Belgian maintains remarkable sequence of victories
Podium lockout hands Skoda first IRC makes‘ award
Freddy Loix has become the most successful driver in the history of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge by taking a record-breaking sixth win and his third in as many starts this season after a dramatic climax to Barum Czech Rally Zlin today (Sunday) when the lead changed hands three times on the final four stages.
Juho Hanninen claimed second to maintain his title advantage while third place for local hero Pavel Valousek not only ensured a Skoda Fabia one-two-three but also enabled the Czech firm to clinch the 2010 IRC manufacturers‘ crown for the first time with three rounds remaining.
Overnight leader Jan Kopecky had looked set to triumph on the demanding all-asphalt rally for a second year in a row but spun into retirement with three stages left to run when he was 26 seconds out in front.
Kopecky, who was on a charge in his efforts to make up lost time following a spin earlier on stage 14, broke too late for a left hander and slid off the road. Although his Fabia was largely undamaged it was beached on a large branch. Unable to regain the stage, Kopecky and co-driver Petr Stary were forced to retire having led the rally from the very first stage through the streets of host city Zlin on Friday evening.
"There was some vibration after the first spin and I was a little afraid I had a puncture," said the 28-year-old Czech driver. "My thinking was too much for this and I went off. I’m very disappointed and sorry for Skoda because the car was absolutely perfect and also to the crowd who gave me so much support all weekend."
His misfortune promoted Bryan Bouffier, at the wheel of a Peugeot 207, into first place. But Bouffier’s challenge came unstuck when he damaged his rear suspension sliding wide on the penultimate stage. Although he managed to soldier through the run, his delay dropped him to second, 3.8s behind Loix heading into the final test.
Any hopes Bouffier had of regaining top spot were dashed when a broken pipe, the legacy of an earlier compression, dumped water over his Peugeot’s front tyres and caused him to go off into a ditch five kilometres from the start of the stage.

Freddy Loix (right) celebrates his dramatic IRC win in Zlin

Loix and co-driver Frederic Miclotte had settled for second place when Bouffier pulled clear on stage 15. A cautious run through the mud-strewn penultimate stage ensured they moved in front when Bouffier hit trouble and the Belgians kept their composure to claim what had been an unlikely victory leaving midday service.
Rain and cool temperatures were a factor throughout the event in southeast Czech Republic. Not only did the unseasonable conditions add to the challenge facing the competitors by making the inconsistent stage surface more slippery than usual, they also made tyre choice a lottery as crews gambled over compound choices to suit the changeable weather.
Juho Hanninen was one of a number of drivers to fall foul of the conditions when he slid off backwards into a tree at high speed on stage four. Although the moment dropped him out of contention, an error-free performance thereafter helped the Finn to land his eighth podium finish of 2010.
Pavel Valousek trailed IRC champion Kris Meeke by 18.4s with one stage left to run but moved ahead of the Northern Irishman when Meeke’s Peugeot UK 207 suffered a broken front differential two kilometres into the stage. Meeke started Sunday’s final eight stages confident he could fight for second place but a series of incorrect tyre choices wrecked his chances. A sticking throttle on stage 14 caused more anguish before the differential fault dropped him to fourth behind Valousek.
Valousek, who lives close to Zlin, made the most of his local knowledge and some inspired tyre choices to beat his previous best finish of fourth place in his semi-works Fabia. The pick of these was when he opted for dry weather hard-compound tyres for Sunday’s opening loop of stages when most of his rivals believed it would rain.
Andreas Mikkelsen took a solid fifth in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000 with Vaclav Pech rounding out the top six in his Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer. Pech had been in a close fight with Czech championship rival Valousek only for an off to drop him back and leave his car with a punctured front-right tyre and damaged suspension.
Guy Wilks marked his return from injury with seventh place in his Skoda UK Motorsport Fabia although his true pace was masked by a rear differential fault, which his mechanics were unable to cure due to a component supply issue. The glitch hindered braking stability and traction on the, at times, treacherous stage surfaces. Jaromir Tarabus secured the final IRC drivers‘ point in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000.
Kevin Abbring took his second IRC 2WD Cup win of the season in his Clio R3 with rising Czech driver Lobomir Minarik second in a similar machine. Abbring, from the Netherlands, moves joint top of the drivers‘ standings with Rafael Tulio, who wasn’t competing in Zlin.
There was some consolation for Jan Kopecky, however, when he was handed the Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy for his efforts. Colin’s father Jim McRae, who was in Zlin, was part of the three-person judging team. He said that Kopecky’s spectacular performance had best embodied the spirit of the rallying legend, who lost his life in a helicopter accident in 2007.

 
Bryan Bouffier lost victory with two stages remaining

DRIVER QUOTES

Freddy Loix (Belgium), Skoda Fabia S2000, first overall: "It’s my second victory in Zlin but definitely my hardest and definitely my most exciting. The conditions were extremely difficult and it was a big fight with Bryan at the end. I always had a good feeling with my car but I was missing something in my driving. It was a question to be as quick as possible without making any mistakes."
Juho Hanninen (Finland), Skoda Fabia S2000, second overall: "My goal was to be first or second to improve my points. I was second so I am happy but it was very interesting because the weather kept changing on almost every stage. It started well on my side and I had the speed but then I had my big moment although I was lucky not to retire."
Pavel Valousek (Czech Republic), Skoda Fabia S2000, third overall: "This is my best position on this rally and I’m really glad we’ve achieved it. Today we chose the right tyres and this was very important. I would like to thank my team for all their help."

 
Juho Hanninen remains in control of the IRC title chase

TOP TEN IRC POSITIONS AFTER LEG TWO

1 Freddy Loix/Frederic Miclotte (Skoda Fabia S2000) 2h31m31.0s
2 Juho Hanninen/Mikko Markkula (Skoda Fabia S2000) +25.0s
3 Pavel Valousek/Zdenek Hruza (Skoda Fabia S2000) +1m20.2s
4 Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Peugeot 207 S2000) +1m57.6s
5 Andreas Mikkelsen (M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000) +2m33.9s
6 Vaclav Pech/Petr Uhel (Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX) +3m07.4s
7 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Skoda Fabia S2000) +3m41.1s
8 Jaromir Tarabus/Daniel Trunkat (M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000) +5m18.0s
9 Tomas Kostka/Vit Houst (Skoda Fabia S2000) +6m13.1s
10 Bryan Bouffier/Xavier Panseri (Peugeot 207 S2000) +6m52.2s
Leading IRC 2WD Cup finishers: Kevin Abbring/Erwin Mombaerts (Clio R3)

IRC STANDINGS

Drivers after round nine of 12 (best seven results)
1 Juho Hanninen (Finland) 56pts
2 Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic) 47pts
3 Freddy Loix (Belgium) 30pts
= Bruno Magalhaes (Portugal) 30pts
5 Kris Meeke (United Kingdom) 28pts
6 Guy Wilks (United Kingdom) 27pts
7 Andreas Mikkelsen (Norway) 13pts
8 Thierry Neuville (Belgium) 11pts
9 Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) 10pts
10 Paolo Andreucci (Italy) 8pts etc
Manufacturers after round nine of 12 (best seven results)
1 Skoda 128pts
2 Peugeot 79pts
3 M-Sport 31pts
4 Ralliart 22pts
5 Subaru 11pts
IRC 2WD Drivers after round nine of 12 (best seven results)
1 Kevin Abbring 20pts
= Rafael Tulio 20pts
3 Pierre Campana 16pts
= Harry Hunt 10pts
= Yeray Lemes 10pts
= Kris Princen 10pts
= Duarte Ramos 10pts
= Marcos Tokarski 10pts
9 Carlos Oliveira 9pts
10 Filipe Carvalho 8pts
= Enrique Cruz 8pts
= Luis Gius 8pts
= Lubomir Minarik 8pts
= Pablo Pelaez 8pts
= Colin R Smith 8pts
= Luis Tedesco 8pts etc
IRC 2WD Manufacturers after round nine of 12 (best seven results)
1 Peugeot 80pts
2 M-Sport 68pts
3 Abarth 29pts
4 Honda 27pts
5 Skoda 5pts

RALLY LEADERS

SS1-13: Jan Kopecky
SS14-15: Bryan Bouffier
SS16-17: Freddy Loix

STAGE WINNERS

Friday 27 August
SS1: SSS Zlin (9.36kms): Jan Kopecky
Saturday 28 August
SS2: Biskupice 1 (9.01kms): Jan Kopecky
SS3: Zadverice 1 (14.95kms): Jan Kopecky
SS4: Semetin 1 (11.71kms): Juho Hanninen
SS5: Trojak 1 (29.09kms): Bryan Bouffier
SS6: Biskupice 2 (9.01kms): Pavel Valousek
SS7: Zadverice 2 (14.95kms): Jan Kopecky
SS8: Semetin 2 (11.71kms): Juho Hanninen
SS9: Trojak 2 (29.09kms): Freddy Loix
Sunday 29 August
SS10: Halenkovice 1 (24.90kms): Pavel Valousek
SS11: Kudlovice 1 (11.39kms): Bryan Bouffier
SS12: Velky Orechov 1 (7.14kms): Jan Kopecky
SS13: Pindula 1 (19.76kms): Pavel Valousek
SS14: Halenkovice 2 (24.90kms): Freddy Loix
SS15: Kudlovice 2 (11.39kms): Bryan Bouffier
SS16: Velky Orechov 2 (7.14kms): Juho Hanninen
SS17: Pindula 2 (19.76kms): Pavel Valousek

KEY STATISTICS

Rally wins in 2010 (drivers)
Loix: 3
Hanninen: 2
Hirvonen: 1
Kopecky: 1
Magalhaes: 1
Meeke: 1
Rally wins in 2010 (manufacturers)
Skoda: 6
Peugeot: 2
M-Sport: 1
Stage wins in 2010 (drivers)
Juho Hanninen: 32
Kris Meeke: 27
Jan Kopecky: 25
Freddy Loix: 25
Sebastien Ogier: 7
Paolo Andreucci: 5
Bruno Magalhaes: 4
Luca Rossetti: 4
Pavel Valousek: 4
Bryan Bouffier: 3
Mikko Hirvonen: 3
Stephane Sarrazin: 2
Andreas Mikkelsen: 1
Bernardo Sousa: 1
Nicolas Vouilloz: 1
Guy Wilks: 1
Stage wins in 2010 (manufacturers)
Skoda: 88
Peugeot: 46
M-Sport: 5
Abarth: 4

TV TIMES

Eurosport, Europe’s largest television sports channel, will show highlights of the rally, which will also be available at www.rally-irc.com, as follows:
Sunday 29 August
22:00hrs-22:30hrs Day two highlights (Eurosport)
23:15hrs-23:45hrs Day two highlights repeated (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
24:45hrs-25:15hrs Day two highlights repeated (Eurosport)
Monday 30 August
08:30hrs-09:00hrs Day two highlights repeated (Eurosport)
Tuesday 31 August
15:30hrs-16:00hrs Rally review (Eurosport, Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Wednesday 1 September
05:00hrs-05:30hrs Rally review repeated (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Thursday 2 September
13:00hrs-13:30hrs Rally review repeated (Eurosport 2)
Saturday 4 September
09:45hrs-10:15hrs Rally review repeated (Eurosport 2)
11:00hrs-11:30hrs Rally review repeated (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
All times are CET

www.rally-irc.com

Eurosport, Europe’s largest television sports channel, will show live coverage from Barum Czech Rally Zlin, round nine of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, this weekend (27-29 August).
In addition to the live broadcasts, Eurosport will also screen extensive highlights of both legs of the IRC qualifier, which has attracted a 130-car capacity entry.
Eurosport will broadcast live or slightly delayed (subject to timing) from the stop point at the end of special stage six from 15:00hrs-15:30hrs CET on Saturday August 28. It will also broadcast live from the event parc ferme from 19:00hrs-19:30hrs CET later that day. On Sunday, coverage from the rally’s service park will be shown live from 12:30hrs-13:00hrs CET.
A full schedule is available by visiting www.rally-irc.com and clicking on the TV Times section.
On top of this international coverage, national TV channels Czech Television, TV Prima and RTA will also cover the event.
Barum Czech Rally Zlin begins with a ceremonial start on Friday 27 August at 17:00hrs local time. The opening stage is a 9.36-kilometre run through the streets of host city Zlin. Crews will tackle the course in reverse number order with the first car due to start at 21:15hrs.

Zlin’s IRC qualifier will get live TV coverage on Eurosport

Fast Freddy expects tough fight in Czech Republic

Freddy Loix has conceded that his bid to make it three wins from three starts in this season’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge will be a tall order.
Belgian Loix starts Barum Czech Rally Zlin on Friday aiming to preserve his 100 per cent winning record at the wheel of his Skoda Motorsport Fabia S2000 Facelift.
Loix, who will be co-driven by countryman Frederic Miclotte, said: "I hope so but I know it will be very difficult because there are a lot of quick guys who will take the start. It’s Jan Kopecky’s home rally and he will be more motivated than ever to win. It will be a big fight with lots of good cars and good drivers. I hope I can fight with them."
The 39-year-old won Barum Czech Rally Zlin in 2008. He prepared for the event with a test last week, which lasted for one and a half days. However, because Miclotte was contesting another rally in Germany, Loix recruited former navigator Isidor Smets to co-drive.
"The first test base was quite quick, the second one bumpy and more technical," said Loix. "I did not drive a lot but we worked very efficiently."

Neuville plans new approach for IRC return

Thierry Neuville plans to adopt a new strategy when he resumes his Intercontinental Rally Challenge campaign on Barum Czech Rally Zlin this week.
Although the 22-year-old claimed a podium finish on Geko Ypres Rally in June, his third of six-planned starts in the IRC this season, he admits he has yet to show any real pace at the wheel of his Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg 207.
"I showed in Sardinia and Ypres that I can drive clever rallies by finishing," said Neuville. "Now I need to show some speed. Marc [van Dalen, his Kronos Racing team boss] wants me to still be careful but I have to begin to set some good stage times although I know that won’t be easy because the speed of the main IRC guys is very high."
Although Neuville will be a Zlin novice when he takes the start in the city centre on Friday evening, his French co-driver Nicolas Klinger has competed on the event in the past, finishing second alongside Nicolas Vouilloz in 2008.

Thierry Neuville plans to up his pace on his IRC return

Hunt talks down IRC 2WD chances in Zlin

Leading IRC 2WD Cup competitor Harry Hunt says it will be virtually impossible for him to claim his second victory of the season in the two-wheel drive category on Barum Czech Rally Zlin this week.
The 21-year-old topped the IRC 2WD Cup standings on Rally d’Italia-Sardegna in June in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta R2. However, a huge contingent of 2WD competitors in Czech Republic means the British driver has restricted his expectations to merely reaching the finish of the 17-stage event.
"I feel I am better on Tarmac than on gravel but there’s going to be so many top drivers I’ll be competing against and it’s also a specialist rally that I have no experience of," said Hunt. "At least we’ll get three passes during the recce so that will give me more confidence in my pacenotes."
Hunt’s main rivals include Clio R3 drivers Kevin Abbring, Pierre Campana and young Czech Jan Cerny. Honda Civic Type-R pair Laszlo Vizin and Martin Kangur will also be in contention.

Harry Hunt says second IRC 2WD Cup win won’t be easy

www.rally-irc.com