The IRC will now kick off its third round this weekend in the historic Safari Rally that will take place in Kenya on the African continent. The rally is entering its 57th installment and will start with a spectator stage in Nairobi on Friday 3 April. The rally will then open up into grueling gravel stages and conclude Sunday. The one weird bit about this is the manufacturer points will be distributed as normal, however the drivers points will only go to those with an African competition license. This is…
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Citroen Preparing for Gravel
Rally Portugal is upon us and the Citroen juniors are about to attack their first gravel rally as a team. The drivers contending for the points this weekend are Evgeny Novikov and Conrad Rautenbach. Sebastien Ogier will also be competing in the rally but will not be eligible for points. Sebastien must be getting a demotion after the terrible performance during Cyprus where he was doing good to keep the car on the beaten path. Both teams will be looking to establish good pace notes as the rally has changed…
Read MoreDuval Looking to IRC for Ride
Francois Duval has stated that he would like to drive in the IRC and he may have his chance in the Skoda Super 2000. Duval drove in the IRC in Portugal last year piloting a Abarth Grande Punto. That performance is one that he would choose to forget after losing a wheel bearing and retiring. Duval who drove for the Stobart Ford WRC team is looking into the Ypres Westhoek Rally from June 20-22. Duval stated that the IRC interests him more than the WRC because there are chances for…
Read MoreProdrive Showoff Gronholm STI
Prodrive has officially revelaed the new STI that Marcus Gronholm will make his one off run in Portugal. The car is painted with the colors of the Portuguese Tourist Board. Gronholm will step back into the car for the first time in 16 months. He first will run a test in Wales and then step up the pace and perform a more rugged shakedown. The true question is what kind of impact will Gronholm have in the points race? We all know that Gronholm is one of the best drivers…
Read MoreCyprus Day 3: Loeb Takes 50th WRC Win
Sebastian Loeb claimed his 50th win of his career this weekend beating out Ford’s Miko Hirvonen. Petter Solberg finished the rally on the podium in 3rd. The podium finish for Solberg has to be a breath of fresh air for the driver after the events of this past off season. Loeb has further put a stamp on this years title, and for Ford it is back to the drawling board after 6 days of testing leads to further disappointment.
Read MoreCyprus Day 2: Loeb Still Leads
Day 2 of the Rally Cyprus is in the books and Sebastian Loeb seems on pace to capture his 50th WRC victory. However, weather conditions and the gravel surface severly hampered the front runners. Dani Sordo has dropped from 2nd to 3rd while Miko Hirvonen has now claimed the runner up spot. Ford’s number 2 Latvala crashed out of the event further crippling their chances for the constructors title.
Read MoreLoeb in Command After Day 1 in Cyprus
Sebastian Loeb is flying in day 1 of the FxPro Rally Cyprus. He currently holds a 41 second lead over teammate Danny Sordo. We will see if Miko Hirvonen and Ford’s plan to let the Citroens go so that they may plow gravel on day 2 will help.
Read MoreProton and IRC
Autosport has revealed that the IRC will welcome its seventh manufacturer to the series as Proton will now run its Satria Neo Super 2000. I think this car is hot and it has been getting tons of praise. Hopefully Proton will run the WRC in 2010 when the Super 2000 regs come into effect.
Read MoreSolberg Chasing Cyprus Podium
Petter Solberg will be chasing a podium finish at the Rally Cyprus this weekend. Solberg who lost his Subaru ride when the team folded shop, ran a Citroen Xsara at the last rally in Norway and finished a suprise 6th Overall. Solberg is hoping that a new engine and upgraded suspension teamed with proper preperation will yield great results.
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