Mexico (S) - 3-6 Mar 11

In Car - Petter Solberg/Chris Patterson

Posted: June 1, 2011 10:19 AM

JUHO HÄNNINEN AND RED BULL ŠKODA TEAM FINISH SECOND AT MEXICO RALLY AFTER HEROIC PERFORMANCE

Posted: May 31, 2011 12:42 PM

Juho Hänninen & Mikko Markkula (FIN) of Red Bull Škoda finished second at the opening S-WRC event in the surroundings of Leon, Mexico. The crew were gradually narrowing the lead of their rivals after a mistake they'd made at the beginning of the first stage on Friday, but failed to get higher than third place in the final rankings, despite a massive attack. However, Nasser Al-Attiyah failed to pass the final technical inspection after the race and was disqualified, and so Hänninen & Markkula moved up to the runners-up position. In terms of the rallies to come, this result is an excellent foundation and a great motivation for the team.

The opening event of the S-WRC championship offered 365 power-stage kilometres over four days. The competition was challenging for both the racers and the cars, especially due to high on-track temperatures (over 33 degrees) and altitudes of as much as 2,700 m above sea level.

Day 1 of the Mexico Rally saw the opening 1.05-km city stage. A narrow and slippery track in the centre of Leon with crowds of excited fans standing alongside the road offered no space for mistakes. Short as it was, the first stage was indeed very difficult - the drivers had no time to warm up the tyres, which was exactly the reason why Red Bull Škoda's Juho Hänninen & Mikko Markkula damaged the chassis of their Škoda Fabia S2000 by touching the road's high kerb. Yet they were third in the S-WRC category after the first day, only 1.7 and 0.5 seconds behind Nasser Al-Attyiah and Martin Prokop, respectively.

The event started in full on Friday, with altogether nine stages (143 km in total). The day started with a hectic bustle in the service park when the mechanics and the crew found that it was necessary to replace the entire steering and the rear axle pin – the Red Bull Škoda mechanics made it within the 15-minute limit and their heroic performance was heavily applauded by the fans watching their “show”. However, Juho Hänninenspun and left the road. As Juho said later, the two minutes he and his co-driver had lost by pushing the car back on the road was a loss difficult to recoup. The mechanics then preventively replaced the gear box during the following stop. Red Bull were fourth after Day 2, more than two minutes behind the leader, Nasser All-Attyiah in a Ford.

A change in the car setting the mechanics made on Saturday morning brought some more excitement to Juho Hänninen's chase ride – he won the first power stage by 19 seconds and started to gradually reduce his two-minute loss from Friday. Saturday's nine stages (159 km) offered a mix of fast stretches, difficult jumps and bumpy roads with sharp bends. Having cut one minute off their previous-day deficit, Red Bull Škoda were third before the last day. Juho Hänninen commented:
“Our competitors were a bit slower than us today, and we will do our best to make up some time. We will probably not manage to eliminate it completely, because we do not have many kilometres to drive in this race any more.”

The Sunday portion of kilometres (62 km in total) started with probably the most difficult stage - 29 km full of dangerous stones spread all over the track. Juho put in a fantastic performance to catch up more seconds, but he pushed it too far in the following stage and his car rolled on its roof. Although he managed to continue with his slightly damaged car after just 14 seconds, he lost his chance to rise further up the rankings, and the final stage did not change anything. However, Nasser Al- Attiyah was soon to find out that the regulations and technical rules of the world championship are indeed very strict and merciless. The technical commissioners responsible for the final technical inspection found out that the fuel cell ventilation system in Al-Attiyah's vehicle was not compliant with the rules and disqualified him from the event. As a result, Juho Hänninen moved up to the runner-up position.
Final rankings: 1. Martin Prokop (CZE), 2. Juho Hänninen (FIN) + 1.13,7.

Commenting on the opening event of S-WRC, Juho Hänninen says:
“Our ambitions definitely could have been even higher if I hadn't touched the kerb at the beginning. I wish to thank the mechanics for their excellent job, next time I will try to bring the car to the finish line in better condition and in even a better position. The second place and the championship points are certainly positive.”

Appreciating the excellent teamwork, Head of the Red Bull Škoda team Raimund Baumschlager said:
“Our guys are top-class drivers. Looking back at the whole rally and, especially, the bad luck at the beginning, we are happy with the second place – it is positive in terms of further progress of the championship. I would like to appreciate the mechanics' contribution – I take my hat off when I remember how they replaced the whole steering and the rear axle pin on Friday morning. We are looking forward to the next event in Jordan, but the rally there is difficult, and it will certainly be a challenging event, too.”

The next item on the agenda of the Škoda Red Bull team is the Jordan Rally over April 14-16 that is going to see the team's other crew, Hermann Gassner jr. & Katharina Wüstenhagen. The complete Red Bull Škoda team is then going to appear at the following S-WRC event in Sardinia over May 5-8.

KUIPERS UPBEAT DESPITE EARLY EXIT

Posted: May 31, 2011 12:22 PM

Dennis Kuipers turned out to be one of the surprises on the opening day of Rally Mexico. Together with co-pilot Frederic Miclotte, he wanted to consolidate his strong seventh position without taking major risks but a crash on the opening stage of the second day caused a premature exit.

A disappointed Kuipers commented:
"In a right-left combination the car clipped a left bend, we rolled into a ditch and we ended up on our side." Both he and Miclotte walked away unharmed from the Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

The damage to the World Rally Car was not but major, but after inspection by the team, it appeared that the roll cage was damaged. In such circumstances, the rules prohibit further participation.

"Until the crash the rally was going really well. I felt at ease in the car and I put in some good stage times”, said the 25-year-old driver. This was clear in the overall standings after the opening day, the FERM Power Tools World Rally Team was in seventh position, the highest ever for Kuipers and the team in a WRC event.

The team will now focus on Rally Portugal, which will be held from 24 to 27 March. In the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Kuipers can benefit from the experience he gained this weekend on gravel in his Fiesta RS WRC.

"Although I think the exit is disappointing, the seventh position after the first day gives me confidence for Portugal," concludes Kuipers.

NASSER AL-ATTIYAH DISQUALIFIED FROM RALLY MEXICO

Posted: May 31, 2011 12:21 PM

Rally Mexico S-WRC winner Nasser Al-Attiyah was excluded from the results this afternoon after his Ford Fiesta S2000 was found to be in breach of the technical regulations.

Al-Attiyah won the S-WRC category by 13.5 seconds from fellow Fiesta S2000 driver Martin Prokop, finishing seventh overall.

However, at post-event scrutineering Al-Attiyah’s car was found to be in breach of the rules after the valve in the fuel cell ventilation system did not conform to technical regulations.

Following a hearing attended by BARWA World Rally Team management, the event stewards have excluded Al-Attiyah from the results. The team decided not to appeal the decision.

This now means that Martin Prokop is now promoted to winner of the S-WRC category in Mexico.

VILLAGRA UPBEAT AFTER FINISHING TENTH IN MEXICO

Posted: May 31, 2011 12:16 PM

Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team driver Federico Villagra battled back after an early retirement on Rally Mexico’s opening day to finish his first FIA World Rally Championship event of 2011 tenth overall.

Villagra and fellow Argentine co-driver Jorge Pérez Companc gained valuable experience on their debut in the new Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car and climbed the WRC leaderboard from 21st at the start of Day 2 to finish tenth overall, earning the squad valuable driver and manufacturer points.

The nine-time Argentine Rally Champion tore off the front right wheel from his Fiesta RS WRC when he clipped a rock on Friday’s opening 26.01 km opening stage. The disappointed Munchi’s Ford driver was forced to retire but his team made the necessary repairs in order for Villagra to return under SupeRally regulations on Saturday.

On Saturday’s opening stage, the longest in the rally, Villagra reported problems with his brakes and stalled his Fiesta RS WRC as a result. The Argentine struggled to restart his engine and the incident cost him approximately 20 seconds.

However, the Munchi’s Ford driver set three top ten stages times in the morning’s three remaining stages. The brake discs and brake pads were changed at the midday service. Saturday afternoon fared much better for Villagra who posted four top ten stage times and finished the day 12th overall.

A small set-up change was made during Sunday morning’s service and Villagra set a sixth-fastest stage time on the day’s opening test. A broken left rear drive shaft and damaged suspension hindered the Munchi’s Ford driver on the event’s closing two stages but Villagra held onto a well-earned tenth place.

Federico Villagra said:
“OK, so it was very disappointing that we had to retire after our mistake on Friday, especially as it was the first stage but I am very happy to have made it to the end of the rally. Today and yesterday have been very good days – we enjoyed the roads and of course, it was good to get some experience in the car. We made a lot of adjustments and changes to the ride height to try and find the perfect set-up which I think will help for future events. I’ve got my first round of the Argentine Rally Championship next weekend and then I will fly straight out to Portugal. I’ll be looking to push a bit more over there – we know the roads there well and I think the experience we have learned from the car this weekend will help us greatly.”

Loeb scores the DS3 WRC’s maiden victory

Posted: May 31, 2011 12:15 PM

Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, who have been unbeaten in Mexico since 2006, today racked up their fifth consecutive victory in this event. But above all, they scored the Citroe?n DS3 WRC’s maiden win, which showed its potential on gravel throughout the three days of the rally. Se?bastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia went off in the first stage today and had to retire. This win has put Loeb / Elena in second place in the Drivers’ World Championship.

After a couple of long days, the final leg of Rally Mexico was little more than a sprint with only 62 timed kilometers. The loop consisted of three stages without a service break: Guanajuatito (29 km), Comanjilla (24 km) and the Guanajuato Power Stage (8 km), that rewarded the first three with bonus points.

Only 10.5s separated Se?bastien Ogier and Se?bastien Loeb when they left the Poliforum de Leo?n service park. Their aim was to give the Citroe?n DS3 WRC a double. But the race was turned on its head in Guanajuato. Ogier went off halfway through the stage and had to retire with a broken left-hand front upright:
“I had to push to hold on to my first place as my position of being first out forced me to sweep the roads yet again,” explained the Citroe?n Total World Rally Team driver. “In a corner, the car understeered and I went a bit wide. I couldn’t avoid a stone on the verge and the left-hand front upright broke. I gambled and I lost, but above all I’m feeling gutted for the whole team. We’d done a great job since the start of the weekend and I didn’t manage to make it pay off by scoring precious points for Citroe?n.”

When Loeb saw his team-mate stopped in the stage he lifted off a little until the finish: “Seeing Se?bastien and Julian on the side of the road didn’t give me much pleasure. We could have fought till the very end and it’s a pity it finished like that. We went back into the lead of the rally with more than 1m 30s in hand over Mikko. We just nursed it home.”

After losing a few seconds in Comanjilla, Loeb arrived at the start of the Power Stage with the firm intention of adding a few more points to his tally. By snatching the second-quickest time from Petter Solberg the seven- time world champion bagged an additional two points rounding off a very exciting weekend: “We’ve just had a very tricky rally. I had a great scrap with Se?bastien Ogier, a few teething troubles with the car, and my victory only came at the end of the race. It’s a good result where points are concerned, as we’re in second place in the world championship. The season’s really begun for us here.”

“It’s another exceptional result for Citroe?n,” smiled Olivier Quesnel. “It was a really great rally. We lost Se?bastien Ogier along the way; it’s unfortunate but that’s how it goes. In the first event on gravel we showed the speed and reliability of the DS3 WRC, even if we had a few glitches. I’m feeling confident for the rest of the season as I’m convinced that we’ve got the best car and the best crews. We’ve now got to use our brains to fight for the two world titles.”

Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson drove a cautious third leg and brought their DS3 WRC home in fourth place as well as scoring a bonus point in the Power Stage.

Ford stretches world championship lead at Rally Mexico

Posted: May 31, 2011 12:14 PM

Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team claimed a double podium in Rally Mexico today to extend its lead in both the manufacturers' and drivers' standings in the FIA World Rally Championship. Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished second in the gravel debut of the new Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car, 45.5sec ahead of team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila.

The result meant Ford Abu Dhabi extended its lead in the manufacturers' series to 26 points after the second round of the 13 event series. Hirvonen, winner of the opening round in Sweden last month, stretched his lead in the drivers' championship to nine points. He increased his Mexican tally after taking maximum bonus points by winning the final Power Stage. Latvala is third in the standings.

The opening dirt event of the season was punishing. Rocky roads in the Sierra de Lobos mountains near León, 400km north-west of Mexico City, combined with temperatures of 33ºC to take a heavy toll on competitors. Few drivers escaped technical problems, but the Fiesta RS WRCs of Hirvonen and Latvala completed the four-day rally unscathed and a total of three punctures were their only troubles.

Competitors tackled 22 speed tests covering 364.97km over four days. The challenge was made even tougher by the altitude. The roads climbed to more than 2700 metres, and the thinner air deprived cars of up to 20 per cent of their normal power, requiring a different driving approach.

Hirvonen had the first leg disadvantage of opening the roads, sweeping a deep carpet of loose gravel from the tracks. It left a cleaner and faster line for those behind and he ended the day in third. The 30-year-old Finn consolidated his position yesterday and climbed to second this morning when Sébastien Ogier crashed out of the lead.

"It's a great result from the championship perspective, especially considering the disadvantage of our road position on Friday," he said. "After my difficulties last season, I feel I've rediscovered my consistency and that's so important in mounting a title challenge. I knew the roads used in the Power Stage well and those bonus points are a big boost.

"I didn't have the opportunity to fully test some of the parts on the Fiesta before this rally. So I'm looking forward to doing that when we test in Portugal before our next rally there. We still have work to do in improving the car, but it's a hugely encouraging start to the season," he added.

Latvala recovered well to take the final step on the podium after losing two minutes when he stopped to change a rear left puncture on the opening day. The time loss dropped him to ninth but he climbed back to fourth at the end of the leg. A second puncture yesterday proved less costly and the 25-year-old Finn had settled for fourth until he was promoted to third this morning.

"To take a podium after two punctures is more than I could hope for," he admitted. "Our pace improved as the rally progressed and the Fiesta RS WRC felt good all the way through the weekend. I used the same set-up all rally and I was happy with the handling for our first gravel rally in the car. But we can still make improvements, and that's my aim before the next round in Portugal.

Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson described the result as a 'dream finish'. "We knew this weekend would be tough and to leave Mexico having increased our lead in both the manufacturers' and drivers' championships is perfect. The team learned much about the set-up of our cars. We'll use our next test to try to improve further ahead of the upcoming gravel rounds," he said.

Ford of Europe motorsport chief Gerard Quinn said:
"Coming to Mexico off the back of victory in Sweden was difficult. It meant our cars were first in the start order, costing valuable time in the opening leg as we swept the stages for the following competitors. I'm delighted with the reliability and performance of the Fiesta RS WRCs and the fact that we lead both championships. We know our cars are competitive, but we still have work to do and I look forward to fighting for victory in Portugal."

News from other Ford teams

M-Sport Stobart Ford duo Mads Østberg and Jonas Andersson adopted a cautious policy today to claim sixth in their Fiesta RS WRC. Team-mates Henning Solberg and Ilka Minor took seventh, despite having to change their car's alternator belt on a liaison section after the opening stage. Munchi's Ford's Federico Villagra and Jorge Perez Companc finished 10th after limping through the final stage with a broken driveshaft. Monster World Rally Team's Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino were 13th after losing 20 minutes in the penultimate stage with an electrical problem. Ford Fiesta S2000 cars claimed first and second in the opening round of the SWRC support category. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Giovanni Bernacchini led home Martin Prokop and Jan Tománek by 13.5sec.

HEALTHY POINTS HAUL FOR STOBART IN MEXICO

Posted: May 31, 2011 12:13 PM

M-Sport Stobart Ford’s Norwegian contingent of Mads Østberg and Henning Solberg led the way at Rally Mexico this weekend after finishing fifth and sixth respectively, helping the team leave the second round of the FIA World Rally Championship with another healthy points haul.

The Cumbrian-based squad remain third in the FIA Manufacturers’ Championship Standings, 11 points adrift of the Citroen Total World Rally Team in second.

Rally Sweden runner-up Mads Østberg and Swedish co-driver Jonas Andersson had an unfortunate start when their Fiesta RS WRC suffered from a puncture in the rocky Sierra de Lobos mountains on Friday morning.

The 23-year-old lost approximately four minutes as a result of the puncture but a determined Østberg moved up the WRC leaderboard from 11th at the end of the first day to finish his debut in Mexico fifth overall.

Henning Solberg and co-driver Ilka Minor had a drama-filled weekend after suffering from power steering problems for the majority of Saturday’s stages. A weary Solberg returned to the final service exhausted and with blistered hands but held seventh overnight. On Sunday morning, however, the M-Sport Stobart driver took advantage of Sebastien’s Ogier crash to move up into sixth.

M-Sport Stobart debutant Evgeny Novikov was locked in a two-way battle for fourth place with Ford Abu Dhabi’s Jari-Matti Latvala at the end of the first full day. Novikov’s fifth place was a remarkable achievement considering the 20-year-old Russian had completed no testing in the Ford Fiesta RS WRC prior to Mexico.

However, disaster struck on Saturday morning when the engine of Novikov’s Fiesta RS WRC overheated after the radiator lost its water supply due to a small impact. After analysing the data, Novikov’s team decided that it would not be wise for the Russian to return to the rally under SupeRally regulations for Sunday’s final leg.

Britain’s Matthew Wilson was in a career-best fourth position on Friday afternoon but an electrical problem with his Ford Fiesta RS WRC caused the 24-year-old Cumbrian to retire on Stage 7. The car was returned to the service park in Leon on Friday evening where the M-Sport team worked hard to repair a damaged main wiring loom.

The team’s incredible efforts enabled Wilson and co-driver Scott Martin to return to the second day of action at Rally Mexico under SupeRally regulations. However, their Fiesta RS WRC suffered further problems before the day’s opening stage and the British duo were forced to call it a day.

Mads Østberg said:
“I didn’t feel like taking any risks today, our result was more than we had hoped for. We gave away some positions after our puncture on Friday and we won some back today and yesterday so that is good. You cannot expect to come to a rally like this without much experience and to be at the top. The character of the roads was so changeable with some very different types of gravel. It is all about learning where you can push and how to drive on those types of conditions. We have come here to gain experience of every stage, to improve our pacenotes and to learn as much as we can for future years. We really didn’t expect to finish this rally in this position so we are very happy.”

Henning Solberg said:
“I had a problem with my right brake cylinder this morning which I tried to repair for the power stage. This is how things go in rallying but we’ve managed to stay on the road. I tried my best just to finish and for sure, I have learned a lot about the car this weekend. We wanted to make a big push in the power stage and to go flat out but we will have to wait until Portugal now. We had to change the alternator belt on the road section to Stage 21 so we were late into the stage but everything else was OK. I’m glad to have finished in this position and it is a good result for the team.”

Evgeny Novikov:
“It was very disappointing to retire as it had been a very good rally for us until then. It has been a good weekend in terms of learning about the car and I am feeling more confident now for Italy. I think that will be a better rally for us. We had a small impact yesterday and unfortunately this effected the engine but these things happen and there was nothing we could have done. I really enjoyed myself and I’ve now got good experience in the car so that is very important.”

Matthew Wilson said:
“It’s just not been my weekend. Everything was going so well for us on Friday – we’d worked our way up to fourth and I was really happy with the car set-up. Then we had electrical problems on Stage 7. I was gutted but the team worked throughout the night to try and get the car back on the road for today. Then on the way to the first stage the engine kept cutting out and we knew there was nothing else that could be done. It’s so disappointing but I’d really like to thank all the team for their efforts and hope that we can leave with a good result from Portugal next month.”

M-Sport Stobart Ford Team Principal Malcolm Wilson said:
“There is little doubt that it has been a weekend of mixed fortunes for the M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team. Evgeny made a fantastic debut on Friday and we were very impressed with his mature driving approach – some of the times he was setting were outstanding considering he had not even tested the car beforehand. Mads was very unlucky with the time he lost from Friday’s puncture but he has done remarkably well to battle back and to finish fifth today, especially as it is his first time here. Henning has had a very difficult weekend – he struggled yesterday with power steering problems but has proved that he is a very determined individual who will never give up. He thoroughly deserves his sixth place. Matthew showed huge potential this weekend and did very well to move up into the top five on Friday afternoon. It is a great shame that he was forced to retire but the stages here can be very demanding on the cars and despite the team’s best efforts, we were unable to get him back on the road.”

FIESTA S2000 TAKES TOP TWO PODIUM SPOTS IN S-WRC OPENER

Posted: May 31, 2011 12:12 PM

The Fiesta S2000 got off to a flying start in the opening round of the Super 2000 World Rally Championship (S-WRC) in Mexico this weekend with M-Sport’s new generation rally car nabbing the top two podium spots.

Rally Mexico marks the fourth consecutive rally win for Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah in 2011 so far and his first S-WRC victory. The recent Dakar Rally champion dominated the S-WRC from start to finish this weekend, using his experience to manipulate his Fiesta S2000 round the dusty rock-strewn stages in central America.

The Fiesta S2000 got off to a flying start on Friday’s opening leg with all three crews in the top ten of the WRC leaderboard by the end of Stage 10. Al-Attiyah was eighth overall and led the S-WRC by 28.2 seconds to Estonia’s Ott Tanak. Czech driver Martin Prokop reported difficulties with the car set-up but held third overnight, 16.1 seconds behind Tanak.

Saturday’s opening 29.90 km stage, the longest in the rally, did not bode well for 23-year-old Tanak who rolled his Fiesta S2000 into a ravine. The incident was on a twisty downhill section, just 500 metres from where FERM Power Tools World Rally Team’s Dennis Kuipers also rolled his Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

The damage to Tanak’s Fiesta S2000 was minimal but the young Estonian was unable to get the car back onto the road without team assistance so was forced to retire. The car was returned to the Poliforum service park on Saturday night where the Markko Märtin Motorsport team worked on the car in order for Tanak to salvage some vital S-WRC points on Sunday’s closing leg.

Al-Attiyah struggled slightly with a loose steering column on Saturday afternoon’s stages but had a relatively trouble-free day. Prokop reported a perfect car set-up after the gearbox in his Fiesta S2000 was changed on the Friday evening service.

By the end of Saturday’s stages, Al-Attiyah continued to lead the S-WRC with only three stages remaining. Prokop moved up to second place after Tanak’s incident and was 38.6 seconds behind Al Attiyah.

On Sunday’s opening stage, Al-Attiyah reported a problem with the rubber door lining on his Fiesta S2000. Prokop took 15.1 seconds out of the Qatari driver as a result and the gap between the two S-WRC contenders narrowed to just 23.1 seconds.

However, the time difference proved too much for the Prokop who did not want to risk pushing too hard and Al Attiyah finished 13.5 seconds ahead of Prokop. Al-Attiyah finished seventh overall and Prokop finished eighth.

Tanak returned to the S-WRC season-opener on Sunday to have a trouble-free closing leg and finished fourth in S-WRC and 11th overall.

Nasser Al-Attiyah said:
“I didn’t want to take any risks today, the car has just been fantastic all weekend and I am so happy to have won here. It’s been the perfect start to the season so far and the result this weekend has given me a lot of hope for the championship title this year. This is also my first victory in the S-WRC – and hopefully not my last. There is no doubt that it has been a very difficult weekend but we have competed here many times before and my experience of the stages definitely helped to give me an advantage over the other drivers. I have also had some very valuable experience from Dakar, Qatar and Saudi Arabia so far this year so I think it has helped to contribute to my success this weekend. I’m just so happy.”

Martin Prokop said:
“I was on full attack this morning - I was not too bothered about Nasser, but more about Juho [Hanninen] catching me. It has been a good weekend but sometimes I was too fast on the stages and then sometimes too slow – it was difficult to find the right rhythm. I did my best and I’m just glad to be here at the end of the rally. Second place is a very good result in terms of the championship and it’s great to beat the Skodas. Friday was not a good day for me as the set-up wasn’t right but we changed the gearbox overnight and everything was perfect on Saturday and Sunday. This result has set me up nicely for the challenge to take the S-WRC title this year and I hope for another podium spot at my next event in Sardinia.”

Ott Tanak said:
“I had no problems today and I wouldn’t say that this was a bad event for me. I wanted to get a bit closer to Nasser [Al-Attiyah] yesterday and that’s when I made the mistake and rolled after a slow left-hander. The car was actually OK, it was mainly just the bodywork that was damaged. I’m happy to have got to the end today and to finish in this position – it was important for the championship to get some points on the scoreboard. We managed to find a good car set-up on Saturday before we retired so I hope that the experience that I have learned from this weekend will help when I compete in Sardinia.”

CITROËN’S LOEB AND ELENA CLAIM FIFTH VICTORY IN RALLY GUANAJUATO MEXICO

Posted: May 31, 2011 12:11 PM

Defending FIA World Rally Champions, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, cruised to a comfortable 1m 38.4s victory in Rally Guanajuato Mexico 2011 when their French team mates and overnight leaders, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, left the road on the first of Sunday’s remaining three stages.

“That was a very hard weekend,” said a delighted Loeb. “It was a terrible fight with Ogier. We have done a nearly perfect weekend. I am happy with the new car. It is very fast.”

Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala benefited from Ogier’s demise to claim second and third overall for the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team. “It has been a funny rally,” admitted Hirvonen. “I could not really match the Citroën speed and then suddenly I am second.”

Norway’s Petter Solberg completed a remarkable climb through the field from 13th to finish fourth overall in his privately-run Citroën DS3 WRC. Norway’s Mads Ostberg finished fifth and Henning Solberg completed the 22 timed gravel stages in sixth.

Seventh-placed Qatari Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah confirmed his fourth rally victory of the year in as many starts. The winner of the Dakar Rally, the Qatar International Rally and the Saudi Ha’il Desert Challenge held off a fierce late challenge from Czech driver Martin Prokop to claim victory in the SWRC category in his Autotek Ford Fiesta S2000.

“Fantastic really,” said Al-Attiyah. “It was a very hard week. We compete here many times and it is a good start for us. We win the Dakar and then the Qatar Rally and the rally in Saudi. I hope to keep it going now. It is a fantastic year for us.”

“I am very happy with second place,” said Prokop. “It is important points for the championship. We had a bad set-up with the final ratio on Friday.” Finland’s Juho Hänninen survived a small roll on SS21 to confirm third position.

Results

Posted: May 31, 2011 12:09 PM

1. Sébastien Loeb (F)/Daniel Elena (MC) Citroën DS3 WRC 3h 53m 17.0s
2. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN)/Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN) Ford Fiesta RS WRC 3h 54m 55.4s
3. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN)/Miikka Anttila (FIN) Ford Fiesta RS WRC 3h 55m 40.9s
4. Petter Solberg (N)/Chris Patterson (GB) Citroën DS3 WRC 4h 00m 35.4s
5. Mads Ostberg (N)/Jonas Andersson (N) Ford Fiesta RS WRC 4h 02m 00.5s
6. Henning Solberg (N)/Ilka Minor (A) Ford Fiesta RS WRC 4h 03m 07.0s
7. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Giovanni Bernacchini (I) Ford Fiesta S2000 4h 06m 38.5s
8. Martin Prokop (CZ)/Jan Tománek (CZ) Ford Fiesta S2000 4h 06m 52.0s
9. Juho Hänninen (FIN)/Mikko Markkula (FIN) Skoda Fabia S2000 4h 08m 05.7s
10. Federico Villagra (RA)/Jorge Pérez Companc (RA) Ford Fiesta RS WRC 4h 41m 34.2s

Full Results:

www.wrc.com

ESPN gives Ireland & UK WRC fans a Mexico bonus

Posted: March 3, 2011 4:03 PM

Fans of the World Rally Championship living in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland will receive a special bonus this weekend thanks to ESPN.

The world’s leading multinational and multimedia sports entertainment company has an exclusive agreement with North One Sport, the promoter of the WRC, to show the championship on television in the UK throughout 2011.

This weekend marks ESPN’s Free Weekend beginning at 06:00hrs on Friday 4 March and running until 06:00hrs on Monday 7 March. It will make ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN America and ESPN America HD available to all Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk viewers in the UK, and to all UPC and Sky viewers in the Republic of Ireland.

ESPN’s Free Weekend will allow more than 16.5 million households across the UK and Ireland to access its line-up of live British and international sport, including Rally Guanajuato Mexico, round two of the 2011 WRC season, for free.

Further information, including Rally Guanajuato Mexico broadcasting times, can be found at tv.espn.co.uk

RALLY GUANAJUATO MEXICO GETS UNDERWAY WITH STREET STAGE IN GUANJUATO ON THURSDAY EVENING

Posted: March 2, 2011 3:52 PM

Sébastien Loeb will be bidding for a fifth victory in Mexico since 2006 when the defending FIA World Rally Champion crosses the start line of the 2011 Rally Guanajuato Mexico on Thursday evening.

The Frenchman and co-driver Daniel Elena will also be hoping to give the new Citroën DS3 WRC its maiden victory in the World Championship and reduce Rally Sweden winner Mikko Hirvonen’s 15-point advantage in the Drivers’ Championship. Loeb continues to rewrite the record books and has taken seven successive FIA World Rally Championship titles (2004-2010) and a staggering 62 WRC wins since claiming his first victory in Germany in 2002.

The first gravel round of the series is sure to be a battle ground between the French manufacturer and Ford, which clinched a clean sweep of the podium places in Sweden last month with the Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Sébastien Ogier drives the second Citroën Total DS3 and there is a third French car for Norwegian privateer and former World Rally Champion Petter Solberg.

No less than nine of M-Sport’s new WRC creations grace the 25-car entry and a further three Ford Fiesta S2000s have been entered in the opening round of the FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship alongside a pair of Skoda Fabias.

Eight Mexican crews complete the field for this year’s 22-stage event, which is scheduled to finish in León at 13.00 hrs on Sunday, March 6.

Hirvonen recorded his 13th WRC win in Sweden and will be hoping to move off this unlucky number of wins and extend his seven-point advantage over Norway’s Mads Østberg in the Drivers’ Championship on the demanding Mexican gravel stages that reach altitudes of over 2,700 metres above sea level and take place in temperatures in excess of 35 degrees Centigrade.

Ford Abu Dhabi team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala currently holds third position in the Drivers’ Championship and will be aiming for his fifth WRC win and his first since Finland last year.

Østberg drives one of four M-Sport Stobart Ford team cars alongside England’s Matthew Wilson, Norway’s Henning Solberg and Russia’s Evgeny Novikov. America’s Ken Block, Dutchman Dennis Kuipers and Munchi’s Rally Team’s Federico Villagra complete a line-up of 10 Priority 1 drivers.

Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah has already won three rallies in very different disciplines in 2011. The Qatari claimed a stunning win in the Dakar and followed that up with a ninth successive win in the Qatar Rally and a second victory in four years in Saudi Arabia’s Ha’il Baja.

He is one of five drivers entered in round one of the S2000 WRC and faces competition from fellow Ford Fiesta driver Martin Prokop and Estonian Ott Tanak. Finland’s Juho Hänninen and Estonia’s Karl Kruuda complete the S2000 line-up in Skodas.

Benito Guerra heads the eight-car Mexican contingent in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, with Rodrigo Salgado, Francisco Name and Michel Jourdain running Evolution IX versions of the Japanese four-wheel drive car.

Juan-Carlos Sarmiento, Luis Orduna, Guillermo Fonseca and Marcelino Segura complete the Mexican entry in a quartet of Peugeot 206 XSs.

Thursday evening’s ceremonial start in Guanajuato precedes the 22 special stages and 364.87 competitive kilometres in one of the most compact routes in the WRC.

Several of the crews carried out a pre-event test on Monday before embarking upon two days of policed reconnaissance of the special stages.

Tomorrow morning (Thursday) teams will attend the event shakedown before Al-Attiyah, Finland’s Juha Hänninen and Mikko Hirvonen, Frenchman Sébastien Ogier, American Ken Block and Dutchman Dennis Kuipers attend the official FIA pre-event press conference at the media centre in the Poliforum in León.

The ceremonial start will then take place in Guanajuato City at 20.00hrs and teams will then head straight into a timed 1.05km street stage from 20.06hrs.

FERM WORLD RALLY TEAM RISES TO GREAT HEIGHTS IN MEXICO

Posted: March 2, 2011 3:14 PM

This week the FERM World Rally Team will change from minus 28 degrees Celsius in Sweden to the heat of 28 degrees in Mexico, the second round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Near the city of Leon, Dennis Kuipers and Frederic Miclotte start an interesting new adventure. The majority of the 22 special stages will be on treacherously slippery gravel roads in the mountains. During the stages in the Sierra de Lobos and Sierra de Guanajuato heights of 2700 meters will be reached.

Driving at high altitude also affects the Ford Fiesta RS WRC, the thin air could reduce the power of the car up to twenty percent.

Kuipers, who starts the WRC event on a high after bagging manufacturer championship points for the FERM Power Tools World Rally Team on its debut at Rally Sweden earlier this month, has never competed on the Leon-based event before.

The 25-year-old from the Netherlands faces the added challenge of learning to drive his Fiesta RS WRC on gravel for the first time this week.

“This is the first time I have driven in Mexico, whereas my competitors have competed here several times,” said Kuipers. “So I need to catch up regarding my knowledge of the stages and gravel. On the other hand, I debuted last year on Rally of Turkey and I finished ninth.

“I like driving on gravel, here I can feel very well how the car is handling and the car really slides a lot. Furthermore, driving very fast on the dusty roads in Mexico is just a really cool thing to do. We want to get the most out of the rally.”

While Kuipers will be a Mexico novice when he tackles the event this week, his Belgian co-driver Frederic Miclotte has competed on the event in the past, finishing ninth overall alongside Estonian Jaan Molder as the second-highest Junior World Rally Championship competitor back in 2008.

“What I particularly remember and love about this rally is the tremendous enthusiasm of the spectators - I signed a lot of autographs then,” said 37-year-old Miclotte. “The Mexicans are crazy about rallying and they show this from the bottom of their hearts.”

Rally Mexico starts Thursday 3 March and finishes on Sunday March 6 after 22 special stages covering 364 km.

RED BULL ŠKODA TEAM TO MAKE ITS DEBUT AT THE MEXICO RALLY

Posted: March 1, 2011 1:35 PM

The Red Bull Škoda team will make its debut next weekend (5-6th March) at the Mexico Rally, the first round of the 2011 S-WRC series. Last year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) champions, Juho Hänninen and Mikko Markkula, will be competing in a Škoda Fabia S2000.

The Mexico Rally is considered as one of the most exciting and challenging events of the entire S-WRC series. The gravel event around Leon poses a real test of endurance for both the cars and the drivers due to the stages taking place at high altitudes and at high temperatures. The majority of the rally will take place in Sierra de Lobos and Sierra de Guanajuato, both of which offer stunning mountain backdrops and fast stretches in open valleys. The highly competitive field of drivers will have to cope with a total of 22 stages (365 km) and more than a thousand kilometres of transfers between stages.

Juho Hänninen underlines the importance of the team's appearance in the S-WRC series:
“Our appearance in S-WRC is a big challenge for the whole team. We have high ambitions, as we want to be among the leaders of the field, and so the start of the season is extremely important. The competition is going to be strong, but we have prepared well. This rally will show where we stand in comparison with the other teams.”

Head of the team Raimund Baumschlager adds:
“The Mexico Rally is not going to be an easy ride, but we are prepared for that. We have top-class resources, state-of-the-art technology and - thanks to the massive support we are getting from the Škoda Motorsport (factory team) – we also have Juho Hänninen, one of the best current drivers on gravel. I believe that our position in the final rankings will be high“.

Hänninen and Markkula’s Red Bull Škoda team colleagues, Hermann Gassner jr. and co-driver Katharina Wüstenhagen, are set to make their debut at the following S-WRC event in Jordan. Hermann Gassner jr.:
“We are going to do some more testing to make good use of the time remaining until the Jordan Rally – after all, the car is new to me. The appearance in S-WRC is a big step forward, it is the first time that we will be part of an international series. The goal is to gain as much experience as possible and gradually climb up to the top of the field“.

The current plans are for the Red Bull Škoda team to participate in events at Sardinia, Greece, Finland, Germany, France and Spain.

Victorious Fiesta swaps Swedish freezer for Mexican furnace

Posted: March 1, 2011 11:35 AM

The extremes of climate and terrain that Ford's new Fiesta RS World Rally Car must master in its quest for FIA World Rally Championship success will be highlighted at Rally Mexico next week (3 - 6 March). Three weeks after a podium clean sweep on its debut in the harsh Swedish winter, the car journeys to North America for the second round in conditions that could hardly be more different.

Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila excelled in Scandinavia to claim first and third respectively. However, the contrasts between competing in Sweden and Mexico emphasise the characteristics that make the WRC the toughest competition in motorsport for production-based cars.

Gone are the challenges posed by temperatures which dipped to almost -30ºC. They will be replaced by figures forecast to reach 32ºC in the rally base of León, 400km north-west of Mexico City, in the build-up to next Friday's start. The higher than average mercury level will bring new demands, imposing stresses on engines and transmissions as well as on drivers and co-drivers, who will endure higher temperatures in the cockpit.

The relatively smooth icebound roads will be replaced by hard-packed gravel tracks, which can become rough, so cars must absorb greater punishment. This is the first of seven consecutive dirt rounds and is also the highest event in the 13-round season. The speed tests north and east of the city climb to a breathtaking 2737m above sea level on hillsides awash with cacti.

Altitude brings its own challenges, thinner air meaning engines 'run out of breath' and power levels fall by about 20 per cent. To be fully prepared for such conditions, the team tested a Fiesta RS WRC for two days at altitudes encountered in Mexico in the Environmental Testing Laboratory at Ford's Dunton Technical Centre in Britain. It also replicated predicted power levels during testing in Portugal last week to help the drivers gauge different braking points.

Hirvonen has five Mexico starts to his name, his best result being third in 2007. As championship leader, the 30-year-old Finn will be first in the start order for the opening leg. But he is happy to take on the role of sweeping loose gravel from the road to create a clearer line for his rivals behind.

"Leading the championship can have its disadvantages and one of those is to start first on the road for the opening gravel rally of the year," he said. "My rivals have better road positions so the first leg will be tough, but I'll still try to find a way to challenge for victory again. This is the third consecutive Rally Mexico that I've been in this position, so I'm used to it. I'm not underestimating the difficulties, but even if I had the option, I wouldn't swap my win in Sweden for a better seeding in Mexico.

"A win on the car's debut was the perfect start for myself and the team, but it means nothing if we don't build upon that in Mexico. It's not an easy rally because the altitude affects the performance of the cars. We've not enjoyed the best results there in recent years but I believe the new car will give us a better chance to fight for a win. The Fiesta RS WRC uses a six-speed gearbox and that should help us make the most of the power that is available," he added.

Latvala's best result from his four starts in Mexico was third in 2008, and the 25-year-old Finn feels well-prepared for the 2011 event.

"The final day of my pre-event test in Portugal was dry, which is how Mexico will be," he said. "It was ideal, and the team was able to modify the engine to reflect the power levels we can expect at altitude. I've opted for a less aggressive set-up and I'm confident the car will be fully competitive there. Conditions will be different from the first round and everyone will look at the times to see how the new cars perform on gravel for the first time.

"It's one of the rallies which is slippery for the first few drivers because of the loose stones. I'm third in the order for the first day, which is reasonable. I expect the guys behind to be strong as the roads become cleaner. The number of starters is smaller than usual, which might help us. The tracks should stay quite clean for the second pass, because there aren't many local drivers down the order. They take different lines in smaller cars and often mess up the clean roads again," added Latvala.

Team News
* The first dirt rally of the season marks the first opportunity for the Ford Abu Dhabi drivers to sample Michelin's gravel tyres in competition. The Michelin Latitude Cross rubber was the first of the French company's range of WRC tyres to be developed and tested at the end of summer 2010. They will be available in hard compound only. Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the rubber and each car can carry two spare wheels.

* After Mexico, Ford Abu Dhabi will test for four days on gravel in preparation for Rally de Portugal. Hirvonen will drive for the opening two days, with Latvala taking the wheel for the final two days.

* Seven other Fiesta RS WRCs are entered. Henning Solberg / Ilka Minor and Mads Østberg / Jonas Andersson are nominated by the M-Sport Stobart Ford team, which has also entered Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin and Evgeny Novikov / Stéphane Prévot. Monster World Rally Team's Ken Block / Alex Gelsomino, Munchi's Ford World Rally Team's Federico Villagra / Jorge Perez Companc and FERM Power Tools World Rally Team's Dennis Kuipers / Frederic Miclotte complete the WRC entries. The rally is the opening round of the SWRC support series and three Fiesta S2000 cars are entered. In total, Ford cars account for almost 50 per cent of the entry.

Rally Route
The route is virtually identical to last year, covering familiar roads in the Sierra de Lobos mountains north and east of León. Aside from minor revisions to two Sunday stages, the major change is the introduction of a short test through the streets of Guanajuato immediately after Thursday's start ceremony. The town is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site, famed for rich veins of silver and gold discovered centuries ago, and the stage will wind along wall-lined cobbled roads and through floodlit tunnels which once formed mine shafts. Friday and Saturday's legs again include a short street stage next to the service park at León Poliforum midway through the day. Both also close with two tests at the town's race circuit, which will be run in darkness for the first time. The competition ends with an 8.28km Power Stage, broadcast live on television and offering bonus points to the fastest drivers. Competitors tackle 22 stages covering 364.87km in a route of 1031.30km.

MUNCHI’S FORD PREPARED FOR WRC COMEBACK IN MEXICO

Posted: March 1, 2011 11:34 AM

The Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team will make their comeback to the FIA World Rally Championship for the fifth consecutive year at next week’s Rally Mexico.

Nine-time Argentine Rally Champion, Federico Villagra, returns to the WRC to head up the South American team alongside fellow countryman, Jorge Pérez Companc.

Mexico will mark the first of a nine-round programme for the Munchi’s squad in Ford’s new challenger for 2011 – the Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Villagra has already gained some experience driving M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta S2000 in 2010 – the car which shares the same underpinnings as the Fiesta RS WRC.

This week, however, the Argentine travelled to Portugal and successfully completed over 300 km testing in the new car. Despite being the first time that Villagra has tested the Fiesta RS WRC, the gravel roads in Portugal helped Villagra prepare for the dusty road stages in the high-altitude plains of Central America.

Altitude and ambient temperature will be the main issue for the Munchi’s Ford crew in Mexico. As the air is less dense at 2,500 feet, the engine of the Fiesta RS WRC will produce approximately 20% less power. The low air density also makes the coolers less efficient.

With a combination of high-altitude testing engine performance to the limit and some rocky stages, the Munchi’s driver will have to temper his pace with caution in order to avoid any mishaps.
However, with the help of the new Michelin tyre Villagra will be hoping to up the ante and improve on his previous visits to Mexico in 2008 and in 2010, where he finished seventh on both occasions.

Federico Villagra said:
“I can’t wait to return to the WRC – it’s been nearly four months since I was in Spain and I’ve really missed it. I’ve had a good week testing in Portugal, the car has been running very nicely and I’ve been amazed by how responsive it is. It’s been my first time in the new Fiesta RS WRC and we’ve done over 300 km testing over two days so this should help me prepare for the gravel roads in Mexico. I don’t want to push too hard next week – we’ve got a new car and new tyres so I will want to build up a good feeling first and then we can take it from there. For sure, I’d like to beat my personal best [seventh] so if we are fighting in the top six in Mexico then I will be happy.”

FIESTA S2000 CREWS FIGHT FOR MEXICAN GLORY

Posted: March 1, 2011 11:32 AM

M-Sport’s new generation rally car – the Ford Fiesta S2000 – had a dream start in 2010 after it won the legendary Monte Carlo Rally on its debut event and the inaugural Super 2000 World Rally Championship (S-WRC) with Spain’s Xevi Pons at the wheel.

This year, the Fiesta S2000 returns to the S-WRC for what is hoped to be a second consecutive title win for the award-winning car. Next week’s Rally Mexico will mark the first event of the eight-round series where five S2000 cars will battle it out for the top spot.

Three Fiesta S2000 crews will be present in Mexico and returning for the second year is Czech driver Martin Prokop who finished third in last year’s championship. Prokop finished second at last year’s Rally Mexico and the 2009 J-WRC champion racked up an impressive six podium finishes throughout the year. The Czech is looking to return to this year’s series to fight for the S-WRC title.

Ott Tänak will also embark on his first WRC event of 2011 in an M-Sport run Fiesta S2000 next week and the young Estonian will pilot the exact car that assisted Pons in winning last year’s S-WRC title.

The 23-year-old made his debut in the WRC at 2009’s Rally Portugal and was part of the Pirelli Star Driving programme last year where he achieved a series of strong results including winning the Production Class in both Finland and Wales Rally GB. Tänak’s car will be run by his long-term mentor, Markko Märtin who won 2004’s Rally Mexico in the award-winning Ford Focus RS WRC.

Tänak has already tested the Fiesta S2000 in Estonia and competed in a rally in Latvia recently where he finished runner-up, less than one second behind the winning Focus RS WRC.

Recent Dakar Rally champion, Nasser Al Attiyah will also be fighting for S-WRC honours in Mexico next week. The Qatari driver has contested three rallies this year already and won all three events including the famous off-road and notoriously difficult Dakar Rally and Qatar International Rally. The 2006 P-WRC champion and six-time MERC champion will be looking to take full advantage of his experience driving the Fiesta S2000 in last year’s championship to challenge the other S-WRC contenders.

Ott Tänak said:
“Mexico will be my first time competing in the Fiesta S2000 car at a WRC event and I’m really looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead. My objective is to gain experience, finish as many rallies as possible and to build up my speed on an event by event basis. The Fiesta S2000 was a real pleasure to drive in Latvia - fast with great balance and it was good to get some feeling of the car. Of course, I still have much to learn but I am lucky to have Markko [Märtin] and the MMM Team to support me. I have not contested Rally Mexico before but I’ve seen some onboard footage and I’m feeling quite relaxed. Kuldar Sikk [Tänak’s co-driver] and myself are 100% focused on getting the best results possible this season.”

Nasser Al Attiyah said:
“I’ve been absolutely flat out this year already - this has been the first week I’ve actually spent at home to get some rest but I’m really looking forward to returning to the S-WRC for 2011. I’ve competed in three rallies so far this year including the Qatar International Rally in the Fiesta S2000 and I’ve won all three so I’ll be aiming for another victory next week. This will be my second time in Mexico so I have some experience of the stages which should definitely help – it is a very enjoyable rally and I think the stages suit my driving style nicely.”

Martin Prokop said:
“I’m really looking forward to Mexico, it has been a good event for me in the past – I’ve been there a couple of times now so I know the stages well and I also finished second last year. It could be a big challenge to win next week as and Tänak, Al Attiyah and Hänninen are very strong drivers who have incredible pace but I think it will be a good fight. I’m really wanting to take the S-WRC title this year – I was so close in 2010 and I was very disappointed to lose out at my last event in France but I hope that 2011 will be my lucky year and that I can win the series.”

The Citroën DS3 WRCs back on gravel

Posted: March 1, 2011 11:30 AM

After kicking off on the snow and ice in Rally Sweden, the FIA World Rally Championship continues with a string of seven consecutive events on gravel, starting with Mexico. Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, spearheading the Citroën Total World Rally Team attack, will be aiming for their fifth victory on the trot on the dusty stages in the Léon region. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia will also be gunning for a win in the rally in which they made their world championship debut.

Nine out of the thirteen rallies on the 2011 WRC calendar will be held on gravel. The Rally Guanajuato Mexico is the first of a world tour consisting of seven races on this type of surface. The first rally on asphalt will not take place until the end of August when the crews tackle Rally Germany! The seventh Rally Mexico will see the introduction of a new stage run in the heart of the historic town of Guanajuato, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Guanajuato is famous for its architecture, its colours and its silver mines, and it will not only be the starting place for the event, but also the theatre of a competitive stage eagerly awaited by the Mexican spectators. The remainder of the route is very similar to the 2010 event with the addition of the Power Stage, the final stage of the rally, on an 8-km section of SS 13/17, part of Saturday’s loop.

Altitude is a vital factor in the Mexican round as it culminates at over 2000 metres with a spike of 2 700 metres. For this reason, the WRCs are specially prepared with particular attention paid to the engine mapping. The Citroëns have always been well performing on this surface. The French make arrives in Mexico with a string of four victories in the event down to Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena with the Xsara WRC (2006), the C4 WRC (2007, 2008 et 2010). Last year, the C4 WRCs monopolized the podium thanks to Petter Solberg and Sébastien Ogier.

Sébastien Ogier, who was fourth in Sweden, is really looking forward to Rally Mexico with just a few days to go:
“I’ve got good memories of Rally Mexico. In 2008, our first world championship rally in the JWRC in the C2 Super 1600 ended in victory and eighth place overall. Last year we had an exciting finish to the rally as we were battling with Petter Solberg for second place. This year, we’ll have a good position on the road on the first day. I feel confident in this rally with its stages that are great fun for the driver. Like all my rivals, I’m impatient to see if we’ve done a good job in testing.”

Sébastien Loeb, winner of the last four Mexican rallies arrives in Léon with the intention of adding a fifth to his laurels:
“The first rally on gravel is really the kick-off of the season. The route is very like what we’ll meet during the rest of the year with this event’s special feature, a combination of very quick and very twisty sections. We know that there are quite a few victory contenders. From our side, it’s very important not to give away any points in the title chase.”

A third Citroën DS3 WRC has been entered by the Petter Solberg World Rally Team for its eponymous driver and Chris Patterson, currently lying fifth in the World Rally Championship. Like the two Sébastiens, the Norwegian is determined to score a podium finish.

Three questions to Xavier Mestelan-Pinon

How do you feel about the fact that there were no Citroën DS3 WRCs on the podium in Rally Sweden?
“We shouldn’t jump to hasty conclusions when analyzing the results of the rally. When the conditions were comparable for all the crews, our cars were at least as quick as those of our rivals. In terms of figures, the DS3 WRCs set ten fastest times out a possible twenty-two. There’s only one rally on snow with studded tyres during the season. We had a long debrief after the event, and I think we’ve found some interesting paths to explore in the future.”

Have you developed the Citroën DS3 WRC more for gravel ?
“The World Rally Championship has always been mainly run in gravel events. Even, if it’s not a question of sacrificing snow or asphalt, it was very important to be able to count on a car that’s competitive on gravel right from the start of the season. Mexico begins a string of seven events on this surface. We’ve done a lot of testing on different types of gravel from the really rough stuff to the smoother, faster sections. We’re continuing to work on the car’s handling with the new Michelin tyres.”

One of the main characteristics of Rally Mexico is that it takes place 2000 metres above sea level. Do you have to prepare the cars specifically to compensate for the lack of air?
“We’ve got a lot of experience of Rally Mexico which we’ve won with the Xsara and the C4. To be quick on this type of terrain, you have to have a good suspension setup and brakes that last. Concerning the altitude you have to adjust the gear box ratios and play around with the engine mapping. It’s the result of work in testing as the engine is no different from the one we had in Sweden. “

RUSSIA’S NOVIKOV SET TO JOIN STOBART IN MEXICO

Posted: March 1, 2011 10:45 AM

The M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team will welcome Russia’s Evgeny Novikov, the youngest ever driver to set a fastest WRC stage time, into their Cumbrian-based squad for next week’s Rally Mexico.

The 20-year-old made his debut in the FIA World Rally Championship at 2007’s Wales Rally GB but was absent from the series last year after spending the season competing at home events in Russia. Novikov originally planned to embark on his 2011 campaign in the new Ford Fiesta RS WRC at Rally Portugal but has since moved this forward in order to build up his experience of competing on gravel.

Novikov, whose best WRC result is fifth from 2009’s Rally d’Italia Sardegna, will be co-driven by experienced Belgian Stéphane Prévot and the pair will be looking to make a good impression on their first outing in Ford’s new challenger.

Rally Sweden runner-up, Mads Østberg and co-driver Jonas Andersson will also be competing under the M-Sport Stobart banner in Mexico and will be the team’s nominated point-scorers. Østberg’s 2010 WRC campaign got off to a flying start earlier this month with the 23-year-old finishing second overall – the best ever result for the Stobart team in their six year history.

Østberg will contest the third round of the Norwegian Rally Championship – Rally Finnskog - in a Ford Fiesta S2000 this weekend before flying to Mexico on Sunday. It will be a new event for Østberg but his pace could easily threaten the WRC front-runners in the high-altitude plains of Central America.

Regular team-mates Henning Solberg and Ilka Minor have been nominated as the team’s other point-scorers next week. The Norwegian has a strong track record in Mexico – it will be Solberg’s fifth outing at the Leon-based gravel rally and he has finished inside the top five twice. Last year, Solberg finished sixth overall.

Britain’s Matthew Wilson and Scott Martin finished sixth at 2008’s Rally Mexico and 24-year-old Wilson will be looking to take advantage of the extensive testing he has undertaken in the Fiesta RS WRC on gravel so far in order to finish in a strong position.

Evgeny Novikov said:
"For obvious reasons, I am not planning to fight for a high result in Mexico and I am not planning to drive to the limit. It is a wonderful opportunity to try out the new Fiesta RS WRC and I will have a first chance to try the new car at Rally Mexico’s shakedown which I consider as an ideal place to get acquainted with the car. As for the car itself, I feel that it will be better in handling compared to the cars from the previous generations - the results that the car achieved from Sweden were very impressive. The new class is a novelty for everyone and everyone needs some time to adapt and get used to the new cars. I have never competed in Mexico, but my co-driver has recommended it to me - fast stages should suit my driving style.”

Mads Østberg said:
“Sweden was a really good event for me but I don’t think it is realistic to expect the same sort of result in Mexico. It’s the first time there for us and it’s all about learning how the car handles on gravel at this event. It’s very important that we have a good recce and after that, I just want to just concentrate on getting through the rally in one piece. I’ve got absolutely no idea what to expect from the stages – I haven’t even seen any onboard footage yet so it’s a real leap into the unknown. I’ll be content if I’m fighting in the top five at this event and if I finish in the top five or six, then I will leave a happy man.”

Henning Solberg said:
“I really enjoy this event - for sure, Mexico is a great place to go and the atmosphere of the fans is incredible. The organisers have made some changes to the itinerary this year including the Guanajuato Street Stage which looks like it will be a lot of fun. I also think it will help make the event even more exciting for both the drivers and the fans. I’ve had some good results in Mexico in the past so hopefully I can put my accident from Sweden at the back of my mind in order to produce a strong points finish next week.”

Matthew Wilson said:
“We’re moving from a rally where the conditions helped the car run at optimum levels to one where the air is less dense because of the altitude. This means the engine produces about 20% less power which is quite noticeable when driving - you really have to take the reduction in power into account when tackling stages. It’ll be good to get used to the new Michelin tyres on gravel over there but sometimes the stages can be really rough and there could be a risk of punctures. Like every rally I set a pace on the first stage, see where we are and then develop the speed and feeling from there.”

Entry List

Posted: March 1, 2011 10:44 AM

Mexico (S) - 3-6 Mar 11 - ENTRY LIST

Guides/ Regulations / Website / Details

Posted: January 2, 1990 3:00 PM

Rally Mexico