Rally Cyprus WRC (P) & (J) - 13-15 Mar 09

Hirvonen claims second in Cyprus as Ford dominates final day

Posted: March 18, 2009 11:35 AM

Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished second in the Cyprus Rally today as the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team claimed a clean sweep of special stage victories during the final leg. The Finns won the opening two speed tests in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car as they eventually finished just 27.2sec behind winner Sébastien Loeb in this third round of the 12-event FIA World Rally Championship.

Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila were fastest on the final stage as they recovered to 12th in their Focus RS WRC after spending more than 20 minutes stuck in deep sand on the edge of the road yesterday. That ensured a double points haul in the manufacturers' championship for Ford. Abu Dhabi's Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr finished eighth in the team's other car to match their career-best performance.

The Cyprus Rally was the first mixed surface round of the WRC since 1996. To add to the challenge drivers tackled the opening day's slippery asphalt stages with Pirelli's gravel tyres fitted to their cars. Once the event switched to twisty and rocky gravel tracks high in the Troodos Mountains, torrential rain turned some sections into a mudbath. Conditions were so tough yesterday that the team removed 95kg of clinging mud from Hirvonen's car during the lunchtime service at the rally base in Limassol.

Hirvonen found it hard to adapt to driving on asphalt with a gravel set-up on his Focus RS WRC during the opening morning and ended the day in third, 60.2sec from the lead. Once the rally moved onto gravel the 28-year-old Finn felt more at home and beat Loeb on six of the remaining eight stages as he ate into the Frenchman's deficit. He moved into second yesterday morning and eventually finished 1min 22.2sec clear of his closest rival after 14 tests covering 332.07km.

"I lost my chance of victory on Friday morning because I didn't drive well enough," he said. "Once the rally moved onto gravel I was faster than Loeb and that's a big boost as there are now seven consecutive loose surface events to come. On the wet and muddy roads our pace was pretty much equal, but on the drier sections I was quicker and it's a shame that the heavy rain fell when it did.

"I made some small mistakes with my car set-up because I tried to be too clever. I will do things differently on the next round in Portugal. The last time I was in Cyprus I finished more than five minutes behind Loeb so to bring that down to 27sec is good progress," added Hirvonen.

Latvala was only 3.4sec behind Hirvonen when the 23-year-old Finn beached his car in sand on the inside of a corner on yesterday's second stage. He had to run 1km to find enough spectators to lift the car out and fell from fourth to 25th. He bounced back to set competitive times throughout the rest of the rally and his efforts were rewarded with two points for Ford in the manufacturers' championship.

"I was pleased with my speed this weekend but disappointed to make a mistake yesterday," he said. "This was my first time here so I'm happy to take away the experience of having driven all the stages. They were more difficult than I expected because there are so many changes in character but they weren't as rough as I thought. I've learned another lesson here and I want to deliver some solid results over the next few rallies on a surface I like."

Al Qassimi lost time with a niggling handbrake problem that meant he could not use it to slide his car around the tightest corners but was happy with his second points finish this year. "It was a challenging rally. I was pleased with my performance and it's encouraging to see I've lifted my pace," he said.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson reflected on the weekend. "I would like to congratulate Sébastien Loeb on the achievement of taking his 50th WRC win – but I've had assurances from Mikko and Jari-Matti that he will not reach the next landmark for a while! Mikko again did a fantastic job and while Jari-Matti's problem yesterday was disappointing, he came back to set competitive times and score points for the team."

Ford of Europe motorsport director Mark Deans said: "I welcome the organisers' brave decision to run a mixed surface rally. It brought an element to the WRC we've not seen for many years and the decision to use gravel tyres added further intrigue. The rally required real endurance from man and machine, with today's 40km stage requiring 53 pages of pace notes. That's indicative of its challenge."

News from other Ford teams
Stobart's Matthew Wilson and Scott Martin slipped to sixth on the penultimate stage but then powered to equal fastest time on the final test to reclaim fifth. Federico Villagra and Jorge Perez Companc were seventh on their season debut for the Munchi's Ford squad. Stobart's Henning Solberg and Cato Menkerud recovered to 18th after being sidelined from all of the opening leg following a collision with a non-competing car which damaged the cooling system on their Focus RS WRC.

Next round
The championship stays on gravel when Rally de Portugal returns to the series after a year's absence on 2 - 5 April. The fourth round will again be based at Faro on the Algarve.

Another fifth place for Andis Neiksans moves him up to 3rd in P-WRC

Posted: March 18, 2009 11:03 AM

It was another strong showing from the LMT Rally Team crew of Andis Neiksans and Peteris Dzirkals today. The Latvian crew finished fifth in the FIA Production car World Rally Championship category of the FxPro Rally Cyprus and as a result, moved to third place overall in the 2009 P-WRC rankings.

The Latvian crew started the rally with only one P-WRC event under their belt – they finished fifth on their debut in Norway a month ago, so this weekend was another trip into the unknown. They have never competed in the type of conditions that this rally is famous for and they have never competed on asphalt, the surface for the first day of FxPro Rally Cyprus.

Nevertheless, the Latvians did well on the first day. They were ranked fifth in P-WRC before the last stage, when they suffered a gearbox problem which left them with only fourth and fifth gear for the last ten kilometers of SS6, costing a huge amount of time. The appalling weather conditions (the rain in the service park was so bad that even tools floated away) meant that there was simply not enough time to change the gearbox, as well as swap from tarmac to gravel dampers in the end of day service. The team subsequently picked up 2 minutes and 20 seconds penalty for leaving service late, dropping them to tenth in class.

Leg Two was a much better day for the Latvian team. During the second leg, Neiksans/Dzirkals were sixth fastest amongst all PWRC participants. This performance boosted them to seventh in P-WRC at the end of Day Two, only 14.5 seconds adrift of fifth place.

The third and final day was even better for the Latvians, despite adopting a conservative approach. Neiksans and Dzirkals chose not to push hard but to stay on the road and not risk their AMP Motorsport-prepared Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. This turned out to be the right approach and eventually led the Latvian team to fifth position at the finish of a hard and grueling FxPro Cyprus Rally.

“That was tough,” admitted Andis Neiksans at the finish. “At first we thought the tarmac stages would be the greatest challenge because of our limited experience on that surface. But in the end, the gravel tests turned out to be the toughest – I have never before competed in such hard conditions! Rocks, holes, first-gear bends – that was a new experience for us. At the end of Leg Two we watched Cyprus TV and noticed that our driving style was very different to that of the leaders. We changed our style and that paid dividends right away – we were a lot faster.

“It’s surprising to see that now we are third overall in P-WRC – we did not expect that in our debut season! Our sponsors – mobile network LMT, Latvijas Valsts Mezi and construction company LEC – also did not expect such good results for us. We are very happy for ourselves and for our fans. There are tens of thousands of rally fans in Latvia who are interested how we do in P-WRC and we are glad that we can deliver the results which exceed all expectations.”

Finishing 15th overall in a round of the FIA World Rally Championship is a record position for a Latvian crew in world rallying. The previous best was 17th overall, also achieved by Andis Neiksans and Peteris Dzirkals, on Rally Norway 2009.

The next P-WRC round for the LMT Rally Team crew will be Vodafone Rally de Portugal, taking place from 2 – 5 April in the Algarve region of Portugal. After that, the LMT Rally Team will compete in Italy, Greece and Great Britain

Citroen Reports

Posted: March 18, 2009 11:01 AM

Citroen Sport WRC Press Release

Citroen Sport Junior WRC Press Release

Cyprus J-WRC Round-up

Posted: March 18, 2009 10:58 AM

J-WRC Report

Cyprus P-WRC Round-up

Posted: March 18, 2009 10:56 AM

P-WRC Report

Munchi’s make speedy start to season in Cyprus

Posted: March 18, 2009 10:53 AM

The Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team made their mark on the 2009 FIA World Rally Championship as they picked up both driver and manufacturer points in their first outing of the season with Federico Villagra/Jorge Perez Companc finishing in an impressive seventh place in the Cyprus Rally.  

The team, which is taking advantage of new FIA regulations which permit the registration of Manufacturer Teams running single cars competing on a minimum of eight events to enter the race for the manufacturer championship, got their campaign off to a great start as Villagra moved his way steadily through the field over the three days of the rally to finish inside the points.  

After the ceremonial start, which was attended by thousands of fans in Limassol on Thursday, Villagra took Friday’s opening stages of the rally at a relatively steady pace.  With no pre-rally testing of the gravel tyres on tarmac Villagra did well to stay in contention with the rest of the field.   

He didn’t encounter any major problems  and ended day one in an encouraging 10th place overall but with work to do if he and the team were to earn any points.  

The seven-time Argentine champion was more at home on the gravel stages of day two and held his own on the exceptionally muddy morning stages that had been affected by heavy overnight rain moving up the field as other drivers faltered in the slippery conditions.  

Villagra coped well with the changing conditions as the surface became drier and looser in the afternoon and despite losing his front bumper during the last stage of day two as it got caught in a dip in the road he ended the day in ninth place with the goal of chasing a top-eight finish on the final day.  

The final day of the rally threw up some minor problems for Villagra who had to deal with a handbrake problem on the longest stage of the rally, the 40 kilometre SS13 Anadiou, which left him just outside the top 10 on that stage.  

Despite those problems at the end of a difficult and gruelling race, he finished the rally on a positive note, taking eighth place on the final stage which moved him up to seventh overall.  

With little testing time under their belts this rally provided the team with a chance to work on the set-up of the car before moving on to Rally Portugal next month.  The points haul represents an excellent start to the season for Villagra, who finished last season’s campaign with nine points in the driver standings, and an equally good beginning to the season for the Munchi’s team who register their first manufacturer points of the year.  

  Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team driver Federico Villagra said:
“It has been a great weekend and a great start to the championship campaign for us.  It is really good to have scored both driver and manufacturer points in our first race of the season. It was a very difficult rally and I had to take it carefully on the muddy sections.  We had a slight problem with the handbrake on the long stage today which made it very hard.  Generally it has been a positive weekend for us and we had some good splits on some stages.  The team has done a good job and helped us make some adjustments to the suspension and by the time we finished the car was feeling really good which is very positive ahead of Portugal next month.”

FRENCHMAN SÉBASTIEN LOEB REACHES HALF CENTURY OF WRC WINS IN CYPRUS

Posted: March 16, 2009 1:58 PM

Citroën Racing's Sébastien Loeb secured an emphatic victory in the FxPro Cyprus Rally, round three of the 2009 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), and re-wrote his own record books by securing a landmark 50th WRC victory in Limassol on Sunday afternoon.

The talented Frenchman has taken the world of rallying by storm since sealing his first WRC victory in Germany in 2002 and he comfortably held off the challenge from Finland's Mikko Hirvonen over the closing three stages in Cyprus to win by a margin of 27.2 seconds.

"I didn't really think about the 50 victories," said Loeb. "I wanted to concentrate on keeping everything in order and making sure I made no mistakes. It has been a fantastic start to the season for me. I have three wins from three events and the 50th victory makes it that extra special. It's incredible. I remember the records of Carlos (Sainz) and Colin (McRae). They were my mentors. Now this is like a dream."

Hirvonen's BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team settled for second overall and eight manufacturers' series points, but Spaniard Dani Sordo lost out on the final podium place to Petter Solberg over the closing two stages. The success for the Norwegian privateer marked his first podium finish since his second overall with the Subaru team in last year's Acropolis Rally. "We are back," shouted an elated Solberg at the stage finish.

Sébastien Ogier and Britain's Matthew Wilson fought tooth and nail for fifth overall. Wilson's hold on the position was reduced to 15 seconds through Foini, even though Ogier stalled his engine near the start, but the Frenchman displaced Wilson in the penultimate stage and looked set to hold on to his position until he left the road less than one kilometre from the end.

Zimbabwe's Conrad Rautenbach, Argentinean driver Federico Villagra and the UAE's Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi completed the top eight. Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala climbed back through the field over the closing kilometres to restore some pride after Saturday's accident and claim two Manufacturers' points, with Norway's Henning Solberg claiming the final point for the Stobart VK Ford team.

Thirty-one of the original 32 starters tackled the first of three special stages on Sunday, only Cypriot Nicos Thomas missing out on the daunting 30km of the Foini stage. Citroën team principal Olivier Quesnel had told Dani Sordo that manufacturers' points were the priority over a podium finish and he was expected to fall behind Solberg.

Hirvonen reduced Loeb's overall lead to 44 seconds through Foini and to 26.9 seconds through the penultimate Anadiou special, as Solberg duly passed Sordo and moved into third overall in his eight-year old Citroën Xsara, despite stalling and missing a gear in SS12. Through the final Anadiou Dam stages the leaders held station and Loeb had done enough to secure a memorable 50th WRC win.

Portugal's Armindo Araújo began the final leg with a 16.5 second advantage over Sweden's Patrik Sandell in the PWRC category and found himself inside the top 10 when Russia's Evgeny Novikov rolled out of seventh overall. Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah broke his exhaust and suffered from a rising engine temperature, but was the fastest of the PWRC runners through the opening stage and closed to within 53 seconds of the lead.

Rival Araújo edged a further 0.1 seconds ahead of Sandell, but the Swede was in superb form in his Skoka Fabia Super S2000 through the 40km of Anadiou and surged into a 17.5s overall lead heading into what promised to be a nervy final stage. He held on to secure the last gasp win, with 10th-placed Araújo consolidating second place and Al-Attiyah snatching third and 11th overall.

Czech driver Martin Prokop began the final three stages with a 2m 06s lead over Poland's Michal Kosciuszko in the JWRC category and pulled further ahead in Foini when the Pole suffered power steering woes.

Results

Posted: March 16, 2009 1:56 PM

1. Sébastien Loeb (F)/Daniel Elena (F) Citroën C4 WRC 4h 50m 34.7s
2. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN)/Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN) Ford Focus RS WRC 4h 51m 01.9s
3. Petter Solberg (N)/Philip Mills (GB) Citroën Xsara WRC 4h 52m 24.1s
4. Dani Sordo (E)/Marc Marti (E) Citroën C4 WRC 4h 53m 01.0s
5. Matthew Wilson (GB)/Scott Martin (GB) Ford Focus RS WRC 4h 57m 15.7s
6. Conrad Rautenbach (ZW)/Daniel Barritt (GB) Citroën C4 WRC 5h 01m 46.6s
7. Federico Villagra (RA)/Jorge Perez-Companc (AR) Ford Focus RS WRC 5h 03m 53.2s
8. Khalid Al-Qassimi (UAE)/Michael Orr (GB) Ford Focus RS WRC 5h 04m 18.8s
9. Patrik Sandell (S)/Emil Axelsson (S) Skoda Fabia S2000 5h 10m 11.3s
10. Armindo Araújo (P)/Miguel Ramalho (P) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 5h 10m 29.6s

Full Results:
www.wrc.com

Shakedown Video Clips

Posted: March 12, 2009 5:07 PM

Preview - FRENCHMAN LOEB AIMS FOR 50TH WRC WIN IN NEW-LOOK FX PRO CYPRUS RALLY

Posted: March 12, 2009 10:56 AM

Frenchman Sébastien Loeb will be aiming to enter the history books by becoming the first individual to win 50 rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), when he lines up alongside 34 other drivers at the start of the FX Pro Cyprus Rally on Friday morning.

The Mediterranean island of Cyprus returns to host a round of the series for the first time since 2006 and Loeb's re-branded Citroën Racing team will be hoping to extend their 10-point lead in the FIA Manufacturers' Championship on the revised, mixed surface special stage event.

New FIA regulations mean that event officials are now permitted to use both gravel and asphalt stage surfaces and the FX Pro Cyprus Rally starts on Friday with six new asphalt tests, which teams will be forced to tackle on Pirelli's control gravel tyres.

"This is a new development in terms of event format and was a great opportunity for us to bring back some of the old traditions of rallying," insists clerk of the course Christos Kyriakides. "The decision to use a control gravel tyre was made by the manufacturers themselves."

Loeb, partnered by co-driver Daniel Elena, has a maximum 20 points after taking outright wins on the opening two rounds of the WRC in Ireland and Norway, but the notoriously twisty and technical Cyprus stages will be a different proposition, even though the Frenchman took three successive wins here between 2004 and 2006. His Citroën team mate Dani Sordo only competed in Cyprus in 2006 and needs a podium finish to maintain his title push.

The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team offers the major competition in the form of Finnish drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen. The team carried out around 1,250km of testing during a recent six-day session in southern Sardinia and Hirvonen - who has tackled the event on three previous occasions - will be hoping to improve on the third overall he achieved in 2006, as he bids to reduce Loeb's six-point lead in the Drivers' Championship.

Latvala has never tackled a rally in Cyprus, although the UAE's Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi drives a third Ford Focus RS WRC and has visited the island on several occasions to tackle rounds of the FIA Middle East series.

Britain's Matthew Wilson and Norway's Henning Solberg represent the Stobart VK M-Sport World Rally Team and Zimbabwe's Conrad Rautenbach, Frenchman Sébastien Ogier and Russia's Evgeny Novikov drive a trio of Citroën Junior Team C4s.

Former Subaru factory driver Petter Solberg returns to the island in a privately-run Citroën Xsara in his bid to win a round of the WRC for the first time since 2005, while Argentinean driver Federico Villagra is entered in the single Munchi's Ford World Rally Team Focus RS.

The event is also a round of both the JWRC and PWRC championships for the first time. Germany's Aaron Burkhart heads the three-strong Junior contingent in his Suzuki Swift S1600, although competition is likely to be fierce in the Production category.

Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah is a multiple winner of rounds of the FIA Middle East rally series in Cyprus and that experience should give him an edge over the likes of local talent Nicos Thomas, Japan's Toshi Arai, Portugal's Armindo Araújo and Sweden's Patrik Sandell.

Thomas won the Pirelli 'Star Driver' award for the Middle East region last year and has just returned from a training session in Italy. He and Belgian co-driver Stéphane Prevot will take part in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX, where they are joined by Cypriot Charalambous Timotheou, the winner of the 2007 Cyprus Rally when it ran as a counting round for the FIA Middle East series.

After Thursday evening's ceremonial start in Limassol, the event gets underway with six asphalt stages on Friday, starting with the first of two runs through the Panagia stage from 09.23hrs. The sixth Gerakies test starts at 15.57hrs and brings the asphalt competition to a close.

Saturday's and Sunday's eight special stages take place on Cyprus's traditional gravel surfaces and twisty mountain trails, with the final Anadiou Dam test starting at noon on Sunday.

Citroen Previews

Posted: March 9, 2009 11:18 AM

Citroen Sport WRC Press Release

Citroen Sport Junior WRC Press Release

Latvian Andis Neiksans ready for second P-WRC event

Posted: March 6, 2009 1:39 PM

When the 2009 Cyprus Rally starts on Friday 13 March, it will mark only the second time ever that a rally crew from Latvia participates as an official entry in the FIA Production car World Rally Championship. Fresh from their excellent fifth place in the opening P-WRC event in Norway in February, Andis Neiksans and co-driver Peteris Dzirkals are aiming for another points finish in Cyprus.

As with all the rallies he is contesting in the 2009 P-WRC, Cyprus Rally will be a trip into the unknown. Andis has never competed in Cyprus and moreover, has never done an asphalt rally in his career [the first day of the rally is on tarmac]. Nevertheless he remains upbeat about his chances: “This will be my first ever experience on asphalt, as I am used to competing on gravel in the Latvian Rally Championship. But we must remember that it will be the first time for all the competitors to run on asphalt using gravel tyres. So I am optimistic – let’s see how it goes for us and for everyone! Our aim remains the same – to finish as many rallies as possible and be in points in every event we finish.”

Fifth place in P-WRC and 17th position overall in Rally Norway – the best international result ever for Latvian rallying – was warmly welcomed in Latvia. In the country where between 20,000 and 60,000 spectators (from an overall population of 2.4 million) attend every round of National Rally Championship, Sunday of Rally Norway meant it was difficult to connect to the official WRC website, wrc.com from Latvia. The statistics should definitely show huge traffic to the site from Latvia.

“I must say that fifth place was an unexpectedly good result for our debut. When we first saw the list of entries, we thought it will be very difficult to get into the points. But we started with the second-fastest time on the superspecial and then consistently posted top-six times for the rest of the event. So we know the speed is there. We need more mileage in WRC events and then aim for even better results. It’s not possible to challenge for podium positions at the moment with such limited experience.

“Our sponsors – Latvia’s largest mobile network operator LMT (Latvijas Valsts Mezi) and construction company LEC – are very supportive. They do not expect miracles – they want us to be consistent and get as many points as possible. So we will try our best in Cyprus. Eyvind Brynildsen and Martin Prokop, second and third in the P-WRC rankings respectively after Norway, are not doing Cyprus but former P-WRC champions Nasser Al-Attiyah and Toshi Arai are. So the top 5 looks pretty booked on paper and it will be a challenge to do as well as we did in Norway,” says 23-year-old native of Bauska, Latvia.

Andis Neiksans/Peteris Dzirkals will tackle six P-WRC rounds this season in their AMP Motorsport-prepared and LMT-sponsored orange Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Rallies in Norway and Cyprus will be followed by events in Portugal, Italy, Greece and Great Britain.

Munchi’s kick off WRC season with unique Cypriot adventure

Posted: March 6, 2009 12:01 PM

Munchi’s Ford World Rally team will make its season debut at the Cyprus Rally the first of eight rounds of the WRC that it will tackle this season with driver Federico Villagra leading the charge.  

The team has taken advantage of new FIA regulations which permit the registration of Manufacturer Teams running single cars competing on a minimum of eight events to enter the race for the manufacturer championship.  

Seven-time Argentine Rally Champion Villagra has only raced once in Rally Cyprus in the past finishing 27th in 2005 but since linking up with the Munchi’s Ford World Rally team in 2007 he has successfully made an impact on the WRC finishing 14th in the driver standings in 2008  thanks to sixth-place finishes in Argentina and Jordan.  

Last month Villagra missed out on victory at the Rally Mina Clavero, the first round of the Argentine national championships, by 2.4 seconds after sustaining damage to his rear suspension just two kilometres from the end of the event and will be hoping to avoid a similar fate in the testing conditions of Cyprus.  

After a two-year absence the Cyprus Rally is returning to the WRC calendar with a challenging new format that will see drivers tackling two different surfaces in one rally. All stages on the first day will take place on asphalt before the action moves to gravel for the second and third days of the event.  

As well as the unique test of taking on a multi-surface race which represents a step into the unknown for all of the teams, the drivers could spend over four hours in the car with average speeds on the 332 kilometre rally expected to be around half those posted during Rally Norway last month.  

Rally Cyprus will also have some of the longest stages of the season with the longest stage on day three being over 40 kilometres and several stages throughout the event longer than 30 kilometres testing the drivers’ physical and mental fitness to the limit.  

The Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team have spent two days testing their Ford Focus RS WRC car in Cumbria in preparation for the race and will use the hard compound Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyre for all three days in Cyprus.  

In addition to a new format for the race, rally organisers have created a new Service Park on the seafront in Limassol on the island’s south coast which will provide more space and accessibility than in previous years.  

The race gets underway with a ceremonial start in conjunction with a pop concert expected to attract a large number of spectators on Thursday evening before the real action begins on Friday with the first stage starting in Pano Panagia to the north west of Limassol for a challenging 30 kilometre opener.  

Day two will see the drivers head straight north of the start to the mountainous Troodos region before moving back to Pano Panagia on Sunday for the rally's longest stage, the 40.54 kilometre Anadiou stage 13 in the western Paphos district of the island.  

  Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team Driver Federico Villagra said:
“I'm very excited to be back racing in the WRC. It feels like it has been a long time since my last event last season. It is great to be taking part in eight rounds of the WRC this season and I'm very happy to be back racing with Jorge. We have had a really good test and I am looking forward to the rally.  Cyprus is going to be very interesting. The stages are very long and it is going to be a new experience driving on different surfaces in the same rally. I think it is also going to be very hard on the brakes and it will be tough mentally and physically.”  

Mixed surface Cypriot challenge for Stobart

Posted: March 6, 2009 11:58 AM

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team drivers Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson face one of their toughest tests of the season as they aim to build on the foundations of their strong start to the year at the latest round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the Cyprus Rally.  

The rally is just 14 stages long, compared to 23 at Rally Norway, but those stages are expected to be some of the longest of this year’s championship and the drivers will spend around four and a half hours in the driving seat with the low average speed and high number of corners providing a stern test of their fitness.  

Wilson and co-driver Scott Martin have picked up points in both rounds of the WRC so far this season with seventh-place finishes in Ireland and Norway and they will be looking to consolidate their position in the driver standings. The duo are well prepared for the challenging conditions having worked hard on their fitness ahead of this event.  

Solberg is gunning for his first podium of the season after finishing just outside the top three in Norway last month. The Norwegian has a solid track record in the Cyprus Rally having finished fourth in 2005 and sixth a year later, the last time the race appeared on the WRC calendar.  

But this time round the drivers are heading into uncharted waters in Cyprus, which is the only event this season to feature a mixture of surfaces. The rally is renowned for its demanding gravel stages but organisers have taken advantage of new FIA rules to create an added element of excitement with the opening day’s tests taking place on asphalt before moving on to gravel on the final two days of the event. With the same gravel specification tyres being used on both surfaces the race will provide an exceptional test for the teams and drivers.   

The Ford Focus RS WRCs of the Stobart team will be using the hard compound Pirelli Scorpion tyre which is known to perform well on gravel throughout the rally.  Tactical driving may come into play early on as drivers vie for the best road positions on the second day when later starters could benefit from cleaner roads and additional grip.  

Rally organisers say that the unique format of the event will offer “exciting new challenges” for crews and expect other rally organisers around the world to have their eyes on the event with a view to putting more mixed-surface events on the WRC calendar in the future.  

Based around the coastal resort of Limassol on the island’s south coast, teams will benefit from a new Service Park close to the seafront which will be more spacious and easily accessible than in previous years.  The ceremonial start on Thursday evening in conjunction with a concert featuring one of Cyprus’ most popular pop singers is expected to attract a huge number of fans.  

Then the real action begins on Friday with the first stage starting in Pano Panagia to the north west of Limassol for a challenging 30 kilometre opener.  

Day two will see the drivers head to the north of Limassol and the mountainous Troodos region before heading back to Pano Panagia on Sunday for the rally's longest stage, the 40.54 kilometre Anadiou stage in the western Paphos district of the island.   

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford currently sit third in the WRC manufacturers standing, eight points clear of the Citroen Junior Rally Team and is the leading manufacturer team in the championship.  

  Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Henning Solberg said:
“I think this rally will be a big challenge but I really enjoy these stages in Cyprus and I’m up for the challenge.  It is good to see the organisers doing something different to spice up the event and I think we will see some tactical driving on the first day.  Road position will be important as there aren’t many second passes over stages but for sure the long stages will provide a tough test.  I’m confident though and will be aiming for a top-five, maybe even a podium if we can stay out of trouble and get a clean run.”  

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Matthew Wilson said:
“This rally will be something different for us and running on two different surfaces during one event is certainly a unique experience.  The first day will be difficult, it’s quite long and we will be running in very alien conditions; I think there will also be some driving for preferential road position for day 2.  I enjoyed this rally in 2006, the slow speeds make it totally different from most other rallies and it will be good to get onto the normal gravel stages on the second day.  Fitness will also be important here, maybe not because of the usual high temperature but because of the long, slow stages.”  

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Principal Malcolm Wilson said:
“Cyprus will pose a unique challenge that none of the Stobart drivers will have experienced before and it will throw a few unknowns into the equation.  They will need to be careful and be mindful of having gravel set-up on asphalt stages; but at the same time it’s a good opportunity to consolidate their already strong championship positions.  I think this will be the most difficult event to date this season and the long stages will provide a tough test for all crews.”  

Cyprus mix and match offers fresh challenge for Ford drivers

Posted: March 6, 2009 11:55 AM

Mastering the art of driving flat out over Cyprus' winding asphalt roads using gravel tyres is the stern challenge facing BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team next week. While the Cyprus Rally (12 - 15 March) offers the first opportunity this year for the FIA World Rally Championship contenders to find their feet on gravel, it is the asphalt mountain speed tests that offer a step into the unknown for drivers.

The opening day's action takes place on asphalt before switching to boulder-strewn gravel tracks for the final two legs as the Mediterranean holiday island hosts the WRC's first mixed-surface rally since 1996. Add into the mix rules that state drivers must tackle the sealed surface speed tests using Pirelli's gravel tyres rather than asphalt rubber to restrict costs, and it is not difficult to see why this third round of the 12-event championship could be one of the toughest of the campaign.

Sections of the asphalt special stages were tackled in gravel form several years ago but will be new in this format to Ford drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen, while team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila have never competed in Cyprus.

Strength and reliability will be crucial once the rally moves into the Troodos Mountains, high above the rally base in the resort of Limassol, for the second and third legs. The gravel roads there are notoriously rough and cars must be capable of withstanding a heavy battering from rocks. The tracks are also incredibly twisty and speeds are lower than anywhere else in the championship. On its last appearance in the series in 2006, the rally was won at an average of only 67.45kph.

The Ford Focus RS World Rally Car they will drive has earned an awesome reputation in arduous conditions with two previous victories in Cyprus to its credit. The rally was previously held later in the season when baking temperatures made conditions even more challenging for man and machine, but early spring, a time when the mountains come alive with colour, should be far more bearable.

Hirvonen, starting in Cyprus for the fourth time, finished third in 2006, and the 28-year-old Finn admits it will be strange when he looks at his Focus RS WRC in low ride height asphalt specification but with Pirelli's gravel tyres fitted. "It's going to be difficult but a lot depends on how hot it is. The temperatures during our test were about 10ºC and the tyres worked well. The car moves around more on gravel rubber and it's necessary to turn into corners earlier and to brake sooner. It's difficult to predict what will happen because we've never had to do this but I'm ready for the challenge," he said.

"I found a good set-up for the gravel stages during the test. The stages in Cyprus are so twisty that there are sections where a driver thinks he's going too slowly. But to push too hard risks the car sliding wide and losing momentum. It's important to be patient and believe that other drivers are having just the same thoughts. It's said a lot, but this rally is unique in the championship," he added.

Latvala took the opportunity to sit alongside Hirvonen during the gravel section of the team's test last month. "Normally I don't get the opportunity to do that. Mikko has a different driving style to me and in tight corners he brakes differently. He uses the handbrake to get round corners and I don't. Mikko also keeps the car much straighter than I do. I drive more aggressively but that's something I'm trying to change," said the 23-year-old Finn.

"Cyprus is the only rally in the WRC calendar on which I've not competed. It's three months since the last gravel event in Britain so my test was a good opportunity to get a feel for the surface again. It's a technical rally and asphalt driving with gravel tyres will be a new challenge, the kind of thing that makes this sport so fascinating. I learned on the test that I must still use my asphalt technique and keep the car straight with precise lines. Too much sideways driving will destroy the tyres," he added.

Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr will drive a third car on the Abu Dhabi driver's second WRC appearance there. "The terrain changes dramatically. It's a difficult rally that is tough on the cars with so many rocks, so I'm looking forward to the challenge. If I can carry a good pace with no problems and maintain my concentration levels and momentum, I'm confident of doing a good job. The team has prepared well and Mikko and Jari-Matti completed good mileage in testing," said Al Qassimi.

Team News
* Tyre partner Pirelli will provide BP Ford Abu Dhabi with just the one regulation tyre pattern to cover both the asphalt and gravel legs. The Scorpion gravel tyre will be available in hard compound for both surfaces. Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the rubber and each car can carry two spare wheels. To offset concerns about tyre wear an additional two tyres will be available for each crew in the refuel area after the opening stage of the asphalt leg.

* The team has left nothing to chance after completing more than 1250km during a marathon six-day test in the south of Sardinia in preparation for the Cyprus Rally. Both drivers completed one day on asphalt and two days on gravel. Latvala covered 240km on the sealed surface and 370km on the loose while Hirvonen tackled 220km on asphalt and 430km on gravel.

* Three other Focus RS WRCs will start. Henning Solberg / Cato Menkerud and Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin are nominated by the Stobart VK M-Sport squad, while Federico Villagra / Jorge Perez Companc will make their season debut for the Munchi's Ford team.

* Mikko Hirvonen joined Ford's media drive appraisal programme during the launch of the all-new Focus RS road car in France. He spent two days with German and Austrian journalists last week and two days with media from Spain and Portugal this week.

Rally Route
Much has changed since the WRC's last visit to Cyprus in 2006. Most of the competitive distance is new and while the holiday resort of Limassol remains the base, there is a new service park alongside the seafront in the town's Germasogeia area. After Thursday evening's start ceremony at Limassol's Palais des Sports, Friday's asphalt leg is based on the western edge of the Troodos mountains, north of Paphos, and is the longest of the rally. The bulk of Saturday's action is located in the centre of the Troodos before Sunday's final leg returns to the west. Although it contains only three stages, Sunday will be a true sting in the tail with one test of more than 40km and another of more than 30km – the only stage remaining from the 2006 itinerary. Only one gravel stage will be used more than once and drivers tackle 14 stages covering 332.07km in a route of 1198.00km.

Superbrand Stobart applies multimodal knowledge to rally team

Posted: March 5, 2009 11:11 AM

The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team are tapping into the logistical know-how of team sponsors Stobart Group as they transport their cars to the latest round of the FIA World Rally Championship in Cyprus.

The team, which is looking to maintain its excellent start to the 2009 season in Cyprus, has begun the process of transporting their Ford Focus RS WRC cars over 2000 miles to the event and on the way the transport crews will use not only roads but will also travel by train and ferry before flying back to their base in Cumbria to continue preparations for the race which starts on March 13.

Team sponsor Stobart Group has been pioneering multimodal logistics, developing a wider package of transport solutions to ensure customers can make the most cost-efficient and environmentally responsible choice for their business.

Stobart Rail, the award-winning and ultra carbon-efficient rail freight service, was joined by Stobart Ports in 2007 following the acquisition of a major port site at Runcorn and a container port at Widnes. Plans are in place to move into all other sectors of freight transport over the next five years, pooling resources with other business to provide an even better service.

Already a market leader in its field Stobart Group has used its involvement in the WRC to boost global promotion of the brand and since the Stobart team began its assault on the championship in 2006 the iconic Stobart livery has a legion of supporters all contributing to the company’s growing profile and Superbrand status.

Underlining their position as the UK’s leading logistics brand Eddie Stobart has just been ranked 23rd in the Business Superbrands Official Top 500 for 2009 outshining multi-national giants such as Mastercard, Virgin Atlantic and Vodafone and improving on its 59th place ranking in 2008.

It is the fourth year in a row that Eddie Stobart has achieved Business Superbrand status and is another accolade for the company which has already seen Stobart Motorsport collect the Rally Business of the Year gong at the Motorsport Industry Association awards in January in recognition of their success in maximising its investment in the World Rally Championship.

Stobart Group CEO Andrew Tinkler said:
“It’s fantastic that we can transfer our multimodal logistics experience from the business to the rally team and help save costs and reduce the amount of travel in getting the team to events. Stobart Group prides itself in providing a cost effective and environmentally friendly logistics solution for our customers and this is made even more possible through our rail, sea and inland waterway networks. I’m also very encouraged to see Eddie Stobart moving up the Superbrands rankings. We place a lot of importance on brand recognition and the global exposure provided by our team in the World Rally Championship has contributed to our ongoing success in the Business Superbrands table.”

Entry List

Posted: March 3, 2009 2:09 PM

Cyprus Rally

Ford duo heads south for marathon Cyprus test challenge

Posted: February 25, 2009 4:17 PM

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and fellow Finns Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila have completed one of the team's longest test sessions in recent years in Sardinia as preparation for the forthcoming Cyprus Rally (12 - 15 March).

The successful six-day test took place on roads around the town of Cagliari to the south of the Italian island, with each driver taking to the wheel of their Ford Focus RS WRC test car for three days. The long test is as a result of the Cyprus Rally this year being run as a mixed surface event – one day on asphalt, two days on gravel. FIA regulations state that teams are required to compete on all three days in gravel specification cars, giving the 20-strong test team a new challenge.

In order to find the right set-up, the test car ran in gravel specification with a lower ride height, similar to that of an asphalt car, and with stiffer suspension springs.

Latvala was the first of the pair to test the car on asphalt: "It's been a very good test and I'm satisfied with what we achieved. I've even had the chance to test the car on asphalt in dry and damp conditions because it rained on Thursday afternoon. This made the test road very slippery where I'd been cutting corners, but it could rain in Cyprus so that could be a positive for me," he said.

"I've learned that I'm going to have to brake much earlier because there isn't the same grip level with the gravel tyres on asphalt roads and the brakes are smaller. You also have to drive in a very straight line and be very neat and precise. It's been very hard on the brakes but the tyres have lasted well. We completed a surprising 240km on asphalt.

"We also had the opportunity to drive on gravel for 370km on two very different roads, one very rough and similar to Greek conditions and one very slow and technical and more like Cypriot roads. I feel confident that we're going to Cyprus with a good setup," he concluded.

Team-mate Hirvonen was second to get behind the wheel: "The test has been really positive for us. The temperatures in Sardinia were perhaps not as high as we're going to experience in Cyprus but everything felt really good. The Pirelli tyres worked well on the asphalt roads which was encouraging. It's not the nicest feeling driving like this, but it's going to be a new challenge for everyone and interesting to see how fast we all are on Day 1. It's going to be hard on our brakes, but I feel we've done all we can do to prepare for it.

"We did a total of 650km in three days and 430km on some fairly rough and twisty gravel roads. The second road we drove on two years ago and we're a lot faster now. It's great to see how much we've improved. I'm really looking forward to the challenge we've got in two weeks," he added.

Limassol is the host town for the rally, third round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Event Website / Details - Day 1 on Tarmac, Day 2 & 3 on Gravel

Posted: January 27, 2009 1:14 PM

The 2009 Rally Cyprus will be a mixed surface rally:
Day 1 will take place on Tarmac,
Days 2 & 3 on Garvel

Only one tyre choice is available, so cars will have to complete the tarmac stages on gravel tyres.

Cyprus Rally