Wed February 5, 2014

 Saintélog Juniors in the points Jean-Mathieu Leandri and Maxime Wilmot made a great start to their season in the European Junior Rally Championship in Latvia. They saw the flag in seventh place in very difficult conditions scoring their first points after an intelligent drive. The Saintéloc Junior Racing Team c...

Mon February 3, 2014

 207 S2000 farewell on podium Round two of the 2014 FIA European Rally Championship - and the first outing of the season for this year's Peugeot Rally Academy squad - saw Craig Breen secure a podium finish in Latvia, but Stéphane Lefebvre was stopped in his tracks in his bid for 'Junior' honours. ...

Sun February 2, 2014

 Lappi lands Latvia ERC gold Esapekka Lappi began his 2014 FIA European Rally Championship campaign in style with a thrilling victory in the Latvian ice and snow as Jan Černý shared the limelight by claiming the inaugural ERC Junior spoils on Rally Liepāja. ...

 Skoda win Rally Liepaja ŠKODA have won their season debut in the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC). Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (FIN/FIN) were triumphant in the ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000 at the second ERC event of the year in Latvia with a 34.7 seconds advantage over local hero Vasily Gryazin (LV). Their...

NEWS JUST IN

 Latvia end - Lappi wins Latvia @ 01:35 PM - Lappi wins stage and rally. Gryazin again a superb 2nd fastest time. Breen on podium in the last rally of a works Peugeot 207. Kubica wins Ice Masters. Jeets loses 6th place with engine problems, not sure if he can make the road section to ramp. Final results (after SS12)(subject to last road section and scrutineering):
1st= Lappi/Fern, Skoda, 2h13m11s5;
2nd= Gryazin/Chumak, Ford (S2000), +34s7;
3rd= Breen/Martin, Peugeot, +1m36s8;
4th= Kajetanowicz/Baran, Ford, +2m35s5;
5th= Wiegand/Christian, Skoda, +3m16s1;
6th= Vorobjovs/Malnieks, Mitsubishi, +5m42s6;
7th= Pushkar/Michyn, Mitsubishi, +6m50s8;
8th= Traynikov/Bashmakov, Mitsubishi, +7m15s9;
9th= Samuitis/Saucikovas, Mitsubishi, +7m32s2;
10th= Cerny/Kohout, Peugeot (R2), +8m37s2

 LV SS11 - Gryazin in trouble @ 11:45 AM - Wiegand wins stage, but Lappi's win seems secure since Gryazin was stuck in 4th gear for half the stage. Though service next before last and longest stage of the day. Results after SS11:
1st= Lappi/Fern, Skoda, 2h00m47s;
2nd= Gryazin/Chumak, Ford (S2000), +25s7;
3rd= Breen/Martin, Peugeot, +1m24s2;
4th= Kajetanowicz/Baran, Ford, +2m07s1;
5th= Wiegand/Christian, Skoda, +3m01s7;
6th= Jeets/Toom, Ford, +4m54s2;
7th= Vorobjovs/Malnieks, Mitsubishi, +5m22s1;
8th= Pushkar/Michyn, Mitsubishi, +6m00s6;
9th= Travnikov/Bashmakov, Mitsubishi, +6m44s1;
10th= Samuitis/Saucikovas, Mitsubishi, +6m46s8

 LV SS10 - Lappi controls now @ 10:24 AM - Lappi says he controls his lead now, even though gap is not too big he can afford to back off and watch. Mind you it was still a stage win by 2.3s. Results after SS10:
1st= Lappi/Fern, Skoda, 1h51m49s2;
2nd= Gryazin/Chumak, Ford (S2000), +19s8;
3rd= Breen/Martin, Peugeot, +1m22s2;
4th= Kajetanowicz/Baran, Ford, +2m02s;
5th= Wiegand/Christian, Skoda, +3m04s5;
6th= Jeets/Toom, Ford, +4m31s3;
7th= Vorobjovs/Malnieks, Mitsubishi, +5m04s9;
8th= Pushkar/Michyn, Mitsubishi, +5m34s;
9th= Travnikov/Bashmakov, Mitsubishi, +6m15s3;
10th= Samuitis/Saucikovas, Mitsubishi, +6m15s6

 LV SS9 - Fantastic Lappi @ 09:56 AM - Lappi wins stage by near 10sec despite a big 360 spin. Breen has high water temp after collecting some snow. Tarabus broke suspension, so did Svilis from 7th. Results after SS9:
1st= Lappi/Fern, Skoda, 1h45m56s5;
2nd= Gryazin/Chumak, Ford (S2000), +15s1;
3rd= Breen/Martin, Peugeot, +1m18s7;
4th= Kajetanowicz/Baran, Ford, +1m59s7;
5th= Wiegand/Christian, Skoda, +3m01s9;
6th= Jeets/Toom, Ford, +4m18s6;
7th= Vorobjovs/Malnieks, Mitsubishi, +4m51s8;
8th= Pushkar/Michyn, Mitsubishi, +5m13s4;
9th= Travnikov/Bashmakov, Mitsubishi, +5m58s;
10th= Samuitis/Saucikovas, Mitsubishi, +6m01s8

 LV SS8 - And Lappi in the lead again @ 07:44 AM - Great battle between Lappi & Gryazin. The pair are 1st & 2nd on the stage too. Pushkar had an off. Plangi passes Wiegand, so is he excluded now or not? Results after SS8:
1st= Lappi/Fern, Skoda, 1h32m57s3;
2nd= Gryazin/Chumak, Ford (S2000), +3s3;
3rd= Breen/Martin, Peugeot, +1m09s1;
4th= Kajetanowicz/Baran, Ford, +1m41s3;
5th= Plangi/Sarapuu, Mitsubishi, +2m21s5;
6th= Wiegand/Christian, Skoda, +2m26s8;
7th= Svilis/Pukis, Mitsubishi, +3m03s6;
8th= Jeets/Toom, Ford, +3m55s;
9th= Vorobjovs/Malnieks, Mitsubishi, +4m18s1;
10th= Pushkar/Michyn, Mitsubishi, +4m42s2

 LV SS7 - Lead changes again @ 06:42 AM - Gryazin re-takes lead that Lappi took only on last stage yesterday. There is less snow and Breen on the wrong tyres. Plangi started way too late, got fastest stage time but then exclusion. Results after SS7:
1st= Gryazin/Chumak, Ford (S2000), 1h23m43s9;
2nd= Lappi/Fern, Skoda, +0s8;
3rd= Breen/Martin, Peugeot, +1m01s9;
4th= Kajetanowicz/Baran, Ford, +1m34s1;
5th= Wiegand/Christian, Skoda, +2m18s4;
6th= Plangi/Sarapuu, Mitsubishi, +2m18s9;
7th= Svilis/Pukis, Mitsubishi, +2m37s4;
8th= Pushkar/Michyn, Mitsubishi, +3m25s1;
9th= Jeets/Toom, Ford, +3m33s3;
10th= Vorobjovs/Malnieks, Mitsubishi, +3m44s1

Sat February 1, 2014

 Lappi leads, Juniors star Esapekka Lappi underlined the serious competition in the FIA European Rally Championship by snatching first place on the final stage of leg one to lead Rally Liepāja by 2.6s heading into Sunday’s closing six stages in Latvia. ...

 Skoda leads Latvia ŠKODA lead Rally Latvia after six of the twelve special stages. The ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000 of Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (FIN/FIN) is in first place going into the final day of the second round of the FIA European Rally Championship - 2.6 seconds ahead of local hero Vasily Gryazin...

NEWS JUST IN

 LV leg1 - Lappi takes lead @ 04:35 PM - Lappi takes lead by only 2.6s. Breen has bad understeer, needs new springs for tomorrow. Kajetanowicz says he has no experience on snow. Results after leg1 (SS6):
1st= Lappi/Ferm, Skoda, 1h17m30s6;
2nd= Gryazin/Chumak, Ford (S2000), +2s6;
3rd= Breen/Martin, Peugeot, +59s2;
4th= Kajetanowicz/Baran, Ford, +1m35s9;
5th= Wiegand/Christian, Skoda, +2m19s3;
6th= Plangi/Sarapuu, Mitsubishi, +2m23s5;
7th= Svilis/Pukis, Mitsubishi, +2m27s7;
8th= Jeets/Toom, Ford, +3m20s6;
9th= Pushkar/Michyn, Mitsubishi, +3m22s7;
10th= Vorobjovs/Malnieks, Mitsubishi, +3m26s1

 LV SS5 - Lappi vs Gryazin @ 03:27 PM - Good fight here, Lappi 1.9s quicker than Gryazin, so Gryazin still in the lead and totally overjoyed. Surprisingly slow time (half min down) by Kajetanowicz without him being able to explain. Results after SS5:
1st= Gryazin/Chumak, Ford (S2000), 59m26s9;
2nd= Lappi/Ferm, Skoda, +16s5;
3rd= Breen/Martin, Peugeot, +58s2;
4th= Kajetanowicz/Baran, Ford, +1m12s3;
5th= Plangi/Sarapuu, Mitsubishi, +1m42s9;
6th= Svilis/Pukis, Mitsubishi, +1m54s3;
7th= Wiegand/Christian, Skoda, +2m20s7;
8th= Pushkar/Michyn, Mitsubishi, +2m26s4;
9th= Vorobjovs/Malnieks, Mitsubishi, +2m42s8;
10th= Jeets/Toom, Ford, +2m47s4

 LV SS4 - Lappi comes back @ 01:31 PM - First stage to be re-run and Gryazin loses 11.8s to Lappi. Maybe it was Gryazin's late road position to help those times? Results after SS4:
1st= Gryazin/Chumak, Ford (S2000), 45m10s8;
2nd= Lappi/Ferm, Skoda, +18s4;
3rd= Kajetanowicz/Baran, Ford, +46s4;
4th= Breen/Martin, Peugeot, +47s5;
5th= Svilis/Pukis, Mitsubishi, +1m10s2;
6th= Plangi/Sarapuu, Mitsubishi, +1m13s5;
7th= Jeets/Toom, Ford, +1m35s4;
8th= Pushkar/Michyn, Mitsubishi, +1m41s6;
9th= Cerny/Kohout, Peugeot (R2), +1m49s6;
10th= Rokland/Engan, Ford (R2), +1m51s9

 LV SS3 - Gryazin carries on to impress @ 12:44 AM - 2nd stage win in a row for Gryazin, this time 10s quicker than anybody else. Results after SS3:
1st= Gryazin/Chumak, Ford (S2000), 39m33s6;
2nd= Lappi/Ferm, Skoda, +31s1;
3rd= Kajetanowicz/Baran, Ford, +50s3;
4th= Breen/Martin, Peugeot, +52s4;
5th= Svilis/Pukis, Mitsubishi, +1m05s9;
6th= Plangi/Sarapuu, Mitsubishi, +1m12s8;
7th= Cerny/Kohout, Peugeot (R2), +1m23s2;
8th= Rokland/Engan, Ford (R2), +1m26s9;
9th= Jeets/Toom, Ford, +1m28s;
10th= Sirmacis/Kulss, Ford (R2), +1m32s7

 LV SS2 - Bouffier out! @ 11:28 AM - What a start to the rally. Bouffier stopped mid stage with a blown engine. Gryazin now a rather clear leader despite losing 5th gear. Similar sensation Jan Cerny in 208 R2 in 6th. Results after SS2:
1st= Gryazin/Chumak, Ford (S2000), 24m10s6;
2nd= Lappi/Ferm, Skoda, +20s3;
3rd= Breen/Martin, Peugeot, +23s3;
4th= Kajetanowicz/Baran, Ford, +29s6;
5th= Svilis/Pukis, Mitsubishi, +34s6;
6th= Cerny/Kohout, Peugeot (R2), +40s2;
7th= Plangi/Sarapuu, Mitsubishi, +45s9;
8th= Jeets/Toom, Ford, +1m00s1;
=9th= Olsson/Karlsson, Ford (R2), +1m06s5;
=9th= Hadic/Kertesz, Subaru, +1m06s5

 LV SS1 - Opal Adam debut in tears @ 11:14 AM - Surprising stage results. Griebel in the Opel Adam is off the road. Vytautas retires with broken driveshaft. Bouffier wins stage but only 0.2s from Gryazin. Results after SS1:
1st= Bouffier/Panseri, Citroen, 5m38s;
2nd= Gryazin/Chumak, Ford (S2000), +0s2;
3rd= Lappi/Ferm, Skoda, +5s7;
4th= Kajetanowicz/Baran, Ford, +5s8;
5th= Breen/Martin, Peugeot, +7s1;
6th= Jeets/Toom, Ford, +8s4;
7th= Plangi/Sarapuu, Mitsubishi, +10s4;
8th= Svilis/Pukis, Mitsubishi, +14s7;
9th= Cerny/Kohout, Peugeot (R2), +14s9;
10th= Samuitis/Ramunas, Mitsubishi, +16s1

Mon January 27, 2014

 Skoda 2014 motto: Prepare for the future Prepare for the future: this task is the main focus of the 2014 rally season for ŠKODA. A very special challenge awaits works drivers Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (FIN/FIN) and the other duo Sepp Wiegand/Frank Christian (D/D) at their first competitive outing of the year in the Euro...

Sun January 26, 2014

 Latvia warm up in Lithuania Three of the seven drivers from Czech Republic contesting Rally Liepāja next week will be in action in Lithuania this weekend as part of their preparations for round two of the FIA European Rally Championship. ...

Fri January 24, 2014

 Rally Liepaja full preview EVENT PREVIEW: 2014 FIA European Rally Championship, round two of 12 Rally Liepāja, 31 January-2 February 2014 (Latvia). ERC Junior set for lift-off in Latvia as Ice Masters aim to fly ...

 Excitement grows for ERC Junior opener The all-new FIA ERC Junior Championship is go in Latvia next week with 15 rising stars in action on Rally Liepāja from 31 January-2 February. And Chris Ingram, a 19-year-old emerging talent from the United Kingdom, is one such driver hoping to make their mark on the champion...

 Breen predicts close battle in Liepaja FIA European Rally Championship title contender Craig Breen is predicting a thrilling battle for victory on next week’s Rally Liepāja, the second event of the 2014 season. ...

Sun January 19, 2014

NEWS JUST IN

 Bouffier in Citroen to Liepaja @ 10:24 PM - Breaking news is that after his fantastic Monte Carlo result, Bryan Bouffier is now to start in the Latvian ERC round Rally Liepaja in a Citroen DS3 RRC! While the Rally Sweden entry list is online already, the ERC Liepaja entry list will only come mid next week, as some more surprises are expected. Liepaja is also to see the international debut of the Opel Adam R2.