Archive für 17.4.2009
Pablo Rodríguez estará en la Baja Almanzora
17.4.2009 von Wolfgang.
El piloto navarro Pablo Rodríguez disputará este fin de semana en Huercal Overa (Almería) la prueba inaugural del Campeonato de España de Rallys Todo Terreno.
La Baja Almanzora se celebrará el sábado y domingo próximos y constará de 400 kilómetros cronometrados en un recorrido trazado por Josep María Serviá en las Ramblas de Huercal Overa (Almería). El sábado se disputaran la prólogo que constará de 10 Km. y la primera etapa de 200 Km. dejando la segunda etapa de 190 Km. para la jornada dominical.
El equipo ha trabajado en el prototipo Herrator HR1 desde que el coche llegó de Argentina. En estos dos meses han dejado resueltos los problemas de inyección que causaron la avería que les privó de finalizar el Dakar 2009. Asimismo se han reubicado los radiadores en una posición que favorece más la refrigeración del conjunto y se ha añadido un nuevo radiador de aceite para complementar al anterior. Otro aspecto que se ha mejorado respecto a la configuración del 2008 son las rótulas de los brazos de suspensión, sustituyéndolas por una versión mejorada de las anteriores. En lo que respecta a la suspensión propiamente dicha el equipo sigue apostando firmemente por los excelentes amortiguadores King.
Con todas las mejoras adoptadas, Pablo Rodríguez y Diego Vela aspiran a finalizar esta carrera en los puestos de cabeza. Las ilusiones renovadas y una mayor confianza en las posibilidades del Herrator HR-1 serán sus argumentos para enfrentarse a la que se prevé que sea una dura y difícil prueba.
La ilusión de Pablo Rodríguez queda patente en sus declaraciones a pocas horas de trasladarse a Almería “Tenemos muchas expectativas para esta carrera, la avería del Dakar nos ha servido para fiabilizar el coche y mejorarlo. No todo fue negativo. Ahora regresamos al certamen nacional con el punto de mira puesto en los puestos de cabeza. Ganas no nos faltan y si el coche nos responde como esperamos 
creemos que es un objetivo totalmente posible”
Para más información: Pep Cifre pcifre@ferbispress.com +34 678637231
Hochkarätige Fortsetzung nach spannendem Auftakt
17.4.2009 von Wolfgang.
Die BFGoodrich Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring ist fulminant in
die neue Saison gestartet. Für den zweiten Lauf des Jahres, das 34. DMV 4-
Stunden-Rennen der Renngemeinschaft Düren, werden in vielerlei Hinsicht die
Karten neu gemischt. Das Fahrerkarussell hat sich gedreht – bei Alpina, Audi, Lexus,
Manthey-Racing und Volkswagen kommen neue Piloten zum Einsatz, die in
der ‚Grünen Hölle‘ für Aufsehen sorgen werden. Zudem dürften bei einer Reihe
von Teams, die am ersten Aprilwochenende noch mit Problemen zu kämpfen hatten,
die Kinderkrankheiten behoben sein. Das neue Reglement hat sich schnell als
Garant für noch mehr Spannung etabliert, so dass die Fans schon heute der zweiten
hochkarätigen Veranstaltung voller Spannung entgegenblicken.
Zu den prominenten Fahrern, die beim zweiten Lauf des Jahres ins Lenkrad greifen, zählen
der zweifache Rallye-Weltmeister und Volkswagen-Werksfahrer Carlos Sainz (Spanien) sowie
Sportwagen-Amazone Vanina Ickx (Belgien). Beide starten in zwei von Volkswagen-
Motorsport eingesetzten Scirocco GT24. Im vergangenen Jahr feierte ‚El Matador‘ im Rahmen
der Langstreckenmeisterschaft seine Nordschleifenpremiere und auch beim 34. DMV 4-
Stunden-Rennen steht die Vorbereitung auf das 24-Stunden-Rennen auf dem Nürburgring
im Vordergrund. „Die Nordschleife des Nürburgring ist so einzigartig wie die Route der Rallye
Dakar“, sagt Sainz. „Mit dem Scirocco hat es mir schon im Vorjahr sehr viel Spaß gemacht auf
dieser tollen Strecke, deshalb freue ich mich auf das Rennen am Samstag.“ Auch die in den
USA lebende Vanina Ickx, Tochter des Formel-1-Fahrers Jacky Ickx, kennt und schätzt den
Eifelkurs: „Der Scirocco hat ja schon beim letztjährigen 24-Stunden-Rennen für Aufsehen
gesorgt. Ich bin sehr gespannt auf meinen ersten Einsatz, aber ich bin sicher, das Auto ist auf
dieser Strecke in seinem Element – und ich mag den ‚Ring‘ sowieso."
Ebenfalls zur Vorbereitung auf die Hatz zwei Mal rund um die Uhr starten Christian Abt
(Kempten), Marc Basseng (Leutenbach) und Frank Stippler (Bad Münstereifel) im Audi R8
LMS. Basseng hatte im Land-Porsche zuletzt mit der Pole-Position beim Auftakt seine Performance
bewiesen, Stippler fuhr im Rennen mit dem M-Speed-Team auf Platz drei. Der
Sportwagen aus Ingolstadt hat beim ersten Lauf des Jahres bereits sein Potenzial angedeutet.
Zwischenzeitlich wurde der R8 von der FIA neu eingestuft – wie er sich im direkten Duell
mit Alpina, BMW, Opel, Porsche, Viper und Co nun schlagen wird, bleibt abzuwarten. Armin
Hahne (Monaco) und Jochen Krumbach (Eschweiler) können am Samstag gleich doppelt
punkten. An der Seite von Porsche-Werksfahrer Emmanuel Collard (Frankreich) ist das Duo
im Porsche 911 GT3 ‚Cup S‘ von Manthey-Racing in der neuen GT3-Klasse (SP9) am Start.
Daneben pilotieren beide gemeinsam einen Lexus LF-A von Gazoo-Racing bei den VLNSpecials
bis 6.200 ccm Hubraum (SP8). Der flotte Japaner überzeugte beim Saisonauftakt
und fuhr, vom Pech der Mitstreiter begünstigt, zum Klassensieg. Nach einer eher durchwachsenen
Rennpremiere des Alpina BMW B6 GT3 wollen drei neue Fahrer an der Seite von
Andy Bovensiepen (Buchloe) unter Beweis stellen, was in dem grünen Rennboliden steckt.
Neben den beiden Deutschen Dominik Schwager (Eisenhafen) und Andreas Wirth (Waghäusel)
greift Walter Csaba aus Ungarn ins Volant. In der neuen GT4-Klasse (SP10) gehen beim
zweiten Lauf nicht weniger als vier Aston Martin V8 Vantage mit Fahrern aus Belgien,
Deutschland Österreich und der Schweiz an den Start. Komplettiert wird das Aufgebot des
britischen Sportwagenherstellers durch einen Aston Martin V12 Vantage in der Klasse SP8,
den Aston-Martin-Boss Dr. Ulrich Bez (Düsseldorf) im Wechsel mit Chris Porritt (Großbritannien)
und Wolfgang Schuhbauer (Brilon) auf der Nordschleife bewegt.
Gedränge an der Tabellenspitze – sechs Fahrer teilen sich Platz eins
Wer in der Langstreckenmeisterschaft am Ende ganz oben stehen will, muss konstant und
vor allem hoch punkten – also erfolgreich in einer Klasse mit vielen Gegnern unterwegs sein.
Einen guten Grundstein für die Titelverteidigung hat das Meisterteam Black Falcon beim
Saisonauftakt gelegt. Alexander Böhm (Kelberg), Sean Paul Breslin (Großbritannien) und
Christer Jöns (Ingelheim) setzten auf den bekannt schnellen BMW 325i in der Klasse der VLNSerienwagen
bis 2.500 ccm Hubraum (V4) und hatten nach vier Stunden die Nase vorne.
Diese Klasse war genauso mit 13 Fahrzeugen besetzt, wie die V5 (bis 3.000 ccm Hubraum).
Hier triumphierten Guido Wirtz (Köln), Andreas Weiland (Bad Vilbel) und Frank Borkowsky
(Mönchengladbach) mit ihrem BMW Z4. Alle sechs Fahrer liegen mit 9,62 Punkten an der
Spitze der Fahrerwertung, was sich beim zweiten Lauf voraussichtlich ändern wird. Laut
vorläufiger Teilnehmerliste werden in den Klassen V5 und SP3 (VLN-Specials bis 2.000 ccm
Hubraum) die meisten Punkte vergeben.
Das Zeittraining zum 34. DMV 4-Stunden-Rennen findet zwischen 8:30 und 10 Uhr statt. Das
Rennen über die Distanz von vier Stunden auf der 24,369 Kilometer langen Kombination aus
Nürburgring-Kurzanbindung und Nordschleife startet um 12 Uhr. Im Rahmen des zweiten
Laufes zur BFGoodrich Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring sind dann auch wie gewohnt
die Cup-Fahrzeuge von Honda, Renault und Seat mit von der Partie.
www.vln.de
FIA WTCC SWITCHES TO HIGH DEFINITION TV COVERAGE
17.4.2009 von Wolfgang.
FIA WTCC SWITCHES TO HIGH DEFINITION TV COVERAGE
The first ever FIA World Championship to be produced in HD
Eurosport Events, host broadcaster and promoter of the WTCC via its subsidiary KSO, is delighted to announce that it will produce the FIA World Touring Car Championship in High Definition, starting with the third event of the season, from Marrakech’s new street circuit, on May 3rd.
The WTCC is becoming the first FIA World Championship to be produced in native High Definition.
Plans for the season include the production in HD of nine of the championship’s twelve events:
. Marrakech
. All European events - Pau, Valencia, Brno, Porto, Brands Hatch, Oschersleben and Imola
. Okayama, the last-but-one event of the season on November 1st
The HD broadcasts of WTCC will be produced using an average of 14 track-side HD cameras, two RF HD cameras and 14 on-board SD 16:9 cameras, as well as a new Digital TV outside broadcast van developed by Belgium-based company Alfacam.
In addition to Eurosport HD channel - the high definition simulcast of Eurosport launched in May 2008 - several broadcasters are expected to air WTCC in HD over the course of the season.
"It is the first time an FIA World Championship will be produced and televised in HD, representing another breakthrough for WTCC," said Géraldine Filiol, Managing Director of Eurosport Events. "We are very proud to further enhance the appeal of WTCC for viewers. We believe that this upgraded production will attract more racing fans who will be able to enjoy the WTCC exciting show in a closer way than ever before!"
Eurosport will produce FIA WTCC in High Definition from Marrakech
MOROCCO BACK ON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STAGE
WTCC’s next event in Marrakech will mark an historical moment in motorsport, bringing back a World Championship race in North Africa and Morocco after long time.
Only once in the past the region and the country hosted an event counting towards a racing world title: the 1958 Grand Prix of Morocco held on October 19th at the Ain Diab street circuit along Casablanca’s seaside. That was the final round of the season and decided the title fight between Ferrari’s Mike Hawthorn and Vanwall’s Stirling Moss.
Under the eyes of King Mohammed V, Moss obtained a flag-to-flag victory, but Hawthorn managed to claim a second place that was worth a one-point lead in the championship’s final classification.
Morocco appeared in the international calendar again in the Seventies, hosting for three times (1973, 1975 and 1976) a round of the new FIA World Rally Championship. The French car manufacturers dominated the event: Alpine (with Darniche in ‘73) and Peugeot (with Mikkola and Nicolas) claimed victories.
Moss leads the 1958 Grand Prix of Morocco at Casablanca
SEAT’S APPEAL TO BE HEARD NEXT WEEK
The hearing of the International Court of Appeal for the appeal lodged by the SEAT Sport team against the decision taken by the Stewards in Mexico, will take place in Paris next Tuesday, April 21st.
After the second race in Puebla, the Stewards decided to give SEAT Sport driver Gabriele Tarquini a drive-through penalty (that resulted in 30 seconds added to his elapsed time) because of an incident with BMW Team Germany’s Jörg Müller.
The two drivers had clashed on lap 6 at the exit of the North banking, while fighting for the second position behind Jordi Gené; Müller spun and eventually finished the race in 13th position, while Tarquini was classified 8th.
Having judged Tarquini responsible for causing an avoidable collision, the Stewards decided to give him also a penalty of ten grid positions that will remain suspended for the next three events.
www.fiawtcc.com
Chinese Grand Prix: Bridgestone Motorsport’s Friday Update
17.4.2009 von Wolfgang.
Bridgestone’s super soft tyre proved to be the fastest rubber on track at Shanghai for the first day of the Chinese Grand Prix. Jenson Button’s Brawn set the day’s fastest lap time in the afternoon practice session held in sunny weather conditions. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton used the hard compound to go fastest in the morning session. The 5.45 km Shanghai circuit provided a challenge for competitors still mastering the 2009 specification cars and Bridgestone’s latest slick tyres and new tyre allocations. Today was the first time that Bridgestone’s super soft compound tyre has been used at Shanghai. The track surface delivered a lot less grip than seen in 2008’s Friday practice session when there was already Bridgestone race rubber laid on the track as a GP2 Asia Series test took place in the week prior to the Grand Prix. Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development What was significant about today’s running? “Today the circuit surface delivered very little grip initially in the first practice, but this improved and the track was better in the afternoon. As we would expect on a Friday, we saw graining, but the amount of graining varied across the teams. Of particular note, the tyre appearance of the Brawn and Toyota cars was very beautiful and even, meaning they appear to be using their tyres well, but some other teams are still finding the best set-ups. In the second session we saw both tyres used and the performance of the super soft in terms of degradation was not as bad as in Australia.” Is the Super Soft tyre correct for Shanghai and how are the tyre allocations decided for races? “We decide the allocations for the races based on many factors including past experience, test information and feedback from the teams. All teams have a dedicated Bridgestone engineer who works with the drivers and team engineers so we have constant information regarding any tyre issues. The teams are made aware of our allocations for races many weeks in advance, so there is plenty of time for feedback. For 2009 we are making a bigger difference between the two compounds and this is in response to requests for this from the FIA and the teams. This gives more of a challenge for the races, and of course any change brings many opinions. Here we have the medium tyre, which should be a strong race tyre, and the super soft, which will require good tyre management in terms of car set-up and driving style. Of course, we saw different approaches to using the super soft tyre in Australia, with some approaches working much better than others, so it will be interesting to see competitors rise to the challenge here in Shanghai.”
www.bridgestonemotorsport.com
WORLD RALLY STAR RAUTENBACH TO STAR IN AZORES
17.4.2009 von Wolfgang.
WORLD RALLY STAR RAUTENBACH TO STAR IN AZORES … AND ALL THE OTHER LATEST IRC NEWS
Conrad Rautenbach will make his Intercontinental Rally Challenge debut on Sata Rally Azores on May 7-9.
Rautenbach, who drives for the Citroen Junior Team in the FIA World Rally Championship, will compete at the wheel of a Peugeot 207 Super 2000 run by the French PH Sport operation.
The Zimbabwean, a former FIA African rally champion, is keen to expand his experience of driving Super 2000 machinery. British co-driver Daniel Barritt will partner him.
"I’ve never competed in one of these cars before so I’m really looking forward to having a go in one," said Rautenbach. "I’ve seen the guys driving Super 2000 cars on rounds of the world championship earlier this year and they sound awesome. Obviously it’s going to take a while to get used to the lack of torque which we have from a turbocharged engine in a World Rally Car, but having come from a Junior car [1600cc non-turbo], a few years ago, I’m used to revving engines to get the most out of them."
The 24-year-old’s agreement to compete in the IRC is currently for the Azores event only although he could enter further rounds later in the season.
"The immediate future of the World Rally Championship is going to be based on this type of car, so the chance to get in one and drive it now is invaluable - nothing compares with putting competitive miles on the clock when you’re learning a new car," Rautenbach said. "At the moment, it’s a deal for the Azores, but I’m hoping I can do some more rallies beyond this one. Let’s see how this first one goes."
Rautenbach added: "I’m really grateful to everybody at PH Sport who has helped to put this deal together - and I’m really looking forward to getting into the competition in the IRC. I’ve watched with interest this year how competitive the Monte Carlo and Curitiba rallies were, so the chance to get in there and mix it with those boys is great for me."
RAPID ITALIAN BETTI PLANS IRC PROGRAMME
Luca Betti will enter four rounds of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge this season in a Peugeot 207 Super 2000 run by the new Kimera Motorsport team.
He will be co-driven by fellow Italian Giovanni Bernacchini, who has competed alongside Gigi Galli in the World Rally Championship in the past.
Betti, who has spent the last seasons in the IRC but is concentrating on the FIA European Rally Championship this season, will rejoin the series on the Belgium Ypres Rally in June. His programme also includes Rali Vinho Madeira in July, Barum Rally Zlin in Czech Republic in August and Rally Principe de Asturias in September.
The 31-year-old has experience of the IRC in a Honda Civic Type-R and 207 S2000. Before switching to the IRC in 2007, Betti competed in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship.
Luca Betti is to return to the IRC at the wheel of a Peugeot 207 S2000
RALLY RUSSIA DETAILS REVEALED
Outline details of Rally Russia, which forms round six of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge from July 9-11, have been announced.
Although the rally is still three months away, organisers have already begun preparing the special stages for the event, which will again be based in the town of Vyborg.
This work has been instigated in an attempt to ensure the roads used are in the best possible condition for the rally following comments by some drivers last year that certain stages were too demanding on cars.
The major change to the itinerary this year is the moving of the ceremonial start from the city of St Petersburg’s Isaac Square to Vyborg and a new location close to the walls of the town’s ancient castle. This will make the event more compact for competitors because they will no longer have to complete a 100-kilometre journey.
The ceremony will take place at 19.00hrs on Thursday July 9. The competitive action will begin on Friday July 10 with the finish scheduled for Saturday July 11.
TICKET PRICE FREEZE FOR BELGIUM YPRES RALLY FANS
Spectators attending the Belgium Ypres Rally in June won’t be subjected to an increase in ticket prices for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge event.
As in previous years, fans will pay €30 for a ticket providing access to all special stages and the service park, which is located in the Grote Markt in the centre of Ypres and provides spectators with a unique opportunity to get close up to the competing cars and drivers.
Individual stage access tickets are available for €9 per stage with a discount of €2 offered to fans buying multiple tickets.
For €45, fans can buy a special ‘fun’ package, which includes access to all stages, an official rally programme, cap and gift.
A spokesperson for the event said: "The good news in these economically challenging times is that the organisers of the Belgium Ypres Rally have managed to keep the prices the same as before."
The Belgium Ypres Rally has been included on the IRC schedule since 2006. It remains one of the highlights of the calendar and runs entirely on Tarmac with stages easy accessible from the historic town.
This year’s event takes place from June 18-20 and forms the fifth round of the IRC.
Spectators on the Belgium Ypres Rally will get a good deal
www.rally-irc.com
