WRC Portugal Mar29-Apr1 talk/results spoiler**
Mar 26, 2012, 09:13 AM
#1
Evolving Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: NY & UK
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
WRC Portugal Mar29-Apr1 talk/results spoiler**
Round 4 - Vodafone Rally Portugal Mar 29 - Apr 1
Three night stages are among the main changes to the route of Vodafone Rally de Portugal, which maintains its hub in the Algarve region of the country.
Following the superspecial stage around the Praca do Imperia in the capital Lisbon on the afternoon of Thursday 29 March, crews will now tackle three tests - all run at night and in quick succession - during the 300-kilometre journey back to the event’s base at Faro’s Algarve stadium, a venue for the Euro 2004 football tournament.
The night stages have an average distance of 12 kilometres, which has resulted in the rally’s overall competitive route rising from 385.31 kilometres in 2011 to 434.77 kilometres for 2012.
After a slightly delayed start owing to the late finish on Thursday, competitors will head to the Tavira municipality for the first time since 2007 for three repeated stages on Friday.
click: wrc.com/rally-portugal/overview/
Official Website: rallydeportugal.pt/
Listen Live:worldrallyradio.com/
....
------------------------
SWRC preview
Craig Breen will be looking to capitalise on P-G Andersson's absence when the FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship resumes in Portugal this week.
Swede Andersson trails Irishman Breen by 18 points after two events but hasn’t nominated the Algarve-based contest as one of his seven scoring rounds due to his participation on the clashing opening event of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship season in New Zealand.
Breen, who won his class on the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo but finished second to Andersson in Sweden, said: “Portugal is always a tough event. The introduction of the night stages will be interesting. I got the chance to test at home on a local gravel event at the beginning of the month which included stages in darkness and last weekend I was in Turkey for a gravel test with Castrol Ford Team Turkey so my preparation as gone well.”
Hayden Paddon dominated the Production Car world championship section of Vodafone Rally de Portugal last season. He has labelled this year’s edition as a must-win event following what he considered to be a lacklustre showing on his SWRC debut in Sweden last month.
“This year is not only about winning the championship; it’s also about showcasing our speed - which we did not do in Sweden,” said the New Zealander, whose Skoda Fabia will be armed with an uprated engine in Portugal. “Looking at the event itself, we need to win the SWRC category at minimum.”
more: wrc.com/news/swrc-preview
.
Three night stages are among the main changes to the route of Vodafone Rally de Portugal, which maintains its hub in the Algarve region of the country.
Following the superspecial stage around the Praca do Imperia in the capital Lisbon on the afternoon of Thursday 29 March, crews will now tackle three tests - all run at night and in quick succession - during the 300-kilometre journey back to the event’s base at Faro’s Algarve stadium, a venue for the Euro 2004 football tournament.
The night stages have an average distance of 12 kilometres, which has resulted in the rally’s overall competitive route rising from 385.31 kilometres in 2011 to 434.77 kilometres for 2012.
After a slightly delayed start owing to the late finish on Thursday, competitors will head to the Tavira municipality for the first time since 2007 for three repeated stages on Friday.
click: wrc.com/rally-portugal/overview/
Official Website: rallydeportugal.pt/
Listen Live:worldrallyradio.com/
....
------------------------
SWRC preview
Craig Breen will be looking to capitalise on P-G Andersson's absence when the FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship resumes in Portugal this week.
Swede Andersson trails Irishman Breen by 18 points after two events but hasn’t nominated the Algarve-based contest as one of his seven scoring rounds due to his participation on the clashing opening event of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship season in New Zealand.
Breen, who won his class on the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo but finished second to Andersson in Sweden, said: “Portugal is always a tough event. The introduction of the night stages will be interesting. I got the chance to test at home on a local gravel event at the beginning of the month which included stages in darkness and last weekend I was in Turkey for a gravel test with Castrol Ford Team Turkey so my preparation as gone well.”
Hayden Paddon dominated the Production Car world championship section of Vodafone Rally de Portugal last season. He has labelled this year’s edition as a must-win event following what he considered to be a lacklustre showing on his SWRC debut in Sweden last month.
“This year is not only about winning the championship; it’s also about showcasing our speed - which we did not do in Sweden,” said the New Zealander, whose Skoda Fabia will be armed with an uprated engine in Portugal. “Looking at the event itself, we need to win the SWRC category at minimum.”
more: wrc.com/news/swrc-preview
.
Mar 27, 2012, 04:21 AM
#2
Evolving Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: NY & UK
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
WRC Academy preview
Some of the best young rally drivers in the world will be in action when FIA WRC Academy season two gests underway on Vodafone Rally de Portugal on Thursday.
Introduced in 2011 to showcase the sport’s brightest stars by equipping them with identical Ford Fiesta R2s, prepared by M-Sport, and run on control Pirelli tyres, the category is the first step for drivers intent on one day winning the World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.
Held over six rounds of the 2012 WRC season, drivers will also receive extensive training during the course of the year to ensure they are ready to climb to the sport’s highest echelon when the opportunity arises.
This year’s intake features 10 drivers representing seven different nations. They are: Fredrik Ahlin (Sweden), Christopher Duplessis (United States), Elfyn Evans (Great Britain), Alastair Fisher (Great Britain), John MacCrone (Great Britain), Brendan Reeves (Australia), Joao Silva (Portugal), Jose Suarez (Spain), Pontus Tidemand (Sweden) and Timo van der Marel (Netherlands).
Of the 10, only Ahlin, Duplessis, Fisher, Reeves, Suarez and van der Marel have previous WRC Academy experience. Of this six, all but Duplessis - who contested the final round in 2011 - were in action when the series began in Portugal 12 months ago.
more: wrc.com/news/wrc-academy-preview
...
Some of the best young rally drivers in the world will be in action when FIA WRC Academy season two gests underway on Vodafone Rally de Portugal on Thursday.
Introduced in 2011 to showcase the sport’s brightest stars by equipping them with identical Ford Fiesta R2s, prepared by M-Sport, and run on control Pirelli tyres, the category is the first step for drivers intent on one day winning the World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.
Held over six rounds of the 2012 WRC season, drivers will also receive extensive training during the course of the year to ensure they are ready to climb to the sport’s highest echelon when the opportunity arises.
This year’s intake features 10 drivers representing seven different nations. They are: Fredrik Ahlin (Sweden), Christopher Duplessis (United States), Elfyn Evans (Great Britain), Alastair Fisher (Great Britain), John MacCrone (Great Britain), Brendan Reeves (Australia), Joao Silva (Portugal), Jose Suarez (Spain), Pontus Tidemand (Sweden) and Timo van der Marel (Netherlands).
Of the 10, only Ahlin, Duplessis, Fisher, Reeves, Suarez and van der Marel have previous WRC Academy experience. Of this six, all but Duplessis - who contested the final round in 2011 - were in action when the series began in Portugal 12 months ago.
more: wrc.com/news/wrc-academy-preview
...
Mar 27, 2012, 11:05 AM
#4
Evolving Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: NY & UK
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
^ Yup and Petter won 
-----------------------------
Loeb pleased with revised World Rally Championship tyre rules
Sebastien Loeb has praised the change of tyre usage regulations for this season's World Rally Championship - stating that last season's rules were dangerous.
On certain rounds of this year's WRC, the crews are permitted 10 tyres which can be used in exceptional conditions. This move was prompted by heavy rain during last year's Rally Australia, when the crews were forced to run on unsuitable hard-compound covers.
Going into this week's Rally Portugal, the drivers will have their usual allocation of hard rubber, with 10 softer tyres available if the rain does arrive in the Algarve.
Asked if he was pleased with the change of rules, the eight-time world champion said: "Yes, because the old rules jeopardised our safety. I remember having driven on muddy stages with hard tyres - it was terrifying! In addition to the 40 'hard' Michelin Latitude Cross tyres, we can use up to 10 soft tyres. If it doesn't rain, these extra tyres will be redundant. But if it does rain, they will enable us to avoid taking any unnecessary risks to stay on the road."
more: autosport.com/news/98427
.
-----------------------------
Loeb pleased with revised World Rally Championship tyre rules
Sebastien Loeb has praised the change of tyre usage regulations for this season's World Rally Championship - stating that last season's rules were dangerous.
On certain rounds of this year's WRC, the crews are permitted 10 tyres which can be used in exceptional conditions. This move was prompted by heavy rain during last year's Rally Australia, when the crews were forced to run on unsuitable hard-compound covers.
Going into this week's Rally Portugal, the drivers will have their usual allocation of hard rubber, with 10 softer tyres available if the rain does arrive in the Algarve.
Asked if he was pleased with the change of rules, the eight-time world champion said: "Yes, because the old rules jeopardised our safety. I remember having driven on muddy stages with hard tyres - it was terrifying! In addition to the 40 'hard' Michelin Latitude Cross tyres, we can use up to 10 soft tyres. If it doesn't rain, these extra tyres will be redundant. But if it does rain, they will enable us to avoid taking any unnecessary risks to stay on the road."
more: autosport.com/news/98427
.
Mar 28, 2012, 04:13 AM
#5
Evolving Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: NY & UK
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Qualifying Stage
Jari-Matti Latvala has gone fastest through the Qualifying Stage for Vodafone Rally de Portugal, round four of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.
Driving a Ford World Rally Team Fiesta RS WRC, the Finn set a time of 3m01.884s on the 4.96-kilometre Vale do Judeau stage. It means he will now be able to select his starting position for Thursday’s opening runs.
“The car was feeling good but you have to remember we are still very early in the rally,” said Latvala. “For the road position we might start way behind and take the risk for dust at night.”
Petter Solberg will be the second driver to select his starting position after going second fastest on the stage, 1.771s slower than his Ford team-mate Latvala.
Mikko Hirvonen was third fastest for the factory Citroen team, one place ahead of fellow Citroen driver, the eight-time world champion Sebastien Loeb, who was the first driver to tackle the test.
“For sure you like to set a good time but it can be easy to go off the road on a stage like this,” said Loeb.
Ott Tanak was fifth quickest for the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team with team-mate Evgeny Novikov just behind in sixth.
Dani Sordo was the top MINI John Cooper Works WRC driver in seventh position.
Nasser Al-Attiyah endured a troubled run through the stage when he missed a junction in his Qatar World Rally Team Citroen. Paulo Nobre was also out of luck when he rolled his WRC Team MINI Portugal nearing the end of the test.
“It was a small roll but another accident again,” said Nobre, who reached the stage finish on foot.
Drivers will select their starting positions at 13:00hrs local time.
click: wrc.com/news/qualifying-stage/
-----------------------------
Ford driver Petter Solberg has admitted he has reservations about the Rally of Portugal organisers' decision to water Thursday night's opening stages of the fourth round of the World Rally Championship.
The drivers are concerned at the level of dust which will hang in the dark, cutting visibility on the three stages, which is why the organisers elected to run a water bowser through the test dumping thousands of gallons of water.
Solberg said: "I'm not sure this is the right thing to do, there will be pluses and minuses to doing this.
"If you are first on the road straight after it's been watered, there could be a lot of standing water and then how long is the water going to stay before the dust starts coming through?
"It's very hard to know, it's a tough one. Maybe the best thing would have been to put bigger gaps between the cars."
The leading crews in the World Rally Championship usually start with two-minute gaps, but in Portugal they will run with three - with the possibility of that being increased to four if needed.
click: autosport.com/news/98435
.
Jari-Matti Latvala has gone fastest through the Qualifying Stage for Vodafone Rally de Portugal, round four of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.
Driving a Ford World Rally Team Fiesta RS WRC, the Finn set a time of 3m01.884s on the 4.96-kilometre Vale do Judeau stage. It means he will now be able to select his starting position for Thursday’s opening runs.
“The car was feeling good but you have to remember we are still very early in the rally,” said Latvala. “For the road position we might start way behind and take the risk for dust at night.”
Petter Solberg will be the second driver to select his starting position after going second fastest on the stage, 1.771s slower than his Ford team-mate Latvala.
Mikko Hirvonen was third fastest for the factory Citroen team, one place ahead of fellow Citroen driver, the eight-time world champion Sebastien Loeb, who was the first driver to tackle the test.
“For sure you like to set a good time but it can be easy to go off the road on a stage like this,” said Loeb.
Ott Tanak was fifth quickest for the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team with team-mate Evgeny Novikov just behind in sixth.
Dani Sordo was the top MINI John Cooper Works WRC driver in seventh position.
Nasser Al-Attiyah endured a troubled run through the stage when he missed a junction in his Qatar World Rally Team Citroen. Paulo Nobre was also out of luck when he rolled his WRC Team MINI Portugal nearing the end of the test.
“It was a small roll but another accident again,” said Nobre, who reached the stage finish on foot.
Drivers will select their starting positions at 13:00hrs local time.
click: wrc.com/news/qualifying-stage/
-----------------------------
Ford driver Petter Solberg has admitted he has reservations about the Rally of Portugal organisers' decision to water Thursday night's opening stages of the fourth round of the World Rally Championship.
The drivers are concerned at the level of dust which will hang in the dark, cutting visibility on the three stages, which is why the organisers elected to run a water bowser through the test dumping thousands of gallons of water.
Solberg said: "I'm not sure this is the right thing to do, there will be pluses and minuses to doing this.
"If you are first on the road straight after it's been watered, there could be a lot of standing water and then how long is the water going to stay before the dust starts coming through?
"It's very hard to know, it's a tough one. Maybe the best thing would have been to put bigger gaps between the cars."
The leading crews in the World Rally Championship usually start with two-minute gaps, but in Portugal they will run with three - with the possibility of that being increased to four if needed.
click: autosport.com/news/98435
.
Mar 28, 2012, 11:55 AM
#7
Evolving Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: NY & UK
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
your welcome 
--------------------------
Drivers have selected their road positions for the opening day of Vodafone Rally de Portugal with the rival factory Citroen and Ford pilots opting for entirely different starting strategies.
Ford ace Jari-Matti Latvala was the first driver permitted to select his start number after topping this morning’s Qualifying Stage. The Finn opted to run 17th on the road in an effort to benefit from a ‘clean’ road surface through Thursday’s three gravel stages.
Citroen star Mikko Hirvonen, the third driver permitted to pick his starting position, selected first place on the road in order to avoid being caught out by hanging dust clouds, which can be a hazard on dry gravel events, especially at night when there is less breeze to disperse the dust.
“We are counting more on the cleaning effect that it will be cleaner with more grip,” said Latvala. “The organisers have promised there is no dust on the [night] stages so we are also counting on that and the information in our team that we are confident the cleaning effect is bigger than the dust problem.”
Hirvonen said: “Maybe there’s dust, maybe not. Even if there’s dust or rain it’s better to be first car on the road. The road cleaning might be a problem but there are only three short stages and if we lose something with that it shouldn’t be too much and we should be able to fight back from that. I’m optimistic for the rally but it’s going to be interesting where we are compared to the Fords. We spoke about it together as a team and as you can see Sebastien took the second place so that was our goal.”
The top 17 starting positions for day one of round four of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia are as follows:
1 Mikko Hirvonen (Citroen)
2 Sebastien Loeb (Citroen)
3 Ott Tanak (M-Sport)
4 Dani Sordo (Prodrive)
5 Jari Ketomaa (Autotek)
6 Thierry Neuville (Citroen Junior)
7 Armindo Aruajo (MINI Portugal)
8 Martin Prokop (Czech)
9 Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar WRT)
10 Daniel Oliveira (Brazil WRT)
11 Peter van Merksteijn Jr (Van Merksteijn)
12 Dennis Kuipers (M-Sport)
13 Patrik Sandell (Prodrive)
14 Mads Ostberg (Adapta)
15 Evgeny Novikov (M-Sport)
16 Petter Solberg (Ford)
17 Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford)
click: wrc.com/news/16350
.
--------------------------
Drivers have selected their road positions for the opening day of Vodafone Rally de Portugal with the rival factory Citroen and Ford pilots opting for entirely different starting strategies.
Ford ace Jari-Matti Latvala was the first driver permitted to select his start number after topping this morning’s Qualifying Stage. The Finn opted to run 17th on the road in an effort to benefit from a ‘clean’ road surface through Thursday’s three gravel stages.
Citroen star Mikko Hirvonen, the third driver permitted to pick his starting position, selected first place on the road in order to avoid being caught out by hanging dust clouds, which can be a hazard on dry gravel events, especially at night when there is less breeze to disperse the dust.
“We are counting more on the cleaning effect that it will be cleaner with more grip,” said Latvala. “The organisers have promised there is no dust on the [night] stages so we are also counting on that and the information in our team that we are confident the cleaning effect is bigger than the dust problem.”
Hirvonen said: “Maybe there’s dust, maybe not. Even if there’s dust or rain it’s better to be first car on the road. The road cleaning might be a problem but there are only three short stages and if we lose something with that it shouldn’t be too much and we should be able to fight back from that. I’m optimistic for the rally but it’s going to be interesting where we are compared to the Fords. We spoke about it together as a team and as you can see Sebastien took the second place so that was our goal.”
The top 17 starting positions for day one of round four of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia are as follows:
1 Mikko Hirvonen (Citroen)
2 Sebastien Loeb (Citroen)
3 Ott Tanak (M-Sport)
4 Dani Sordo (Prodrive)
5 Jari Ketomaa (Autotek)
6 Thierry Neuville (Citroen Junior)
7 Armindo Aruajo (MINI Portugal)
8 Martin Prokop (Czech)
9 Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar WRT)
10 Daniel Oliveira (Brazil WRT)
11 Peter van Merksteijn Jr (Van Merksteijn)
12 Dennis Kuipers (M-Sport)
13 Patrik Sandell (Prodrive)
14 Mads Ostberg (Adapta)
15 Evgeny Novikov (M-Sport)
16 Petter Solberg (Ford)
17 Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford)
click: wrc.com/news/16350
.
Trending Topics
Mar 29, 2012, 05:22 AM
#9
Evolving Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: NY & UK
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mar 29, 2012, 07:39 AM
#10
Evolving Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: NY & UK
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Portugal's first FIA WRC Academy recruit, Joao Silva, will have the honour of starting first on the opening stage of Vodafone Rally de Portugal, the 3.27-kilometre SSS Lisboa test, which is underway in the Portuguese capital.
Crews will tackle the all-asphalt course, the first of 22 on the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia, in reverse order with eight-time WRC title-winner Sebastien Loeb going 49th and last in his Citroen DS3 WRC.
Following the stage, competitors will head to a regroup in Ourique when the exciting running order for Thursday’s three night stages will be formalised.
Loeb’s Citroen team-mate Mikko Hirvonen has elected to run first on the road tonight followed by Loeb, M-Sport Ford pilot Ott Tanak and Prodrive MINI ace Dani Sordo. Factory Ford drivers Petter Solberg and Jari-Matti Latvala have chosen to start in 16th and 17th positions respectively.
“It’s an honour and I am very happy that the organisers gave the chance to me,” said Silva, who is from the Portuguese island of Madeira and will drive a Ford Fiesta R2. “The crowds here will be very big and as a Portuguese competing here on my home rally, the chance to drive first in front of these people will be a real pleasure. First on the road is a real pleasure.”
Silva’s WRC Academy rival Christopher Duplessis(USA) will go second on the road through SSS Lisboa with fellow WRC Academy drivers John MacCrone and Jose Suarez third and fourth respectively.
click: wrc.com/news/16379
.
Crews will tackle the all-asphalt course, the first of 22 on the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia, in reverse order with eight-time WRC title-winner Sebastien Loeb going 49th and last in his Citroen DS3 WRC.
Following the stage, competitors will head to a regroup in Ourique when the exciting running order for Thursday’s three night stages will be formalised.
Loeb’s Citroen team-mate Mikko Hirvonen has elected to run first on the road tonight followed by Loeb, M-Sport Ford pilot Ott Tanak and Prodrive MINI ace Dani Sordo. Factory Ford drivers Petter Solberg and Jari-Matti Latvala have chosen to start in 16th and 17th positions respectively.
“It’s an honour and I am very happy that the organisers gave the chance to me,” said Silva, who is from the Portuguese island of Madeira and will drive a Ford Fiesta R2. “The crowds here will be very big and as a Portuguese competing here on my home rally, the chance to drive first in front of these people will be a real pleasure. First on the road is a real pleasure.”
Silva’s WRC Academy rival Christopher Duplessis(USA) will go second on the road through SSS Lisboa with fellow WRC Academy drivers John MacCrone and Jose Suarez third and fourth respectively.
click: wrc.com/news/16379
.
Mar 29, 2012, 10:40 AM
#11
Evolving Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: NY & UK
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
SS1: Solberg quickest
Petter Solberg leads Vodafone Rally de Portugal, round four of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia, following his fastest time on the opening SSS Lisboa in the country’s capital city.
Driving a Ford Fiesta RS WRC, Solberg was 0.1s faster than Citroen pilot Sebastien Loeb on the 3.27-kilometre all-asphalt stage, despite nudging a tyre barrier. Finns Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen shared the third fastest time. M-Sport’s Ott Tanak was fifth with Dani Sordo sixth for the new Prodrive WRC Team.
Portuguese Armindo Araujo thrilled the throngs of local fans by securing a top 10 fastest stage time in his WRC Team MINI Portugal John Cooper Works WRC.
“It was fantastic, maybe we tried too much but I am happy with my feeling and my confidence,” said Araujo. “I am confident for the rally. So many people are pushing, it’s like having two co-drivers.”
Russia’s Evgeny Novikov reported a small engine misfire in his M-Sport Fiesta. Swede Patrik Sandell said he tried to avoid wearing out his tyres for the upcoming gravel stages in his Prodrive WRC Team MINI, while Daniel Oliveira completed his first stage of a world championship event in his new Fiesta RS WRC.
Craig Breen, in a Fiesta S2000, was the quickest of the Super 2000 World Rally Championship runners while Brendan Reeves was the fastest of the FIA WRC Academy intake in his Fiesta R2.
Crews are now heading 200 kilometres south to Ourique for a regroup. Stage two, the all-gravel 10.19-kilometre Gomes Aires run, gets underway at 20:19hrs local time.
click: wrc.com/news/portugal ss1
wrc academy times ss1:
----------------------------
The battle for victory on Vodafone Rally de Portugal has taken another twist with rain falling at the event's permanent service park in Faro.
Warm temperatures and bright sunshine have formed the backdrop to round four of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia so far, with the opening SSS Lisboa test typical of Portugal’s glorious spring weather. However, there have been reports of cloudy conditions and rain falling over parts of the rally route.
Eight-time world champion Sebastien Loeb, currently 0.1s adrift of leader Petter Solberg, will run second on the road on tonight’s three all-gravel stages.
The Citroen driver said: “We just don’t know what is going to happen with the weather. I want there to be breeze tonight [for the dust] because when the sun goes down the air becomes still and we don’t want that. I wasn’t pushing in that [first] stage, it was fine with no mistakes.”
Opening stage winner Solberg, in a factory Ford, said: “I took it easy to save the tyres because the real work starts tonight.”
Crews are currently heading 200 kilometres south to Ourique for a regroup. Stage two, the all-gravel 10.19-kilometre Gomes Aires run, gets underway at 20:19hrs local time.
click: wrc.com/news/16383
------------------------------
Petter Solberg leads Vodafone Rally de Portugal, round four of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia, following his fastest time on the opening SSS Lisboa in the country’s capital city.
Driving a Ford Fiesta RS WRC, Solberg was 0.1s faster than Citroen pilot Sebastien Loeb on the 3.27-kilometre all-asphalt stage, despite nudging a tyre barrier. Finns Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen shared the third fastest time. M-Sport’s Ott Tanak was fifth with Dani Sordo sixth for the new Prodrive WRC Team.
Portuguese Armindo Araujo thrilled the throngs of local fans by securing a top 10 fastest stage time in his WRC Team MINI Portugal John Cooper Works WRC.
“It was fantastic, maybe we tried too much but I am happy with my feeling and my confidence,” said Araujo. “I am confident for the rally. So many people are pushing, it’s like having two co-drivers.”
Russia’s Evgeny Novikov reported a small engine misfire in his M-Sport Fiesta. Swede Patrik Sandell said he tried to avoid wearing out his tyres for the upcoming gravel stages in his Prodrive WRC Team MINI, while Daniel Oliveira completed his first stage of a world championship event in his new Fiesta RS WRC.
Craig Breen, in a Fiesta S2000, was the quickest of the Super 2000 World Rally Championship runners while Brendan Reeves was the fastest of the FIA WRC Academy intake in his Fiesta R2.
Crews are now heading 200 kilometres south to Ourique for a regroup. Stage two, the all-gravel 10.19-kilometre Gomes Aires run, gets underway at 20:19hrs local time.
click: wrc.com/news/portugal ss1
wrc academy times ss1:
----------------------------
The battle for victory on Vodafone Rally de Portugal has taken another twist with rain falling at the event's permanent service park in Faro.
Warm temperatures and bright sunshine have formed the backdrop to round four of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia so far, with the opening SSS Lisboa test typical of Portugal’s glorious spring weather. However, there have been reports of cloudy conditions and rain falling over parts of the rally route.
Eight-time world champion Sebastien Loeb, currently 0.1s adrift of leader Petter Solberg, will run second on the road on tonight’s three all-gravel stages.
The Citroen driver said: “We just don’t know what is going to happen with the weather. I want there to be breeze tonight [for the dust] because when the sun goes down the air becomes still and we don’t want that. I wasn’t pushing in that [first] stage, it was fine with no mistakes.”
Opening stage winner Solberg, in a factory Ford, said: “I took it easy to save the tyres because the real work starts tonight.”
Crews are currently heading 200 kilometres south to Ourique for a regroup. Stage two, the all-gravel 10.19-kilometre Gomes Aires run, gets underway at 20:19hrs local time.
click: wrc.com/news/16383
------------------------------
Last edited by Weasel555; Mar 29, 2012 at 10:53 AM.
Mar 29, 2012, 02:30 PM
#12
Evolving Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: NY & UK
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
SS2: Fords fly
Petter Solberg and Jari-Matti Latvala’s decision to select lowly starting positions for Thursday’s night stages and benefit from a cleaner road surface looks to be paying off after they went fastest on the Gomes Aires test.
Solberg completed the run 1.5s quicker than factory Ford team-mate Latvala with Sebastien Loeb, running second on the road, 6.0s adrift of Solberg, who now leads Latvala by 2.2s in the overall classification.
Loeb, who was 2.9s quicker than fellow Citroen driver Mikko Hirvonen, said: “It was okay with no dust at all. The grip was changing because it was humid in some places. I just tried to follow the road but it can be difficult to see in the dark.”
Hirvonen, who is opening the road on Thursday’s trio of night stages, said he wasn’t happy with his performance behind the wheel of his Citroen. “It was really bad driving, I didn’t have any rhythm,” said the Finn.
Estonian Ott Tanak reported a lack of confidence in some fast sections but said he was happy with the handling of his M-Sport Fiesta.
click: wrc.com/news/portugal ss2
wrc academy ss2:
----------------------------
Sebastien Loeb crashes out of Rally of Portugal on SS3
World Rally Championship leader Sebastien Loeb's chances of victory in Portugal are already over after the Citroen driver went off the road on the second full-length stage.
Loeb's car stopped seven kilometres into the Santa Clara test, with following crews reporting that he had gone a long way off but was unhurt.
Ott Tanak said: "He was warning us on the stage, but we didn't see the car."
Jari Ketomaa, who was next on the road added: "The car was a very long way off the road."
Loeb had ended stage two third behind the Fords of Petter Solberg and Jari-Matti Latvala, as Citroen's plan of running first on the road appeared to backfire.
Other early incidents included Dani Sordo losing the use of all but one headlight on his Mini on SS2 and then pulling out before SS3, and local hero Armindo Araujo dropping five minutes behind when he went off very early on the evening's first stage.
click: autosport.com/news/98460
...
Petter Solberg and Jari-Matti Latvala’s decision to select lowly starting positions for Thursday’s night stages and benefit from a cleaner road surface looks to be paying off after they went fastest on the Gomes Aires test.
Solberg completed the run 1.5s quicker than factory Ford team-mate Latvala with Sebastien Loeb, running second on the road, 6.0s adrift of Solberg, who now leads Latvala by 2.2s in the overall classification.
Loeb, who was 2.9s quicker than fellow Citroen driver Mikko Hirvonen, said: “It was okay with no dust at all. The grip was changing because it was humid in some places. I just tried to follow the road but it can be difficult to see in the dark.”
Hirvonen, who is opening the road on Thursday’s trio of night stages, said he wasn’t happy with his performance behind the wheel of his Citroen. “It was really bad driving, I didn’t have any rhythm,” said the Finn.
Estonian Ott Tanak reported a lack of confidence in some fast sections but said he was happy with the handling of his M-Sport Fiesta.
click: wrc.com/news/portugal ss2
wrc academy ss2:
----------------------------
Sebastien Loeb crashes out of Rally of Portugal on SS3
World Rally Championship leader Sebastien Loeb's chances of victory in Portugal are already over after the Citroen driver went off the road on the second full-length stage.
Loeb's car stopped seven kilometres into the Santa Clara test, with following crews reporting that he had gone a long way off but was unhurt.
Ott Tanak said: "He was warning us on the stage, but we didn't see the car."
Jari Ketomaa, who was next on the road added: "The car was a very long way off the road."
Loeb had ended stage two third behind the Fords of Petter Solberg and Jari-Matti Latvala, as Citroen's plan of running first on the road appeared to backfire.
Other early incidents included Dani Sordo losing the use of all but one headlight on his Mini on SS2 and then pulling out before SS3, and local hero Armindo Araujo dropping five minutes behind when he went off very early on the evening's first stage.
click: autosport.com/news/98460
...
Last edited by Weasel555; Mar 29, 2012 at 03:07 PM.
Mar 29, 2012, 05:51 PM
#14
Evolving Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: NY & UK
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
^rob read the stage times i post up for just the wrc academy 
----------------------------
SS3: Loeb crashes out
Sebastien Loeb’s lead of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia is under threat after the French ace went off the road approximately seven kilometres from the start of stage three of Vodafone Rally de Portugal.
Loeb was running second on the road in his Citroen DS3 WRC and posted the third fastest time on stage two. Although both he and co-driver Daniel Elena were uninjured, their car is understood to have ended up some distance from the road. It has been reported they will not restart under Rally 2 regulations on Friday.
Jari-Matti Latvala was fastest through the stage in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC, 2.7s quicker than Ford team-mate Petter Solberg. It means the Finn now heads the Norwegian by 0.5s in the overall standings.
Mikko Hirvonen was third fastest in his Citroen, 3.5s down on Latvala. Ott Tanak said he lost time when he forgot to switch on his full lighting display on his M-Sport Fiesta. He was fourth quickest with Thierry Neuville a strong fifth and Evgeny Novikov sixth.
Adapta Fiesta driver Mads Ostberg suffered a front-right puncture early in the stage and was almost 25s down on Latvala with the seventh best time. Dani Sordo did not start the run in his Prodrive MINI.
click: wrc.com/news/portugal ss3
----------------------------
Citroen team principal Yves Matton has confirmed that Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena have retired from Vodafone Rally de Portugal following their crash on the third stage of round four of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.
Loeb was third overall after two stages only to hit trouble on the very next run, rolling and inflicting substantial damage to his Citroen DS3 WRC.
“They went off on a situation when the road turned on the top [on a crest], the road turned to the right and Sebastien turned to the left,” said Matton. “The pace note was good, but he didn’t follow the indication, just before the top the road was going a little bit to the left and we think he was looking more to the road and he didn’t follow the note. Sebastien said the impact was not heavy. We don’t know how many times the car rolled, but enough to make sure it won’t start tomorrow.”
Matton continued: “The cage was damaged on the top. Sometimes this can happen if the first roll is heavy, but we don’t know. Anyway, the cage is bent. This can happen, it’s the rally. We still have one car and we try to take maximum points with Mikko [Hirvonen] and try to be leading at the end of the rally.”
click: wrc.com/news/loeb-exit
wrc academy ss3:
----------------------------
SS4: Tanak avoids the rain
Ott Tanak has claimed his first stage victory on a gravel round of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia with a sensational performance through Friday’s final Ourique stage.
The young Estonian was 1.4s quicker than Mikko Hirvonen, who was running one position ahead of him on the road in first place. Tanak is now 10.7s behind Hirvonen in the battle for the final podium spot.
“I didn’t push everything but I think it was okay,” said Tanak, who is driving an M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Fiesta RS WRC. “It was tricky because I have not done these stages in a World Rally Car before.”
Jari-Matti Latvala continues to lead Vodafone Rally de Portugal but he could only manage the fourth quickest time, 7.3s adrift of Tanak’s effort due to the onset of heavy rain during his run.
“The end of the stage was quite good but we were losing some time in the beginning when it was really slippery,” said Latvala.
click: wrc.com/news/portugal ss4
wrc academy ss4:
----------------------------
----------------------------
SS3: Loeb crashes out
Sebastien Loeb’s lead of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia is under threat after the French ace went off the road approximately seven kilometres from the start of stage three of Vodafone Rally de Portugal.
Loeb was running second on the road in his Citroen DS3 WRC and posted the third fastest time on stage two. Although both he and co-driver Daniel Elena were uninjured, their car is understood to have ended up some distance from the road. It has been reported they will not restart under Rally 2 regulations on Friday.
Jari-Matti Latvala was fastest through the stage in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC, 2.7s quicker than Ford team-mate Petter Solberg. It means the Finn now heads the Norwegian by 0.5s in the overall standings.
Mikko Hirvonen was third fastest in his Citroen, 3.5s down on Latvala. Ott Tanak said he lost time when he forgot to switch on his full lighting display on his M-Sport Fiesta. He was fourth quickest with Thierry Neuville a strong fifth and Evgeny Novikov sixth.
Adapta Fiesta driver Mads Ostberg suffered a front-right puncture early in the stage and was almost 25s down on Latvala with the seventh best time. Dani Sordo did not start the run in his Prodrive MINI.
click: wrc.com/news/portugal ss3
----------------------------
Citroen team principal Yves Matton has confirmed that Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena have retired from Vodafone Rally de Portugal following their crash on the third stage of round four of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.
Loeb was third overall after two stages only to hit trouble on the very next run, rolling and inflicting substantial damage to his Citroen DS3 WRC.
“They went off on a situation when the road turned on the top [on a crest], the road turned to the right and Sebastien turned to the left,” said Matton. “The pace note was good, but he didn’t follow the indication, just before the top the road was going a little bit to the left and we think he was looking more to the road and he didn’t follow the note. Sebastien said the impact was not heavy. We don’t know how many times the car rolled, but enough to make sure it won’t start tomorrow.”
Matton continued: “The cage was damaged on the top. Sometimes this can happen if the first roll is heavy, but we don’t know. Anyway, the cage is bent. This can happen, it’s the rally. We still have one car and we try to take maximum points with Mikko [Hirvonen] and try to be leading at the end of the rally.”
click: wrc.com/news/loeb-exit
wrc academy ss3:
----------------------------
SS4: Tanak avoids the rain
Ott Tanak has claimed his first stage victory on a gravel round of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia with a sensational performance through Friday’s final Ourique stage.
The young Estonian was 1.4s quicker than Mikko Hirvonen, who was running one position ahead of him on the road in first place. Tanak is now 10.7s behind Hirvonen in the battle for the final podium spot.
“I didn’t push everything but I think it was okay,” said Tanak, who is driving an M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Fiesta RS WRC. “It was tricky because I have not done these stages in a World Rally Car before.”
Jari-Matti Latvala continues to lead Vodafone Rally de Portugal but he could only manage the fourth quickest time, 7.3s adrift of Tanak’s effort due to the onset of heavy rain during his run.
“The end of the stage was quite good but we were losing some time in the beginning when it was really slippery,” said Latvala.
click: wrc.com/news/portugal ss4
wrc academy ss4:
----------------------------
Mar 29, 2012, 05:53 PM
#15
Evolving Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: NY & UK
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thursday wrap
Round four of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia has got off to a dramatic start with eight-time world champion Sebastien Loeb crashing out and five seconds covering the top three after four stages of Vodafone Rally de Portugal.
Loeb, who opted to start second on the road for the three night stages in his Citroen DS3 WRC in an effort to avoid being caught out by hanging dust clouds, had set the third fastest time on stage two but failed to make it though the halfway point of the 14.29-kilometre Santa Clara run when he went off the road.
Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena were uninjured in the crash but their car is too badly damaged for them to continue under Rally 2 regulations on Friday.
“They went off on a situation when the road turned on the top [on a crest], the road turned to the right and Sebastien turned to the left,” said Citroen Racing team principal Yves Matton. “The pace note was good, but he didn’t follow the indication, just before the top the road was going a little bit to the left and we think he was looking more to the road and he didn’t follow the note. Sebastien said the impact was not heavy. We don’t know how many times the car rolled, but enough to make sure it won’t start tomorrow.”
Jari-Matti Latvala leads overnight for Ford, his gamble to select a lowly starting position to benefit from a ‘cleaner’ road surface paying off when he went second fastest on stage two and quickest of all on the third stage to ****** the lead of the rally from team-mate Petter Solberg. But his progress was thwarted slightly when it rained heavily while he was tackling Thursday’s closing stage.
“It has not been an easy evening but our [road] position has paid off,” said Latvala, whose overall lead ahead of Solberg is 2.6s. “If it rains tomorrow then starting lower down is not the best for sure but luckily we will have the soft tyre [option] if we have bad conditions and Mikko [Hirvonen] will be closer to us in the starting positions.”
Petter Solberg was fastest through the all-asphalt street stage in Lisbon and quickest again on the first gravel test, Gomes Aires. The rain also caught him out on stage four with the Norwegian reporting a half spin in his Fiesta.
read more: wrc.com/news/thursday-wrap
------------------------------
SWRC wrap
Hayden Paddon has completed the opening day of Vodafone Rally de Portugal leading the Super 2000 World Rally Championship category in his Skoda Fabia.
Paddon, the reigning Production Car world champion, trailed Craig Breen following the opening superspecial in Lisbon but moved in front on the first all-gravel night stage.
The New Zealander’s advantage over the Irishman, in a Fiesta S2000, after four stages is 24.6s. Saudi driver Yazeed Al Rajhi is third in his Fiesta Regional Rally Car with Portugal’s Pedro Meireles (Mitsubishi Lancer) fourth and Maciej Oleksowicz, from Poland, fifth in another Fiesta.
“We took a risk by going with the soft compound tyre,” said Paddon. “On the last two stages it was too soft in the second part of the stages and we were losing a lot of time. But I’m happy to be leading, I like the night.”
SWRC points leader Breen, who is competing in the series after winning the inaugural FIA WRC Academy in 2011, said: “We had big trouble on stage two in a water crossing when the car dropped onto three cylinders. It was a big fright and I thought my rally was over. I didn’t push flat out on the last two because it was tricky in the dark because you can’t see your landmarks. I’m happy to have got here.”
click: swrc/news/thursswrc-wrap
-----------------------------
WRC Academy wrap
A thrilling battle for FIA WRC Academy glory is in prospect on Vodafone Rally de Portugal with the top three drivers covered by less than two seconds following the completion of Thursday's three night stages.
Fredrik Ahlin, from Sweden, holds top spot in his Ford Fiesta R2 with Australian Brendan Reeves a slender 0.5s adrift in his identical machine. Northern Ireland’s Alastair Fisher is third, 1.9s down on Ahlin with Swede Pontus Tidemand fourth, 15.7s adrift of top spot, and the top category newcomer.
To underline the close competition in the class for young drivers, the top four runners have all claimed a stage victory apiece with Reeves going fastest on SSS Lisboa, Ahlin taking the honours on Gomes Aires, Tidemand setting the pace on Santa Clara and Fisher topping the times on Ourique, which was held in heavy rain.
Briton Elfyn Evans is fifth overnight with Dutch driver Timo van der Marel in sixth position. Spaniard Jose Suarez and American Christopher Duplessis are seventh and eighth respectively. However, neither Joao Silva nor John MacCrone failed to complete the opening day’s action.
click: wrc-academy/news/thurs-wrc-academy-wrap
....
Round four of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia has got off to a dramatic start with eight-time world champion Sebastien Loeb crashing out and five seconds covering the top three after four stages of Vodafone Rally de Portugal.
Loeb, who opted to start second on the road for the three night stages in his Citroen DS3 WRC in an effort to avoid being caught out by hanging dust clouds, had set the third fastest time on stage two but failed to make it though the halfway point of the 14.29-kilometre Santa Clara run when he went off the road.
Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena were uninjured in the crash but their car is too badly damaged for them to continue under Rally 2 regulations on Friday.
“They went off on a situation when the road turned on the top [on a crest], the road turned to the right and Sebastien turned to the left,” said Citroen Racing team principal Yves Matton. “The pace note was good, but he didn’t follow the indication, just before the top the road was going a little bit to the left and we think he was looking more to the road and he didn’t follow the note. Sebastien said the impact was not heavy. We don’t know how many times the car rolled, but enough to make sure it won’t start tomorrow.”
Jari-Matti Latvala leads overnight for Ford, his gamble to select a lowly starting position to benefit from a ‘cleaner’ road surface paying off when he went second fastest on stage two and quickest of all on the third stage to ****** the lead of the rally from team-mate Petter Solberg. But his progress was thwarted slightly when it rained heavily while he was tackling Thursday’s closing stage.
“It has not been an easy evening but our [road] position has paid off,” said Latvala, whose overall lead ahead of Solberg is 2.6s. “If it rains tomorrow then starting lower down is not the best for sure but luckily we will have the soft tyre [option] if we have bad conditions and Mikko [Hirvonen] will be closer to us in the starting positions.”
Petter Solberg was fastest through the all-asphalt street stage in Lisbon and quickest again on the first gravel test, Gomes Aires. The rain also caught him out on stage four with the Norwegian reporting a half spin in his Fiesta.
read more: wrc.com/news/thursday-wrap
------------------------------
SWRC wrap
Hayden Paddon has completed the opening day of Vodafone Rally de Portugal leading the Super 2000 World Rally Championship category in his Skoda Fabia.
Paddon, the reigning Production Car world champion, trailed Craig Breen following the opening superspecial in Lisbon but moved in front on the first all-gravel night stage.
The New Zealander’s advantage over the Irishman, in a Fiesta S2000, after four stages is 24.6s. Saudi driver Yazeed Al Rajhi is third in his Fiesta Regional Rally Car with Portugal’s Pedro Meireles (Mitsubishi Lancer) fourth and Maciej Oleksowicz, from Poland, fifth in another Fiesta.
“We took a risk by going with the soft compound tyre,” said Paddon. “On the last two stages it was too soft in the second part of the stages and we were losing a lot of time. But I’m happy to be leading, I like the night.”
SWRC points leader Breen, who is competing in the series after winning the inaugural FIA WRC Academy in 2011, said: “We had big trouble on stage two in a water crossing when the car dropped onto three cylinders. It was a big fright and I thought my rally was over. I didn’t push flat out on the last two because it was tricky in the dark because you can’t see your landmarks. I’m happy to have got here.”
click: swrc/news/thursswrc-wrap
-----------------------------
WRC Academy wrap
A thrilling battle for FIA WRC Academy glory is in prospect on Vodafone Rally de Portugal with the top three drivers covered by less than two seconds following the completion of Thursday's three night stages.
Fredrik Ahlin, from Sweden, holds top spot in his Ford Fiesta R2 with Australian Brendan Reeves a slender 0.5s adrift in his identical machine. Northern Ireland’s Alastair Fisher is third, 1.9s down on Ahlin with Swede Pontus Tidemand fourth, 15.7s adrift of top spot, and the top category newcomer.
To underline the close competition in the class for young drivers, the top four runners have all claimed a stage victory apiece with Reeves going fastest on SSS Lisboa, Ahlin taking the honours on Gomes Aires, Tidemand setting the pace on Santa Clara and Fisher topping the times on Ourique, which was held in heavy rain.
Briton Elfyn Evans is fifth overnight with Dutch driver Timo van der Marel in sixth position. Spaniard Jose Suarez and American Christopher Duplessis are seventh and eighth respectively. However, neither Joao Silva nor John MacCrone failed to complete the opening day’s action.
click: wrc-academy/news/thurs-wrc-academy-wrap
....