Sun March 21, 2010

 Skoda dominate Rally Argentina The world-famous Argentinean rally, the third race in the IRC championship, was dominated by Škodas. The Finnish driver Juho Hänninen, for the Škoda Motorsport works team, crowned his excellent performance with a convincing victory, second was Guy Wilks, driving for the Škoda UK ...

 Hanninen takes dominant win in Argentina Juho Hanninen and Skoda have made it three different winners from three rounds of this year's Intercontinental Rally Challenge following a dominant victory on Rally Argentina, which finished with a spectacular superspecial stage through the streets of host town Carlos Paz ear...

 Wilks on the podium again for Skoda UK

NEWS JUST IN

 RA end - Skoda's first podium lock out! @ 07:46 PM - Meeke retired, clear win for Hänninen, strong finish for Pozzo. End results (after SS15)(subject to final time control and scrutineering):
1st= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, 2h30m38s1;
2nd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +51s;
3rd= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +2m20s1;
4th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +5m03s9;
5th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +5m14s2;
6th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +6m11s;
7th= Madero/Piazzano, Mitsubishi, +6m47s5;
8th= Dominguez/Galindo, Mitsubishi, +7m39s3;
9th= Cancio/Garcia, Mitsubishi, +8m38s3;
10th= Marchetto/Franchello, Mitsubishi, +9m17s6

 RA SS14 - big trouble for Meeke! @ 06:22 PM - Peugeot can't convince here. While the Skodas run boringly faultless, Meeke adds a tight steering and a broken suspension joint to his earlier altitude and misfiring problems, losing near 4min and several places on the last stage proper! Menzi loses top10 place with similar problem. Results after SS14:
1st= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, 2h28m08s1;
2nd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +50s4;
3rd= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +2m20s7;
4th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +4m59s1;
5th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +5m13s5;
6th= Meeke/Nagle, Peugeot, +5m41s7;
7th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +6m09s1;
8th= Madero/Piazzano, Mitsubishi, +6m25s7;
9th= Dominguez/Galindo, Mitsubishi, +7m35s6;
10th= Cancio/Garcia, Mitsubishi, +8m32s6

 RA SS13 - Stage win for Kopecky @ 05:53 PM - The announce3d rain storm did not happen, in contrary stage is dry and hard. This is a repeat of SS11 and for the first time this rally no change in top10. But there is still a fight between Pozzo & Villagra as well as Magalhaes & Madero. Results after SS13:
1st= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, 2h14m01s1;
2nd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +47s1;
3rd= Meeke/Nagle, Peugeot, +1m52s8;
4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +2m15s;
5th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +4m52s6;
6th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +5m00s2;
7th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +5m54s6;
8th= Madero/Piazzano, Mitsubishi, +6m06s4;
9th= Dominguez/Galindo, Mitsubishi, +7m08s;
10th= Menzi/Cagnotti, Subaru, +7m49s3

 RA SS12 - Storm expected for next loop @ 03:17 PM - Amazing push by Gabriel Pozzo, 4th fastest in this stage ahead of Meeke, overall he moved ahead of Villagra. Results after SS12:
1st= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, 2h06m31s8;
2nd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +45s4;
3rd= Meeke/Nagle, Peugeot, +1m51s2;
4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +2m17s4;
5th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +4m40s6;
6th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +4m49s2;
7th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +5m47s9;
8th= Madero/Piazzano, Mitsubishi, +5m57s4;
9th= Dominguez/Galindo, Mitsubishi, +6m56s6;
10th= Menzi/Cagnotti, Subaru, +7m35s9

 RA SS11 - dramatic rough stage @ 03:12 PM - Daniel Oliveira crashed out for good. Top10 candidates Claudio Menzi and Juan Marchetto hit suspension problems. Hänninen extends lead further. Results after SS11:
1st= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, 1h52m26s;
2nd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +44s9;
3rd= Meeke/Nagle, Peugeot, +1m44s;
4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +2m12s2;
5th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +4m24s8;
6th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +4m34s3;
7th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +5m12s3;
8th= Madero/Piazzano, Mitsubishi, +5m22s8;
9th= Dominguez/Galindo, Mitsubishi, +6m05s8;
10th= Trelles/del Buono, Mitsubishi, +7m04s9

 RA SS10 - Al Attiyah out @ 01:08 PM - The top4 get ever more settled. While Hänninen confirms it is rather an advantage being 1st on the road, Wilks has brake problems and Meeke has a bad engine misfire. Al Attiyah seems to have retired from 10th. Results after SS10:
1st= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, 1h44m59s7;
2nd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +40s8;
3rd= Meeke/Nagle, Peugeot, +1m33s9;
4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +2m07s8;
5th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +4m14s7;
6th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +4m22s6;
7th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +5m03s1;
8th= Madero/Piazzano, Mitsubishi, +5m08s6;
9th= Dominguez/Galindo, Mitsubishi, +5m51s6;
10th= Menzi/Cagnotti, Subaru, +6m16s7

 RA SS9 - Hänninen again @ - Hänninen wins the day's 1st stage narrowly rom Wilks, but Meeke's time is again disapointing without reason given. Puncture for Cancio and time penalty for Menzi late out of service means Al Attiyah now in top10 Results after SS9:
1st= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, 1h29m51s4;
2nd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +34s3;
3rd= Meeke/Nagle, Peugeot, +1m13s4;
4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +1m52s1;
5th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +3m43s8;
6th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +3m53s1;
7th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +4m26s;
8th= Madero/Piazzano, Mitsubishi, +4m29s5;
9th= Dominguez/Galindo, Mitsubishi, +5m05s
10th= Al Attiyah/Bernacchini, Skoda, +5m40s3

Sat March 20, 2010

 Hanninen leads after leg one in Argentina Juho Hanninen will start the final leg of the 30th Personal Rally Argentina with a lead of more than half a minute following a dominant performance at the wheel of his Skoda Motorsport Fabia Super 2000 today (20 March)....

 Wilks in strong 2nd after leg 1 in Argentina Guy Wilks holds a strong 2nd position on Rally Argentina in his Škoda UK Motorsport Fabia S2000, as he battles for victory on Round 3 of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge with rally leader Juho Hänninen in a sensational Škoda 1-2. Co-driven by Phil Pugh, Guy set one fast...

NEWS JUST IN

 RA leg1 - Meeke punctures @ 07:54 PM - Meeke drops 20s with a puncture, handing the rally even more firmly into Hänninen's hands. Actually, looks like a Skoda rally for makes points too, Skoda's 1st, 2nd, 4th, Peugeot's 3rd, 8th, 38th. Results after leg1 (SS8):
1st= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, 1h16m55s;
2nd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +32s2;
3rd= Meeke/Nagle, Peugeot, +51s;
4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +1m26s2;
5th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +2m57s7;
6th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +3m11s1;
7th= Madero/Piazzano, Mitsubishi, +3m34s6;
8th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +3m45s9;
9th= Menzi/Cagnotti, Subaru, +3m56s8
10th= Dominguez/Galindo, Mitsubishi, +4m03s4

 RA SS7 - Big stage time for Hänninen @ 07:26 PM - Hänninen wins stage by 10s and now has a very firm grip on the lead. Magalhaes drops 2 places, but no maor drama, just a tight battle. Results after SS7:
1st= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, 1h03m15s5;
2nd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +29s3;
3rd= Meeke/Nagle, Peugeot, +31s3;
4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +1m20s2;
5th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +2m26s8;
6th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +2m41s5;
7th= Madero/Piazzano, Mitsubishi, +3m;
8th= Marchetto/Franchello, Mitsubishi, +3m07s8;
9th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +3m12s6
10th= Menzi/Cagnotti, Subaru, +3m21s4

 RA SS6 - Punctures for Al Attiyah @ 06:26 PM - This loop is the first loop bar SS4 repeated. And the track seems really rough now. Al Attiyah has two punctures but only drops a minute. Meeke and Kopecky also complain having chosen the wrong tyres now. But Kopecky's time was quite good, while Meeke drops behind Wilks. Results after SS6:
1st= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, 52m22s6;
2nd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +19s1;
3rd= Meeke/Nagle, Peugeot, +20s6;
4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +1m04s2;
5th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +1m57s5;
6th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +2m10s7;
7th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +2m31s6;
8th= Madero/Piazzano, Mitsubishi, +2m32s;
9th= Marchetto/Franchello, Mitsubishi, +2m36s7
10th= Dominguez/Galindo, Mitsubishi, +2m47s2

 RA SS5 - First on Road is best @ 02:27 PM - Another stage win or Hänninen, while Meeke is under big thread of Wilks. Rainy conditions mean the road is cutting up very quickly and that means 1st on road is best. Hänninen as 2nd on road certainly makes best use o this, but it does make Al Attiyah's claims even worse, as he is 1st on road. Ligato retired with diff problems. Results after SS5:
1st= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, 43m00s9;
2nd= Meeke/Nagle, Peugeot, +13s5;
3rd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +13s7;
4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +57s;
5th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +1m37s1;
6th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +1m39s8;
7th= Al Attiyah/Bernacchini, Skoda, +2m05s;
8th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +2m08s;
9th= Marchetto/Franchello, Mitsubishi, +2m11s;
10th= Madero/Piazzero, Mitsubishi, +2m17s9

 RA SS4 - Hänninen strong @ 01:23 PM - Wilks wins stage. While the top3 Hänninen-Meeke-Wilks are within 10s, Al Attiyah is winning the 2010 IRC title by losing half a minute every single stage! Results after SS4:
1st= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, 36m49s3;
2nd= Meeke/Nagle, Peugeot, +6s6;
3rd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +9s1;
4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +45s3;
5th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +1m13s9;
6th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +1m18s;
7th= Al Attiyah/Bernacchini, Skoda, +1m30s8;
8th= Menzi/Cagnotti, Subaru, +1m31s9;
9th= Marchetto/Franchello, Mitsubishi, +1m39s6;
10th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +1m43s

 RA SS3 - Two Peugeots in trouble @ 01:01 PM - Peugeot's makes title chance has just received another knock. While Kris Meeke has a superb battle with Hänninen or the lead, Magalhaes dropped rom 5th to 12th for wrong pace notes and resulting bad confidence, while Brazilian Daniel Oliveira went off for 15min. Results after SS3:
1st= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, 23m07s1;
2nd= Meeke/Nagle, Peugeot, +3s1;
3rd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +10s;
4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +25s7;
5th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +41s7;
6th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +47s5;
7th= Al Attiyah/Bernacchini, Skoda, +49s1;
8th= Bernardi/Cretu, Mitsubishi, +57s2;
9th= Menzi/Cagnotti, Subaru, +57s3;
10th= Madero/Piazzaro, Mitsubishi, +57s6

 RA SS2 - Action starts proper @ 11:50 AM - Hänninen wins the first proper stage and immediately moves from 4th ahead of the two Brits. Wonder about Al Attiyah's tactics here, since he claimed he is going to win the IRC title this year. Results after SS2:
1st= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, 12m03s9;
2nd= Meeke/Nagle, Peugeot, +2s;
3rd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +6s7;
4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +8s2;
5th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +18s2;
6th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +21s3;
7th= Al Attiyah/Bernacchini, Skoda, +21s8;
8th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +23s8;
9th= Menzi/Cagnotti, Subaru, +27s6;
10th= Madero/Piazzaro, Mitsubishi, +29s8

Fri March 19, 2010

 Meeke leads after superspecial Kris Meeke will take a slender lead of 1.4 seconds into the second section of leg one of the 30th Personal Rally Argentina after topping the times on the opening superspecial stage through the streets of Carlos Paz on Friday (19 March). In front of a capacity crowd of 12,0...

 Hanninen tops Argentina shakedown Juho Hänninen has set the fastest time during the pre-event shakedown for Rally Argentina. The Intercontinental Rally Challenge leader (pictured) registered a best time of 5m16.9s over the 6.23-kilometre course near Cabalango, which is a short drive from the service park in...

 Wilks tests for Argentina Guy Wilks and co-driver Phil Pugh declared themselves ready for the start of Rally Argentina, Round 3 of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, after a very successful test in their Škoda UK Motorsport Fabia S2000. Driving a rally car in Argentina for the first time since 20...

NEWS JUST IN

 RA SS1 - warm up @ 08:39 PM - Just a meaningless superspecial, on asphalt as well, but to get you in the mood.... Villagra reports some technical worries (excessive smoke from engine bay) and it seems the self elected IRC Champ to be, Al Attiyah, underestimated the IRC competition a bit, but its just an asphalt SSS. Results after SS1:
1st= Meeke/Nagle, Peugeot, 2m32s8;
2nd= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +1s4;
3rd= Wilks/Pugh, Skoda, +2s2;
=4th= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +2s9;
=4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +2s9;
6th= Villagra/Perez Companc, Ford, +7s8;
7th= Baldoni/Diaz, Mitsubishi, +8s4;
8th= Oliveira/del Barrio, Peugeot, +9s3;
9th= Al Attiyah/Bernacchini, Skoda, +9s4;
10th= Pozzo/Stillo, Subaru, +9s5

Thu March 18, 2010

 Wilks expects wide open battle in Argentina Guy Wilks says the battle for victory on Rally Argentina this week will be wide open due to the highly competitive nature of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge field. The Škoda UK Motorsport driver (pictured) is second in the IRC standings and has a strong pedigree on Ra...

 Villagra enjoys Fiesta test debut Federico Villagra’s preparations for Rally Argentina began in earnest yesterday (Tuesday) when he completed a 130-kilometre test on gravel roads near Córdoba in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000. The eight-time Argentine champion, who will make his Intercontinental Rally Chall...

Wed March 17, 2010

 Wilks aims for victory in Argentina Rally Argentina’s challenging gravel special stages are made famous by the unusually high number of river crossings that have to be negotiated, and Guy Wilks hopes to be walking on water when he attacks those watersplashes flat-out in his Škoda UK Motorsport Fabia S2000, in his q...

Sat March 13, 2010

 IRC Rally Argentina - Preview The dust might have only just settled on a thrilling Rally Internacional de Curitba but the Intercontinental Rally Challenge regulars are already gearing up for the third round of the series in Argentina next week (19-21 March). Based in the picturesque town of Carlos Paz,...

Thu March 11, 2010

 Strong entry for Argentina Sixty-nine crews have entered Rally Argentina next week, the highest number to do so on a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge so far this season. Based in the town of Carlos Paz, the gravel rally joins the IRC for the first time in 2010 and is set to provide a st...

Mon February 22, 2010

 Street superspecial for Argentina A superspecial stage through the streets of Carlos Paz will be among the highlights when the Intercontinental Rally Challenge visits Argentina for the first time next month....

Sat February 6, 2010

 Al-Attiyah gets RGRS Skoda for Argentina Nasser Al-Attiyah will make his Intercontinental Rally Challenge debut on Rally Argentina next month, driving a Skoda Fabia S2000 for the Belgian Rene Georges Rally Sport team. The highly-regarded Qatari, 39, is a hero in Argentina after he finished runner-up to Carlos Sainz ...