Rally Islas Canarias - 10-12 Mar 16

ERC RALLY ISLAS CANARIAS DAY TWO REPORT: LUKYANUK BEATS KAJETANOWICZ

Posted: March 16, 2016 10:08 AM

Alexey Lukyanuk won the opening round of the 2016 FIA European Rally Championship after defeating the defending champion Kajetan Kajetanowicz on the final day of Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Ingles.

The triumph in Gran Canaria is a second consecutive ERC win for Russian driver Lukyanuk and co-driver Alexey Arnautov ? their third in total ? after they won last year's final round in Switzerland. Lukyanuk started leg two with a 22.7-second deficit to his fellow Pirelli-shod Ford Fiesta R5 driver Kajetanowicz but profited when the LOTOS Rally Team driver suffered excessive tyre wear during the morning loop as the result of high tyre pressures.

Lukyanuk took the lead on SS9 and extended it to over half a minute on SS10 before the midday service in Las Palmas. Thereafter he resisted Kajetanowicz's attempts to get back on terms, picking up his third and fourth stage wins of the event on the final two stages to finish up 32.7s ahead.

"It's incredible to be honest," said Lukyanuk, who had ended the 2015 season with a maiden Tarmac victory. "The competition was so hard. We did a lot of mistakes yesterday but this helped us today. It is super and I am really proud for my team and my sponsors. The competition is very high."

Local rallying hero Luis Monzon returned to the ERC podium, matching his third place from the championship's last visit to Gran Canaria in 2013. No longer suffering from the gearbox gremlins of Friday in his Michelin-equipped Citroen DS3 R5, Monzon was a frontrunner throughout the six stages that made up leg two and he beat Lukyunuk to win SS10.

Robert Consani had moved up into third place overall at the end of Friday but endured a torrid second day, which began with his Peugeot 208 T16 failing to start prior to the morning's first stage. The Frenchman then battled brake issues throughout the day and was eventually classified seventh after three-and-a-half minutes of road penalties.

Poland's Wojciech Chuchala starred throughout the rally in his Subaru Impreza STi, dominating the ERC2 class and also finishing a fine fifth overall behind Spanish Fiesta driver Jonathan Perez. Jaroslaw Koltun, in another Fiesta, was only 1.1s behind his fellow Polish driver Chuchala going onto the final stage but was forced to settle for sixth after stopping to change a tyre. Tenth overnight, Janos Puskadi ran first on the road during the second leg and climbed to eighth overall, just one position away from matching his best ever ERC finish from this same event in 2013.

Puskadi's fellow SKODA Fabia R5 driver Hermen Kobus had dreams of a top-five finish and moved into that position on the day's opening stage, but the Dutchman's rally ended shortly afterwards when he crashed into a tree on SS9. Italian Giacomo Costenaro retired from top-five contention when hit by a power steering problem in his Peugeot 208 T16 early in the day. Tomasz Kasperczyk finished P10 in his Fiesta, benefiting when Ivan Ares suffered a continuation of the braking issues that struck when he was running a fine fourth during Friday.

Chuchala dominates ERC2, Ranga steals second
Wojciech Chuchala led ERC2 from start to finish, setting the best time on every stage and finishing 3m37.8s ahead of his nearest competitor, as well as taking fifth overall for the Subaru Poland Rally Team. While Chuchala was in command, a tight battle emerged for second place during leg two. Giacomo Scattolon (Italy) had held the position since the first stage on Friday but severe tyre wear during the morning loop had eroded an advantage of over 30s to Hungarian Peter Ranga, driving an older Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. The Hungarian cut the gap to Scattolon just 1.4s ahead of the final stage and then outpaced his rival by 6.1s in the decider to steal the place at the final opportunity. Argentina's Juan Carlos Alonso was fourth on an unfamiliar surface ahead of Tibor erdi (Hungary).

Habaj provides more Polish success in ERC3
Lukasz Habaj matched the efforts of his compatriot and fellow national champion Chuchala by sweeping the board in ERC3. Driving a Rallytechnology Peugeot 208 R2, Habaj more than doubled his advantage during the second leg of the rally to finish 2m36.8s clear in 15th overall. As well as supremacy from a Polish driver, another parallel between ERC2 and ERC3 was a close scrap for second until the end. Double Turkish champion Murat Bostanci held the position at the start of the day in his Ford Fiesta R2 but was passed by two-time ERC 2WD champion Zoltan Bessenyey on SS8. The Hungarian Renault Clio R3T driver held on, but the largest his margin grew to all day was the 4.3s gap at the finish ? after the pair set identical times on the final stage. Habaj's team-mate Tomasz Gryc claimed fourth ahead of four-time Slovenian champion Aleks Humar in a Clio R3T. Two more Polish drivers, Lukasz Pieniazek and Aleks Zawada, restarted for the second leg after being stopped on Friday by accident damage and a broken driveshaft respectively on their Opel Adam R2s, and were frequently the closest to Habaj in the stage times.

Visiting star Mads Ostberg, currently second in the WRC standings, led until the final stage of day one on his ERC debut, before crashing his Fiesta R5 after experiencing brake fade. The Norwegian paid tribute to the high level of competition in the ERC, admitting that he had been pushing hard in an attempt to stay ahead.

Results

Posted: March 16, 2016 10:07 AM

1 Alexey Lukyanuk (RUS)/Alexey Arnautov (RUS) Ford Fiesta R5 2h03m49.6s
2 Kajetan Kajetanowicz (POL)/Jaroslaw Baran (POL) Ford Fiesta R5 +32.3s
3 Luis Monzon (ESP)/Jose Carlos Deniz (ESP) Citroen DS3 R5 +1m41.5s
4 Jonathan Perez (ESP)/Alejandro Lopez Fernandez (ESP) Ford Fiesta R5 +2m44.0s
5 Wojciech Chuchala (POL)/Daniel Dymurski (POL) Subaru Impreza STi +5m27.0s
6 Jaroslaw Koltun (POL)/Ireneusz Pleskot (POL) Ford Fiesta R5 +5m28.1s
7 Robert Consani (FRA)/Maxime Vilmot (FRA) Peugeot 208 T16 +6m40.1s
8 Janos Puskadi (HUN)/Barnabas Godor (HUN) SKODA Fabia R5 +7m18.1s
9 Surhayen Pernia (ESP)/Juan Luis Garcia (ESP) Renault Clio R3T +7m48.7s
10 Tomasz Kasperczyk (POL)/Damian Syty (POL) Ford Fiesta R5 +8m01.4s

FIA ERC2: Wojciech Chuchala (POL)/Daniel Dymurski (POL) Subaru Impreza STi
FIA ERC3: Lukasz Habaj (POL)/Piotr Wos (POL) Peugeot 208 R2

Full Results: rally-base results or European Rally Championship (ERC) - fiaerc.com
Event Website: Rally Islas Canarias

EVENT PREVIEW: ERC CONTENDERS KICK START NEW SEASON ON ISLAND CLASSIC

Posted: March 9, 2016 8:09 AM

The 2016 FIA European Rally Championship begins this week (10-12 March) on the asphalt roads of Gran Canaria for Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Ingles.

One of the world's leading drivers has signed up for the island-based challenge with Mads Ostberg making his ERC debut. The strong entry also includes reigning champion Kajetan Kajetanowicz beginning the defence of his crown on the first of 10 rounds across Europe during 2016.

The challenge
Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Ingles is being run for the 40th year in 2016, and the milestone is celebrated with a highly-anticipated return to the ERC after two years away. The rally takes place on the island of Gran Canaria, where the stages undulate over the mountainous terrain. For the drivers, this means having to take care with their speed and lines through corners in order to maintain momentum.

The itinerary is made up to 13 special stages totalling 215.2 competitive kilometres. The Qualifying Stage will take place on Thursday 10 March to help determine the starting order among priority drivers, followed that evening by a superspecial stage in the island's capital Las Palmas. Friday begins with the longest stage of the rally, the 24.73km Moya, which is the first of a loop of three tests that are repeated later in the day. The rally concludes with two runs over another three-stage loop on Saturday, including the 22.84-kilometre Ingenio.

The contenders
D.vid Botka (Botka Rally Team Citroen DS3 R5): last year's ERC2 champion steps up to compete for overall honours. He'll be adapting to his new machinery in the Canaries but should be fast nonetheless.

Kajetan Kajetanowicz (LOTOS Rally Team Ford Fiesta R5): the Polish star returns to defend the ERC crown he won in 2015. Like many, he's doing the rally for the first time but is looking to maintain an impressive podium streak lasting over 12 months.

Alexey Lukyanuk (Ford Fiesta R5): the Russian driver brings momentum into the opening rally of 2016 after proving his speed on asphalt with a win in Valais at the end of last season.

Luis Monzon (Auto Laca Competicion Citroen DS3 R5): while most ERC regulars are new to the event, Monzon is a Las Palmas local and three-time winner of his home rally. He's also a double Spanish champion and came third on the ERC's last visit in 2013.

Mads Ostberg (RMC Motorsport Ford Fiesta R5): M-Sport's world championship star makes his ERC debut. Asphalt isn't the Norwegian's favoured surface but his class is evident, and both his co-driver Ola Fl?ene and his Spanish team have event knowledge.

The challengers
Frequent ERC frontrunner Robert Consani returns, with the Frenchman swapping his DS3 R5 for a Peugeot 208 T16 R5. The ?KODA Fabia R5 is likely to feature prominently in the hands of Dutchman Hermen Kobus, Hungary's J.nos Pusk.di (Eurosol Racing Team Hungary) and Czech driver Anton?n Tlust.k (Tlust.k Racing), while Polish drivers Jaroslaw Koltun (C-Racing) and Tomasz Kasperczyk (Tiger Energy Drink Rallye Team) rely on the Fiesta R5. Lebanon's Gilbert Bannout contests his first European rally in a DS3 R5, which is also the car of choice for Switzerland's Federico Della Casa, while Italian Giacomo Costenaro has upgraded to a 208 T16 R5. Those carrying Spanish hopes include Iv.n Ares, now in a Fiesta R5 after several years driving Porsches, finishing runner-up in his national championship last year.

The reward
A total prize fund of 200,000 Euros will be on offer to competitors in the ERC again this year. A sum of 20,000 Euros will be available at each of the 10 events on the calendar and be shared between the seven highest-placed eligible drivers in the final rally classification regardless of category. This year, all drivers that have registered for the ERC will be eligible as long as they are using tyres from one of the championship's partner suppliers (Michelin and Pirelli). In 2015, 38 ERC drivers earned prize money.

The class acts
The ERC is split into three categories: ERC1 for top-of-the-range R5 machinery, ERC2 for production-based models and ERC3 for two-wheel-drive cars. The ERC Junior Championship begins on round two, the Circuit of Ireland Rally, with its contenders also eligible for ERC3 points.

Subaru's Chuchala takes on the Mitsubishi men in ERC2
The 2014 Polish champion Wojciech Chuchala starts among the favourites in ERC2 after joining Subaru Poland Rally Team for a title assault. He's up against a number of Mitsubishi drivers including Argentine Juan Carlos Alonso, who's aiming to go one better in the ERC after finishing third and then second in the WRC's production class. Italian Giacomo Scattolon arrives in ERC2 with promise after winning the Italian junior title in 2014. Two Hungarians will be hoping to succeed compatriot D.vid Botka as ERC2 champion: Tibor ?rdi, who has pedigree in the class after winning in Ypres last year, and Peter Ranga.

Champions go head-to-head for ERC3 spoils
ERC3 is well-supported for the opening round despite it not counting towards ERC Junior. Zolt.n Bessenyey makes his comeback with the goal of adding to the titles he won in the two-wheel-drive class in 2013-14, now driving a Renault Clio R3T for Eurosol Racing Team Hungary. Hoping to rival Bessenyey will be Murat Bostanci (Castrol Ford Team T?rkiye Ford Fiesta R2T), who won the FIA European Rally Trophy last year and has also claimed the last two Turkish titles. Another national champion graduating to the ERC is Poland's Lukasz Habaj, who's joined in one of two RallyTechnology Peugeot 208 VTI R2s by Tomasz Gryc, while Aleks Humar (Oktan Sport 208 VTI R2) steps up as a four-time champion in Slovenia. Aleks Zawada (Red Opel Espa.a Adam R2) will aim for a repeat of his ERC3 win in Ypres last year, as fellow Pole Lukasz Pieniazek drives his new Adam R2 in anger for the first time. He's preparing for an ERC Junior campaign, as is the Portuguese two-wheel-drive champion Marco Cid (208 VTI R2). Gil Antunes and Joao Correia will also fly the flag for Portugal in a pair of Clio R3Ts, while Hungary's Szabolcs V.rkonyi (Ritmus ASE 208 VTI R2) returns to build upon his 2015 appearances.

Driver quotes
Kajetan Kajetanowicz (LOTOS Rally Team Ford Fiesta R5):
"Defending the title in the ERC is a thrilling challenge which we can tackle only as a team. We will face this task with an unchanged line-up, together with our long-standing partners - and together with the titles we won side by side, this is a spectacular proof of a beautiful and fruitful cooperation. Right at the beginning of this year's adventure in the ERC, for the first time we will drive on the roads which, if you want to reach the maximum grip limit, require audacity, precision and great humility at the same time. Almost 200 days have passed since our previous outing in a Tarmac round of the ERC, so you can imagine how big my hunger for competition is and how much our LOTOS Rally Team is thirsty of competition with the best European teams. For sure we will face a lot of strong opponents in the Canary Islands. Seventeen crews in top R5 cars - the largest field in the whole ERC history - already raises my heartbeat."

Mads Ostberg (RMC Motorsport Ford Fiesta R5):
"It actually all came about because of a photo I put on Instagram when I was on holiday in the Canaries last year. The hotel manager where I was staying saw it, we kept in touch, and eventually we were able to put together a deal to do the rally with some local sponsors. I like the look of the roads: I think it will be typical Spanish asphalt, with high grip. I drove the R5 version of the Fiesta just once before, on a Norwegian championship rally recently, and I won by more than a minute, which was great. But that was on snow: asphalt will be a very different proposition. For the time being this is a one-off outing on the European Rally Championship, but if I find the time and the sponsorship I would like to do more."

Zolt.n Bessenyey (Eurosol Racing Team Hungary Renault Clio R3T):
"I think the 2016 ERC will be one of the biggest challenges of my life. After two titles the target is simple, I would like to win again but I realise lots of very good drivers have joined this championship so it will be a clash of the titans. I think in ERC3 will be the biggest fight. Islas Canarias is a superb event, because the spectators love the rally and get really involved to support their favourites. The surface is very good, abrasive and also fast. I'm very happy to start the season there. We need to see the performance and speed of our contenders, and we need to finish the race in a good position, and then we will go by step-by-step."

Entry List

Posted: March 3, 2016 11:41 AM

Rally Islas Canarias - 10-12 Mar 16 - SEEDED ENTRY LIST

OSTBERG TO COMPETE ON ERC SEASON OPENER

Posted: February 24, 2016 10:13 AM

Mads Ostberg will take part on the opening round of the 2016 FIA European Rally Championship, Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Ingles.

Ostberg has been competing in the World Rally Championship for the past 10 years and is one of only a handful of drivers with a victory in the series to their name.

Currently driving for the M-Sport World Rally Team after a stint with the factory Citro?n outfit, he sits third in the 2016 WRC standings after a recent podium finish in Sweden.

The 28-year-old Norwegian will drive a Ford Fiesta R5 in the Canary Islands for what will be his ERC debut. He will be joined by his new co-driver for 2016 and fellow Norwegian Ola FlOene.

Based in Las Palmas, Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Ingles takes place from 10-12 March as the first of 10 events across Europe.

ERC Co-ordinator Jean-Baptiste Ley said:
"I am very pleased to welcome Mads Ostberg to the ERC for the first rally of our 2016 season. He has been one of the leading rally drivers in the world during the last few years and to have a driver of his calibre compete in the ERC shows the appeal of the championship. I am sure that the stages will provide a great challenge for Mads and Ola and the rest of the competitors, who will want to take their chance to stand out against world class opposition."

Event Website

Posted: December 8, 2015 7:14 AM

Rally Islas Canarias