Cyprus Rally - 2-4 Nov 12

Seashore Qatar Rally Team ready for Rally Cyprus

Posted: November 1, 2012 4:09 PM

Seashore Qatar Rally Team Drivers Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari & Misfer Al-Marri both driving Mini JCW RRC’s are competing this week in Rally Cyrus, it is the fifth & penultimate round of this years Middle East Rally Championship.

Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari currently leads the Middle East Championship by 9 points from fellow Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah, Abdulaziz is hoping for a good result in Cyprus to increase his Championship lead going into the final Championship round in Dubai. Abdulaziz & Irish Co-Driver Killian Duffy will then depart Sunday night for Rally Spain where they will compete in a Mini JCW WRC car.

It is Abdulaziz’s & his sponsors’ Seashore first year competing outside of the Middle East region, and they are really looking forward to gaining some more experience.

Follow Abdulaziz’s & Misfer’s progress throughout Rally Cyprus on Seashore Qatar Rally Team Twitter page ; @seashoreQatarRT

CYPRUS RALLY ORGANISERS CONFIRM ITINERARY CHANGE

Posted: November 1, 2012 4:05 PM

This year’s much-anticipated Cyprus Rally takes place on the eastern Mediterranean island this weekend and the organizers have announced a late change in the itinerary.

As previously announced, the event gets underway at 19:00hrs of Friday 2nd November, with Special Stage 1 - a 3.2km all-tarmac Super Special Stage through the streets of Pafos, with the start located outside Pafos Town Hall. A similar Super Special kicked off last year’s event in dramatic style and is sure to draw the crowds once again. Spectators for this stage need to be in place by 18:20.

As before, the event will continue to be held over the next two days, however the Saturday and Sunday itineraries are now swapped. The decision has been made due to the popular Cyprus hunting season, with certain special stages latterly falling within established hunting zones. The revised itinerary will effectively remove the risks that might have been posed to competitors, spectators and hunters, but the organizers encourage all spectators to study the new itinerary carefully before heading out to watch the action.

Saturday will see competitors tackle six special stages in the countryside east of Pafos. The first car will leave service at 07:15 and go on to cover a total of 343.99km on Day 1. The first car will enter SS2 (Koilinia) – a mostly gravel stage – at 08:13, and SS3 (Salamiou) – 57% tarmac – at 09:16. Crews will then tackle SS4 (Panayia) – 100% gravel – from 09:59, before returning to service in Pafos at 11:49. After exiting service at 12:19, drivers will repeat the morning stages – SS5 (Koilinia) at 13:17, SS6 (Salamiou) at 14:20, and SS7 (Panayia) at 15:03.

Sunday will see crews tackle a further six special stages, amounting to 100.32km of competitive action. Day 2 will see drivers cover a total of 350.77km. The first car will exit service at 08:30 and enter Special Stage 8 (Prodromi) – a predominantly gravel stage – at 09:28, and SS9 (Gialia) – 100% gravel – at 10:21. SS10 (Stavros) - a 100% tarmac stage - gets underway at 11:04. Drivers will then return to Pafos for service at 12:34, before heading out again at 13:04 to tackle the repeat loop of stages. The first car will enter SS11 (Prodromi) at 14:02, SS12 (Gialia) at 14:55, and SS13 (Stavros) at 15:38. Crews will return to service at 16:58.

The finish will now take place outside Pafos Town Hall at 17:30 on Sunday.

The Cyprus Rally is organized by the Cyprus Automobile Association (CAA) and will serve as both the season closer of the 2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), and the penultimate round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC).

An impressive roster of international, regional and national drivers will take to Friday’s start ramp, including defending IRC champion Andreas Mikkelsen of Norway in his Skoda Fabia S2000, and 2010 Cyprus Rally winner Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar, who will field an M-Sport Ford Fiesta RRC.

The 2012 Cyprus Rally will see crews cover a total of 694.76km, of which 237.14km will be special stages. 30.97% (73.45km) of the stages will be tarmac, and 69.03% (163.69km) gravel.

Harry/Moynihan focused on title fight at IRC final showdown in Cyprus

Posted: October 30, 2012 12:38 PM

London-based rally driver Harry Hunt has his eyes set on securing his second Intercontinental Rally Championship title when he contests the final round of the all-action series which takes place in Cyprus later this week (2-4 November).

Despite leading the highly-competitive IRC 2WD Cup for the majority of the season in a Citroen DS3 R3, Harry is currently 11 points adrift of the lead due to missed point-scoring opportunities in both Ukraine and Sanremo: most recently when he was trying out a Super 2000 car and setting top six times. But with double points up for grabs at the final round of the season, 24-year-old Harry is set to give it his all on the mixed surface stages set in and around the picturesque Troodos mountains.

“Cyprus is one of the biggest challenges of the year due to the mixed road surfaces and the constant changes of grip,” explained Harry, who will be co-driven for the first time by Irish navigator David Moynihan, who usuallys sits alongside Marty McCormack in another Citroen DS3 R3. “The majority of the stages are set on gravel but there’s still about 30 per cent of the roads that are run on asphalt so we’ll need to find a set-up on our car where we’re able to push comfortably on both surfaces.”

Harry added:
“We’re only 11 points behind the lead and there is still everything still to play for. It could go either way but I’m definitely not going to give up without a fight and at least I don’t have to think too much about strategy: with double points on offer I’ve just got to go for it. I have fond memories of Cyprus: this is where we clinched the 2WD title on my debut year in the IRC so fingers crossed that history will repeat itself!”

Following two successful outings in a Peugeot 207 S2000 at Rallye Mont-Blanc and Rallye Sanremo, Harry has proved that he is a formdiable match in both two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive machinery.

Harry explains:
“Competing in Sanremo in the Peugeot 207 S2000 meant I was unable to score points in the 2WD Cup which was always a gamble with so few points separating myself and my key rival Robert [Consani]. Robert is very strong on asphalt but with the majority of the stages being held on gravel in Cyprus, I’m hoping things will go well for us.”

Based in Paphos in the south-west of the island for the second time, a ceremonial start on Friday 2 November will signal the beginning of this year’s rally and will be followed by a short 3.20-kilometre evening super special.

Of the three repeated stages on Saturday that cover 103 kilometres, one takes place on gravel, one is on asphalt and the other is on a combination of the two. Sunday’s route totals 133 kilometres and features two mixed-surface stages plus the event-closing 30.41-kilometre Panayia test that is set on gravel.

Harry’s team manager, Iwan Evans, commented:
“We’re not underestimating the challenge ahead of us, with some extremely demanding roads and hot temperatures that are always a hallmark of this rally. Harry has won at least one championship every year that he’s been competing so there’s bound to be a weight of expectation, but at the same time we know that there are some events we have missed this year so it’s not going to be an easy task. David Moynihan steps into the co-driver’s seat for the first time and this will be something else for them both to get used to, but David is a great professional and I’m sure he’ll rise to the occasion. Unfortunately Harry’s regular co-driver, Robbie, is still not well enough to compete after their accident in Bulgaria, but he’s making a great recovery at home and can’t wait to get back.”

David Moynihan to co-driver for Harry Hunt

Posted: October 29, 2012 10:53 AM

David Moynihan will co-drive for Harry Hunt in i-Cars motorsport DS3

Seeded Entry List

Posted: October 29, 2012 10:49 AM

Cyprus Rally - 2-3 Nov 12 - SEEDED ENTRY LIST

Andreas plans ultimate celebration run in Cyprus

Posted: October 29, 2012 10:32 AM

ŠKODA UK Motorsport’s Andreas Mikkelsen is planning the ultimate celebration run on the Cyprus Rally (November 2-4), as the 23-year old Fabia S2000 pilot is set to become the first driver to retain the Intercontinental Rally Challenge title.

Andreas and co-driver Ola Fløene won their first IRC titles with victory in Cyprus last year, and with an unassailable points lead heading into the final round of this year’s series, neither can be beaten to the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles.

With ŠKODA already confirmed as IRC Manufacturers’ champions for the third consecutive year, Andreas and the entire ŠKODA UK Motorsport team are determined to end the IRC season on a high, and will be pushing as hard as ever to score a good result.

Victory in Cyprus will not be easy, as a tough challenge comes from the turbocharged Fiesta RRC driven by Nasser Al-Attiyah and the normally-aspirated Fabia S2000 of Sepp Wiegand (ŠKODA Deutschland).

This year’s Cyprus Rally, which also counts towards the FIA Middle East Rally Championship, is a mixed surface event, with 70% rough gravel and 30% asphalt. The majority of the stages are located in the Troodos mountains, the highest point of the eastern Mediterranean island.

Andreas:
“I love competing in Cyprus, the stages are really tough and challenging and we won there last year, so I’m looking forward to returning. It’s a great feeling to know that I’ve become the first driver to win back-to-back IRC drivers’ titles and that ŠKODA is already manufacturer champions for a third time, so we can now go to Cyprus and have some fun. We will try to win, because I want to give all the guys in the team who have worked so hard for this year’s success, plus all our fans, a really great ending to what has been a truly fantastic season.”

This year’s Cyprus Rally contains 13 special stages covering 147.35 miles (237.14kms), with the centralised service park based in Pafos. The action begins with a spectacular 2 mile (3.2km) superspecial around the streets of Pafos on the evening of Friday 2 November.

Leg 1 continues the following day. Starting at 08.15, it contains one mixed surface, one asphalt and one gravel stage, all of which are repeated in the afternoon. One of the exciting changes to this year’s route is the inclusion of the 12.07 mile (19.43km) Prodromi-Neo Chorio stage, which last year was used for the Golden Stage Rally and is considered a “beautiful and spectacular stage” by IRC Manager Jean-Pierre Nicolas. After seven stages and 64 miles (103.52kms) of competition, all cars must be in parc ferme for the final overnight halt by 20.30.

Leg 2 on Sunday 4 November gets underway at 07.00 and contains a further three stages in the morning, all of which are repeated in the afternoon. Two are mixed surface, while the all-gravel Panayia stage is, at 18.89 miles (30.41kms), the longest stage of the event. This will also be the final stage, prior to the traditional champagne ceremony at 17.00.

Websites

Posted: October 29, 2012 10:31 AM

• Cyprus Rally
• Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC)