Archiv des Monats: Februar 2009

ATARI LAUNCH RACE PRO FOR XBOX 360

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Atari announced today that RACE Pro has reached the retail stores.
Developed by renowned award-winning game developer SimBin, a leading creator of PC racing simulators, RACE Pro brings SimBin’s formidable skill and know-how exclusively to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for the very first time.
"Atari is committed to working with the industry’s finest developers, and SimBin is at the top of the game when it comes to racing simulations. RACE Pro is the first time SimBin has brought its incredible expertise to console and we’re proud to be launching it with them," said Phil Harrison, President of Infogrames, the parent company of Atari. "RACE Pro is the most realistic racing game available on console, and is accessible to newcomers while having the depth to satisfy the most demanding petrol-head."
RACE Pro is exclusively bringing all the WTCC cars from manufacturers BMW, Chevrolet and SEAT to Xbox 360 for the very first time. Gamers and racing fans will experience the thrill of racing these powerful cars on 13 real life tracks covering all continents.

Virtual WTCC cars in action at Macau on Race Pro

PROTEAM WITH PORTEIRO AND TANEV
Proteam Motorsport is eager to defend their 2008 title in the WTCC Independent Team’s Trophy. With this goal in mind, the outfit directed by Valmiro Presenzini has signed two young and competitive drivers for the new season: Félix Porteiro and George Tanev.
Porteiro, 25-year old from Spain, faces his third year in the World Touring Car Championship. In the two previous seasons he drove for BMW Team Italy-Spain, collecting two race wins (Brno 2007 and Oschersleben 2008) and being classified 12th and 10th respectively in the Drivers‘ Championship.
Tanev, 25-year old Bulgarian, made his first appearances in the series last year, taking part in a few events at the wheel of a BMW car run by the Petrol GT Racing Team, before joining Proteam Motorsport for the final race meeting in Macau.
"We are still in negotiations with a few other drivers, as we aim for running a third car," Team Owner Presenzini said.

TEAM ENGSTLER AIM FOR INDEPENDENTS‘ CROWN
The Liqui Moly Team Engstler have launched their second season in the FIA WTCC.
Team owner Franz Engstler, runner up in last year’s WTCC Independents‘ Trophy, was joined by Kristian Poulsen who took part in some selected events during the 2008 season.
"I am glad that Kristian joined us. We understand each other very well and I’m sure we can mutually support ourselves," said Engstler
After a successful maiden season, the team is now aiming for claiming the Independents‘ crown: "The pressure is growing after the good results we achieved in 2008. However, there are so many factors which make a team successful, and the field of the competitors is so strong that we know we’ll have to fight hard to succeed," team manager Kurt Treml commented.

www.fiawtcc.com. 

Michael Vergers, the new Virgo Motorsport’s spearhead

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This is the news of the day: Michael Vergers, the Dutch driver who drove the Barazi Epsilon’s LMP2 in 2008, will be the spearhead of the Virgo Motosport team this season.

It should be remembered that this team, of which Ferrari F430 GT has been entered for the full 2009 season, was the 2008 LMGT2 winner. Indeed, Virgo Motorsport won 4 of the 5 races: it was only absent of the Italian podium, in Monza.

Michael Vergers will of course take part to the Official Testing session on the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit, with Michael and Sean McInerney as co-drivers. Virgo is one of the 12 LMGT2 teams which will participate to this test session on next March 8 & 9.

www.lemans-series.com.  

OFFICIAL LE MANS SERIES TEST

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OFFICIAL LE MANS SERIES TEST: ATTEND THE SEASON PREVIEW, NOW YOU CAN!OFFICIAL LE MANS SERIES TEST: ATTEND THE SEASON PREVIEW, NOW YOU CAN!

A première in both the Le Mans Series and Paul Ricard HTTT circuit history: the traditional endurance Official Testing session is open to the public! Only to some happy few since 4 000 places only are available in a brand new grandstand to discover in advance the first laps of the … brand new Aston Martin LMP1, but also support Oreca’s Courages, Oak Racing LMP2 Pescarolos or the GTs such as Lamborghinis Murcielago, Ferraris F430, Aston Martins Vantage GT…

All these motor racing stars and their drivers will gauge themselves and the adversity, firstly Aston with its six official pilots. There will also be endurance racing big names and some rookies who already think big such as for instance Leo Mansell and Nicolas Prost…

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www.lemans-series.com

DTM-Präsentation 2009 erneut in Düsseldorf

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Wiesbaden/Düsseldorf. Bereits zum vierten Mal feiert die DTM ihren Auftakt in die neue Saison in der NRW-Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf: Die populärste internationale Tourenwagenserie präsentiert sich am Sonntag, den 19. April 2009 auf der exklusiven Düsseldorfer Königsallee. „Die Saisoneröffnung in der Sportstadt Düsseldorf war in den vergangenen drei Jahren immer eines der Highlights im DTM-Kalender“, so Hans Werner Aufrecht, Vorsitzender des DTM-Rechteinhabers und -Vermarkters ITR e.V. „Wir werden alles daran setzen, den Zuschauern wieder ein einmaliges Erlebnis in einer familiären Atmosphäre darzubieten.“ Auch Düsseldorfs Oberbürgermeister Dirk Elbers freut sich auf die Veranstaltung in seiner Heimatstadt: „Die Motorsportwelt wird an diesem Tag nach Düsseldorf schauen. Die Landeshauptstadt wird sich auch bei der vierten Auflage der DTM-Show auf der Kö als guter Gastgeber präsentieren."
Seit vier Jahren arbeitet der ITR e.V. erfolgreich mit der sportAgentur Düsseldorf als Organisationspartner zusammen und bietet den Fans nach langer Winterpause erneut ein buntes und abwechslungsreiches Programm, das einen Vorgeschmack auf eine spannende Saison 2009 liefert. Zwischen 13 und 18 Uhr können die Zuschauer hautnah alle DTM-Fahrer wie beispielsweise Champion Timo Scheider (Audi), Rennfahrerin Susie Stoddart (Mercedes-Benz), den achtfachen Le-Mans-Gewinner Tom Kristensen (Audi) oder Mercedes-Benz-Pilot Ralf Schumacher in Interviews, Autogrammstunden und Meet&Greets im offenen DTM-Fahrerlager erleben. Auch auf dem eigens dafür aufgebauten Rundkurs dürfen sich die Fans wieder auf Motorsport zum Anfassen freuen: Neben spektakulären Demonstrationsfahrten der DTM-Boliden stehen Boxenstopp-Wettbewerbe, Stunt-Shows und die legendäre Startfeldpräsentation auf dem Programm. Auch die Fahrzeuge der Rahmenserien Formel 3 Euro Serie, ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup, Porsche Carrera Cup und Seat Leon Supercopa werden zum Greifen nah sein und für Rennatmosphäre sorgen.
Im letzten Jahr waren über 200.000 begeisterte Besucher angereist, um die Motorsportler und ihre Rennfahrzeuge aus nächster Nähe zu erleben. Der Eintritt zur DTM-Präsentation ist wie in den vergangenen Jahren kostenfrei. Alle Informationen zur Veranstaltung gibt es auf der offiziellen Homepage der DTM www.dtm.com und unter www.sportstadt-duesseldorf.de.

www.dtm.com

Henri Karjalainen joins Formula Two

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Henri Karjalainen

Finn aiming to follow Keke Rosberg from F2 into Formula One

Finnish driver Henri Karjalainen has become the latest name to sign up for the 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship as he bids to follow in fellow countryman Keke Rosberg’s tracks from F2 into Formula One.

22-year-old Henri has already experienced success in three continents having raced in Europe, Asia and North America during the last four years. He joins Formula Two after finishing runner-up in the 2007 Formula 3 Asia Pacific Championship, taking five wins and five podiums from the 13 races he contested, before progressing into the Formula Atlantic Championship for 2008.

Karjalainen has also competed in GP2, having been invited to replace fellow Finn Markus Niemelä for the Turkish round of the 2007 championship following a string of impressive results in the 2006 Asian Formula Renault Challenge. Henri scored one victory and three podiums for the Asia Racing Team, whilst he also competed in five Formula 3 Asia races during the same season.

Henri Karjalainen said: “Formula Two is a fantastic opportunity for me, and I’m delighted to have signed up to compete in 2009. F2 has a great history, and now the 2009 championship has the backing of the FIA, so it has real pedigree. For me F2 represents the best chance to progress into Formula One, which has always been my ambition. Keke Rosberg graduated from Formula Two into F1, and I will be trying my utmost to follow in his tracks.Henri_Liveryv2

“The championship itself is a great package – not only is it much cheaper than other series, but the prize of a test drive with Williams is a huge draw and I think that’s been reflected in how strong a driver line up F2 has. Of course I’m looking to win races, but the Williams test is a huge incentive and I’m sure everyone will be pushing hard. It’s going to be really exciting, especially as the cars are all equal and so it will all come down to the drivers.”

Jonathan Palmer, Chief Executive of championship organiser MotorSport Vision, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Henri to Formula Two. I had the privilege of racing against Keke Rosberg – who became the first Finn to reach Formula One – in the mid-1980s, and he was sensationally fast. It would be fantastic if Henri could follow Keke’s example and progress from Formula Two into F1; certainly he faces some extremely tough competition, but Henri is one of Finland’s outstanding young drivers and we’re delighted to have him in F2.”

F2GreyHeaderv2    www.formulatwo.com

Bewährte Kombination bei VAR

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VAR startet mit Volkswagen-Motoren

Van Amersfoort Racing (VAR) ist sicherlich zum Favoritenkreis der Saison 2009 im ATS Formel-3-Cup zu zählen. Nach dem erfolgreichen Debüt im Vorjahr mit Volkswagen als Motorenpartner startet das niederländische Team erneut mit 2-Liter-Aggregaten aus Wolfsburg. Die beiden Dallara F307 Volkswagen werden von Laurens Vanthoor (Belgien) und Stef Dusseldorp (Niederlande) besetzt.
Zwei Siege und sechs zweite Plätze, so lautet die Bilanz von Laurens Vanthoor in dessen allerersten Jahr im Automobilsport. Drei Trainingsbestzeiten und zwei schnellste Rennrunden kennzeichnen zudem die Debütsaison des Gymnasiasten im ATS Formel-3-Cup 2008 ab. Vanthoor zählt ganz sicher zu den richtig großen Talenten mit besten Chancen auf eine großartige Karriere im Motorsport, zumal er erst kurz vor seinem 18. Geburtstag steht.
„Ich weiß, dass man eine Menge von mir erwartet. Doch den Druck mache ich mir schon selber. Nach den vielen zweiten Plätzen im Vorjahr folgten am Saisonende auch die Siege. Jetzt will ich von Anfang an vorne dabei sein und um den Titel kämpfen. Das Paket stimmt – ich habe großes Vertrauen in mein Team und bin von der Leistung des Volkswagen Motors überzeugt“, so Vanthoor.
Während Laurens Vanthoor seine zweite Saison im ATS Formel-3-Cup bestreitet und nach den vorjährigen Erfolgen nun zum engsten Favoritenkreis zählt, tritt sein Teamkollege Stef Dusseldorp als Rookie an: „Es wird ein großer Schritt für mich, doch ich bin sicher, dass der ATS Formel-3-Cup die besten Chancen bietet, in den internationalen Motorsport aufzusteigen.“ Der 19-Jährige aus dem niederländischen Lichtenvoorde hat bei seinem Formel-3-Debüt einen entscheidenden Vorteil: Dusseldorp kennt das Team seines Landsmannes Frits van Amersfoort aus zwei Jahren in der Formel Renault – 2007 belegte er meist Plätze im Mittelfeld, während er 2008 in der Regel in den Top Ten zu finden war.
Wie Laurens Vanthoor aus der Nähe der belgischen Rennstrecke Zolder, der zwischen 2001 und 2007 im Kart antrat, kommt auch Stef Dusseldorp aus dem Kartsport. „Dies sind noch immer die besten Voraussetzungen für eine erfolgreiche Karriere im Formelsport. Somit haben wir im ATS Formel-3-Cup 2009 ideale Chancen, mit einem erfahrenen und nachweislich schnellen Formel-3-Piloten und einem viel versprechenden Neuling“, schätzt Frits van Amersfoort seine beiden Piloten ein.
„Die Unterstützung junger Talente hat traditionell einen hohen Stellenwert bei Volkswagen, deshalb freuen wir uns mit Van Amersfoort Racing und dem Neuzugang Performance Racing zwei starke Partner im ATS Formel-3-Cup zu haben“, erklärt Volkswagen Motorsport-Direktor Kris Nissen.

www.formel3.de

Hülkenberg king of Qatar

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2009 GP2 Asia Series. Round 4. Losail International Circuit, Qatar. Friday Race. 13th February 2009. Nico Hulkenberg (GER, ART Grand Prix). World Copyright: Alastair Staley / GP2 Series Media Service. ref: Digital Image _P9O8970

Nico Hülkenberg wins an exciting Qatar night race ahead of both Barwa International Campos Team men
The ART Grand Prix racer displayed a brilliant performance tonight in the first-ever GP2 Asia night feature race at the Losail International Circuit to claim a maiden GP2 victory.
However, things did not start so well for Nico Hülkenberg who lost his pole position advantage to Sergio Perez at the start. Further behind the grid, Sakon Yamamoto stalled from sixth and was hit hard by Yelmer Buurman. Rodolfo Gonzalez was also caught in the accident, but fortunately, none of them were injured.
The Safety Car stayed on track for the next five laps even coming through the pitlane in order to let the marshals clean the debris. Vitaly Petrov, then third, was the first of the top drivers to pit on lap 10 and this strategy allowed him to pass his teammate after the latter rejoined the track from his own mandatory pitstop a few laps later.
Almost all the drivers chose to pit early, but one man stayed on track: Nico Hülkenberg took the lead and managed to preserve his tyres all the while matching the pace of those who had already pitted. He pulled away and extended his lead to over 40 seconds. That was enough time to come into the pits, change his left tyres and rejoin the circuit ahead of Perez who earlier had gone past Petrov in a strong move at the end of Turn 1. Hülkenberg claimed victory a clear 13 seconds ahead of Perez. With Petrov finishing third, Barwa International Campos Team had a great result which allowed them to close the gap on team leaders Dams.
Behind the Top 3, Championship leader Kamui Kobayashi finished fourth although his pace was surprisingly slower than what he normally displays. He regained speed in the latest stages, but could not get close enough to Petrov. His teammate, Jérôme d’Ambrosio, finished fifth having fought long and hard with Davide Valsecchi for that position. The Italian, second in the drivers’ championship was followed by Edoardo Mortara and Luiz Razia. Tomorrow’s reversed grid will be an all-Arden front row.

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

ALEX PALERM PRIMERA PRUEBA DEL CAMPEONATO DE CATALUÑA DE KARTING

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DURA LUCHA Y REMONTADA2974467529_d320a50d47_b
En la jornada de ayer sábado el equipo de Alex Palerm se encontró con una
sorpresa que les trajo de cabeza para poder poner a punto el kart. Un cambio
de última hora en la reglamentación de neumáticos hacía cambiar las gomas a
todos los participantes por unas de mayor diámetro, lo que hizo reajustar
los chasis de los karts para buscar el rendimiento óptimo con estos nuevos
neumáticos.
En las primeras tandas de entrenamientos no se pudo conseguir afinar el
motor y los cambios de chasis para adecuarse a los nuevos neumáticos
ocuparon la mayor parte del tiempo de entrenamientos.
En los cronos Alex se clasificaba para la carrera en la posición 20, algo
retrasado pero consciente de que su máquina no estaba dando todo lo que
podría dar. Los mecánicos de MDC Racing trabajon duro tras los cronos para
poder sacar más rendimiento al Kart de Palerm y en las siguientes tandas de
entrenamiento se vio el resultado, con una puesta a punto perfecta, Palerm
salía con el objetivo de remontar todos los puestos posibles.
En la mañana de hoy domingo, la primera carrera ha sido un reflejo del
trabajo realizado, partiendo desde el puesto 20 de parrilla, Palerm lograba
remontar hasta el puesto 9 y rodando en tiempos de la cabeza de carrera todo
hacía suponer que podría seguir su imparable remontada, pero un participante
golpeaba el kart de Palerm sacándolo de la pista y al reincorporarse a pista
rompía la cadena y quedaba fuera.
La segunda manga sería mucho más difícil, partiendo desde el puesto 34 por
no haber concluido la primera carrera, la rabia de Alex Palerm ha salido
vuelta tras vuelta, adelantando en cada giro a sus rivales, Palerm se ha
colocado en un meritorio  puesto 14 y rodando nuevamente en unos tiempos de
cabeza de carrera pero con el gran hándicap del tráfico de otros 33
participantes en pista.
Un fin de semana positivo para ver el nivel de esta temporada y muy positivo
para ver las posibilidades reales que tiene Alex Palerm para luchar por los
primeros puestos del Campeonato de Cataluña.

Diabolo Karting Team   Alex Palerm piloto Cadete de Karting
16 de Julio, 34    07009 Palma de Mallorca
Tel. +34 971 291 321     M. +34 616 99 26 87
prensa@alexpalerm.com             http://www.alexpalerm.com

FIA WTCC NEWS

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MARRAKECH: WORS ARE ON SCHEDULE
The works for building the Marrakech street circuit that will host the third WTCC meeting on May 3rd go on according to schedule. Everything will be finished by the mid of April, in time for the FIA final inspection.
Aly Horma, president of the event promoter MGP, explained: "We have already built 1,300 4-metre concrete blocks out of the 2,600 needed for the impact walls. We have received 10 km of F1-standard grid fences from South Africa. We are finishing rebuilding the 4.6 km of public road that make the track; we had to dig into the ground for 1.2 metres to rebuild the foundations that were not strong enough for the racing cars."
At the same time the 12-hectar paddock is also taking shape. "The materials for the 3,000sqm pit building are already here: steel frames from South Africa, steel pillars from Germany, glass and wood from Australia. It will be 200m long and will host 30 garages of 60sqm each, the three-floor race control tower, offices and 65 suites. It will be assembled in 45 days between March and April. Twenty temporary structures will be erected, including the media and medical centres, five footbridges and grandstands with 11,500 seats, and everything will be dismantled after the race day," said Horma.


Works progress in Marrakech in view of the WTCC Race of Morocco

LADA SPORT CONFIRM DRIVERS
The LADA Sport team have confirmed their three drivers for the 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship.
Jaap van Lagen, 32-year old from the Netherlands and the Russians Kirill Ladygin (30) and Viktor Shapovalov (44), who took part in last year’s championship, will start the new season in Curitiba at the wheel of the same LADA 110 cars they drove in 2008.
The team, which is backed by LADA Avtovaz – the first Russian car manufacturer to commit to an FIA world championship – plan to switch to the new Priora car halfway through the season. Two units of LADA’s new model are due to make their first appearance in Brno (June 21st) or Porto (July 5th).

SEAT SPORT’S LAST TEST IN BARCELONA
Yvan Muller and SEAT Sport are ready to defend the World Touring Car Championship Drivers‘ and Manufacturers‘ titles they have claimed in 2008. Yesterday the team completed their testing programme in view of the season’s opening meeting at Curitiba.
After having tested at Estoril and Valencia, SEAT Sport spent two days at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, where the new livery of the León TDI cars was also unveiled.
During this last test the team paid special attention to the suspension setting and adjustments.
Xavi Serra, SEAT Sport’s head engineer commented: "Test sessions give us the chance to try out technical solutions that can’t be tested on a race weekend. The work and information shared by the drivers are vital for the first races, as they help us to decide the basic set-up we will use in Brazil."

Yvan Muller’s SEAT León TDI sports the number 1

COLAK TO DRIVE PETROL SEAT
Croatian youngster Marin Colak will compete in the full season of the FIA World Touring Car Championship at the wheel of a petrol-powered SEAT León car run by the Colak Racing Team.
The 24-year old from Zagreb is not a new face in the WTCC paddock; last year he was a regular competitor in the SEAT León Eurocup and, following his victory in the Brands Hatch round, he was awarded with the participation in the WTCC event at Oschersleben. Driving a SUNRED-run León, Colak put in a consistent performance finishing the first race in 13th position overall and third in the Independents‘ Trophy. At the end of the season he classified second in the SEAT Eurocup with two race wins.
After Tom Boardman, Colak is the second SEAT Eurocup driver who decided to move to WTCC.

www.fiawtcc.com.

NIKI LAUDA wird 60 Herzlichen Glückwunsch.

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Claudia Stöckl, Thomas Geierspichler und Niki Lauda. (Bild: Hitradio Ö3)

Lauda & Geierspichler in "Frühstück bei mir"

Zu seinem 60. Geburtstag hat sich Niki Lauda eine Begegnung mit Rennrollstuhlfahrer Thomas Geierspichler gewünscht.

Persönlichkeiten ganz persönlich. Jeden Sonntag von 9:00 bis 11:00 Uhr im Hitradio Ö3.

Der eine erlebte einen Crash auf der Rennstrecke, war mehr tot als lebendig, aber hatte Glück gehabt. Der andere ist seit seinem Autounfall querschnittgelähmt und musste sein Glück erst wieder entdecken.
Der Airliner und dreifache Formel-1-Weltmeister stellt dem Sportler des Jahres 2008 Fragen: "Warst Du bei deinem Unfall angeschnallt?" und beide erzählen im Frühstückstalk mit Claudia Stöckl im Hitradio Ö3 von Schicksalsschlägen, Glaubensunterschieden und Drogenerfahrungen. Lauda: "Ich habe einmal einen Joint geraucht und habe im Delirium noch einmal die Nahtoderfahrung nach meinem Feuerunfall erlebt. Da habe ich Drogen nie wieder angerührt."

Thomas Geierspichler, Niki Lauda und Claudia Stöckl. (Bild: Hitradio Ö3)

Tipps für Erfolg und Liebe

Und Lauda, der neben Schwarzenegger weltweit wohl bekannteste Österreicher, gibt dem um 27 Jahre jüngeren Newcomer im österreichischen Sport gute Tipps für Erfolg und Liebe: "Viele Frauen wollen nur deine Berühmtheit, nicht dich."

http://oe3.orf.at/

ALEX PALERM INCIA LA TEMPORADA 2009

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PUNTO DE PARTIDA, ES VENDRELL2975330104_dcb6a16b45_b
El próximo domingo día 15 de febrero dará inicio el Campeonato de Cataluña
de Karting donde participa el piloto mallorquín Alex Palerm en la categoría
cadete con el equipo MDC Racing.
Esta primera prueba se celebrará en el circuito de Es Vendrell, un trazado
que el joven Palerm conoce bien, ya que fue el circuito elegido para la Copa
de Campeones celebrada el pasado mes de diciembre.
El piloto está muy ilusionado y con muchas ganas de mejorar sus resultados
del año pasado, ahora yo no se conformará con estar con los mejores pilotos
de Cataluña, ahora quiere conseguir pódiums y terminar el Campeonato lo más
delante posible.
Esta temporada Palerm realizará además del Campeonato de Cataluña, el
Campeonato de España al completo, donde espera seguir adquiriendo
experiencia y aprovechar este año en la categoría Cadete como lanzamiento
para subir de categoría la próxima temporada.
El equipo Diabolo Karting ha renovado este año con los patrocinadores Pepsi,
San Miguel 00 y ha incorporado para esta temporada: Informática Magalluf,
Pub Chaplins y Pub Revolutions. Sin duda el apoyo económico en estos
momentos es muy importante para poder desarrollar la carrera deportiva de
este joven piloto que aspira a lo máximo y con su esfuerzo y trabajo así lo
demuestra.

Diabolo Karting Team
Alex Palerm piloto Cadete de Karting
16 de Julio, 34    07009 Palma de Mallorca
Tel. +34 971 291 321    M. +34 616 99 26 87
prensa@alexpalerm.com      http://www.alexpalerm.com

HOPES HIGH FOR IRC’S BRAZILIAN DEBUT

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HOPES HIGH FOR IRC’S BRAZILIAN DEBUT … AND ALL THE OTHER LATEST NEWS FROM THE IRC

 
Brazil’s first appearance in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge will be a big success according to one of the championship’s leading team bosses.
Marc van Dalen, the joint head of the Belgian team Kronos Racing, said that the IRC’s promoters deserve significant praise for the format of the Rally de Curitiba, the next round of the IRC from March 5-7.
After covering 234.65 kilometres of gravel stages, the event will culminate with a 23-kilometre special stage before the finishing ceremony at the Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba, the city’s racing circuit. The following day it hosts a round of the World Touring Car Championship, which is organised by Eurosport Events, the same company behind the IRC.
The revolutionary format of combining a rally and a circuit race has never been attempted before but it will give spectators a unique opportunity to see rally cars and touring cars in action at the same venue.
"It is a very good idea by the organisers and they should be congratulated for their efforts," said van Dalen. "It will be great for the spectators but also for the IRC because it will be seen by a new audience and that can only be good. I have seen a DVD of the stages and it looks like a very nice rally with some fast and smooth roads."
OGIER WANTS MORE IRC OUTINGS
Sebastien Ogier would like to compete on more rounds of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2009.
The 25-year-old from France won the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally in a Peugeot 207 last month – his debut in the IRC and his first outing in a Super 2000 car – after being selected to drive the BFGoodrich Drivers‘ Team’s entry on the legendary event.
Ogier is contesting the World Rally Championship this season for the Citroën Junior Team but is keen to tackle as many rallies as possible as he looks to build his competitive experience.
"I liked the experience of the IRC very much and of course I would like to do some more rounds of the series," said Ogier, who won the Junior World Rally Championship title last season. "If I was offered a chance to do more IRC rallies then of course I would say ‚yes‘."
Meanwhile the BFGoodrich Drivers‘ Team will be back in action on the Ypres Westhoek Rally in Belgium in June when a panel of the country’s leading motorsport journalists will be called upon to select a driver to contest the challenging asphalt event.
ABARTH ENCOURAGED BY GRAVEL TESTS
The factory Abarth team has been testing the Grande Punto S2000 in preparation for the forthcoming gravel rounds of the IRC. All three works drivers – Giandomenico Basso, Anton Alen, and Luca Rossetti – spent time behind the wheel of the latest-specification Grande Punto on some gravel stages near Siena in Tuscany. The test aimed to develop some new running gear on the Grande Punto, and also to reacquaint the drivers with gravel, following the ice and snow of the Monte Carlo Rally.
Alen, who was set for a top-six finish in Monte Carlo before retiring on the final road section, said: "It’s good to get back to driving on gravel again: really fun. We know that the car has plenty of speed on gravel already, now we’re just trying to develop it a bit further and check a couple of new things. I don’t know quite what to expect on the Curitiba Rally as it’s a new experience for me, but I like the sound of it very much."
While Brazil is a new experience for both the IRC and Anton, his famous father Markku Alen previously competed in the country exactly 30 years ago – on the first Rally Internacional do Brasil in 1979.
SOUSA PLANS IRC CAMPAIGN
Bernardo Sousa could compete on as many as three rounds of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge this season.
The 21-year-old has signed to drive for the Portuguese Sports & You team to contest the Production Car World Rally Championship (PCWRC) in an Abarth Grande Punto. He is also targeting a programme of additional events, including the IRC.
"I am looking at the Azores, plus one Tarmac event and maybe one more gravel event," Sousa said. "Madeira is a possibility but that is my home rally so there is always a big pressure on you to try to win your home event and that is not easy. The Rally Principe de Asturias in Spain could also be quite interesting but we will have to see."
Sousa said one of the attractions of the IRC was the regulation controlling the number of passes a driver can make of a stage during the reconnaissance. On PCWRC events, drivers are restricted to two passes only. On selected IRC events, they are allowed to drive through a stage up to four times.
"That could also be an advantage for me because my experience is not so high on some events," Sousa said.
Sousa also said he was keen to try an asphalt-based rally with his new Abarth Grande Punto: the PCWRC calendar is made up of snow or gravel events.
CAR SWAP REQUIRED FOR BRITISH STAR MEEKE
The Peugeot 207 Super 2000 used to win the Monte Carlo Rally last month will be in action on Rally de Curitiba in Brazil in March, even though Sebastien Ogier, the event winner, won’t be in action in South America.
Kronos Racing, the team responsible for overseeing the young Frenchman’s stunning victory on the opening round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in January, shipped the car to Brazil earlier this week where Peugeot UK’s Kris Meeke will drive it.
Meeke’s original car suffered irreparable chassis damage in the roll that put the 29-year-old out of the event. With insufficient time to build a replacement, Meeke will transfer to Kronos-run BFGoodrich Drivers‘ Team machine for the rallies in Brazil and the Azores, which aren’t part of the tyre firm’s schedule of rallies.
"It is no problem for Kris because all our cars are the same specification so it will be easy for him to change cars," said Kronos Racing team principal Marc van Dalen. "It may even provide him with some good luck because it is not only the car Ogier used in Monte Carlo but it is also the same car Juho Hanninen used to win Rally Russia last season."
In addition to a car for Meeke, Kronos will field additional entries in Brazil for Belgium’s Freddy Loix and defending IRC drivers‘ champion Nicolas Vouilloz, from France.

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Abarth has been encouraged by some recent tests in preparation for the forthcoming gravel rounds of the IRC

!cid_6269a1eeea274db04a8eb81d8bc102a7 www.rally-irc.com.

CAMPEONATO DE BALEARES EN CIRCUITO F.B.E.A 2009 (Pendiente Aprobación)

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1ª Campeonato Baleares de Circuito: 12 AbrilDSC_2261
2ª Campeonato Baleares de Circuito: 17 Mayo
3ª Campeonato Baleares de Circuito: 5 Julio
4ª Campeonato Baleares de Circuito: 6 Septiembre
5ª Campeonato Baleares de Circuito: 18 Octubre
6ª Campeonato Baleares de Circuito: 22 Noviembre
Reserva ………………………… 6 Diciembre

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