The more things change, the more they stay the same for some people. During Subaru’s dying days in the WRC, Prodrive was the subject of much criticism in how they performed and worked with the Japanese marque. While the prospect of Prodrive leading the BMW backed MINI was almost too good to be true, a major mistake has occurred and MINI are not in the 2012 championship fight at the moment. 19 Dec 2011 was the final day for teams to register. This date was presented by the FiA after…
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News and commentary premier rally series in the world, the World Rally Championship.
WRC – Ford Extends World Rally Championship Participation
COLOGNE, Dec. 15, 2011 – Ford of Europe announced today it is extending its participation in the FIA World Rally Championship into 2012 and 2013. Long-term partner M-Sport, the British-based preparation company, which has successfully operated Ford’s WRC activities since 1997, will continue to operate the programme from its state-of-the-art facilities at Dovenby Hall in north-west England. The Fiesta RS World Rally Car will continue as Ford’s WRC flagship in 2012 and 2013. The car, based on the successful Fiesta road car, claimed a clean sweep of the podium in…
Read MoreWRC – Ford Standoff Maybe Nearing an End
As soon as the WRC season ended, it was time to prepare for the short turn around that is the 2012 campaign. However, the future of M-Sport and Ford’s involvement in the World Rally Championship was brought into question as the latest deal between the two came to an end. Mikko Hirvonen left the team to pair with eight times champion Sebastien Loeb and dark days loomed for fans of the blue oval. Recent events in the media have shown that perhaps the standoff between Ford and M-Sport have come…
Read MoreBREAKING: Hirvonen to Citroen!!
Massive news out of the WRC today as Citroen have secured the services of former Ford #1 Mikko Hirvonen going forward. In an uncharacteristic press conference held by the 2011 champions, Hirvonen was announced as teammate to 2011 drivers champion and arch rival Sebastien Loeb. If you can’t beat them, join them right? We all knew it couldn’t last from day one. Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier that is. The two had a very public falling out this season to which we have not seen since Lewis and Fernando a…
Read MoreRally – Chris Duplessis Talks About Going to Rally GB
WRC – RACC Rally Spain Final Thoughts
So we have now finished the RACC Rally Spain and a title race that was three strong is now down to two. Mikko Hirvonen and Sebastien Loeb are now set for a thrilling one round shootout at the season finale in Great Britain. The French ace Loeb will carry an eight point lead into the final round which just so happens to be Ford’s stomping grounds. Though the title fight was on everyone’s mind, there were a number of great stories that came out of this year’s penultimate round. MINI/Kris…
Read MoreWRC – MINI WRC Team – Rally RACC – Rally of Spain – Day Three
Salou, 23rd October, 2011. The MINI WRC Team was in a celebratory mood at the end of Rally RACC – Rally of Spain. Not only did Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) and Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) finish fourth and fifth respectively, but the MINI John Cooper Works WRCs were also first and second fastest on the Power Stage. While it was Sordo’s home event, it was Meeke who took the honour and the three points for being fastest on this final stage. This was…
Read MoreWRC – Double Podium in Spain Sends Ford’s Title Fight to Final Round
Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen’s quest for a maiden FIA World Rally Championship title will go to a final round shootout after Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team claimed a double podium in Rally de España today. They finished second in a Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car with team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila in third, ensuring the drivers’ crown will be decided in Britain next month. The 31-year-old Finn’s title challenge was boosted when Latvala sacrificed second position shortly before the finish to ensure his team-mate maximised his…
Read MoreWRC – Latvala Leads in Spanish Dust Until Late Spin Proves Costly
Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team ended today’s demanding opening leg of Rally de España in second and third places. Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila hold second in a Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car, while team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen lie 23.6sec behind their fellow Finns in a similar car on the final step of the podium. Hanging dust created severe visibility problems in the still morning air, but Latvala’s pace carried him into the lead of this 12th and penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship…
Read MoreWRC – Update After Day 1 for Rally Spain
Just a brief recap here of the events of day 1 for Rally Spain. Keep it to OpenPaddock as the teams post indepth reviews of their first day for the penultimate round of the championship. Conditions were the name of the game for the gravel stages today. Loeb would start first on the road and usually that is an issue, but conditions actually favored the French ace as dust would cause the cars running behind massive problems. The gravel stages were very dry and there was not much of a…
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