Cyprus Rally - 4-6 Nov 10

Close collaboration hands Thomas Cyprus Rally chance

Posted: November 5, 2010 11:54 AM

The close collaboration between Eurosport Events, the promoter of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, and Cyprus Automobile Association, the organiser of the FxPro Cypus Rally, has already resulted in several benefits.

Not only has it delivered four hours of live television coverage of the season finale and led to the creation of the innovative Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally, which will get a further two hours of live TV coverage, the annual IRC Awards Ceremony will take place on the island, while Cypriot driver Nicos Thomas has been handed a dream drive in a Peugeot 207 Super 2000.

Thomas, who as a 20-year-old won the Cyprus Rally in 2008, is one of the country's brightest rallying prospects, winning two of the four rallies he has tackled so far this season. His drive on his home round of the IRC is part of the mutual package of benefits generated by the successful partnership between Eurosport Events and the CAA, which was established earlier this year.

"Getting an opportunity to drive a Super 2000 car is like a dream come true for me," said Thomas, now 23. "It will be my first time driving a Super 2000 car and, at the moment, there is a lot to get used to but I am very excited and very keen to learn as much as I can."

Thomas, whose car will be prepared by the Italian Munaretto squad, is no stranger to international competition having contested several rounds of the World Rally Championship in 2009 when he was nominated as one of the five Pirelli Star Drivers. However, a lack of finance has restricted him to only a handful of appearances this year with his last event taking place in the summer.

While he has considerable experience of the demanding Cypriot stages, he is prepared for a tough challenge on the event, which got underway with a superspecial stage in Limassol last night (Thursday 4 November).

"It's going to be difficult because the Super 2000 car requires a completely different driving philosophy," said Thomas. "The Group N Lancer I normally drive is more like a car for gentlemen. With the Super 2000 car you really have to keep the revs high at all times. It makes it fun to drive even though it is not easy to adapt to it. With some stages using Tarmac, the important thing will be to not make mistakes on gravel tyres when you don't have the same grip."

After completing a test in Cyprus on Monday, Thomas is under no illusions that a points' finish will be hard to come by against a competitive field of rival drivers.

"If I finish in the top five then it will be like a party," said Thomas. "I have in the back of my mind how got it could be to finish so high up but I know it will be very difficult."

The FxPro Cypus Rally is the 12th and final round of the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge and runs from 4-6 November. The following day, Sunday 7 November, the bulk of the crews taking part on the event will contest the inaugural Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally, which features a single 25-kilometre mixed-surface stage run twice.

Colin McRae Vision to make Cyprus presentation

Posted: November 4, 2010 2:46 PM

Colin McRae Vision, an official partner of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, will make a substantial donation to ELPIDA, a charitable foundation for children with leukaemia and other cancers living in Cyprus.

The money, which has been topped up by donations from the Cyprus Automobile Association and Cyprus Rally sponsor FxPro, will be used to purchase electronic infusion pumps for the delivery of chemotherapy.

Colin McRae's mother and father, Margaret and Jim McRae, will attend the 2010 IRC Awards Ceremony on Sunday 7 November to make the presentation to representatives of ELPIDA, which was founded in 1991 by doctors, nurses, parents, scientists and friends of children suffering from cancer. Its mission is to help children with cancer in any way possible.

Colin McRae Vision, which was established following the death of the 1995 world rally champion in 2007, and Eurosport Events, the promoter of the IRC, announced their official partnership in June of this year with the specific aim of identifying suitable projects and initiatives that help young people living close to the route of IRC events.

Cetinkaya confident for Cyprus IRC run

Posted: November 4, 2010 2:46 PM

Leading female driver Burcu Cetinkaya says that her first Intercontinental Rally Challenge points on RACMSA Rally of Scotland recently have given her a confidence boost heading into the season finale in Cyprus this week.

The Peugeot Sport Turkey runner became the first lady driver to score IRC points when she finished seventh on the gravel event last month.

"It's always good to be driving on gravel because it is the surface I like the most," said the 29-year-old. "I must say I don't like the idea of the Tarmac sections but I have more experience now of driving on Tarmac with gravel tyres so it shouldn't be a problem. After Scotland I feel quite confident. My aim is to be as fast as I can but to also be at the finish of the rally."

Like the bulk of the IRC crews tackling the Cyprus Rally, Cetinkaya will remain on the island for the Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally, which takes place on 7 November over a single 25-kilometre stage run twice.

Meanwhile, Cetinkaya's growing legion of fans will be able to follow her progress in the IRC on Eurosport's new Turkish website, www.eurosport.com/tr, which went live on Tuesday night. Launched in partnership with MCD Digital, this latest addition to Eurosport's international online network will deliver unrivalled content for Turkish sports fans.

Killian Duffy to co-drive Nicolas Amioui

Posted: November 4, 2010 2:42 PM

Killian Duffy is co-driving for Lebanese driver Nicolas Amioui in an EVO 9, and are seeded at 11.

Interwetten Racing Team competes with two cars at the FX Pro Cyprus Rally - Franz Wittmann & Bryan Bouffier

Posted: November 2, 2010 8:54 PM

The Interwetten Racing Team causes a stir at the FX Pro Cyprus Rally. For, beside Franz Wittmann, a second Peugeot 207 S2000 will be deployed by the tuning wizards of ROMO Motorsport. And it will be steered by none less than Bryan Bouffier. Thus the chances of scoring points at the finale of the IRC Series 2010 have become twice as high.

For Franz Wittmann, the Cyprus Rally will be the second run on gravel this year after Sardinia. And that is precisely why the freshly married 27-year-old feels very confident.

Wittmann:
“We performed very well on Sardinia despite having had only a few testing kilometres. Cyprus will surely be a big challenge since it is a very tough rally. But cleverness and guts can also make for a good result. I also would like to thank my sponsor Interwetten for the great opportunities they offered me this year with a good performance.”

Due to schedule problems the season’s finale will see Josefine Beinke in the co-driver’s seat. But the young German can already look back on five WRC assignments this year.

One definitely can look forward to the performance of Bryan Bouffier. In August the Frenchman had held the lead at the Barum Rallye up to the 15th of 17 special stages when a mistake had him drop back and finish tenth, only one place ahead of Franz Wittmann. Bouffier counts among the best drivers in the IRC field.

“After we had prepared the car and our regular Russian driver had to bow out at short notice, I am very pleased that we managed this solution. It will be of great interest to me to compare our two cars head to head. Both Peugeot 207 S2000 are completely identical. Also, Franz can learn a lot since Bryan is test driver at Peugeot”, explains ROMO Motorsport Manager Ronny Leschhorn.

The Interwetten Racing-Pilot is also looking forward to this opportunity and doesn’t spare a thought on rivalry within the team.

Wittmann:
“Bryan is a very experienced man and has already spent many hours and kilometres in this car. That can only be of help to me. Therefore it would be very irrational if I’d fight a duel with him. I believe that I can learn a lot from the data comparison.”

The ceremonial start of the “FX Pro Cyprus Rally” will take place on November 4 at 19.00 in Limassol. This will be followed by a 2,45 kilometres long super stage at the new harbour. The restart to the rally is on November 5 at 08.21. Scheduled are 14 special stages overall with a length of 236,64 kilometres. The overall length of the 100% gravel rally measures 849,12 kilometres. The finishing line will be crossed on November 6 at 18.03, also in Limassol. On Sunday (November 7) the “Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally” will be held, where the teams will fight for a well filled pot of prize money on the super stage in Limassol. But this stage isn’t part of the rally itself.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: October 28, 2010 4:23 PM

Cyprus Rally - 4-6 Nov 10 - Entry List

Cyprus Rally ready for action

Posted: October 25, 2010 3:51 PM

The IRC is gearing up to a spectacular end of season finale at the 2010 FxPro Cyprus Rally (4-6 November) as well as at the inaugural Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally (7 November).

The final round of the season will form an IRC swansong for Peugeot UK's defending champion Kris Meeke, who was recently supplanted by Skoda's Juho Hanninen. Skoda though is unlikely to make the trip to Cyprus, having recently sealed both championships, which gives an opportunity for some other stars of the championship to end the year on a high.

Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah will be a strong candidate for victory with Ford, while Belgium's Thierry Neuville will be looking to score another podium in his impressive debut IRC season. PROTON is also considering an entry on the IRC series finale, having shown great promise so far.

Other provisional entries include the Bryan Bouffier, Daniel Oliveira, Franz Wittmann and Burcu Cetinkaya, all driving Peugeots. Andreas Mikkelsen and Martin Prokop will drive M-Sport Fords, while a number of local drivers will be at the wheel of Mitsubishis.

SIX HOURS OF LIVE TELEVISION COVERAGE FROM CYPRUS

Posted: October 9, 2010 1:10 PM

The 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge season is set for a thrilling climax in Cyprus from 4-6 November - and Eurosport will be there to show four hours of live television coverage from the demanding gravel event, regarded in international rallying as one of the toughest tests of both driver and machine.

The FxPro Cyprus Rally is set to be one of the highlights of this year's IRC. Not only will it bring the curtain down on IRC season number four, it will also confirm the respective winners of the IRC Drivers' and Manufacturers' titles, plus the IRC 2WD Cup for pilots and car makes at a special IRC awards Ceremony in Limassol on Sunday evening 7 November.

In addition, Eurosport, Europe's largest television sports channel, will transmit two hours of live coverage from the Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally, a new stand alone event which takes place over a single stage, albeit run twice, the following day (7 November) and carries a massive prize fund of 150,000 Euros.

Lumiere TV (LTV), the Cypriot channel, will also propose extensive live broadcasts of both the FxPro Cyprus Rally and the Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally.

Designed to showcase rallying in a new and exciting way by making it accessible, understandable and attractive to a wider audience, the compact, fan and television-friendly format covers a single 25-kilometre mixed-surface stage run twice. The stage will be known as the Love Cyprus Golden Stage in deference to support from the country's tourism authority.

"Cyprus is going to be a very special weekend of rallying as the island will host the deciding round of this season's 12-event IRC series, but also the inaugural high drama Golden Stage Rally , which aims to attract a new legion of fans to the sport through its compact, all-action format" said Geraldine Filiol, Managing Director of Eurosport Events.

"With spectacular countryside and breathtaking views, the demanding nature of the Cyprus stages will increase the task facing the crews as they battle for glory, making it ideal for live television. We are delighted to announce that rally fans will be able to enjoy this exciting and innovative rallying double-header directly as it happens thanks to a strong television coverage, including 6 hours of live broadcasts on Eurosport's platform" she concluded.

Golden Stage Rally (Cyprus) - 7 Nov 10

Live TV Times

Posted: October 9, 2010 1:09 PM

FxPro Cyprus Rally

Friday 5 November:
09:00hrs-10:00hrs: LIVE Eurosport & Lumiere TV
14:00hrs-15:00hrs: LIVE Eurosport & Lumiere TV

Saturday 6 November
09:00hrs-10:00hrs: LIVE Eurosport & Lumiere TV
14:00hrs-15:00hrs: LIVE Eurosport & Lumiere TV

All Times Irish/UK

Franz Wittmann/Klaus Wicha will compete at the last gravel run on the Mediterranean of Cyprus

Posted: September 18, 2010 10:10 PM

Franz Wittmann and Klaus Wicha (Peugeot 207 S2000) will compete at the season finale of the IRC on Cyprus from November 4 to 6, 2010.

“Cyprus counts among the very tough rallies. That is surely to our advantage. A good result at the season’s finale would definitely strengthen our self-confidence for the next season enormously“, explains Wittmann.

With the testing prior to Germany, the WRC-run in Germany itself and the IRC-series Barum Rally, where the Interwetten Racing Team reached a very good eleventh overall place, Franz Wittmann has been able to gather valuable experience on tarmac. Therefore one decided against a start at the Sanremo Rally and in favour of taking part at the season’s finale on Cyprus.

Wittmann:
“We made this decision in the light of our further development. Sometimes one has to be able to change one’s arrangements, something which we have already done this season.“

New website launched for FxPro Cyprus Rally

Posted: August 13, 2010 11:42 AM

The FxPro Cyprus Rally, which brings the curtain down on the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge season from November 4-6, has launched a new website at www.cyprusrally2010.com.

With full historical information on the event, a guide to Cyprus and outline details of this year's rally, visitors to the site can register to receive regular updates on the IRC qualifier.

Cyprus Rally

LIVE TELEVISION COVERAGE FOR CLIMAX TO THE IRC SEASON IN CYPRUS

Posted: June 20, 2010 7:16 PM

The climax to another thrilling Intercontinental Rally Challenge season, the FxPro Cyprus Rally, will receive extensive live television coverage when it runs from 4-6 November Eurosport Events, the IRC's promoter, confirmed at a press conference in Nicosia today (Thursday).

Four stages will be produced for live coverage, which will be determined shortly following the preliminary inspection of the route this week by Xavier Gavory, General Co-ordinator of the IRC, Gilbert Roy, Director of Editorial Development and Programme Content of Eurosport Events, and Jean-Pierre Nicolas, the IRC's Motorsport Development Manager.

On top of the extensive live coverage on Eurosport, several major broadcasters have already confirmed they will devote significant airtime to the Cyprus Rally. In addition to the national Cypriot broadcaster ALFA, they include: Abu Dhabi Sports Channel (Middle East), ESPN STAR Sports (Pan Asia), Speed Channel 2 (Pan America), Auto Plus (Russia), GAORA Sports (Japan), FOX Sports (Australia), ORF (Austria), RTBF (Belgium), RTP (Portugal) and MEGA Channel (Greece).

Although Cyprus has never hosted a round of the IRC before, series organisers had no hesitation in selecting the event to be broadcast live on TV. Not only is it the deciding round of the 12-event series, Cyprus also possesses spectacular countryside and breathtaking views, making it ideal for live television. Furthermore, the demanding nature of the mixed-surface stage format will increase the task facing the crews as they battle for glory.

"We are very pleased to be visiting Cyprus for the first time for the deciding round of the season. The close competition in the IRC this season, the talented drivers and the participation of several leading teams are set to combine to make what we hope will be a thrilling climax to the year in front of live television cameras and enthusiastic spectators," said Xavier Gavory.

The event, organised by the Cyprus Automobile Association (CAA), will be based in the island's largest seaside resort, Limassol, with the mixture of asphalt and gravel stages taking place in the surrounding countryside, which is famed for its stunning scenery.

CAA Chairman Antonis Michaelides added:
"We are all dedicated to making the FxPro Cyprus Rally successful, innovative and memorable. Our rally is already regarded as one of the most photogenic sports events on the international rallying scene and the route will take competitors inland from Limassol to the island's beautiful countryside. It's a pleasure to be part of the IRC and we predict a strong field of entries."

Interest builds in Cyprus Rally

Posted: June 3, 2010 11:25 AM

Young Cypriot driver Nicos Thomas wants to drive a Super 2000 car on the final round of this year's Intercontinental Rally Challenge, November's FxPro Cyprus Rally.

The 22-year-old, who became the youngest ever winner of the gruelling gravel event in 2008, currently leads the Greek Rally Championship in a Mitsubishi Lancer IX.

He said:
"I hope to find the funds to take part on the Cyprus Rally in either a Super 2000 car or my Mitsubishi. It would be great if I found sponsorship for two or three IRC rounds. In the IRC it is possible to finish on the podium if you have a fast car, that's what the sponsors want."

The Cyprus Rally runs from 4-6 November. It will be followed, one day later, by the inaugural Golden Stage Rally, which will be contested over a single stage and offers a substantial prize fund to the winning crew.

Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge announces details of first prize

Posted: March 21, 2010 9:54 PM

Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge announces details of first prize

Golden Stage Rally (Cyprus) - 7 Nov 10

Posted: February 25, 2010 3:39 PM

Golden Stage Rally (Cyprus) - 7 Nov 10

Event Website / Details

Posted: January 1, 2010 12:01 AM

Cyprus Rally

• Cyprus Automobile Association (Troodos Rally)