FROM: Abu Dhabi Ford: Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen won three speed tests en route to third place after today’s opening leg of Rally Italia Sardegna. The Finns, driving a Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car, lost time with a puncture after hitting a bank, but a high rate of attrition means they remain in a strong position with two more tough days remaining. Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila retired this morning after damaging the suspension of their Fiesta RS WRC when…
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Rally – Petter Solberg World Rally Team – Rally Portugal 24 – 27 March 2011
PETTER SOLBERG WORLD RALLY TEAM Rally de Portugal 24 – 27 March 2011 From the dusty gravel roads in Mexico, we have travelled over the Atlantic and to the Algarve coast and Rally Portugal. We are ready for the third event in the 2011 WRC, Rally Portugal. Petter Solberg World Rally Team is already based in the service park just outside the Algarve Stadium in Faro. This year the event will kick off with a 3,27kms spectator stage in the historic part of Lisbon on Thursday afternoon. Shakedown will be…
Read MoreRally – PR: Van Merksteijn Motorsport to Support Charity with “Drive for KiKa”
Van Merksteijn Motorsport is going to raise money for KiKa (Children Cancerfree) through its participation in the World Rally Championship. With the slogan “Drive for KiKa”, the team will set aside an amount of money per stage kilometer for this charity and it will approach the sponsors and partners of the team to contribute to this fund raiser as well. Van Merksteijn Motorsport will enter Peter van Merksteijn junior in ten rounds of the FiA World Rally Championship. For his participation in the WRC he has a Citroën DS3 WRC…
Read MoreRally – Citroen Podium in Mexico
MSP – Once Upon a Time in Mexico
So it is all over. The first gravel test of 2011 and an all too familiar ending for fans of the WRC. Sebastien Loeb claimed victory south of the border and in pretty dominant fashion. The weekend was not without its issues however. Here are a few points I was able to take away from Round 2. Tires Michelin had a rough showing this weekend. While the brand has been away from rally’s top flight for sometime, there were a number of punctures on the hard rocks of Mexico. The…
Read MoreEpisode 76 – Openpaddock.net Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin the Paddock crew as they discuss Rally Sweden. An exciting weekend in the WRC and we do the best we can to break down all the madness. We also hit F1, Le Mans, MRTI, and the IZOD IndyCar Series. So sit back and enjoy the rants and debates. Should also throw out that we don’t hate NASCAR fans…just the series. Enjoy!
Read MoreMSP – Sweden, Mikkleson, VP Fuel, and SPEED Center
The WRC season has arrived and because of that, we will now move the Service Park column to Monday to accommodate. What a show the WRC put on in Sweden to usher in its new era of car and talent. This rally had absolutely everything and will go down as one of the most exciting rallies we have seen in a long time. Final Thoughts on Sweden Are you serious!?! This has been one of the best overall rallies we have seen in sometime. New Zealand was amazing due to…
Read MoreRally – Hirvonen Takes Back to Back Sweden Victories
The 2011 season got started with one of the craziest rallies in recent memory! Way to usher in a new era for the Fiesta and DS3. The previous two days of the rally were unpredictable except for one point. Whoever was first on the road usually lost time due to fresh snow. Mikko Hirvonen was to be first on the road this morning and he would prove that to be false as he set some blistering times in the mornings stages on what was really nothing more than fresh ice.…
Read MoreRally – Sweden Day 2 Review
While the 1st leg of Rally Sweden had all the excitement of the new cars and teams taking to the stages proper for the first time, the second leg would be business as usual. Mads Ostberg was the surprise of the first day, how much time would he lose and how far could Mikko stretch the lead? We found out the answer to those questions in what was one amazing day on the stages. Mikko Hirvonen would move quickly to take the lead from Day 1 leader Mads Ostberg. As…
Read MoreRally – Sweden Day 1
Finally the 2011 season proper has kicked off and what a first leg! Snow had fallen all night and was still roaring in the morning as the cars lined up for the start. Sebastien Loeb would be first on the road due to last year’s title standings. The French ace would suffer massive time loss as his DS3 struggled for grip on the loose powder. Jari-Matti Latvala would set a time over 40secs faster! Biggest loser in the first stage would be P-G Andersson who had been tipped to do…
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