There was thought to be assurance that Pirelli would remain in the WRC after its announcement regarding Formula 1 was made. We thought that the Italian manufacturer would support both FiA series and that multiple suppliers would also be in the mix (for rally). That has not proven to be the case as Pirelli has pulled out as a supplier to the WRC. This particular decision is not as huge as when Bridgestone pulled out of F1 however, because the regulations already indicated that multiple suppliers would be allowed in…
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Rally – Meeke to MINI
Intercontinental Rally Champion Kris Meeke will once again compete in the WRC. Stories this morning have the star signing with MINI’s WRC efforts and while nothing has come out of the Meeke camp, all things are in motion for this to take place. Kris is the second name mentioned with program as it is heavily rumored P-G Andersson is also in line for a seat. It does not stop there however. Marcus Gronholm is also in the mix as he is set for a Portugal test of the new Countryman.…
Read MoreRally – Thoughts on the RallyCross Circuit at NJMP
I’ll cut to the chase: RUBBISH! Seriously, take a look at the preview video below. This isn’t rally so much as it is a touring car race with some predefined offs. There are a couple of spots where the car is sent off wide into the dirt, only to rejoin the circuit in short order. The vast majority of the racing is done on the standard tarmac circuit. I had very high hopes for the new rallycross exhibition races the RallyCar Series (formally Rally America) had planned for this late…
Read MoreRally – One Lap of the NJMP Rallycross Circuit
Rally – Last Ditch Racing at the 100 Acre Wood
Rally – Loeb Wins Germany
Sebastian Loeb has won Rally Germany for the eighth time and has all but sured up the title with four events left. The Citroen ace was never in question of losing this event as he continues to destroy the competition on tarmac. The French ace now has 191 points to Sebastian Ogier’s 133. Ogier would finish on the final step of the podium while factory driver Dani Sordo would finish an impressive second. A result the Spaniard needed after coming back to the Total team after being demoted to the…
Read MoreRally – Loeb Extends Through Panzerplatte
Sebastian Loeb continues to dominate Rally Germany as he further extended his lead over Citroen Total teammate Dani Sordo during today’s second leg. The French ace was able to extend the lead to 35.7 seconds over his Spanish teammate over the always treacherous Panzerplatte arena section of the rally. There were also two key retirements as Mikko Hirvonen would fail to finish the day with a transmission issue and Stobart stand in Francois Duval would roll his Ford on the second run throught the Panzerplatte stage. Of course you guessed…
Read MoreRally – Loeb Rips Through Germany
Sebastian Loeb has opened Rally Germany with a scorching pace that may see him to yet another victory. The French ace is currently being chased by Citroen #2 Dani Sordo who is 9.5 seconds off the lead. Jari Matti-Latvala leads the Ford effort in third place but is 55 seconds off of Loeb after SS6 Mosseland 2. The day started with Loeb winning the first three stages. His streak would be stopped by Petter Solberg who had a roller coaster day. Petter would start SS1 and instantly pick up a…
Read MoreRally – Block Hits the Tarmac
This weekend’s Rally Germany will see Ken Block do something he has only done twice before. Compete in a rally competition that is run on tarmac and not dirt or gravel. The tarmac round in Germany will see the world’s best rally drivers taking to the roads and Ken already admits he and co-driver Alex Gelsomino are at a huge disadvantage. “With zero tarmac rounds in the Rally America series, Alex and I are at a huge disadvantage here in Germany. We have only raced two tarmac events before, and…
Read MoreRally – Peugeot Starts Crying and Threatens to Leave
The Peugeot IRC effort has not really come close to the same dominance it had last year. Kris Meeke has crashed hard and often in his Peugeot S2000 and that has Olivier Quesnel upset and throwing toys from the pram. The team boss has went as far as to say Peugeot will be out of the IRC next year if Skoda fields a factory effort. In contrast to Peugeot’s terrible luck, Skoda has had an amazing year. They have had drivers on the podium at every event and lead the…
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