Rally Norway WRC (P) - 12-15 Feb 09

In Car

Posted: February 24, 2009 5:03 PM

FIA Production Car World Rally Championship (P-WRC) Round up

Posted: February 24, 2009 5:00 PM

PWRC Round Up

Stobart Group chief investigates ‘Green’ motoring opportunities

Posted: February 21, 2009 4:37 AM

Stobart Group Chief Executive Andrew Tinkler used his visit to Rally Norway to further explore the use of ‘green’ motoring technology.  

The FIA, world governing body for motor sport, is driving forward with a range of new regulations and initiatives to encourage environmental sustainability in the sport.  Its Make Cars Green campaign is all about helping to reduce the impact of cars on the environment and Tinkler, head of the multimodal logistics provider, has a dual interest in such issues.  In addition to their development in motorsport, which could benefit the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team, he is also keen to see them further utilised in Stobart Group’s day-to-day business.  

Rally Norway, round two of the 2009 WRC, has led the way in promoting environmental initiatives.  In addition to having already achieved carbon neutral status, the event has offered all teams the opportunity to offset their own emissions for the entire WRC season and has been selected to join the UN’s Climate Neutral Network - an initiative led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to promote global action and involvement towards low-carbon economies and societies.  

A special ‘Green Room’ was also set up at this weekend’s event, showcasing the very latest cutting-edge motorsport technology and the latest generation of environmentally friendly race-spec car models.  The bio-fuel, ethanol and hydrogen powered vehicles on show were joined by a hybrid WRC car equipped with KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and certainly provided Tinkler with some alternative ideas to reduce costs and emissions for the 1850 strong Stobart truck fleet.   

Mark Deans,  Ford of Europe Motorsport Director, updated Andrew on the Ford-driven environmental programmes and explained how Ford is fully committed to reducing the environmental footprint of its products.  Ford of Europe offers a broad range of highly fuel efficient, low CO2, affordable vehicles with its ECOnetic models delivering either best-in-class or amongst-best-in-class CO2 performance.  Both Stobart and Ford are heading efforts to cut vehicle emissions and after the discussion the Stobart boss gained first-hand experience with a test drive through Hamar in an ECOnetic Ford Fiesta.  

Stobart Group has been working closely with the UK government on green initiatives within the transport sector, and with this in mind Tinkler visited the Green Room in order to further understand how such technology could be adapted to make the wide range of vehicles in the Stobart Group fleet more environmentally-friendly.   

Stobart Group CEO Andrew Tinkler said:
“The FIA World Rally Championship is making great strides towards a greener future, and Rally Norway has done a fantastic job in highlighting the importance of environmental challenges we all face.  I was particularly interested in seeing the Green Room at the event, as the advances made in motorsport technology could help Stobart Group’s fleet become greener and lead the way with alternative fuels in the UK transport industry in the future.  Opportunities like this are a perfect example of the benefits of Stobart Group being involved in the premier level of motorsport, allowing us to maintain a competitive edge over our rivals by widening our global network.”

Super Solberg helps Stobart collect more points in Norway

Posted: February 21, 2009 4:25 AM

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.  

Norwegians Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud led the way for the team by finishing fourth overall on their home event.  With Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin claiming seventh and Urmo Aava/Kuldar Sikk eighth it was another impressive showing for the Cumbrian outfit, having now secured triple points finishes in two successive events.  Rally Norway kicked off in the nation’s capital, Oslo, with a ceremonial start at Bjerkebane racecourse in front of thousands of Norway’s enthusiastic rally fans. The action proper began after the mayor of Oslo, Fabian Stang, and Norway’s Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg flagged off 42 cars into a 1.92km Super Special Stage at the arena.  

The conditions at the event were perfect for a winter rally, with the loose-surface routes covered in a thick layer of snow and ice and huge snow banks lining the roads.  Temperatures were cold even by Norwegian standards, dipping as low as -30C on occasion.  All competitors were issued with a special studded version of Pirelli’s Sottozero control tyre, and with nearly 400 tungsten-tipped metal studs, it supplied crews with a fantastic amount of grip on the snow and ice.  

Stobart’s snow specialists Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud were in a confident mood coming into the event.  The first leg saw Henning go head-to-head with brother Petter, and despite gear-change problems he managed to round off the first day by posting the fourth-fastest time on the 13.45km SS8 Kongsvinger test and finish in seventh overall.  That was topped by a stunning stage win on SS14 and on the final leg, Solberg knew a sensible drive would see him record his best ever start to a WRC season.  He duly delivered another series of top four stages times and finished a fine fourth for the second event in a row.  

Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin were another crew to shine on the snow.  On leg one they logged the sixth-fastest time on the 8km SS3 Kirkenaer, outpacing former world champion Petter Solberg in the process, and ended their day on a high by going third-fastest through the final test to place eighth overall.  Their battle with Solberg continued into leg two, with the Cumbrians overhauling the more experienced crew of Solberg/Mills after they suffered technical problems.  They couldn’t hold off the flying Norwegian on his home rally though, and had to concede the place to him again one stage later.  Day three saw Wilson open up in order to chase down Solberg – reaching speeds of over 200kph on the long SS21 Våler stage.  However, they had to settle for seventh overall, 10.2 seconds behind the former world champ.  Wilson is now sixth overall in the drivers’ championship standings - his best-ever position.  

Urmo Aava/Kuldar Sikk found it difficult to get into a good rhythm on the snow-bound stages.  They finished the opening loop seventh, however in the afternoon they dropped 40 seconds after lodging their Ford Focus RS WRC in a snow bank on SS8 Kongsvinger and fell back to tenth overall.  Aava continued his gradual improvement on leg three, racking up a string of top-six times and narrowing the gap to team-mates Wilson/Martin ahead to just 13.5 seconds by the end of the rally.  

With all three crews once again finishing in the top ten the Stobart Team now sits third in the overall standings, securing its position as the leading manufacturer team in the FIA World Rally Championship.  Importantly Henning Solberg’s fourth place finish also helped the BP Ford Abu Dhabi team in its championship battle by denying Citroën’s Dani Sordo valuable manufacturer points, ensuring a good weekend all round for the Ford family in the WRC.  

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Henning Solberg said: “I’m very happy.  I have the top three drivers in the world in the top three rally cars ahead of me.  It was the perfect rally in terms of the stages and its organisation which made it very enjoyable and it means a lot to me to be the first Norwegian home in the rally.  It was good fun to race against Petter this weekend but now I can say I am the fastest Solberg and I want to try and keep it like that.  Now I’m also fourth in the drivers’ championship; that’s also a fantastic reward for me.”  

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Matthew Wilson said:
“Overall it has been a very positive weekend for me.  I’m happy with my driving but I’m kicking myself because there were a few places where I was just too cautious and probably dropped too much time.  It was great to be fighting with a driver of Petter’s calibre and experience though, and we can take a lot away from that.  Picking up points for the second rally in a row was important and we want to keep doing that as the season progresses; it has put me sixth in the championship and that’s a great feeling.”  

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Urmo Aava said:
“That was a tough rally.  On the first day we didn’t find the right rhythm and made some little mistakes which cost us too much time.  Saturday morning was much the same but after that we started to get into better shape and it became more enjoyable.  Our times were a lot better today so I’m happy about that.  This rally is about experience and I picked up some important lessons about the set-up for snow events; we made some good progress during the event.”  

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Principal Malcolm Wilson said:
“This has been another great team performance and it just demonstrates the strength of this Stobart squad now that all crews have scored points on the first two events of the series.  I’m extremely happy to see Henning perform so well on his home rally and Matthew was pushing hard also to take the fight to Petter.  This is a really impressive start to the year for the Stobart team.”  

Stobart Group CEO Andrew Tinkler said:
“I’m really proud of all the guys, they have done a fantastic job at both Rally Ireland and now here in Norway.  Henning has delivered a sterling performance and Matthew demonstrated a lot of potential to battle with Petter during the last two days.  With all three crews in the top eight I think the Stobart team is really going from strength to strength.”

Results and Video Clips

Posted: February 21, 2009 4:22 AM

1. S Loeb/D Elena (F)                             Citroën C4               3h28m15.9s
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen (FIN)                 Ford Focus RS          +9.8s
3. JM Latvala/M Anttila (FIN)                    Ford Focus RS          +1m21.8s
4. H Solberg/C Menkerud (N)                   Ford Focus RS           +3m33.5s
5. D Sordo/M Marti (E)                           Citroën C4               +3m52.0s
6. P Solberg/P Mills (N)                           Citroën Xsara           +6m25.4s
7. M Wilson/S Martin (GB)                        Ford Focus RS           +6m35.6s
8. U Aava/K Sikk (EE)                                Ford Focus RS           +6m49.1s
9. M Ostberg/O Unnerud (N)                    Subaru Impreza       +10m00.5s
10. S Ogier/J Ingrassia (F)                      Citroën C4               +12m49.8s

Results and Video www.wrc.com
WRC All Live Audio Stream

Ford's snow experts aim to freeze out rivals in Norway

Posted: February 6, 2009 12:31 PM

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.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and fellow Finns Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila are no strangers to success in snow. Hirvonen won in Norway's winter wonderland in 2007 and Latvala, who finished fifth then, became the youngest driver to win a round of the FIA World Rally Championship in Sweden last season.

Conditions are reported to be perfect for a true winter rally in the Kongsvinger and Lillehammer areas where the event's speed tests are based. The loose-surface tracks that host this second round of the 12-event series are covered with a thick layer of snow and ice and huge snow banks line the roads. With temperatures forecast to dip to -8ºC during the next week, there is no reason for that to change.

Despite the harsh environment of the frozen Norwegian countryside, BP Ford Abu Dhabi's drivers will find incredible grip in the snow and ice due to the effect of the tungsten-tipped studs protruding from Pirelli's tyres fitted to their Focus RS WRCs. The studs bite through the snow into the icy surface beneath to offer grip almost equivalent to driving on gravel, and drivers 'lean' their cars into the snow banks to guide them round corners at maximum speed.

However, the skinny tyres usually seen on the ice-bound roads have been replaced for 2009 by traditional width rubber (see Team News). Both Hirvonen and Latvala tested the new tyre for the first time in December, and 28-year-old Hirvonen was delighted with the Focus RS WRC's performance.

"The tyre felt extremely stable and the Focus seemed better under braking than on the narrower tyre we used previously," he said. "In normal winter conditions I believe we could be faster so I have no concerns about its introduction. Start order could play an important part because I think this new tyre will work best on cleaner roads, so drivers lower down the order could benefit. I let the tyres do more work on snow than on gravel and slide the car around a little more. It's not necessary to be quite as neat as on other surfaces and it's exciting to be in control of a car sliding sideways at top speed.

"I scored solid points on the first round in Ireland earlier this month and now I really want to get down to business on a rally and in conditions that I enjoy. In 2007 the stages were enjoyable, but at the same time they were extremely difficult. I recall one stage that I drove in a blizzard and that was the first occasion in which I had encountered conditions like that. Ireland was a difficult start to the year because of heavy rain and I'm sure I'll feel more comfortable in Norway's snow – conditions in which we know the Focus excels," added Hirvonen.

Twenty-three-year-old Latvala admits he enjoys driving on snow. "A proper winter rally is great fun," he said. "The nature of the surface means a driver can be a lot more aggressive. The car spends more time sideways on snow because it helps to turn into bends. Taking straight lines and relying on traction, as I do on gravel, doesn't work in snow because there isn't as much. So I must trust the tyres, which offer good grip, and use the snow banks to carry more speed and guide me round."

Latvala is distinctive at the wheel of his car on snow rallies by the trademark yellow glasses he wears during special stages.
"When the countryside is totally white, it's often difficult to see exactly where the road goes. The yellow tinted glasses I wear provide more definition and help me to see the edge of the road more clearly. They really help me a lot," he explained.

Team News
* Tyre partner Pirelli will provide a new version of its Sottozero winter tyre, which will be available with 7mm studs to penetrate the snow and bite into the ice beneath. The tyre has been designed in a wider format than is usual for a winter pattern to enable teams to use it with the standard 15-inch wheel rims used on all other loose surface rounds of the championship. The tread blocks are spread slightly wider as a result. Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the rubber in the event of heavy snow and each car can carry two spares.

* Six other Focus RS WRCs will start. Henning Solberg / Cato Menkerud and Urmo Aava / Kuldar Sikk are nominated by the Stobart VK M-Sport squad, which has also entered Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin. Dutch father and son team Peter Van Merksteijn / Erwin Mombaerts and Peter Van Merksteijn Jnr / Eddy Chevaillier have entered 2007 and 2006-specification cars respectively while Finns Jouni Arolainen / Tapio Suominen will be in a 2005 Focus RS WRC.

* For all 12 rallies this season the Focus RS WRCs of Hirvonen and Latvala is carrying extra in-car protection to help absorb energy in the event of an accident. The door panels have been filled with crash impact protection foam to soak up the energy from a side impact.
Additional foam has been placed between the door and the seats to give further protection to the driver and co-driver.

Rally Route
As in 2007, the rally is based in Hamar, 125km north-east of Oslo. It hosts the main service park at the spectacular 9,000 capacity indoor Viking Ship stadium, built to host speed skating events during the 1994 Winter Olympics. The route is based in the same region as the previous edition, but more than 44 percent of the 360.90km of competition is new. The action begins with an all-new super special stage at a trotting track in Oslo on Thursday evening. The first full day in the forests of Kongsvinger, south-east of Hamar, uses opening leg tests from 2007, but most are in the opposite direction. The only opportunity for service during the day will be a 15-minute remote service zone in Kongsvinger. The second leg is centred to the north in the mountain region of Lillehammer, host city of the Olympics, but also includes a short test in Hamar itself. The final day is the longest and more than half is new, including the final stage at Hedmark mountain plateau which runs through a corridor of three-metre high snow walls. Drivers tackle 23 tests in a route of 1230.15km.

Citroen Sport Previews

Posted: February 6, 2009 12:27 PM

Citroen Sport WRC Press Release

Citroen Sport Junior WRC Press Release

Stobart’s Solberg Seeks Success on Snow Stages

Posted: February 6, 2009 12:24 PM

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.  

The snow rally specialist warmed up for the freezing-cold event by scoring his best-ever result on asphalt, finishing fourth overall at Rally Ireland last weekend.  The Norwegian’s outstanding performance suggests he is on the sort of form that could see him challenge for a podium spot on his favoured surface next weekend.  

Solberg has a good record at Rally Norway in previous years, finishing third in the 2007 event as the Stobart squad enjoyed its most successful outing in the WRC.  The former Stobart crew of Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila came home in fifth on the same rally to secure the best result to date for the Cumbrian squad.  Interest in Solberg’s performance at the event will be at an all-time high in Norway, and with rally fans across the globe, as he faces off against his brother and former world champion Petter.  Petter will be making his first appearance of 2009 in the WRC, and both of the Solberg boys will be looking forward to putting on a show for fans on their favourite stages.  

Urmo Aava/Kuldar Sikk will also be confident of turning in a good performance when they hit the snow-bound stages in Norway.  Having led Rally Ireland before an off cost them their shot at a podium, they demonstrated they would need little time to find the pace in the Ford Focus RS WRC.  They have also tasted success in Norway earlier in their career, finishing third in the JWRC there in 2007.  

Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin will look to build on their steady performance in the first round when they travel to Scandinavia next week.  They will join their team-mates on a pre-event Stobart test in Norway prior to the event, which should give them a valuable insight into the conditions they will face when they take to the stages seeking to add to their world championship points haul.  

Rally Norway is one of the most spectacular events on the WRC calendar and is the only true snow rally of the season.  Based mainly in and around the city of Hamar, the service park is housed inside the “The Viking Ship” Olympic Hall.  Competitors will tackle around 375km of competitive stages, kicking off with a Super Special Stage in the middle of the capital city of Norway, Oslo, on Thursday evening as part of the Ceremonial Start proceedings.  The event will then move north and east of Hamar, with a remote service in Kongsvinger on Friday, and take in stages around Lillehammer that feature the arenas used at the Winter Olympics as a backdrop.  

Event organisers have described the conditions that will greet competitors on the stages as “just perfect” for a snow rally – with three to four foot snow banks already in place at the side of stage routes.  In order to cope with the extreme conditions the Ford Focus RS WRCs of the Stobart team will be shod with the new Pirelli Sottozero control snow tyre.  The skinny, studded tyres used in previous years have been replaced with a wider, more cost-effective option, brandishing nearly 400 tungsten-tipped metal studs to give crews maximum traction on the snow and ice-covered stages.  

The Stobart team have nominated Solberg and Aava as its nominated point scorers for Rally Norway.  

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Henning Solberg said: “This is the event I have been looking forward to for quite a while now.  We had a really good run in Ireland last weekend and I have taken a lot of confidence from that so hopefully we will be able to come away with a good result on my home event; top-three would be great.  Everyone is talking about the big battle with Petter but I’m not worrying about him, I just want to go as fast as I can for as long as I can.  I know the stages reasonably well, they are in really good shape, and I think this will be a great rally; really exciting for all the Norwegian fans and a great chance to show Expert and Stobart what I can do.”  

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Urmo Aava said: “We have had a decent start to the season and I’m really looking forward to Norway.  I have competed there before and enjoyed the stages and I hear they are in great condition for next week.  We have a test before the recce so that will definitely help get a good feeling with the new snow tyres and hopefully help my confidence going into this event.  The speeds will be high so it will be important to get a good recce and hopefully not make any silly mistakes during the rally this time.”   Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Matthew Wilson said:  “I really enjoy snow rallies, they are a unique experience, and I can’t wait to start in Norway.  I’ve seen some photos of the stages and they look to be in fantastic condition.  The only unknown factor will be the new tyres, but we’ve heard good reports from previous tests and I will get a chance to try them when we have our own test on Monday.  We started well in Ireland and now the emphasis for me is to continue to collect driver points and build upon our consistent performances.”   Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Principal Malcolm Wilson said: “I believe that Norway will be a fantastic opportunity for the Stobart team to collect another podium and bag some valuable manufacturer points.  Henning has proved his speed here in the past and he has learnt a lot since the last running of this event; so a top-three for him is definitely not out of the question.  Urmo and Matthew are also reasonably comfortable on this surface and they are both focused on a solid result.  This could be a good chance for Stobart crews to prove their speed against the top manufacturer drivers.”

Entry List

Posted: February 4, 2009 11:05 AM

Eamonn Boland / MJ Morrissey @ 17

Full Entry on Rally Website under Media & Publications:

Petter Solberg

Petter Solberg allowed to use active car

Posted: February 4, 2009 11:00 AM

Petter Solberg has received confirmation from the FIA that he is allowed to use active transmission systems on the Citroen Xsara World Rally car which he is to drive on Rally Norway.

Petter Solberg

Petter Solberg to drive a Citroen Xsara WRC

Posted: January 29, 2009 11:07 AM

Petter Solberg has confirmed on his Website that he will use a Citroen Xsara 2006 model on Rally Norway

Petter Solberg

List of Unseeded Entries - Eamonn Boland Entered

Posted: January 15, 2009 9:19 AM

List of Unseeded Entries for Rally Norway has been published:

Eamonn Boland with Michael Morrissey are confirmed, as is Sean Moriarty co-driving for Tony Jardine.

List on Event website (Under Competitors)

Rally Norway

Event Website

Posted: January 13, 2009 4:27 PM

Rally Norway