H&H-100

s e k a r b d Han s n i p r i a H & he world your insight into t

of rallying

ber 2009 o t c O 0 10 n io it Ed

Contents / Issue 100 Welcome to H&H! News • Vatanen’s new royal aide • Monte Carlo Rally in IRC in 2010!

• Villagra bows out of WRC • Volkswagen counts down to Dakar • Cave eyes win in Rally Latvia Sainz predicts tactics in Spain

Welcome to issue 100 of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, your FREE weekly insight into the world of rallying!

As always, I hope you enjoy this week’s exciting edition!

Yours in Rallying, Evan Rothman

Features • • • •

Essentials: Stuff 2010 FIA calendars confirmed Moosa and Martin crowned champs To Rally Fans: Thank You!

Event Reports • • • •

IRC Rally Sanremo REVIEW BRC Rally Yorkshire REVIEW SANORC Toyota Dealer 400 PREVIEW WRC Rally de Espana PREVIEW

Contact To receive your FREE weekly HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS e-magazine, or if you’d like to share this with a friend please send me your e-mail address to evan.hhmag@gmail.com.

HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS is not a SPAM e-mail: email addresses are added to the mailing list voluntarily.

All content copyrighted property of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, 2007-9.

The one in the middle wins races

& SILOXANE TECHNOLOGY BRAKE PADS

Relative Performance Characteristics of Ferodo Racing Range Undere Heavy-Duty Conditions Pad Life

Disk Life

Ave Mu

Fade

Pedal Travel

DS 2500

Release

Race Proven DS1.11 - suffix “W” - A1GP - FIA GT - Touring Cars - Formula Cars - Group N - Stock Cars

DS 3000 FER 4003 DS 1.11 DS 2.11

Authorised Distributor

Excellent Good Moderate

www.ferodoracing.com

DS2.11 - suffix “X” - WRC - Rally Group N - Touring Cars

Tel : +27 11 670 8400

Neworsld’s latest rally news the w

The world’s latest rally news SEND YOUR TEAM’S NEWS, PRESS RELEASES OR UPDATES TO EVAN.HHMAG@GMAIL.COM!

HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein backs Vatanen for FIA president With the Jordan Rally just over a month away (29 - 31 October), which is a round of the Middle East Rally Championship, the chairman of Jordan Motorsport, HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, has confirmed that he will run as a Vice President (Middle East) under former world rally driving champion Ari Vatanen’s bid to succeed Max Mosley as President of the FIA. The elections take place on 23 October 23 and Vatanen is going head-to-head with Jean Todt, the former Ferrari boss, and the signs are that it is a very close contest.

Vatanen has enlisted Prince Feisal’s help to try and swing the Arab vote in his favour and with this part of the world accounting for up to 20 per cent of the overall electorate; it is a crucial area for the candidates.

This is what the Prince said: “It was an honour to be asked and I have been hugely impressed by the manifesto that Ari has submitted to make sweeping changes to the way that motorsport is run globally. He is a man with integrity and experience and would make an ideal President for an exciting and challenging era for the world of motorsport.

“He has also outlined some groundbreaking ideas for supporting the Arab region which is of particular relevance to us. Ari has also outlined some groundbreaking ideas for supporting the Arab region which is of particular relevance to us. With 50 per cent of our region under the age of 16, it is important that the FIA plays and a more engaging role in the future of our youth. As President of the Jordan Olympic Committee and founder of Generations For Peace, I believe in the power of sport when it comes to social development and we have to be more responsible in the education of our drivers and pedestrians to cut down on the needless deaths and injuries that happen every day of the year.

“We must also build a sustainable future through good governance and transparency by forging a closer relationship between Arab countries and, also, between Arab countries and others across the world.”

The announcement will place His Royal Highness and Jordan back in the global spotlight – great timing with the Jordan Rally taking place less than a week after the elections.

- Credit: rallybuzz.com

developments of the event, which will again start the new IRC season when it gets underway in January.

Speaking in front of a packed house of international media, the organisers promised that the event is returning to its traditional philosophy in partnership with the IRC. The event format put together for 2009 - the first year in which this, the world’s most famous rally, joined the IRC calendar will largely be retained after this extremely successful event.

With 400 km of special stages to be covered through the course of the event it will be the longest rally on the 2010 IRC calendar.

An additional recce will be carried out in the next month in order to maximise the live TV coverage available which proved such an enormous success for the event this year.

Speaking on behalf of the IRC, motorsport development manager and former Monte Carlo Rally winner Jean Pierre Nicolas added: “I’m happy that we can produce another beautiful rally in Monte Carlo next year. Of course we will all be hoping for the snow to return again, but with the classic stages in the Alpes Maritimes and the excitement and drama of the final night it will be the longest event of our season and one of the most dramatic.”

- Credit: rally-irc.com

Federico Villagra bows out of WRC as he tackles Spain this weekend Federico Villagra is preparing to bow out of this year’s FIA World Rally Championship in style as he tackles the final event of his eight-rally campaign at the Rally de Espana next week.

The Argentine champion will be joined in the Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team by Briton Paul Bird contesting his first WRC round of the year as the championship returns to tarmac for the first time since the opening round in Ireland.

Villagra has already surpassed his best-ever points total for a WRC season, taking 15 points from the seven events that he has contested so far. But he will be looking to maximise his tally in Spain in order to remain in ninth place overall in the drivers’ standings ahead of Zimbabwe’s Conrad Rautenbach when the season concludes in Wales next month.

Last time out in Australia, Villagra produced another confident and measured performance, to earn eighth place overall, the fifth time this season that he has finished in the points.

Monte Carlo Rallye to open IRC in 2010, 400km of special stages The organisers of the Monte Carlo Rally visited this past weekend’s IRC Rallye Sanremo to talk through the

THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF RALLYING Featuring European rally championships, British rally championships, Rally America events, international rally results and videos, as well as S2000 and WRC news.

www.rallybuzz.com

Tom Cave wins class in UK, takes momentum to Rally Latvia Teenage rally sensation Tom Cave endured a frustrating weekend when an early mechanical failure meant he was unable to start the International Rally Yorkshire and instead, he contested the national event (the British Rally Championship’s Rally Yorkshire). Despite this, Cave and codriver Craig Parry won their class and the 17 year-old is now looking forward to this weekend’s Rally Latvia, as he returns to more familiar ground.

Cave’s Group N Ford Fiesta suffered a rare mechanical failure prior to the start of the Rally Yorkshire, when a faulty master fuse meant that the car’s electrical system was effectively isolated prior to the first stage of the International Rally Yorkshire, the event Cave was entered in.

The Davis Motorsport crew retrieved the car and back in service, were able to find and rectify the fault but the organisers would not allow Cave to restart the International category of the event. After much deliberation, Cave was eventually permitted to start the National category event, which used the same five stages as the International but run just once in the afternoon, as opposed to twice for the International.

Despite not contesting the event he wanted and was prepared for, Cave and Parry set about making the most of the day’s action and posted times on the five stages making up the event that the team felt were representative. They took an overall stage win on the Langdale test and on the basis of the times that Cave put in through the afternoon, the team estimated that he could have finished third in class on the International event, had he been allowed to compete.

As is normal for Tom Cave, things continue at a pace following the conclusion of the Trackrod, as he traveled to the Lake District on Monday to test the new M-Sport-developed Ford Fiesta R2 rally car, to assess its potential as the basis of the next phase of his rally career. Cave has several tests lined up over the coming weeks, in a range of cars which he could use for the 2010 season, when he will be 18 and therefore, able to compete in any of the events forming the FIA World Rally Championship and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

As soon as the M-Sport test is complete, he and co-driver Gemma Price will resume more familiar action, as they board a flight heading for Riga and Rally Latvia, the flagship event in the Baltic nation’s National Rally Championship.

The one-day event on Sunday 4 October sees the crews contest 98 stage kilometres, including two runs around a superspecial stage situated in the centre of Riga.

- Credit: rallybuzz.com

Volkswagen Motorsport begins countdown to 2010 Dakar Rally Exactly 100 days from now, the demanding title defence project will kick off for Volkswagen in Argentina and Chile.

At the second Dakar Rally in South America from 02 to 16 January 2010 the Wolfsburg-based automobile manufacturer aims to repeat its historic exploit in the same place. At the past “Dakar”, Volkswagen had been the first manufacturer in the 30-year history of the legendary desert classic to win the automobile classification with diesel power. The logistical and technical preparation for the “Dakar” victory project is already in full swing. In terms of personnel, Volkswagen is extremely well set: With Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E), Giniel de Villiers/

Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D), Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ ZA) and Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) in the cockpits of the factory prepared and factory fielded Race Touareg vehicles a strong driver line-up will move across the starting ramp in Buenos Aires.

“Just barely 250 days ago, we managed a historic feat by clinching the diesel-powered victory at the 2009 Dakar Rally,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. With the Race Touareg and TDI technology Volkswagen proved its technical expertise in the toughest of all competitions. But now we´ve got a new goal. We aim to defend the title in January 2010 and underscore that the ‘Dakar´ victory was no coincidence. The next round through South America will even be tougher for the crews and the equipment. Over the next 100 days we´ll leave no stone unturned to prepare for this task as best we can.”

From Buenos Aires across the Andes, through the Atacama desert in the north of Chile - and back: In January 2009, the Dakar Rally´s move from Africa to South America already resulted in the toughest demands ever made on the participants. The 31st Dakar Rally next January, marking the second one through Argentina and Chile, will bring a further increase of these challenges: On an anti-clockwise loop, the route from the start and finish of the gruelling desert rally raid, Buenos Aires, will run via the rally stronghold Córdoba and via La Rioja to Fiambalá - already taking the teams through demanding dune fields. After the first crossing of the Andes from Fiambalá to Copiapó with altitudes exceeding the 4,700metre mark above mean sea level, the centrepiece of the 2010 Dakar Rally will follow. A total of four special stages will be held between Copiapó, Antofagasta and Iquique in the infamous Atacama desert, which is considered the world´s most arid desert while featuring the highest dune fields with soft sand.

The rest day in Antofagasta will interrupt this four-fold desert showdown on 09 January and give the teams the opportunity to perform extensive vehicle maintenance. Via sprint rallytypical sections to La Serena and in Chile´s capital Santiago the “Dakar” route then leads back to Argentina. From San Juan the final three special stages of the “Dakar” will be held through the legendary pampas via San Rafael and Santa Rosa.

The 2010 Dakar Rally also poses technical and logistical challenges for the Volkswagen factory team. As early as at the end of November the service trucks carrying the spare parts and tools as well as other equipment will be shipped from Le Havre, France, to Buenos Aires. The rally vehicles of the Volkswagen duos will follow in two separate cargo planes during the 51st calendar week.

The Rallye por las Pampas in 2005, the Rallye dos Sertões in 2008 and 2009, and the Dakar Rally in 2009: Volkswagen has competed in as many as four cross-country rallies on the South American continent with factory-fielded vehicles, and four times the squad around Motorsport Director Kris Nissen was victorious. At the beginning of 2009 the Dakar Rally marked the most important triumph in the brand´s motorsport history.

The exploit clinched by Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz topped previous achievements in several ways. De Villiers was the first African to enter his name in the annals of this crosscountry motorsport marathon´s history and together both were the winners of the first “Dakar” staged on South American soil. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford completed the triumph of TDI technology a little more than eight months ago in a one-two victory. The American Mark Miller thus celebrated the best

result achieved by a driver from the United States.

Each of Volkswagen´s two runs in the Rallye dos Sertões through Brazil, which is considered an ideal preparation for the “Dakar”, ended in one-two victories as well. In 2008, de Villiers/von Zitzewitz as well as Miller/Pitchford finished as the two front runners, in 2009 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz and Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk followed their sporting exploits.

These four pairings also formed the Volkswagen line-up at the Dakar Rally in January.

Most recently, Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz, Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford and Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz finished their preparations for the 2010 “Dakar” in competitive conditions at the inaugural round of the Silk Way Rally through Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan with a one-two-three win for Volkswagen.

In total, the Race Touareg´s track record at 27 rallies reflects 36 podium finishes of which twelve were overall wins. 106 of 202 stage wins went to Wolfsburg and on 100 days Volkswagen led rallies with its Dakar prototype.

- Credit: volkswagen-motorsport.info

Tuthill Porsche set to tackle “world’s greatest rally” this November Francis Tuthill Ltd is geared up to tackle the Kenyan Airways East African Safari Classic Rally 2009 and with no less than five Porsches in their arsenal this professional outfit has a mammoth task at hand for the marathon ten day event which takes place at the end of November.

Oxfordshire based Tuthill Porsche are no strangers to this test of man and machine, having contested the bi annual endurance rally since its inception in 2003. In 2007 the team very nearly won the event outright with Gerard Marcy. Only navigational errors cost the Belgium a near certain victory.

Gerard returns this year, with experienced World Rally Championship co-driver Stephane Prevot alongside.

Joining Marcy and Prevot for the Mombasa based rally are Steve Troman, Paul Eric Jarry, Thomas Flohr and Phillipino Martin Aguire who is making his Safari Rally debut. With three Porsche 911 3.0 RS’s and a pair of 2.7 RS’s the preparations have presented a colossal task. The team, headed by former Subaru World Rally Team operations director Paul Howarth, consists of no less than 15 technicians and a further nine staff.

And with the four 40ft high cube containers of vehicles, spares and provisions needing to be shipped some eight weeks before the rally, the British summer has been a busy time for the whole team.

Paul Howarth, Team Manager; the last few months have been hectic but we have achieved our first goal of getting everything loaded and on the ship! Now we have the small task of the actual rally. The team has a lot of experience in Africa but the continent has a habit of throwing up the unexpected and that is part of the great challenge.

The Kenyan Airways East African Safari Classic Rally 2009 takes place over ten days between 22 November and 01 December 2009. After the ceremonial start in Mombasa the

crews travel across a variety of terrain, ranging from car breakingly rough to some of the fastest gravel roads in the world, interspersed with exotic wildlife, enthusiastic locals and breathtaking scenery before returning to the seaside town for a ceremonial finish some 4500 kilometres later!

- Credit: Geoff Mayes Media

Sainz predicts key roles for Sordo and Solberg this weekend Two-times World Rally champion Carlos Sainz believes that both Petter Solberg and Dani Sordo will play major roles in determining the outcome of this year’s World Rally Championship battles.

The WRC moves to Spain this weekend for the penultimate round of the 2009 season with Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen leading Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb by only five points.

Sainz said: “For sure Dani and Petter have massive roles to play. Petter recently switched to a Citroen C4 and will be scoring points for Citroen now. He can be very, very fast and it’s just a question of how quickly he adapts to his new set up.”

Sainz, who won the title himself in 1990 and 1992, also believes that Loeb’s team-mate Dani Sordo will have a massive input on both the driver championship and the manufacturer’s title. “If I was Dani, at my home rally, I would be going flat out to win every stage and claim the win on the rally myself,” added Sainz. “This may not benefit Sebastien Loeb, and I would go slower if it was necessary and for the benefit of the team. I think tactics will play a part here this weekend.”

The Spaniard continued: “It’s tough for me to pick a winner.

I have driven for both teams in the past so I am loyal to Ford

and to Citroen equally - I have many good friends at each team. I believe it will not be about who is quicker, but about which driver makes the least mistakes. Everybody knows Sebastien is fast on Spanish asphalt and Mikko is strong in GB - if that means they win one rally each then the pressure is on Sebastien because he is behind on points at the moment.

“I like the improvement of Mikko in the last few years, since he himself played the role of the ‘second driver,’ as Dani is this year. He has learnt and impressed, and has the talent to become World Champion. You have to pick Loeb to win in Spain though for obvious reasons. He knows the route so well and he has the kind of skills you need as a driver to do well on tarmac, but it’s impossible to say who will win the overall title this year.”

With an exciting end to the season in store, Sainz has also kept a keen eye on the WRC as a whole and likes the direction the sport is moving in.

“The new specification of cars in WRC has made the sport so attractive now - it is so spectacular to watch,” he said. “What you have is a unique event in each different country that has its own individual character and challenges. It looks like the sport is really going from strength to strength.”

- Credit: wrc.com

Featnsuigrhteinsto the world of rallying your i

ESSENTIALS: STUFF Stuff you never knew you needed

FOR SAFETY TOO Giant racewear and motorsport gear manufacturers OMP have introduced this new product.

These precurved form-fitting mechanics’ gloves are created with synthetic leather palms and elasticized fabric back.

OMP states that these gloves offer not only great safety and protection but also excellent dexterity to make them ideal for handling even small objects.

Visit ompamerica.com for further deatils.

FOR YOUR POCKET For the WRC tally enthusiasts, here is a wallet: it has a unique design, is black with grey and white stripes.

It features internal and external zip pockets, internal card slots and a clear pocket. The full WRC logo is printed on the front, for that added touch.

KEEPING SCORE The 2008 Rallycourse WRC Yearbook: The Official Yearbook of the WRC. With highperformance cars bursting across a host of incredible landscapes around the world, the World Rally Championship 2008 serves up an incredible array of stunning scenes making Rallycourse a must for all rallying fans.

Visit wrc.com for further details.

Visit wrc.com for further details.

NICE BAG Citroen Racing have released this classic-styled kit bag. A hold-all ideal for your weekend gear, it is available only in these iconic colours.

Visit wrc.com for further details.

WRC: 2010 CALENDARS CONFIRMED Diarise

FROM SWEDEN TO GREAT BRITAIN: WRC 2010

Following a meeting of the World Rally Championship Commission, the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship calendar is now finalised, as follows.

In accordance with the decisions of the World Motor Sport Council (June 2009), event organisers have been given flexibility to evolve the character of their events to create a unique flavour. Rallies may run over two, three or four days, but must finish on a Saturday or Sunday. Individual schedules will be communicated by event organisers, but for simplicity Sunday is noted below as the current completion date of the rally.

Official World Rally Championship Calendar: Rd 1) 14 February - Sweden Rd 2) 07 March - Mexico RD 3) 4 April - Jordan Rd 4) 18 April - Turkey Rd 5) 09 May - New Zealand Rd 6) 30 May- Portugal Rd 7) 10 July - Bulgaria (Saturday finish) Rd 8) 01 August - Finland Rd 9) 22 August - Germany Rd 10) 12 September - Japan Rd 11) 03 October - France Rd 12) 24 October - Spain Rd 13) 14 November - Great Britain The following calendars have been proposed, but are subject to ratification by the World Motor Sport Council, to meet on 21 October 2009.

FIA Junior World Rally Championship (5 of 6 events count) Rd 1) 18 April - Turkey Rd 2) 30 May - Portugal Rd 3) 10 July - Bulgaria (Saturday finish) Rd 4) 22 August - Germany Rd 5) 03 October - France Rd 6) 24 October - Spain

FIA Production World Rally Championship (6 of 9 events count) Rd 1) 14 February - Sweden Rd 2) 7 March - Mexico Rd 3) 04 April - Jordan Rd 4) 09 May - New Zealand Rd 5) 01 August - Finland Rd 6) 22 August - Germany Rd 7) 12 September - Japan Rd 8) 03 October - France Rd 9) 14 November - Great Britain WRC Cup for S2000 teams (7 of 10 events count) Rd 1) 14 February - Sweden Rd 2) 07 March - Mexico Rd 3) 04 April - Jordan Rd 4) 09 May - New Zealand Rd 5) 30 May - Portugal Rd 6) 01 August - Finland Rd 7) 22 August - Germany Rd 8) 12 September - Japan Rd 9) 03 October - France Rd 10) 14 November - Great Britain Pirelli Star Driver programme Rd 1) 04 April - Jordan Rd 2) 30 May - Portugal Rd 3) 01 August - Finland Rd 4) 22 August - Germany Rd 5) 03 October - France Rd 5) 14 November - Great Britain - Credit: rallybuzz.com

SANRC: CLASS A6 Champions

MOOSA AND MARTIN CROWNED CHAMPS

In a hotly contested Class it was Mohammed Moosa and Grant Martin (Team Total Evolution Toyota Auris A6) that claimed the Class A6 South African National Rally Championship title with one event left to run.

The BP Ultimate Rally, held in Cape Town last weekend, brought this pairing their much-deserved Class A6 Championship title, as they powered to another emphatic victory.

In a rally Class dominated by three Team Total Evolution crews, their sponsors can only be but mightily impressed: all three crews were in the running for the title, and will bring home impressive results come the end of the season.

Moosa, a Tzaneen businessman, and Martin, an East London resident, are pleased to report that it was only unfortunate mechanical problems that robbed them of even more points during the season.

The first round of the 2009 SASOL South African National Rally Championship saw this team retire with mechanical gremlins from the Tour Natal Rally, while leading Class A6 with a comfortable 2min advantage.

Rounds two and three (the Toyota Dealer Rally in Cape Town and the Sasol Rally in Sabie) brought victories to this young crew.

Once again, mechanical problems plagued them in Ermelo (Round Four) and in Port Elizabeth (Round Five), where they finished second place finishers after leading the Class before engine troubles.

Round Six saw fortunes change once again, bringing them victory and the lead of the Class A6 Championship title fight.

The title decider came last weekend in the picturesque areas of Malmesbury and Moorreesburg in the Western Cape, where the Team Total Evolution Toyota Auris A6 pair outdrove all their opposition to take an impressive Class victory despite losing nearly 2min 30sec due to a puncture. The never-say-die attitude of Moosa ensured a dramatic fightback that secured the class victory by an impressive 63sec ahead of their nearest rivals Ettiene Du Toit and Patrick Vermaak in a privately entered Toyota Corolla, after Craig Trott and Robbie Coetzee in a Team Total Evolution-sponsored Toyota RunX A6 rolled out of contention in SS7. The unfortunate early exit from the event of their main rivals for the Class A6 honors, Rodney Visagie and Carolynn Swan, when their Toyota RunX’s gearbox cried no more, meant that the Moosa and Martin combination secured the 2009 title with one event in the calendar to remaining.

Handbrakes & Hairpins would like to congratulate Moosa and Martin on their Class A6 success!

H&H: CELEBRATING A TON! Milestone - 100 issues

TO RALLY FANS: THANK YOU! Handbrakes & Hairpins has reached acommendable milestone: 100 issues! Over the last two years, this eMagazine has grown from its humble roots as a news update for rally friends to a respected source of rally news and entertainment. Proudly based in South Africa, Handbrakes & Hairpins has brought South Africa’s rally scene not only to the general public in South Africa but to the rest of the African continent and around the world... Readers from afar as China, Russia, Canada, Australia and Argentina each week now enjoy Handbrakes & Hairpins. Covering rally championships from every corner of the world, with interviews from the sport’s biggest movers and shakers, its news, feature articles and photographs has won many readers. And all this for FREE!

I do and it is what Rally is my life like ery day. I also in some way ev at llying, and for th ra t u o ab ad re to t: airpins is perfec Handbrakes & H m o latest news fr e th h it w s ay alw d. Thanks! around the worl

Handbrakes & Hairpins would like to thank its generous advertisers and sponsors for their continued support, and look to partner for another 100 issues.

Without rally enthusiasts, this publication would not be of the quality now before you: the biggest thanks goes to each of you: Thank you!

Yours in Rallying, Evan Rothman Editor Handbrakes & Hairpins

Hi Evan,

Happy 100th!!!

lege to honour and privi fantastic It has been an articles to your zz Bu ly al R e contribut publication. inging all the rst class in br one place.

Handbrakes is fi ws together in ne lly ra nt va le week’s re , ds ar eg us, the R Best Rally d interviews keep The features an ned. ai rt formed and ente readers, fully in Patrik Sandell e your 100th eek to celebrat Evan van Kris Meeke Also, what a w w countryman llo fe y m n he w e sport. edition in our favourit Absolutely b l t l amazing i tto realise li th thatt th the 100th th H&H iis about to be reaches legendary status published. Your contribution to rallying has been quite significant cellent Work! as you reach the desktop of almost every rally enthusiast in Keep up the Ex South Africa and have succeeded in incorporating the sport at all levels.

Scott Coursey .com www.rallybuzz Whether you are an armchair enthusiasts who simply want to be kept up to date, a regional, national , continental, inter continental or even international competitor / supporter your interests in the H&H is celebrating 100 sport will be included. It takes dedication and a genuine passion issues of great and riveting for the sport to maintain this incredible standard.

Never forgetting that the sport exists because of the actions of individuals retaining personal contact adds that something special to each edition.

Bravo!

Patrick Vermaak

rally action from around the globe. Finally, a magazine that covers almost every corner of the Rally Globe!

Erica Southey

On behalf of CA CMS and Afric an Motor Sport to congratulate we would like you on this 100t h issue. Yo informative and ou ur r pa per is very your contribut ion to publish Rally Champion the FIA African ship rally report s has been grea tly appreciated.

Well done and ke ep up the great work.

Kindest rgeards, Surinder Thatth i Chairman - Conf ederation of Afr ican Countries Sport (CACMS in Motor )

Hi Evan , Congrats! Thank you for your efforts to promote our great sport and to keep all the fans well informed of the who’s who and what’s happening in the world of rallying! We enjoy reading your interviews and other articles, keep up the good work!

All the best for the next 100 issues!

Hi Evan,

Theuns Joubert

Congratula tions on y our 100th flies. I c issue. 100 annot even already - ti begin to im producing me agine the e them. ffort invo lved in Handbrake s & Hairpin s is the f that rallyin resh g needed. I like the fac breath rally journalis appeal to the casual m t that it h as equal enthusiast and inform while still ative enou gh for die being deep informativ -har e on local rally and W d rally fan. Not only broad spec RC but w is trum of n e get expo ational rall recent inte sed to a y ing across rviews wit the globe. h high pro add to its file people The appeal. in the spo rt just I wish yo u and H&H all the bes strength to t. And th strength an at it full colou d ends up r, glossy ra in a dedicat grows from ed, hard c lly magazin effort in p opy, e. Thank y romoting th ou for yo e best mo Good luck u r to with the n rsport in th ext 100. e world.

Regards, Mohammed

Moosa

Hi Evan!

Congratulations on your 100th Issue!

Thank you for spending so much of your time in bring ing us such great up to da te motorsport news .

We live out in the st icks.... in Bredasdorp and do no n t have DSTV, so it is always great to rec eive y ur newsletter and yo catching up on all th e latest n ws! ne P ease keep up the Pl good work! I am su re that many other mo tor enthusiasts like Lance and myself really ap preciate what you do for m torsport! mo Best regards, Rosemarie Maytham

AZINE that H&H is a great EMAG rally fanatic. talks directly to the and informative, It’s certainly inviting a novice to the especially if you’re y to see it as a sport. I hope one da lement in a major hardcopy as a supp H&H! magazines. Keep it up Regards, Gugu Zulu

Keep up the good w ork and congratulations on your milestone, you r 100th edition.

Regards,

Rally America appreciates your support in H&H. I Derek Jacobs think the publication is top-notch and very timely.

As you can imagine, Rally America has an image to Hi Evan, protect and seeing our thank you ould like to w news and pictures in your I d an na the sti been put into Ashley, Chri as h publication only validates at th rt S, which the effo S HAIRPIN KE the professionalism of our for all A R B D N A H look 99 issues of ading and we re e Series. Keep up the good bl ya jo en st has been mo work! next 100!! e th d ar forw Regards,

Ananda Siverts Managing Director Rally America

, Best Regards mith Andy Haigh-S

Rally is a gr great at sp sport, rt and s so is your publication.I was wondering why you don’t cover regionals rallies, I suppose it is too time consuming, but would enjoy to read about the thrills and spills , where the competition is just as fierce, even if the budgets are much smaller. One can see the recession is taking its toll on entries, and yes, it is a luxury and we are very fortunate to still be able to rally, but we serve an awesome God , and we still have the health and resources to enjoy rallies. Keep up the good work.

Regards, Eric Storbeck

Evenll etvsent previews and reviews the fu

IRC: RALLY SANREMO 24 - 26 September 2009

MEEKE CLAIMS 2009 IRC CROWN

Kris Meeke has claimed the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge title in fine style, with victory on this past weekend’s Rallye Sanremo. The Peugeot UK driver fought back from fourth place overnight to take the lead on the final morning in the mountains on the Italian Riviera. Despite the pounding given to his brakes on the twisting asphalt stages, he prevailed for his fourth win of the season to become the first British driver to win the IRC.

“We never could have expected this to happen,” said a slightly disbelieving Meeke as he crossed the line. “There’s so many people I have to thank for the opportunity, I’m only one link in the chain and there’s a long chain of people who helped make it happen and without any one of the them the chain would have been broken.”

The rally began with Meeke just one point ahead of Czech ace Jan Kopecky in the works Skoda Fabia S2000. Kopecky got off to a flying start to win the first stage, but then crashed in the middle of the second stage and suffered irreparable suspension damage.

This left the way clear for a major battle for honours between

two Italian drivers, the works Abarth Grande Punto S2000 of Luca Rossetti and the Peugeot 207 S2000 of Paolo Andreucci, while Meeke suffered from overheating brakes in fourth place.

At the overnight halt Andreucci held a slender advantage while Rossetti was unable to get the car handling how he wanted it to. At the start of the final day, however, Rossetti was far happier in his car while Andreucci’s Pirelli tyres, unique among the front-runners, struggled for grip and left him fighting a defensive battle for the rest of the rally.

Meeke, meanwhile, had started the second day in a champion’s style, winning the first stage by 10 seconds and the second stage by a further 8,3 seconds. On the final stage of the morning he lost 10 seconds after more brake trouble and a nervous time was had at the service halt.

“The opening night’s stages were interesting to say the least, then it all just clicked and I got a rhythm,” Meeke said. “The pacenotes were inch-perfect and I honestly couldn’t believe the times!

“I had a few troubles with the brakes on the second stage this morning,” he explained. “I was able to drain it while driving to the next stage, but I couldn’t put all the fluid back because of a defective pipe so we had next to no brakes at all, but fortunately it was short and up-hill!”

While Rossetti was able to regain ground on Meeke through the short stage, last year’s IRC champion Nicolas Vouilloz was unable to capitalise in his Peugeot Benelux-entered 207 S2000. A puncture on the first stage of the day cost him time that blunted his challenge for victory, and passed the initiative to team-mate Freddy Loix in their battle for third place in the overall points.

Both Vouilloz and Meeke recovered their earlier pace on the penultimate stage, however. Meeke extended his lead once again and Vouilloz reclaimed third position from the struggling Andreucci, but then lost ground to local man Roberto Travaglia who just edged him into fourth place at the finish by 0,4 seconds.

In a dramatic twist, Travaglia then incurred a 30 second time penalty on the road, dropping him to sixth and promoting Vouilloz back to the podium.

Early-season points leader Loix found himself battling with several of the local drivers in the midst of the points-scoring positions.

“It’s been really a very nice and tight fight between us,” the Belgian star said. “I can’t explain where the top guys were making so much time; we were going as fast as we could!”

It was hard going in Sanremo for the Skodas, Ralliarts and the Proton Satria Neo S2000 of Guy Wilks. With his Proton still in the early stages of development there was little that Wilks could do against such a strong field, finishing 13th.

Italian driver Piero Longhi carried Skoda’s colours after Kopecky’s exit but fell out of the points as his Pirelli tyres struggled in the heat like Andreucci’s and he finished ninth, just behind the second works Fabia of Finnish gravel expert Juho Hanninen.

“It was really difficult to find the rhythm here,” Hanninen said.

“I really earned that point! Each corner is different from the last and there is no room for mistakes.”

Ralliart’s regular front-runner Franz Wittmann found the going tough in his Group N Evo IX against an armada of lighter and more powerful Super 2000 machines. The Mitsubishi is most competitive on loose gravel, but the Austrian took cheer from his battle with Italian drivers in the same machinery. “It was a lot of fun for us, very tough but we could do no better than we did against the S2000s on this event.”

First in line to congratulate Meeke was Robert Reid, who co-drove the late Richard Burns to the 2001 World Rally Championship title.

“It’s great to see a British driver back at the top of the sport,” Reid said. I’ve been really impressed with the quality of Kris’ whole approach to the season, which has seen some real fightbacks on some of the events. He’s proven the promise that has been evident for a long time.”

As a co-driver, Reid was also full of praise for Irishman Paul Nagle, who has guided Meeke throughout his championshipwinning campaign.

“I can appreciate what Paul’s put in to their performances this season, he’s done brilliantly. It’s tough being out of the limelight but not out of the pressure, because part of the job is to take the pressure off the driver - without taking it off yourself! It’s been a great team performance.”

Speaking from the co-driver’s seat as they crossed the line, Nagle summed up their title-winning campaign. “We left Monte Carlo at the start of the season with zero points when we could have won the most famous rally in the world, but sometimes you need that sort of disappointment to go forward.

“To win here on a rally that’s so prestigious and take the title when there are so many mighty fast Italian guys around you is something special. It’s hard to know if this or Belgium is the sweeter win, with the amazing battle we had with Freddie (Loix), but they are both as important in the course of the season.”

The IRC now prepares for what is likely to be an enormous celebration on the eleventh and final round of the year, the RAC MSA Rally of Scotland on 19 - 22 November. Kris Meeke returns home as the conquering hero for a classic British international rally, using picturesque forest stages around Perth and Stirling, the Gateway to the Highlands.

Using many stages that have lain dormant for more than 20 years, the grand finale of the 2009 season will receive the premier broadcast package from Eurosport with four hours of live action through the course of the weekend, broadcast on its global network.

Frenchman Denis Millet completed a clean sweep of the 2009 IRC titles for Peugeot when he claimed victory in the 2WD Cup. Maintaining his consistent podium-winning form despite a renewed onslaught from a trio of extremely rapid Hondas, Millet held out to take second place on the rally behind the Honda of Sandro Sottile, and put the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles beyond reach.

“It is really special for us to win such an important title with this car, which was brand new this season,” Millet said.

His nearest rival, Manuel Villa, challenged strongly in the early stages but on the final morning was slowed and stopped by mechanical problems with his Abarth Punto S1600. At the end of the rally Villa protested Millet for what he believed was a traffic infringement, but this was rejected by the stewards of the meeting.

FINAL IRC Rally Sanremo CLASSIFICATION: 01) K. Meeke (Peugeot 207 S2000) - 2hrs 20m 3,5s 02) L. Rossetti (Abarth Grande Punto S2000) + 15,7s 03) N. Vouilloz (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 16,9s 04) F. Loix (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 19,8s 05) P. Andreucci (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 28,1s 06) R. Travaglia (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 46,5s 07) L. Cantamessa (Peugeot 207 S2000 + 01m 28,6s 08) J. Hanninen (Skoda Fabia S2000) + 01m 41,8s

- Credit: rally-irc.com.

BRC: RALLY YORKSHIRE 26 September 2009

CRONIN TAKES WIN AND CROWN

Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors set a blistering pace on International Rally Yorkshire to not only take their third gravel victory of 2009, but with it secure the MSA British Rally Championship at their first attempt.

The battle with season-long championship rivals Mark Higgins and Bryan Thomas was all-but won on the first of the day’s nine stages, where the 23 year old from County Cork took thirteen seconds of the triple British rally Champion.

Sadly on the last stage, any hope of a late chance for Higgins was quashed when his Pirelli TEG Sport Impreza left the road at high speed.

Cronin’s victory is the first for an Irish driver since 1974, when Billy Coleman took the title at the wheel of a Ford Escort. His reaction at the finish was typically calm, “It hasn’t sunk in yet, but we knew we had the pace on this event, having competed here last year. It’s a shame Mark (Higgins) went off on the last stage and I hope they are OK, but to take the title against such an excellent driver is fantastic.”

Stuart Jones and Andy Bull made an excellent comeback to the BRC, beating both Higgins and Cronin on four of the day’s nine stages to take a well deserved second place overall.

The times set in the borrowed Team JRM Lico Evo 10 were sufficient to secure the final place in the Pirelli Star Driver Final

too, impressing the judges with a controlled but quick drive.

The fifth driver to take third place in 2009 was an elated Jonny Greer, he and Kirsty Riddick having an untroubled day aside from a puncture early on. The Ulsterman has been in the chasing pack of young drivers all season, his pace improving throughout. This first BRC podium is certainly well deserved on such a demanding event.

Promoted to fourth after Higgins’ accident were outgoing Pirelli Star Driver Adam Gould and co-driver Seb Marshall. They managed to get to grips with the older specification Impreza after swapping with Pirelli TEG Sport team-mate Higgins, their second fourth place sufficient to seal the MSA British Teams Rally Championship for the Carnforth based outfit.

The final round of the 2009 MSA British Rally Championship has sealed titles for more than just new BRC champ Keith Cronin. Rally Yorkshire has also given us Rally 1 and Rally 2 champions in the form of Luke Pinder and Jason Pritchard respectively.

Pritchard, along with co-driver Andrew Edwards, didn’t need to

contest Rally Yorkshire for his Citroen Racing Trophy campaign, the final round of which is Rallye Le Touquet this weekend. His goal for Rally Yorkshire was to impress the Pirelli Star Driver judges; however problems from the outset dashed those hopes. He broke a brake pipe and suffered two punctures, but still takes class R2 honours in the British championship.

Luke Pinder took a haul of awards, starting with the class R1 victory on the event. The victory was sufficient to secure the class in the championship but probably more rewarding was being crowned 2009 Swift Sport Cup champion. In taking the overall series victory, he is also highest placed junior driver, the accolade bringing with it his second Pirelli Star Driver nomination. As the only driver to have been nominated in both 2008 and 2009, the Yorkshireman should have some small advantage in the forthcoming shootout.

Gordon Nichol and Emma Morrison were bitterly disappointed to lose out for a second year. Their event getting off to a bad start on stage one when the little Swift slid off into a ditch.

Molly Taylor and Jemma Bellingham, the only other pair with a chance of the title, sadly retired when a rock fractured their fuel tank.

As the dust settles on the Yorkshire forests, the gold MSA British Teams Rally Championship trophy will go to Pirelli TEG Sport at the BRC Awards ceremony on the 31st October, formally presented at the Motor Sports Association’s Night of Champions at the Royal Automobile Club’s Pall Mall headquarters in January.

FINAL BRC International Rally Yorkshire CLASSIFICATION: 01) K. Cronin/G. Shinnors (Mitsubishi Lancer) - 1:20:24.4 02) S. Jones/A. Bull (Mitsubishi Lancer) - 1:20:45.8 03) J. Greer/K. Riddick (Mitsubishi Lancer) - 1:21:42.5 04) A. Gould/S. Marshall (Subaru Impreza) - 1:22:22.3 05) D. Weston Jr/I. Thomas (Subaru Impreza) - 1:22:26.3 06) A. Fisher/R. Kennedy (Mitsubishi Lancer) - 1:22:47.1 07) E. Thorburn/D. Robson (Subaru Impreza) - 1:23:18.1 08) C. Firth/K. Watts (Subaru Impreza) - 1:27:34.1 09) L. Pinder/P. Scott (Suzuki Swift) - 1:34:48.2 10) N. Everard/S. Collis (Suzuki Swift) - 1:42:00.3

2009 BRC PROVISIONAL DRIVER STANDINGS 01) Keith Cronin - 106 02) Mark Higgins - 96 03) Alastair Fisher - 82.5 04) David Weston Jnr - 75 05) Jonathan Greer - 62 06) Adam Gould - 53.5 07) Martin McCormack - 53 08) Chris Firth - 49.5 09) David Bogie - 49 10) Euan Thorburn - 48 The 2009 Championship now over, crews will be looking towards 2010 when the UK’s premier rally championship returns. But not before the Pirelli Star Driver final, which takes place over the next couple of weeks and the 2009 awards ceremony, the BRC bash, which takes place on Saturday 31st October.

- Credit: rallybrc.com and Jakob Ebrey Photography

SAORC: TOYOTA DEALER 400 02 - 03 October 2009

FLAT-OUT RACING FOR OFF-ROAD FANS

This weekend sees the seventh round of the exciting ABSA South African Off Road Racing Championship, the Toyota Dealer 400. With the overall Production Vehicle Category title already wrapped up by Duncan Vos/Ralph Pitchford (Donaldson Nissan Navara) and Evan Hutchison/Achim Bergmann (Motorite Revo 1) romping to their second Special Vehicles championship crown, the fight for the other titles and podium positions rages on. TEXT BY SAOFFRAODRACING.CO.ZA; IMAGES BY MOTORPICS. The Donaldson Nissan Navara pair of Duncan Vos/Ralph Pitchford have wrapped up the overall and premier Class SP championships. With four wins in the six events run so far Vos and Pitchford have been the dominant force and romped away with the championship.

It is a different story in Classes D and E where some tight battles have developed. Only two points separates the top crews in Class D and just eight points separate the top three teams in Class E. There is also plenty of motivation – and a little extra pressure – on the factory Castrol Toyota Hilux teams of Anthony Taylor/Robin Houghton and Hein Lategan/Chris Birkin. After a disappointing season when the two teams have, at some stage or other, led every event bar one a win on a Toyota sponsored event would be a huge bonus.

There is no doubt the Toyota pair have the pace. What has been lacking is the ability to turn race winning situations into victories.

Two podiums in a row also elevate the factory Ford Racing pair of Neil Woolridge/Kenny Skjoldhammer to a position among the pre-race favourites. Development niggles on the turbo diesel Ford Rangers appear to be a thing of the past for the Ford squad, and Woolridge and Skjoldhammer will be eyeing a maiden victory.

Where privateer support is concerned Toyota have a numerical advantage. Crews like Chris Visser/Japie Badenhorst (RFS Toyota Hilux), Chris du Plooy/Henk Jansen van Vuuren (RFS Toyota Hilux), Hugo and Jaap de Bruyn (Micaren Exel Toyota Hilux) and George and Sharon Barkhuizen (AIM Toyota Hilux) have all come to the party at one stage or another.

Back-up for the Donaldson Nissan teams will come from off road legend Alfie Cox and German co-driver Jurgen Schroder, in the PS Laser Nissan Navara, and Terence Marsh/Pieter Groenewald in the Regent Racing Navara.

The consistent Kobus van Tonder/Riaan Guelpa (Uni Freight Ford Ranger), Pieter Ruthven/De Waal Boshoff (Ruwacon Ford Ranger), Louis Weichelt/Maret Bezuidenhout (N1 4x4 Ford Ranger) and Graham Leith/Keith Lawrenson) provide the Ford back-up.

Weichelt’s father, however, is under a bit of strain after being overtaken in the Class D championship by Dewald van Breda/ Johann du Toit in the Northam Toyota Hilux D4D. Weichelt has followed three wins in a row with three non-finishes and now trails van Breda by two points in the driver stakes.

By contrast Coetzee Labuscagne/Johan Gerber (Raysonics Nissan Hardbody) started the season with four did not finish results. This was followed with wins at Sun City and the Highveld 400, but the pair are still 20 points off the championship pace.

Heine Strumpher/Henri Hugo (Micaren Exel Toyota Hilux) have

also had a string of non finishes and will be looking to bounce back. Also keen for a good result will be Johan and Werner Horn, in the Malelane Toyota Land Cruiser, for whom this is a ‘home’ event.

With only eight points separating the top three crews, the Class E fight will be interesting. Pikkie Labuscagne/Rikus Erasmus (4x4 Megaworld Toyota Hilux) currently lead reigning champions Jannie Visser/Joks le Roux in the RFS Toyota Hilux.

Two points behind the champions are Deon Venter/Ian Palmer, in the second 4x4 Megaworld Toyota Hilux, with the three Toyota crews having won five of the six events. The two Ford Ranger crews, Bappy Rubuluza/Khuliele Vakaliza, in the factory entry, and Louw de Bruin/Riaan Greyling (Ruwacon Ford Ranger) also pose a threat.

For all the Toyota teams there is a little added pressure. Toyota currently leads Nissan by 34 points in the prestigious South African Manufacturers Championship, and a rich haul of points could settle the issue.

Pride will be the major commodity at stake in the Special Vehicle category on this weekend’s race. With four wins out of six starts Evan Hutchison/Achim Bergmann, in the Motorite Revo1 4x4, have already clinched their second South African championship. Hutchison and Bergmann have been in the championship driving seat throughout the season, and will now be running on the racers instinct and pride.

Only five points separate former champion Shameer Variawa/ Siegfried Rousseau, in the Total Motorsport Porter, and the father and son pair of Nick and Ryan Harper in the Atlas Copco BAT. Contrasting approaches make for an interesting contest between the two crews, but there are a string of other teams who could steal the limelight.

The Century Racing teams of Mark Corbett/Rudi Balzer (Century Racing CR1) and Colin Matthews/Alan Smith, in the Century Racing BAT, are overall win contenders. However, the problem for both crews is reliability with the 4x4 CR1 having yet to finish a race in two seasons.

Mike Whitehouse/Mathew Carlson (Regent Racing BAT) are fourth in the championship and are also threatening a maiden win.

Four wins in a row have taken Cape crew Derrick du Toit/Ian Pienaar (Orange Tree BAT) to the top of the Class B standings where they have a handy lead. Du Toit will be partnered by Steve Harris, with the pair early favourites, while consistency rather than sheer pace take brothers Keith and Andrew Makenete (Zarco) into second place in the championship.

Veteran Bodo Bertholdt and Philip Herselman (Atlas Copco BAT) and former champions Richard Schilling and Chris Davies (Aceco) also come into the picture. All in all Class P has the makings of an interesting battle.

WRC: RALLY DE ESPANA 30 September - 04 October 2009

NO TIME FOR SIESTAS THIS WEEKEND!

With the penultimate round of the 2009 World Rally Championship taking place this weekend in Spain, all eyes will be focused on just two drivers... A thrilling and titanic battle is set: Ford versus Citroen, Hirvonen versus Loeb! Hang on, rally fans, the WRC Rally de Espana is going to be fast and furious WRITES EVAN ROTHMAN.

The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team stepped up its preparations for this weekend’s all asphalt assault in Spain.

The factory Ford team extended its test last week from four to seven days, and both WRC Drivers’ Championship leader Mikko Hirvonen and team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala completed asphalt coaching to strengthen their team’s chances in the rally.

Regarded as a “grand prix rally” by drivers and co-drivers, the WRC Rally de Espana’s route this year is identical to that of 2008. With a service park located at Salou’s PortAventura theme park, the stages are located throughout the Tarragona region. Following Thursday night’s start ceremony, each of the three days of competition comprises of two passes over an identical loop of three stages. Day One boasts the longest leg of the rally, with a total of 131,76km of competition, and Day Two features the gruelling 38,72km-long El Priorat - La Ribera d’Ebre special stage, a highlight of this event. Day Three remains near Salou, and wraps up this 18 stage, 353,62kmlong event on Sunday afternoon.

ground. I have no expectations at all and that way I’ve taken the pressure away, I’ve put it to one side. I’ve had a good feeling for the last five events and I’ve proved things to myself that I needed to,” added Hirvonen.

For Loeb, this event is one of his calendar favourites and has proven highly successful since 2006 for the team. “I’ve really little alternative than to end the season with a perfect scorecard,” said Loeb. “Here, more than anywhere else, we will be counting on Dani and Marc’s rearguard action, because Mikko Hirvonen only needs to come second twice to clinch the title. I will do all I can to fulfil my side of the contract. After that, we shall see…

The flowing roads in the Tarragona region are fast and can be compared to a race circuit in their characteristics. Although the roads are smooth, they are often abrasive and quickly become slippery as drivers cut the open corners to shave tenths of a second from their times, dragging stones and dirt onto the surface. Conditions will therefore worsen during the repeat afternoon pass of the special stages.

“You need a clean, circuit-style style,” added the five-time WRC Champion Sebastien Loeb. ”You have to brake up to the apexes and take nice, wide lines… Since this event’s switch to Salou, we no longer see the phenomenon of the insides of the corners cutting up with each passing car. Most of the roads have been resurfaced by laying a fresh coating of asphalt on top of the original surface, and that has produced some big steps to the side which you need to avoid putting a wheel over.

I enjoy these stages very much, as well as the on-the limit driving they call for. To prepare for this year’s event, we came testing near Salou. The asphalt-spec C4 WRC has evolved slightly compared with last year and we have succeeded in ironing out the small problems we had in 2008.”

Separated by only five points, Hirvonen and Sebastien Loeb (Citroen Total World Rally Team) will be pulling out all the proverbial stops here to edge out-drive the other. With a fiverally winning streak, the Ford Focus RS WRC will be a mighty adversary for the Citroen C4 WRC of Loeb.

All-important this weekend will be the support role of Dani Sordo (to Loeb) and Jari-Matti Latvala (to Hirvonen). A dark horse that may disrupt these plans will be the Citroen C4 WRC of Petter Solberg. Debuting the latest WRC machine, Solberg has proven his bravery on this event in past years.

To highlight the determination of the Ford boys, ex-Ford driver Markko Martin was drafted in to assist Hirvonen and Latvala last week. Using his sealed-surface expertise, he offered advice to Hirvnen and Latvala on car set-up and pinpoint minor modifications that could improve the Focus RS WRC’s performance even further.

“I am so looking forward to get behind the wheels in this car,” said Petter Solberg. “We have been testing for three days now, and this car is really great. For sure, I hope to be fighting this weekend. Spain is a really though event, and the stages are fast. High speed on asphalt makes it important to find the right breaking point, otherwise you will be off the road. There is no gravel to help you through the corner.”

“Everyone knows how strong Loeb is on asphalt so I think there’s enough of a fight for me to try to get second,” said Hirvonen. “Eight points would help greatly ahead of the last round but won’t be easy to achieve. It will be a big challenge but I believe I have the speed to fight for second.

“I’m not feeling under pressure. It’s just really exciting. I have a chance to win the title, but I’m keeping my feet firmly on the

The WRC Rally de Espana will be decisive, and all crews are aware of this fact. One mistake could could mean the loss of a Championship trophy at the end of October... The rally action will be fierce - there is much on the line this weekend, so rally enthusiasts can expect to see drivers push their WRC machinery to the maximum every stage kilometre. Read a full event review in next week’s issue of Handbrakes & Hairpins!