Archiv für den Tag: 13.1.2012

NELSON PANCIATICI TAKES ON THE MONTE CARLO RALLY 2012

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NELSON PANCIATICI

The Rallye du VAR was a decisive first experience for Nelson PANCIATICI and he takes on the 80th MONTE CARLO RALLY on January 17 to 22. Nelson will drive an AUTOMECA team DS3 R3 in the colours of SEDIS SYSTEM, EUROFORMULA, RALF TECH watches, P1 ADVANCED RACEWEAR and the CITROEN AUBENAS car dealers.

The MONTE CARLO rally, which takes place in the context of the World Rally Championship 2012, will play host to both professional and amateur drivers, each with their own motivations specific to their objectives.

Nelson PANCIATICI, who is still in his apprenticeship in this discipline, especially for taking notes and “reading” the road, can count on the full AUTOMECA team’s experience, led by Philippe BUGALSKI.

Nelson PANCIATICI: “The Rallye du VAR was a thrilling experience, I had an incredible time at the wheel of my FORD FIESTA and as soon as I had finished, I wanted to do the MONTE CARLO! It has mythical names like MOULINON, le BURZET, SAINT JEAN EN ROYANS or the TURINI and I want to discover them outside of the videos I’ve watched very closely since. I know it won’t be easy, especially if it snows because I don’t know that surface but I have my co-driver, René PADOVANI, at my side. His help was invaluable in the Rallye du VAR et he will know how to train me up fast. My first and foremost reason to be there is for pleasure but that won’t stop me from taking it seriously. Before the start I will take part in a practice session with the DS3 R3 so I can get my bearings and really get the notes “on board”. I will use the same method I used in the VAR, putting on the pressure as I go through the stages because, from what I’ve been told, I will compare the MONTE CARLO rally to endurance racing on the track. The only difference is that there are many more traps! I want to thank all my partners and I will do my utmost to get the best possible result and put on a good race!”

Nelson will join the AUTOMECA team in a couple of days for practice on a base in the CHAMBERY region, which will give him the opportunity to get used to driving his DS3 R3.

The MONTE CARLO Rally starts from VALENCE and brings together the best rally drivers who will, as usual, generate great enthusiasm from the many spectators along the roadsides. We know that Nelson, who is a competitor first and foremost, will not want to miss out!

For more information on Nelson PANCIATICI, please visit www.nelsonpancia.com.

Join Nelson’s Fan Club on Facebook!

ROAL MOTORSPORT DOUBLE FOR 2012

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 Italy-based ROAL Motorsport will step up to a two-car team for the 2012 FIA World Touring Car Championship. After making their comeback to the series in 2011, with only one BMW 320 TC car, the outfit directed by former world champion Roberto Ravaglia are ready to double their effort adding Alberto Cerqui to Tom Coronel.
Coronel is facing his second season with the team; the 39-year old Dutchman emerged as the best of the rest in 2011, claiming one victory at Suzuka and being classified fourth in the Drivers‘ Championship behind the Chevrolet trio.
The team’s second car will be entrusted to Italian racer Cerqui; although he is only 19 years old, he has already established himself as a rising star in touring car competitions, clinching the 2011 Italian Superstars title on his first year in a professional championship.
Team principal Ravaglia commented: "I am extremely satisfied for lining up two cars in 2012. It won’t be easy to repeat the good results we achieved in 2011, but I am confident. Tom provides experience and reliability, while Alberto has already shown his talent in adapting to new circuits."
"2011 was a positive year. Race after race I improved the feeling with the team and we ended up fighting for the podium in the last four rounds. Starting from last year’s fourth place, our goal is to improve and win some more races; I feel I can fight for third in the championship," Coronel stated.
Cerqui added: "After winning the Italian Superstars, WTCC was the obvious choice to continue my career in touring car racing. Having the opportunity to continue racing for ROAL Motorsport is a further reason to rejoice, though I am aware that is not going to be a walk in the park as most of the tracks are new to me and the level of competition is very high."



After winning last year in Suzuka, ROAL Motorsport aim for more with two cars

CHEVROLET BEGIN TESTING PROGRAMME IN SPAIN
The Chevrolet team set off for the 2012 season, when they will defend their second consecutive WTCC Drivers‘ and Manufacturers‘ title.
The Cruze racing car hit the track for the first time in a two-day testing session, on Tuesday and Wednesday, at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo.
Alain Menu was at the wheel of the test-car: "I haven’t been driving a race car since Macau and is definitely very nice to be behind the wheel again! We were lucky to enjoy very good weather in Valencia and this allowed to take the maximum out of these two days. We achieved quite some mileage and performed the entire program foreseen. Basically, we tested a number of small evolutions, related to both the chassis and the engine, and everything went well."
RML Project Manager Ron Hartvelt added: "The data collected in Spain will be very helpful in our work towards signing off the 2012 specs of the Cruze."
The Chevrolet team will be again at Valencia early February, with two cars for Yvan Muller and Rob Huff.


Alan Menu tested the Chevrolet Cruze at Valencia on Tuesday and Wednesday

A BUSY START TO THE SEASON FOR ROB HUFF
The 2012 season has already kicked off in a busy way for 2011 WTCC vice-champion Rob Huff.
The Chevrolet racer attended last week the launch of the Cruze turbo road car for Israel’s press, that took place at Donington Park. Huff attended the press conference and then took the car through a gymkhana course to demonstrate and challenge the journalists.
This weekend Huff will also appear at the Autosport International at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre, being available for interviews and autograph signings.

COUNTDOWN: – 58 DAYS
WTCC RACE OF ITALY – MONZA, 11 MARCH 2012

www.fiawtcc.com

El equipo Monster Energy X-raid incrementa su liderazgo

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• Stéphane Peterhansel gana la undécima etapa
• Los cinco MINI All4 Racing entre los seis primeros
Comienza la cuenta atrás, ya sólo quedan tres días para terminar el Rally Dakar en Lima. La undécima de las catorce etapas de la carrera, la que enlazaba la ciudad chilena de Arica con Arequipa en Perú fue un triple éxito para el equipo Monster Energy X-Raid. Los franceses Stéphane Peterhansel y Jean-Paul Cottret con el Monster Energy MINI All4 Racing verde, no sólo ha conseguido la victoria de etapa, sino que también se consolidan como líderes de la clasificación general. El binomio hispano-francés compuesto por Nani Roma y Michel Perin llegaron en la segunda posición con su Monster Energy MINI All4 Racing amarillo, justo una posición por delante de sus compañeros de equipo, los portugueses Ricardo Leal dos Santos y Paulo Fiuza, terceros hoy en el Monster Energy MINI All4 Racing rojo. El principal rival de Peterhansel y Roma en la general, el estadounidense Robby Gordon ha perdido mucho tiempo hoy debido a problemas técnicos en el Hummer que le han retrasado más de una hora.
Antes de que los pilotos se lanzasen a la búsqueda de los Waypoints y controles de paso, cruzaron la frontera de Perú por primera vez en la historia del Dakar. La etapa del día se dividió nuevamente en dos sectores cronometrados (195 kilómetros y 152 kilómetros respectivamente) y sorprendió a los pilotos con sus dificultades. "La pista de hoy ha sido un autentico desafío ", dijo Andi Schulz, copiloto de Leonid Novitskiy. "Mucho Fesh Fesh y a veces muy profundo." Por otra parte, los organizadores no habían preparado algunos tramos de dunas.

Para Peterhansel parece que todo va según lo previsto: El francés ha conseguido su segunda victoria de etapa y amplía su ventaja en la clasificación a más de 22 minutos. "La especial de hoy no ha sido muy agradable, mucho Fesh Fesh, con rocas ocultas", comentaba el piloto de 46 años. “El objetivo de Lima no es fácil pero está a la vista, aunque todavía nos quedan tres etapas. Ya hemos visto una y otra vez, como puede cambiar todo rápidamente," comenta el francés. "Además, los próximos dos días serán, de nuevo, muy complicados".
Nani Roma era el encargado de abrir la pista tras su victoria en la etapa de ayer y sentó las bases para que sus rivales le siguieran. Además, el dúo hispano-francés tuvo sus más y sus menos con la navegación "Hemos tomado la pista equivocada un par de veces y hemos tenido que retroceder ", dijo el español. Cerca del final se atasco en una pequeña duna. "El tamaño de la duna era realmente ridículo", se ríe Roma. "Sin embargo, un motociclista se había caído y he tenido que frenar. Afortunadamente para nosotros este incidente sólo nos ha costado dos minutos. "
Dos Santos consiguió el tercer puesto que, al mismo tiempo, es su mejor resultado del Dakar. "Anteriormente mi mejor puesto era un quinto, ahora he mejorado con este tercero " ha dicho el portugués" La etapa de hoy tenía varias secciones muy exigentes y muy técnicas que me han ido muy bien”. Novitskiy ha mantenido un buen ritmo y muy constante lo que le ha servido para ser quinto en la etapa.
Holowczyc ha finalizado hoy en el sexto lugar. Saliendo el vigésimo primero condicionado por su posición de ayer. "Hemos adelantado a quince coches, uno tras otro en medio del denso polvo ", dijo el polaco. "Pero el segundo sector nos ha ido realmente bien. El sexto lugar es un buen resultado dadas las circunstancias. "
El dúo chileno-francés Boris Garafulic y Gilles Picard llevaron al Visión Advisors BMW X3 CC a la octava posición. "En la primera parte de la especial, estábamos completamente solos en la pista y en todo el tramos solo hemos visto un coche", narraba Garafulic. "Sin embargo, Gilles y yo lo hemos disfrutado." El binomio alemán con Stephan Schott y Holm Schmidt en el KS Tools BMW X3 CC han finalizado en el undécimo lugar. Los dos rusos Alexander Mironenko y Sergey Lebedev con el Buer BMW X3 CC se han quedado atrapados en las dunas y en estos momentos continúan en el tramo.
"Hoy ha sido un día muy bueno para nosotros", comenta Sven Quandt, director del equipo Monster Energy. "Pero no podemos bajar el ritmo. Nuestros competidores están a una hora detrás de nosotros, pero si te quedas atascado en las dunas, esta diferencia se puede esfumar rápidamente. "
Mañana viernes se disputa la decimosegunda etapa que llevará a los competidores a Nazca. El recorrido tiene zonas de dunas previstas, aunque para muchos pilotos Perú sigue siendo un territorio desconocido.

Pep Cifre

pcifre@ferbispress.com

Street stage confirmed for 2012 IRC opener

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Azoresstage120111

The 2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge will get off to a
spectacular start with a street stage on Sata Rallye Acores, the
opening round of the 13-event all-action series.
Scheduled for 2200hrs on Wednesday 22 February, the City Stage in
Ponta Delgada will be compulsory for all IRC crews even though it
won’t form part of the competitive itinerary.
Drivers and co-drivers will carry out reconnaissance of the stage
from 1830hrs on the Wednesday prior to the official crew presentation
to members of the public at the Praca Goncalo Velho from 2100hs. The
short stage will begin on Ponta Delgada’s seafront on the corner
adjacent to the presentation podium. Crews will tackle the stage in
two-minute intervals.
Hunt choses IRC for 2012 action
British driver Harry Hunt is planning an audacious bid to reclaim the
IRC 2WD Cup crown he lost last season by contesting all 13 rounds of
this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
The 23-year-old from London won the IRC 2WD Cup in 2010 driving an
M-Sport Ford Fiesta R2 but spent last season acclimatising to his new
Citroen DS3 R3T. He has decided to return to the IRC this year due to
the intense nature of the competition on offer.
“We took a really huge step up in 2011 and it took a while to
learn how to get the best from the car,” said Hunt, who will
continue to be co-driven by Robbie Durant. “With a second season
in the car, coming back to some of the rallies we know plus
also learning new events against strong local opposition, we should be
able to get closer to the limit of our potential.”
Austrian one-two thrills SKODA chief
SKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabanek has praised his factory drivers
Jan Kopecky and Juho Hanninen following their one-two finish on the
Janner Rallye in Austria last weekend.
The event, a counting round of the Austrian, Czech and European
championships, took place in difficult wintry weather conditions with
snow and ice coating the bulk of the asphalt stages around the town of
Friestadt near Linz.
Kopecky won the event with Hanninen, the 2010 IRC champion, second
after dropping time cleaning a line through the loose-surface snow on
both days of the rally.
Hrabanek said: “This was our first appearance at the Janner
Rally and it is really a difficult and unpredictable winter event. We
have made a good start to this season by winning the first two
places.”
Circuit slot cheers ex-IRC champ Meeke
Former Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Kris Meeke says fans
planning to attend the Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally in
April will be treated to two days of thrilling action.
The Northern Irishman spent two hugely successful seasons in the IRC
with Peugeot UK, claiming the title in 2009 before securing third
place in the final standings in 2010. He won a total of five events
during that period.
He said: “As anyone who has watched the series over recent
years on Eurosport will testify, it’s highly competitive and
makes compulsive viewing. “I’m certain [reigning IRC
champion] Andreas Mikkelsen and all the competitors and teams will
receive a warm welcome from the thousands that will attend.”
The Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland counts as round three of the
2012 IRC season from 6-7 April.

Formula Two chooses Yokohama tyres for new two-second-faster car

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Upgraded 2012-spec F2 car unveiled at Autosport International Show

1. Jonathan Palmer and Kazu Sekiguchi unveil the new 2012-spec F2 car

The FIA Formula Two Championship today (Thursday 12 January) unveiled its new two-seconds-a-lap quicker F2 car at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham, which features tyres from leading motorsport manufacturer YOKOHAMA for the first time.

Following extensive testing throughout last year, assisted by current champion Mirko Bortolotti, F2’s engineers have developed a performance upgrade package for the Williams designed car, which centres around a switch from Avon to YOKOHAMA tyres and new carbon composite brakes.

The new compound tyres have been purpose built for the series by the Japanese manufacturer who has been at the forefront of motorsport for many years and is currently the tyre supplier for the FIA World Touring Car Championship. The new tyres will offer improved stability and balance, yet without compromising on longevity, as well as aiding newcomers to better understand and easily fine-tune the car by offering more precise feedback. Drivers will also receive an additional set of new slick tyres every weekend in 2012 giving them increased running on new rubber.

Alongside the YOKOHAMA tyres, the upgraded F2 car will also feature new carbon composite brakes to reduce weight and improve performance. Recent tests conducted during post-season testing at Barcelona yielded impressive results with the new spec car running a full 2.363s quicker (1:34.712s) than the fastest time set by the previous F2 machine.

F2 Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer and Kazu Sekiguchi, Head of YOKOHAMA Motorsport, were on hand to announce the new partnership. Palmer commented: “We’re delighted to confirm our new partnership between Formula Two and YOKOHAMA. Given the impressive results achieved in testing so far we’re confident our new tyres will deliver enhanced performance both in terms of pace and also consistency, which is crucial in maintaining the completely equal environment of F2. This forms a significant part of an upgrade package that will see the Williams JPH1B F2 car lap around two seconds faster than its 2011 equivalent. We’re now looking forward to working with YOKOHAMA on further developments ahead of the season opener at Silverstone in April.”

David Seward, Managing Director of YOKOHAMA UK, who was also present, added: “F2 has quickly established a name as one of the most exciting championships around and we are very proud to have been chosen as the control tyre for such a prestigious race series. This is a fantastic platform to demonstrate the quality, performance and technology that is synonymous with the YOKOHAMA brand and we look forward with great excitement to the season ahead.”

F2 champion Bortolotti, who contributed with testing and development of the 2012-spec car, commented: “The car felt good and performed really well. The new tyres perfectly suit the car and react well offering increased grip, even at Barcelona which is very hard on tyres. These combined well with the new brakes which are 12 kilos lighter and allowed me to brake harder and later. Throughout the test we were consistently lapping quickly, in and around the 1:34s, and I think from a driver’s point of view all these features will improve the feeling of the F2 car and be a good thing for the 2012 season.”

Further details on the 2012 Formula Two season will be announced shortly but for more information visit www.formulatwo.com . Alternatively for further details on YOKOHAMA click onto www.yokohama.co.uk.