Tue May 15, 2012

 Marcus Grönholm Q & A Marcus Grönholm Question & Answer to his 2012 rallycross program:...

 Grönholm confirms 2012 rally-x program Following a successful pre-season test at the Willow Springs International Raceway in California last week and an inaguration event in Huntington Beach, Marcus Grönholm today confirmed his 2012 programme in his much-awaited full-time return to international competition. The 42 ye...

 Neuville replaces Al Attiyah for NZ

Sat May 12, 2012

 Full IRC Tour de Corse review *Debut IRC joy for Sordo and Mini in Corsica --- *ŠKODA extends lead in race for IRC manufacturers' crown --- *Wins for Subaru and Renault in support categories  ...

 Kopecky storms to a valuable 2nd The most exhausting, the longest and the most difficult – all of these three attributes go together well with the Corsica Rally, the fourth event of this year's IRC series. Jan Kopecký of ŠKODA Motorsport (factory team) finished second after a great fight with winner Dani Sor...

 Campana storms to faultless podium Pierre Campana has taken a spectacular podium result at Tour de Corse today following a competitive, reliable and mature performance at the wheel of the Munaretto-run Peugeot 207 in Corsica over the three days....

NEWS JUST IN

 F end - Mini wins on IRC debut! @ 06:04 PM - Sordo and Mini win their IRC debut, but a hard fought win. Kopecky defends 2nd place from Campana. Gaßner passes Leandri. Final results (after SS14)(subject to last road section and scrutineering):
1st= Sordo/del Barrio, Mini, 3h22m01s6;
2nd= Kopecky/Dresler, Skoda, +17s9;
3rd= Campana/de Castelli, Peugeot, +32s4;
4th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +53s5;
5th= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, +4m19s;
6th= Breen/Roberts, Peugeot, +5m28s7;
7th= Manzagol/Patrone, Peugeot, +6m22s1;
8th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +6m54s8;
9th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +7m10s2;
10th= Leandri/Leonardi, Peugeot, +7m39s9

 F SS13 - Excitement for final TV stage @ 04:23 PM - Sordo looks save in front. Not the best time for Campana, but if he goes on the last stage like this morning he would still overtake Kopecky Results after SS13:
1st= Sordo/del Barrio, Mini, 3h03m00s1;
2nd= Kopecky/Dresler, Skoda, +23s8;
3rd= Campana/de Castelli, Peugeot, +35s1;
4th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +57s6;
5th= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, +4m06s2;
6th= Breen/Roberts, Peugeot, +5m16s2;
7th= Manzagol/Patrone, Peugeot, +5m45s3;
8th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +6m29s4;
9th= Leandri/Leonardi, Peugeot, +6m54s4;
10th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +6m54s8

 F SS12 - Kopecky and Breen gain places @ 02:20 PM - Kopecky regains 2nd place from Campana on the same place where he lost it before. Breen reports another spin, but smaller and regains 6th. Results after SS12:
1st= Sordo/del Barrio, Mini, 2h54m14s7;
2nd= Kopecky/Dresler, Skoda, +28s4;
3rd= Campana/de Castelli, Peugeot, +32s6;
4th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +55s4;
5th= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, +4m06s;
6th= Breen/Roberts, Peugeot, +5m15s4;
7th= Manzagol/Patrone, Peugeot, +5m32s4;
8th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +6m17s2;
9th= Leandri/Leonardi, Peugeot, +6m38s6;
10th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +6m51s7

 F SS11 - Kopecky vs Campana @ 12:54 AM - Kopecky only 0.4s behind Campana now. But he took about the same time off Campana than he did this morning, next one will be tricky for Kopecky. Breen closes on Manzagol again. Results after SS11:
1st= Sordo/del Barrio, Mini, 2h35m09s2;
2nd= Campana/de Castelli, Peugeot, +31s8;
3rd= Kopecky/Dresler, Skoda, +32s2;
4th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +54s6;
5th= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, +3m54s7;
6th= Manzagol/Patrone, Peugeot, +5m00s9;
7th= Breen/Roberts, Peugeot, +5m04s7;
8th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +5m34s6;
9th= Leandri/Leonardi, Peugeot, +5m58s;
10th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +6m26s9

 F SS10 - Campana takes 2nd @ 11:49 AM - Campana wins the stage and takes 2nd. In fact, although driver reports no problems, Kopecky's time is quite slow, giving Sordo a good lead now. A spin for Breen drops him back behind Manzagol. Results after SS10:
1st= Sordo/del Barrio, Mini, 2h26m19s6;
2nd= Campana/de Castelli, Peugeot, +31s2;
3rd= Kopecky/Dresler, Skoda, +37s2;
4th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +52s4;
5th= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, +3m56s7;
6th= Manzagol/Patrone, Peugeot, +4m49s2;
7th= Breen/Roberts, Peugeot, +5m00s9;
8th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +5m24s6;
9th= Leandri/Leonardi, Peugeot, +5m33s;
10th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +6m21s8

 F SS9 - Breen takes Manzagol @ 11:43 AM - Breen overtakes Manzagol and Kopecky stage win keeps fight open. Nikara retires with broken gearbox. Results after SS9:
1st= Sordo/del Barrio, Mini, 2h07m09s2;
2nd= Kopecky/Dresler, Skoda, +20s9;
3rd= Campana/de Castelli, Peugeot, +31s9;
4th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +48s5;
5th= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, +3m54s5;
6th= Breen/Roberts, Peugeot, +4m12s2;
7th= Manzagol/Patrone, Peugeot, +4m22s;
8th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +4m46s8;
9th= Leandri/Leonardi, Peugeot, +4m53s;
10th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +5m47s1

 F leg3 Description @ 00:03 AM - IRC offering a proper Tour de Corse makes the stages too interesting to try and include them in the stage-by-stage just ins.
So here goes leg3: This time more compact with a loop around Bastia and curiously for this year 2 stages run 3x each. But fantastic stages that have not been used on the tour de Corse for some 30 years!
first stage: shortish stage, fast uphill at the start, then stays on the mountain but gets twistier.
second stage: This is the TV live stage. 30km split in 3 different sections. First 10km right along the coast, second 10km turn right uphill, last 10km downhill towards Bastia.

Fri May 11, 2012

 IRC newcomer Sordo tops dramatic day Dani Sordo will start the final six stages of Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse on Saturday firmly in contention for a debut victory in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge following a day of high drama on the demanding asphalt roads around Corte in the centre of the picturesque Medi...

 Pierre Campana in battle for 2nd Pierre Campana finds himself in the middle of an exciting battle for second place as the second day of this week’s Tour de Corse draws to a close following a solid day of rallying across today’s five special stages in warm and sunny conditions. ...

 Kopecky back in the game Day 2 of the Corsica Rally saw a thrilling spectacle and a major change on the top ranks when Basso gave up and Mikkelsen had a tyre defect that cost him his Day 1-lead and sent him down to fifth place after Day 2. Jan Kopecký has climbed up from sixth place to second, 25 seconds...

NEWS JUST IN

 F leg2 - results unclear after hectic SS @ 05:55 PM - This was by far not as good as the ball games Eurosport showed in some countries: Mikkelsen drops 1min with puncture, Arzeno drops 5min with electrical problems, Mattei's Skoda on fire having the stage neutralised before Breen somes through - hence results unclear as Breen could be anything between 5th & 8th now following Arzeno/Mikkelsen problems. Results after leg2 (SS8):
1st= Sordo/del Barrio, Mini, 1h58m17s5;
2nd= Kopecky/Dresler, Skoda, +25s2;
3rd= Campana/de Castelli, Peugeot, +29s6;
4th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +36s;
5th= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, +3m55s6;
6th= Manzagol/Patrone, Peugeot, +4m05s8;
7th= Breen/Roberts, Peugeot, +4m05s9;
8th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +4m26s4;
9th= Leandri/Leonardi, Peugeot, +4m32s7;
10th= Aigner/Ertl, Subaru, +5m30s4

 F SS7 - Some very tight battles @ 03:28 PM - Campana 2nd fstest means he is now only 0.2s behind Kopecky's 2nd place. Similar Craig Breen is on a big move up. From 11th to 8th in SS6, after SS7 he is 0.1s behind 7th! Results after SS7:
1st= Sordo/del Barrio, Mini, 1h43m02s2;
2nd= Kopecky/Dresler, Skoda, +29s2;
3rd= Campana/de Castelli, Peugeot, +29s4;
4th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +35s9;
5th= Arzeno/Jamoul, Peugeot, +1m02s3;
6th= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, +2m42s1;
7th= Manzagol/Patrone, Peugeot, +3m30s6;
8th= Breen/Roberts, Peugeot, +3m30s7;
9th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +3m51s7;
10th= Leandri/Leonardi, Peugeot, +3m57s5

 F SS6 - Unlucky event for Ford @ 02:40 PM - Julien Maurin crashed out now. Following the accidents of Basso and Saliuk, only two of five Fords are now left for none of the car's fault. Sordo takes his 2nd stage win and increases his lead. Results after SS6:
1st= Sordo/del Barrio, Mini, 1h33m43s7;
2nd= Kopecky/Dresler, Skoda, +25s7;
3rd= Campana/de Castelli, Peugeot, +28s7;
4th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +32s5;
5th= Arzeno/Jamoul, Peugeot, +52s8;
6th= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, +2m38s4;
7th= Manzagol/Patrone, Peugeot, +3m10s6;
8th= Breen/Roberts, Peugeot, +3m20s3;
9th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +3m26s;
10th= Leandri/Leonardi, Peugeot, +3m31s3

 F SS5 - Puncture for Mikkelsen @ 10:58 AM - And that means we have a new leader. Mikkelsen went off slightly and had to change a puncture. Meanwhile Bouffier is on a charge, he won the stage, passed Arzeno and is only 1.5s behind Campana now. Results after SS5:
1st= Sordo/del Barrio, Mini, 1h18m06s6;
2nd= Kopecky/Dresler, Skoda, +20s8;
3rd= Campana/de Castelli, Peugeot, +25s1;
4th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +26s6;
5th= Arzeno/Jamoul, Peugeot, +38s2;
6th= Maurin/Ural, Ford, +2m01s4;
7th= Manzagol/Patrone, Peugeot, +2m28s4;
8th= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, +2m35s7;
9th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +2m44s6;
10th= Leandri/Leonardi, Peugeot, +2m55s

 F SS4 - Kopecky & Breen move up @ 08:20 AM - Kopecky 2nd fastest behind Mikkelsen and such moving up from 5th to 3rd. Breen, who struggled with driveshaft problems and bsically having RWD for most of yesterday, is 5th fastest and moves from 23rd to 14th. Saliuk rips a wheel on the rock face. Results after SS4:
1st= Mikkelsen/Flodin, Skoda, 1h02m40s3;
2nd= Sordo/del Barrio, Mini, +7s2;
3rd= Kopecky/Dresler, Skoda, +26s1;
4th= Campana/de Castelli, Peugeot, +27s6;
5th= Arzeno/Jamoul, Peugeot, +29s6;
6th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +34s7;
7th= Maurin/Ural, Ford, +1m45s6;
8th= Manzagol/Patrone, Peugeot, +2m00s8;
9th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +2m10s;
10th= Leandri/Leonardi, Peugeot, +2m36s9

Thu May 10, 2012

 Mikkelsen heads close battle on Corsica Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Andreas Mikkelsen leads Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse following the opening three stages around Ajaccio this afternoon. However, with 2.8s covering the leading drivers, Mikkelsen has a big fight on his hands in his bid to win his first IR...

 Nicolas Fuchs joins Symtech Racing Peruvian rally champion Nicolas Fuchs will join Symtech Racing for the rest of the Production Car World Rally Championship this year, starting from the next round on the Acropolis Rally in Greece. He will use a Symtech-built Subaru Impreza, identical to the car in which New Zeala...

 Campana with stunning stage win Corsican rally sensation Pierre Campana has ended the opening day of this weekend’s Tour de Corse, an official round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, with a sublime win in the Sarrola-Plage de Liamone stage....

 Eurosport live TV great for Dale Moscatt Co-driver Dale Moscatt says Eurosport’s live coverage of Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse will allow his friends and family to watch his progress on the spectacular island rally even though he is competing more than 10,000 miles from home....

 Sarrazin back in the IRC with Peugeot Stéphane Sarrazin will be back in action in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge with Peugeot this week, albeit as the driver of the course opening zero car....

 Sordo allowed to score points on Corsica In view of MINI’s intention to register as an official Intercontinental Rally Challenge manufacturer, Eurosport Events, the promoter of the IRC, has sought a waiver to amend its sporting regulations. This will allow Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio to score points in the IRC driv...

NEWS JUST IN

 Basso out of Corse @ 08:12 PM - Giandomenico Basso has been foreced to retire from the Tour de Corse after an accident on the road section avoiding another car. Big pity as he was one of the big candidates for the win.

 F leg2 Description @ 04:31 PM - IRC offering a proper Tour de Corse makes the stages too interesting to try and include them in the stage-by-stage just ins.
So here goes leg2: Starting in Calvi, but most of the day is around Corte. 5 stages, but on 4 different locations:
SS4 1980s style classic West Coast stage, crossing 2 mountains and ending back in Calvi. Then follows a bit of a road section.
SS5&8 LIVE TV is a stage already used last year surrounding a valley near Corte. Not too long but very open and likely the fastest stage of the event. SS6 The stage starts fast uphill, but gets much twistier when it levels out. Uphill & twisty is good for turbos, level and open is good for atmos. SS7 shortest stage of the day as the stage is a real classic. It is cut short to not include the Henri Toivonen corner.

 F leg1 - Tight Top3 @ 04:11 PM - Looks like a short leg, but we have already 45min of driving. Breen has a broken driveshaft. Campana now takes a surprise stage win. But top3 stay unchanged and no major dramas yet. Crews now transfer to Calvi, where leg2 starts tomorrow. Leg2 will lead us to Corte then. Results after leg1 (SS3):
1st= Mikkelsen/Flodin, Skoda, 46m19s8;
2nd= Basso/Dotta, Ford(T), +1s8;
3rd= Sordo/del Barrio, Mini, +2s8;
4th= Campana/de Castelli, Peugeot, +19s3;
5th= Arzeno/Jamoul, Peugeot, +20s7;
6th= Kopecky/Dresler, Skoda, +24s8;
7th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +27s6;
8th= Maurin/Ural, Ford, +1m14s3;
9th= Manzagol/Patrone, Peugeot, +1m17s7;
10th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +1m30s2

 F SS2 - Mikkelsen takes lead @ 03:01 PM - But it's top3 within 0.6s. Breen however drops a minute for unconfirmed reasons. Otherwise no major dramas so far. Results after SS2:
1st= Mikkelsen/Flodin, Skoda, 28m36s3;
2nd= Basso/Dotta, Ford(T), +0s1;
3rd= Sordo/del Barrio, Mini, +0s6;
4th= Kopecky/Dresler, Skoda, +13s2;
5th= Arzeno/Jamoul, Peugeot, +17s2;
6th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +17s4;
7th= Campana/de Castelli, Peugeot, +20s1;
8th= Manzagol/Patrone, Peugeot, +46s9;
9th= Maurin/Ural, Ford, +48s8;
10th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +55s5

 F SS1 - Amazing time for Breen! @ 01:56 PM - This was the one stage today where turbo cars were expected to shine, and they did. Amazing 3rd fastest time for Craig Breen, who is the fastest conventional car. Many drivers complained about brake fade, but next 2 stages are more downhill even, with SS2 being shorter though. Results after SS1:
1st= Basso/Dotta, Ford(T), 17m00s5;
2nd= Sordo/del Barrio, Mini, +3s4;
3rd= Breen/Roberts, Peugeot, +3s6;
4th= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, +3s8;
5th= Campana/de Castelli, Peugeot, +10s5;
6th= Arzeno/Jamoul, Peugeot, +12s9;
7th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +13s3;
8th= Kopecky/Dresler, Skoda, +13s7;
9th= Maurin/Ural, Ford, +28s5;
10th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +29s4

 F leg1 Description @ 01:44 PM - IRC offering a proper Tour de Corse makes the stages too interesting to try and include them in the stage-by-stage just ins. So here goes leg1: Just 3 stages, but 3 different ones:
SS1 goes to the North, typical Corsica of the 1980s stage. Mostly uphill, believed to be a turbo stage.
SS2 is a flat short but tight stage going via Uccia to Gare Cabuccia. This stage was in turns with SS3 the final stage of the last WRC editions. SS3 goes through the mountains south of Ajaccio and ends on the beach south of Ajaccio

Wed May 9, 2012

 Corsica LIVE-TV Spectacular: Fans watching Eurosport’s live coverage of Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse next week will be in for a treat when the Intercontinental Rally Challenge resumes on the legendary island event....

 In the Spotlight: M-Sport Ford M-Sport, Ford’s respected rallying partner, made an instant impact on the IRC in 2010 when Mikko Hirvonen took the company’s Fiesta S2000 to a debut victory on Rallye Monte-Carlo. ...