RallyBuzz |
- Cristofaro completes toughest rally to date in Cumbria
- Becky shines on Pirelli Challenge Rally
- Simon Jean-Joseph wins Rallye Terre de l’Auxerrois (VIDEO)
- Skoda scores double podium on Pirelli Rally
- Skoda Rally Team Hungaria takes Super 2000 victory in Miskolc
- Bogie excels on Pirelli International Rally
| Cristofaro completes toughest rally to date in Cumbria Posted: 01 May 2011 11:53 AM PDT Cristofaro in action on the Pirelli International Rally. Photo: Songasport Milford Haven rally driver Nick Cristofaro successfully completed his toughest event to date when he claimed 14th overall and fifth in class on the Pirelli International Rally. The rally started on Friday evening with two stages in Newcastleton forest and Cristofaro was aiming to immediately push hard but a very tricky road surface saw him have a few hair-raising moments in his TEG Sport, Pirelli, Genpower UK, Autoglym, Millers Oils, Nicky Grist, Cut In Edge and Elite Remapping-backed Fiesta ST. "I'd planned to push as hard as I could on the opening two stages but the surface of the forest track was like nothing I had experienced before," said Cristofaro. "It was so loose and very difficult to get grip, it was a real shock to the system. With huge ditches on either side of the road waiting to punish any mistake I decided to back off a bit to make sure we made it to the Saturday stages." A tough full day of competition took place on Saturday with ten stages in the famous Kielder forest complex. Cristofaro and co-driver Rob Fagg were lying in 23rd overall and 11th in class as they went into the opening Falstone stage and their aim was to try and progess up the leaderboard as the day went on to try and secure valuable points in both the BRC Formula 2 and Fiesta Sporting Trophy championships. Cristofaro had a good run through the double loop of the Falstone and Bower stages and he had already moved up to 18th overall and 8th in class. "I started to gain confidence in using the car on the marbled surface as we got further into the rally and I put some good times in the bag which got me up the leaderboard from our overnight position. It was difficult to compete against the newer Fiestas though as they are a lot faster on the straights and this event had the longest straights I have ever seen." The rally finished with a double loop of three stages south of Kielder Water, Shepherdshield, Pundershaw and Chirdonhead. Cristofaro's only problem was a small off on the first Chirdonhead stage when he came over a crest too quickly and went into a ditch. The car bounced out onto the road but was facing the wrong way and in reversing to turn round the gearbox was damaged which put extra pressure on Cristofaro not to spin again. The remaining stages were successfully completed and Cristofaro arrived at the finish at Carlisle racecourse in 14th position overall, fifth in class and third in the Fiesta ST championship. "I learnt a lot from the event, it was definitely the toughest I've ever done and it's pleasing to have got a good result at the end of it. Thanks to all my sponsors and TEG Sport for a fantastic car set up. Thanks also to Rallyschool for the loan of a recce car � I would not have been able to get a good result without it." The result moves Cristofaro into joint fourth in the BRC Formula 2 championship and he remains second in the Fiesta Sporting Trophy. His championship campaigns will resume in May with the Jim Clark International Rally. Please visit http://www.nickcristofaro.co.uk for all the latest news. Issued by Songasport
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| Becky shines on Pirelli Challenge Rally Posted: 01 May 2011 11:41 AM PDT Becky Kirvan in action on the Pirelli Challenge Rally. Photo: Songasport KC Rally Team driver Becky Kirvan continued her BRC Challenge championship campaign last weekend with an excellent second in class on the Pirelli Challenge Rally. Becky, from Burton Pidsea, was contesting the event in her KC, Princes Quay Shopping Centre, Bardahl Oils, Rally4Real, Songasport and Peart Auto Services-backed Ford Fiesta ST and after an encouraging result on the opening championship round in early April she was keen to put in another good performance on the Carlisle-based event. The rally started in dry and sunny conditions with the Falstone stage to the north of Kielder Water and Becky, together with co-driver Kaz Watts, made a solid start, getting used to the surface of the notoriously tricky Kielder forest roads. The longest stage of the event, Bower, was next and Becky's only problem was getting held up by another car which had lost a wheel and was travelling slowly along the course. One stage remained before the crews headed for a service halt and Becky successfully negotiated it despite a couple of high-speed slides. "The morning stages went quite well," said Becky. "I was cautious in Falstone as the surface was particularly loose which made the car slide around a lot, I did not want to risk a first stage accident. "I pushed harder in the long stage two but getting stuck behind a car cost us a fair bit of time, the dusty conditions meant that he couldn't see us so didn't pull over immediately. "I continued to press on in the third stage and perhaps pushed a little too hard as there were several places where the Fiesta got out of shape but fortunately I controlled the slides!" Following the service halt the crews faced another three tough stages in Kielder forest, Shepherdshield, Pundershaw and Chirdonhead. Becky kept her pace up in the first two stages before backing off slightly to ensure she made it to the finish on the final one after seeing several of her fellow competitors off the road. Her tactics paid off as she arrived at the finish at Carlisle racecourse in 16th overall and second in class. "The stages had several broken cars in them and with one of the crews going off just in front of us on the final stage, I made the decision to reduce my pace and make sure we made it to the finish, although if I'd have known at the time we were only three seconds behind 15th place I think I'd not have backed off quite so much, but that's one of the risks you take I guess! " "I'm really happy with the result, the test session we did before the Pirelli helped me a lot and I feel I am getting a lot more used to the pace and handling of the Fiesta. There's still more to come from both the car and myself and I can't wait for the next championship round." Becky's next event will be the Jim Clark Challenge rally at the end of May. Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/beckykirvanrallying to keep up to date with all the latest news and photos from the KC Rally Team. Issued Songasport Rally ssued by Media
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| Simon Jean-Joseph wins Rallye Terre de l’Auxerrois (VIDEO) Posted: 01 May 2011 11:16 AM PDT Click here to view the embedded video. Simon Jean-Joseph has won the 2011 Rallye Terre de l'Auxerrois in his Petter Solberg Engineering-prepared Citro�n Xsara WRC. Video courtesy of www.planetemarcus.com. The Martinique driver dominated the French Gravel Rally Championship event to finish over two minutes ahead of Paul Chieusse's Peugeot 307 WRC. Emmanuel Gascou was third in a Peugeot 207 S2000. Rallye Terre de l'Auxerrois 2011 - Results 1 Simon Jean-Joseph-Jack Boy�re (Citro�n Xsara WRC) A8W 1h47:43:20 HD Video: http://planetemarcus.free.fr/terreauxerre11.htm Simon Jean-Joseph wins Rallye Terre de l'Auxerrois video uploaded to YouTube by Billiot Jeremie.
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| Skoda scores double podium on Pirelli Rally Posted: 01 May 2011 10:52 AM PDT �koda Fabia S2000 drivers Jonathon Greer and Robert Barrable are both celebrating after achieving podium finishes on Round 3 of the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship (BRC), the Pirelli International Rally (29-30 April). Greer, 22 from Carryduff in Northern Ireland, finished third in the rally, in what is only his third outing in the fast and agile car � an incredible achievement and a promise of things to come for the young driver. Co-driven by Dai Roberts, Greer performed consistently well throughout the stages in the Kielder forest and steadily climbed through the pack, as others, such as Tom Cave and Adam Gould, became victims of the notoriously difficult rally. Greer: "I'm delighted with the finish and I'm proud of how well I've driven this weekend. The Fabia S2000 is a fantastic rally car but is very unlike anything I've driven before. I knew it would take a few rallies to get the full potential out of it, but I had no idea I'd be able to achieve a BRC podium finish in just three rounds. I've climbed one position in each rally so far this year, so if I can continue this pattern I'll win my home rally, the Todd's Leap Ulster Rally � and that would be amazing!" The Fabia S2000, run by David Greer Motorsport, is sponsored by Simpson's �koda in Colne and Preston. Retailer Principal, and former and VW works driver, Neil Simpson is delighted with the result. Simpson: "I've been involved in rally for many years and wanted to provide support to a team capable of winning the BRC. The �koda Fabia S2000 is arguably the best Super 2000 car available and we're confident that with Jonny behind the wheel, we will be a real challenge to the Group N drivers that, until now, have dominated the field. Congratulations to Jonny, Dai and the whole team behind the scenes. We can't wait for the series to continue and to watch how this success will grow." Greer will next compete in Round 4 of the BRC, the Jim Clark International Rally(27-28 May), before heading to Belgium for the Geko Ypres Rally (23-25 June), which is a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. He will then head home to Ulster to compete in the Todd's Leap Rally on 19-20 August. Pirelli International Rally results � top 6
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| Skoda Rally Team Hungaria takes Super 2000 victory in Miskolc Posted: 01 May 2011 03:47 AM PDT �koda Rally Team Hungaria and driver Norbert Herczig have produced a hugely impressive performance to claim first place in the Super 2000 class on the Miskolc Rally in northeast Hungary yesterday (Saturday April 30). Driving a Fabia Super 2000, the 35-year-old former Hungarian champion, was fastest outright on three of the 15 stages to claim the runner-up spot in the overall standings behind Asi, who made the most of his turbocharged engine to win on the high-speed roads, made treacherous by heavy rain. After two rounds of the Hungarian championship, Herczig now holds second place in the drivers' classification having finished fourth on round one. �koda occupies second place in the manufacturers' standings. "I'm very pleased with this result after a very tough day," said Herczig, who was co-driven by K�lm�n Benics. "We covered 15 stages over 150 kilometres in changeable weather conditions, which were far from easy. But we were always in the top five and were very satisfied with how our �koda Fabia performed both in the pre-event test and during the rally. The only delay we suffered was on stage six when we were held up by an accident involving another crew." Herczig, who won the Miskolc Rally in 2009, began the event with a revised set-up and alternative gear ratios to provide optimum performance on the fast and flat asphalt roads, which characterised the rally. "We are very satisfied after a very intensive day, which began for our team at 0300hrs on Saturday morning," said Pierfrancesco Zanchi, whose �koda Rally Team Italia operation runs Herczig's Fabia in the Hungarian championship. "We had no technical problems and our team work was excellent. We used a new set-up for this rally and our driver did very well. The car was very competitive and the team performed without fault." The Hungarian championship resumes with the Bukfurdo Rally from June 3-5. Before then �koda Rally Team Italia returns to action when Andreas Mikkelsen contests Rally Costa Smeralda, a round of Trofeo Rally Terra (Italian Rally Trophy) in Sardinia from May 6/7, at the wheel of a Fabia Super 2000.
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| Bogie excels on Pirelli International Rally Posted: 30 Apr 2011 05:48 PM PDT David Bogie extended his lead in the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship this weekend when, following a faultless drive, he recorded his second victory of the season by winning the Pirelli International Rally. The Scottish Mitsubishi driver led the third round of the UK's premier rally series from start to finish and, after completing a total of 93 miles on Kielder Forest's demanding gavel roads, he crossed the line over a minute ahead of his closest rival, Ireland's Robert Barrable in a Skoda. Starting and finishing at Carlisle Racecourse, the rally kicked off with two seven-mile runs through Newcastleton Forest on Friday evening, punctuated by an autograph signing event in Newcastleton village centre. Following the overnight halt, a further 79 competitive miles, split into 11 stages, were tackled on Saturday, all of them taking place over the dry and dusty gravel roads in Kielder Forest. Round one-winner Bogie was fastest through both of Friday's stages, which enabled him to return to Carlisle for the overnight halt 9.3 seconds ahead of Elfyn Evans, who was 11.6 seconds ahead of Robert Barrable, the Irishman now getting used to his Skoda S2000. Saturday morning comprised two stages, followed by a remote service halt at a car park overlooking Kielder Water, before the same two stages were contested again. It soon became clear that Bogie was in control and he retuned to the day's main service at Carlisle Racecourse with a 32-second lead. His cause was made easier after second-placed Evans had suffered a puncture in SS6 and lost well over a minute and dropped back to fifth as he drove the rest of the stage with a flat tyre, damaging his car's brakes and suspension in the process. This left the Skoda S2000s of Barrable and Greer to battle it out for third place. Bogie consolidated his lead over the day's remaining six stages by setting the fastest time on all of them. The rest of Barrable's rally also went well, but for Greer, the final step of the podium was suddenly in doubt when his car started to handle very strangely on stage nine, the back end of his Skoda feeling very loose. With nothing visibly wrong he continued with caution, until the final stage when the car suddenly turned left and into a ditch. Fortunately he managed to get going again and stay ahead of Evans, who was now in fourth place after Jason Pritchard had a two-minute confrontation with another Kielder ditch. Bogie's second victory of the season sees him increase his lead in the Dulux Trade British Rally Championship to 58 points ahead of Evans on 51 in second and Greer third with 44. The Dulux Trade MSA Formula 2 British Rally Championship The fight for supremacy in the F2 category turned out to be the most intriguing battle of the event. Marty McCormack edged ahead on Friday night by just 0.6 seconds in front of Mark Donnelly and then Craig Breen, who was just 1.2 seconds further back. After Saturday morning's four stages, Finn Jukka Korhonen re-claimed the lead of the two-wheel-drive category after being fastest through SS1. His fortunes were helped at the expense of McCormack's, who headed the category at the start of the day, but was slowed when his Citroen developed a gear-change problem. Meanwhile, F2 Championship leader following round two Siim Plangi was having a rally to forget: After a puncture on stage one, a problem with his pacenotes meant he lost concentration crossing a bridge on stage six, spun his Renault Twingo backwards into a tree, but fortunately was able to continue. After collecting a 1-min 40secs penalty for leaving Park Ferm� ten minutes late - having slept through his alarm on Saturday morning - Mark Donnelly was on a mission and went from 12th to third by SS6. He continued to set a series of blistering times over the next five stages � as did McCormack - who was also fighting back after his earlier transmission troubles. The upshot of their efforts meant that only 2.2 seconds separated the top three with just one stage to go. A storming drive by McCormack through the 8.7-miles of Chirdonhead Forest saw him set a time 13 seconds quicker than anyone else. Donnelly was also on a charge but, halfway through the final stage, a large stone jammed one of the rear wheels. This made the rear of his Renault slide all over the place and eventually cause him to spin and stall at a chicane, where an agonising 30-seconds were lost whilst he tried to get the car going again. At the end of the stage, the time sheets revealed that McCormack had won by a margin of 19.2 seconds ahead of Korhunen, who finished 10.1 seconds ahead of Craig Breen, with Donnelly eventually crossing the line three seconds behind in fourth. Plangi returned to Carlisle in fifth and in doing so, just manage to hang onto his F2 Championship lead by one point ahead of Breen. Even though victory in the F2 category was snatched from his grasp in the closing stages, Korhunen came away from the Pirelli Rally extremely satisfied with his weekend's work, as no only did he claim second place, he was also presented with the Pirelli Star Driver Award at the finish. Fiesta Sport Trophy / Rally 2 Craig Breen was the class of the Fiesta Sport Trophy field, having led the series for R2 Class Fords from start to finish. John MacCrone was initially Breen's closest rival, but an excursion into a Northumberland ditch on the first of Saturday's stages brought an abrupt end to his weekend's rallying. This left Nick Christofaro and Osian Pryce to take up the chase for the remainder of the event and although battling between themselves, never got close enough to Breen to challenge for the lead. Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Teams' Championship The battle for the Team's title got closer this weekend. With MacCrone retiring, Breen was the sole finishing M-Sport Ford Rally Team entry, but he did so ahead of Plangi in the only Autosport Technology Renault Twingo to finish. The outcome reduces Autosport Technology's lead to 32 points ahead of M-Sport Ford in second, 586 Sport in third and Team CR2 Max in fourth. The fourth round of the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship sees teams swap from gravel to asphalt roads, when they head north of the Scottish border for the Kelso-based Jim Clark International Rally on 27 & 28 May For more information on the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship visit www.rallybrc.co.uk Photo: Jakob Ebrey
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