Thu September 15, 2011

 Drama for Honda in Hungary The Canon Mecsek Rally, the 8th round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, ended dramatically for the Honda Civic Type R of the Hungarian crew Ferenc Levai and Gabor Schweighardt.     ...

Tue September 13, 2011

 Mikkelsen denied victory Having led the Mecsek Rallye since the start, Andreas Mikkelsen came within two stages of winning his first Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) event – only to be denied a worthy victory when he hit an unexpected carpet of loose gravel on the penultimate stage (SS13), which el...

Mon September 12, 2011

 Kopecky takes closest ever IRC win SKODA Motorsport's Jan Kopecky won the 45. Canon Mecsek Rallye by the smallest margin in the history of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge after a dramatic final day of action. In an event marked by close battles throughout the field, Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg's T...

 Just 8-tenth of a second from victory The Mecsek Rallye, round eight of the 2011 International Rally Challenge, produced an exceptionally thrilling finale. An assertive comeback by Peugeot Belgium-Luxemburg’s Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul enabled them to secure second place in their 207 S2000, a mere 0.8s s...

Sun September 11, 2011

 Kopecky takes title lead after Hungary win A fantastic rally with a nerve-wracking end – that was the Mecsek Rally that took place in the surrounding of Pécs, Hungary this weekend. Driving a ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000, Jan Kopecký of ŠKODA Motorsport (factory team) achieved the tightest victory in the history of the IRC C...

 Duels between Mikkelsen and Kopecký Day 1 of the Mecsek Rally that is part of the IRC for the first time in history saw exciting duels between ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000s. The standings are topped by Andreas Mikkelsen of ŠKODA UK Motorsport who is 8.7 sec ahead of Jan Kopecký of ŠKODA Motorsport (factory team). Thes...

 Neuville on overnight podium The first of the two legs of the 45th Mecsek Rallye, round eight of the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge, saw Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul emerge as the best-placed 207 S2000 runners. The Peugeot Belgium-Luxemburg crew are currently third overall in Hungary, just ...

 Mikkelsen leads from charging Kopecky Andreas Mikkelsen leads a fierce battle for the lead on the opening day of the 45th Canon Mecksek Rallye. Driving a SKODA UK Motorsport Fabia S2000, Mikkelsen holds sway over factory pilot Jan Kopecky by just 8.7s, with Peugeot ace Thierry Neuville a further 12.7s behind....

 Last min changes to Mecsek TV schedule Because of unavoidable changes in another sporting live event, it has not been avoidable to change the IRC Mecsek Rally broadcast schedule. ...

NEWS JUST IN

 H end - Nearly Neuville! @ 02:21 PM - Big push by Neuville! Kopecky still wins, but his advantage has been narrowed from 8.1s to 0.8s, the closest finish in IRC history! Final results (after SS14)(subject to last road section and scrutineering):
1st= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, 2h00m06s7;
2nd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +0s8;
3rd= Loix/Miclotte, Skoda, +1m;
4th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m35s6;
5th= Gaßner/Gottschalk, Skoda, +2m32s5;
6th= Aschenbrenner/Piko, Mitsubishi, +2m38s2;
7th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +3m05s6;
8th= Butor/Bacigal, Peugeot, +3m16s8;
9th= Magalhaes/Grave, Peugeot, +3m51s7;
10th= Harrach/Schindlbacher, Mitsubishi, +4m14s

 H SS13 - Stage restarted @ 01:48 PM - Obviously following the Mikkelsen crash everybody moved up one place. Except Aschenbrenner that is, who has been passed by Gaßner by 0.6s. Neuville closes the gap to new leader to just 8.1s with 17.7km remaining. Results after SS13:
1st= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, 1h51m33s;
2nd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +8s1;
3rd= Loix/Miclotte, Skoda, +50s2;
4th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m33s9;
5th= Gaßner/Gottschalk, Skoda, +2m29s1;
6th= Aschenbrenner/Piko, Mitsubishi, +2m29s7;
7th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +2m54s;
8th= Butor/Bacigal, Peugeot, +3m01s2;
9th= Magalhaes/Grave, Peugeot, +3m40s;
10th= Harrach/Schindlbacher, Mitsubishi, +4m03s5

 H SS13 - Mikkelsen start-finish crash @ 01:17 PM - Big news, Andreas Mikkelsen, who led from start to just now, the penultimate stage, has crashed out of the rally! Crew is OK, but apparently stage has been stopped.

 H SS12 - no perfekt stage for Mikkelsen @ 12:48 AM - No reason known, but basically Mikkelsen lost 14s to Neuville, with Kopecky inbetween them. This means the top3 were covered by 33s, now one stage later by just 18s! Gardemeister overtakes Butor again. Results after SS12:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h40m16s;
2nd= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +10s4;
3rd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +18s7;
4th= Loix/Miclotte, Skoda, +49s1;
5th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m39s8;
6th= Aschenbrenner/Piko, Mitsubishi, +2m27s8;
7th= Gaßner/Gottschalk, Skoda, +2m33s3;
8th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +2m51s8;
9th= Butor/Bacigal, Peugeot, +2m53s;
10th= Magalhaes/Grave, Peugeot, +3m33s4

 H SS11 - First stage win for Peugeot @ 10:14 AM - Mikkelsen extends lead to 18.8s. But the stage win goes to Neuville. In the battle for places 7-8-9 it is Gardemeister's Skoda who for some stretches runs on only 3 cylinders, dropping Toni from 7th to 9th. Results after SS11:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h33m13s8;
2nd= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +18s8;
3rd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +32s5;
4th= Loix/Miclotte, Skoda, +48s6;
5th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m40s5;
6th= Aschenbrenner/Piko, Mitsubishi, +2m18s8;
7th= Gaßner/Gottschalk, Skoda, +2m33s1;
8th= Butor/Bacigal, Peugeot, +2m41s9;
9th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +2m48s4;
10th= Magalhaes/Grave, Peugeot, +3m24s5

 H SS10 - Many so close battles @ 09:28 AM - Kopecky & Mikkelsen tied for fastest stage time! Leading margin therefore doesn't change. But a late pacenote lets Neuville lose 9s to Loix. Butor drops 2 places simply for close battles, as places 7-8-9 are within 4.6s. Results after SS10:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h24m42s6;
2nd= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +15s6;
3rd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +33s8;
4th= Loix/Miclotte, Skoda, +42s;
5th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m37s1;
6th= Aschenbrenner/Piko, Mitsubishi, +2m06s;
7th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +2m19s9;
8th= Gaßner/Gottschalk, Skoda, +2m23s2;
9th= Butor/Bacigal, Peugeot, +2m24s5;
10th= Magalhaes/Grave, Peugeot, +3m09s

 H SS9 - Slowish time by Kopecky @ 08:35 AM - No real drama for Kopecky, but the battle has now changed somewhat. Mikkelsen's lead now at 15.6s, while Neuville is only 7s down on Kopecky. Butor overtakes Gardemeister. Norbert Herczig crashed out of 10th. Results after SS9:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h13m32s8;
2nd= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +15s6;
3rd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +22s7;
4th= Loix/Miclotte, Skoda, +39s6;
5th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m31s1;
6th= Aschenbrenner/Piko, Mitsubishi, +1m49s7;
7th= Butor/Bacigal, Peugeot, +2m04s8;
8th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +2m05s5;
9th= Gaßner/Gottschalk, Skoda, +2m11s2;
10th= Magalhaes/Grave, Peugeot, +2m48s9

Sat September 10, 2011

NEWS JUST IN

 H leg1 - Mikkelsen still leads @ 07:06 PM - Another stage win for Kopecky, who closes to 8.7s to Mikkelsen. No changes in the top10, which is rare in IRC. Results after leg1 (SS7):
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h06m41s6;
2nd= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +8s7;
3rd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +21s4;
4th= Loix/Miclotte, Skoda, +32s7;
5th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m20s9;
6th= Aschenbrenner/Piko, Mitsubishi, +1m29s;
7th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +1m46s6;
8th= Butor/Bacigal, Peugeot, +1m52s8;
9th= Gaßner/Gottschalk, Skoda, +1m58s2;
10th= Herczig/Benics, Skoda, +2m06s3

 H SS6 - Kopecky closes in on lead @ 07:00 PM - Stage win for Kopecky but Mikkelsen still leads. Gardemeister passes Butor for 7th. Andersson retired. Results after SS6:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 59m49s5;
2nd= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +11s7;
3rd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +14s9;
4th= Loix/Miclotte, Skoda, +28s5;
5th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m10s2;
6th= Aschenbrenner/Piko, Mitsubishi, +1m12s2;
7th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +1m29s3;
8th= Butor/Bacigal, Peugeot, +1m31s1;
9th= Gaßner/Gottschalk, Skoda, +1m41s2;
10th= Herczig/Benics, Skoda, +1m46s1

 H SS5 - Wilks & Turan out! @ 03:43 PM - Some big changes. Wilks has a blown engine and Turan ..., both retired rfrom 5th and 6th. Ahead of them in 4th was Jan Kopecky. The battle is so tight that his stage win moves Kopecky from 4th to 2nd. Results after SS5:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 45m36s1;
2nd= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +14s6;
3rd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +14s7;
4th= Loix/Miclotte, Skoda, +22s2;
5th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +54s3;
6th= Aschenbrenner/Piko, Mitsubishi, +58s2;
7th= Butor/Bacigal, Peugeot, +1m12s7;
8th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +1m16s;
9th= Gaßner/Gottschalk, Skoda, +1m20s1;
10th= Herczig/Benics, Skoda, +1m23s1

 H SS8 - CANCELLED @ 03:36 PM - SS8 is a repeat of SS4 of which we reported: "Drivers complain last 2km is just dead straight with many spectators (boring yet dangerous?)" - that is exactly the reason why it was decided the stage will not be run again. The day such ends after SS7.

 H SS4 - Mikkelsen in control @ 01:09 PM - Another stage win for Mikkelsen, ongoing problems for Toth. Drivers complain last 2km is just dead straight with many spectators (boring yet dangerous?) Results after SS4:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 36m47s7;
2nd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +14s4;
3rd= Loix/Miclotte, Skoda, +15s;
4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +15s4;
5th= Turan/Gabor, Ford, +26s8;
6th= Wilks/Pugh, Peugeot, +27s7;
7th= Aschenbrenner/Piko, Mitsubishi, +44s3;
8th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +46s;
9th= Butor/Bacigal, Peugeot, +56s6;
10th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +1m01s

 H SS3 - Bad stage for locals @ 12:21 AM - All reasons unconfirmed, but Janos Toth drops way down the order with over 1min time loss. Turan and Butor both have bad times but in a margin that speak for the close competition rather than problems. Butor drops behind Gardemeister, Turan drops from 3rd to 6th. Neuville reports an off but keeps position, just. Stage win for Kopecky. Results after SS3:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 29m54s5;
2nd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +13s7;
3rd= Loix/Miclotte, Skoda, +14s3;
4th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +14s6;
5th= Wilks/Pugh, Peugeot, +18s8;
6th= Turan/Gabor, Ford, +24s4;
7th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +33s8;
8th= Aschenbrenner/Piko, Mitsubishi, +36s5;
9th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +46s9;
10th= Butor/Bacigal, Peugeot, +48s1

 H SS2 - Bad luck for Proton continues @ 09:39 AM - Basso crash SS1, PG crash SS2, we are an hour into this rally and Proton is packing in and go home for none of the car's fault. Mikkelsen extends lead. Results after SS2:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 23m06s6;
2nd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +8s6;
3rd= Turan/Gabor Ford, +13s6;
4th= Loix/Miclotte, Skoda, +15s4;
5th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +16s5;
6th= Wilks/Pugh, Peugeot, +18s7;
7th= Aschenbrenner/Piko, Mitsubishi, +28s;
8th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +28s1;
9th= Butor/Bacigal, Peugeot, +34s9;
10th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +37s9

 H SS1 - Mikkelsen first leader @ 08:47 AM - Mikkelsen from Neuville lead the stage. Strong showing by locals. Frigyes Turan 3rd overall, and nice to see Janos Toth and Robert Butor (for first time in an S2000) back in IRC with top10 times. Very fast stages difficult for Proton's underpowered, but also not helped by Basso going off for 90sec. Results after SS1:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 8m50s2;
2nd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +5s1;
3rd= Turan/Gabor Ford, +6s3;
4th= Loix/Miclotte, Skoda, +7s1;
5th= Wilks/Pugh, Peugeot, +8s3;
6th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +10s6;
7th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +12s9;
8th= Butor/Bacigal, Peugeot, +14s4;
9th= Aschenbrenner/Piko, Mitsubishi, +14s9;
10th= Toth/Tagai, Peugeot, +15s9

Fri September 9, 2011

 Herczig to focus on national title bid Hungarian Norbert Herczig will be told to avoid trying to upstage the Intercontinental Rally Challenge regulars when he makes his series’ debut on the Canon Mecsek Rallye....

 Mecsek finish the target, says PROTON PROTON Motorsports’ team principal Chris Mellors says his sole focus is on getting both factory-supported Satria Neo Super 2000s to the finish of the Canon Mecsek Rally in Hungary from 9-11 September....

Thu September 8, 2011

 Magalhaes excited ahead of IRC return Bruno Magalhaes says he can’t wait to resume his Intercontinental Rally Challenge campaign when he contests the Canon Mecsek Rallye in Hungary from 9-11 September....

 Strong Honda delegation In Hungary Hungary's passion for Formula 1 needs no introduction, but this weekend the country's huge rally following will be thrust into the international spotlight as the 45th edition of the Hungarian Mecsek Rally joins the calendar of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge for the ...

Tue September 6, 2011

 Proton Mecsek Rally Preview The PROTON Motorsports team arrives in Hungary for the start of the latest Intercontinental Rally Challenge on Friday (September 9), with the sole aim of building on the solid results achieved on last month’s Barum Czech Rally Zlin....

 Peugeot ventures into unknown territory For the first time in its history, the International Rally Challenge includes a visit to Hungary for 2011, a move prompted by the country's longstanding tradition for rallying and the sport's current growth in popularity. The 45th Mecsek Rallye will be based in Pécs - ...

 Skoda to the Mecsek Rally The eighth event of this year's Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) is taking place over the upcoming weekend. After celebrating a podium sweep in Zlín, ŠKODA is leaving its home ground to move southeast to Hungary. The surroundings of Pécs will see the traditional loc...

Sat September 3, 2011

 Mecsek Rally preview Here the full IRC Canon Mecsek Rally preview...

Fri September 2, 2011

 Huge entry for Hungary’s IRC debut More than 100 crews, including 20 IRC regulars and a host of locally-based teams, have entered next week’s Canon Mecsek Rallye, round eight of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and Hungary’s first appearance in the all-action series....

Thu September 1, 2011

 Neuville optimistic after Zlin pace Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg’s Thierry Neuville is convinced that he can replicate the pace he showed on the closing stages on Barum Czech Rally Zlin when he contests the Canon Mecsek Rallye in Hungary next week....

 Loix to capitalise on Zlin pace in Hungary BFO-SKODA driver Freddy Loix hopes his run to second place on Barum Czech Rally Zlin last week will boost his chances when the Intercontinental Rally Challenge resumes on the Canon Mecsek Rallye from 9-11 September....