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  • Rally Italia Sardegna Review 2017- Ott takes his first WRC Victory!

    WRC

    June 23, 2017

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    He came close a couple of times last year and now Ott is a winner at the top level of the WRC! Here’s the story of how it all happened in Italia, the place when the young Estonian picked up his first podium a few years ago.

    The usual evening short stage gave us a leaderboard of sorts, but the action started properly Friday morning with an early start for the teams. The main challenge in this event being held on very narrow roads, making it a technical challenge!

    End of SS1:

    1 Neuville 2m01.8s

    2 Tanak +0.2s

    3 Sordo +0.4s

    FRIDAY 9 JUNE

    6.30am: Tyre fitting zone (Olbia – 10 mins)

    7.18am: SS2 – Terranova (14.54km)

    7.41am: SS3 – Monte Olia 1 (19.05km)

    9.12am: SS4 – Tula 1 (15.00km)

    10.17am: SS5 – Tergu-Osilo 1 (14.14km)

    SS2 – TERRANOVA 1 (14.54km)

    1️ Meeke 10:14.1 (84kph)

    2 Hanninen +0.5

    3 Paddon +0.8

    When Thierry finished the first stage of the day, he explained that he’d had to slow down in the stage because of the dust hanging in the air. Hayden set a very good time indeed, going through third fastest, but it was Kris in his Citroen who was fastest! He explained about a lot of loose stones, but that it was a pretty good stage for him. Juho in the Toyota did a great time, showing that experience from this event helps a lot! He said at the end that he was surprised at the time. Andreas in his first outing in the C3 said that he was being very careful, just to get the feeling in the car, and that it would get better.

    SS3 – MONTE OLIA 1 (19.05km)

    1 Hanninen 13:25.8 (87.7kph)

    2️ Meeke +3.2

    3 Ostberg +4.6

    The first casualty of this event would be Craig in his Citroen. The car would land heavily from a jump and damage to the gearbox leading to a big oil leak would mean that his day was done. Juho would win this stage and also take the overall lead by just two tenths of a second. He’d just moved from third to first in one stage!

    SS4 – TULA 1 (15.00km)

    1 Sordo 11:51.2 (81.8kph)

    2 Neuville +2.0

    3 Tanak +3.3

    We would have our second car exit day one when Elfyn would leave the road, hitting some trees on the right-hand side and breaking the suspension on the front. He was out for the day as well. Dani would win stage four. Juho would fall behind Hayden and Kris again at the end of the stage, with the Citroen driver moving into the lead once more. Privateer Mads was maintaining fourth overall, whilst Seb was now 28 seconds off the lead in ninth place overall.

    SS5 – TERGU-OSILO 1 (14.14km)

    1 Lappi 9:06.3 (93.3kph)

    2 Ostberg +3.3

    3 Paddon +3.7

    Esapekka Lappi would take his first stage victory in stage five, but it would be Kris and Dani who would have drama in this stage. Dani would lose power in the i20. There was smoke coming from the exhaust, thus meaning that clearly there was an engine problem. Kris sadly would roll his car again after the rear slid wide on a right-hander! They got the car back on it wheels and completed the stage, the bonnet lifting up against the windscreen near the end! Kris was now also out. What a shame.

    Hayden was now in the lead, 4.3 seconds ahead of Juho, with the service break following stage five.

    11.56am: Service A (Alghero – 30 mins)

    3.25pm: SS6 – Terranova (14.54km)

    3.48pm: SS7 – Monte Olia 2 (19.05km)

    5.25pm: SS8 – Tula 2 (15.00km)

    6.30pm: SS9 – Tergu-Osilo 2 (14.14km)

    8.10pm: Flexi Service B (Alghero – 48 mins)

    SS6 – TERRANOVA 2 (14.54km)

    1 Lappi 9:59.5 (93.3kph)

    2 Paddon +1.2

    3 Tanak +1.7

    After service, Esapekka would win stage six and stage seven as well, a great performance indeed, lifting him into ninth overall. He was a happy man, after changes to the car setup meant that he could drive to more of his potential!

    SS7 – MONTE OLIA 2 (19.05km)

    1 Lappi 13:04.9 (87.7kph)

    2 Latvala +1.3

    3 Neuville +1.3

    After his drama’s earlier, Dani would win the last stages of day one and with that pace move into tenth overall at the end of the day.

    SS8 – TULA 2 (15.00km)

    1 Sordo 11:38.5 (81.8kph)

    2 Latvala +8.2

    3 Neuville +8.3

    SS9 – TERGU-OSILO 2 (14.14km)

    1 Sordo 8:53.2 (105kph)

    2 Lappi +3.2

    3 Tanak +3.6

    So, let’s hear from the drivers starting with the top three.

    Hayden Paddon (1st) said:

    “We approached today with a specific plan, and we didn’t deviate from that. We know you can’t win this rally on the first day, so we just wanted to feel comfortable. The car felt good and we wanted to continue our positive morning into the afternoon. Unfortunately, we picked up front-left damper damage in SS7, which changed the balance of the car; things didn’t feel as good. Our focus today was on securing a good road position for tomorrow, so it’s mission accomplished from that point of view. I enjoy tomorrow’s stages a lot but we know it’s a tough, unforgiving rally. It’s nice to be leading this evening but we’re not getting carried away.”

    Thierry Neuville (2nd) commented:

    “It was nice to take the stage win on Thursday evening but today was the real start of the rally. We had a good day, although we lost around five seconds when we went straight at a junction in SS3 (Monte Olia), and had to reverse. Our road position meant we were cleaning quite a bit but I thought we might still be able to battle for a podium. We gave it a push in the afternoon, and actually didn’t have much performance left in our tyres by the end of the loop. Still, we set some pretty decent times and we have a great position in second, which will be important on Saturday.”

    Ott Tänak (3rd) said:

    “The gaps are so small at the moment that anything is possible. I tried to do my best but it didn’t feel like the best day at the office so it’s good to see that we are so close to the lead at the end of the day.

    “The first loop was very slippery with some tricky conditions in the dust. I enjoyed it a lot more in the afternoon, but to be honest I didn’t have the perfect feeling. Sometimes it was okay and at other times it was a bit so and so.

    “We have some ideas of what we can do to improve and it looks like everyone is looking forward to tomorrow’s stages so I think it will be good craic.”

    Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

    Jari-Matti Latvala (4th)

    “In the morning, I found the stages quite slippery and there was a lot of dust. Then on the third stage of the day we had an impact on the sump guard and this broke the starter motor, so I had to be careful not to stall the car, as there would be no way to start again. We fixed that at service and then in the afternoon we had no problems apart from one very strange thing: the rally plate on the bonnet came off and it was flapping around in front of me, so that was very distracting. But I’m happy with our performance in the afternoon after we were a bit up and down in the morning: it’s going to be a big fight tomorrow and I feel confident that we’re going to be right in the middle of it.”

    Juho Hänninen (6th)

    “Close to the finish of the final stage there was a slippery braking area near a bridge: I lost the rear of the car and it span and then I hit the front against a fence. That broke some radiator pipes but we were able to fix it and come to service. It’s a pity as before that it was a good day with no severe problems. Even though conditions were slippery, I felt that I had a lot of traction, so this shows that the work we have done with the dampers has been very effective. In the afternoon I backed off a bit on the particularly rough and rutted sections to try and be safe.”

    Esapekka Lappi (9th)

    “I’m surprised how today went: I really didn’t expect us to be able to do the times that we were setting. Especially in the morning, as we had no second gear: so maybe we only need five gears to win stages! I changed the set-up completely at service in the middle of the day and I had a much better feeling in the afternoon; the car felt perfect and that’s why I was able to set those times, even though we had a problem with a front-left damper during the second loop of stages.”

    Jipocar WRT

    Mads Østberg (5th) said:

    We actually still have a realistic chance of fighting for the victory, because this is a very tough rally and the margins are so tiny. Tomorrow will be a very hard day with more than 140 km’s of stages, and I just have to push on, but still be patient”

    “Everything worked well this morning with good balance in the car, without having to push over the limit. But I made a mistake with my tyre choice for the second loop when I thought I could go a bit softer than my opponents. The soft tyres didn`t function that well in the high temperatures, and I lost the balance with more oversteering. It became a struggle to stay in touch with the leaders.”

    He continued, ”14-15 seconds behind really is nothing in a tough rally like this. You can lead a rally with that margin and loose it all in one corner with a half-spin. I just have to push on and on the same time be a bit patient. It will for sure be exciting”

    M-Sport WRT

    Sébastien Ogier (7th) said:

    “It’s not been a fantastic day for us. We tried as much as we could with the grip that we had but that is just the way it is when you’re the first car on the road.

    “I was happy with the car and we made some changes in service that I was pleased with, but every time I tried to push there was so little grip and the risks became too high.

    “It’s frustrating as I had no chance to go faster today, but sometimes you just have to keep the bigger picture in mind and wait for the next day.”

    FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Italy Sardegna (ITA) – WRC 08/06/2017 to 11/06/2017 – PHOTO : @World

    D-Mack WRT

    Elfyn Evans (Rally 2 / 41st) said:

    “On a tightening corner after a crest, there was a bad dip that I hadn’t noted on the recce. The car bottomed out and we were passengers after that. Unable to turn, we went straight into the trees and that was the end of our day.

    “We weren’t going flat-out and I felt that we could have taken more risks through the first two stages so it’s just one of those things. There’s a fine line in this game and sometimes you get caught out – that was the case for us today.”

    FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Italy Sardegna (ITA) – WRC 08/06/2017 to 11/06/2017 – PHOTO : @World

    Citroen Abu Dhabi Racing

    Andreas Mikkelsen (9th)

    “It wasn’t an easy day. My aim was to keep learning about the Citroën C3 WRC. I have to take it gradually, step by step, before I can get back to playing with the leading guys! The car is different to drive compared to the ones I was used to driving and obviously, it takes a bit of time to adjust. We worked with the team to alter the set-up and adapt it to my driving style. The main thing is to have completed all the stages on this leg.”

    Hyundai Motorsport

    Dani Sordo (10th) commented:

    “To start with the positives, we have enjoyed these stages today and set some really competitive times when we could. Unfortunately, the turbo issue has overshadowed the day a bit. The team did all they could to resolve the problem fully at lunchtime service, but we then had troubles at the start of the afternoon loop related to the boost pressure. Thankfully, we were able to fix it in time for the final two stages, so we decided to go flat out and see what we could do. To take three stage wins today is obviously nice. Without the turbo issues, we might have been in the hunt for a podium. We will continue tomorrow but we know it’s going to be tough.”

    Overall at the end of the first day.

    1 Paddon 1:31:02.6

    2 Neuville +8.2

    3 Tanak +9.5

    4 Latvala +9.8

    5 Ostberg +14.7

    6 Hanninen +38.0

    7 Ogier +41.0

    8 Lappi +1:05.3

    9️ Mikkelsen +1:57.9

    10 Sordo +14:04.2

    SATURDAY 10 JUNE

    5.00am: Service C (Alghero – 18 mins)

    7.45am: SS10 – Coiluna – Loelle 1 (14.95km)

    8.41am: SS11 – Monti da Ala’ 1 (28.52km)

    9.20am: SS12 – Monte Lerno 1 (28.11km)

    It was a very early start on Saturday morning! Could Hayden continue his fine run from yesterday? Well he started well with a stage victory. The young kiwi now had a 13.1 second lead over Thierry.

    SS10 – COILUNA – LOELLE 1 (14.95km)

    1 Paddon 8:00.8 (105kph)

    2 Latvala +4.0

    3 Tanak +4.2

    Thierry won the next stage, and gained 4 second on Hayden, thus reducing the gap to just under 9 seconds. Ott was consolidating his third overall. Seb moved ahead of Juho into sixth position as well.

    SS11 – MONTI DI ALA’ 1 (28.52km)

    1 Neuville 17:02.8 (98.8kph)

    2 Paddon +4.2

    3 Tanak +5.1

    This is the stage that features Micky’s Jump. Hayden still lead, but with Thierry getting a puncture, it was Ott who won the stage and the gap between them was reduced to 9.4 seconds. Andreas and Mads both also suffered punctures in this stage and the drivers who benefitted from this were Ott, Jari-Matti, Juho and Esappekka.

    SS12 – MONTE LERNO 1 (28.11km)

    1 Tanak 17:54.5 (98.8kph)

    2 Paddon +5.2

    3 Latvala +9.0

    12.11pm: Service D (Alghero – 30 mins)

    3.08pm: SS13 – Coiluna – Loelle 2 (14.95km)

    4.04pm: SS14 – Monti da Ala’ 2 (28.52km)

    4.43pm: SS15 – Monte Lerno 2 (28.11km)

    7.24pm: Flexi Service E (Alghero – 48 mins)

    After the service break, Ott would win again, also taking the lead overall as Hayden would have contact in the stage with the scenery and limped through after suffering a broken wheel. This put Latvala into second overall. Hayden had dropped down to fourth place.

    SS13 – COILUNA – LOELLE 2 (14.95km)

    1 Tanak 7:52.0 (120kph)

    2️ Breen +1.0

    3 Neuville +1.9

    Ott would win again, but Thierry would come pretty close to beating the Fiesta ace. Sadly, Hayden would retire his car before this stage. Just too much damage to his car.

    SS14 – MONTI DI ALA’ 2 (28.52km)

    1 Tanak 16:48.1 (105kph)

    2 Neuville +0.8

    3 Latvala +3.5

    It was time for the second run through the stage with Micky’s Jump. Lappi in his Yaris WRC won the stage, really showing his quality again and moving ahead of Juho into fourth overall. A brilliant run. The young Toyota crew had found a lot of time in the stage after the morning stage.

    SS15 – MONTE LERNO 2 (28.11km)

    1 Lappi 17:35.8 (98.8kph)

    2 Neuville +0.1

    3 Tanak +1.9

    So, just like last year’s Rally Poland, Ott was leading with the just the Sunday stages to go. Could he do it this time, or would Jari-Matti come through to take the win?

    Here’s the top ten at the end of Saturday.

    Overall after SS15

    1 Tanak 2:56:37.3

    2 Latvala +24.3

    3 Neuville +1:02.2

    4 Lappi +2:10.8

    5 Hanninen +2:42.1

    6 Ogier +3:26.1

    7 Ostberg +3:56.0

    8️ Mikkelsen +7:47.6

    9. Kopecky +9:52.9

    10. Camilli +9:53.8

    Let’s hear from all the drivers starting with the top three.

    Ott Tänak (1st) said:

    “It’s been a big fight all rally and I’ve really enjoyed it. Some guys have been dropping out, but we’ve been doing a good job and all we need to do now is keep going and continue exactly as we have been.

    “I think we had a good strategy for this weekend. Sardinia is a very special event and it needs a very special approach. You always need to keep that margin and that is what we have done and what we plan to continue doing.

    “A massive thanks to the team as the car has been perfect this afternoon. They’ve been working flat-out all hours of the day – literally – and we wouldn’t be sitting here in the first position if it weren’t for them.

    “There’s still 40 kilometres of very demanding stages left to come, but there’s a good gap now and we just need to finish the job.”

    Jari-Matti Latvala (2nd) said:

    “On the final stage the tyres were finished and the brakes were also getting too hot. But apart from that, we’ve done some good work today and improved the car over the course of the rally. The main problem we had was during the first run through Monte Lerno this morning, when we were suddenly caught in the dust behind another competitor, who had a puncture. He didn’t know we were there as radio is not allowed, so we lost about 10 seconds. You can’t afford that in the fight for victory as it is so close, so the team has appealed to the stewards and I hope we get the time back.”

    Thierry Neuville (3rd) commented:

    “It was a frustrating morning but we are still in with a shout of the podium so we can’t be too disheartened. There have been issues for most crews so, on balance, we have to accept these things can happen at tough rallies like Sardinia. After our win in SS11, we had brake issues and we lost over a minute in SS12. We knew we were battling for the win and without this problem we would most likely have been leading at the end of Saturday. But this is rallying. The mechanics did a fantastic job to fix the car during lunchtime service. It was tight but they really allowed us to keep going into the afternoon loop, and to continue our fight for the podium. We will do all we can on the final day to consolidate this third place, and who knows what other twists this rally has to come!”

    2017 FIA World Rally Championship
    Round 07, Rally Italia Sardegna
    05-11 June 2017
    Day 1
    Portrait
    Thierry Neuville
    Photographer: Helena El Mokni
    Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

    Toyota Gazoo Racing

    Esapekka Lappi (4th)

    “Today has been good but it’s been really about clean driving and not making any mistakes rather than pushing hard. On both loops of stages I felt my brakes going towards the end of Monte Lerno, so I tried just to be careful and bring the car home. In the afternoon, it was very important to look after the tyres in the hot and abrasive conditions, hopefully I judged it right. I started the day as third car on the road so there was lots of cleaning and not much of a clean line, so that was another new experience for me. It’s good because I’ve got a lot to learn.”

    Juho Hänninen (5th)

    “It’s going very well, the only problem was on the last stage of the day when we had a spin and a problem with the power steering, which cost us some time. Overall, I tried not to push too hard in the afternoon as I knew it would take a lot out of the tyres and I think we managed that well. At midday service, we made the car stiffer and raised the ride height a bit, to cope with the rougher conditions afterwards.”

    M-Sport WRT

    Sébastien Ogier (6th) said:

    “It’s been a tough weekend for us. I feel as though we’ve been driving well and I wouldn’t say that I’m unhappy with the balance of the car, but for some reason we’ve not been able to deliver the performance we wanted.

    “There must be something wrong somewhere, but for the moment we’re not sure what. Of course every rally has its own characteristics, so hopefully we’ll be back up to our usual speed with a much better feeling in Poland.”

    Jipocar WRT

    Mads Østberg (7th) said:

    “This is a rally where luck actually can decide where you will end up. You cannot drive around every stone in the road, but you have to take some chances. On SS12 our luck ran out with a puncture and substantial timeloss”

    “We did several changes to the car, but the main thing was the front diff, and that really did the trick. After service, I could play with the car again, instead of fighting with it. But then we had a new problem with the front suspension on the last stage, which nearly sent us off the road in 200 km/h”

    “We just have to drive the four stages tomorrow to finish in a decent position and possibly set some good times and fight for power stage points. After the changes, we did to the car today I have a good feeling for that”

    FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Italy Sardegna (ITA) – WRC 08/06/2017 to 11/06/2017 – PHOTO : @World

    Citroen Abu Dhabi WRT

    Andreas Mikkelsen (8th) said:

    “It’s getting better and better! After the first day, which we spent mostly getting to grips with the C3 WRC, I had come to the conclusion that I needed to keep my driving style – which I know is effective – and work instead on the set-up. That’s what we did today, with a lot of changes from one stage to the next. It’s always difficult to work that like during a rally, because we only have the mid-leg service during which we can make the most significant changes. But the main thing is that we’re moving in the right direction.”

    Craig Breen (Rally 2 / 27th)

    “It would appear that we had a very good package for the first stage of the loop. That allowed me to put in a couple of good performances, unlike the other two stages, where I was really struggling. We don’t know why as yet, but I had quite a few moments in there. Whatever it was, we managed to make it to the end of the leg and collected a bit more experience. We’ll try to do the same thing tomorrow.”

    D-Mack WRT

    Elfyn Evans (Rally 2 / 26th) said:

    “We’ve got some good mileage under our belts today. This is one of the most abrasive rallies that we encounter all year so it was important to go out there and collect as much data as we could. That’s what we’ve done, and we can put that to good use for future development.”

    Hyundai Motorsport

    Dani Sordo commented:

    “We knew it would be a tough day from our starting position on the road, but we haven’t given up and just wanted to enjoy the stages. Frustratingly, we had a paddleshift problem in SS11 this morning. The upshift was working fine but we couldn’t downshift. The first run through Monte Lerno was better, though. In the afternoon, we picked up a puncture after about 1km into the first stage but again we just fought through as best we could.”

    Hayden Paddon said:

    “I am devastated. It was such a schoolboy error, which caused us to break the rear wheel. I turned in too early and clipped a bank. That was that. There is no one to blame but myself, and I am hugely sorry for the team and all of our supporters. It’s important that I learn from this and do all I can to put things right at the next event. Things were going so well and we were maintaining our lead, which makes it even more frustrating.”

    2017 FIA World Rally Championship
    Round 07, Rally Italia Sardegna
    08-11 June 2017
    Hayden Paddon, Seb Marshall, Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC
    Photographer: Sarah Vessely
    Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

    Just four stages remained then to decide this event, and could Ott take a first victory?

    SUNDAY 11 JUNE

    7.30am: Service F (Alghero – 18 mins)

    8.33am: SS16 – Cala Flumini 1 (14.06km)

    9.08am: SS17 – Sassari – Argentiera 1 (6.96km)

    9.28am: Regroup (Palmadula – 60 mins)

    10.54am: SS18 – Cala Flumini 2 (14.06km)

    11.20am: Regroup (La Pedraia – 45 mins)

    12.18pm: SS19 – Sassari – Argentiera 2 – Power Stage (6.96km)

    1.15pm: Service G (Alghero – 10 mins)

    1.45pm: Podium

    The return of Hayden under Rally 2 rules, saw him win the first stage of Sunday, with Ott losing six seconds to a charging Jari-Matti, his lead reduced to 18 .8 seconds. Craig showed that the C3 can be quick again, but that the team just need better consistency from their drivers.

    SS16 – CALA FLUMINI 1 (14.06km)

    1 Paddon 8:58.3 (105kph)

    2 Latvala +0.9

    3️ Breen +1.6

    Dani took the next stage, with Ott taking a lot of time from Jari-Matti and increasing his lead to 25 seconds over the Finn.

    SS17 – SASSARI – ARGENTIERA 1 (6.96km)

    1 Sordo 5:10.0 (72kph)

    2 Neuville +7.5

    3 Tanak +8.7

    Sadly, Hayden crashed out on the next stage, but once again Lappi came to the fore again, with another stage victory.

    SS18 – CALA FLUMINI 2 (14.06km)

    1 Lappi 8:46.9 (105kph)

    2 Latvala +1.5

    3 Ogier +2.0

    Time then for the last stage and some points were up for grabs as well. Incredibly, Esapekka Lappi won this stage as well. He really is an exciting talent! Seb drove really well and passed Juho on the overall leaderboard and into fifth place. The big story was that Ott had taken his first WRC victory! A number of drivers had led this event, Kris, Hayden but it was the Estonian crew who came through the dust to seal the victory, the first for a driver since Marko Martin in 2004.

    SS19 – SASSARI – ARGENTIERA 2 – PW STAGE (6.96km)

    1 Lappi 5:10.5 (72kph)

    2 Sordo +0.4

    3 Ogier +1.3

    4 Neuville +1.9

    5 Latvala +2.3

    Final Standings

    1 Tanak 3:25:15.1

    2 Latvala +12.3

    3 Neuville +1:07.7

    4 Lappi +2:12.9

    5 Ogier +3:25.3

    6 Hanninen +3:38.5

    7 Ostberg +6:31.8

    8️ Mikkelsen +8:07.8

    9. Camilli +11:15.8

    10. Kopecky +11:21.4

    Let’s hear from the top three then.

    Ott Tänak (1st) said:

    “All everyone has been asking me is how it feels, and I can confirm, it feels good! It was a really difficult weekend but we had a clever strategy and we stuck to it – and now it’s happy days!

    “The team have done the perfect job with the car and Martin has been mega. The whole first half of the season has been great. We have such a strong team – both inside the car and outside the car – and a strong team mate who is pushing me to do my best.

    “Everything is coming together and we are improving all the time. We’re still a private team and you just have to look at the result from the year to see what an amazing job everyone is doing.

    “This was an important step for us, and now that it’s job done, let’s see where we can go from here.”

    Jari-Matti Latvala (2nd) said:

    “In the end, we were quite close and so I’m happy about this result but I’m a bit disappointed with myself after two mistakes I made today: on the second stage this morning I stalled the car when I was in second gear in the high ruts, then when the same stage was run again as the Power Stage this afternoon I couldn’t get the car turning around the junction. Anyway, all in all I’m happy for the team: it was a good result and a good performance.”

    Thierry Neuville (3rd) commented:

    “Overall it has been a positive rally, even though we are disappointed at not being able to fight for the victory this weekend. We were just unlucky with a brake issue on Saturday that lost us over a minute, which we were not able to get back. To score a podium in this tough rally is still good and extends our run of positive results this season. I gave everything I could in the Power Stage but the road conditions didn’t really suit us and we weren’t able to raise the ride height enough. Still, we took a few more points and should be reasonably satisfied. We have closed the gap to Ogier ever so slightly but we know it will need a big push into this second half of the season to catch him.”

    Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

    Esapekka Lappi (4th) said:

    “I’m happy with this rally, we learned a lot. Today was good, especially the Power Stage, as that’s a stage where a lot of the drivers are pushing very hard. For the first two stages, today I was in full tyre saving mode: that’s why the times were not so good but in any case, we had nothing to lose or gain. Then on the stage before the Power Stage I pushed a little bit harder to get a feel for the speed again, then on the Power Stage it was full attack, but we had no problems: clean with no mistakes. On this rally, the most important thing I learned was the driving style of the car on these slow and twisty roads; now I need to find out a bit more about how to drive the car when we get to fast roads.”

    FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Italy Sardegna (ITA) – WRC 08/06/2017 to 11/06/2017 – PHOTO : @World

    Juho Hänninen (6th) said:

    “There are many positives we can take away: we tested a lot of things and we gathered lots of useful information for the future. Unfortunately, today we had an intermittent steering issue – the same thing as yesterday – and that cost us a bit of time. But still we score some good points and my best result so far in the Yaris WRC. After the rally, it’s easy to regret the mistake I made on the last stage of Friday: that certainly penalised us in the start order on Saturday, so maybe things could have been different. It’s all part of the sport though and the main thing is we have a good team result with all three cars.”

    M-Sport WRT

    Sébastien Ogier (5th) said:

    “It wasn’t the best weekend for us but we’ve come away with 13 points and that is definitely a positive after such a tough few days.

    “To lead the championship at the mid-point of the season is great – as long as you’re in the lead, you know that you are doing well.

    “Congratulations to Ott on the win. He fully deserves it and it is another fantastic result for the team who have all worked so hard this weekend.”

    Éric Camilli (1st RC2) (9th overall) said:

    “I have always enjoyed Rally Italia Sardegna and I have especially enjoyed this weekend. The car has been perfect, the driving has been good and Benji has been word-perfect.

    “It was a really good battle with Jan [Kopecky], but we pushed hard today and it’s great to come out on top with the victory.

    “I’m taking a lot of pleasure away from this weekend and the team have been amazing. Everyone is working so hard and I think they should really enjoy the celebrations tonight!”

    Jipocar WRT

    Mads had a big problem in the last stage of the event. His right-rear suspension collapsed!

    Mads Østberg (7th) said:

    “It happened without forewarning when I was braking for a sharp corner after a couple of minutes driving on the power stage. The right rear suspension just collapsed and the wheel was steering us sideways and nearly off the road all the way to the end of the stage. It was a real struggle to finish and there was a couple of corners where I thought we wouldn`t manage to come through. We did a Safari style repair with strips and a jacking troop to drive the last road section without losing the wheel.”

    Anyway, he made it to the end despite this.

    Speaking about the next rally in Poland,

    “It’s not so rough with much smoother surface and above all much faster roads. We must work hard to sort out possible problems with the goal of finishing a rally and be fully competitive more than one day of the event. I have not forgotten how to drive fast”

    Hyundai Motorsport

    Dani Sordo commented:

    “A much better way for us to end the rally today compared to the frustrations of earlier in the event! I was happy to take a stage win this morning, our fourth of the weekend. We wanted to save our tyres for a good push in the Power Stage and we did just that. It wasn’t easy but I am happy to take some points away from this event. Without the turbo issues we had on Friday, we would have been more firmly in the hunt for a podium but we can do nothing about that now. We will just focus on the next rally in Poland and target a more representative result for us and the team.”

    Hayden Paddon said:

    “After Saturday’s misfortune, we wanted to use today to get back into a rhythm. Things started out well with a stage win, but that was the extent of our positives from today. In the penultimate stage, we had another very strange incident on a ‘nothing’ corner, where like yesterday I clipped the inside, which sent us wide. I don’t know why this is happening. I am incredibly disappointed in myself and for the team. I want to learn from this but at the same time put it behind us and look ahead to Poland.”

    Citroen Abu Dhabi WRT

    Yves Matton said:

    Looking at the fortunes of the team at this seventh round, clearly the results vary from one crew to the next. “Before the start, we asked our drivers to make it to the end of the rally. I don’t think we were wrong to think that if they managed to do that, we would end up with two cars in the top five,” explained Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal. “Unfortunately, Kris was unable to adopt the pace required to have an error-free race. After the opening stages, he felt comfortable in the car and said that his pace was consistent with the targets set. Clearly, he has failed to maintain it.”

    “As regards Craig, his race was rapidly brought to a halt after he was caught out when landing a jump,” continued Yves Matton. “His lack of knowledge of the stages proved very costly, because it’s a tricky spot that is well known to the more experienced drivers on this rally. Having said that, we have noted that his retirement was similar to the one he suffered in Argentina and we need to look at whether or not we can make the car more able to withstand this type of impact.”

    “Andreas’ approach has been constructive and positive. Following the day of pre-event testing, we knew that the C3 WRC would need to be adapted to his driving style, which doesn’t involve left-foot braking at all. Clearly, that takes time and so this rally became something of a prolonged test session. More than the actual result – eighth overall – we think we did some good work together. He managed to identify the points we need to work on first and foremost, and to achieve some initial improvements.”

    Let’s sum up this event then.

    Kris and Hayden both continued having bad events this year, whereas Lappi, who will now drive the rest of the year for Toyota delivered a great result. What chance we’ll see him on the podium before the end of the year?

    Seb continued to score good points to keep him in the lead of the championship, albeit with a slightly reduced lead to Thierry. To see Ott finally take that first victory though! Just brilliant! It moved him ahead of Jari-Matti into third in the drivers’ championship.

    Next round is Rally Poland! Ott came very close to winning there last year, and what will happen this year? We shall see!

    2017 FIA World Rally Championship
    Round 07, Rally Italia Sardegna
    05-11 June 2017
    Day 3
    Atmosphere
    Podium
    Thierry Neuville, Nicolas Gilsoul
    Photographer: Helena El Mokni
    Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

    Warren Nel

    @Warren_S_Nel

    23rd June 2017

    1. Sébastien Ogier – 141

    2. Thierry Neuville – 123

    3. Ott Tänak – 108

    4. Jari-Matti Latvala – 107

    5. Dani Sordo – 70

    6. Elfyn Evans – 53

    7. Craig Breen – 43

    8. Hayden Paddon – 33

    9. Juha Hänninen – 29

    10. Kris Meeke – 27

    1. M-Sport World Rally Team – 234

    2. Hyundai Motorsport – 194

    3. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC – 143

    4. Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team – 97

    Warren Nel, WRC editor

  • Misano WSBK: What We Learnt

    World Superbikes soared back into life at Misano last weekend. With an attendance across the three days of 68,000, it would be fair to say that WSBK is slowly bringing fans back. The other Italian round saw attendance reach 75,000 across the three days and whilst it has a long way to go before the numbers of 10-15 years ago are met, we can only hope that this incline continues.

    Marco Melandri was the rider who took Ducati to their first win at Misano since Carlos Checa in 2011. He became the first Italian rider to win on a Ducati at Misano since Frankie Chili, way back in 2004. Melandri proved to the doubters that despite being mired down in 4th in the standings, he can still, and will still, win races. Although teammate Chaz Davies didn’t start, there’s the well known phrase that starts like, “to finish first…”.

    Michael van der Mark demonstrated that he has gelled with the Yamaha. Despite being caught by championship leader Jonathan Rea, his tyre delimitation cost him a podium at the very least. Keep your eyes on the Dutchman, who has found a bit of confidence with the Yamaha. Could he be the rider to take the manufacturer to their first win since Portimao 2011, with Marco Melandri.

    Something else we learnt was that Jonny Rea is beatable. I can hear you all screaming at me saying, ‘well we know that’, but what I mean is, even when his main rival was out, he didn’t win. The two Italian rounds are the only circuits at which he has not won at this season, so Carluccio’s is definitely off the ‘date-night’ options for him.

    We also learns that despite plans for a controlled ECU to make racing closer, Jordi Torres’ BMW was more than capable of sticking it to the leaders in the 2nd outing. The Spaniard led for part of the race and with just three laps to go, retired due to a technical problem. World Superbike fans can hope and pray that this wasn’t a flash in the pan and that actually, this could be a big turning point, where we see more than just Kawasaki and Ducati dominating. Yamaha are edging closer, BMW aren’t far behind and we’ve already seen MV Agusta and Aprilia make strides. Give Honda until next year to be competitive and we might have an almighty brawl at the top of the championship tree.

    The final thing we learnt was that Misano would stay on the calendar until 2020. The circuit has been on the calendar ever since it’s introduction in 1994 and has seen some top notch races. 2001 race one with Troy Bayliss and Ben Bostrom going head to head and in 1998 when both Hondas went at it for a double victory.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Moto2 Assen: Dutch TT Preview

     

    A dominant display at the Catalan GP for Alex Marquez is now well and truly in the past as the paddock descend to Dutch soil, the beloved Assen TT circuit plays host to the eighth round of the championship.

    The championship standings heading into the Assen make for interesting reading, with Franco Morbidelli’s lead of seven points being the lowest margin from first to second at this stage of the season since the Moto2 machines were introduced to the championship in 2010.

    A disappointing display for the Italian in Spain as he crossed the line in sixth place, finishing a surprising 14 seconds off the lead and 10 seconds from the podium. Franco managed to climb on the podium at Assen in 2016, you have to think that would be the minimum target for him this weekend.

    The man in close company to the top spot and the only person to finish in the points at every round this season is intermediate class veteran Thomas Luthi. He came across the line third last time round to close the gap at the top as he keeps the pressure on. A non score round the TT circuit last year but can he keep his super consistent record going? You’d be a brave person to bet against him this weekend.

    The younger of the Marquez brothers clawed himself back into title contention with his magnificent display at his home race. Confidence will be sky high on one side of the Marc VDS garage as the inter-team battle seems to be hotting up nicely. A disappointing eighth place this time last year simply wouldn’t be good enough this time around as the number 21 and 73 keep an eye on a certain MotoGP seat that might soon be available.

    Other men to keep a close eye on are Miguel Olivera, who lies fourth in the championship and double podium man Mattia Pasini, who is in the form of his life after two stellar displays at Mugello and Catalunya.

    The 2015 Moto3 runner up has been super impressive on the brand new Moto2 KTM machine this season and after season of ups and downs in 2016, Olivera is right on track to sealing a very solid world championship standing position come the end of the year. His 15th place finish last season won’t be acceptable this time around.

    Pasini is on fire. That Mugello victory gave the Italian a new lease of life and it is great to see. His 19th at Assen in 2016 will be completely forgotten about and there’s no reason why he couldn’t replicate his 125cc win at this circuit in 2007.

    Other riders to watch out for? Japanese hopeful Takaaki Nakagami picked up his first Moto2 career win here last year as he, Marquez, Morbidelli and Dominique Aegerter are the only riders currently on the grid to have stood on the Moto2 podium at this track.

    Francesco Bagnaia penned a new deal to stay on with the Sky Racing VR46 Moto2 squad for 2018 earlier this week after his good start to the season, the Italian will be wanting to mix it with the top boys for the rest of the season.

    Jorge Navarro earned his best finish of the season last time out, crossing the line seventh. He missed the Assen round last year with a leg injury so he’ll be looking to get a solid free practice under his belt as he readjusts himself into the famous Assen layout.

    Taz Mackenzie finally gets to have a go on a track he’s raced on before, a positive start to the weekend for the youngster who will have put Barcelona’s crash firmly to the back of his mind. The reigning British Supersport champion keeps on getting stronger as he settles into life as a grand prix racer. Any Brits heading to Assen, make sure you get behind one of our country’s brightest motorcycle racing talents.

    Assen always treats us to a phenomenal weekend and I’m sure this year won’t be any different. Don’t forget too, this year the race will be held to on Sunday, going against traditions (rightly or wrongly).

    Elliott York @journoyork

  • Azerbaijan a chance for Ferrari to atone for Canada

    at Formula One World Championship, Rd7, Canadian Grand Prix, Qualifying, Montreal, Canada, Saturday 10 June 2017. Image courtesy of Pirelli Media

     

    Canada was not a race that went to plan for Ferrari but in Azerbaijan the Prancing Horse have a chance to right the Montreal wrongs.

    Sebastian Vettel had an eventful drive to fourth after losing bodywork and damaging his floor, passing both the Force India drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon to provide spice to the race.

    He did lose 13 points to title rival Lewis Hamilton, who won for the sixth time at the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve.

    Kimi Raikkonen was beaten up in the early stages of the race and fell to fifth, where he stayed for most of the race.

    A decision to pit followed by braking issues meant he would limp home to seventh on a rare disappointing day for Ferrari.

    Azerbaijan represents an opportunity for redemption for both men, as albeit in different cars the team showed solid form around the streets of Baku.

    Sebastian Vettel finished a lonely second in the only other staging of the European Grand Prix to take place on the Caspian Coast, while Raikkonen was fourth after eventually losing out to Perez.

    Fourth last time out is Vettel’s worst finish of the season and the only time the four-time champion has been off the podium in 2017.

    By contrast bad luck and sometimes less pace has meant that Raikkonen remains winless since the Australian Grand Prix of 2013.

    But we have seen shades of the old Kimi in recent times.

    Pole position in Monaco suggests there is still some life left in the Iceman yet.

    Ferrari remain confident that he can back up Vettel’s push for a fifth World Drivers’ Championship. And that starts with regaining form this weekend.

    Jack Prentice

  • Extance: There Will Be Some Fireworks in the Garage

     

    Pete Extance says ‘there will be some fireworks in the garage’ at the end of the year, as he anticipates a showdown between his riders Luke Mossey and Leon Haslam. In this exclusive interview, Pete talks about the rivalry between the two riders, whether or not he’d employ team orders and also who he sees taking his JGSpeedfit Bournemouth Kawasaki brand to the championship in 2017. This interview gives an insight into what might occur towards the end of the season and if what Pete says is anything to go by, then we are in for some hard, and possibly even controversial, racing at times! Team Owner Extance also discusses his future plans, his season so far and what off-track aspects contribute to running one of the biggest and well branded teams in the Superbike paddock.

    How would you sum up your season so far?

    It’s been phenomenally well to be honest with you. We couldn’t have had a better start to the year with five wins from six races. Then, we had a bit of a disaster situation, which was no fault of the team’s or Leon’s. That has sort of set us back a little bit. Leon moved to WSBK and did a great job for Pucetti and we moved to the NW200 and Isle of Man TT where James Hillier got podiums at both. It wasn’t our best TT but two fourth places and a second, with James and the team back safe is really important to us. We’ve come straight from the TT to Knockhill so it’s been a really long trip, I’ve been away for over three weeks now and I’m looking forward to getting back home. Having said that, we are sat here on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Scotland at Knockhill and Luke has had a 2nd and a 4th. Big congratulations to Jake Dixon. Luke now leads the series from his teammate Leon Haslam who is unfortunately at home, following a crash from FP1. Leon is strong and is back testing on the 27th of June; he’s got no lasting damage which is great firstly for him and also for the team. This will only fire him up even more, ready for Snetterton. He won’t want to remain number two for very long.

    How does running a factory team compare to running the more satellite team you had last season?

    In fairness, it’s more or less exactly the same. We get a great amount of assistance from Kawasaki. Everyone knows Leon has got a great connection with the factory; he’s got a different swingarm but Luke hasn’t, as he’s running the exact same as last year. How beneficial that will be when track temperature goes up later in the summer and tyre wear comes into it, we don’t know yet. It’s a great privilege for me as a Kawasaki dealer, who’s been racing a long time, to be the official team and get some general support. We don’t really get ‘Factory’ support, KRT in WSBK are the ‘Factory’ team, we are the officially backed BSB team.

    Last year you ran Supersport with Andy Reid but not this year – why?

    The contract with Kawasaki specifically states that we are only allowed to run two bikes in the British Superbike paddock and that we have to focus on winning the British Superbike title this year. It stated that we weren’t allowed to run in the Supersport or Superstock 1000s, with just the roads. We were allowed to run the TT with a bit of race testing.

    How come Andy Reid and Filip Backlund have not featured in Bournemouth Kawasaki plans this year?

    I felt Filip was at the point where he wasn’t going to ride and, as you documented, he had a lot of crashes last year and wasn’t really on the pace, so I had to look elsewhere. I had already signed Luke well before Kawasaki approached us to run the factory team. Luke was running with us whatever happened and then began the bunfight over the Assen weekend. The riders had heard that Mark (Smith Halvorsn) was leaving, ‘can I come with you, can I come with you’ was all I heard over the weekend! We kind of agreed already with a certain rider that we would sign them, however I then got a phone call at half seven on the Monday morning from Ross Burridge at Kawasaki and thought ‘what the hell going off at half seven in the morning?’ and he approached us to say, “can you run Leon for 2017” to which we agreed.

    What goes on behind the scenes at Bournemouth Kawasaki with regards to hospitality etc?

    We have a legion of fans. We have 120 guests per round. A mixture of JGSpeedfit and our other sponsors. The guests have enjoyed a lovely roast lunch and dessert, absolutely rammed in here every single week and we have rider talks all the time. We are looking to do some more Q&As with the kids like at Donington Park last season. We are doing a milk and cookies morning with the parents and kids and just trying to bring families in. We have a lovely big ‘selfie board’ – as I’m calling it – with a picture of Luke and Leon on the bike and the little minibike in the middle. It’s great to see families in the paddock and not just crowds of blokes and if the families go away with a Luke Mossey cap on and a flag that they’re waving then they’re happy. We don’t do posters anymore, we do lanyards because they have all the riders details on them and hopefully, it’s a bit more of a memento than a poster that you see half a mile down the road when we’re driving away from the circuit.

    Given Leon’s successful wildcard, do you see WSBK as an option in the foreseeable future?

    Not for Bournemouth Kawasaki. We have a lot to prove in this paddock yet and we have come a long, long way in the last seven or eight years. I think before we start running at World Superbikes, we need to be British Champions. If it is this year, then it’d be great to come back and defend the series. For the riders, I think I know where we are with one rider but not necessarily where we are with the other. Luke is very keen to stay with us and we are looking to get that signed early to get it tied up ASAP. However, on the other side of the garage, Leon is actually contracted to Kawasaki UK so we will leave that seat open right up until the 11th hour until we, he or Kawasaki need to make a decision so we don’t miss out on other riders. I genuinely can’t believe at Knockhill – and before you ask, I’m not telling you who they are – but we have had three top riders approach us following rumours speculating Leon’s return to WSBK. I find it amazing that we’re not halfway through the championship and already silly season has kicked in.

    That said, you don’t need the added stress of what is already an enormous operation you have to oversee do you?

    Not yet. I tend to do a little bit more with the hospitality side of things. I love getting the microphone and presenting and doing a bit of the television stuff. I don’t tend to do too much with the riders, Jack Valentine probably does a little bit more with the riders although for now, they manage themselves quite well. We’ve also got some full time technicians that look after the bike so in fairness, it’s not that much more stressful than previous years gone by. The only thing that is different is that this season, we are bigger and better and have some high expectations so we have to deliver, to get results back to our sponsors and our guests, maybe a little bit more than other teams do.

    Would it be fair to say that this is the first time you have had both riders wanting to win the championship?

    100%. We as a team haven’t been very well financially supported in the past and we’ve had to fund a lot of the Bournemouth Kawasaki into the team. What that has done is meant that we can have one reasonably good, top quality rider and we started with Chris Walker and Dan Linfoot and gone through that, but the 2nd rider has had to bring their own money to the table. Whilst that kept us on track it unfortunately means that you get a rider who isn’t going to win the championship or be in the showdown and help support a title challenge. Now, we are in a position with two fully paid, full time professionals and that makes a massive difference.

    Did you expect Luke to be this strong?

    Luke’s had a podium at every round; we felt he has really matured this year as a rider. I’m not sure that even in my wildest dreams that I would’ve put him as leading the BSB championship after four rounds of the championship. That’s great for Luke. This is not a negative for Luke but one thing that has been good for him is that we’ve gone four rounds without rain. Luke is the first to admit that whilst he is improving in the rain all the time, it’s harder for him to be pushing for 1st, 2nd or 3rd. A podium every round, no rain has helped and we’re heading towards mid-June and into July and we should be able to run through most of the season without rain. However, then we have the showdown in Autumn. If there was a stumbling block for Luke then it’d probably be the rain but lets hope it all stays dry.

    Has Leon been surprised of Luke Mossey’s pace?

    Erm, I think Leon knew Luke was fast. I think certainly that if he didn’t know about it before then he knew about it after testing in Cartagena, because there, he definitely knew about it! I think perhaps Leon is more surprised with how Luke has strung the results together and stuck to him in most races. His consistency has been absolutely exceptional. Leon won’t be worrying about that – his job for this year is to win the British Superbike Championship and if Luke runs him hard then fair play to Luke but if Luke wins, Leon will be extremely upset. I think he’ll be pleased for Luke but I think he will be very upset. As we all know, Leon has never won a British Superbike Championship and that’s what he desperately wants to do. If we asked Kawasaki at the start of the year what the result would be out of both the riders, after all the effort and finances they’ve put into Leon, they’d probably say it would swing more his way. However, it’s not over yet, we’re only four rounds in, lets get the boys in the showdown and let battle commence!

    Is there going to be a rivalry between Luke and Leon?

    I think there’s definitely going to be a rivalry! I think at the beginning of the season, Luke wasn’t happy with being called the number two rider by some people – it’s not something I have ever done myself. We have always called them on an equal. Leon has to be looking not only at Shane Byrne and the others but also his teammate. We will get to round nine pretty quickly now seeing as the races are pretty much every other weekend. For sure, I certainly think that both bikes will be in the showdown and that there will be fireworks in the garage.

    Could it lead to an off-track fallout?

    No, I don’t think so, if anything the two riders get on better than the two crews, so I think the riders are fine, we just have to try and keep a lid on the two crews. Expectations run high in the garage and the two lads are ultimate professionals. On track, they’ll probably look after each other until the last round of the championship if they’re battling for it and then it is open to any of them.

    Would you use team orders as a tactic in the final round?

    Wow, thats a very good question. It’s a question that actually, I can’t believe as a team owner that I may be asked. However, that may well be the situation. If there’s a situation where Leon can win the championship and we need Luke 2nd and Leon to win then I think we have to look to team orders. There’s a lot of investment and hard work and graft that goes into this and whilst any rider is not happy with team orders, at that point, it has to come. It’s not something that I’m overly happy about but I think I would get my butt kicked if Kawasaki said ‘why didn’t one of your riders yield?’

    Which one of your two riders do you see team orders helping and hindering and who do you see as the rider taking your Bournemouth Kawasaki brand to the title in 2017?

    Now that is a very difficult question – goodness me. That really is a tricky one. No one can write Luke Mossey off and no one can right Leon Haslam off. I really do think that bookmakers wise, between our team and Shakey, it will be your top three in some order. What route it goes, with two green ones first and second and a red one third or a red one first and the green ones behind we will wait and see. I know which way I’d prefer that, I’m just not sure with which green one! Luke’s only downfall may be that we get to Assen and Silverstone and we get a wet race but I love them both.

    Image courtesy of Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photography. You can find them on Twitter and on Facebook. We would also like to thank Pete Extance for his time on what was a very busy Sunday at Knockhill.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Brookes and Guintoli to make Suzuka 8 Hour Bow for Yoshimura Suzuki

    Josh Brookes will return to the Suzuka 8 Hour race at the end of July this season, riding a brand new Yoshimura Suzuki alongside Suzuki test rider Takuya Tsuda and fellow British Superbike returnee, Sylvain Guintoli. The star-studded line up comprises of riders who have all had world championship experience in the last two seasons.

    Josh Brookes comes off the back of an incredibly successful Isle of Man TT, where he achieved a personal best of 6th place in the Senior TT, also becoming Norton’s fastest ever rider around the 37 mile Mountain Course. Brookes rides for the Anvil Hire Tag Racing Yamaha Team in the British Superbike championship, where he currently sits in 4th place. The BSB championship returns this weekend at Knockhill.

    The Australian competed in the event last year, finishing 3rd with teammates Tsuda and Noriyuki Haga, who has been dropped for 2017. The event will highlight Brookes as one of the most versatile riders in racing, having successfully competed on a range of manufacturers already this year, such as Norton (TT) Supersport 600 (TT) and Yamaha Superbike (BSB).

    Sylvain Guintoli is set to make his Suzuka 8 Hour debut alongside Brookes. Guintoli flew out to Malaysia to test the Endurance configuration for 3 days in January, in preparation for the event.

    The Frenchman has had three races over in MotoGP, riding the Factory Suzuki in place of injured rookie Alex Rins. Having had a difficult start to his British Superbike season on the new Suzuki, he will be looking to gain confidence and gel with the bike over at the Suzuka 8 Hours, a race that Yoshimura Suzuki haven’t won since 2009 with Daisaku Sakai, Kazuki Tokudome and veteran, Nobuatsu Aoki.

    Takuya Tsuda is Ecstar Suzuki’s test rider in MotoGP. The Japanese rider made his debut in MotoGP at Jerez earlier this year, finishing 17th.

    “Suzuka is a bit like a love-hate relationship. When I’m there and I’m riding the bike and it’s really hot and I’m exhausted, I think to myself, ‘Why do I out myself through this?’ There’s so many years I haven’t ridden and I’ve been gutted I’m not there. If I was to stop going without winning it, I’d be giving up in effect and I’m really not like that! I don’t want to give up on the challenge. I had to beg to get my first ride, saying ‘pick me, pick me’. Even if I won I probably wouldn’t stop going! Because I’d want to do it again and try and better myself.

    “I’m really looking forward to it. I’m scared to do it but I’m motivated to do it. I’ve set goals throughout my career and this is another one. To win this and already have a BSB title would be incredible, then I’d really want to win a TT! It’s good for me that I haven’t got everything I ever dreamed about wanting. If I had, then I’d be a bit like Casey Stoner. Retired and very boring. I’m sure he’s not that bothered but I’d be a bit of a lost soul without these kind of goals in my life”.

    The Suzuka 8 Hour Race will take place on the 28th – 30th of July.

    Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

  • Armin Kremer to drive an M-Sport WRT Fiesta WRC

     

    M-Sport WRT Press release

    Armin Kremer will contest the 10th round of the FIA World Rally Championship with an M-Sport prepared Ford Fiesta WRC.
    The multiple German, European and Asia-Pacific champion from Mecklenburg will contest this year’s ADAC Rallye Deutschland in M-Sport’s top-specification Ford Fiesta WRC.

    Last month saw Kremer get his first taste of 2017 machinery when travelling to the UK for a test drive. Just a few kilometres at M-Sport’s private testing facility was enough to convince the German and he is now looking forward to contesting his home event at the very highest level.
    A total of 21 stages covering a competitive distance of more than 309 kilometres awaits. The challenging route mixes a variety of characteristics – from the spectacular new city circuit stage in Saarbrücken to the fast country lanes of Saarland; from the twisty tracks through the Moselle vineyards, to the rugged concrete of the Baumholder military ground.

    In preparation for this unique challenge, Kremer will conduct a pre-event test alongside M-Sport’s manufacturer entries in early August.
    The German’s entry at this year’s Rallye Deutschland goes full circle – Kremer having taken to the wheel of M-Sport’s Ford Focus WRC at the very first FIA World Rally Championship round to be held on German soil in 2002.

    Armin Kremer said:

    “I am overwhelmed and proud. It is an honour and a great pleasure for me, but also a huge challenge to compete with the same rally car at the ADAC Rallye as the four-time world champion Sébastien Ogier.

    “I will translate everything in order to confirm the confidence placed in me by M-Sport and Malcolm Wilson. It is still too early to think about a result, but I am sure that with the support of the M-Sport drivers and engineers I will quickly get used to the Ford Fiesta WRC and find the optimal set-up for me.
    “Anyone who knows me knows how much I want to get a decent result and to offer the German fans a good show.”

    M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE:
    “It’s great to welcome Armin back to the team for his home event. We’ve worked with him in the past and he is an extremely experienced driver – especially at Rallye Deutschland.

    “It’s fantastic to have a German driver in a Ford Fiesta WRC for his home event – particularly as the home of the road-going Fiesta is just up the road in Cologne.

    “I’m sure that Armin will enjoy every minute of it. I also have no doubt that his vast experience of these unique roads will benefit the entire team.”

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  • F2: Baku Preview

    After a month off, Formula 2 returns this weekend in Azerbaijan for the fourth round of the championship, which takes place at the Baku City Circuit. Despite only being on the calendar for a year, Baku has already earned itself an unpopular reputation, thanks to the less-than-enthralling F1 race that took place last year.

    But its GP2 counterpart was anything but, with two chaotic and action-packed races. Out of the twenty-two cars that started both races last year, only twelve finished the feature race, and only fifteen in the sprint race. The high chance of crashing out, especially in the tight section of the track that runs through the older part of the city, adds an element of total unpredictability to this round.

    2016 GP2 Series Round 3
    Baku, Azerbaijan.
    Saturday 18 June 2016.
    Sean Gelael (INA, Pertamina Campos Racing)
    Photo: Andy Hone/GP2 Series Media Service.
    ref: Digital Image _ONZ0910

    As the second street circuit of the year, Baku presents a different challenge to Monaco. Though avoiding traffic and the walls will be difficult in parts, overtaking should be easier, thanks in part to the long start-finish straight—the longest of any track, at over two kilometres. Last year it was also the site of Antonio Giovinazzi’s double winning weekend, which well and truly launched his championship campaign. This suggests that if any driver’s performance has been underwhelming so far, there is still time to earn back those lost points.

    The biggest change going into the weekend will be the absence of ART’s Alexander Albon, who is out for the weekend with a broken collarbone. He will be replaced by Sergey Sirotkin, Renault’s test driver, who drove for ART last year and finished third in the 2016 GP2 championship. It is definitely a blow for Albon, who was proving to be a consistent driver, having scored points in every race this season thus far, but the team seems confident that he will be able to drive at the Red Bull Ring in a few weeks’ time.

    Bringing in a new driver for the weekend shouldn’t place ART at a disadvantage however. Sirotkin managed to score himself a double podium last year at Baku, so the team can feel confident when the Russian arrives, fresh from racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    (L to R): Mark Slade (GBR) Renault Sport F1 Team Race Engineer with Sergey Sirotkin (RUS) Renault Sport F1 Team Third Driver.
    Russian Grand Prix, Friday 28th April 2017. Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, Russia.

    By contrast, Matsushita had a nightmare weekend in Baku last year, despite having good pace and leading much of the sprint race. The Japanese driver struggled on the safety car restarts, and his driving was erratic enough to earn him a race ban. He will be looking to learn from the mistakes of last year, but with one win and a podium under his belt, he seems to be having a better season already.

    Some drivers will be heading into this weekend with recovery at the forefront of their mind after disappointing results in Monte Carlo. Norman Nato is one such driver. The Frenchman started the year full of promise, and his potential is definitely that of a race winner, but after failing to score any points in Monaco, he needs a strong showing in Baku to get his season back on track. His teammate Sean Gelael, who has trailed Nato so far, had a solid qualifying performance in Monaco, but failed to convert that into race results.

    Prema’s drivers will also be looking to bounce back from less than ideal results last time out. Leclerc, who does still lead the championship, will need to show that he can recover mentally from the double retirement in his home race, something which will prove essential if he is to carry his challenge for the duration of the season. Antonio Fuoco’s battle still remains one of proving he can measure up to his teammate, and increasingly, proving that he deserves his race seat and his place in the Ferrari Driver Academy. The track suited Prema last year, who managed to nail setup, earning them a pole position and a second place, as well as Giovinazzi’s two wins.

    Rapax, after a slow start to the season, achieved a season’s best in Monte Carlo with a first and second place in the sprint race. Carrying that momentum to Baku may be difficult considering neither of their drivers have driven the street circuit before, but rookie Nyck de Vries seems to have gotten over his early season struggles with adjusting. If this race weekend is similar to last year’s then luck in staying out of trouble will probably be a large factor, so there is no counting the Rapax drivers out.

    2017 FIA Formula 2 Round 3.
    Monte Carlo, Monaco.
    Saturday 27 May 2017.
    Johnny Cecotto Jr. (VEN, Rapax)
    Photo: Zak Mauger/FIA Formula 2.
    ref: Digital Image _54I7139

    Both DAMS and Racing Engineering had a mixed weekend in Monaco, with one of their drivers delivering promising results – with a win for Oliver Rowland (DAMS) and a third place for Gustav Malja (Racing Engineering) – and the other failing to score any points. Both teams have machinery that seems capable of delivering race winning results, and with mostly experienced drivers, they stand a good chance of performing well at Baku. DAMS’ Rowland will be particularly anxious to do so as he now sits only three points shy of championship leader Leclerc, and if he can outperform the Monegasque and avoid any incidents, then his chances of leaving Baku as the new leader of the drivers’ standings are high indeed.

    Based on points alone, Russian Time were the top team out in Monaco, and succeeding in taking a fourteen-point lead in the teams’ standings from DAMS. Artem Markelov and Luca Ghiotto also occupy third and fourth in the driver’s standings, and if fortune plays into their favour, Baku presents them with the opportunity to close the gap to Rowland and Leclerc.

    There is every chance that we will leave Baku with a new points leader—but more than that, the venue offers the chance for one of the most entertaining, and maybe a little crazy, races of the year. If you are yet to see last year’s GP2 races, I would recommend doing so. They’re carnage, but entertaining nonetheless.

    Georgia Beith, F2 Correspondent

  • Ricciardo: “lots of opportunities” for Red Bull in Baku

    Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

    Daniel Ricciardo has said he believes the narrow, technical sections of Baku City Circuit should give him and teammate Max Verstappen plenty of optimism for this Sunday’s Grand Prix, despite the Azerbaijan track’s emphasis on top speed favouring Red Bull’s rivals.

    Speaking ahead of the race, Ricciardo said “[Baku] doesn’t suit our car that much but there are lots of opportunities for things to happen. I think the circuit is definitely as tight as it looks and…there are a few interesting lines past the castle which adds to the toughness. The straight is so long that it gives you time to think, which is nice as the corners are technical and you really need to concentrate.

    “Another street circuit is exciting for me as I really enjoy those types of tracks. I’m looking forward to having another go on it.”

    Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

    Last year’s race in Baku was something of a mixed bag for Ricciardo: after crashing in first practice the Australian went on to qualify third ahead of both Ferraris, but in the race the RB12 fell behind the Mercedes power of Force India and Williams and Ricciardo could only finish in seventh.

    His teammate fared little better, qualifying ninth and improving to just eighth behind Ricciardo after 51 laps, but Verstappen has also expressed his eagerness to return to Azerbaijan despite his struggles last year.

    “Baku in my opinion is quite a special street circuit,” the Dutchman said. “It’s really unique in terms of having quite wide sections but also some of the tightest parts of track on the calendar. Sector 2 is tighter than parts of Monaco which has always been regarded as really narrow and challenging.

    “When you drive up into the old town and past the castle it is fun and tricky but also amazing to watch as a spectator. That section of the track is my favourite.”

    Realistically, Red Bull’s duo should be facing many of the same battles in Azerbaijan this year as in 2016, as the circuit’s long straights lift Williams and Force India up into the frame for the top six. However, thanks to a string of podium finishes from Ricciardo in the last three races, Red Bull currently enjoys a buffer of 41 points back to Force India in fourth, and is almost a hundred clear of Williams in sixth.

    James Matthews, Deputy Editor