Archiv für den Tag: 18.7.2009

FC MIDTJYLLAND WINS QUALIFYING SHOOT-OUT FINAL IN BELGIUM

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FC Midtjylland lines-up in pole-position for the third round of the 2009 Superleague Formula by Sonangol at Zolder tomorrow (19 July).
Kasper Andersen (DEN) came away victorious for the Danish “rookie” SLF club by narrowly defeating the Glasgow Rangers machine of John Martin (AUS) in the Qualifying Final at the Belgian venue today (18 July).
Anderssen set a fastest time of 1min 19.878secs in the two-car Final – just 0.078secs faster around the 3.977 km (2.471-mile) Flemmish track than Martin. For 24-year-old Kasper, who contested eight SLF races for Olympiacos last year, it marked his maiden SLF “pole”.
Losing semi-finalists FC Basel and Liverpool FC complete the second row of the 18-car grid in the hands of Max Wissel (D) and Adrián Vallés (SP) respectively after today’s 90-minute qualifying session staged in dry, overcast and cool weather conditions.

Vallés, who leads the SLF championship after a win and sixth place in the opening races at Magny Cours, won the corresponding weather-affected race at Zolder last October.
“Home” club RSC Anderlecht starts the opening 44mins + 1 lap race from 10th place with Yelmer Buurman (NED) aiming to snatch the championship lead. The Dutchman posted second and fifth places in France three weeks ago and currently lies second, just two-points behind Liverpool.
Meanwhile Dominick Muermans starts the opening race from the back of the grid after crashing the PSV Eindhoven car out of qualifying in the early stages. The Dutchman, who had celebrated his 25th birthday the previous day, was uninjured after impacting the barriers at slow speed.
The Olympique Lyonnais and Olympiacos CFP cars of Nelson Panciatici (F) and Davide Rigon (IT), the latter also a victory at Zolder last year – collided in the Group B session with Rigon collecting a six-place penalty for the manoeuvre.
QUALIFYING QUOTES:
FC Midtylland: Kasper Andersen (DEN)
“I’m very proud to have achieved Midtylland’s first SLF ‘pole’ in only its second qualifying session. It’s also my first SLF ‘pole’ so it’s doubly special for me. I must concentrate on the race – stay totally focussed tomorrow and do a good job for the club and the team.” 
Glasgow Rangers: John Martin (AUS)
“Magny Cours did not go well and so to earn a front row grid position in our own right is a good reward for the team who have worked very hard. It was almost ‘pole’ – it was very close at the end. I’m currently at the bottom of the standings so my aim is to score well in tomorrow’s two races.”
Liverpool FC: Adrián Vallés (SP)
“I was fastest in yesterday’s practice but the grip level wasn’t the same today. I was quickest in Group B but then perhaps a set of tyres wasn’t quite so good. We must now check the data but anyway, the car will be good for the race and my main title rivals did not have a good qualifying.”
FC Basel: Max Wissel (D)
“I’m very happy. I had a flat spot in one of the sessions – the vibration was so bad that I couldn’t see the track properly. But that was my mistake for ‘locking up’ – the car was perfect and I feel it was good enough for ‘pole’ today. I’m looking forward to the races.”

www.superleagueformula.com

El Equipo Mallorca New Limit en el Regional de Velocidad

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Este próximo domingo, 19 de julio, se celebra en el Circuito
Renn Arena de Llucmajor, la quinta prueba del Campeonato
de Baleares de Velocidad en la que participarán 19 pilotos,
entre los que se encuentran los pilotos del Mallorca New
Limit, Alfonso Ho, piloto de la EBE que correrá en la categoría
Open Élite con una Suzuki GSX600RR, Angel Poyatos que
correrá con una Honda 125GP y Miquel Pons que lo hará
en la categoría Promo Base.
El Mallorca New Limit está trabajando muy duro para que
sus tres pilotos tengan la opción de luchar por estar en el
podio, algo que ya han conseguido en repetidas ocasiones.
Actualmente Alfonso Ho ocupa la quinta plaza en Open Élite
después de cuatro carreras, no habiendo participado en
dos de ellas por coincidencia de fechas con carreras de
carácter nacional. Si logra quedar entre las tres primeras
posiciones, algo ya logrado en sus dos participaciones (dos
terceros), podría subir una o dos posiciones en la provisional
del campeonato.
Angel Poyatos es tercero en Open 125GP y también está
en condiciones de mejorar esta ya buena posición.
Miquel Pons, después de un abandono en la primera prueba
de la temporada y de una ausencia en la tercera cita, está
situado en la séptima plaza de la categoría Promo Base,
pero su gran progresión nos permite ser muy optimistas en
cuanto a sus futuros resultados.
Seguiremos informando.
Un saludo,
Luis Borrás

Koldo Zuazaga – Ferbis Press
+34 971 229 789  /  +34 650 422 229

Philipp Eng wins dramatic race one at Brands Hatch

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Austrian becomes fifth winner in seven races

Austrian Philipp Eng has taken a brilliant maiden F2 win at Brands Hatch this afternoon (Saturday) after enduring race-long pressure from championship leader Andy Soucek.

Eng didn’t make the best of starts off the line, but Soucek was unable to capitalise on the run down to Paddock Hill Bend. Henry Surtees and Kazim Vasiliauskas were side-by-side behind, and it was the Lithuanian who grabbed third on the opening lap.

Notable incidents in the early stages included Alex Brundle running through the gravel at Druids Hairpin on lap two and Jens Höing sliding off at Paddock Hill Bend. Brundle was able to continue, whilst Höing retired after making contact with the barriers.

After ten laps, the top three were separated by less than a second as Surtees fought to stay with the front-runners. Further back, Carlos Iaconelli and Sebastian Hohenthal were fighting for eighth, and Hohenthal made a stellar move down the  inside of the Brazilian at Paddock. Unfortunately, Hohenthal’s car began to slow before stopping on the edge of the circuit between Sheene Curve and Stirling’s.

The stewards were left with little option but to deploy the safety car as Hohenthal’s stricken car was retrieved. At the restart, and on cold tyres, Vasiliauskas ran wide into the first corner. Surtees accepted the invitation, as did Robert Wickens and both drivers nipped by the Lithuanian on the run up to Druids.

Iaconelli was still in the thick of the action, this time passing Miloš Pavlović around the outside for seventh position. Then Julien Jousse ran wide coming out of Surtees Corner, allowing Iaconelli to steal another place. Things got worse for Jousse – as the Frenchman tried to attack and repass Iaconelli, he out braked himself at Paddock Hill Bend and crashed out of the race.

Back at the front, Eng was still under intense pressure from Soucek, but the Austrian hung on to take the win by just 0.494s. "It is my first victory and it feels great," said Eng. "I was nervous as Andy put me under so much pressure. He was really quick in the back part of the circuit in the fast corners, but I managed to keep my position. The key now is consistency, definitely."

Soucek extended his lead at the top of the overall standings as his rivals faltered behind. "I tried to put Philipp under pressure but he resisted well," said Soucek. "I picked up some points over my main challengers, but it is still not enough. Tomorrow Robert Wickens is starting alongside me and it won’t be easy."

Surtees kept Wickens at bay to claim his maiden podium in F2 – well deserved after the pace he has shown throughout the season. "It’s a bit of a relief really," commented Surtees. "I only had two points before this race even though we’ve had a pole and we’ve set fastest laps in practice. It’s nice to actually finish a race – in the last four I haven’t quite been so lucky."

Vasiliauskas maintained fifth, ahead of the charging Iaconelli. Pavlović and Edoardo Piscopo rounded out the points – the Italian having recovered well from a poor start. Nicola De Marco was just half a second away from a points paying position in ninth, whilst Mikhail Aleshin stormed from the back of the grid to take tenth.

There were great battles throughout the field – Jolyon Palmer and Jack Clarke traded positions before Clarke went off and out of the race at Sheene Curve. Mirko Bortolotti also went out after going off at the same corner, whilst Alex Brundle and Armaan Ebrahim tangled at Clark Curve, both drivers retiring on the spot. 

FIA Formula Two Championshp Race One – Brands Hatch, UK:

1. Philipp Eng, 28 laps
2. Andy Soucek, +0.494s
3. Henry Surtees, +1.694s
4. Robert Wickens, +3.000s
5. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +3.271s
6. Carlos Iaconelli, +7.398s
7. Milos Pavlovic, +7.942s
8. Edoardo Piscopo, +8.416s
Race two takes place at 12.45 (UK time) tomorrow.          www.formulatwo.com

Sibiu Rally becomes IRC Supporter Event from January 2010

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Romania’s biggest rally event, the Sibiu Rally, was today announced as the latest of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge Supporter Events from 2010. The IRC Supporter Event scheme allows selected national events to benefit from the prestige of being associated with the IRC, from the strengths of the IRC brand, and to promote themselves internationally through on-demand video highlights available on the IRC website, www.ircseries.com.
"Today’s announcement marks a great opportunity for the Sibiu Rally to make its name in Europe the wider motor sport world. The partnership with IRC is also a big opportunity to promote the tourism in city of Sibiu," said Berti Panaiot, the Sibiu Rally PR and Marketing Manager. "It is a first step towards out goal of one day joining the IRC calendar, and to learn from and work alongside our colleagues from this fantastic global series."
The Sibiu Rally is a demanding gravel event in the Paltinis region of Romania, and also features a dramatic Superspecial stage on which competitors are able to compete side-by-side in a natural amphitheatre to huge crowds. Hosting the event is the vibrant city of Sibiu, which was European Capital of Culture in 2007. According to legend it was to Sibiu that the children led away by the Pied Piper of Hamelyn finally arrived, explaining the city’s large German population.
Sibiu not only plays host to the rally, but draws in enormous numbers of visitors each year for who visit its landmarks, museums and cultural events. As such it sits perfectly within the IRC’s innovative approach to the organisation and presentation of rallying as a sport.
"The Sibiu Rally is an impressive event, with dedicated and enthusiastic organisers, competitors and volunteers," said Xavier Gregory, IRC General Coordinator. "We believe there is a very close fit between our series and this event, and we welcome them to the IRC Supporter Event scheme."
The 2009 Sibiu Rally is the ninth running of this event, featuring a total of 45 crews from Romania, Finland and Hungary. Among the leading entries is last year’s IRC Rally China winner, Jarkko Miettinen, giving the local talent a run for its money and giving the Sibiu Rally an experience of IRC-winning talent.

www.rally-irc.com

Formula Master – Brands Hatch Round 07

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ROUND 07 BULLETIN – BRANDS HATCH

Jenzer Motorsport’s Fabio Leimer claimed his fourth win of the season today in round seven of the International Formula Master Series at the Brands Hatch circuit in England.

Second place belonged to JD Motorsport’s Josef Kral, his third podium in seven races, with team-mate Sergey Afanasiev securing third place. Leimer also set the race’s fastest lap in 1:18.853.

Fabio Leimer, Jenzer Motorsport
“The important thing was to have pole position because then I could drive my own race. I had a good start and got a four second gap to Josef [Kral] very quickly. After that Kral was getting closer and closer and seemed much faster so I was worried I might not win the race after all.

“I saved my tyres as much as possible during the middle stint of the race and managed to keep him behind me in the last laps, which allowed me to take the win.”

International Formula Master – Brands Hatch
Round 07: provisional top eight results
1. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
2. Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
3. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
4. Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
5. Erik Janis (CZH), ISR (#20)
6. Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
7. Alexander Rossi (USA), ISR (#16)
8. Alessandro Kouzkin (RUS), Cram Competition (#47)

www.formulamaster.net

Audi-Pilot Oliver Jarvis feiert in Zandvoort seine erste Pole in der DTM

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Der Brite Oliver Jarvis sorgte im Qualifying zum vierten DTM-Lauf der Saison im niederländischen Zandvoort für eine große Überraschung. Der 25-Jährige fuhr mit einem Audi A4 DTM des Jahrgangs 2008 die Bestzeit. Somit steht zum ersten Mal in der DTM-Geschichte ein Jahreswagen auf der Pole-Position. In der finalen Session des vierstufigen Zeittrainings verwies Jarvis die Piloten Gary Paffett (GB) und Bruno Spengler (CDN), beide in aktuellen AMG Mercedes C-Klasse Fahrzeugen unterwegs, auf die Plätze zwei und drei.
„Ich bin sehr stolz. Wir wussten, dass wir schnell sind und dass es sehr eng werden würde zwischen den Jahreswagen und den neuen Autos. Das wird morgen ein schwieriges Rennen. Aber ich mache mir nicht allzu große Gedanken, denn von der Pole hab ich es selbst in der Hand“, freute sich der Brite über seine erste Pole-Position in der DTM. Audi verbuchte somit zum insgesamt 48. Mal Startplatz eins in einem DTM-Rennen. Der zweitplatzierte Paffett sagte nach dem Qualifying: „Wir hatten die Audi heute schneller erwartet. Aber wir haben ein schnelles Auto und auch die richtige Pace. An Platz zwei hatte ich trotzdem nicht geglaubt. Das Auto war heute sehr gut und das wird es auch hoffentlich morgen sein.“
Audi-Pilot Mike Rockenfeller aus Neuwied, ebenfalls in einem Fahrzeug des Jahrgangs 2008, überzeugte mit der viertschnellsten Zeit. Ihm folgten Paul Di Resta (GB/Mercedes-Benz), Alexandre Prémat (F/Audi), mit dem britischen Mercedes-Benz-Piloten Jamie Green der Sieger vom Norisring und Martin Tomczyk aus Rosenheim im Audi A4 DTM.
Enttäuscht zeigten sich drei Audi-Piloten in aktuellen Fahrzeugen. Für den Vorjahres-Sieger von Zandvoort, Mattias Ekström (S) und seine Markenkollegen Tom Kristensen aus Dänemark sowie Titelverteidiger Timo Scheider (D) kam bereits nach der zweiten Runde des Qualifyings das Aus. Sie gehen am Sonntag von den Positionen neun, zehn und elf in das erste Auslands-Rennen der Saison 2009. Nach seinem bisher besten DTM-Ergebnis beim Rennen auf dem Norisring, gab es für Ralf Schumacher einen Rückschlag. Das Team des Mercedes-Benz-Fahrers wählte eine falsche Strategie und der ehemalige Formel-1-Pilot startet somit als Letzter.
Das Rennen am Sonntag ist über 41 Runden und insgesamt 176,587 Kilometer angesetzt. Start ist um 14:00 Uhr (ARD live ab 13:45 Uhr).

www.dtm.com

Championship leader Andy Soucek scores maiden pole position

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Soucek

Spaniard tops close qualifying session at Brands Hatch

Andy Soucek took pole position for race two this morning at Brands Hatch, after another thoroughly entertaining qualifying session.

Robert Wickens and Sebastian Hohenthal traded quickest times in the early stages, whilst Soucek was some way down the order. Tom Gladdis also impressed in the opening laps, holding third briefly.

At the halfway point of the 30 minute session, the majority of drivers changed on to new Avon tyres and the times immediately tumbled. Julien Jousse was the first driver to dip under the 1:18s barrier, as Jolyon Palmer also improved to move into third behind Wickens.

Provisional pole then changed three times in less than a minute as Edoardo Piscopo, Henry Surtees and Philipp Eng all took turns in setting the ultimate pace. Formula Palmer Audi champion Jason Moore moved up to second, as a flurry of drivers were in the midst of setting fastest times. Unfortunately a spin for Jolyon Palmer at Westfield prevented many drivers from completing their lap as a brief red flag period halted proceedings. Palmer was able to return to the pits without damage, but his tyres were compromised and he was unable to improve his time for the remainder of the session.

Qualifying was restarted with ten minutes remaining and Robert Wickens quickly returned to the top, until Andy Soucek improved even further to take pole by just 0.028s.

Wickens held on to take second and Sebastian Hohenthal was third, but the Swede was black flagged late in the session for not respecting the track limits at Paddock Hill Bend, as he was in yesterday’s first qualifying session. Further action is anticipated from the stewards later today.

Philipp Eng was fourth, ahead of Red Bull-backed duo Mirko Bortolotti and Mikhail Aleshin. Carlos Iaconelli and Henry Surtees complete row four, whilst Natacha Gachnang put in a stunning performance with ninth – her best qualifying result of the season so far. Tobias Hegewald, who won both races at Spa-Francorchamps, set a late lap to round out the top ten.

Edoardo Piscopo and Jason Moore were 11th and 12th respectively, with Moore enjoying his best qualifying run in F2. Jens Höing endured a minor spin, whilst Alex Brundle ended his session in the gravel at Sheene Curve before he had even set a representative lap time – he will start tomorrow’s race from the back of the grid.
Incredibly, one second covered the top 19 drivers.

Andy Soucek said: "Everything went very well, it’s looking good – it is my first pole in F2 and I am really happy. It’s the first time I’ve driven here and it was a fantastic experience. I thought Spa-Francorchamps was good but Brands Hatch is even better!"

Robert Wickens said: "I am just happy to be on the front row for tomorrow’s race," said Wickens. "The main thing is consistency – there’s no question that the pace is there because it’s been there the whole year."

Sebastian Hohenthal said: "I didn’t gain much time – perhaps nothing, but still they are hard on this as we saw yesterday. Maybe I can get some points, but it is going to be tough."

FIA Formula Two Championshp Qualifying Two – Brands Hatch, UK:

1. Andy Soucek, 1:16.947s
2. Robert Wickens, +0.028s
3. Sebastian Hohenthal, +0.161s
4. Philipp Eng, +0.260s
5. Mirko Bortolitti, +0.352s
6. Mikhail Aleshin, +0.451s
7. Carlos Iaconelli, +0.476s
8. Henry Surtees, +0.516s
9. Natacha Gachnang, +0.529s
10. Tobias Hegewald, +0.534s
Race one takes place at 14.05 today (Saturday) and race two is at 12.45 tomorrow (Sunday).

www.formulatwo.com

Sieger Jules Bianchi baut Gesamtführung aus

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#1 Jules Bianchi (ART Grand Prix Dallara F308 / Mercedes)

Der Sieger des siebten Saisonrennens der Formel 3 Euro Serie heißt Jules Bianchi (ART Grand Prix). Der Franzose gewann auf der 4,307 Kilometer langen Strecke von Zandvoort vor Valtteri Bottas (ART Grand Prix) und Christian Vietoris (Mücke Motorsport). Mit seinem dritten Saisonsieg baut Bianchi seinen Vorsprung in der Gesamtwertung der Formel 3 Euro Serie auf 14 Punkte vor dem zweitplatzierten Vietoris aus. Jean Karl Vernay (Signature), der an der niederländischen Nordseeküste als Vierter abgewinkt wurde, ist weiterhin Tabellen-Dritter.
Das Rennen begann mit einer Safety-Car-Phase, nachdem in der ersten Runde bereits fünf Fahrer durch Kollisionen ausschieden: Nick Tandy (Kolles & Heinz Union), Tiago Geronimi (Signature), Stefano Coletti (Prema Powerteam), Mika Mäki (Signature) und Andrea Caldarelli (SG Formula). Kurz vor Ende des Rennens drehte sich Christopher Zanella und sorgte für die zweite Safety-Car-Phase. Bianchi behielt seine Führung auch nach den beiden Restarts und fuhr einem sicheren Sieg entgegen. Für seinen Motorenhersteller Mercedes-Benz war es der 100. Sieg in der Formel 3 Euro Serie.
Jules Bianchi (ART Grand Prix): „Mein Start war nicht ganz so gut, aber ich konnte die erste Position halten. Das Rennen war nicht einfach. Als das Safety-Car zum zweiten Mal auf die Strecke kam, habe ich mich schon etwas geärgert, denn mein Vorsprung war bereits auf sieben Sekunden angewachsen. Ich freue mich auch, dass ich es geschafft habe, Mercedes den 100. Sieg zu schenken.“
Valtteri Bottas (ART Grand Prix): „Ich wusste, dass das Überholen schwierig wird. Deshalb habe ich mich auch über die zwei Safety-Car-Phasen gefreut. Ich habe immer versucht, möglichst nah an meinem Vordermann zu sein, als der Restart erfolgte. Dadurch konnte ich im Rennen zwei Plätze gutmachen. “
Christian Vietoris (Mücke Motorsport): „Mein Start war relativ gut, aber ich konnte Jules außen nicht überholen. In der letzten Kurze vor dem zweiten Restart untersteuerte mein Auto und ich musste vom Gas gehen. So fehlte mir der Speed auf der Geraden und Valtteri zog vorbei. Wenn man bedenkt, dass uns diese Strecke hier nicht liegt, bin ich mit Rang drei zufrieden.“

www.f3euroseries.com

MEEKE EXPECTED SKODA TO DOMINATE IN RUSSIA

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MEEKE EXPECTED SKODA TO DOMINATE IN RUSSIA … AND ALL THE OTHER NEWS FROM THE IRC

Kris Meeke has said he fully expected Skoda to dominate the sixth round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in Russia earlier this month and insists he can’t afford to drop any more points as a result.
Despite not including the gravel event in his schedule, 30-year-old Meeke continues to lead the IRC drivers‘ standings by a single point from Jan Kopecky, who finished second to his Skdoa team-mate Juho Hanninen on the Vyborg-based rally.
"We saw on the opening event of the season just how strong the Skoda was," said Meeke. "We also saw on the Azores Rally how good the car was on gravel. Russia was also like a home rally for Hanninen and he showed the pace he could produce when he won in Russia last year."
Peugeot UK driver Meeke said Skoda’s victory was a boost to the IRC, which has been dominated by the French manufacturer so far this season. "From my point of view I’m delighted they won it. They’ve put a lot of effort in so it’s good they’ve been rewarded. Trying to beat them on the next rally they do will also give me another challenge to aim at."
With Skoda missing the next round of the IRC in Madeira, Meeke conceded that it was vital he took full advantage of the Czech firm’s absence. "Skoda winning just shows how close this championship is. There’s no way I can afford any more zero scores."

Rally Internacional de Curitiba, Brazil 05-07 03 2009
Kris Meeke (Peugeot UK) still leads the IRC despite missing Rally Russia

PROTON PLANS SECOND IRC ENTRY FOR BARUM RALLY ZLIN

Proton will expand its line-up to a two-car team in time for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge’s visit to Czech Republic from August 21-23, team principal Chris Mellors has confirmed.
The Malaysian manufacturer made its IRC debut on the Belgium Ypres Rally last month, fielding a single entry for the British driver Guy Wilks. On Rally Russia recently, the team took its first IRC points when Wilks finished an impressive fourth on the gravel event.
Now Mellors has revealed that the construction of a second Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 will be completed in time for next month’s Barum Rally Zlin, although he is keeping the details of his new signing under wraps.
"We will have a second car for the Barum Rally but I am not able to say who will be driving it," Mellors said.
Meanwhile, Mellors explained that preparations were already underway for the next round of the IRC, Rali Vinho Madeira, from July 30-August 1. "The car returned to the UK on Thursday (July 16) and we will leave with the car for Madeira on Tuesday (July 21). In that time we will carry out a full rebuild and convert the car to Tarmac specification. We plan to test when we get to Madeira."

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Proton’s next appearance will be back on asphalt after a promising gravel debut

SKODA BOSS SAYS RUSSIAN IRC VICTORY JUSTIFIED DRIVER CHOICE

Skoda Motorsport boss Michal Hrabanek belives his decision to sign Juho Hanninen and Jan Kopecky to lead his team’s assault on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge has been vindicated after their one-two finish on Rally Russia recently.
The success marked the first triumph in the IRC for Skoda’s Fabia Super 2000 model, which only made its competition debut on the Monte Carlo Rally in January. Kopecky moved to within one point of Kris Meeke at the top of the drivers‘ standings while Skoda is now two points clear of Ralliart in the manufacturers‘ championship.
"I take my hat off to both our crews, selecting them for our team was a good decision," said Hrabanek. "We have known Jan Kopecky for a long time, he puts in stable performances and has improved a great deal. Juho Hanninen showed already in Monte Carlo this year that he could be pretty fast, too, and I am really glad that he’s shown now how good he really is. We have done a great job of promoting the Skoda brand, and I daresay that this has not been our last achievement."
Skoda is set to return to the IRC on Barum Rally Zlin, its home event, on August 21-23. "This victory is a great impulse for further work and we are not going to rest on our laurels," Hrabanek continued. "I believe that this milestone will boost the whole project and attract potential buyers of the Fabia Super 2000. The next event takes place in Zlin, where we will logically be under pressure but we will all look forward to it."
BASSO HOPES RUSSIAN PODIUM WILL LEAD TO MORE IRC SUCCESS
Factory Abarth driver Giandomenico Basso will be hoping to continue the good form he showed on Rally Russia earlier this month when the Intercontinental Rally Challenge resumes in Madeira on July 30.
Italian Basso finished third on the gravel rally, his second podium finish of the season, to climb to fourth in the drivers‘ standings. He now heads to Madeira, an event he has won on two occasions in the past at the wheel of a Grande Punto Super 2000.
"It’s always great to grab some points after such a difficult rally," said Basso, who experienced a few delays in Russia. "On the second day of the rally we had a water leak and that made us worry about the engine. The balance of the car was not good and we couldn’t fix that. Plus I had trouble with punctures and so we need to analyse the data, see what was missing, and use these points to boost our season."
Abarth is currently fourth in the manufacturers‘ standings. Its second driver, Anton Alen, was the fifth IRC-registered finisher home in Russia after he restarted under SupeRally regulations following a car-damaging crash on leg two of the event. He demonstrated his potential by claiming a stage victory.
WITTMANN PRAISES CO-DRIVER AND TEAM FOR RUSSIAN IRC RESULT
Franz Wittmann Jr has praised his co-driver Bernhard Ettel and his Stohl Racing team for helping him to equal his best result in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge so far at the wheel of his Interwetten Racing Mitsubishi Lancer E9.
The 25-year-old from Austria was the best non-Super 2000 finisher in sixth overall in the IRC standings on Rally Russia on July 9-11. The result puts him tenth in the drivers‘ championship.
"Foremost, I’d like to thank my co-driver Bernhard Ettel who didn’t make a single mistake during this fast rally and thereby highly contributed to our success," said Wittmann Jr. "My further thanks go to the team of Stohl Racing who provided me with a perfect and very stable car. We didn’t have the slightest problems despite the high demands of the rally. Throughout the event we only encountered three punctures that cost us some time.
"To me, it was important to learn and get to know the stages in order to raise my chances for next year with improved pacenotes."
Wittmann Jr won’t be competing on the next round of the IRC, Rali Vinho Madeira, but will return to the series on Barum Rally Zlin in Czech Republic on August 21-23.

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Wittmann (Ralliart) took his best-ever IRC result in Russia

www.rally-irc.com

Philipp Eng takes his maiden pole position

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Eng1

One second covers top seventeen drivers

Philipp Eng has taken his maiden Formula Two pole position this afternoon, after a breathless first qualifying session at Brands Hatch.

The young Austrian set his best time just before the session was red flagged after Pietro Gandolfi spun off at Clark Curve with 5 minutes to go.

The restart led to a frantic shootout, with the majority of the cars taking to the circuit for one last shot at pole. Andy Soucek took full advantage to leap up the leaderboard and take second place, missing the top spot by just 13 thousandths of a second.

Sebastian Hohenthal took an impressive third with the top three being separated by just 0.017s. Henry Surtees was fourth, ahead of Mikhail Aleshin and the late charging Kazim Vasiliauskas respectively. Robert Wickens and Jousse will line up together on row four, whilst Mirko Bortolotti and Miloš Pavlović rounded out the top ten.

Julien Jousse crashed heavily at Sheene Curve shortly after setting his fastest time of the session and took no further part, having sustained significant damage to the rear of the car. Miloš Pavlović ended qualifying in the barriers at Hawthorn Bend after crashing heavily at the quickest corner on the circuit.

The top 13 drivers were separated by less than half a second and the top 17 drivers were covered by less than a second.

Philipp Eng said: "It was obviously a very good lap. To get my first pole position is a very special thing – I think it was the first qualifying session where I got everything together."

Andy Soucek said: "I was using a strategy, but I think it was a big mistake! We were waiting for people to put the rubber down on the track – we thought the end of the session would be the best time to go out. I think it was an amazing performance."

Sebastian Hohenthal said: "Coming back to the UK felt very good. Obviously it would have been good with pole, but I know for sure that pole has an uphill start whereas third has downhill! I started off this season setting targets and it went very bad, so I’m just taking it lap by lap and seeing what we can do. It feels good knowing that we can be quick when everything works well."

Qualifying two will take place at 9:45am tomorrow (Saturday), before the opening race of the weekend commences at 2pm. Race two will take place at 12:45pm on Sunday.

FIA Formula Two Championshp Qualifying One – Brands Hatch, UK:
1. Philipp Eng, 1:17.445s
2. Andy Soucek, +0.013s
3. Sebastian Hohenthal, +0.017s
4. Henry Surtees, +0.102s
5. Mikhail Aleshin, +0.215s
6. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +0.220s
7. Robert Wickens, +0.278s
8. Julien Jousse, +0.304s
9. Mirko Bortolotti, +0.308s
10. Milos Pavlovic, +0.371s

 www.formulatwo.com

Tabellenführer Jules Bianchi sichert sich erste Saison-Pole

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Lufttemperatur: 22,2 °C
Streckentemperatur: 25,9 °C
Der Franzose Jules Bianchi (ART Grand Prix, 1:30,431 Minuten) setzte sich in einem ereignisreichen Qualifying für das siebte Saisonrennen der Formel 3 Euro Serie durch. Auf der 4,307 Kilometer langen Strecke von Zandvoort holte er sich seine erste Pole-Position in diesem Jahr. Er verwies Christian Vietoris (Mücke Motorsport, 1:30,709 Minuten) mit einem Rückstand von 0,278 Sekunden auf den zweiten Platz. Jean Karl Vernay (Signature, 1:30,807 Minuten) und der beste Rookie Valtteri Bottas (ART Grand Prix, 1:31,053 Minuten) reihten sich auf den Rängen drei und vier ein.
Jules Bianchi bestimmte das Qualifying von Beginn an. Er setzte sich schnell in Führung und gab diese bis zum Schluss nicht mehr ab. Das Zeittraining wurde vor allem in der zweiten Hälfte von drei Unterbrechungen bestimmt. Die erste unfreiwillige Pause dauerte 16 Minuten. Kevin Mirocha (HBR Motorsport, 1:33,339 Minuten) schlug in die Leitplanke ein und beschädigte diese. Erst nach der fälligen Reparatur wurde das Zeittraining wieder freigegeben. Wenig später sorgte Sam Bird (Mücke Motorsport, 1:32,190 Minuten) mit einem Unfall für die nächste rote Flagge. Kurz vor dem Ende des Qualifyings machte ein Ausrutscher von César Ramos (Manor Motorsport, 1:32,366 Minuten) die dritte Unterbrechung erforderlich.
Jules Bianchi (ART Grand Prix): „Mein Auto war wirklich toll und ich habe in meiner schnellsten Runde keinen Fehler gemacht. Beim Test heute Mittag war mein Auto noch nicht so gut, aber wir haben es bis zum Qualifying gut verbessert. Morgen möchte ich das Rennen gewinnen.“
Christian Vietoris (Mücke Motorsport): „Endlich hat es bei mir auch mal im Qualifying funktioniert. Heute waren die Bedingungen konstant und schon stehe ich auf einem der vorderen Plätze. Unsere Taktik, etwas länger zu warten, hat sich als gut herausgestellt.“
Jean Karl Vernay (Signature): „Mit dem ersten Reifensatz steckte ich im Verkehr fest, mit dem zweiten hatte ich nur eine freie Runde. Ich glaube, dass ich auch auf den zweiten Platz hätte fahren können, aber die Pole war wohl nicht drin. Jules ist eine verdammt gute Rundenzeit gefahren.“

www.f3euroseries.com

LIVERPOOL FC ON TOP AS SUPERLEAGUE ROARS INTO BELGIUM

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Championship leaders Liverpool FC set the early pace as the 2009 Superleague Formula by Sonangol revved up for this weekend’s showdowns at the Zolder circuit in Belgium. Friday’s timetable provided the 18 famous soccer clubs contesting the football-themed series with three 30-minute Free Practice sessions in the build up to Saturday’s all-important qualifying and Sunday’s two races.
Spanish striker Adrian Vallés put Liverpool on top of the combined time sheets by setting the fastest lap time in the third of today’s sessions, Vallés was also quickest in the first session while Kasper Andersen was fastest in the second session for impressive Danish newcomers FC Midtjylland.
Vallés, who won one of the corresponding races at Zolder last year, commented: "I’m pleased with the start we have made at Zolder – of course it’s good to be fastest but I’m certain our rivals will be working hard on their cars overnight to close the gap."
Predictably, as the teams perfected the set-up on their V12 powered single-seater race cars, the final session saw the fastest times. Galatasaray (Duncan Tappy) and Al Ain (Esteban Guerrieri) were second and third fastest in the this session and overall.

Though second in the overall points standings after two strong performances at Magny-Cours, local favourite RSC Anderlecht was down in 13th place. The Brussels-based club will be looking for a significant improvement overnight before the real action starts in the hunt for points and prizes.
Championship points awarded in the two dramatic 44+1 minute Superleague Formula showdowns will be added together with the highest overall scorer winning the €100,000 top prize, €70,000 will go to the second highest points scorer and €40,000 to the third.
As well as the pair of Superleague Formula highlights, Zolder’s spectacular weekend schedule features no fewer than 11 support races with rounds of the EuroBoss F1, Dutch Super Car and Formula Ford Benelux championships also in action. Following Superleague Formula’s practice and qualifying sessions on the Saturday, great value is guaranteed – adult entrance tickets for Sunday are priced at just €20 (children under 12 are free) and all admission includes access to the Superleague Formula paddock.
2009 ‘Superleague Formula by Sonangol’ Free Practice (Zolder – 17 July, 2009)
1. Liverpool FC  (Adrian Vallés): 1m 18.867s
2. Galatasaray (Duncan Tappy): 1m 19.689s
3. FC Midtjylland  (Kasper Andersen): 1m 19.821s
4. Al-Ain (Esteban Guerrieri): 1m 19.830s
5. FC Porto  (Tristan Gommendy): 1m 20.073s
6. AC Milan (Giorgio Pantano): 1m 20.685s
7. Tottenham Hotspur (Craig Dolby): 1m 21.022s
8. Sporting Clube de Portugal (Pedro Petiz): 1m 21.062s
9. Rangers FC (John Martin): 1m 21.301s
10. Olympique Lyonnais (Nelson Panciatici): 1m 21.431
11. Olympiacos (Davide Rigon): 1m 21.471s
12. FC Basel (Max Wissel): 1m 21.473s
13. RSC Anderlecht (Yelmer Buurman): 1m 21.695s
14. Corinthians (Antonio Pizzonia): 1m 21.936s
15. Flamengo (Enrique Bernoldi): 1m 22.197s
16. Athlético Madrid (Ho-Pin Tung): 1m 22.272s
17. AS Roma (Jonathan Kennard): 1m 22.388s
18. PSV Eindhoven (Dominick Muermans): no time

http://www.superleagueformula.com

Joe Schmitz im Gentleman-Sportwagen

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Nach dem Rennen in Colmar-Berg vor knapp zwei Wochen, das er im BMW 130i Cup von Duwo-Racing bestritten hatte, stellte Joe Schmitz einige Überlegungen an wie es im zweiten Teil der Rennsportsaison 2008 weitergehen soll. Priorität hat weiterhin die Bergmeisterschaft, dort liegt er auf zurzeit auf Platz drei, und ein zweiter Rang in der Zwischentabelle des „Volant sportif“ stellt ihn auch zufrieden. Ambitionen in der Luxemburger Rundstreckenmeisterschaft hegt er allerdings keine, vielmehr geht es darum international weiter Erfahrung zu sammeln.
Auf der Rundstrecke boten sich einige Möglichkeiten doch vor wenigen Tagen konnte er dem Angebot von Gentle-Swiss-Racing nicht widerstehen und wird nun im Aston Martin N24 Vantage V8 das 6h Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen am 18. Juli in der Eifel bestreiten. Insgesamt 420 PS leistet der Achtzylinder bei einem Hubraum von 4.300ccm und etwa 1.350 kg Eigengewicht. Das Schweizer Team hat bisher alle Rennen der diesjährigen VLN-Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring bestritten.

Das 6 Stunden-Rennen bildet den eigentlichen Höhepunkt der VLN auf dem GP Kurs des Nürburgrings und der Nordschleife.

(R.H.)                       www.schmitzjoe.com

PRIAULX VISITS TOUR DE FRANCE

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Just before heading to Brands Hatch, Andy Priaulx spent one day with the Eurosport crew visiting the Tour de France during the 211km stage from Tonnerre to Vittel.
Before the start, the triple WTCC champion took the opportunity to meet cycling ace Lance Armstrong and his Astana team-mate Alberto Contador.
"Lance was always an inspiration. His story is just unique. So it was great to finally meet him," Priaulx said, adding "I have always been a big fan of Tour de France, and finally thanks to Eurosport, I had the chance to see it as close as possible. A great experience."
Priaulx followed the whole stage inside the Garmin-Slipstream team, sitting in the sporting director’s car.
Watch Andy Priaulx’s Tour de France experience, his meeting with Lance Armstrong and everything from the Brands Hatch Weekend in "Inside WTCC with Andy Priaulx", on Tuesday night at 23:00 cet on Eurosport.

Andy Priaulx met cycling icon Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France

THOMPSON AND LADA AIM FOR GOOD RESULTS

LADA Sport’s new driver James Thompson is looking forward to his home race meeting in Brands Hatch this weekend, after he first drove the LADA Priora on its maiden WTCC appearance two weeks ago in Portugal.
"There’s nothing like competing at home. I enjoyed my first outing with the Priora in Portugal and I hope that we can put some of the lessons we learned there to good effect at Brands Hatch. Our first races allowed us to identify the main areas of development needed, and now we can embark on the long process of putting all these procedures in place. Of course it won’t be an easy task, but thanks to the commitment and dedication of the entire Lada Sport team, I am sure that we can continue to make useful progress," Thompson said.
Compared to the event in Porto, the new Russian car will be 60 kg lighter, as the FIA Touring Car Bureau decided to grant the Priora a weight break on the basis of the performance achieved on the Portuguese street circuit.


James Thompson and his LADA Priora aim for good results in Brands Hatch

WTCC 100 RACES VIDEO CLIP IS ON LINE
Eurosport Events‘ staff created a video clip to celebrate the WTCC’s 100 races.
In 5 minutes and 8 seconds, a breathtaking sequence of spectacular shots reviews the history of the championship from Monza 2005 to Porto 2009, through nineteen key moments.
Some of the most dramatic and thrilling clips depict the first victories of Alessandro Zanardi (Oschersleben 2005), Chevrolet (Brands Hatch 2006), the turbo diesel SEAT (Oschersleben 2007) and Honda (Imola 2008), as well as Augusto Farfus rolling in qualifying at Pau 2007 and winning the 100th race at Porto 2009, the series‘ first visit to Africa (Marrakech 2009) and many crashes and overtaking manoeuvres.
Especially touching are the clips from Macau that remember the moments in which Andy Priaulx (2005, 2006, 2007) and Yvan Muller (2008) clinched the world championship crown.
Click here to watch the 100 races video clip: http://videos.eurosport.com/fiawtcc/top-100-wtcc-races_vid110368/wtcc-player.shtml

WTCC SET FOR NEW RECORD AUDIENCE
215 million viewers worldwide have watched the first four race meetings of the current World Touring Car Championship’s season: Curitiba, Puebla, Marrakech and Pau.
These figures represent a 158% increase of the viewing figures compared to 2008, which proves that the WTCC’s popularity is growing steadily and that the series continues to break audience records, season after season.
In the 2008 season, the WTCC set its new record in TV audiences with a total of 350 million viewers around the world.

www.fiawtcc.com

News of Luc Alphand

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The news is good, his back operation went well and « Lucho » was able to return home to Serre Chevalier 10 days ago to continue his convalescence. We are sure that his excellent physical condition will allow him to overcome this difficult phase with few after effects.

Whilst their leader is resting and building up his strength, all whole team continues working to reach the goal fixed by the ex-ski champion at the beginning of the season. Thus, Philippe Poincloux announced: “We are going to concentrate all our energy on the 1000 km of Portimao where our aim in this discipline is to win the GT1 title for the second consecutive year. This meeting, which will be held at night for the second time in the history of the Le Mans Series Championship, should offer a wonderful show”.

 www.lemans-series.com