ING Renault F1 Team unveils the R29 in Portugal
19.1.2009 von Wolfgang.
The ING Renault F1 Team officially launched its 2009 season today as the new Renault F1 R29 was unveiled to the world’s media at the Algarve Motor Park near Portimao in the south of Portugal.
Both the team’s race drivers, Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet, were on hand this morning to take the covers off their new challenger as they joined Managing Director Flavio Briatore for a photo call with the R29 in front of the team’s pit garage. They were joined by young Frenchman, Romain Grosjean, who was announced as the team’s third driver for 2009, and the latest recruits from Renault’s Driver Development Programme: Davide Valsecchi from Italy, Charles Pic from France and Marco Sorensen from Denmark.
With radical revisions to the sport’s technical regulations introduced this year, the R29 incorporates a new design philosophy and looks very different from its predecessor. Great attention has been paid to maximizing the new rules and the team is optimistic about its chances for the year ahead, as Flavio Briatore explained: “We began our preparations for the R29 project early and I am proud of what the team has achieved. There are lots of new things to deal with this year, which could shake things up, but we intend to continue fighting at the front. We will now concentrate on our final preparations for the start of the season so that we can arrive in Australia hopefully fighting for the podium.”
Both Fernando and Nelson were delighted to get their hands on the R29 so early in the year. Having followed the car’s progress closely over the winter, they paid tribute to the work done by the staff in the factories in Enstone and Viry. “The team has had a very busy development programme to allow us to be ready for the first January test with the new car,” said Fernando. “Now we are all looking forward to seeing the result of all that effort on the racetrack.”
ING Renault F1 Team President Bernard Rey also confirmed the commitment of Renault to the sport ahead of the new season. “This team is the proof of the ability of the Renault Group to obtain results and success at the very highest level,” said Rey. “The team will therefore be supported by the whole Group throughout the challenges that lie ahead this year.”
After the photo call, the R29 made its track debut as Nelson kicked off the team’s winter development programme at the Algarve Motor Park. “It feels great to be in the R29, even though the weather was not great,” said Nelson after his first day in the car. “Today was all about adding miles to the car, collecting data and learning as much as we could. Hopefully the rest of the week will allow us to build on the progress we have made today.”
The car featured a fresh new livery in the colours of the team’s principal partner ING, as well as eye-catching Total branding following confirmation of a new three-year technical partnership with Total Group. "We’re very pleased to continue our sponsorship and Technology Partnership with ING Renault F1 Team," said Christophe de Margerie, CEO, Total. “It’s a great partnership for Total group to be aligned with Renault in a legacy of excellence, as well as providing a good global venue for our brand presence. For Total, another key benefit – apart from winning Formula 1 races with a truly outstanding motorsports team – is to use our on-track research and testing to develop and deliver new and more efficient products that benefit everyday drivers under the most demanding driving conditions."
The ING Renault F1 Team will remain in the Algarve until Thursday to continue with its testing programme. Nelson will be in the R29 for a second day tomorrow before handing it over to Fernando for the final two days.
www.ing-renaultf1.com
Skoda to compete on 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge with new Fabia S2000
19.1.2009 von Wolfgang.
Czech manufacturer Skoda has become the latest manufacturer to register for the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
The team will enter two new Fabia S2000 cars starting from the Monte Carlo Rally this week, for Finland’s Juho Hanninen and rising Czech star Jan Kopecky. Hanninen, who won the IRC’s Rally Russia last year, was runner-up in the 2008 Production Car World Rally Championship, while Kopecky finished on the podium in last year’s Portugal Rally.
Geraldine Filiol, the Managing Director of IRC promoter Eurosport Events, commented: "We’re delighted to welcome a manufacturer as prestigious as Skoda, with its long history in motorsport, to the IRC. We already saw the new Fabia S2000 as the course-opening car on selected events last year, and now we look forward to watching it in the heat of competition. Skoda’s participation, with its talented line-up of drivers, adds another exciting competitive element to the show this year. This is excellent news not only for the IRC series, but for rally fans all over the world."
Skoda Motorsport, based in Mlada Boleslav near Prague, recently celebrated its centenary in motorsport: part of a rich history that has seen the manufacturer taste success both on circuits and in rallying. The team has finished on the podium at some of the world’s toughest events, including the legendary Safari Rally, and maintained an international rally presence up until 2005, when it temporarily withdrew to start work on the Fabia S2000 project.
Having undergone more than a year of intensive development, during which it was driven by two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz as well as the regular drivers, the Fabia has successfully passed its homologation inspection and is now ready for its competition debut on the toughest and most prestigious rally of them all. Hanninen will start the Monte Carlo Rally as car number three while his team mate Kopecky will begin as car number six.
Hanninen commented: "I’m very much looking forward to this adventure, along with Jan and everybody else at Skoda Motorsport. We’ve completed a good amount of testing over the winter, and I’m very pleased with both the speed and the reliability. One of the good things about the IRC is that the competition is very close and all the cars are evenly-matched, so I am looking forward to some nice battles over the course of the year."
The Monte Carlo Rally, the opening round of this year’s IRC, gets underway on Wednesday 21 January from Monaco. The crews will then go on to tackle 14 classic stages totalling 362.25 competitive kilometres, including the epic Col de Turini, before the finish back in Monaco at 11:30 on Saturday 24 January.
After appearing on the IRC as course-opening car on some rallies in 2008, Skoda is a registered manufacturer this year with the new Fabia S2000
www.rally-irc.com
