Archive für 5.5.2009
Formula Two officially underway
5.5.2009 von Wolfgang.
Formula Two officially underway as all 24 cars take to track for very first time
Jonathan Palmer: “This is a very proud moment”
The 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship is officially underway as all 24 cars took to the track for the first time at Snetterton today (5 May).
After a formal introduction by Jonathan Palmer, the drivers got to familiarise themselves with their cars during a short stint of run-in and installation laps. Whilst no official timing was recorded today, the F2 drivers were able to steadily increase their pace and complete some solid runs as the day progressed. All 24 cars have run well throughout each session.
Testing is due to continue in grouped sessions tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, before the pit lane is opened for the first time to all drivers in the afternoon. Tomorrow will also be the first time that the cars run on bespoke Avon compounds and live timing will be made available on the official Formula Two website.
Spaniard Andy Soucek, who last season competed in GP2, was enthusiastic after his first run in the Williams JPH1 F2 car: "I have a very good feeling about this car and the championship. I have done four years of Formula 3, one year of Formula Renault 3.5 and two years of GP2, so I’m used to these type of cars, but the Williams JPH1 surprised me. The levels of downforce exceeded my expectations, the grip levels are good and once we have the new Avon tyre tomorrow it should be even more fun to drive."
"It is easier to follow another car than in F3 and GP2 as you don’t lose so much aero. It means that being behind someone really permits you to get close to them, so I’m sure we will see a lot of overtaking this year."
21-year-old Swiss Natacha Gachnang was another who enthused after her maiden run: "The first session was really great. The car feels really nice, and although I wasn’t pushing too hard you can feel that the car is really powerful and it will be a good apprenticeship towards Formula One."
Jonathan Palmer, Chief Executive of series organiser MotorSport Vision, said: "This is a very proud moment. Today has gone far better than I had dared to expect; none of these cars had even turned a wheel before they arrived at Snetterton this morning and the whole MSV F2 team has done an absolutely phenomenal job in meeting the original date for the first test on time. All 24 F2 cars have run today and been amazingly trouble free.
"I really believe we are making history. The combination of high performance, F1 safety standards and 16 European races - all for just £200,000 - was disbelieved when the FIA first invited tenders, but now with a full grid of drivers and the cars all complete, the reality has arrived - Formula Two is going to create a revolution in motorsport.”
www.formulatwo.com
SATA RALLYE ACORES PREVIEW
5.5.2009 von Wolfgang.
The challenge…
The fourth round of this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge takes the competitors to the Azores for the first time, as the Sata Rallye Acores - previously an IRC Supporter Event - makes its debut on the full championship. Although it is new to the IRC, the Sata Rallye Acores has a long and illustrious history behind it in the European Championship, with legends of the sport such as Juha Kankkunnen amongst the former rally winners. Other drivers to have competed on the event include Alister McRae, Bruno Thiry and Gregoire de Mevius.
Nonetheless, for the vast majority of the regular IRC drivers - who will all be present this weekend - the Azores will represent a big leap into the unknown: just one of the factors that will make it such a fascinating event.
The Sata Rallye Acores is held on a wide variety of sinuous gravel roads with predominantly soft surfaces, featuring some stages that are not dissimilar to the rollercoaster roads found on the Rally New Zealand. The mid-Atlantic climate also makes for variable weather conditions, which will have a profound effect on tyre choice. The key to success on the Sata Rallye Acores will be to establish a fluid rhythm from the outset. The stages are not expected to be overly rough, meaning that the drivers should be able to make full use of the roads without too much risk of a puncture.
Many of the roads are quite wide and fast, with steep cambers that should lead to a reasonably high average speed on the stages. The driving style required to succeed on these quick stages is neat and precise, in order to establish a good flow between corners. With the rally being brand new to all the IRC competitors, it will be essential to make a good set of pace notes from the very start.
The Sata Rallye Acores gets underway with a ceremonial start from the Portas da Cidade in Ponta Delgada, the capital of San Miguel island where the event is based, at 17:30 on Thursday 7 May. The real action begins on Friday morning with the first of 18 special stages totalling 229.86 competitive kilometres. The centralised service park is located in Ponta Delgada, with the rally finish scheduled for Saturday 9 May back in Ponta Delgada at 20:05. For more information about the event, including entry lists, maps and timetables, please visit: www.satarallyeacores.com
The competitors…
The Sata Rallye Acores is an event that could favour the local crews, with the top Portuguese driver being Bruno Magalhaes - a previous podium finisher on the IRC and last year’s winner in the Azores - starting as car four in his Peugeot Portugal 207 S2000. In total, an impressive line-up of 49 crews will contest the first International Rally Challenge event to be held on the Azores islands. Of the registered drivers, 12 will compete in Super 2000 machinery, including Freddy Loix, who heads the IRC drivers’ standings after three events. Loix will have a new co-driver for the Azores event, with Frederic Miclotte replacing Isidoor Smets.
One of the highlights of the event will be the return of Skoda, which made an impressive IRC debut on the Monte Carlo Rally.
Juho Hanninen, who led the opening IRC event of the season in Monte Carlo, will carry number one on the side of his factory Skoda Fabia S2000. Hanninen’s team-mate Jan Kopecky is also entered for the event, which marks the second appearance of the season by the Czech manufacturer.
Anton Alen and Giandomenico Basso will represent Abarth in two factory Grande Puntos, while Bernardo Sousa from Portugal will appear in a semi-works machine.
Freddy Loix, Bruno Magalhaes, Kris Meeke, Vitor Pascoal, Nicolas Vouilloz and newcomer Conrad Rautenbach will drive the six Peugeot 207 S2000s on the entry. Rautenbach, a World Rally Championship regular, will be getting his first taste of Super 2000 machinery on the Azores.
Portuguese drivers Ricardo Moura and Fernando Peres will lead the Mitsubishi Ralliart effort in a pair of Lancer Evo IXs. The talented Austrian Franz Wittmann Jr will also be at the wheel of a Lancer as part of his extensive IRC programme this year.
Julien Maurin will drive the sole Volkswagen Polo S2000 on the entry, while category leader Manuel Villa returns to the IRC 2WD Cup in a Fiat Punto S1600 where he will compete against Denis Millet in a Peugeot 207 RC Rallye. The top local driver in the category will be Sergio Silva, who starts as car number 20 in a Peugeot 206 GTI. For the complete entry list, please visit www.satarallyeacores.com and click on the ‘entry list’ button.
The expectations…
"For me, the objective in the Azores will be to maintain my position as championship leader in the IRC. But this won’t be easy. I think there will be lots of fast drivers out there: Juho Hanninen, my team mate Nicolas Vouilloz, Kris Meeke and Bruno Magalhaes. The route of the rally is very varied, with lots of uphill and downhill sections and some bits of asphalt as well. The start order I think will be quite important as there will be a lot of loose gravel. In Brazil, I was first on the road as I was the IRC leader. But in the Azores, the FIA ‘A’ and ‘B’ priority drivers will be first on the road. I should have a road position of about sixth, which should be ideal."
Freddy Loix, Peugeot Belgium.
"This is a new event for me, so I’m looking forward to it a lot. I’m sure that the conditions are going to be quite tricky, and the weather could play an important part. We’ve not had so much luck up to now this season, but when things go well we have the speed, so it’s a question of once more doing our best and hoping for a clean run. I’m sure it’s going to be a very exciting weekend."
Anton Alen, factory Abarth driver
"We’ve been doing some more tests with the car since Monte Carlo and it feels good but there are still quite a lot of question marks that need to be answered. In particular, it is the first time for us on a rally with this car on gravel, so we will need to see how it performs relative to everyone else. From my point of view I am happy though as gravel is definitely the surface that I am more used to. Our pace in Monte Carlo was a very pleasant surprise, so my idea is to start this rally with the objective of finishing on the podium. If we have no problems I think it should be possible. We have a short test before the rally and hopefully that will answer a few questions for us. I’m quite sure that all our rivals will be very strong though."
Juho Hanninen, factory Skoda driver
TV times…
The Sata Rallye Acores will be broadcast on the Eurosport platform at the following times. On demand video footage, featuring highlights throughout the season to date, can also be accessed via the IRC website: www.rally-irc.com. All times listed are Central European Time (CET).
Friday 8 May
- 24h30 => 25h00 LIVE highlights of Day 1 (Eurosport)
Saturday 9 May
- 03h00 => 03h30 Highlights of Day 1 (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
- 08h00 => 08h30 Highlights of Day 1 (Eurosport 2)
- 21h15 => 21h45 LIVE highlights of Day 2 (Eurosport)
Sunday 10 May
- 04h00 => 04h30 Highlights of Day 2 (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
- 08h00 => 08h30 Highlights of Day 2 (Eurosport 2)
- 08h30 => 09h00 Highlights of Day 2 (Eurosport)
Tuesday 12 May
- 23h00 => 23h30 Rally Highlights (Eurosport)
Thursday 13 May
- 03h30 => 04h00 Rally Highlights (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Friday 14 May
- 04h00 => 04h30 Rally Highlights (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
- 13h00 => 13h30 Rally Highlights (Eurosport 2)
- 18h30 => 19h00 Rally Highlights (Eurosport 2)
Thursday 20 May
- 18h30 => 19h00 Rally Highlights (Eurosport 2)
Media enquiries…
Any media enquiries should be addressed to Anthony Peacock on media@ircseries.com or +44 (0) 7766 163151. Please check the IRC series website – www.rally-irc.com – for all the latest information and full TV times from the Sata Rallye Acores on Eurosport. The Sata Rallye Acores media office can be contacted on: promoverde@gmail.com. Copyright-free, high-resolution photographs will be available for download at the end of each day on the official IRC website. To access them, please log in with the username IRC and password media.
IRC series leader Freddy Loix is aiming to hang onto his advantage throughout the Sata Rallye Acores this weekend
www.rally-irc.com
A tracklap with…Olivier Panis!
5.5.2009 von Wolfgang.
The former Formula 1 star and now one of the best Endurance driver in Le Mans Series with the Oreca Matmut team invites you to follow him around one of the most famous circuit of the world: Spa-Francorchamps. Follow him if you can!
“Spa is by far the greatest track in the world, and I have very good memories as last year we were on the podium for the first time in the Le Mans Series. I hope we can achieve at least such a good result this year and possibly even a better one!…
Click here to read more
www.lemans-series.com
Bridgestone Motorsport Spanish Grand Prix Preview
5.5.2009 von Wolfgang.
Bridgestone opens the start to nine Formula One races in Europe with the hard and soft tyres at the Spanish Grand Prix, the Gran Premio de Espana Telefonica, at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, on May 8-10. The Spanish Grand Prix is the fifth round of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship and it takes place at a circuit that teams know very well because of the use of Barcelona as a test venue. The 4.66 km track layout features one long straight and a variety of different corners making set-up a compromise. The track is quite a harsh one for tyres which means the hard and soft compound allocation is used. Of particular note, the left front tyre is put under significant stress over a course of a lap. As with any circuit, the compromise between finding low drag for the straights and sufficient downforce for the corners is a challenge. Barcelona’s numerous bends make for a greater focus on the corners and the high speeds attained here make for significant energy forces on the tyres. Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, said: What are the challenges of Barcelona? “Barcelona has a track surface that is the middle range in terms of abrasion and roughness but durability and driver requirements mean our harder allocation combination is used. The front left tyre has a lot of work to do at this circuit and equally, teams and drivers will have a big challenge trying to gain an advantage here as they know this track so well.” Many teams have tested their latest cars here in the pre-season, will this make a difference? “Of course, the experience of the teams at this track with their current cars will assist them with set-up. However, the ambient and track temperatures are likely to be warmer than testing so this will have an affect. Generally, we see quite close lap times here and close races too. The circuit layout is well balanced so it is a good indicator of overall car balance. A car that performs in Barcelona has the potential to perform well at many places.”
www.bridgestonemotorsport.com
