling for you. You’ve had a really successful year and you rounded it off early with a championship win already. How does it feel?
    PT:
    Thank you! For sure it feels good. This is special for us and the team. We have worked very hard and also the team has worked very hard, prepared very well before every rally. They’ve been putting all efforts there to take this title. That we managed to do it with one rally to go is very good.

    Q:
    You came into this event trying really hard not to think that you could win the championship title. Has it been quite a pressure-filled event for you?
    PT:
    Yes, on Friday it was going quite well in the fight for the first position. But early on Saturday we had a puncture and lost almost one minute. We lost contact to the top two. Then we changed strategy and tried to enjoy, drive and not to feel the pressure too much.

    Q:
    You tried to enjoy – did you manage to enjoy it?
    PT:
    Yes, for sure. There’s some nice stages and a lot of spectators. The car was very well, good and easy to drive. Then we had fun to drive it, yes.

    Q:
    When you got to the final stage today, knowing that when you reached the end of the Power Stage you would be champion, were there butterflies in your tummy? Were you a little bit nervous?
    PT:
    Maybe a little bit extra.
    JA:
    Yes!
    PT:
    We were listening to every sound in the car. Maybe a little bit, but it was okay.

    Q:
    So, what happens for the rest of the season? What’s next for Pontus Tidemand?
    PT:
    For sure, Rally GB and also some testing. We don’t know yet about Rally Spain.

    Q:
    Will you remain in WRC 2 and defend your title? Or will you be moving on to other things?
    PT:
    I Iive in the moment. No idea.

    Q:
    What would you like to do, Pontus?
    PT:
    What do you think?

    Q:
    A nice World Rally Car would be good, right?
    PT:
    Yes, that would be good. Soon, it should be time to take this step up. We will see. We’ll just keep working hard and need to get the chance.

    Q:
    Congratulations to you, Jonas, on the WRC 2 co-driver championship title. How do you feel?
    JA:
    Very, very good. Thank you. It’s been a pleasure the whole year. We’ve done six events so far and got four wins, one second place and now a third place here to secure the title win with one rally to go. It’s been an amazing year. I’m very, very happy for the both of us and for the team. The rest of the season: we’ll see how many rounds we can do. But then we can go really flat out.

    Q:
    There are absolutely no worries. You can do what you want in the remaining rounds.
    JA:
    Yes, that’s very nice. We’ll see. Like you said, we will do Rally GB. Hopefully, maybe, one event more.

    Q:
    Any little mistake can be punished quite hard. What about you – where you feeling any pressure at all this weekend?
    JA:
    Like we said, on Friday none of us really thought much about the championship. We just said before the rally that we wanted to go out and enjoy. We like the rally and just wanted to set some good times. On Saturday, when we had the puncture and dropped down to third place, then you start to think a bit more and start to go a little bit more onto the safe side. Then it all becomes a little bit more difficult because you don’t use the car properly and probably don’t concentrate 100 percent. Then you feel the pressure. Overall, for the weekend, it’s been very good, actually.
    FIA JUNIOR WRC / WRC 3 CHAMPIONSHIP (event winner)

    Present:
    1st – Julius Tannert, ADAC Sachsen E.V.
    1st – Jürgen Heigl, ADAC Sachsen E.V.

    Q:
    Julius, you’ve won with a 12-minute lead. You must be feeling good right now.
    JT:
    It’s a really good feeling to be here. To win the Junior WRC at your home event here in Germany is really unbelievable for me. We’ve said it before but it’s really hard against these strong competitors. We made less mistakes than the others. We secured the first place and we’re really happy about it.

    Q:
    Against three tarmac specialists it was always going to be very difficult. At the end of the day, did a little home advantage play its part?
    JT:
    For sure, we knew some stages. But as you just said, they are tarmac specialists who know the stages also from last year. They pushed really hard and it was hard for us to go the same speed. But in the end, we got first place and that’s great.

    Q:
    How did it go for you in terms of moments and mistakes?
    JT:
    Well, it started on Thursday with this stage in the city. We had a small moment when we touched the wall. Also in the vineyards, we had to reverse two times and the feeling was not so good. We lost a lot of time on Friday. And then on Saturday morning everything changed and went well for us. On the last one and a half days we secured the first position and took no further risks.

    Q:
    So many drivers say that you can lose focus when you’re not in a battle. You didn’t?
    JT:
    It was really hard, especially today. The stages look easy but they aren’t. To make no mistake is quite hard. If you’re not pushing and fighting for every second it is easy to make a mistake. This would have been a big drama if we had crashed on the last stage. I was a bit nervous at the start but in the end, everything went well.

    Q:
    Jürgen, were you a little bit nervous going into that final stage today, knowing that you could take the win?
    JH:
    Absolutely!

    Q:
    How difficult was it from a co-driver’s perspective to get everything on point this weekend?
    JH:
    It was really difficult because of the conditions, with the rain. But we are here now – we have won. That’s good.

    Q:
    Did you celebrate a little bit in the car when you crossed the finish line?
    JH:
    Maybe! But tomorrow I have to go to the Barum Rally.

    Q:
    You’re competing at Barum as well?
    JH:
    Just me.
    JT:
    I rent out my co-driver to others! I have to save some money for Spain!
    FIA WRC 3 CHAMPIONSHIP (Championship winner*) 

    Present:
    1st – Nil Solans
    1st – Miguel Ibanez

    Q:
    Nil, congratulations on the FIA WRC 3 Championship win. We were waiting to see if it would be a Junior WRC Championship as well – but you picked up WRC 3. How are you feeling right now?
    NS:
    It was difficult. On Friday we went off. It was my fault. In one corner we were too late. Well, we are WRC 3 Champions. But that’s not the main championship that we want to win. We wanted to take points for both championships but we still have to concentrate and fight in Spain. We maybe need to change something on the car to be fast in Spain and win the championship.

    Q:
    You’ve had such a dominant season so far but here it was a bit tougher. We saw you make a mistake. Is that because of the pressure?
    NS:
    This time I was thinking more about to not do mistakes, winning the championship, and didn’t go as fast. In the wet stages I didn’t feel comfortable. I went too late while trying to play it safe. It’s a bit strange but we crashed. Luckily, the team could repair the car and everything was fine for the next day. We are still here, in second place. Everyone makes mistakes. It was a tricky event, really difficult. It’s our first time here in wet conditions. I think we learned something for next year.

    Q:
    When we go to Spain, your home event, you just have to win four stages to win the Junior WRC title. Is that correct?
    NS:
    Yes, let’s see if we can get these few stages. We know that we are fast. But we’ve seen what happened in the last rallies. It’s strange because in the first split times we’re always in front and then we start to lose much time. Maybe it’s the car, maybe us – we don’t know. We have to work.

    Q:
    Miguel, has this been the toughest weekend for a co-driver?
    MI:
    This weekend it was very, very difficult. Three different types of stages, very bumpy and wet. One small mistake and then you’re out.

    Q:
    Are looking forward to your home event in Spain?
    MI:
    Yes, it’s our home. I think this year it’s possible to win the rally and to win a lot of stages.
    * Subject to the official publication of the results by the FIA

    \eom/FIA press release