Rally Islas Canarias (Spain) - 22-23 Mar 13

Consistent Craig nets Canaries points haul

Posted: July 22, 2014 9:24 PM

A dramatic two days in the Canary Islands saw the number one Peugeot Rallye Academy crew Craig Breen and Paul Nagle claim another second place which puts them in the immediate wake of Jan Kopecky in the European Championship standings.

A perfectly-paced run by Craig Breen

The Spanish event saw Craig Breen produce another display of his speed and hallmark consistency in spite of the first day’s delicate conditions and despite an early 10-second penalty after checking in two seconds late at a control following a late tyre choice. Indeed, fickle weather made tyre calls particularly difficult on Day 1, but Irishmen Breen and Nagle kept up the fight against the higher-performing RRC cars and against drivers who have more experience of this event. They were fast and consistent and posted top-three times on nearly every stage. Craig didn’t miss a beat in the Saintéloc-run 207 and completed the opening leg in third place behind Kubica and Kopecky. Saturday’s action was entirely dry and Craig kept up his effort to collect second overall after Kubica’s crash. The result takes him to second in the ERC’s provisional standings ahead of the all-gravel fourth round in the Azores on April 25-27.

Craig BREEN: “Paul and I functioned well together this weekend. I am very pleased with the result because second place means a good points haul. I think the set-up of the car was a little too aggressive during the early part of the rally, but we changed the balance for the second leg and it was much better after that. We continue to learn and this rally was good for our experience. I am very happy with the result.”

Bruno FAMIN: “This rally showed that the Peugeot Rally Academy has recruited some excellent drivers. Stéphane Lefebvre produced a strong run in Latvia, while Craig Breen is consistent as well as quick, and also a fast learner. His approach is very intelligent, as he demonstrated once again this weekend, and he is emerging as a strong contender in the championship. The conditions weren’t easy for Jérémi’s debut but he did a sound job and progressed with every stage, and was even a rival for Craig at times. His double puncture was part of the learning process. In the Azores, we will have all three drivers who will face stiff competition there.”

JOY FOR KOPECKY, DRAMA FOR KUBICA IN GRAN CANARIA

Posted: July 22, 2014 9:22 PM

Jan Kopecký has made it a hat-trick of wins on Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés to move into the lead of the FIA European Rally Championship. His success, at wheel of his Michelin-shod ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000, followed Robert Kubica’s dramatic retirement from top spot when he damaged his Citroën DS3 RRC striking a barrier on Saturday’s second stage.

In the ERC Production Car Cup there was success for Andreas Aigner, who powered his Yokohama-supported Subaru Impreza R4 STI to first place ahead of Renault Mégane N4 rookie Germain Bonnefis. Gorka Antxustegi took top honours for Suzuki in the ERC 2WD Championship with Ekaterina Stratieva becoming the first driver to win a round of the new ERC Ladies’ Trophy.

Kubica, who was making his ERC debut, had been leading by more than one minute after going fastest on all eight stages on Friday, when he hit trouble on a right-hand bend approximately five kilometres from the finish of stage 10. His heroic performance, however, earned him the prestigious Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy.

“It’s a great pleasure for me to win this award,” said Kubica. “Of course Colin was a great driver and I have been supporting him when I was young. Normally winners are only at the finish but this trophy gives us a bit of satisfaction after this hard end and Colin is always in our hearts. Yesterday was a very positive day for us with a lot of positive experience. Unfortunately today was a negative experience but it’s part of driving.”

Of his accident, Kubica explained: “We were in a high-speed downhill section. It was quite big braking into a third-gear corner. Unfortunately when I hit the brakes I lost the rear of the car and I had to reduce the pressure [on the brakes] otherwise I would spin and the road was very narrow. I tried to do the corner but I didn’t reduce enough speed and I hit the barrier with the rear-left corner. Then with the front we dived into the barrier. It’s a shame but unfortunately this can happen.”

Kopecký, meanwhile, who moves back on top of the ERC drivers’ standings by 18 points following his success on the opening round in Austria, said: “I have to say it’s good for us and ŠKODA. We didn’t expect rain and that’s why we were losing so much on the first day. But the set-up of this car for the dry conditions is really perfect. And we had no problems. Robert was great but he made a mistake, which can happen in rallying.”

Behind Kopecký and co-driver Pavel Dresler, Craig Breen continued his strong start to his career as a member of the Peugeot Rally Academy in an impressive second place alongside navigator Paul Nagle. But there was disappointment for team-mate Jérémi Ancian, who was forced to stop when he ran out of spare tyres after suffering punctures on successive stages this morning.

Local hero Luis Monzón completed the podium in his MINI after he fought back from a puncture on day one in style. Aigner took fourth, Bonnefis finished fifth with Antxustegi completing the top six. Elsewhere, János Puskádi scored his first ERC points of 2013 in seventh with Jean-Mathieu Leandri overcoming a late puncture to claim eighth overall in a 207 S2000.

Robert Consani ensured maximum points for Team Renault Sport Technologies in the FIA Production Car Cup for Teams in ninth overall despite two punctures slowing his progress on the final afternoon. Antonín Tlus?ák extended GPD Mit Metal Racing Team’s lead of the overall entrants’ classification in 10th place after a faulty clutch was changed at midday service. Zoltán Bessenyey moves to the top of the FIA ERC 2WD Championship standings after beating Suzuki privateer Hermann Neubauer to second following a close battle.

Results

Posted: July 22, 2014 9:20 PM

1 Jan Kopecký (CZE)/Pavel Dresler (CZE) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 2h24m30.9s
2 Craig Breen (IRL)/Paul Nagle (IRL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +1m52.4s
3 Luis Monzón (ESP)/Jose Carlos Deniz (ESP) MINI John Cooper Works RRC +3m18.9s
4 Andreas Aigner (AUT)/Jürgen Heigl (AUT) Subaru Impreza R4 STI +6m50.8s
5 Germain Bonnefis (FRA)/Olivier Fournier (FRA) Renault Mégane N4 +8m31.0s
6 Gorka Antxustegi (ESP)/Alberto Iglesias (ESP) Suzuki Swift Sport S1600 +9m21.6s
7 János Puskádi (HUN)/Barna Gódor (HUN) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +10m13.6s
8 Jean-Mathieu Leandri (FRA)/Renaud Jamoul (BEL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +11m05.8s
9 Robert Consani (FRA)/Tibo Gorczyca (FRA) Renault Mégane N4 +11m57.7s
10 Antonín Tlus?ák (FRA)/Lukáš Vyoral (FRA) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +14m05.2s

Results on Line (Canarias) 1 | Results on Line (Canarias) 2 | rally-base results

Preview

Posted: March 15, 2013 11:34 AM

From the ice and snow of Austria and Latvia, the FIA European Rally Championship heads to sunnier climes next week for some high-speed asphalt action with a hint of Formula One thrown in for good measure.

Robert Kubica, who famously won the Canadian Grand Prix in 2008, is embarking on a switch to rallying this season after serious injury halted his glittering F1 career. And he’s chosen the ERC for his first international rally when he will go up against 16 regulars from the championship including opening round winner Jan Kopecký, who is chasing a hat-trick of triumphs on Gran Canaria’s testing stages.

Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés, which runs for a 37th time in 2013, has been a mainstay of the FIA European Rally Cups contest for several seasons. But it now gets a fully-fledged ERC slot as host of round three of the revamped competition, which is being promoted by Eurosport Events under a 10-year agreement with the FIA, motorsport’s world governing body.

The event features 14 stages over a competitive distance of 246.34 kilometres. Following the ceremonial start in Las Palmas at 20:30hrs local time on Thursday 21 March, the action begins with the 13.57-kilometre Moya stage at 07:48hrs on Friday 22 March and finishes with the 16.23-kilometre Vallesco stage, which gets underway at 16:12hrs on Saturday 23 March. Extensive coverage of the event will be shown on Eurosport and Eurosport Player.

A tough challenge awaits…
With the stages frequently climbing and descending, drivers have to pay close attention to the speed they carry and the line they take for each corner to ensure optimal momentum is maintained at all times. That also makes precise car set-up and pacenote accuracy vital.

One of the notable features of the stages is the abrasive surface, which is partly constructed from volcanic lava. It means grip levels are high and will remain constant if it rains, although tyre wear can be increased a result. However, because there is little opportunity to take ‘cuts’ through corners, the road surface remains relatively clean of debris and consistent with the risk of punctures reduced.

…and there’s serious competition ahead
Ten crews will contest the headlining Super 2000 and Regional Rally Car class with six S2000s and four RRCs in action. With the exception of local hero Luis Monzón, who will line up in a MINI John Cooper Works RRC, all are regulars in the ERC.

Jan Kopecký, the winner of the opening ERC round in a ŠKODA Motorsport Fabia S2000, heads the entry from Peugeot Rally Academy’s Craig Breen (207 S2000) and Daniel Oliveira, who begins his eight-round ERC campaign in Gran Canaria in a Brazil World Rally Team Ford Fiesta RRC. Robert Kubica is the fifth seed behind Monzón. Other entry highlights include Jérémi Ancian, Jean-Mathieu Leandri, Janós Puskádi, Oleksii Tamrazov and Antonín Tlus?ák, who represents the GPD Mit Metal Racing Team, currently first in the ERC Teams’ Championship classification.

The FIA Production Car Cup for N4 cars has attracted six entries including Andreas Aigner (Subaru Impreza R4 STI) and Team Renault Sport Technologies duo Germain Bonnefis and Robert Consani (both Mégane Renaultsport N4s).

Island regulars Enrique García Ojeda and Joan Vinyes are the top seeds for FIA ERC 2WD Championship honours where series frontrunners Zoltán Bessenyey (Eurosol-Honda Civic Type R) and Hermann Neubauer will provide strong opposition. Ekaterina Stratieva, the top-scoring female in last year’s ERC, will do battle with Emma Falcón for the new FIA ERC Ladies’ Trophy.

Q&A: ROBERT KUBICA
New ERC recruit on his rallying switch and the challenge ahead

Welcome to the ERC Robert. What made you choose rallying when you had options in circuit racing?
“I’m attracted by the very big challenge in front of me. It’s huge, one of the biggest, if not the biggest challenge of my life. Every rally will be a new discovery – and I might do more European championship rallies than currently planned – and that gives you more excitement. Also I’m a big fan of rallying from, following on the internet or watching on Eurosport. I was always looking to these guys and very soon I will be the guy doing those stages so it’s a really nice feeling for me.”

Given what happened to you in your accident were you not put off driving rally cars again?
“Unfortunately in motorsport accidents can happen. I don’t wish that something similar happens to other people but we have seen worse accidents in motorsport. Somehow my big passion to motorsport overall, including rallying, helped me a lot in these past two years to keep me focused to keep working and improve my condition.”

Did you always believe you’d come back and compete in international motorsport again?
“I would prefer to still be an F1 driver but my passion has led me to this programme and this is my focus although I cannot say how long for. One and a half year ago, if somebody told me I would be announcing a big programme with Lotos, Citroën and Michelin in the European championship and WRC I would not believe it. Normally I’m not an excited guy but when I am at the start of the stage it will be a huge excitement, particularly for the first rally in Canarias because it’s the first high-level challenge for me after the crash.”

What’s your target for this season?
“Definitely I need to learn and that’s why I need to keep in my mind I’m not on the race track, I’m in rallying, I’m on the stage, I have a lot to learn, I’m new to this sport. It will take time I know it but I have to take advantage of this opportunity that I have this season to learn as much as I can.”

Have you marked out any long-term career plans?
“In some way I still hope to come back to where I was, that’s definite. It’s a bit strange because I’m coming from Formula One and suddenly what was all my life stopped in one second. Now I know, I knew it always, but now I appreciate more that there’s nothing better in life than doing what you want to do. I had a great opportunity to be an F1 driver but on the other hand I have a great opportunity to become a rally driver with a very good programme. I can do a good job and provide excitement. Maybe not straight away results but excitement and somehow I can give something back to the people who have supported me.”

FIVE FACTS
* Gran Canaria is located 100 kilometres off the coast of Morocco and is the third largest of seven Canary Islands.
* Czech ŠKODA driver Jan Kopecký is the event’s form man, winning in 2010 and 2012 and finishing second in 2011, 1.5s behind reigning European champion and then team-mate Juho Hänninen from Finland.
* While Kopecký’s recent success is widely recognised, two-time world champion Carlos Sainz won Rally Islas Canarias on five occasions in the 1980s.
* When it comes current and former careers, Zoltán Bessenyey and Daniel Oliveira stand out: Bessenyey is a TV presenter in his native Hungary while Oliveira played guitar in a death metal band back home in Brazil before switching to rallying.
* Feeling peckish after a day of watching the ERC action? Then try sancocho, a salt fish sweet potato accompanied by papas arrugadas, it’s a speciality on Gran Canaria.

ERC regulars flock to Rally Islas Canarias

Posted: March 12, 2013 8:37 PM

The 2013 FIA European Rally Championship will step up a gear next week when a star-studded line-up of ERC regulars heads to Gran Canaria for Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés.

Seventeen of the 30 crews on the quality entry list for the international section of the rally, which takes place on challenging and spectacular asphalt stages from 21-23 March, are from the ERC.

After two exciting rallies in Austria and Latvia, the trip to the Spanish island marks the first time that a significant number of ERC regulars will be in action on the same event.

“We are delighted so many of our regular drivers will be making the trip to Gran Canaria,” said François Ribeiro, Motorsport Development Director, Eurosport Events. “We’ve had two great events in Austria and Latvia but Rally Islas Canarias is really where our season starts in terms of the fact a large number of ERC regulars will all be competing together.”

Since Eurosport Events became the promoter of the ERC under a 10-year agreement with the FIA – motorsport’s world governing body – at the start of the year, strenuous efforts have been made to attract a strong representation of regular ERC drivers and teams on each round under the championship’s strapline, Serious Competition Ahead.

“Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés is a perfect example of this work and there is every indication the entry lists will grow stronger and stronger on each of the upcoming rounds,” added Ribeiro.

Ten of the best for flagship class
Ten crews will contest the headlining Super 2000 and Regional Rally Car class with six S2000s and four RRCs in action. With the exception of local hero Luis Monzón, who will line up in a MINI John Cooper Works RRC, all are regulars in the ERC.

Jan Kopecký, the winner of the opening ERC round in a ŠKODA Motorsport Fabia S2000, heads the entry from Peugeot Rally Academy’s Craig Breen (207 S2000) and Formula One race winner Robert Kubica, who makes his ERC debut in a Citroën DS3 RRC as the fifth seed. Other highlights include Jérémi Ancian, Daniel Oliveira, Janós Puskádi and Antonín Tlus?ák, who represents the GPD Mit Metal Racing Team, currently first in the ERC Teams’ Championship classification.

Showroom showcase in Gran Canaria
The FIA Production Car Cup for N4 cars has attracted six entries including Andreas Aigner (Subaru Impreza R4 STI) and Team Renault Sport Technologies duo Germain Bonnefis and Robert Consani (both Mégane Renaultsport N4s).

Two-wheel titans and leading ladies ready for action
Island regulars Enrique García Ojeda and Joan Vinyes are the top seeds for FIA ERC 2WD Championship honours where series’ frontrunners Zoltán Bessenyey (Eurosol-Honda Civic Type R) and Hermann Neubauer will provide strong opposition. Ekaterina Stratieva, the top-scoring female in last year’s ERC, will do battle with Emma Falcón for the new FIA ERC Ladies’ Trophy.

The build-up begins
Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés features 14 stages over a competitive distance of 246.34 kilometres. Following the ceremonial start in Las Palmas at 20:30hrs local time on Thursday 21 March, the action begins with the 13.57-kilometre Moya stage at 07:48hrs on Friday 22 March and finishes with the 16.23-kilometre Vallesco stage, which gets underway at 16:12hrs on Saturday 23 March. Extensive coverage of the event will be shown on Eurosport and Eurosport Player.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: March 12, 2013 8:27 PM

Rally Islas Canarias (Spain) - 22-23 Mar 13 - SEEDED ENTRY LIST

Website / Details

Posted: February 8, 2013 12:55 PM

• Rally Islas Canarias
• Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC)