Italy (WRC) J - 1-4 Jun 23

FIESTA RALLY3 EVO MAKES WRC DEBUT WITH JUNIOR WRC SARDINIA

Posted: May 31, 2023 3:41 AM

The 2023 FIA Junior WRC Championship takes to the rough and tough roads of Rally d’Italia Sardegna for round three, marking the first gravel rally of the 2023 tour.

M-Sport Poland’s Fiesta Rally3 Evo will make its WRC debut in Sardinia, with every Junior WRC crew taking delivery of a brand-new Fiesta Rally3 Evo on this event. The Fiesta Rally3 has received a comprehensive update package including a new-look front bumper which provides a larger aperture for cooling, a new rear wing and new gravel damper specifications.

Sardinia has a long and storied past with Junior WRC, making its first appearance on the feeder series’ calendar in 2005 with Dani Sordo taking his maiden Junior WRC victory.

Junior WRC is returning to the rough gravel classic for the event’s 20th edition and what promises to be an action-packed weekend filled with drama.

Sardinia usually sees high ambient temperatures which make for oven-like temperatures for each crew to contend with inside the car. Heat exhaustion will be a developing adversary for them as each stage progresses making it difficult to stay focussed. This is a rally where focus is paramount too with dust and visibility being major factors for drivers to negotiate on each speed test. This challenge culminates on the 50km Monte Lerno stage this year which crews will have to make two passes of, totalling almost one third of the entire length of the rally!

The challenge of Rally Italia is further compounded by a continually developing surface as the soft and sandy top surface covers a very hard and immovable bedrock. It results in an unstable surface that is ravaged by more the more powerful cars ahead that dig up ruts and rocks.

Maciej Woda, FIA Junior WRC Championship Manager, said:
“I am very proud to see another step forward for Junior WRC and M-Sport Poland this weekend with the introduction of the Fiesta Rally3 Evo. It’s a result of close to two years of continuous improvement and development by the talented team back at M-Sport Poland’s headquarters in Krakow. I think bringing the updated cars to the Junior WRC field mid-season underlines our commitment to ensuring the very best Rally3 cars are available to all Junior WRC competitors.

“Sardinia always makes for very exciting rally action as it requires a good balance between knowing when to push and when to keep it clean with the ruts and rocks. The entertainment and drama come when drivers try and push their luck a little further, a higher gear here or later on the brakes there. Sometimes they can get away with it and sometimes, they can overdo it and the consequences on this kind of surface can mean the end of your weekend.”

#66 William Creighton / Liam Regan
“It's going to be a difficult weekend. A big challenge. The stages are going to be rough by the time we get there and it's going to be warm. So it's hard to know what to do. I think we're going to have to play it smart when we can and try to stay out of trouble. But that's easier said than done. So yeah, let's just try and have a good recce and see how it goes.”

#67 Laurent Pellier / Kevin Bronner
“For the first time during the season, we have done some kilometres of testing on gravel. We tried a lot of what historically is already good on this surface, I think. We tried some changes with the anti-roll bar and with the new damper, which works very well. We need to keep very strong points here and we need to drive, with our head. We will see because all the experienced guys know it will be a hard and difficult rally because of the rocks. It’s a big challenge ahead.”

#70 Tom Rensonnet / Loïc Dumont
“I'm very happy to be here, for me it’s a dream and it's going to be a tough rally because with the temperatures and the conditions, I have never driven on gravel before and I think I'm alone with that fact. It's my first appearance on the gravel so we need to stay on the on the roads and take experience and to improve step by step.”

#71 Roberto Blach / Mauro Barreiro
“I think that this will be a very difficult rally with many difficult conditions especially with the heat. I think that it's similar to some of the Spanish gravel at home. For me it will be difficult because I have never driven with four-wheel drive on gravel so I will take it just step by step. A lot of things are going to happen in this rally, and I want to do a good job and learn a lot from this. If we can do a podium, it will be very nice.”

#72 Eamonn Kelly / Conor Mohan
“I was able to do a pre-event test in a rally2 car, to be honest, it was just an opportunity that was presented to me, and I was very grateful to get it. We grabbed it both hands. And It’s a rough rally and it's as good as it gets ahead of Sardinia. We've done nothing in the Fiesta Rally3 on gravel, but you know, we've done some driving and that's the main thing. Obviously, it is going to take a little bit of time to adapt to the Rally3, but we've got a very long rally ahead of us to do that.”

#73 Raul Hernandez / Adrian Perez
“I am happy to be here in Sardinia, the stages are really, really hard but for me the important thing is to finish the rally.”

#74 Hamza Anwar / Adnan Din
“I believe this will be one of my strongest results, hopefully. I'm really looking forward to this one, it gives me the safari vibe! We will know after recce but, so far, so good. Looking forward to push a little this weekend.”

Imposing island challenge awaits TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

Posted: May 29, 2023 10:33 AM

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team will take on one of the toughest challenges of the season at Rally Italia Sardegna on June 1-4, looking to maintain its recent strong momentum.

The team has won four out of five rallies contested so far in 2023 with the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID, and leads the manufacturers’ championship by 32 points. After taking his first win of the year last time out in Portugal, defending champion Kalle Rovanperä tops the drivers’ standings by 17 points, with Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans tied on points in third place: Ogier resumes his part-season programme on an event he has won four times before, with Takamoto Katsuta also entered in a fourth car supported by the TGR WRC Challenge Program.

The stages on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia have a reputation as being among the most testing gravel tracks in the entire championship. They are fairly fast but often narrow and lined with bushes, trees and rocks, leaving little margin for error. The sandy surface is swept away by each passing car to expose the rocky and abrasive base: this can combine with temperatures in excess of 30 degrees centigrade to punish cars and tyres.

For this year, the service park moves back from Alghero to Olbia on the island’s northeast coast and the city’s mixed-surface super special stage will again begin the rally on Thursday evening. Friday’s route is headlined by the famous Monte Lerno stage which has more than doubled in length to 49.9 kilometres. This is preceded by two shorter stages – Tantariles (last run in 2004) and Terranova – to form a loop of three tests to be repeated after midday service in Olbia. Saturday is almost as long in terms of competitive distance with four stages run twice, while Sunday’s route is the same as in 2021 with a pair of repeated stages on the island’s northernmost tip.

Quotes:

Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“We are excited to see how we perform in Sardinia. Last year this event was a bit of a struggle but since then we have made many improvements to the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID for rough gravel conditions, which have worked well in Mexico and in Portugal. Normally, Sardinia is hotter than Portugal, and this year on Friday the Monte Lerno stage will be almost 50 kilometres in length; it hasn’t been that long since 2014, and on the second pass especially I am sure tyre management will play a major role. It means Kalle could pay a big penalty for needing to open the road on this event, but we will have Sébastien and Elfyn in better positions and hopefully they have the opportunity to challenge for victory. It will also be interesting to see how Takamoto goes after a good performance in Portugal.”

Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“Portugal was a great weekend for us and it was nice to get a victory again. We will try to continue like this in the next events but we know that Sardinia will be a much more difficult job. Of all the rallies in the calendar, I think this one has maybe been the trickiest for me, and if the weather is dry and hot like it usually is in Sardinia, it can be very difficult to be the first car on the road there; perhaps even more so this year with the 50-kilometre stage to be driven on Friday. It will be a demanding weekend but, like always, we will push together with the team to get the best result that we can.”

Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Portugal was a disappointing weekend on my side but we have to put that behind us now, move forward to Sardinia and see what’s possible there. Our road position will be more favourable than what we started with on the last rally, but we know that it’s a challenging event regardless and one of the rougher rallies of the year. It definitely needs a smart approach but I’m looking forward to it nonetheless. Like always in Sardinia, they mix up the stages every year. A lot of the route is known from before but some of it has not been driven for many years, so there will be a lot of new pacenotes to write during the recce – and this very long stage on Friday will of course be key.”

Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“Sardinia is a rally that I have learned to love. At first, I used to struggle going there, but over the years I started to master it more and more. The most recent memories I have of Sardinia are really good from when we managed to win in 2021 after starting first on the road, which is not normally possible on this event. Having missed Portugal, we will have a bit of a better starting position this time, but it will still be a difficult challenge, especially with this very long stage of 50 kilometres that the organisers have made for this year. I quite like that challenge, honestly; it adds some spice to the rally and the need for tyre management. It will certainly be an interesting rally.”

Hyundai Motorsport Preview: Round 6 – Rally Italia Sardegna

Posted: May 29, 2023 10:31 AM

Hyundai Motorsport is looking to build on its double podium finish in Portugal with a victory at Rally Italia Sardegna, the sixth round of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).

Sardinia is the venue where Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team has enjoyed its most success in the past, with five wins and 12 podiums. Four of the victories are split evenly between team stalwarts Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo. Alongside co-drivers Martijn Wydaeghe and Cándido Carrera, both drivers will be battling the sun-baked stages next weekend in the hopes of standing on the top step for a third time.

Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm will join their team-mates on the Mediterranean island. The Finnish crew in fine form having secured podium finishes in the two previous rounds, Croatia and Portugal.

Rally de Portugal was a positive outing for the squad, with all three crews running in provisional podium positions during the weekend. The end of a tantalising fight saw Sordo/Carrera and Lappi/Ferm claim second and third, while Neuville/Wydaeghe had to settle for fifth after their efforts were undone by technical issues.

Celebrating it’s 20th edition this year, Rally Italia Sardegna has become one of the iconic events of the WRC. The gravel stages are fast and narrow, often lined with rocks and trees on either side, making them highly demanding for the crews to navigate cleanly. The surface itself is also a challenge, as the sandy top layer is swept away on the first pass, exposing rough and rutted roads below. These factors, combined with the scorching heat, creates a thoroughly gruelling test for both the car and those within it.

“To finish first, first you must finish” is an appropriate philosophy when it comes to rallying in Sardinia.

Sardinian stats
Just like Rally de Portugal and Safari Rally Kenya, Rally Italia Sardegna consists of 19 exhilarating stages. Hyundai Motorsport has secured 12 podiums at the event since its first event 2014 – including five victories – as well as 78 stage wins and 22 stage 1-2 finishes. All of these are the manufacturer’s highest totals at any event it has competed at during its nine previous seasons at the pinnacle of rallying.

Thoughts from the co-driver’s seat
Rally Italia Sardegna is just as challenging for the co-drivers as it is for those sat behind the wheel, as Cándido Carrera explains.

Carrera said: “Physically, it's a very tough rally with a lot of heat and rough terrain. Additionally, it's an event that usually combines different stages each year, so we have to carefully adapt and take advantage of notes from previous editions. Perhaps the most demanding aspect for me in this rally is that there are many sections where it's difficult to define the racing line, and there are many crests with tight curves right after them. Because of this, I have to stay highly focused to provide the driver with the information at the right moment. Undoubtedly, the biggest challenge will be the Monte Lerno – Sa Conchedda stage, which with its length and toughness can be decisive. Both the driver and co-driver will have to maintain a very high and consistent pace to be in a good position after the first day.”

Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said:
“Sardinia is a very tough event, but it is also one where the team has a lot of good memories from the past ten years. Thierry and Dani both know how to win there and Esapekka has demonstrated good speed on similar surfaces in Mexico and Portugal this season. We have been pushing behind-the-scenes to ensure the reliability issues we faced in Portugal are not repeated in the future and also to enhance our performance as we know the i20 N Rally1 Hybrid has performed well but we are also aware that we are a bit behind compared to our competitors. We hope that these efforts will increase our competitiveness and allow us to finish the weekend in Sardinia with a good result.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Belgians hoping to bounce back after issues in Portugal
Neuville has two previous wins in Sardinia

Neuville said: “Sardinia presents a lot of challenges, but the biggest are the heat and tyre wear. The stages are also difficult as the surface is rough, and they are quite narrow and technical too, so there is not much room for mistakes. Our target is to deal with the conditions as best we can and fight hard for a good result. Portugal was a tough weekend for us. I had a different set-up from Dani and Esapekka which we think is one of the reasons why I was struggling with traction and car balance. Switching my car to similar settings to those of my team-mates should be beneficial in the quest for improved performance and I'm looking forward to putting this to the test."

Crew Notes: Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (#4 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Crew took second consecutive podium at previous round
Finns led on gravel in Mexico before day two incident

Lappi said: “Sardinia is generally quite a slow rally with very technical stages. The second pass is particularly demanding for the tyres and car as there’s some bedrock and lots of loose rocks that get pulled onto the road. The usual high temperatures of around 30 degrees also add to the challenge. Personally I sweat quite easily, so as a driver I need to concentrate more on nutrition and keeping myself well hydrated. At dry gravel rallies, Friday is always very crucial in terms of making a successful weekend, so that will be the key focus for us. Our hope is that we can deliver a consistent performance, avoid the rocks that could cause punctures, and bring home a podium for the team.”

Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Sordo has five Rally Italia Sardegna podiums to his name
Spanish duo claimed second place in last outing

Sordo said: “Sardinia offers a different challenge to previous gravel events this year, as the roads are narrower, more sandy and more slippery. Because of this, you cannot afford to make any mistakes. If you do so in Sardinia, you will pay. Road position can be very important at this event, as starting later in the order usually gives you a cleaner stage than those at the front. The almost 50km-long Monte Lerno stage will be a real challenge. We had one that was 37km in Portugal and even that was hard to stay fully concentrated the entire time. Our minimum goal for the weekend is to finish on the podium and hopefully we can be in a position to fight for the victory.

WRC2 Overview

Following a challenging weekend at Rally de Portugal, Hyundai Motorsport N’s WRC2 entries will be back in action at Rally Italia Sardegna. The crews of Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula and Fabrizio Zaldivar/Marcelo Der Ohannesian will once again be behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 for the duration of the event.

The Finnish duo endured a rough ride in Portugal, ultimately coming home in fifth position in the WRC2 class after a puncture and a handbrake issue at separate points during the rally. A return to the podium will be the target as Suninen and Markkula aim to get their season back on track.

Zaldivar and Marcelo Der Ohannesian suffered an early exit in Matosinhos, retiring after an incident on Saturday afternoon. A clean run across the 19 Sardinian stages and a top-ten class finish be will the goal for the Paraguayan-Italian pairing.

Teemu Suninen said:
“Sardinia is normally quite a lot warmer than other events, which makes the driving tougher and it can create higher levels of wear on the car and tyres. The surface is also hard and rough which can be more demanding for the suspension setups. It was clear in Portugal that the level in WRC2 is very high this year, so we must focus on every small detail and fight on every stage. We will also try to have a good pace and stay away from problems. If we do this, I believe we can get a good result. The goal is to win the rally, but with many top drivers in the class, it will be challenging.”

Fabrizio Zaldivar said:
“We travel to Sardinia looking for a better result than we achieved in Portugal. It will be a difficult challenge, but I am determined to keep pushing and improving. We know there is pace in the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 on this surface, hopefully we can find a good rhythm and show the car’s potential. The initial forecast shows it may not be as hot as last year, but we still expect the heat to play a part in the event. I hope we can come to the end of Rally Italia Sardegna without any incidents and having shown what we are capable of.”

Weekend at a Glance

Following a shakedown in the morning, Rally Italia Sardinia officially begins on Thursday evening with the 3.23km Olbia – Cabu Abbas stage
Friday is the longest day of the event with a total distance of 138.04km, which includes two passes of the mammoth test that is Monte Lerno – Sa Conchedda (49.90km)
Saturday’s itinerary consists of two loops of the four stages: Coiluna – Loelle (16.28km), Su Filigosu (19.57km), Erula – Tula (21.92km) and Tempio Pausania (9.96km)
Two passes each of Arzachena – Braniatogghiu (15.22km) and Sardegna (7.79km) bring the event to a close on Sunday.

PUMAS PUSH TO SET PACE ON PUNISHING STAGES IN SARDINIA

Posted: May 29, 2023 10:30 AM

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team is poised to tackle tough gravel action on next week’s Rally Italia Sardegna, the sixth round of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship.

Sitting second in the driver’s championship, Ott Tänak continues to battle for crucial points to keep his rivals at bay.

M-Sport saw a fantastic start to the championship’s previous round in Portugal two weeks ago, where both Tänak and Pierre-Louis Loubet led the rally at points and set top times throughout the weekend.

Both crews will use their experience from Portugal to head to Sardinia with confidence, both Tänak and Loubet having strong existing knowledge and good results in Sardinia to date.

Tänak in particular will hope to mirror his past results here. The Estonian claimed his maiden WRC victory on the Italian island back in 2017 behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta WRC, plus an additional win last year in 2022. With one win and another podium result already secured in the Ford Puma Rally1 this year, he will hope to add more silverware to his collection next week.

In what was only his third outing in the Puma’s maiden season, Loubet’s rally in Sardinia 2022 saw him in the podium fight, holding third position throughout the first full day of action and finishing the event in a career-best fourth overall. Loubet starts Sardinia in an advantageous road position that will aid his way to the podium spots.

This year’s event will be based in Olbia, the home of Thursday night’s spectator stage on the island’s picturesque east coast. The event’s traditional gravel stages remain the same, including the famous Monte Lerno stage, now extended to an incredible 49.92 kilometres in length making endurance a key feature for both cars and drivers.

The crews will tackle ever-changing gravel, gradually revealing unforgiving bedrock calling for delicate tyre management and sensitivity to the car’s mechanics. Long days and high temperatures sometimes exceeding 30 degrees Celsius only add to the challenge, as the crews balance their need for speed alongside the inevitable threats posed by twisty and slippery gravel roads.

In the WRC2 category, M-Sport Ford will field three Fiesta Rally2s in the hands of Adrien Fourmaux, Grégoire Munster and Robert Virves. Fourmaux had a strong weekend in Portugal, claiming two stage wins and a collection of other top-five times in the feeder category, and hopes to replicate this speed again in Sardinia.

Richard Millener, Team Principal, said:
“Portugal was a tough battle but we’ve set some good groundwork for the upcoming challenge in Sardinia. As a team we have some good memories here with Ott’s victory in 2017, so we can hope to see a repeat of that this year.

“Ott’s proven his pace, he’s proven he can win, so now we need to continue to support him to do that. He is still fighting for the championship and we’re hoping we will see that fight get even closer after next weekend.

“Let’s not forget that Pierre had a fantastic rally in Sardinia last year, he was fighting for third all weekend and proved to us what he can do. Since then, he has won stages and led rallies, so I’m confident we will see something good from him out there as well.

“It’s also great to be fielding a trio of Rally2s again, and Adrien in particular is putting on a strong performance this season. I was very impressed by his pace and endurance in Portugal, despite being hampered by punctures, and I think we can expect to see more of this speed in Sardinia.

"Our Rally2 customer programme is a core element of what we do at M-Sport, and it’s fantastic that we can come out onto WRC stages and prove what it can do.”

Ott Tänak, currently second in the FIA WRC Drivers' Championship, said:
“Sardinia is a unique rally in many ways, the roads are demanding with very low grip conditions but at the same time very narrow and fast between trees and rock faces. I always enjoy driving there!

“All the M-Sport team, together with the Ford Performance guys in the US, have been on it to bring on the next steps in our performance and we have a busy test day before Sardinia. We are looking into everything to extract some extra speed.

“The target is to get another step closer to our competitors. Things will take a bit of time, but I’m sure that improving step by step we will be there one moment!”

Pierre-Louis Loubet, said:
“I think with the pace we showed on Friday in Portugal we can expect to do something good in Sardinia. It will be very important to avoid any mistakes this time, as even small ones can have big consequences. We know that the pace is there, we just need to put it all together to get a good result and we’re hoping that will all happen in Sardinia.”

Adrien Fourmaux, said:
“Sardinia is a really rough event, with hot conditions, and this year we have a nearly 50km stage to look forward to! It’ll be a huge challenge for everybody, for the crews and the mechanics. But I like the challenge, and this will be my fifth time in Sardinia so we have a good base knowledge of the stages.

"This is a famously difficult event, there’s no margin for error with rocks everywhere! When you hit something, you hit it hard. Let’s see what we can achieve.”

Grégoire Munster, said:
“Sardinia is a new event for us, just like Portugal, so it will all be about discovery and gaining experience. Portugal didn’t go so well for us, but it was our first time on gravel in the car, so we will try to use that experience in Sardinia and do better there.”

Robert Virves, said:
“This will be my first time competing in Sardinia, so there will be a lot to learn as it is a very tough event. Luckily, we have had some good experience in Portugal, and we can use a lot of that information on the stages in Sardinia. This is a big opportunity to learn a lot, it’s a tough event and we will need to manage the car and the tyres. But the experience in the Rally2 is all about learning, and it’s all beneficial to us going forward. Let’s see what happens!”

O'Briens enter Sardegna

Posted: May 15, 2023 5:30 PM

Entry List

Posted: May 15, 2023 5:30 PM

Italy (WRC) J - 1-4 Jun 23 - ENTRY LIST

Rally Guide / Details / Event Website

Posted: March 7, 2023 11:28 AM

Rally Italia