France (P/J/T) - 1-3 Oct 10

Marty McCormick / David Moynihan going to Cork

Posted: September 29, 2010 2:38 PM

Cork 20 Rally - 2-3 Oct 10

Citroën Racing Trophy: A new challenge for the Citroën C2

Posted: September 28, 2010 12:22 PM

The pulses of the Citroën Racing Trophy crews will be racing as they compete on the Grand National, which is also the sixth round of the French asphalt championship. This all-new event, which will also form part of the prestigious World Rally Championship, breaks new ground for the Citroën Racing Trophy, which is sure to rise to the occasion of this latest challenge. The majestic city of Strasbourg, classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO, will host the Rallye de France and the Grand National for the first time, putting together two top- class motorsport events. This will allow all the competitors to sample the entirety of the rally itinerary through Alsace, which is well known for being fast and tricky – particularly when conditions become foggy. Nobody holds a particular advantage over the varied route that takes in vineyards, rivers, and medieval fortresses, where reliability and endurance are key ingredients to a strong performance. While the French Championship classification is frozen at the end of 12 stages and 219 competitive kilometres, the crews will then have the chance to continue their adventures by contesting virtually all of Sunday’s stages, adding an extra 100 competitive kilometres.

This will be the perfect occasion for all the Trophy competitors to measure themselves against world-class opposition, under a format and regulations that are different to what they know. Frenchman Marc Amourette, who is sure to be a frontrunner in his C2 S1600, will meet some well-known rivals and is sure to have his heart set on starring in the category. At the wheel of the C2-R2 MAX, the fired-up Germain Bonnefis, current Trophy leader Jean-Renaud Marchal, and local man Jérôme Schmitt are likely to be at the forefront of R2 with just one objective: winning the class on this highly unusual rally. The Citroën Racing Trophy Ireland champion, Martin McCormack, will also take the start and could well give the established favourites something to think about. After making a lot of progress since the start of the season, Mathieu Artzner and Mickaël Reydellet will be super-motivated. They both now feel extremely comfortable with the C2-R2 MAX and this rally represents a golden opportunity for them to up their pace and bring home an important haul of points. Eric Lafont, co- driven by his wife Nadine, is contesting the rally in order to experience something new while enjoying himself behind the wheel of his C2-R2 MAX.

Jean-François Liénéré, in charge of Citroën Racing’s customer competition department, said:
“The Citroën Racing Trophy drivers will have to step up a gear on this rally, as they are going to be subject to the same rules and technical conditions of a World Rally Championship event. The pace and the format will be rather different to what they are accustomed to, so it’s sure to be a very interesting experience. The rally route – which is reputed to be extremely quick – is going to be brand new for everyone and it is sure to test cars and people to the limit. Local weather conditions, which are often complex at this time of year, are sure to be a determining factor of the rally, where the reliability and endurance of the C2-R2 MAX will be tested more than ever.”

On Friday 1 October, the 140 crews will start the Rallye de France Alsace for three hectic days of competition between the Rhine and the Vosges. What they thought before the start...

Marc Amourette (C2 Super 1600):
“It’s a fantastic adventure for us to embark on such an unaccustomed rally like this one. There are going to be some very fierce rivals out there, but we’re going to do everything we can to show the very best of ourselves and come close to the best in class.”

Mathieu Artzner (C2-R2 MAX):
“We don’t know anything at all about this type of event, so our objective will be simply to put in a good performance. It’s a massive rally for us, and the experience that we are sure to gain is already like scoring a victory.”

Germain Bonnefis (C2-R2 MAX):
“By competing on a high-profile event like this one, which forms part of the World Rally Championship, I am making a dream that I’ve had since I was a boy finally come true. From a sporting point of view, our goal will be to go for the win in the R2 class and the Citroën Racing Trophy standings. Beyond that, I would love to put in some top stage times, in order to be as close as possible to the Super 1600 cars.”

Eric Lafont (C2-R2 MAX):
“Once more, the only real objective I have is to enjoy myself! We’ll start the Grand National with the same philosophy that we have on all the other events. Our goal is just to get to the finish and soak up the unique atmosphere of a World Rally Championship event.”

Jean-Renaud Marchal (C2-R2 MAX):
“We know already that it’s going to be a very tricky rally, both on cars and on people. The fact that we’re going to be subject to World Rally Championship regulations is an additional hurdle. This is a brand new challenge and it’s up to us to make the most of it.”

Mickaël Reydellet (C2-R2 MAX):
“We’re extremely proud to be a part of this rally in Alsace, which doubles up as a World Rally Championship event. We need to stay focussed and reliable throughout the 320 competitive kilometres that we are going to tackle, but we’re determined to give our all to secure a good result.”

Jérôme Schmitt (C2-R2 MAX):
“Even though we’re missing a bit of time in the car, we’re actually quite confident, as we really have a good feeling with the C2-R2 MAX. We’ve wanted to take part in this round of the World Rally Championship for a long time now, but we’re under no illusions: we just want to get to the finish and drive a sensible rally.”

KIMI EMBRACES LIBERTY, EQUALITY, AND FRATERNITY IN FRANCE

Posted: September 28, 2010 11:49 AM

The French national motto will be a good one for Red Bull driver Kimi Raikkonen as he discovers new territory on the Rallye de France this weekend: the first time that the event is being run in Alsace after several years in Corsica.

Liberty: After showing great pace on the last all-new round of the World Rally Championship, in Bulgaria, Kimi is free to demonstrate just what he is capable of on the surface that he is most familiar with. Or, to be accurate, the surface that he is least unfamiliar with.

Equality: Kimi will be driving the same Citroen C4 WRC as the great Sebastien Loeb, who has been undefeated on asphalt since 2004. The same record stands for Citroen, which is the car to beat on sealed surfaces.

Fraternity: Once more, Kimi will be part of the extended Red Bull and Citroen family as it celebrates its home event and very possibly a seventh consecutive drivers' title for Loeb. The rally runs through Loeb's native Alsace, so there's bound to be a good party with plenty of Red Bull cocktails afterwards.

Apart from that, Kimi has little idea of what to expect, although he did join the ranks of rally winners two weeks ago by triumphing on the Rallye Vosgien: a small national event in France that contains similar stages to those he will see this weekend.

Experience is what it is all about for Kimi this year, and he is hoping that the knowledge he gained in Sebastien Loeb's back garden will help him when he faces the rest of the WRC field on what will still only be his 10th World Rally Championship event in the Citroen C4 WRC.

"It's not easy, that's for sure," said Raikkonen. "But I'm hoping that we can have a good result in France. If we can show the same sort of pace like we did in Bulgaria, in the top five, then that would be really good. The problem is that it's always hard to predict a result when you don't know anything about what the route is going to be like, so we'll just concentrate very hard on the recce to end up with the best set of pace notes possible. Generally we've improved in every area since the start of the season and I feel a lot more comfortable now, so we're hoping to continue our progress this weekend. France is obviously a really important event for Citroen so I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun: a bit like driving for Ferrari at Monza!"

Co-driver Kaj Lindstrom, who has sat alongside Kimi since the Finn made his world rally debut in a Super 2000 car on the Rally Finland last year, is also looking forward to the weekend, although he's not expecting a French revolution.

"We're learning step by step; I think sometimes people forget that this is only Kimi's first year in rallying and that nobody has ever walked straight into the very top level to compete against the very best with no experience before," said Kaj. "Kimi's been doing very well, and I'm sure that he can improve again in France. Asphalt is obviously a surface that he knows a bit better, and together we'll be working on putting together a good set of pace notes during the recce so that Kimi can make the most of his talent on the stages."

Rallye de France is based in Strasbourg: the seat of the European Parliament and the second-largest port on the Rhine River, after Duisburg in Germany.

SANDELL CONFIDENT OF FRENCH SUCCESS

Posted: September 28, 2010 11:48 AM

Red Bull Rallye Team's Patrik Sandell will be full of confidence when he resumes his bid for the inaugural Super 2000 world title on Rallye de France, which takes place in the country's Alsace region from September 30-October 3.

Driving a Skoda Fabia S2000 prepared by Raimund Baumschlager's BRR operation, Sandell will start the asphalt event, which is being run for the first time this season, on the back of his stunning victory on the SWRC's last sealed-surface round in Germany in August.

"The rally is new for everyone so I really don't know what to expect but, for sure, I am 100 per cent confident," said Sandell, 28. "It will be a big challenge but I know now that we are competitive on asphalt following our win in Germany and I have a good feeling for this rally as a result."

Although Sandell has not had the opportunity to undertake a pre-event test, he said the data accumulated following an extensive development session in Austria last month, coupled with the experience gained of competing in Germany, will make him one of the favourites for victory in France.

"I am not worried we have not tested because we had a good run in Austria and covered more than 400 kilometres in Germany," said the Swedish driver. "My team always support me with a very good car and we can confirm this during shakedown on Thursday."

Sandell and co-driver Emil Axelsson geared up for Rallye de France by practicing their pacenote preparation on public roads in their native Sweden.

"I prepared brand-new pacenotes for Rallye Deutschland and they were very good," said Sandell. "It could be a key for victory in France, when we also need to prepare brand-new pacenotes."

Sandell is currently fourth in the SWRC standings, 22 points adrift of Xevi Pons and Martin Prokop. He needs to finish in front of the pair in France to keep his title dream alive heading into the season finale in Great Britain in mid-November.

"It's still an open game and I believe I can win," said Sandell of his title chances.

Rallye de France features 351.80 competitive kilometres over 20 special stages. Action gets underway at 0843hrs local time on Friday October 1 with the final stage around Haguenau town centre set to begin at 1336hrs on Sunday October 3.

GASSNER JR AIMS FOR GROUP N TOP FIVE IN FRANCE

Posted: September 28, 2010 11:40 AM

Red Bull-backed Hermann Gassner Jr has set his sights on landing a top five finish in the Group N category as he completed his final preparations for Rallye de France later this week.

The rising star from Germany will contest the all-new rally in the Alsace region of the country in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX, which is prepared by Raimund Baumschlager's BRR operation.

Like the bulk of his rivals on the three-day asphalt contest, Gassner Jr has no prior experience of the stages, which feature wide and narrow sections, mountain passes and constant surface variation.

"Just like in Germany I want to be in the top five in France and I really believe I can do this," said the 21-year-old, who will team up with regular co-driver Katharina Wuestenhagen on the Strasbourg-based rally.
"Being so close to Germany I would like to think some of the stages will be similar although I really won't know what they will look like properly until I start my recce on Tuesday."

Gassner Jr prepared for the event with a test in Austria last week, which he said had been a success. "We already have a good set-up on Tarmac but we were able to confirm a few things during the test and this will be very useful when we start the rally."

So far in the World Rally Championship this season, Gassner Jr has taken part on one snow rally, one event on gravel and one on asphalt. Asked whether he had a preference, he commented:
"I like driving on gravel but I am faster on Tarmac because most of the rallies in Germany are on Tarmac."

Rallye de France features 351.80 competitive kilometres over 20 special stages. Action gets underway at 0843hrs local time on Friday October 1 with the final stage around Haguenau town centre set to begin at 1336hrs on Sunday October 3.

Stobart’s Wilson Focused on Improving Tarmac Pace in France

Posted: September 25, 2010 8:15 PM

Stobart M-Sport Ford’s Matthew Wilson is feeling confident about scoring his best FIA World Rally Championship result of the year on asphalt at the newly located Rallye de France next weekend.

The 23-year-old Cumbrian has worked hard to improve the handling of his Ford Focus RS World Rally Car on Tarmac this year. At Rally Bulgaria, the first all-Tarmac event of the season, Wilson finished ninth. However, at the next asphalt WRC round in Germany the Briton showed increased speed on a sealed surface to finish sixth overall.

This year’s event will move from the long-term home of Corsica to a new base in the Alsace region, close to the city of Strasbourg. Despite tackling twenty new stages, Wilson and co-driver Scott Martin are looking to produce their second top five finish of the season next week. With reports that the new stages are similar to Rallye Deutschland’s fast asphalt tests, Wilson will travel to France believing he can produce another strong performance.

Joining the Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally team in the points-scoring line-up for the first time next week will be Monster World Rally Team's Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino.

Wilson’s regular WRC team-mates Henning Solberg and Ilka Minor will also be entered under the Stobart M-Sport Ford banner in France but will be back behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta Super 2000. The Norwegian driver will not be nominated to score any manufacturer points but will return to drive the Ford Focus RS WRC at Rally Wales GB in November.

Event Summary
Rallye de France was first held on the island of Corsica in 1956 and has been a round of the FIA World Rally Championship since the inaugural 1973 season. However, last year the long-established event was absent from 2009’s calendar as a result of the FIA’s event rotation system.

The event was originally run round the entire island, which earned the rally’s name “Tour de Corse”, but more recently it was held closer to the roads around Ajaccio and became known as “Ten Thousands Turns Rally” due to its twisty asphalt mountain stages.

In October 2009 France’s governing body of motorsport, the FFSA, took the decision to move the event from Corsica altogether to a new location in the Alsace region, near the German border and close to France’s ninth-biggest city Strasbourg.

The new location for the WRC event was formerly a French Championship round which was last run in May 2009 and is only one of two events this year which is eligible for all three WRC support championships: the J-WRC, P-WRC and S-WRC.

Next week’s Rallye de France will kick off with a ceremonial start at Place Kleber - the largest square in the centre of Strasbourg on Thursday 30 September, but the first full day of action will commence the following morning.

Friday consists of a repeat loop of four stages totaling 145.86 km based south-west of Strasbourg in the Haut-Rhin region. The opening stage, Hohlandsbourg (SS1 and SS5), is a 9.5 km test set up in the hills of the Vosges area which will be followed by a 16.9 km test in the famous Goldert vineyards (SS2 and SS6). Grand Ballon 1 (SS4 and SS8) is a 24.5 km stage which climbs to the Grand Ballon ski resort reaching 1424 m. Following SS4 will be a remote service at the city of Mulhouse before the Stobart crew tackle the repeat afternoon loop.

The second full day of action features eight stages covering 149.22 km which will be based south-west of the service park in the Bas-Rhin region. The crew will also have to tackle the longest stage of the rally on Saturday, the 35.48 km Pays d’Ormont (SS11 and SS15) which will challenge the WRC drivers with its varying road conditions.

The final day of Rallye de France will be based in the northern region of Alsace and features a repeat loop of a short city centre Super Special Stage over 4.20km (SS17 and SS20) followed by a longer 24.70 km stage. The repeat of the Super Special Stage will mark the rally’s final stage and will be held in the streets of Hagenau in homage to reigning WRC Sebastien Loeb, who previously lived there.

Stobart M-Sport Ford driver Matthew Wilson said:
“It’s going to be really strange going to a French WRC round but not being based in Corsica – the island is all I ever associate this rally with so it’s taking a bit of getting used to! Judging the correct set-up could be tricky at this event as I’ve heard the stages are very mixed - some sections will be very fast and open but other parts are slow, tight and twisty with broken tarmac. I haven't seen much footage yet but this is just what I’ve heard. As it is a brand new location, it’s also going to make the recce extremely important – we’ll have to make a new set of notes so there’s going to be a lot of pressure to ensure we get everything right. I’m feeling much more confident driving on asphalt now – we had a good result in Germany and some of the stages in Alsace sound quite similar to the Trier-based event so hopefully this will pay off when we go to France next week.”

Stobart M-Sport Ford team principal Malcolm Wilson said:
“This will be a tough event for everyone – a new rally location puts extra pressure on the crews as they have little time to get a feel for the roads. It also requires a great deal of concentration and it is vital the team are both mentally and physically prepared as much as possible for the event. Both Matthew and Scott have been working very hard this year with their trainer [Barry Johnson] who ensures that they are not only physically fit enough to compete in the WRC but that they are mentally capable of coping with the pressures of competing in the championship too. Matthew had an unfortunate previous round in Japan earlier this month but has steadily improved his performance driving on Tarmac this year so I look forward to seeing how he will perform next week in France.”

Pressure mounts as Fiesta S2000 prepares for S-WRC title fight

Posted: September 24, 2010 2:51 PM

The winner of the 2010 Super 2000 World Rally Championship (S-WRC) could be determined next week as the ten-round series moves to France for the penultimate event.

After dropping the previous round in Japan, Xevi Pons will rejoin the championship in France to lead the S-WRC alongside fellow Ford Fiesta S2000 driver and title rival Martin Prokop. Unlike Pons, Prokop has only one S-WRC round remaining to contest this season and the Czech driver will be aiming to clinch a victory next week in a bid to win the championship.

However, should Pons secure a points finish at Rallye de France the Spanish driver will be odds-on to win the championship and Prokop’s title hopes could be over.

The Ford Fiesta S2000 has claimed podium finishes in seven of the eight rounds of the S-WRC so far, and M-Sport’s new generation rally car now occupies the top three spots in the overall S-WRC standings.

Eight Ford Fiesta S2000 crews will travel to France, with four fighting for S-WRC honours, and with just 13 points separating the top three drivers and only two S-WRC rounds remaining Rallye de France is likely to prove pivotal for the championship’s front-runners.

Xevi Pons got off to a flying start in 2010, taking the S-WRC victory at Mexico and Jordan. The Spanish driver has continued to produce strong performances and maintain his position at the top of the leaderboard. With two S-WRC rounds remaining on his schedule Pons holds a clear advantage over Prokop, who has only one round to contest from his nominated seven events. However, with very few points separating the top four drivers, the Spaniard cannot afford to rest on his laurels and will be aiming for a podium finish at the very least.

Martin Prokop is the only competitor to have racked up five podium finishes in the S-WRC, and his strong performance in Japan placed the Czech driver on equal points with Pons at the head of the S-WRC standings. However, with only one round remaining for Prokop he must aim for victory to be in with a chance of winning the championship.

A polished performance from Jari Ketomaa at Rally Japan gave the Finn his third consecutive S-WRC victory, plus an overall WRC top ten finish, and promoted the driver to third in the series - only 13 points shy of the leaders. The Finn is now handily placed in the overall standings to steal the lead from the S-WRC front-runners should they falter, and Ketomaa will be looking for a podium finish in France to maintain his hopes of winning the championship.

Bernardo Sousa had a troubled time at the previous round in Japan, where he failed to complete the rally. However, Sousa will be looking to take advantage of his previous experience driving the Ford Fiesta S2000 on Tarmac at Rali Vinho Madeira and Rallye Deutschland in order to finish inside the top five and perhaps even top his fourth place on home soil at Rally de Portugal in May, which remains the Portuguese driver’s best performance in the S-WRC to date.

Henning Solberg will return to the wheel of a Ford Fiesta S2000 after first driving the car competitively at Rally Bulgaria in July. The Norwegian produced a first place finish in the Group N category whilst also gaining valuable experience of the car on asphalt. Solberg again drove the Fiesta S2000 on Tarmac at Rallye Deutschland, but was forced to SupeRally on the opening day due to transmission problems. The Norwegian WRC veteran will be looking to use all of his top level experience to challenge the other seven Ford Fiesta S2000 crews next week.

M-Sport entry Dennis Kuipers is another looking to build on his previous S-WRC performances at Rally de France. The 24-year-old Dutch driver gained valuable experience driving the Fiesta S2000 on asphalt at Rally Bulgaria and Rallye Deutschland. While he is not registered to score points in the S-WRC, Kuipers is keen to further develop his understanding of the new generation rally car and will be looking for a clear run at this event.

Mads Østberg will contest Rallye de France in a Ford Fiesta S2000 next week and although not registered to score S-WRC points the 22-year-old made an impressive debut in the car at Germany, despite losing time on the first day due to an off-road excursion. Østberg finished his first rally in the Fiesta S2000 sixteenth overall and will be looking to improve on this result when he returns to the WRC next week.

Rallye de France will be Julien Maurin’s second outing piloting a Ford Fiesta S2000 in the WRC this year. The Frenchman had an unfortunate debut in the new generation rally car at Vodafone Rally de Portugal in May when he had to retire during the second day after his alternator belt broke. However, Maurin is the only competitor out of the eight Fiesta S2000 crews to compete on home soil so the Frenchman will be pushing hard for a strong result in his home country.

Xevi Pons said:
“I’ve only been away from the championship for one round but it has got very, very tight at the top. This is going to be an extremely important rally and I will be pushing from the beginning. I didn’t have the best experience on Tarmac in Germany last month, I really struggled to find the right rhythm, so I’m hoping this will not happen again. I’ll be testing the car on Monday in France and want to ensure that I am as well prepared as possible for next weekend.”

Martin Prokop said:
“Rallye de France will be a key event for us, we need a win and 25 points to be in with a chance of finishing the season at the top of the championship. We’ve watched a few videos on the internet to get an impression about the character of the rally and it looks like it’ll be a fast event. As we saw on Rally Germany the Skodas were very quick, but we have had a good test and I hope that we will be well prepared now. I plan to push from the beginning and give this rally my best shot.”

Jari Ketomaa said:
“I need to do my best at this rally and I have to say that I’m feeling confident right now. The car has been working very well recently and I’m really happy with the set-up, so I have high hopes that I could win in France. The stages will be quite fast but it’ll be a challenge and that’s something that I’m not afraid of especially because I’m feeling good about the car right now.”

Bernardo Sousa said:
“I’ve driven the Ford Fiesta S2000 on Tarmac on two rallies recently so I’m hoping this will give me an advantage over some of the other drivers who are not so familiar with the road surface, but it is a new rally for everyone so we all start with the same knowledge which will makes things very fair. I think I will enjoy the stages and I really want to fight for the top three. I was disappointed in Japan not to finish third so that is my main aim for this event – to fight for the podium.”

Henning Solberg said:
“I really enjoyed driving the [Ford Fiesta] S2000 in Bulgaria, the car handled very well and drives nicely on Tarmac. Germany did not go so well for me, I had a few problems but when everything was running smoothly and I felt comfortable with the car I had some fast times. For sure, this will be a difficult event for everyone as the stages are new but I just want to get more experience of the car and hope for a good end result.”

Dennis Kuipers said:
“For me, Rallye de France is a new rally and I think it will also be a tough event. The stages look similar to Germany but this time they will be a lot faster. We’ve now done two rallies on Tarmac in this car, Bulgaria and Germany, and we had a very good result in Bulgaria which I want to repeat in France next week. I’m looking forward to this rally and we want to finish in a high position, but the main aim is to gain more experience.”

Mads Østberg said:
“This is only the second time I have rallied a Ford Fiesta S2000 but I think the event looks a lot like Germany. We had a good event there and I think if we can continue our speed for this event then we could get a good result. There’s going to be more competition compared to Germany with some very good drivers, it’s going to be tough but I’m aiming for a podium finish and I think that we can achieve this.”

Julien Maurin said:
“I’m looking forward to competing in my home country and hope to have better luck compared to my last experience driving the [Ford] Fiesta S2000 in Portugal. I was very disappointed to retire because I was enjoying myself and was pleased with my set-up. I’ve heard that the stages are very varied at this rally and I think that having the right set-up will be crucial from the beginning. I also hope that the weather remains dry, if it’s wet it could make things very difficult, but we will see how things go.”

Munchi’s crew face tricky Tarmac test in France

Posted: September 24, 2010 2:35 PM

A new co-driver, a new rally location and Federico Villagra’s first all-Tarmac event in twelve months could make this year’s Rallye de France the most challenging FIA World Rally Championship round to date for the Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team.

However, the Munchi’s crew will need to adapt quickly to all of those circumstances in order to close the one point gap on Henning Solberg who is ahead in the overall Drivers’ Standings.

France is the third asphalt round of this year’s WRC, but after missing the previous Tarmac events in Bulgaria and Germany Villagra will be looking to take full advantage of a pre-event test in the Ford Focus RS WRC in order to get a feel for the sealed surface as quickly as possible.

The Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team will also face another challenge next week as Villagra’s regular co-driver, Jorge Pérez Companc, is unable to contest the 11th round of the WRC due to other commitments. Diego Curletto will replace Companc as Villagra’s co-driver in France and Jose Diaz will act as Villagra’s co-driver at Rallye de España.

Curletto embarked on his co-driving career in 1998 and has been Villagra’s co-driver in Argentina since 2006 – successfully winning three National Championships and twice winning the N4 class at Rally Argentina.

Despite not contesting an all-Tarmac WRC event since 2009, Villagra will be aiming to improve on his previous result on asphalt when he finished eighth at last year’s RACC Rallye de España.

Event Summary
The Tour de Corse has been part of the FIA World Rally Championship since 1973 and quickly gained a fearsome reputation for its mountainous route, while its tricky asphalt stages earned it the nickname “the rally of 10,000 corners.”

However, 2010 marks a big change for the French round of the WRC as France's governing body of motorsport, the FFSA, took the decision to move the event from the island of Corsica to a new base in the Alsace region, near the German border and close to France’s ninth-biggest city, Strasbourg.

The new location for this year’s French WRC round was formerly a French Championship event which was last run in May 2009. This year’s Rallye de France is only one of two events this year which is eligible for all three WRC support championships: the J-WRC, P-WRC and S-WRC.

Next week’s Rallye de France will kick off on Thursday 30 September with a ceremonial start at Place Kleber - the largest square in the centre of Strasbourg. However, the first full day of action will commence on Friday 1 October and consists of a repeat loop of four stages totaling 145.86 km based south-west of the service park, Strasbourg Zénith. It will also include a remote service at Mulhouse after Grand Ballon 1 (SS4).

Saturday will feature eight stages covering 149.22 km which will be based south-west of the service park. The Munchi’s crew will also have to tackle the longest stage of the rally on Saturday, the 35.48 km Pays d’Ormont (SS11 and SS15).

The final day of Rallye de France features a repeat loop of two stages which consists of a short 4.20 km test (SS17 and SS20) followed by a longer 24.70 km stage.

Argentine Rally Championship News
Villagra finished fourth at last weekend’s Rally de San Luís and is currently placed second in the Argentine Rally Championship - just three points off snatching first position from Gabriel Pozzo. There are now just three rounds remaining in this year’s Argentine Rally Championship and Villagra is hoping to close the gap on Pozzo to try and clinch his ninth victory at his home championship.

Munchi’s Ford WRT driver Federico Villagra said:
“I’m delighted to welcome Diego as my co-driver in the WRC – we’ve competed in many rallies together in our home country of Argentina and the stages will be new to every WRC co-driver so this will make it a fair rally for everyone. I haven’t driven the [Ford] Focus on Tarmac since October last year so it could take a bit of getting used to handling the car on the different road surface but we’ve got a test planned for Monday so I’m hoping that will help build my confidence. I’ve been informed that the stages are very varied for this event, I think this will make set-up extremely important each day so we will have to work hard as a team to ensure this doesn’t affect our performance.”

Loeb and Citroën determined to make history

Posted: September 24, 2010 2:22 PM

Citroën is playing for high stakes in Rally France, the eleventh round of the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship. This event, which is being held for the first time in Alsace, will be a particularly emotional one for Sébastien Loeb, who will be racing in front of a crowd that will be rooting for him alone. A 60th world championship victory will give Loeb/Elena their seventh World Championship title on the trot raising their own stakes even higher! The Citroën Total World Rally Team, which has also entered the Spanish crew, Dani Sordo / Diego Vallejo, is also well placed to win its sixth Manufacturers’ World Title.

Rally France is back on the World Rally Championship calendar after a year’s absence with a completely new event in Alsace. The rally, based in Strasbourg, includes a wide variety of stages in the vineyards, forests, high-altitude pastures, and a military camp! The last stage will be held in the streets of Hagenau in homage to Loeb who lived in this little Bas-Rhin community for a long time.

Loeb is of course the local hero, the driver all the spectators want to see winning on home turf:
“It’s one hell of a lot of pressure. Given my success rate on this kind of surface, everybody’s expecting me to stroll home to an easy victory,” the six-time world champion admits. “But this rally won’t be any easier than the others. Quite the opposite in fact, as it’s a completely new event consisting of quick roads, which include most of the difficulties we normally meet on asphalt. This season, there are six drivers who are all capable of winning, so the overall level of the championship is very high and there’s no way victory for me in this event is a foregone conclusion.”

Seb has racked up five wins so far this season and he has a big lead in the overall classification with a total of 201 points. The only drivers who are in a position to catch him are Sébastien Ogier (158 points) and Jari-Matti Latvala (132 points). With three rallies left, the calculations are fairly simple – to bag their seventh title, Loeb/Elena have to win at least one of the three.
“The ideal would be to clinch it as soon as possible,” goes on Seb. “Obviously, winning my sixtieth victory and my seventh world title at home would be the fulfilment of a dream.”

The Citroën Total World Rally Team is in a very strong position in the manufacturers’ classification. The French squad has a 95-point lead over its nearest rival so it can even afford to lose a few points in Alsace! If the gap is greater than 86 points after Rally France, Citroën will add a sixth title to its laurels.

The team can also count on Dani Sordo and Diego Vallejo to achieve this objective. Dani finished second behind Loeb on the Bulgarian and German asphalt and he intends to add more points to his tally in Alsace:
“I think that this rally will have an incredible ambience, and of course, all the fans will be rooting for Seb. I’m going to do everything in my power to obtain the best possible results. As usual, I’ll be aiming for a place on the podium. After a few stages we’ll see if it’s possible to go for the topmost step!”

Three questions to Sébastien Loeb
First of all, let’s go back to Rally Japan where you scored your worst result of the season. Was this a disappointment?
“I start each rally with the aim of winning it, so there’s no way I can be happy with fifth place. But it doesn’t worry me overmuch as I’ve never been very competitive in Japan. I was quicker this year than two years ago, but the overall level of the championship is higher than it was then. The positive aspect is that we were able to score those few crucial points that enabled us to be masters of our destiny. If we win one of the three remaining rallies we’ll be world champion for the seventh time.”

The ideal would be to clinch the title in Rally France...
“Obviously, when you look at the way things stand, it could be a dream. Winning my sixtieth world championship victory in Hagenau and also my seventh title would be sheer magic! But to do this it’ll take more than just dreams and magic! I’ll have to be very quick against rivals whose motivation will be boosted a hundredfold. There’s going to be a lot of expectations on the part of all those present, and what’s at stake for Citroën is also very important. All that adds to the pressure. I’ll just have to cope with it - I have to say that I’m really looking forward to this rally.

This rally is new, and you’re lucky enough to know the region well. What do you think of the route?
“I raced in several events in the region at the start of my career at the end of the nineties. The start of the Firstplan stage for example, corresponds to the very first stage that I competed in the 1997 Florival Rally. I remember the sectors of the Alsace-Vosges Rally pretty well, in particular near Chätas. Overall, the stages are very varied with wide quick sections followed by tight bumpy parts in the woods, in particular. On the other hand, I don’t know the Bitche military camp at all, but I don’t think it’ll be all that different to Baumholder in Germany.”

Ford targets strong connection with new-look Rallye de France

Posted: September 24, 2010 2:20 PM

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team journeys into the unknown next week when the final pure asphalt round of the FIA World Rally Championship season takes place in mainland France for the first time. Rallye de France (30 September - 1 October) has been one of the classic events of the series since it began in 1973, but this year's rally switches from its traditional base on the Mediterranean island of Corsica to a new home in north-east France.

It means drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila will tackle brand new speed tests for the third time this season, following in the footsteps of Turkey and Bulgaria. The rally also marks the final all-asphalt event for the record-breaking Focus RS World Rally Car as an official Ford entry, ahead of the introduction of the Fiesta RS WRC in 2011.

Historic Strasbourg, the biggest city in the Alsace region of France and the centre of which is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, will host this 11th round of the year. It nestles alongside the River Rhine on the border with Germany, between the Vosges mountains to the west and the Black Forest to the east.

The rally offers a mix of roads to challenge competitors. The opening day in the Vosges blends narrow, bumpy sections with blisteringly fast, wide roads where speeds could top 200kph. The second day is completely different as drivers tackle a labyrinth of vineyard roads on flat, open plains. The special stages in the last leg are different again, with a mix of street roads and fast tracks through a military camp.

Thirty-year-old Hirvonen tested on Tuesday and Wednesday close to Strasbourg, before Latvala took over yesterday (Thursday) for a two-day session that ends today.

"It was all about finding a set-up for the kind of roads we expect to find on the rally," said Hirvonen. "The test roads were narrow and bumpy and the surface changed frequently. We looked at developing a compromise set-up that we believe will work well on the different types of stages we expect to face in the rally.

"I expect many changes of rhythm as the roads change from fast to twisty, and wide to narrow. If the pace notes are accurate then that isn't a difficulty. But if, for example, they are too fast when the road switches from a wide section to a narrow stretch, then it can be trickier. I wasn't so happy with my driving on the Friday and Saturday morning during the last asphalt round in Germany, so I hope to improve. I'm feeling confident after a good performance on the last round in Japan," he added.

Latvala lies third in the championship and the 25-year-old Finn hopes to maintain his progress on asphalt after finishing fourth in the last sealed-surface round in Germany last month. "I felt there that I was enjoying driving on asphalt as much as I have ever done. It wasn't my best result on that surface because I finished third in Ireland in 2007, but I feel I have moved up a level on the last two asphalt rallies. It gives me a lot of confidence ahead of this rally," he said.

"We must write pace notes from a blank sheet because we've not driven the roads before, so it's vital we concentrate hard in the recce. We're only allowed two passes through the stages so we must ensure they are as accurate as possible. When I looked at the route and saw it included vineyards and military roads, my first impressions were that this would be like Rallye Deutschland. But our engineers have looked at the stages and it seems the roads are more similar to those of the Monte Carlo Rally, especially the first leg," he added.

Abu Dhabi's Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr will drive the team's third Focus RS WRC, hoping to put behind them the memories of crashing out in the opening few kilometres in Rally Japan. "Our result in Japan wasn't what we wanted, but Michael and I went straight to Rally Lebanon where we were able to claim maximum points for our FIA Middle East Rally Championship challenge. It was a successful asphalt event and has given us confidence ahead of Rallye de France," said Al Qassimi.

Team News
* Tyre partner Pirelli will provide two tyre specifications for the BP Ford Abu Dhabi drivers. The standard PZero asphalt tyre will be available primarily in hard compound, but with a limited amount of soft compound rubber for use in cold or wet weather. Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the rubber in the event of rain or mud and each car can carry two spares.

* Three other Focus RS WRCs are entered. Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin are nominated in the Stobart M-Sport Ford team and will be joined in the points-scoring line-up for the first time by Monster World Rally Team's Ken Block / Alex Gelsomino. Argentines Federico Villagra / Diego Curletto will drive for the Munchi's Ford team. The rally is the ninth round of the S-WRC and eight Ford Fiesta S2000 cars will start, including joint championship leaders Xevi Pons / Alex Haro and Martin Prokop / Jan Tomanek. It is also round six of the Fiesta SportTrophy and five Fiesta R2 cars are entered.

* Latvala drove Block's Focus RS WRC in the 10th anniversary Rallyday display event at Castle Combe race circuit in Britain last weekend. Also in attendance was ex-Ford driver Stig Blomqvist.

PIRELLI SET FOR ALL-NEW FRENCH RALLY

Posted: September 24, 2010 2:13 PM

France's all-new world championship qualifier, which takes place in the country's Alsace region from September 30-October 3, is set to be a Tarmac rally like no other with inconsistent stage surfaces, narrow and wide sections and temperature variation all adding to the challenge facing the competitors, more than 60 of whom will use Pirelli's PZero asphalt tyre.

Based in Strasbourg close to the border with Germany, the bulk of the event's 20 special stages are contained within hilly forest areas with the exception of Sunday's runs: a 24-kilometre test through the Bitche Camp military training area, and a 4.10-kilometre blast through Haguenau, Sebastien Loeb's home town.

Loeb, who can land his seventh world title by winning the event, is expected to dominate in his Citroen C4 World Rally Car. An established asphalt specialist, the last time Loeb was defeated on a pure Tarmac event was in Spain in October 2004 when he retired due to a mechanical problem.

"We saw in Bulgaria in the summer, a new rally for everybody, that Sebastien was a little bit ahead of everybody," said Sven Smeets, team manager of the Citroen factory squad. "And we really expect him to be up front fighting for the victory in France where he can bring the championship home. There will probably be a little bit of pressure because it's his home town and people expect him to win but we know his skills on Tarmac and Sebastien is never really under pressure."

Pirelli, the official tyre supplier of the WRC under a three-year agreement with the FIA, motorsport's world governing body, will supply the hard and soft compound variant of its PZero tyre to all crews in four-wheel drive machinery. The hard compound is designed for hot and dry conditions with the soft version better suited for cooler temperatures and a damp stage surface.

Matteo Braga, Pirelli's senior WRC tyre engineer, says he expects tyre compound choice to have an impact on the final result.

"Although we expect Sebastien Loeb will be world champion, we know that the weather will be less easy to predict and this will influence the choice of tyre compound," said Braga. "Okay, we have seen that the soft compound PZero tyre works well in warm and dry conditions but, in France, there is a chance of some rain so it's likely we will see more soft compound tyres being used on this event. The quantities available have been selected with rain in mind so there is no problem with supply, the only concern is if it rains very hard, which it can do in the mountains."

The tyre regulations set out by the FIA don't allow for a specific 'rain' tyre, nor do they allow the insertion of artificial 'cuts' into the tread pattern to provide extra grip. The measures were all designed to ensure the tyre could be used on a wide variety of asphalt and in different conditions to ultimately control costs. "It means drivers will face a compromise if it rains and maybe won't be able to push at 100 per cent," continued Braga.

As with all rallies using mountainous stages, there is a constant risk of changeable weather conditions and localised precipitation. But even if it doesn't rain, the stage surface is likely to be slippery in places according to George Black, the Ford team's tyre technician.

Black has driven over the competitive route and described the problem of stage "pollution", adding: "Because the rally is mainly in forest areas you have a problem of pollution with pine needles and leaves falling like snow on the road. It puts moisture on the ground and with the temperature quite cool in the morning it's going to be quite a challenge. Apart from the Bitche Camp stage, no stage on the rally has one consistent surface with smooth, coarse and bumpy Tarmac, even gravel in some places, all featuring. It will compromise car set-up and make for a difficult rally."

Black also pointed to the variation in stage width as being another factor on the event and singled out Friday's 24.5-kilometre Grand Ballon stage, which reaches a peak of 1424 metres. "You've got single-width tracks and then when you approach the ski resort the road is very wide so you can straight-line lots of the corners. Then it's narrow again through the trees and bumpy like hell. You will also have a big variation in temperature from start to finish."

P1 and P2 drivers can select from a quantity of 24 hard compound PZero tyres and 22 soft compound PZero covers on Rallye de France. However, they cannot exceed 36 tyres for the entire event. All other four-wheel drive crews can select from 20 hard compound tyres and 16 soft compound tyres but are restricted to a total of 25 for the duration of the rally. Crews in the Junior World Rally Championship will use the RX tyre, available in 16- and 17-inch diameter.

Rallye de France is the fifth event of the season for the Pirelli Star Driver programme, a joint initiative between Pirelli and the FIA. It gives the opportunity for five promising young talents, Nick Georgiou, Peter Horsey, Hayden Paddon, Alex Raschi and Ott Tanak, to contest six rounds of the World Rally Championship in identical Pirelli-backed Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Xs.

As well as counting as round 11 of the main WRC, Rallye de France is also round eight of the Production Car World Rally Championship, for two-litre turbocharged Group N cars, and round nine of the Super 2000 World Rally Championship, which uses normally aspirated two-litre cars. Pirelli supplies its hard and soft compound PZero tyres to both support championships, thereby underlining the performance and efficiency of the Italian rubber on a wide range of machinery.

Rallye de France features 351.80 competitive kilometres over 20 special stages. Action gets underway at 0843hrs local time on Friday October 1 with the final stage around Haguenau town centre set to begin at 1336hrs on Sunday October 3.

FSTi battle gains pace as championship debuts in Strasbourg

Posted: September 23, 2010 9:30 AM

The Fiesta SportTrophy International (FSTi) series will move to France next week for the second of three Tarmac rounds where five Fiesta R2 entries will battle it out for the top spot.

The seven-round series follows the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar and the Rallye de France – Alsace is the fifth round of this year’s FSTi championship. Only 11 points currently separate the top four drivers and, with the series leader, Victor Henriksson (22), choosing to sit this round out, the stage is set for a thrilling battle to seize the top spot.

This year marks a big change for the French round of the championship, which moves from the island of Corsica to a new base in the Alsace region, near the German border. The event will kick off on Thursday 30 September and will feature a total distance of 1,233 km, comprising of 20 special stages covering 352 km.

Four drivers have the opportunity to take the championship lead at this rally – Bader Al Jabri, Harry Hunt, Majed Al Shamsi and Christian Riedemann - so the pressure is really starting to build for all competitors.

64 - Bader Al Jabri (25) & Stephen McAuley – Fiesta R2
FSTi position: 2
Team Abu Dhabi members Bader Al Jabri and co-driver Stephen McAuley have already claimed three podium finishes in this year’s FSTi series, achieving second place at the Vodafone Rally de Portugal and third position at both Neste Oil Rally Finland and ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Their strong performances have elevated the pair up to second in the overall championship standings, only five points adrift of current series leader, Victor Henriksson. Al Jabri favours Tarmac, so the young Emirate will be looking to take advantage of competing on asphalt in order to take the championship lead.
Bader Al Jabri (25) said:
“It’s been six weeks since we took third place at Rally Germany, so I am itching to get back behind the wheel for the Rallye de France. I have been lucky to finish on the podium at all the FSTi events I have participated in this season, so I am hopeful that I can keep up my good run on the asphalt in France. I am pleased to be in second place overall at the moment, but with only ten points separating the top three anything could happen and our focus will be on staying calm, driving accurately, and getting our Fiesta R2 home without any problems.”

128 - Harry Hunt (22) & Sebastian Marshall (22) – Fiesta R2
FSTi position: 3
The British duo is currently running third in the FSTi series, despite having to retire from previous rounds at Germany and Finland. Hunt currently lies tenth in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship (J-WRC), but aims to stop his run of bad luck as he has nominated France as a points scoring J-WRC round. The young Briton gained valuable experience driving his Fiesta R2 on asphalt when he contested Rally Bulgaria in July, but was forced to retire on the final day. He encountered more bad luck at his next asphalt event in Germany when he had to retire on the second day due to engine failure. This weekend, Hunt and Marshall are competing at Rallye Sanremo – the tenth round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) but next week Hunt will be looking to build on the valuable experience he has gained from driving the Fiesta R2 on Tarmac thus far to challenge for the top spot in the standings.

62 - Majed Al Shamsi & Allan Harryman – Fiesta R2
FSTi position: 4
Majed Al Shamsi and Allan Harryman got off to a flying start this year as the duo took victory at Vodafone Rally de Portugal in May. However, the Team Abu Dhabi crew were less fortunate at Neste Oil Rally Finland when they were forced to retire on the final day due to a loss of oil pressure on their Fiesta R2. Al Shamsi’s experience on Tarmac was limited to 2009’s Rally de España, but after a strong performance at the recent ADAC Rallye Deutschland where he finished second overall, the Emirate could prove tough competition to beat. Al Shamsi is just one point off snatching third position in the FSTi series and will be looking to produce a strong performance in France and is another driver who could well find himself leading the championship after the rally.

61 - Christian Riedemann (23) & Josefine Beinke (18) – Fiesta R2
FSTi position: 5
Christian Riedemann and Josefine Beinke recently claimed their first FSTi victory at ADAC Rallye Deutschland, which launched the young German duo into the top five of the overall championship standings. Riedemann was also nominated as the Junior World Rally Championship (J-WRC) guest entry in Germany, where he finished an impressive fourth overall. Earlier in the season, the 22-year-old looked to have promising finishes in both Portugal and Finland, but disaster struck on both occasions on the final day, leaving the German with two DNFs. After Riedemann’s recent strong performance in Germany where he led the FSTi by over nine minutes, the Tarmac specialist is a strong favourite to win in France and will be aiming to snatch the championship lead from Henriksson.

63 – Khalil Al Shaikh (27) & Killian Duffy (27) – Fiesta R2
FSTi position: 8=
Khalil Al Shaikh and Killian Duffy make up the final crew in France. The Team Abu Dhabi duo competed in their first FSTi round last month in Germany where they finished an impressive fourth overall, despite having very little experience of driving on Tarmac. Prior to Germany, Al Shaikh had been building up his rally experience over the past two years competing in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship. After his strong performance at ADAC Rallye Deutschland, the 27-year-old will be aiming for a podium finish this weekend.

ACE CAMPANA FORCED TO CANCEL RALLYE DE FRANCE ENTRY

Posted: September 22, 2010 2:44 PM

Rising star Pierre Campana has been forced to withdraw his entry from the Junior World Rally Championship section of Rallye de France, which takes place in the Alsace region from September 30-October 3.

Campana, 25, was selected by the French motorsport federation, the FFSA, as one of two wildcard entrants for the all-asphalt event where he had been scheduled to drive his Munaretto-run Renault Clio R3 alongside co-driver Sabrina de Castelli.

However, the highly-rated Corsican will instead concentrate on trying to win the hugely-competitive Clio R3 European Trophy, which has two rounds remaining, starting with Rallye International du Valais in Switzerland from October 28-31. After four events, Campana is second in the title standings, six points adrift of Dutch driver Kevin Abbring.

"I am bitterly disappointed not to be able to take advantage of this incredible opportunity the French motorsport federation has given me and contest my home round of the World Rally Championship," said Campana. "The fact they chose me over many other young French drivers means a huge amount to me and I am very grateful for this recognition.

"My sponsor, Ellip6, has been so, so supportive of me this season and it's thanks to them that I will be able to concentrate on my main objective, which is to win the Clio R3 European Trophy. To have competed in France would have taken more budget, which had been promised by another partner. When that did not materialise at the last moment, it was not right to expect a further contribution from such a loyal organisation as Ellip6."

Campana has a strong record in the JWRC, finishing third on his debut in the class the last time France hosted a round of the world championship in Corsica in 2008. He also has experience of competing on the roads in Alsace from his successful exploits in the French championship.

Next stop for Campana is the Italian Trofeo Renault Clio R3, which runs as part of Rallye Sanremo in Italy from September 23-25. Campana is currently third in the drivers' standings following his momentous victory on the recent Alpi d'Orientali Rally.

Marty McCormack elects for French WRC round and foregoes Irish Championship.

Posted: September 18, 2010 10:44 PM

Marty McCormack has elected to enter the Rallye de France next month. The decision means that he will be unable to compete in the Cork 20 Rally and therefore gives up an almost certain victory in the Irish Citroen Trophy to enter one of the most challenging events of his career so far. McCormack said
'To enter Cork was an easy decision and, in many ways, would be a good one. However I have my long term career to think about and have to both challenge myself and benchmark my pace against the best in the world. Rallye de France is the ideal opportunity to do both'.

In making the decision Marty has had to consider many factors:
'I have spoken with the coaches at Team UK and they have been tremendously supportive. Next year I want to move to a programme of IRC or WRC events and this is where their advice has been most helpful. The whole purpose of Team UK is to train drivers to be ready for the World Championship - I want to reward their help with a good result in France'.

The Rallye de France is a round of the World Rally Championship and has recently been reintroduced as a round of the French Championship where Marty currently lies second in the French Citroen Trophy. Marty added;
'As well as my fan base in Ireland I am now starting to build a following in France so it will be great to build on that in Alsace'.

Rallye de France - Alsace 2010 has replaced Corsica as France's round in the WRC. It offers an all-new route of 350 kilometres of tarmac special stages running from its base in Strasbourg.

List of Entries

Posted: September 14, 2010 9:31 AM

France 2010 - List of Entries

RALLYE DE FRANCE (ALSACE)

Petter Solberg World Rally Team with two cars in Rallye de France

Posted: September 1, 2010 4:25 PM

Alongside the Citroën C4 for Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson, the PSWRT will also run a second car for the upcoming Rallye de France. Frenchman Yvan Muller will drive Petter Solbergs Citroën Xsara, together with codriver Gilles Mondesir. Yvan Muller will enter the rally under Automeca, but the car will be fully runned by the Petter Solberg World Rally Team. The Citroën Xsara is the same car as Petter Solberg used in the championship in 2009 (last event Finland 2009), but with a new chassis.

More Details:

Petter Solberg

RALLYE DE FRANCE - ALSACE 2010

Posted: June 11, 2010 9:40 AM

2010 marks a big change for the French row of the World Championship since the Rallye de France left Corsica, where it was held for 35 years, to settle in Alsace from September 30 to October 3.

Eleventh of the thirteen rounds in the program, the Rallye de France - Alsace will run, from Strasbourg, a completly new route of nearly 1300 kms with 20 Special Stages (10 different, the longest - Pays d’Ormont, develops 35,7 kms, and the shortest Haguenau, develops 4.1 km) totalising about 350 kms. The race will be one of the four on the 2010 calendar to run on an asphalt course.

Ideally located in the WRC calendar, the Rallye de France - Alsace could be decisive for the allocation of one or both world titles involved: drivers and manufacturers.

Indeed the new points allocation system which came into force this year (25 points to the winner, then 18-15-12-10-8- 6-4-2-1) opens a possibility of knowing the world champions prior to the final rally of the season.

Another plus: in addition to WRC class the French round will be one of only two this year to be eligible for the three WRC Support Championships: J-WRC (Junior), P-WRC (Production) and S-WRC (S2000).

Event Website / Details

Posted: January 1, 2010 12:01 AM

RALLYE DE FRANCE (ALSACE)