Tue February 17, 2009

 Loeb win on Pirelli Sottozero LOEB CLAIMS 49TH CAREER WIN ON NEW PIRELLI SOTTOZERO WINTER TYRE     Hamar, 15 February 2009 - Pirelli's new generation of Sottozero studded tyres have proved their worth on the World Rally Championship's only all-snow event, Rally Norway, which took place close to t...

Sun February 15, 2009

 Experience & points for Citroen Juniors The three Citroën Junior Team crews returned to Hamar this afternoon after the third and final day of Rally Norway. Evgeny Novikov and Dale Moscatt score two points in the World Championship for Manufacturers, while Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia have placed their Citroë...

 Loeb takes shock snow win The outcome of the 2009 Rally Norway went all the way down to the wire, but Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena ended up securing their 49th world class win after a thrilling clash with Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen. The event saw the Franco-Monegasque pair claim their first e...

 Super Solberg scores for Stobart The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team continued its fine start to the 2009 FIA World Rally Championship when all three of its crews scored points at Rally Norway....

 Double podium for Ford in Norway BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team claimed a double podium finish in Rally Norway today after a gripping final day's action in the frozen forests near the Olympic city of Lillehammer. Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished second in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car after a...

 Debut pWRC win for Fabia S2000! A great success for the Austrian Red Bull Rally Team! The defending champions were immediately victorious again in the season opener of the 2009 Production Car World Rally Championship!...

NEWS JUST IN

 N end - Loeb wins narrowly @ 01:26 PM - Unofficial, provisional end positions (SS23): 1st= Loeb/Elena, Citroen, 3h28m15s9; 2nd= Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford, +9s8; 3rd= Latvala/Anttila, Ford, +1m21s8; 4th= Solberg/Menkerud, Ford, +3m33s5; 5th= Sordo/Marti, Citroen, +3m52s; 6th= Solberg/Mills, Citroen Xsara, +6m25s4; 7th= Wilson/Martin, Ford, +6m35s6; 8th= Aava/Sikk, Ford, +6m49s1; 9th= Ostberg/Unnerud, Subaru, +10m00s5; 10th= Ogier/Ingrassia, Citroen, +12m49s8

 N SS21 - Loeb penalised 1st on road @ 11:48 AM - All is happening with 2 stages to go. Loeb loses over 6sec off his lead. Speed of other drivers, even Sordo, show his road position is a problem on re-run stages. Petter Solberg surprised by his fast time as he has a severely slipping clutch. Ogier quickest mid stage, then went off for 2min. Unofficial, provisional positions after SS21: 1st= Loeb/Elena, Citroen, 3h11m26s1; 2nd= Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford, +8s2; 3rd= Latvala/Anttila, Ford, +1m11s1; 4th= Solberg/Menkerud, Ford, +3m25s7; 5th= Sordo/Marti, Citroen, +3m45s3; 6th= Solberg/Mills, Citroen Xsara, +6m07s7; 7th= Wilson/Martin, Ford, +6m17s8; 8th= Aava/Sikk, Ford, +6m36s4; 9th= Ostberg/Unnerud, Subaru, +9m39s4; 10th= Ogier/Ingrassia, Citroen, +12m33s3

 N SS20 - Hirvonen giving it a fight @ 10:16 AM - Hirvonen winning 2 of the 3 morning stages, but Loeb hitting back in the middle one. No change in the top10. Unofficial, provisional positions after SS20: 1st= Loeb/Elena, Citroen, 2h54m56s3; 2nd= Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford, +14s6; 3rd= Latvala/Anttila, Ford, +1m09s2; 4th= Solberg/Menkerud, Ford, +3m21s6; 5th= Sordo/Marti, Citroen, +3m43s4; 6th= Solberg/Mills, Citroen Xsara, +6m05s1; 7th= Wilson/Martin, Ford, +6m08s7; 8th= Aava/Sikk, Ford, +6m33s4; 9th= Ostberg/Unnerud, Subaru, +9m05s9; 10th= Ogier/Ingrassia, Citroen, +10m24s1

Sat February 14, 2009

 Mikko on the limit as battle rages A second thrilling day's competition in picture-postcard surroundings ended with the Ford World Rally team retaining second and third positions in Rally Norway....

 Citroen Juniors battle on After a particularly encouraging performance yesterday, the Citroen Junior Team drivers were forced to show their determination today. By overcoming some of the hurdles thrown up in an action-packed day, the three Citroën C4 WRC crews gained a huge amount of experience and set th...

 Loeb extends lead on day two Overnight leaders Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena profited from the second day of the 2009 Rally Norway to put in a perfectly paced run which has seen them extend their margin at the top of the provisional leaderboard. The five-time World Champions claimed five of the day’s faste...

 Henning surges to 4th after leg two Henning Solberg produced a magnificent performance for the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team to finish the second full day at Rally Norway in fourth position....

 Sandell extends his lead on leg two The Red Bull Rally Team continues to set the tone in the PWRC classification of Rally Norway. Sandell/Axelsson further established their lead with another four fastest times on the second day....

NEWS JUST IN

 N leg2 - Loeb by just 15sec @ 03:59 PM - Very level between top3. Petter Solberg moves back past Wilson. Unofficial, provisional positions after leg2 (SS17): 1st= Loeb/Elena, Citroen, 2h22m11s1; 2nd= Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford, +15s; 3rd= Latvala/Anttila, Ford, +43s2; 4th= Solberg/Menkerud, Ford, +2m41s3; 5th= Sordo/Marti, Citroen, +2m53s3; 6th= Solberg/Mills, Citroen Xsara, +4m50s9; 7th= Wilson/Martin, Ford, +4m53s2; 8th= Aava/Sikk, Ford, +5m18s5; 9th= Ostberg/Unnerud, Subaru, +6m57s8; 10th= Ogier/Ingrassia, Citroen, +8m50s2

 N SS13 - Andersson out @ 10:53 AM - Only mini stage, but enough for Andersson's Skoda to retire with a blown clutch moments before mid day service. The small leading gap is also interesting, as running first will be a bigger issue on repeat stages! Unofficial, provisional positions after SS13: 1st= Loeb/Elena, Citroen, 1h47m12s4; 2nd= Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford, +10s7; 3rd= Latvala/Anttila, Ford, +49s9; 4th= Sordo/Marti, Citroen, +2m26s8; 5th= Solberg/Menkerud, Ford, +2m39s; 6th= Solberg/Mills, Citroen Xsara, +3m01s1; 7th= Wilson/Scott, Ford, +3m58s1; 8th= Aava/Sikk, Ford, +4m45s; 9th= Ostberg/Unnerud, Subaru, +5m59s8; 10th= Rautenbach/Barritt, Citroen, +6m42s8

 N SS12 - hectic morning @ 10:03 AM - Ogier slowed severely with alternator problems, Novikov stuck in snow wall for 5min, Loeb not hampered by road position, good battle between Andersson and Solberg brothers, the 3 of them catching Sordo. Unofficial, provisional positions after SS12: 1st= Loeb/Elena, Citroen, 1h46m00s6; 2nd= Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford, +9s4; 3rd= Latvala/Anttila, Ford, +48s7; 4th= Sordo/Marti, Citroen, +2m24s1; 5th= Solberg/Menkerud, Ford, +2m37s7; 6th= Andersson/Fredriksson, Skoda, +2m45s3; 7th= Solberg/Mills, Citroen Xsara, +2m57s8; 8th= Wilson/Scott, Ford, +3m54s9; 9th= Aava/Sikk, Ford, +4m40s2; 10th= Ostberg/Unnerud, Subaru, +5m56s

Fri February 13, 2009

 Ogier leads Citroen Junior's charge In what were perfect conditions for a winter rally, the three Citroën Junior Team crews showed themselves to be competitive throughout the opening day of the Rally Norway. Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia have brought their car home in ninth place, a few seconds ahead of t...

 Loeb slips into the lead on leg one The thrilling opening day of the 2009 Rally Norway saw five changes at the top of the leaderboard as competitors contested the stages of the Kongsvinger region. Both Citroën Total World Rally Team crews revelled in the perfect conditions, with Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena c...

 Stobart on course for strong points haul The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team finished the first full day at Rally Norway firmly in contention for a healthy points haul....

 Mikko does battle with Loeb on leg one Icemen Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen kept their cool in the heat of a thrilling snow battle to throw down the gauntlet to arch-rival Sébastien Loeb during today's opening leg of Rally Norway. The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team pair won four ice-bound speed tests in th...

 Perfect leg one for Red Bull Skoda Friday the 13th – feared by many, this date became a lucky one for the Red Bull Rally Team today! Because the team, which is run by the Austrian Raimund Baumschlager, dominated today’s opening leg of Rally Norway!...

NEWS JUST IN

 N leg1 - Ford games again @ 03:34 PM - Hirvonen doesn't confirm it, but he lost a lot of time after a day lot battle and now Loeb starts leg2 as road cleaner or snow plough. Unofficial, provisional positions after leg1 (SS9): 1st= Loeb/Elena, Citroen, 1h13m41s7; 2nd= Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford, +2s6; 3rd= Latvala/Anttila, Ford, +26s2; 4th= Sordo/Marti, Citroen, +1m08s6; 5th= Solberg/Mills, Citroen Xsara, +1m31s5; 6th= Andersson/Fredriksson, Skoda, +1m31s6; 7th= Solberg/Menkerud, Ford, +1m39s4; 8th= Wilson/Scott, Ford, +2m03s3; 9th= Ogier/Ingrassia, Citroen, +2m41s2; 10th= Aava/Sikk, Ford, +2m41s5

 N SS8 - Ogier & Aava off @ 02:35 PM - Both stuck in snow walls but can continue. Unofficial, provisional positions after SS8: 1st= Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford, 1h06m39s4; 2nd= Loeb/Elena, Citroen, +7s3; 3rd= Latvala/Anttila, Ford, +24s9; 4th= Sordo/Marti, Citroen, +1m07s8; 5th= Solberg/Mills, Citroen Xsara, +1m26s7; 6th= Andersson/Fredriksson, Skoda, +1m32s7; 7th= Solberg/Menkerud, Ford, +1m34s5; 8th= Wilson/Scott, Ford, +2m03s8; 9th= Ogier/Ingrassia, Citroen, +2m37s; 10th= Aava/Sikk, Ford, +2m38s8

 N SS7 - Andersson-Skoda again! @ 01:47 PM - 2nd stage win in a row for the age old private Skoda! Unofficial, provisional positions after SS7: 1st= Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford, 57m29s1; 2nd= Loeb/Elena, Citroen, +5s8; 3rd= Latvala/Anttila, Ford, +21s5; 4th= Sordo/Marti, Citroen, +56s5; 5th= Solberg/Mills, Citroen Xsara, +1m17s3; 6th= Andersson/Fredriksson, Skoda, +1m25s1; 7th= Solberg/Menkerud, Ford, +1m29s2; 8th= Aava/Sikk, Ford, +1m50s3; 9th= Ogier/Ingrassia, Citroen, +1m55s9; 10th= Wilson/Scott, Ford, +1m58s1

 N SS5 - Subarus in trouble @ 11:14 AM - Both Adapta Subaru Impreza WRC2008 lose big time with gearbox problems. No position change in top10 at all. Unofficial, provisional positions after SS5: 1st= Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford, 37m11s5; 2nd= Loeb/Elena, Citroen, +4s8; 3rd= Latvala/Anttila, Ford, +25s7 4th= Sordo/Marti, Citroen, +40s3; 5th= Solberg/Mills, Citroen Xsara, +1m00s9; 6th= Solberg/Menkerud, Ford, +1m19s2; 7th= Aava/Sikk, Ford, +1m23s2; 8th= Ogier/Ingrassia, Citroen, +1m24s9; 9th= Wilson/Scott, Ford, +1m28s1; 10th= Andersson/Fredriksson, Skoda, +1m32s6

 N SS4 - Hirvonen back in front @ 10:09 AM - But stages are short, everybody still close together. Unofficial, provisional positions after SS4: 1st= Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford, 28m14s6; 2nd= Loeb/Elena, Citroen, +2s5; 3rd= Latvala/Anttila, Ford, +17s; 4th= Sordo/Marti, Citroen, +28s7; 5th= Solberg/Mills, Citroen Xsara, +45s5; 6th= Solberg/Menkerud, Ford, +1m02s3; 7th= Aava/Sikk, Ford, +1m04s9; 8th= Ogier/Ingrassia, Citroen, +1m05s6; 9th= Wilson/Scott, Ford, +1m06s7; 10th= Andersson/Fredriksson, Skoda, +1m08s9

 N SS3 - Loeb just takes lead @ 09:34 AM - Unofficial, provisional positions after SS3: 1st= Loeb/Elena, Citroen, 16m18s8; 2nd= Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford, +0s4; 3rd= Latvala/Anttila, Ford, +14s9; 4th= Sordo/Marti, Citroen, +16s3; 5th= Solberg/Mills, Citroen Xsara, +24s4; 6th= Ogier/Ingrassia, Citroen, +35s1; 7th= Aava/Sikk, Ford, +38s2; 8th= Wilson/Scott, Ford, +38s5; 9th= Andersson/Fredriksson, Skoda, +38s9; 10th= Solberg/Menkerud, Ford, +41s5

 N SS2 - Norway close start @ 09:20 AM - Strong starts for Hirvonen, Loeb and Petter Solberg Unofficial, provisional positions after SS1: 1st= Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford, 9m39s4; 2nd= Loeb/Elena, Citroen, +2s6; 3rd= Latvala/Anttila, Ford, +8s1; 4th= Solberg/Mills, Citroen Xsara, +13s5; 5th= Sordo/Marti, Citroen, +17s4; 6th= Solberg/Menkerud, Ford, +21s9; 7th= Ostberg/Unnerud, Subaru, +26s2; 8th= Andersson/Fredriksson, Skoda, +26s7; 9th= Aava/Sikk, Ford, +27s1; 10th= Ogier/Ingrassia, Citroen, +28s8

 N SS6 - stage win for P-G Skoda! @ 00:37 AM - Sensational stage win by P-G Andersson in the ageing Skoda Fabia WRC! Unofficial, provisional positions after SS6: 1st= Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford, 45m25s9; 2nd= Loeb/Elena, Citroen, +6s4; 3rd= Latvala/Anttila, Ford, +23s4 4th= Sordo/Marti, Citroen, +49s6; 5th= Solberg/Mills, Citroen Xsara, +1m03s; 6th= Solberg/Menkerud, Ford, +1m21s3; 7th= Andersson/Fredriksson, Skoda, +1m29s4; 8th= Aava/Sikk, Ford, +1m31s8; 9th= Wilson/Scott, Ford, +1m39s9; 10th= Ogier/Ingrassia, Citroen, +1m40s4

Tue February 10, 2009

 Henning aiming for Norway podium Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team driver Henning Solberg is gunning for victory at his home round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Rally Norway....

 Citroen Juniors head for the snow Having scored its first very World Rally Championship points at the first round of the season in Ireland, the Citroen Junior Team aims to continue making progress in Norway. The Citroen C4 WRC crews of Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt and Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia that ...

 Norway a stiff test for Citroen In the wake of its one-two finish in Ireland, the Citroën Total World Rally Team heads for Norway. The specific features of the season's only winter fixture makes it a unique challenge for Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and Dani Sordo/Marc Marti. Like Rally Ireland, Rally Norw...

 Ford looking for strong show in Norway Ford heads to Rally Norway (12 - 15 February) bidding to emulate its performance during the country's only previous world championship appearance two years ago when Focus RS World Rally Cars claimed a clean sweep of the podium....