Spain (WRC) - 14-17 Oct 21

McErlean/Fulton return to the World Rally Championship in Spain

Posted: October 14, 2021 4:19 AM

Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean will make his return to the FIA World Rally Championship next month, tackling round eleven of the series, Rally RACC Catalunya - Rally de España [14-17 October].

The Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Junior ace will once again be joined by James Fulton in the co-driver’s seat of the PCRS Rallysport Hyundai i20 for the WRC qualifier and cites the outing as ”another step” in his exciting career progression.

“This is a really exciting prospect for me, and I realise how very lucky I am to be getting yet another opportunity to tackle a World Rally Championship event on such challenging stages,” said the 22-year-old from Kilrea, Co. Derry

“We have been working really hard to pull this together and it’s yet another step in developing my knowledge and experience of World Championship rallies. There is a great team behind this project now and we have very clear goals for the future.”

McErlean has enjoyed an exciting year behind the wheel, with outings in the ARA United States Rally Championship, the FIA European Rally Championship and the FIA World Rally Championship. The primary objective of his 2021 campaign has been to build experience of a wide variety of events on different surfaces, in different geographies and with increasing degrees of difficulty.

McErlean's efforts have been rewarded with two podium positions this year, with the first taking place on the gravel at the Olympus Rally in the United States in April, followed up by an asphalt podium at Rally di Alba in Italy in June.

Arguably his best result of the season came on the unique tarmac stages of WRC Ypres Rally Belgium, where he finished fifth in the WRC3 category and a sensational twelfth overall alongside some of the best drivers in the world at the highly specialised event.

Now, McErlean will return to the top-flight series to tackle the infamous Rally de España. In a change to its traditional mixed-surface format, the event will see 280 kilometres of competitive action held entirely on asphalt in the hills to the southeast of Barcelona. McErlean recognises that the Spanish cliff-hugging stages present an immense career challenge, with roads that are a stark contrast to those he drove to such great effect in Belgium.

“Like all the events in the WRC, these stages really do have their own unique characteristics, so it will be another big learning exercise for me.”

“It’s great to have James [Fulton] in the car once again to build on our initial outing in Ypres. We built an excellent relationship there and we now have a great synergy in the car which will help with the development process. I’ve done a lot of homework since Ypres to prepare for Spain. It’s an interesting time that’s for sure and once again I'm indebted to the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy and all my backers for their continued support.”

JWRC - CAREER-BOOSTING PRIZE PACKAGE ON THE LINE IN SPAIN

Posted: October 14, 2021 4:15 AM

Title fight wide open on Rally Spain for the chance to win a career-changing prize package.

All six Junior WRC crews entered for Rally de España a have a mathematical chance of winning the 2021 FIA Junior WRC Championship thanks to the championship’s unique points scoring opportunities.

Double classification points are on offer for the championship finale which means a total of 69 points are available to score when accounting for the 19 stage win points also up for grabs.

The 2021 championship marks 20 years of success, adding another name to the history books alongside the likes of Sebastien Loeb, Sebastien Ogier, Dani Sordo, Elfyn Evans and Craig Breen, all of whom have taken top honours in the Junior WRC Championship.

The 2021 champion will take home the biggest prize package in rallying, headlined by a brand-new EcoBoost-powered M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2. In an effort to identify and support the next star of the WRC, the 2021 Junior WRC prize package includes free registration for WRC2 in 2022, five free WRC2 entries together with 200 Pirelli tyres. A more accessible and alternative prize package will also be made available by way of five fully-funded prize drives in the all-new M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 in the 2022 WRC3 Championship. It means whatever happens, the 2021 FIA Junior WRC Champion will be able to further their rallying career at an international level.

In terms of championship chances, thanks to so many opportunities to score points there are countless permutations and possibilities for each of the six crews to win the championship. Every driver will be pushing to their maximum in the final battle of the season although some find themselves in a more comfortable position than others. All six crews entered are able to drop their lowest classification score of season while all of the stage win points count towards the championship. It means that, when discounting each driver’s lowest points score, Jon Armstrong holds a slender five-point advantage of Sami Pajari and Martins Sesks sits third and 19 points behind. Given that there is a 14 point difference between first and second in Junior WRC this weekend, the top-three drivers are in an incredibly tight battle.

Armstrong has the most event wins in 2021 with two victories and has a total of 20 stage wins, his first ever WRC event was 2015 Rally de España and is familiar with the Spanish roads. Sami Pajari sits second (discounting his worst result), his first Junior WRC event victory came on Rally Estonia this year and has proven to be one of the fastest drivers in the field with the most Wolf Stage Points to his name so far with 22 this year. Martins Sesks claimed his second Junior WRC career victory on Rally de Portugal this year but did struggle on Junior WRC’s other asphalt rallies this year.

Outside of the championship top-three Lauri Joona is fourth and would need to outscore Armstrong by at least 44 points to clinch the championship. William Creighton put in his most impressive performance of the season on Ypres with seven Wolf Stage Win Points, he is currently fifth in the championship, just one point ahead of Estonian Robert Virves who has claimed two podium finishes this season.

2021 also marks the 20th anniversary of the FIA Junior WRC Championship which came to life in March 2001 on Rallye Catalunya with Sebastien Loeb taking the category victory in a Citroen Saxo Kit Car. 20 years later, former Junior WRC drivers have accounted for a total of 178 WRC victories, 434 WRC podiums, 2,902 points and 11,139 championship points. To celebrate this, a selection of iconic Junior WRC cars will be on display in the Junior WRC service area throughout the rally including: Elfyn Evans’ 2012 WRC Academy winning Fiesta R2, Martin Prokop’s 2005 Suzuki Ignis and his 2009 Championship winning Citroen C2 S1600.

Maciej Woda, FIA Junior WRC Championship Manager, said:
“We have had one of the most competitive seasons in the history of Junior WRC this year and it has all been building up to this! At the sharp end of the championship fight we have three very different characters all with three very different skill sets and it is way too close to call. I think what will be interesting on this event is how much the likes of William Creighton, Lauri Joona and Robert Virves could mix things up. They have all shown speed on Tarmac at different points this year and I think it means we are actually going to have our closest fight for the category victory this season. Jon Armstrong does have experience here yes, but Friday is a totally new day which does level the playing field quite a lot. On the same side, Sami Pajari and Martins Sesks have been able to get in some precious testing mileage this week and this could give them an early advantage for the opening few stages. All in all, this year’s crews are all bringing something to the table to fight for the biggest prize package in rallying and I cannot wait to see how things unfold.”

48. Sami Pajari / Marko Salminen
“Last year I was third at this point of the season and now I am leading so to be honest the situation is a bit better. We still need to push in the last rally to make the championship.”

49. Jon Armstrong / Phil Hall
“It’s bound to be of some benefit having experience on this rally, it gives you a little bit more confidence but I think I can’t relax on that or take it for granted. I still need to have a really good recce, make good pace notes and drive to them.”

50. Martins Sesks / Renars Francis
“It is quite nice here, compared to Croatia or Ypres with a lot of unknowns. Here in Spain the surface doesn’t change a lot so it should be more enjoyable. I did a lot of testing because I hadn’t been in the car since Belgium so it was all about getting used to the car again.”

51. Lauri Joona / Mikael Korhonen
“I am looking forward to this rally, I want to avoid mistakes. I think we did about 100 km of testing here in Spain on two different kind of roads, one quite fast and the other quite technical. It was good preparation.”

52. William Creighton / Liam Regan
“We’ve just been to Rally Mull, for the British Rally Championship which went well and it was good to get a run in the car. It was nice to do Ypres, we showed some good pace on a rally we’ve done before but I don’t want to set expectations too high for Spain. We’ll give it our best and see where we are after Friday.”

53. Robert Virves / Aleks Lesk
“The Tarmac here is nothing like we have seen all year, there are small parts that are like Croatia but in general it is quite specific. Let’s see what happens we are just going to make the most of it and gain experience.”

Toyota twins tussle for title at WRC Rally de España

Posted: October 14, 2021 4:08 AM

Two rounds to go – and just two drivers remain in the FIA World Rally Championship title fight as the destiny of the 2022 crown reaches a potentially decisive point in Spain this weekend.

Sébastien Ogier can seal his eighth drivers’ title in nine seasons at RallyRACC - Rally de España (14 - 17 October). The only man who can deny him and take the battle into a final round decider in Italy next month is Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate, Elfyn Evans.

The contrast could not be greater. Ogier has dominated the WRC over the last decade, delivering 53 rally wins in his career and is now in his final season before stepping back from full-time competition.

Evans secured his fifth WRC event win in Finland a fortnight ago and is desperate for a maiden crown after losing out to Ogier last season. He started the final round at Italy’s legendary Monza race circuit with a points lead but ended in despair after crashing out.

This time around Ogier carries a 24-point advantage in his Yaris World Rally Car onto the smooth asphalt in the hills behind the Costa Daurada, south of Barcelona. The crown will return to France if he outscores Evans by seven points.

It’s the third straight season that Toyota will win the drivers’ crown and Ogier, a Spain winner on three occasions, will come out fighting.

“Spain will be the first realistic chance to claim the title and I know what I need to do to make it happen. When I have the chance to win, I try to fight for it, and this will be the most simple way to achieve our goal,” he said.

Evans is fired up by his Finland success. “The win on Rally Finland was a great result for us. The drivers’ title is still a long shot, but once more we’ll be giving our best in Spain and trying to get the best possible result there,” he enthused.

Ogier, Evans and Kalle Rovanperä can also regain the manufacturers’ title for Toyota. It holds a 61-point lead over Hyundai Motorsport and if that advantage remains above 52 at Sunday’s finish, the Japanese manufacturer can launch its celebrations.

Thierry Neuville, the winner in Spain when the rally was last held in 2019, Ott Tänak and home hero Dani Sordo are the men charged by Hyundai with the task of derailing Toyota. All drive i20 World Rally Cars.

Adrien Fourmaux and Gus Greensmith carry M-Sport Ford’s hopes in Fiesta World Rally Cars, while Oliver Solberg makes his top-flight asphalt debut in an i20 for Hyundai 2C Compétition.

The French squad has also called up Spain’s Nil Solans to replace Pierre-Louis Loubet, whose season is over after breaking his hip in a collision with a car. Toyota also fields a fourth Yaris for Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta.

For the first time since 2009, the rally is pure asphalt. The roads are fast and flowing, but high-grip abrasive surfaces and plenty of hard braking will make it tough for Pirelli’s tyres.

After Thursday evening’s start ceremony in Salou, the action begins on Friday morning. Competitors face 17 stages covering 280.46km before Sunday afternoon’s finish in the holiday resort.

M-Sport: 2021 RallyRACC Catalunya Preview Quotes

Posted: October 14, 2021 4:05 AM

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team heads to RallyRACC Catalunya Rally de España for the penultimate round of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship. Read what the team’s expectations are ahead of the all-asphalt affair. Team Principal, Richard Millener, said:

“Spain this year, for the first time, is going to be all Tarmac – a new format for us all, and although we lose some of the excitement from the gravel stages it does mean that we can fully commit to getting the best out of the Fiesta WRC on the fast and smooth asphalt stages. The Fiesta has proven to be very competitive on Tarmac and I hope that both Gus and Adrien can show what the car is capable of over the course of the weekend, both having proven their speed on this surface over the course of the season.

“Due to the event being only ten days after Finland and us only having two days to re-prep the cars in the UK, it has meant we have not had a chance to have a Pre-Event Test. I still believe there is no reason why we cannot get some solid results on the Spanish roads. It will also be great to see spectators again at this fan-friendly European round of the series.”

GUS GREENSMITH CHRIS PATTERSON

Gus Greensmith said:
“Spain’s a beautiful event with very smooth, fast and flowing Tarmac roads which is always a pleasure to drive in these cars. It’s something that seems to have always suited the Fiesta in the past so we know that it should be much stronger than in Finland and we’re hoping for a good result as a team.”

ADRIEN FOURMAUX ALEXANDRE CORIA

Adrien Fourmaux said:
“I am really happy to be back in Spain, I was there two years ago in the Fiesta Rally2 and have some good experience on this event. I really like this Tarmac event which is quite interesting with the lines you need for the corners. It’s quite a grippy event and my second event with Alex so we still want to improve our pace together.

“We want to have a good result, we know the car is really good on Tarmac and want to able to fight with the rest of the guys.”

SEB PEREZ GARY MCELHINNEY

Seb Perez said:
“Really excited for Catalunya this weekend, it is going to be really good. My circuit knowledge should help with the gravel stuff, obviously the cuts are going to be a bit of a challenge. Hopefully I get my head around them and use them to my advantage, it’s going to be exciting as my first WRC round.

“I’ve done plenty events in the Fiesta Rally2 now so I’m looking forward to a couple of days of good rallying.”

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing set for Spain with eyes on the prize

Posted: October 14, 2021 4:01 AM

The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team takes on the penultimate round of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship – the Rally de España on October 15-17 – with the opportunity for both the manufacturers’ and drivers’ titles to be clinched on fast and flowing asphalt roads.

The team leads the manufacturers’ championship by 61 points, with a maximum of 52 points available after the Spanish event. For the third season in a row, a Toyota driver is guaranteed to win the drivers’ title, with 24 points separating team-mates Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans after the latter’s victory on the previous round in Finland.

For Ogier, a six-point swing in his favour on a rally he has won three times would secure him his eighth world title, while Evans is looking to maintain his chances of a maiden crown. Kalle Rovanperä is currently fourth in the standings and only one point away from a place in the top three, while TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Takamoto Katsuta will once more be in action in a fourth Yaris WRC.

Based in Salou on the Costa Daurada to the south of Barcelona, the rally returns to the calendar after one year away and moves back to being an exclusively asphalt event for the first time since 2009, having been run as a mixed-surface challenge for the previous 10 editions.

Friday has a loop of three stages repeated either side of mid-day service. It features a new stage, La Granadella, as well as Vilaplana (a reversal of 2019’s La Mussara Power Stage) and Riba-roja, last seen in this configuration in 2012. Saturday follows an identical route to before, with a trio of repeated stages followed by a street stage in Salou. Sunday’s finale consists of the returning Santa Marina stage and the well-known Riudecanyes test, both to be run twice.

Quotes:

Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“It will be really nice to go back to Spain, especially now that the rally is a full asphalt event once again. The roads there are the best asphalt roads in the WRC, and I really enjoyed driving on them during my career. Of course, it is also helpful for us that our drivers leading the championship won’t have any gravel roads to sweep during the first day. It’s really exciting for us now that only a Toyota driver can win the drivers’ title, but naturally our main goal as a team in Spain will be to get enough points to secure the manufacturers’ championship. I think we have a good chance, but we need to do our work well in preparation and during the rally to get the results we need.”

Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“I’m really looking forward to Spain and to being back on asphalt again. It will be nice to have all three days of the rally on asphalt because those roads are really fun to drive. Also, for us it will good to not be sweeping gravel on the first day of the rally like we have been doing for much of the season. We are still in a strong position for the championship. Spain will be the first realistic chance to claim the title and I know what I need to do to make it happen. When I have the chance to win I try to fight for it, and this will be the most simple way to achieve our goal.”

Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“The win on Rally Finland was a great result for us. The drivers’ title is still a long shot for us but once more we’ll be giving our best in Spain and trying to get the best possible result there. The asphalt roads in Spain are really fantastic to drive, so I’m looking forward to competing on an all-asphalt event this time around. So far whenever I’ve driven the Yaris WRC on asphalt, the surface has usually been quite dirty or provided very low grip, so I’m excited to drive the higher-grip roads in Spain in this car. That said, at this time of year the weather is never guaranteed to be dry even in Spain. If it does rain, as we’ve seen in previous years, it can still be quite a tricky and demanding event.”

Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“I have driven in Spain twice before in WRC 2 and I always liked the days on asphalt there, so for me it’s a positive thing that it will be a full asphalt rally again. If the weather is good then it’s a really nice event. The roads are really fast and flowing and a bit different to the other rounds we normally do on asphalt. It’s more like circuit driving and you need to be really precise, but when you get it right then it’s really enjoyable. The characteristics were quite different in Ypres but there I had a good feeling in the car in asphalt specification, and I hope we can have that again in Spain and fight for a good result for ourselves and the team.”

Hyundai Motorsport Preview: Round 11 – Rally de España

Posted: October 14, 2021 4:00 AM

Fresh from its recent double podium finish in Finland, Hyundai Motorsport heads to the penultimate round of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally de España, aiming for another strong performance.

At the previous edition of Rally de España, held in 2019, Thierry Neuville triumphed with his Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC on mixed terrain stages while team-mate Dani Sordo finished in third. The double podium would prove decisive in that season’s championship battle, extending the team’s advantage at the top of the standings ahead of the cancelled finale Rally Australia.

After its absence from the 2020 calendar, the Salou-based event returns with a change in challenge, as it reverts to a full tarmac profile for the first time since 2009. Hyundai Motorsport showed competitive pace at the most recent tarmac rally, Ypres Rally Belgium, where the team secured a 1-2 finish in August.

Hyundai Motorsport will field Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe, Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja and Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera in the 17-stage rally, which starts with shakedown on Thursday, followed by a ceremonial start in Salou.

Friday features six stages, including the all-new La Granadella challenge, covering 112.02km of competitive distance. Crews then tackle two loops of three stages on Saturday, followed by a short street stage close to the service park. Four stages on Sunday close out the 280.46km rally.

Team Principal Andrea Adamo said:
“Following our best result at a rally that has historically been one of our weakest, the entire team is re-energised and ready to tackle Rally de España. We have shown we can be competitive on tarmac with our 1-2 finish in Belgium, so we have set ourselves the highest benchmark. The 2019 podium in Spain featured Thierry, Ott, and Dani, so they all know what it takes to be fast on these roads. With only two rounds of the season remaining, we want to finish the year with our strongest performances as we bid farewell to this era of WRC.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Belgians looking to bounce back from difficult Finland outing
Claimed victory at previous tarmac event, Ypres Rally Belgium

Neuville said: “When I first participated in Rally de España it was a full tarmac event and now we are back to that profile after a few years of mixed terrain. I’m looking forward to tackling some of the famous stages we have seen in the past. It is a rally I like; the nice flowing roads are really good fun to drive with these WRC cars. It is more of a circuit-style of driving, so you need to be clean and efficient, taking care not to slide too much. You also need good pace notes to rely on to be fast, as it is difficult to make a big difference in the gaps on these types of roads.”

Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Estonians secured fourth podium of the year at Rally Finland
Crew on a mission for third top-three Rally de España finish

Tänak said: “It has been a while since we’ve had three days of tarmac competition at Rally de España. It is a very fast event and one that I really enjoy. The roads require pure, clean driving – the routes in the forest are quite smooth with not many cuts and the weather is consistent there, which makes it an enjoyable event for me. After two consecutive podium finishes, it would be nice to secure a hat-trick in Spain as we aim for a strong finish to this season.”

Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Claimed fourth place in first-ever event as a crew at Acropolis Rally
Spanish crew looking to utilise home advantage in first tarmac outing

Sordo said: “I am really happy to be back driving in Spain after two years without a rally in my home country. I’m looking forward to the challenge of a full tarmac event; I’m hoping the weather will be nice and that we will have a lot of fans there as well. You need to have a really good car set-up and be confident – then, you enjoy the rally a lot. If you have a car that is understeering and not working very well, you won’t be happy. I can’t wait to be back at Rally de España.”

WRC2 Overview

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Junior Driver Jari Huttunen and his co-driver Mikko Lukka secured a class podium with the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 at their home event – marking Huttunen’s third top-three result at Rally Finland. The Finnish crew will be looking to replicate its winning performance from Ypres Rally Belgium as WRC2 returns to tarmac.

Joining them will be compatriots Teemu Suninen and Mikko Markkula in their first outing with the Hyundai Motorsport N team. The crew will be looking to leverage its previous experience of Rally de España, which includes a WRC2 victory in 2017, as it embarks on its first outing with the Hyundai i20 N Rally2.

Huttunen said: “I’m looking forward to the return of tarmac next weekend after our victory in Ypres Rally Belgium. We were able to find a good confidence and rhythm with the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 on those roads which we hope will put us on the front foot in Spain. Finland didn’t quite go our way from the start of the rally, so the target is to perform well from the very first stage.”

Suninen said: "I'm looking forward to Rally de España with the Hyundai i20 N Rally2. Spain has been one of my all-time favourite rallies. At the same time, it's the best event to feel the balance of the new car on tarmac because of the long curves. There are a lot of new stages in the rally this year, and therefore the pace notes will play an important role next weekend.”

Team Principal Andrea Adamo said: “Jari and Mikko have already demonstrated the pace of the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 on tarmac with their impressive victory at Ypres Rally Belgium. We have learned a great deal about the car in its first events, which should put them in a great position for a successful weekend in Salou. We are also pleased to welcome Teemu and Mikko to our team in Spain; they are proven rally talents, and their experience will be invaluable as they get up to speed with our car. We wish both crews the best of luck.”

Weekend at a Glance

Rally de España opens with shakedown on the morning of Thursday 14 October, followed by the ceremonial start near the Salou-based service park.
Friday’s six-stage itinerary features two runs of Vilaplana (20.00km), La Granadella (21.80km) and Riba – roja (14.21km).
Saturday is the longest day of the rally, with two loops of Savallà (14.08km), Querol – Les Pobles (19.17km) and El Montmell (24.40km) followed by a short street stage in the heart of Salou (2.24km).
Santa Marina (9.10km) and Riudecanyes (16.35km) close the event on Sunday, with the second pass of the latter stage forming the event’s Power Stage.

Entry List

Posted: October 5, 2021 1:47 PM

Spain (WRC) - 14-17 Oct 21 - ENTRY LIST

Rally Guide / Details / Event Website

Posted: October 4, 2021 11:15 AM

Rally Spain (Catalunya)