FROM: Abu Dhabi Ford Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team faces the toughest round of the FIA World Rally Championship in Greece next week intent on extending its excellent record in one of the series’ classic fixtures. Intense heat and rocky mountain tracks make the Acropolis Rally (16 – 19 June) a gruelling test of man and machine, but Ford has won there seven times in the last 10 encounters. The rally returns to the series after a year’s absence and this seventh round marks the halfway point of the…
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Service Park – STPR, Ukraine, and 2012
Another weekend of great rally action warrants another edition of the Service Park. We had the Rally America boys and girls going at it here domestically and the Prime Yalta round of the IRC as well. Don’t forget the FiA has released the 2012 WRC calendar as well with the return of an old friend and some new faces being excluded. 2012 WRC Calendar: The FiA has released next year’s calendar and to a few peoples surprise, Monte Carlo is back on for 2012. If you remember, Monte Carlo had…
Read MoreMSP – Neuville, Loix, Hanninen, and Oregon Trail
It has been a long while since I have been able to write a Monday Service Park, but I have one for you this week as the IRC concluded its third round in France. A good rally with lots of excitement and a Peugeot claiming the top step over the mighty Skoda Fabia S2000. So without further delay, here is this week’s Monday Service Park. Tour de Corse-E.Leclerc The third round of the IRC saw the series head to a historic event on the French island. The rally is traditionally…
Read MoreRally – Volkswagen to WRC in 2013
Finally, after two years of speculation and rumors concerning Volkswagen and the World Rally Championship, VW officially announced today their entry into the 2013 season. Vehicle of choice you ask? The Volkswagen Polo as pictured. This is supposedly no small entry as Volkswagen is rumored to be putting close to 100 million euros into the program. There has yet to be an announcement on who will pilot the machines as it is still 20 months away from competing. Word in the service park is that a young German driver will…
Read MoreRally – MINI WRC Team is officially launched in Oxford
FROM: MINI WRC: Oxford/Munich, 11th April 2011. The return of MINI to one of the biggest stages in motorsport is approaching ever closer. On Monday, the MINI WRC Team was officially presented to the public at the Team Launch, which took place at the MINI Plant in Oxford (GB). This season, the team will contest six rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) with the MINI John Cooper Works WRC. The car will be tested against its rivals for the first time at the Rally d’Italia Sardegna from 5th…
Read MoreRally – Monte Carlo WRC/IRC Combo?
We have established that Max Mosley and the FiA had no idea how to run the WRC. Strict and ever changing regulations forced many manufacturers out and key rounds of the championship were also lost in the years leading to Mosley’s stepping down. The new administration has worked hard with promoter North Sport to bring back the glory of WRC. New manufacturers and new cars have really created a buzz this year. The one thing we are missing is a steady calender. The Monte Carlo event is no doubt the…
Read MoreRally – Portugal Super Special
The first stage of Rally Portugal has ended and Mikko Hirvonen will carry a 1.3 sec lead over Sebastien Loeb heading into the proper stages. The super special was located in Lisbon and drew a massive crowd. Below are the top 10 after the stage. There are a couple key points to take away from the opening test. This is a bit unusual as the super special is supposed to be a low threat event that allows the spectators a chance to watch the rally cars up close. The results…
Read MoreRally – 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 – 2012 Calendar Problems Remain
Think back to about this time last year and we were discussing the same thing for the WRC. What is the calendar going to be and when will it be released? Are we going to drop the silly rally rotation rule the WRC has? As we know with the FiA however, the same problems always crop up and are never resolved. So here we sit in 2011 and we are waiting for the 2012 calendar. The events and dates are set to be announced later this month or early next…
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