Tue February 28, 2012

NEWS JUST IN

 Azores photos @ 07:08 PM - Photos from the 2012 IRC Sata Rallye Azores are now available here

Sun February 26, 2012

 Sata Rally Acores Review Mikkelsen sets new IRC record with Acores victory --- ŠKODA celebrates one-two finish as Bouffier stars for Peugeot --- Support category wins for Moura and Maciel...

 Mikkelsen in a Skoda dominated Acores Reigning IRC champion Andreas Mikkelsen of ŠKODA UK Motorsport made the best possible step in his effort to repeat his last year's victory in the IRC championship. In the opening event of the 2012 IRC, the Sata Rally Acores, Mikkelsen put in a brilliant performance to mark...

Sat February 25, 2012

NEWS JUST IN

 P/AC end - Mikkelsen wins Acores @ 04:59 PM - Reigning IRC Champ wins opening round and leads Championship again. Final results (after SS14)(subject to last road section and scrutineering):
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 2h12m43s2;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +25s1;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +2m04s8;
4th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +5m20s3;
5th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +6m23s9;
6th= Moura/Eiro, Mitsubishi, +8m43s5;
7th= Saliuk/Cherepin, Ford, +10m28s1;
8th= Silva/Nunes, Subaru, +16m00s1;
9th= Rodrigues/Rodrigues, Mitsubishi, +17m15s;
10th= Barbosa/Reis, Mitsubishi, +18m01s6

 P/AC SS13 - Puncture for Gaßner @ 04:07 PM - Gaßner felt his tyres were too hard for this stage on the first loop. Now he chose the softer compound and collected a puncture. That ended the fight between the Germans in Wiegand's favour. The front seems settled. Results after SS13:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h54m07s8;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +27s4;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +2m03s1;
4th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +4m58s9;
5th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +5m47s5;
6th= Moura/Eiro, Mitsubishi, +7m31s8;
7th= Saliuk/Cherepin, Ford, +9m38s;
8th= Silva/Nunes, Subaru, +12m09s9;
9th= Rodrigues/Rodrigues, Mitsubishi, +13m46s4;
10th= Barbosa/Reis, Mitsubishi, +14m28s7

 P/AC SS12 - No changes @ 03:21 PM - Well, what changes would you have expected from a mini superspecial stage? Results after SS12:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h40m10s2;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +24s;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m49s7;
4th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +4m28s3;
5th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +4m38s;
6th= Moura/Eiro, Mitsubishi, +6m29s5;
7th= Saliuk/Cherepin, Ford, +8m25s;
8th= Silva/Nunes, Subaru, +12m09s9;
9th= Rodrigues/Rodrigues, Mitsubishi, +13m46s4;
10th= Barbosa/Reis, Mitsubishi, +14m28s7

 P/AC SS11 - Another stage for Mikkelsen @ 12:38 AM - Although long stage, no changes at the front. But 2 of the top3 cars in the 2WD Cup (Consani/Renault, Nogueira/Citroen) retire on the same spot. A very good stage time moves Barbosa from 12th to 10th. Results after SS11:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h38m08s8;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +23s1;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m47s;
4th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +4m25s1;
5th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +4m34s7;
6th= Moura/Eiro, Mitsubishi, +6m25s;
7th= Saliuk/Cherepin, Ford, +8m23s1;
8th= Silva/Nunes, Subaru, +12m01s7;
9th= Rodrigues/Rodrigues, Mitsubishi, +13m38s9;
10th= Barbosa/Reis, Mitsubishi, +14m21s7

 P/AC SS10 - Mikkelsen in control @ 11:23 AM - At long last nice weather. Mikkelsen increases lead by 1.7s. There is a battle of the Germans. Wiegand regains the 4th place he lost last night after Gaßner stalls. Results after SS10:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h19m39s7;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +17s9;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m36s1;
4th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +4m04s6;
5th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +4m06s;
6th= Moura/Eiro, Mitsubishi, +5m39s2;
7th= Saliuk/Cherepin, Ford, +7m33s3;
8th= Silva/Nunes, Subaru, +10m09s4;
9th= Rodrigues/Rodrigues, Mitsubishi, +11m52s6;
10th= Lousado/da Silva, Subaru, +12m23s5

Fri February 24, 2012

 Champ Mikkelsen closes on victory Andreas Mikkelsen will start the final day of SATA Rallye Açores with a strong chance of getting the defence of his Intercontinental Rally Challenge title off to a winning start on the demanding gravel event in the mid-Atlantic....

 Mikkelsen in a Fabia remains in the lead Day 2 of the Sata Rally Acores offered another battle for the top position between two Scandinavians, Mikkelsen and Hänninen – having put in an excellent performance again, the Norwegian driver remains top with a 16.2s lead. Red Bull's Hermann Gassner is fourth, Sepp Wieg...

NEWS JUST IN

 P/AC leg2 - Much shortened end of leg @ 05:33 PM - Normally sandy roads are quite an exciting difference. However for ongoing rain SS8 has been cancelled completely and SS9 shortened by 10km. SS9 was shortened similar to yesterday, while SS8 was yesterday run as SS1. On this stage now, Gaßner overtook Wiegand. Results after leg2 (SS9):
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h05m34s;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +16s2;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m17s8;
4th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +3m26s3;
5th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +3m36s2;
6th= Moura/Eiro, Mitsubishi, +4m55s8;
7th= Saliuk/Cherepin, Ford, +6m43s9;
8th= Silva/Nunes, Subaru, +8m33s2;
9th= Rodrigues/Rodrigues, Mitsubishi, +10m10s1;
10th= Lousado/da Silva, Subaru, +10m14s4

 P/AC SS7 - Hänninen 0.1s from Mikkelsen @ 02:50 PM - Hänninen beats Mikkelsen by just 0.1s on this 25km vulcano stage. Marco Tempestini retires his Subaru with mechanical problems. Results after SS7:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 1h00m14s4;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +15s4;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +1m07s5;
4th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +3m12s1;
5th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +3m13s4;
6th= Moura/Eiro, Mitsubishi, +4m20s3;
7th= Saliuk/Cherepin, Ford, +5m51s;
8th= Silva/Nunes, Subaru, +7m36s7;
9th= Rodrigues/Rodrigues, Mitsubishi, +9m11s2;
10th= Lousado/da Silva, Subaru, +9m18s

 P/AC SS6 - Magalhaes on the roof! @ 02:26 PM - The big news is that Bruno Magalhaes is on the roof and won't continue. He was challenging for 3rd. For the other drivers no major dramas. Next stage again the big, picturesque Sete Cidades. Results after SS6:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 42m13s;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +15s5;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +56s2;
4th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +2m26s2;
5th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +2m27s;
6th= Moura/Eiro, Mitsubishi, +2m51s1;
7th= Saliuk/Cherepin, Ford, +3m42s2;
8th= Silva/Nunes, Subaru, +5m11s2;
9th= Rodrigues/Rodrigues, Mitsubishi, +6m06s6;
10th= Rego/Rodrigues, Mitsubishi, +6m21s4

 P/AC SS5 - Some changes at last @ 12:19 AM - Magalhaes reports a huge moment and Hänninen has kissed a wall, but both with minor time losses. Moura drops behind the two German Skoda drivers for this stage doesn't suit groupN cars. Al Ketbi however is out for a broken suspension and Tamrazov is out for an accident. Results after SS5:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 36m54s4;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +13s6;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +45s;
4th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +51s3;
5th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +2m13s3;
6th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +2m13s8;
7th= Moura/Eiro, Mitsubishi, +2m36s;
8th= Saliuk/Cherepin, Ford, +3m13s1;
9th= Silva/Nunes, Subaru, +4m36s4;
10th= Rodrigues/Rodrigues, Mitsubishi, +5m27s3

 P/AC SS4 - Moura takes Wiegand @ 11:45 AM - Ricardo Moura overtakes Sepp Wiegand for 5th and Bruno Magalhaes gets slightly closer to Bryan Bouffier. Next is Cidades, the fantastic volcano stage. Results after SS4:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 19m17s7;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +3s2;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +30s6;
4th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +35s9;
5th= Moura/Eiro, Mitsubishi, +1m10s7;
6th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +1m12s;
7th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +1m13s6;
8th= Saliuk/Cherepin, Ford, +1m46s3;
9th= Al Ketbi/Al Kendi, Skoda, +2m15s;
10th= Silva/Nunes, Subaru, +2m29s9

Thu February 23, 2012

 Mikkelsen tops close battle after day one Season six of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge has got off to a thrilling start with Norway’s Andreas Mikkelsen heading Finn Juho Hänninen by a tight margin of 1.4s following the opening three stages of SATA Rallye Açores today (Thursday)....

 Strong start for Skoda on Azores Azores Rally started the new season of Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) championship 2012. The competition, divided into three days, offered the first three stages today. From the beginning the two frontrunners – last year’s winner of the Azores rally Juho Hänninen and ...

NEWS JUST IN

 P/AC leg1 - No changes @ 05:34 PM - Short superspecial. Fantastic scenery but on the sporting side this is not what we are used to from IRC. This is day1 and virtually all day there was no change in the top9 at all. Results after leg1 (SS3):
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 13m53s7;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +1s4;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +23s;
4th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +29s9;
5th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +52s;
6th= Moura/Eiro, Mitsubishi, +53s7;
7th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +56s1;
8th= Saliuk/Cherepin, Ford, +1m17s5;
9th= Al Ketbi/Al Kendi, Skoda, +1m37s2;
10th= Tamrazov/Arena, Ford, +1m42s9

 P/AC SS2 - Spooky conditions @ 04:39 PM - This stage had to be shortened massively from 15km to just 6km for the soggy road conditions. Hänninen responds to Mikkelsen with a stage win. Unusual for IRC, entry is so bad this year, 2nd stage of a rally and no position changes in the top9 at all! Results after SS2:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 11m54s;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +1s2;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +20s4;
4th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +27s3;
5th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +47s;
6th= Moura/Eiro, Mitsubishi, +49s7;
7th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +50s8;
8th= Saliuk/Cherepin, Ford, +1m13s4;
9th= Al Ketbi/Al Kendi, Skoda, +1m29s4;
10th= Tempestini/Pulpea, Subaru, +1m37s1

 P/AC SS1 - Foggy soggy start @ 04:29 PM - Foggy start but crews report good grip. Champ Mikkelsen wins first stage of the season. First retirement of the season is Laszlo Vizin in the Fabia R2. Results after SS1:
1st= Mikkelsen/Floene, Skoda, 6m43s5;
2nd= Hänninen/Markkula, Skoda, +3s2;
3rd= Bouffier/Panseri, Peugeot, +10s1;
4th= Magalhaes/Magalhaes, Peugeot, +15s8;
5th= Wiegand/Gottschalk, Skoda, +23s6;
6th= Moura/Eiro, Mitsubishi, +26s4;
7th= Gaßner/Wicha, Skoda, +30s8;
8th= Saliuk/Cherepin, Ford, +30s9;
9th= Al Ketbi/Al Kendi, Skoda, +46s9;
10th= Silva/Nunes, Subaru, +50s5

Wed February 22, 2012

 Mikkelsen ready after pre-event test ŠKODA UK Motorsport’s Andreas Mikkelsen has scored an A+ result on his pre-Sata Rallye Açores test, which took place today on one of last year’s stages....

 Gassner to break new ground on Azores Hermann Gassner jun./Klaus Wicha (GER/Škoda Fabia S2000) will contest the season opener of the IRC, the 2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge. Hermann Gassner jun. and his German co-driver Klaus Wicha are about to compete in the opening event of their 2012 rally season. And both ...

 Sata Rallye Azores - Preview SATA Rallye Açores stands out as one of the best gravel events on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge schedule. And for the first time this year, it also marks the opening round of the all-action, 13-event IRC series, which is set to thrill once again in 2012....

Mon February 20, 2012

 Hanninen to lead Skoda challenge on Azores Scheduled for the upcoming weekend, the Azores Rally is about to open the 2012 season of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC). After the most successful year in the 111-year history of its motorsport efforts, ŠKODA's ambition in 2012 is to win a third consecutive ch...

Wed February 15, 2012

 Civic Type-R on course for IRC opener The Honda Civic Type R is revving-up for a revamped 2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), as Honda itself vies for a second consecutive IRC 2WD manufacturers' title. ...

Sat February 4, 2012

 SATA Rallye Acores gets own TV channel Round one of the 2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge, SATA Rallye Acores, now has its own channel on YouTube, organisers of the spectacular gravel event have announced....

Sun January 29, 2012

 Mikkelsen aims for revenge in Azores Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Andreas Mikkelsen says he’s desperate to win SATA Rallye Acores next month after coming close to success on the event last season....

Fri December 23, 2011

 Azores honoured to open 2012 IRC season Sata Rallye Acores organising head Francisco Rosa Coelho says it is an “honour” for his event to open next year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge....