Mon October 24, 2011

 IRC crew celebrate half century SKODA Auto Deutschland crew Matthias Kahle and Peter Gobel marked 50 events together when they finished 10th overall on RACMSA Rally of Scotland last week....

 Rally of Scotland stages praised Scotland hosted its third Intercontinental Rally Challenge event last week with leading crews praising the exciting and demanding nature of the stages despite the onset of wet and muddy conditions....

 IRC titles won in Scotland

Sat October 22, 2011

 Title for Honda in the IRC Cup 2011 Estonian Martin Kangur claimed his first victory in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge at the RACMSA Rally of Scotland this weekend and in some style, dominating the penultimate round of the rally series with co-driver Silver Kutt. Hungarian Janos Puskadi and his co-driver Barn...

Mon October 10, 2011

 PROTON Rally Scotland Review The PROTON Motorsports team once again demonstrated the development and potential of the Satria Neo S2000 on this weekend’s Rally of Scotland, but suffered misfortune on the penultimate round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge while setting times near the top of the table....

 IRC Scotland joy for Mikkelsen Andreas Mikkelsen’s long wait for his first victory in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge is over after he won RACMSA Rally of Scotland to set up a thrilling six-way battle for the IRC title on the final event of the season in Cyprus next month....

 A top3 finish for Bryan Bouffier This weekend’s event through the forests of central Scotland will go down as one of the world’s toughest gravel fixtures. Its fast, undulating yet narrow stages left drivers with absolutely no margin for error, while the little grip that was available was further reduced by t...

 Skoda defends makes title in Scotland The Rally of Scotland has a sweet taste for ŠKODA – thanks to ŠKODA UK Motorsport's Andreas Mikkelsen & Ola Floene in a factoryprepared Fabia Super 2000 who are celebrating their first IRC victory and Juho Hänninen & Mikko Markkula of ŠKODA Motorsport (factory team) who ca...

Sun October 9, 2011

 Peugeot Scotland legs 1&2 Before the start of the penultimate round of the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), the drivers run by Peugeot subsidiary teams were aware that they had no other option than to push as hard as possible if they were to stay in the hunt for the Drivers’ and Manufactur...

NEWS JUST IN

 Skoda IRC World Champions! @ 08:58 PM - Taking drop scores into account, despite the doubl scores in Cyprus, with a 75pts lead Skoda can no longer be beaten to the IRC makes crown. For the drivers the situation is different. 6 drivers, Jan Kopecky, Juho Hänninen, Thierry Neuville, Andreas Mikkelsen, Bryan Bouffier and - if he starts - Freddy Loix can all still take the drivers crown. Guy Wilks however is out of the battle.

 GB end - first IRC win for Mikkelsen @ 06:32 PM - Neuville consolidates 6th with stage win. Wilks retires on last 2km with a broken wheel. Final results (after SS15)(subject to last road section and scrutineering):
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h55m17s2;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +26s4;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m35s3;
4th= Breen/Roberts, Ford, +2m05s1;
5th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +2m11s7;
6th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +3m10s4;
7th= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +3m11s5;
8th= Fisher/Barritt, Ford, +4m59s9;
9th= Arai/Moscatt, Subaru, +8m17s6;
10th= Kahle/Göbel, Skoda, +9m36s1

 GB SS14 - Neuville passes Gardemeister @ 05:17 PM - Neuville takes 3.9s out of Gardemeister in only a 2.8km stage. No other dramas. Results after SS14:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h53m16s;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +27s9;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m34s2;
4th= Breen/Roberts, Ford, +2m01s2;
5th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +2m12s9;
6th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +3m12s2;
7th= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +3m12s7;
8th= Fisher/Barritt, Ford, +5m01s;
9th= Wilks/Pugh, Peugeot, +6m50s7;
10th= Arai/Moscatt, Subaru, +8m16s7

 GB SS13 - Now Nikara out @ 02:42 PM - Nikara crashed out and Arai leads gN in his R4 car despite his earlier problems. Bouffier had fantastic stage time but 10s penalties for repairing his brakes. Neuville very close to Gardemeister now. Jimmy McRae's course opening Legacy retired with suspension problems. Results after SS13:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h51m12s4;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +30s4;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m34s4;
4th= Breen/Roberts, Ford, +2m00s5;
5th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +2m13s5;
6th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +3m14s7;
7th= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +3m18s1;
8th= Fisher/Barritt, Ford, +5m02s9;
9th= Wilks/Pugh, Peugeot, +6m54s3;
10th= Arai/Moscatt, Subaru, +8m14s6

 GB SS12 - Mikkelsen consolidates again @ 02:19 PM - But everybody else seems to run in problems. Neuville not happy with a setup change, Bouffier without brakes, Nikara with a puncture. Results after SS12:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h34m18s4;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +36s7;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m28s4;
4th= Breen/Roberts, Ford, +1m49s1;
5th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +2m05s9;
6th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +2m51s3;
7th= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +3m08s7;
8th= Nikara/Nikara, Mitsubishi, +3m14s1;
9th= Fisher/Barritt, Ford, +5m06s5;
10th= Wilks/Pugh, Peugeot, +6m55s8

 GB SS11 - High toll on High Corrie @ 11:55 AM - Amazing 4th overall time coupled with retirement for Bogie & 4min time loss for Arai give Nikara a certain gN win. PG's Proton stopped too. Grerat time by Hänninen narrows gap to leader. Breen's Fiesta dropped time with engine overheating. Results after SS11:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h27m45s1;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +28s3;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +49s6;
4th= Breen/Roberts, Ford, +1m38s5;
5th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +1m53s4;
6th= Nikara/Nikara, Mitsubishi, +2m19s7;
7th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +2m35s8;
8th= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +2m55s1;
9th= Fisher/Barritt, Ford, +4m53s1;
10th= Wilks/Pugh, Peugeot, +6m47s2

 GB SS10 - Sandell fastest and out @ 11:21 AM - Sandell is the surprise winner of SS10, but at a price, he parked after the stage with a broken suspension. Neuville dropped another minute with a spin. Results after SS10:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h10m50s7;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skodat, +48s5;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +58s4;
4th= Breen/Roberts, Ford, +1m31s8;
5th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +1m51s5;
6th= Nikara/Nikara, Mitsubishi, +2m26s4;
7th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +2m34s1;
8th= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +2m39s;
9th= Bogie/Rae, Mitsubishi, +2m45s9;
10th= Arai/Moscatt, Subaru, +3m44s4

 GB SS9 - Hänninen overtakes Bouffier @ 09:40 AM - Battle for 2nd is on! There are a few guys just outside the top10 that want to get inside it. But PG Andersson dropped time with a sticking throttle and Alastair Fisher with a puncture. Results after SS9:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h04m08s7;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +48s;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +52s7;
4th= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +1m25s6;
5th= Breen/Roberts, Ford, +1m27s;
6th= Sandell/Parmander, Skoda, +1m32s1;
7th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +1m48s2;
8th= Nikara/Nikara, Mitsubishi, +2m23s4;
9th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +2m32s9;
10th= Bogie/Rae, Mitsubishi, +2m44s8

Sat October 8, 2011

 Flying Mikkelsen holds lead Andreas Mikkelsen has taken a huge step towards claiming his first victory in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge after completing Saturday’s all-action stages of RACMSA Rally of Scotland with a commanding lead in his SKODA UK Motorsport Fabia Super 2000....

 Mikkelsen in a Fabia takes the lead In contrast with Friday, Day 2 of the Rally of Scotland was “typically Scottish” – the sky was cloudy and it rained all day long. Extremely soaked and muddy, the track was a big challenge indeed. ŠKODA UK Motorsport's Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR) coped best with the tough condi...

 Hänninen in 2nd is the best ŠKODA Scheduled to extend over three days, the last-but-one event of this year's IRC Championship started on Friday with two identical stages, 8 km each. The start list includes all the top-ranking drivers of the IRC, and the fastest of them on Day 1 was Guy Wilks in a Peugeot, ...

NEWS JUST IN

 GB leg2 - ends with SS8 cancelled @ 07:08 PM - For end of day results check SS7. SS8 has been cancelled after the course opening car confirmed the stage was too worn and way too rough to pass without playing lottery.

 GB SS7 - Big spin for Neuville @ 06:14 PM - Actually Neuviolle spun twice and broke reverse gear, losing near a minute. Bouffier now 2nd with Hänninen only 1s behind. Results after SS7:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 58m52s8;
2nd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +50s7;
3rd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +51s7;
4th= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +1m25s8;
5th= Breen/Roberts, Ford, +1m28s5;
6th= Sandell/Parmander, Skoda, +1m33s9;
7th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +1m43s4;
8th= Nikara/Nikara, Mitsubishi, +2m22s2;
9th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +2m27s3;
10th= Bogie/Rae, Mitsubishi, +2m33s

 GB SS6 - PG Andersson drops too @ 04:57 PM - Another stage win for Mikkelsen, with Neuville a strong 2nd on stage. PG's Proton lost all electricity before service for a faulty battery and incured 2m10 of time penalties. Breen passes Sandell. Results after SS6:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 48m40s4;
2nd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +33s1;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +43s1;
4th= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +49s5;
5th= Breen/Roberts, Ford, +1m11s8;
6th= Sandell/Parmander, Skoda, +1m13s6;
7th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +1m34s8;
8th= Nikara/Nikara, Mitsubishi, +1m55s;
9th= Gardemeister/Suominen, Skoda, +2m07s7;
10th= Bogie/Rae, Mitsubishi, +2m08s9

 GB SS5 - Wilks off @ 12:53 AM - Wilks spun into a ditch and lost 6min, helping Mikkelsen increase his lead from 3 to 30s. Alister McRae retired with engine problems. Kruuda has a broken rear left suspension, Fisher fights on with RWD. Results after SS5:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 38m50s;
2nd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +28s6;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +33s7;
4th= Andersson/Axelsson, Proton, +37s6;
5th= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +41s3;
6th= Sandell/Parmander, Skoda, +49s4;
7th= Breen/Roberts, Ford, +58s9;
8th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +1m23s3;
9th= Nikara/Nikara, Mitsubishi, +1m30s2;
10th= Bogie/Rae, Mitsubishi, +1m36s2

 GB SS4 - Mikkelsen takes lead @ 11:20 AM - Mikkelsen takes lead, but the surprise stage winner is Bouffier. Drama for Fiestas as Breen overshot a junction and Fisher is only on RWD. Results after SS4:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 28m47s1;
2nd= Wilks/Pugh, Peugeot, +3s4;
3rd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +17s5;
4th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +23s8;
5th= Andersson/Axelsson, Proton, +24s1;
6th= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +28s8;
7th= Fisher/Barritt, Ford, +37s;
8th= Sandell/Parmander, Skoda, +38s;
9th= McRae/Hayes, Proton, +56s5;
10th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +58s4

 GB SS3 - Mikkelsen on form today @ - Mikkelsen wins the first stage of the day with a time only challenged by Wilks. Hänninen surprisingly slow without a reason given by the driver. Conditions very muddy. Results after SS3:
1st= Wilks/Pugh, Peugeot, 20m28s2;
2nd= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, +3s5;
3rd= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +13s9;
4th= Andersson/Axelsson, Proton, +14s6;
5th= Breen/Roberts, Ford, +21s3;
6th= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +21s5;
7th= Fisher/Barritt, Ford, +21s8;
8th= Sandell/Parmander, Skoda, +25s6;
9th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +27s4;
10th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +32s7

Fri October 7, 2011

NEWS JUST IN

 GB leg1 - Mega times by Wilks & PG @ 08:32 PM - 2nd stage win in a row for Wilks. PG Andersson in the Proton is 2nd fastest in this stage, 2.1s ahead of even Hänninen. Results after leg1 (SS2):
1st= Wilks/Pugh, Peugeot, 10m46s7;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +4s1;
3rd= Andersson/Axelsson, Proton, +4s6;
4th= Breen/Roberts, Ford, +5s5;
5th= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +6s7;
6th= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, +6s8;
7th= Fisher/Barritt, Ford, +7s4;
8th= Sandell/Parmander, Skoda, +11s;
9th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +11s8;
10th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +16s1

 GB SS1 - Wilks wins first stage @ - Wilks wins drama free but very muddy gravel stage in the dark. Hänninen close behind. Good start for PG in the Proton too. Results after SS1:
1st= Wilks/Pugh, Peugeot, 5m24s8;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +0s8;
3rd= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, +1s9;
4th= Neuville/Gilsoul, Peugeot, +2s9;
=5th= Andersson/Axelsson, Proton, +3s4;
=5th= Sandell/Parmander, Skoda, +3s4;
7th= Breen/Roberts, Ford, +4s;
8th= Fisher/Barritt, Ford, +5s4;
9th= Kopecky/Stary, Skoda, +5s8;
10th= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +6s7

Thu October 6, 2011

 Last chance for IRC 2WD Cup champ Hunt “We simply have to win,” said Harry Hunt of his participation in the IRC 2WD Cup section of RACMSA Rally of Scotland this week. “This is not putting any pressure on me, it’s simply the way it is: if we want the title, we have to put in a big score.”...

 Wilks excited by Peugeot tweaks Guy Wilks is hoping that a few tweaks to his Peugeot UK 207 Super 2000 will give him the edge as he bids for his second victory on RACMSA Rally of Scotland this week....

 Skoda back at full strength in Scotland The factory SKODA Motorsport squad will be at full strength when the Intercontinental Rally Challenge resumes on RACMSA Rally of Scotland from 7-9 October....

Wed October 5, 2011

 Proton RAC MSA Rally Scotland Preview The PROTON Motorsports team will look to build on its FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship title-winning form, when it arrives at Rally of Scotland with local hero Alister McRae at the wheel of one of two factory Satria Neo S2000s....

 3 Honda for 2WD Cup glory in Scotland The Intercontinental Rally Challenge returns this weekend for its 10th and penultimate round at the RACMSA Rally of Scotland. This year the rally, a favourite with drivers, will be decided by three days of hard competition through the stunning highland forests and gravel roads o...

Tue October 4, 2011

 Peugeot there for the final fight In the hunts for both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles, there is still everything to play for as the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge enters its final phase. Indeed, not only have the series’ organisers introduced a ruling this year whereby only the seven best resu...

 RAC MSA Rally Preview Here the complete RAC MSA Rally of Scotland Preview with stage schedule, TV guide and everything....