Top Belgian drivers Bernd Casier and Pieter Tsjoen are planning a swap drive with a difference when the FIA European Rally Championship resumes on the Geko Ypres Rally in their homeland later this month.

With both drivers lacking a full budget to take part in their own right, an audacious plan has been hatched to share a ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000 on the asphalt classic with each taking it in turns to drive and co-drive.

“Rallying is in my blood but I’ve been struggling to find the budget and I’ve not driven this year and have really missed it,” Tsjoen explained. “I saw Bernd at a party recently and he told me he had the same problem so, after some drinks, I said why don’t we stop being competitors and become partners. It might sound crazy but I’d sooner do this than not drive at all.”

Tsjoen, who won in Ypres in 2001, reckons his co-driving experience amounts to three rallies only and concedes that both he and Casier will be “in pain and in fear” during the event.

In terms of which driver does which stage, Tsjoen admitted that remained a sticking point. “The goal for the moment is I do the stages I like and Bernd does the stages he likes,” said Tsjoen. “However, I am 1.79 metres tall and Bernd is 1.92 metres so we’re not sure how easy it will be to the change the seat – we might have change position at each service.”

The Geko Ypres Rally forms round six of the 2013 ERC season from 27-29 June.

Serious competition ahead as heroes return for ERC Geko Ypres Rally

This month’s Geko Ypres Rally, round six of the FIA European Rally Championship, promises to be a thriller with a host of leading drivers in action. Here’s a flavour of what’s in store when the event takes place from 27-29 June.

The future of rallying right here, right now
Ace Belgian Thierry Neuville (pictured) and 2009 Ypres winner Kris Meeke will be appearing in two new-generation cars built to the ground-breaking R5 regulations, which represent rallying’s exciting future. Neuville will drive M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta R5, while Meeke will be at the wheel of Peugeot Sport’s 208 T16. Although they won’t compete for times as the cars are not officially homologated for competition use, they will run through all 20 stages prior to the course-opening zero car and will provide fans with a glimpse of the shape of things to come.

Local legend is back to chase new record
Seven-time Ypres winner and local legend Freddy Loix will be flying the flag for ŠKODA Motorsport on the asphalt classic and will face strong opposition from a number of drivers including Bryan Bouffier, the winner of the last ERC round in Corsica, Peugeot Rally Academy’s multiple ERC podium finisher Craig Breen, French rallying hero François Delecour, plus former Production Car world champion Hayden Paddon, who will be making his ERC debut in a Ford Fiesta S2000. More than 100 crews will contest the event.

ERC Production Car Cup aces set for close fight
It’s not just the battle for overall honours that will write the headlines: the chase for success in the ERC Production Car Cup will be equally intense with several leading lights in the hunt for glory. They include Subaru’s title leader Andreas Aigner, Renault duo Germain Bonnefis and Robert Consani, Mitsubishi drivers Jaroslav Orsák and Vitaliy Pushkar, plus former Hungarian champion András Hadak, not to mention several rapid Belgian drivers such as Chris van Woensel.

Reminder: tickets now on sale
Tickets for the Geko Ypres Rally are now on sale by visiting the official event website, www.ypresrally.com 

M-Sport chief Wilson wants more ERC outings for new Fiesta R5

M-Sport head Malcolm Wilson wants the appearance of his company’s Ford Fiesta R5 on the Geko Ypres Rally to be the first of many in the FIA European Rally Championship.

Like Peugeot Sport, M-Sport will run its new R5-specification challenger as a course car on the Belgium round just days before it becomes eligible for competition use on 1 July under the terms of the homologation process.

“I would like to run an M-Sport team in the ERC and this car would be ideal for it,” said Wilson. “We’d like to provide a complete back-up for our customers and if we could get a funded programme in place then all the customers will benefit. It’s something we’d like to try to do from Rally Poland onwards.”

M-Sport formally launched its Fiesta R5 at its United Kingdom headquarters on Tuesday evening (11 June) where Wilson said: “It’s this car I am probably the most excited about, not just because of what these guys have produced but the R5 technical regulations will really take rallying to the step where it needs to be. The FIA have done such a good job in controlling price and you’ve got to use standard parts.”

Breen, Andreucci relish 208 T16 runs

Star drivers Paolo Andreucci and Craig Breen have tested Peugeot’s FIA European Rally Championship-bound 208 T16 on asphalt and liked what they saw.

Andreucci and Breen took part in a five-day development test in the Maures mountains in southern France earlier this month, which has provided Peugeot Sport engineers with a significant amount of varied information and data through contrasting driving styles of the two pilots.

“This was my first time in the Peugeot 208 T16, and I must say I felt perfectly at home in it at once,” said multiple Italian champion and Peugeot stalwart Andreucci. “The basic car is very good and it responds immediately to set-up modifications. They produce the expected effect and that is the sign of a sound chassis. The test stages were a challenge, especially for the dampers, but it didn’t take long to find an efficient set-up. I can’t wait to drive it on an actual event.”

Breen, a frontrunner in this year’s ERC with three podiums to his name, said: “It was very interesting to be the first person to drive the Peugeot 208 T16 on asphalt. It certainly feels competitive. Personally, though, I will need to accustom myself with the turbo which is a big change compared with the Peugeot 207 S2000, especially on asphalt. Everything about the car is new and, the more we work on it, the more we realise how much potential it really has.”

Four up for ERC Ladies’ Trophy in Ypres

Interest in the new-for-2013 FIA ERC Ladies’ Trophy continues to grow with four drivers set to chase class honours on the Geko Ypres Rally.

Melissa Debackere (pictured), Julie Devalot, Ekaterina Stratieva and Molly Taylor are all set to take part on the Belgian asphalt classic, which takes place from 27-29 June.

After four events, Bulgarian Stratieva tops the standings ahead of Australia’s Taylor. Debackere and Devalot are new to the competition.

History will be made on round six of the FIA European Rally Championship when the Geko Ypres Rally becomes the first all-asphalt event to include a Qualifying Stage.

The move, which the FIA Rally Commission approved at a meeting on 24 May, will add a new and exciting dimension to the traditional Ypres Rally shakedown stage held on the evening before the rally. All upcoming Tarmac-based rounds of the ERC are now authorised to run a Qualifying Stage, which will be used to determine the starting order for the opening leg of an event.

Rally Poland pioneered the Qualifying Stage concept in the ERC last season with all loose-surface rounds adopting the format as standard for 2013.

Geko Ypres Rally Manager Alain Penasse said: “The decision from the FIA Rally Commission was a huge surprise for all of us. We understood immediately the thrilling boost this would give to our shakedown. Last year we got more than 5000 spectators on the four-kilometre stage. This option gives the Geko Ypres Rally organisers, and the organisers behind other Tarmac events, to add extra suspense to the rally as the shakedown is no longer just a test run but decides the starting grid for the crews.”

On the Geko Ypres Rally, FIA and ERC priority drivers (a maximum of 20 will be nominated) will get two runs of the shakedown stage from 19:00hrs CET on Thursday 27 June before the Qualifying Stage goes live at 20:00hrs. The fastest driver will be the first to select their starting position at a ceremony in the Ypres Rally Center from 13:00hrs on Friday 28 June with the second fastest driver next up and so on until all starting positions have been selected. The traditional Ypres shakedown for all other crews will begin at 20:30hrs on Thursday.

Sanremo bosses prepare for ERC return

Preparations are underway for the penultimate round of this year’s FIA European Rally Championship, Rallye Sanremo.

The Italian Tarmac classic, which first appeared on the full ERC roster in 1964, takes place from 10-12 October and celebrates its 55^th anniversary in 2013.

“We’re putting together the final details now and we’ll have one or two new things but we’re also going to stick with the tried and trusted elements that work, such as the service park on the seafront and the media centre in the old station,” said Sergio Maiga, President of event organiser ACI Sanremo. “We can expect about 230 kilometres of stages this year, with the start on Thursday afternoon, possibly in the centre of the town: we already want to have a few stages on Thursday as we used to. And of course we will keep the usual parade through the town on Friday. This is a symbol of how important the rally is for the town.”

As well as counting as a round of the ERC, Rallye Sanremo forms part of the Italian Rally Championship, a prospect that further excites Maiga, particularly if multiple national champion Paolo Andreucci takes part in a Peugeot 208 T16.

“We believe that we should see the debut of the Peugeot 208 T16, which is due to be homologated at the beginning of Sanremo and hopefully Paolo Andreucci will drive it, which will be a big attraction,” said Maiga. “We might have some other special guests and we’re working on doing a specific stage to mark our birthday.”

New base for ERC Croatia Rally

The Croatia Rally, round 10 of the FIA European Rally Championship, will get a new base when it takes place from 26-28 September.

Poreč, a popular tourist destination on the Adriatic coast, will host the all-asphalt event, which is being organised the Croatian Car and Karting Federation (CCKF) in partnership with Italian sports management company United Business. The agreement was signed by CCKF President Matko Bolanca and United Business General Manager Pier Liberali earlier this month.

Zrinko Gregurek, Secretary General of CCKF said: “For the 40^th anniversary of Croatia Rally, which has been organised many years and previously known as INA DELTA RALLY by AC DELTA from Zagreb, Eurosport Events, the promoter of the European Rally Championship, will ensure a worldwide media coverage. United Business is planning a number of initiatives both at sporting level and of side events, to make this Rally one of the most attractive in Europe.”

The event will also get a striking new logo, which incorporates the red and white chequered effect of the Croatian national flag.

In the spotlight: François Delecour

One of the sport’s legends, Delecour remains a formidable competitor despite turning 50 in 2012 when he won the Romanian Rally Championship title and scored points on a one-off WRC return on Rallye Monte-Carlo. His programme for 2013 will include up to 10 rounds of the European Rally Championship in a Peugeot 207 Super 2000 with backing from Visit Romania. After scoring points on the season-opener in Austria, he finished on the podium in Latvia and was in the top five on Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse – an event he won back in 1993.

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Formula One race winner Robert Kubica says he’s been able to take plenty of positives away from his first three appearances in this year’s FIA European Rally Championship.

Kubica has led all three ERC rounds that he’s contested so far and has set a total of 16 fastest stage times in the process.

“I’ve been pleased with my pace, I’ve won stages and I’ve been able to fight at the top on all three rallies I have done,” said Kubica, who retired from last week’s Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse following fuel pump failure. “To come to these events for the first time and drive at the same pace as the championship contenders gives me a positive to take away from this.”

Kubica’s next scheduled ERC appearance is on his home event, Lotos 70^th Rally Poland, from 13-15 September. However, he remains open to contesting additional rounds in the Citroën DS3 RRC he shares with co-driver and fellow pole Maciej Baran.

Miss France and Henri Leconte in ERC visit

Two high-profile celebrities visited round five of the FIA European Rally Championship in Corsica last weekend.

French tennis legend Henri Leconte and the current Miss France, Marine Lorphelin, followed the opening day of the event by visiting stages and getting a run through a test in a Peugeot 208 GTI course car. The car company was one of the event’s major partners.

Leconte is a big fan of motorsport and works for Eurosport as a tennis presenter, while Lorphelin, is currently studying medicine and wants to specialise as a pediatrician.

ERC events have a habit of attracting glamorous guests: on the Ypres Rally in 2010 Miss Belgium, Cilou Annys, accompanied Thierry Neuville for a run in the pre-event shakedown.

This year’s Tour de Corse proved to be an epic with eventual winner Bryan Bouffier one of four drivers to lead the legendary rally. Other leaders included Formula One race winner Robert Kubica and current ERC pacesetter Jan Kopecký. Four stages of the event were shown live on Eurosport and France 3 Corsica.

Meeke relishes Corsica ERC zero car run

While French star Bryan Bouffier was doing the winning on Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse last week, Kris Meeke had the honour of leading the pack throughout the two-day event, round five of the FIA European Rally Championship.

Meeke, a successful international rally driver, was responsible for driving the course-opening zero car, a Peugeot 208 R2, alongside fellow Northern Irishman Chris Patterson.

Afterwards, Meeke said: “Even driving the zero car, the Tour de Corse is a magical event and I had tremendous fun on the stages in the Peugeot 208 R2. We used the rally to try some new parts and we didn’t have a single problem, so that was a highly satisfying result.”

Meeke again underlined his desire to compete for real on an ERC round in the near future.

Le Mans racer Sarrazin shines on rallying return in ERC

Stéphane Sarrazin, a podium finisher in the Le Mans 24 Hours, made his return to rallying on last week’s Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse and marked his outing by finishing third overall on the FIA European Rally Championship round.

The French hero accepted a late invitation to drive a MINI John Cooper Works on the island contest and completed the podium following a close battle with Craig Breen, which raged until the final stage of the event live on Eurosport and France 3 Corsica.

“I was very happy to have the drive on this event given the quality of the field,” said Sarrazin. “Finishing on the podium was a very big ask because of the strength of the drivers here but I did a good rally with no mistakes and was able to be at the finish.”

The ERC movers and shakers

Despite his three-event winning run coming to an end, Jan Kopecký left Corsica with his margin at the top of the FIA European Rally Championship points’ table widened by 10 points.

The ŠKODA Motorsport ace started the island classic 27 points ahead of Craig Breen but now holds a 37-point advantage after he bettered Breen by two places. And there were plenty of other movers and shakers in the ERC standings following Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse.

Peugeot driver Bryan Bouffier’s first ERC win of 2013 elevates him into third place in the overall classification with Stéphane Sarrazin moving into the top 10 after he completed the podium.

By claiming his second category win in as many starts, Andreas Aigner (pictured) takes over from Jaroslav Orsák is the new leader of the ERC Production Car Cup while Marco Tempestini climbs into fourth position in class. Subaru ace Aigner’s advantage over Mitsubishi-driving Orsák is 11 points.

Kornél Lukács shoots up to second place in the ERC 2WD Championship with his maiden win: the Hungarian is now 20 points behind countryman Zoltán Bessenyey (Eurosol-Honda Civic Type R), who wasn’t competing in Corsica but will return for round six in Ypres next month.

In the FIA European Rally Championship for Teams, GPD Mit Metal Racing Team’s total stands at 136, while Napoca Rally Academy heads Team Renault Sport Technologies by 51 points in the ERC Production Car Cup for Teams.

In the spotlight: Lorenzo Bertelli

Lorenzo Bertelli, the son of famed fashion designer Miuccia Prada, is a relative novice when it comes to driving rally cars having started out in 2010. The Italian has spent much of his career in Group N machinery but is now trying out Regional Rally Car technology for size with last week’s Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse marking only his second start in his M-Sport-prepared Fiesta and his first event on Tarmac alongside new co-driver Mitia Dotta, who partnered Giandomenico Basso to the ERC crown in 2006 and 2009. Bertelli, who carries the number 37 on his rally cars for luck, was in the top 10 in Corsica when his car briefly caught fire after he slid off the road on stage five and the hot exhaust ignited shrubbery beneath the car. He restarted on Saturday with the aim of building his experience of the FIA European Rally Championship round.

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*ŠKODA ace Kopecký extends European championship lead in second

*Aigner clinches ERC Production Car Cup for Subaru as Lukács tops 2WD

*Charging Breen lands Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy

Bryan Bouffier has ended Jan Kopecký’s run of success in the FIA European Rally Championship with his maiden victory on Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse, which reached a thrilling climax live on Eurosport and France 3 Corsica earlier today.

Co-driven by fellow Frenchman Xavier Panseri in a Michelin-shod Peugeot 207 Super 2000, Bouffier started the final day 3.6s behind Kopecký but powered ahead when the ŠKODA Motorsport pilot struggled in the slippery conditions on Saturday’s opening test. Bouffier pulled further clear with a second stage win only for Kopecký to hit back with the fastest time on stage nine and cut Bouffier’s lead to 10.7s heading to service in Ajaccio with two stages remaining.

There, Kopecký opted to fit soft-compound Michelin tyres to his Fabia S2000 for the final brace of stages in the mistaken belief that it would rain. Instead the hard compound rubber on Bouffier’s 207 gave the Delta Rally driver the performance he craved as Kopecký lost time when his car dropped onto three cylinders on the final stage.

“To join the illustrious list of French drivers who have won Monte-Carlo and Corsica makes me very happy,” said Bouffier, now a three-time ERC winner. “But I am also happy to win this event on French territory. Against some very strong opposition this is a significant achievement.”

Kopecký, who has increased his ERC title lead to 37 points over Craig Breen, said: “I had no confidence on the first stage this morning so I reduced my speed. We took some time out of Bryan on stage nine but we took soft tyres for the final stages thinking it would rain. Finally we had some problems with the engine and finished second, which is still not bad for the championship.”

Le Mans 24 Hours racer Stéphane Sarrazin marked his return to rallying for the first time since last September by bringing his MINI John Cooper Works home in a strong third following a close battle with Irishman Craig Breen. The Peugeot Rally Academy runner was third starting day two only to fall back to fourth when he slid into a bridge parapet on stage seven. Although the impact left his car with significant damage, it didn’t make a big difference to his speed and he was back in third at the end of stage nine. But Sarrazin proved too strong and while Breen settled for fourth, his performance earned him the prestigious Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy.

Rallying legend François Delecour, who only secured his drive last week, achieved his aim of a top-six finish in fifth – 20 years after he won the event. His Munaretto Sport Peugeot was back to full working order after a handful of problems slowed the 50-year-old Frenchman on day one.

Julien Maurin finished sixth with ERC Production Car Cup winner Andreas Aigner a fine seventh in his Yokohama-shod Stohl Racing Subaru Impreza R4 STI. The Austrian started Saturday’s stages locked in a close fight with Renault’s Germain Bonnefis but pulled clear when Bonnefis lost time with an incorrect tyre compound choice for the largely dry morning loop.

Jean-Mathieu Leandri recovered from a late puncture to take eighth for Saintéloc Racing and the honour of being the top Corsican driver home after Jean-Marc Manzagol retired on stage nine. Bonnefis claimed ninth and top points for Renault Sport Technologies in the ERC Production Car Cup for Teams. Jean-Michel Raoux completed the top 10 in a Delta Peugeot.

Kornél Lukács was first home in the ERC 2WD Championship after a puncture and an off wrecked long-time leader Pierre-Antoine Guglielmi’s hopes. Molly Taylor secured the ERC Ladies’ Trophy with a strong second in class with Vasily Gryazin third.

Elsewhere, Antonín Tlusťák was the GPD Mit Metal Racing Team’s top finisher in 11th with team-mate Jaroslav Orsák one place behind. The result hands the Czech squad a comfortable lead in the European Rally Championship for Teams. Marco Tempestini was the leading Napoca Rally Academy driver home in 16th but there was late disappointment for Daniel Oliveira, who went off the road on the final stage when running in the top 10.

Formula One racer winner Robert Kubica didn’t restart following the fuel pump failure that put him out on stage five. The Pole said: “It’s a pity that we retired as I felt very good behind the wheel. I was in the lead without having done any mistakes and I am satisfied with this and our tyre choices, which were very complicated with the changing weather conditions. I was here to learn and although the rally was short for me I’ve got more important experience.”

Watch Inside ERC on Eurosport and Eurosport Player as follows:

23:15hrs-23:45hrs CET, Tuesday 21 May

10:30hrs-11:00hrs CET, Wednesday 22 May (replayed)

TOP 10 POSITIONS (after 11 stages, 248.08 kilometres)
1 Bryan Bouffier (FRA)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Peugeot 207 S2000 2h41m58.2s

2 Jan Kopecký (CZE)/Pavel Dresler (CZE) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +39.8s

3 Stéphane Sarrazin (FRA)/Jacques-Julien Renucci (FRA) MINI JCW S2000 +1m37.6s

4 Craig Breen (IRL)/Paul Nagle (IRL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +1m40.8s

5 François Delecour (FRA)/Dominique Savignoni (FRA) Peugeot 207 S2000 +3m25.0s

6 Julien Maurin (FRA)/Nicolas Klinger (FRA) Ford Fiesta S2000 +3m37.6s

7 Andreas Aigner (AUT)/Jürgen Heigl (AUT) Subaru Impreza R4 STI +7m53.9s

8 Jean-Mathieu Leandri (FRA)/Renaud Jamoul (BEL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +8m47.8s

9 Germain Bonnefis (FRA)/Olivier Fournier (FRA) Renault Mégane RS +9m16.8s

10 Jean-Michel Raoux (FRA)/Francis Mazotti (FRA) Peugeot 207 S2000 +13m54.3s

ERC Production Car Cup:

Andreas Aigner (AUT)/Jürgen Heigl (AUT) Subaru Impreza R4 STI
ERC 2WD Championship:

Kornél Lukács (HUN)/Mark Mesterhazi (HUN) Citroën C2 R2 Max

ERC Ladies’ Trophy:

Molly Taylor (AUS) Citroën DS3 R3T

Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy:

Craig Breen (IRL)

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS

Go to www.fiaerc.com for the championship positions following round five of 12.

RALLY LEADERS

SS1-3: Craig Breen

SS4: Robert Kubica

SS5: Bryan Bouffier

SS6: Jan Kopecký

SS7-11: Bryan Bouffier

STAGE WINNERS

Day one (Friday 17 May, 138.43 kilometres):

SS1: Le Fangu-ND de la Serra (27.53kms): Overall: Breen/PC: Bonnefis/2WD: Guglielmi

SS2: Erbajolo-Pont d’Altiani 1 (24.57kms): Breen/Bonnefis/Guglielmi

SS3: Barchetta-La Porta 1 (23.24kms): Breen/Aigner/Guglielmi

SS4: Taverna-Pont de Castirla (15.28kms): Kubica/Bonnefis/Guglielmi

SS5: Barchetta-La Porta 2 (23.24kms): Breen/Stage cancelled for PC and 2WD crews

SS6: Erbajolo-Pont d’Altiani 2 (24.57kms): Kopecký/Aigner/Guglielmi

Day two (Saturday 18 May, 109.65 kilometres):

SS7: Carbuccia-Tavera 1 (16.89kms): Bouffier/Aigner/Pomponi

SS8: Sarrola-Liamone 1 (26.70kms): Bouffier/Aigner/Lukács

SS9: Marato-Acqua Doria (22.47kms): Kopecký/Aigner/Taylor

SS10: Carbuccia-Tavera 2 (16.89kms): Bouffier/Aigner/Grayazin

SS11: Sarrola-Liamone 2 (26.70kms): Bouffier/Aigner/Lukács

KEY STATISTICS

ERC rally wins in 2013: Jan Kopecký 3; Bryan Bouffier 1; Jari Ketomaa 1

ERC stage wins in 2013: Jan Kopecký 21; Robert Kubica 16; Craig Breen 11; Bryan Bouffier 8; Jari Ketomaa 8; Raimund Baumschlager 3; Bernardo Sousa 2; Jan Černý 1; Beppo Harrach 1; Kajetan Kajetanowicz 1; Luis Monzón; Ricardo Moura 1; Jaroslav Orsák 1; Václav Pech 1.

NEXT ROUND

GEKO Ypres Rally, 27-29 June

Visit the new ERC website, www.fiaerc.com. Follow the ERC on Facebook and Twitter.

The French rally will see, for their second race of the season, Molly Taylor and Seb Marshall with the Citroen DS3 R3 with which they took part in the Rally of the Azores.

If it is true that the first race of the year was unlucky for Molly Taylor, as she was forced to retire after a small off, to avoid another competitor, the sports programme of the strong Australian driver continues as announced by United Business, the Italian company which takes care of her sports management.

Molly Taylor will be at the start of the Tour de Corse (16-18 May), one of the "mythical" races of international rallying, a rally of great tradition, difficult and challenging, which takes place on the beautiful Mediterranean island.

Molly Taylor and Seb Marshall are aware that the event which awaits them will not be an easy one, but their spirits are high, “The Tour de Corse is definitely a challenging race – says the Australian driver – I am anxious to do the recce, it is the first time I take part in this rally. Other United Business drivers, who have already been there, have confirmed that it is really full of corners and very twisty. I am sure that the Citroen DS 3 will help me but it is a totally new rally, it will be important to read the race well trying to get the maximum result. I do not yet know our opponents, probably some of them will not be at their first time on the Corsica roads and they will certainly be favoured over me, but Seb and I will certainly will not be mere spectators, I like challenges and the Tour De Corse is a great challenge”.

To best prepare the challenging Corsican race, United Business has planned a test session for next week, most likely in Tuscany, in order to find the best set-up for the car in accordance with the new tyres which Molly Taylor will use in Corsica.

Racing Press

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Robert Kubica’s engineer Kevin Struyf says crashing is the only way for the ex-Formula One star to learn his trade in the FIA European Rally Championship.

The Polish hero inflicted substantial damage to his Citroën DS3 RRC when he rolled on SATA Rallye Açores last Friday – less than a month after a crash put him out of Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés. Having led the event until he got caught up in heavy fog, Kubica eventually finished a creditable sixth overall.

“We are not disappointed because when the driver arrives in a rally it’s quite normal to make a mistake,” said Struyf. “It’s impossible to arrive in rally and to make a very good pace without making a mistake. Robert had a very impressive pace. He made seven fastest times and was leading the rally. That is the most important thing to keep in mind. He has to work a little bit to be more constant but it’s all part of the learning.”

From P2 to Mk2 for Breen

Craig Breen will step back in time in his native Ireland this week. The FIA European Rally Championship title contender, runner-up on the last three rounds, is switching from his regular Peugeot 207 Super 2000 to a Ford Escort Mk2, which first became a force in the late 1970s.

Breen and co-driver Paul Nagle are tackling the International Rally of the Lakes from 3-5 May and the Donegal International Rally from 21-23 June with support from businessman James Coleman, who owns the rear-wheel-drive car.

“I’m so delighted this opportunity has come up,” said Breen. “This is a huge year for me competing in the FIA ERC as a Peugeot Rally Academy driver. But as a consequence I had not scheduled a home event for 2013. Now with this two-rally deal from James, it gives Paul and me the ideal chance to compete in two of the most famous Irish Tarmac events at the wheel of James‘ Mk2.”

Coleman added: “Not having Craig compete on home turf throughout 2013 would have been a shame. We are thrilled to have him in our car for the two events. Craig is something special both as a driver and a person and we are proud to be involved with him.”

Açores organisers praised as bad weather strikes

Former event-winning co-driver Paul Nagle has led the tributes to the SATA Rallye Açores organising team after the event almost ran in its entirety despite tough weather conditions blighting the three days of competition.

Heavy rain left roads badly damaged and required the intervention of the local government to mobilise almost 200 personnel to work non-stop on Friday night to repair the damage.

“There was a lot of frustration but great credit needs to be given to the organisers,” said Nagle. “They worked night and day and all hours to keep things going. There’s one thing you can’t control and that’s the weather. They did a fantastic job at the end of the day.”

François Ribeiro, Motorsport Development Director of Eurosport Events, the ERC promoter, said: “We have seen already how amazing the support is from the government in Açores. They have made possible the live television coverage, helped to ensure that everybody got here following the airline strikes and they have done this extra work. We really must take our hats off to them.”

Satisfied Tlusťàk proves versatility in the ERC

Antonín Tlusťàk proved his versatility with his second FIA European Rally Championship top 10 of 2013 for the GPD Mit Metal Racing Team.

Driving a ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000, the former ERC event winner finished 10^th overall on the all-asphalt Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés last month before coming home in eighth place on the loose-surface SATA Rallye Açores, his first start on wet gravel.

“We are satisfied with our result on SATA Rallye Açores,” said Tlusťàk, whose co-driver Lukáš Vyoral had never competed on gravel before. “We were there for first time and it was very, very difficult to write good pacenotes, especially because of the weather conditions. But we didn’t make any big mistakes and drove consistently throughout the rally. It was a nice fight with Janós Puskádi and I am happy. Now we will work on rebuilding the car into a Tarmac version for Tour de Corse.”

Twelve rounds only for ERC in 2013

As a reminder the FIA European Rally Championship will total 12 rounds in 2013 following confirmation that the San Marino Rally will not form part of this year’s calendar.

Scheduled to run as round seven from 11-13 July, the event’s inclusion on the ERC roster had always been subject to the signing of an agreement between the rally organisers and the ERC promoter Eurosport Events. Unfortunately this proved not to be possible due to financial reasons.

With no replacement rally planned, drivers will now count their best four scores from the first six rounds and their best four results from the last six rallies.

The revised ERC calendar for 2013 is as follows:

01 :International Jännerrallye (Austria) / Asphalt/snow / 3-5 January
02: Rally Liepāja-Ventspils (Latvia) / Gravel/snow / 1-3 February
03: Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés (Spain) /Asphalt / 21-23 March
04: SATA Rallye Açores (Portugal) / Gravel / 25-27 April
05: Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse (France) / Asphalt / 16-18 May
06: GEKO Ypres Rally (Belgium) / Asphalt / 27-29 June
07: Sibiu Rally (Romania) / Gravel / 25-27 July
08: Barum Czech Rally Zlín / Asphalt 30 August-1 September
09: Lotos 70^th Rally Poland / Gravel / 13-15 September
10: Croatia Rally / Asphalt / 26-28 September
11: Rallye Sanremo (Italy) / Asphalt / 10-12 October
12: Rallye International du Valais (Switzerland) / Asphalt / 7-9 November

Why the partnership is strong at Eurosol Honda Civic Type R

Drivers and co-drivers need to form strong partnerships in order to achieve success in the FIA European Rally Championship. When it comes to Zoltán Bessenyey and Yulianna Nyirfas, the partnership doesn’t get much stronger.

The Eurosol Honda Civic Type R duo, who currently head the ERC 2WD Championship for drivers and co-drivers respectively, are also partners having met two years ago. However, their relationship is secondary every time they tackle a stage.

“From the moment we’re standing at the starting line of a special stage, we’re not considering ourselves as a couple, but as driver and co-driver and we’re concentrating ourselves on our job,” said Nyirfas. “Of course, I know Zoltán well, and that’s an advantage when something isn’t going right, if someone makes a mistake for example. As co-driver I reckon myself as a mother that takes care of her little boy: encouraging him with small talk or suggesting something he likes to eat. From the moment the rally has finished though, everything is a lot more relaxed. That’s when all the stress disappears.”

In the spotlight: Ekaterina Stratieva

The top-scoring female in last year’s FIA European Rally Championship, Stratieva began her bid for FIA ERC Ladies’ Trophy glory with victory on Rally Islas Canarias last month. With regular co-driver Carmen Poenaru unavailable, Stratieva linked up with the Italian navigator Veronica Boni, which necessitated a change to common-language English pacenotes. They were heading for more success in the ERC Ladies’ Trophy on SATA Rallye Açores only to crash into retirement in the closing stages. Away from rallying, Stratieva is a graduate in art and design in her native Bulgaria.

www.fiaerc.com

The 2013 FIA European Rally Championship will total 12 rounds following confirmation that the San Marino Rally will not form part of this year’s calendar.

Scheduled to run as round seven from 11-13 July, the event’s inclusion on the ERC roster had always been subject to the signing of an agreement between the rally organisers and the ERC promoter Eurosport Events.

Despite extensive efforts to ensure that the rally remained on the ERC schedule, the event organisers have informed Eurosport Events that they are not in a position to sign the agreement for financial reasons.

With no replacement rally planned, drivers will now count their best four scores from the first six rounds and their best four results from the last six rallies.

“We have tried everything to find a number of solutions to keep the San Marino Rally on the ERC calendar but, unfortunately, this has not been possible with the new management of San Marino’s motorsport federation,” said François Ribeiro, Motorsport Development Director, Eurosport Events. “We regret the idea of losing a compact gravel event in Italy, but the cut in public funding went beyond expectations.”

The revised ERC calendar for 2013 is as follows:

01 :International Jännerrallye (Austria) / Asphalt/snow / 3-5 January 2013

02: Rally Liepāja-Ventspils (Latvia) / Gravel/snow / 1-3 February 2013

03: Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés (Spain) /Asphalt / 21-23 March 2013

04: SATA Rallye Açores (Portugal) / Gravel / 25-27 April 2013

05: Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse (France) / Asphalt / 16-18 May 2013

06: GEKO Ypres Rally (Belgium) / Asphalt / 27-29 June 2013

07: Sibiu Rally (Romania) / Gravel / 25-27 July 2013

08: Barum Czech Rally Zlín / Asphalt 30 August-1 September 2013

09: Lotos 70th Rally Poland / Gravel / 13-15 September 2013

10: Croatia Rally / Asphalt / 26-28 September 2013

11: Rallye Sanremo (Italy) / Asphalt / 10-12 October 2013

12: Rallye International du Valais (Switzerland) / Asphalt / 7-9 November 2013

*Açores triumph marks first success on gravel for ŠKODA’s championship leader

*Breen maintains title challenge with second place for Peugeot

*Bruschetta and Bessenyey win support classes for Subaru and Honda

Jan Kopecký continued his impressive start to the FIA European Rally Championship season by making it three wins out of four with his first gravel victory on SATA Rallye Açores today.

Driving a Michelin-shod ŠKODA Motorsport Fabia Super 2000 alongside navigator Pavel Dresler, Kopecký made sure of his latest success by completing the event-closing Tronqueira stage, one of six produced for live broadcast by Eurosport Events, with his seventh-fastest stage time.

The result means that Kopecký increases his lead of the ERC standings to 27 points heading to round five in Corsica next month and lays to rest the painful memories of 2010 when he crashed out of top spot five kilometres from the finish of the same Tronqueira stage.

Craig Breen extended his run of podiums to three events with a fine second place in a Peugeot Rally Academy 207 S2000 as local hero Ricardo Moura bagged the final podium place on his debut in a Fabia S2000 after a close scrap with fellow Portuguese Bruno Magalhães and Bernardo Sousa. Moura’s performance earned him the coveted Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy.

In the ERC Production Car Cup there was a debut triumph for Alessandro Bruschetta in a Napoca Rally Academy Subaru Impreza R4 STI. Hannes Danzinger was on course for victory in the ERC 2WD Championship but an off three stages from home left his Renault Clio R3 with damaged suspension. Diogo Gago inherited the class lead only to stop two kilometres from the finish of Tronqueira, which left Zoltán Bessenyey to take the spoils for Eurosol-Honda Civic Type R.

“I’m very happy because my last gravel rally was two years ago and this is my first win on gravel so thanks to ŠKODA and to everyone in the team for doing a great job,” said Kopecký. “I was not thinking about the corner where I crashed but when I passed that corner I said ‘okay, it’s over’ and then we went wide on the next corner so I thought it was better not to think about these things again. It’s been a good start to the season and now we need to prepare for Corsica.”

Kopecký began Saturday’s final seven stages in the best possible fashion by going fastest on the first test, Graminhais, to extend his overnight advantage of 13.1s by 2.6s. Although Breen narrowed that margin slightly on Tronqueira 1, Kopecký was quickly in control by winning stage 15 and sharing the fastest time with his close friend Kubica through the Grupo Marques superspecial. While maintaining that he no longer needed to push at the midday service in Ponta Delgada, Kopecký won the event’s closing three stages for a winning margin of 32.2s.

Formula One race winner Robert Kubica had led after seven stages but dropped out of contention in thick fog on stage eight on Friday. His efforts to make up lost ground suffered a major setback when he rolled on stage 11, which inflicted substantial damage to his Citroën DS3 RRC in the process. Following repairs, the Pole increased his tally of event stage wins to seven as he secured sixth overall behind fourth-placed Magalhães, who slipped back with set-up issues, and fellow Peugeot driver Jérémi Ancian. Like team-mate Breen, Frenchman Ancian impressed on his first visit to the spectacular Açores archipelago.

There was early disappointed for Bernardo Sousa and Jean-Michel Raoux, who both went off the road on the fog-hit first stage of the day. Jan Černý made it through that test only to retire a handful of corners into Tronqueira when he hit an earth bank. Mark Wallenwein’s Fabia required extensive repair before the action began on Saturday following his roll on Friday. The German champion was heartened when members of two other teams helped to fix the damage. He finished 13th.

Behind Alessandro Bruschetta and Luis Rego, who was slowed in the closing stages by a turbo fault, Antonín Tlusťák top scored for the GPD Mit Metal Racing Team in the FIA European Rally Championship for Teams with his first top 10 of 2013. Marco Tempestini landed his first outright drivers’ points in 10th for the Napoca Rally Academy, which now heads the ERC Production Car Cup for Teams’ classification outright having been tied with Team Renault Sport Technologies. Tempestini had trailed Janós Puskádi starting the final stage but outgunned the Hungarian by 5.2s.

Ekaterina Stratieva was on course for her second victory in the ERC Ladies’ Trophy when she retired with one stage remaining. Molly Taylor stopped avoiding a stranded car on stage eight.

Watch Inside ERC on Eurosport and Eurosport Player:

Tuesday 30 April

Inside ERC: 23:00hrs-23:30hrs (Eurosport)

All timings are CET and subject to change. Check local listings for further details.

TOP 10 POSITIONS (after 19 stages, 240.79 kilometres)
1 Jan Kopecký (CZE)/Pavel Dresler (CZE) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 2h24m30.9s

2 Craig Breen (IRL)/Paul Nagle (IRL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +32.2s

3 Ricardo Moura (PRT)/Sancho Eiró (PRT) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +58.8s

4 Bruno Magalhães (PRT)/Nuno Rodrigues da Silva (PRT) Peugeot 207 S2000 +2m37.6s

5 Jérémi Ancian (FRA)/Gilles de Turckheim (FRA) Peugeot 207 S2000 +3m27.4s

6 Robert Kubica (POL)/Maciek Baran (POL) Citroën DS3 RRC +9m19.1s

7 Alessandro Bruschetta (ITA)/Justin Bardini (ITA) Subaru Impreza R4 STI +14m57.4s

8 Luis Miguel Rego (PRT)/José Pedro Silva (PRT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX +16m36.0s

9 Antonín Tlusťák (FRA)/Lukáš Vyoral (FRA) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +17m42.1s

10 Marco Tempestini (ROU)/Dorin Pulpea (ROU) Subaru Impreza R4 STI +18m10.6s

ERC Production Car Cup:

Alessandro Bruschetta (ITA)/Justin Bardini (ITA) Subaru Impreza R4 STI
ERC 2WD Championship:

Zoltán Bessenyey (HUN)/Yulianna Nyirfas (HUN) Honda Civic Type R

ERC Ladies’ Trophy:

No eligible finishers

Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy:

Ricardo Moura (PRT)

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS

Go to www.fiaerc.com for the championship positions following round four of 13.

RALLY LEADERS

SS1-7: Robert Kubica

SS8-19: Jan Kopecký

STAGE WINNERS

Day one (Thursday 25 April, 24.50 kilometres):

SS1: Coroa da Mata 1 (8.25kms): Cancelled due to road damage

SS2: São Brás/Vila Franca 1 (6.14kms): Overall: Kubica/PC: Orsák/2WD: Lefebvre

SS3: Lagoa 1 (7.91kms): Kubica/Pushkar/Lefebvre

SS4: Grupo Marques SSS 1 (2.20kms): Kubica/Orsák/Lefebvre

Day two (Friday 26 April, 94.90 kilometres):

SS5: Lagoa 2 (7.91kms): Kubica/Rego/Danzinger

SS6: Batalha Golfe 1 (7.86kms): Kubica/Orsák/Danzinger

SS7: Feteiras 1 (7.54kms): Kopecký/Orsák/Danzinger

SS8: Sete Cidades 1 (23.97kms): Sousa/Pushkar/Danzinger

SS9: Coroa da Mata 2 (8.25kms): Sousa/Bruschetta/Lefebvre

SS10: Batalha Golfe 2 (7.86kms): Kubica/Bruschetta/Danzinger

SS11: Feteiras 2 (7.54kms): Breen/Bruschetta/Lefebvre

SS12: Sete Cidades 2 (23.97kms): Cancelled for safety reasons

Day three (Saturday 27 April, 100.91 kilometres):

SS13: Graminhais 1 (20.82kms): Kopecký/Pushkar/Danzinger

SS14: Tronqueira 1 (21.33kms): Moura/Bruschetta/Lefebvre

SS15: São Brás/Vila Franca 2 (6.14kms): Kopecký/Rego/Lefebvre

SS16: Grupo Marques SSS 2 (2.20kms): Kopecký and Kubica/Barbosa/Lefebvre

SS17: Lomba da Maia (8.27kms): Kopecký/Bruschetta/Stage cancelled for 2WD crews

SS18: Graminhais 2 (20.82kms): Kopecký/Pushkar/Lefebvre

SS19: Tronqueira 2 (21.33kms): Kopecký/Pushkar/Lefebvre

KEY STATISTICS

ERC rally wins in 2013: Jan Kopecký 3; Jari Ketomaa 1

ERC stage wins in 2013: Jan Kopecký 19; Robert Kubica 15; Jari Ketomaa 8; Craig Breen 7; Bryan Bouffier 4; Raimund Baumschlager 3; Bernardo Sousa 2; Jan Černý 1; Beppo Harrach 1; Kajetan Kajetanowicz 1; Luis Monzón; Ricardo Moura 1; Jaroslav Orsák 1; Václav Pech 1.

NEXT ROUND

Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse, 16-18 May

Visit the new ERC website, www.fiaerc.com. Follow the ERC on Facebook and Twitter.

There was high drama on round four of the FIA European Rally Championship in Açores today as overnight pacesetter Robert Kubica hit trouble on the mid-Atlantic archipelago, handing top spot to ERC title-leader Jan Kopecký in the process.

Kubica, in a Citroën DS3 RRC, was five seconds clear of his ŠKODA Motorsport rival when he encountered thick fog on the Sete Cidades stage, which was being shown live on Eurosport and RTP Açores. With visibility limited to 10 metres in places, Kubica lost considerable time as he wisely backed off. The Formula One race winner was battling back into contention from sixth when he rolled on Feteiras with the dramatic aftermath streamed live on the official ERC website.

Despite inflicting substantial damage to his car, Kubica was able to drive back to service in Ponta Delgada, his task eased when the repeat of Sete Cidades was cancelled due to heavy fog. He explained: “We went to a right-hander and I lost the car. The road was very narrow so we clipped a bank. We nearly managed to get it back but the bank was bigger and thicker and unfortunately it pulled us on the side and we rolled. At the end of the stage we managed to fix a bit the wheel and we managed to come back. It has been difficult, difficult day.”

The Polish hero, who has slipped to eighth place, continued: “The crash was not an issue of visibility. I was surprised how the car reacted. I was not expecting it. I was not pushing because we had bad luck with the fog at the end of the last stage of the first loop. Even driving at normal speed there was very poor grip in the corner and we lost the car. It was a result of a mistake.”

Kopecký, whose overall lead starting Saturday’s final leg is 13.1s, experienced problems of his own, albeit of a somewhat private nature. “I was not so concentrated because my crotch strap was not quite in the right position and it was not very comfortable over every jump,” said the Czech champion. “The conditions were very difficult today, it’s good to be leading but Saturday is the longest of the rally and there are some very tricky stages.”

Behind Kopecký, Craig Breen is firmly in contention for first place despite suffering a puncture three kilometres into stage seven. The Peugeot Rally Academy driver has vowed to go on “full attack” on leg two as he bids to make it victory number one in this year’s ERC.

Meanwhile, Bruno Magalhães restarted on Friday morning in seventh place but climbed to third on the back of a charging display in his Peugeot 207 S2000. However, with multiple Azorean champion Ricardo Moura 1.6s behind and Bernardo Sousa a further 0.6s in arrears, the battle for Portuguese bragging rights is far from settled.

While Jérémi Ancian and Jean-Michel Raoux made it through Saturday’s stages in sixth and seventh respectively, Jan Černý was not so lucky. A fuel injector issue slowed the ERC 2WD champion in the morning before he wrecked his Fabia S2000’s front-left corner striking a rock on stage eight. Mark Wallenwein suffered a spectacular roll on stage nine but managed to continue after spectators helped to put his Fabia on its wheels.

Miguel Barbosa leads the ERC Production Car Cup after GPD Mit Metal Racing Team’s Jarosláv Orsak crashed out on stage eight. Hannes Danzinger tops the ERC 2WD division after Stéphane Lefebvre dropped back when he had to stop to repair a belt failure on his Peugeot 208 R2 on stage 10. Molly Taylor’s bid for success in the ERC Ladies’ Trophy ended when she got stuck in mud avoiding Jean-Mathieu Leandri’s stricken car one kilometre into Sete Cidades, handing the lead to Ekaterina Stratieva. Alessandro Bruschetta is the Napoca Rally Academy’s leading runner in 11th.

Leg two is the longest of the rally at 111.15 kilometres. Graminhais, the first of seven stages, gets underway at 09:21hrs local time. Two stages will be shown live as follows:

SS14: Tronqueira 1 (21.33kms): 12:15hrs-13:15hrs (Eurosport Player, RTP Açores)

SS19: Tronqueira 2 (21.33kms): 19:00hrs-20:00hrs (Eurosport)

* All timings are CET and subject to change

Visit the new ERC website, www.fiaerc.com. Follow the ERC on Facebook and Twitter and watch the action on Eurosport and Eurosport Player.

Round four of the FIA European Rally Championship starts later today with a feast of live coverage planned from SATA Rallye Açores.

Tomorrow, Friday, two stages will be shown live on Eurosport, Eurosport Player and RTP Açores, with two stages also streamed live on the official ERC website, www.fiaerc.com, a first for the European championship. Meanwhile, ERC Rally Radio will be broadcasting live during the event.

The full live broadcast schedule is as follows*:

Friday 26 April 2013
SS7: Feteiras 1 (7.54kms): 14:00hrs-14:30hrs (www.fiaerc.com)
SS8: Sete Cidades 1 (23.97kms): 14:30hrs-15:30hrs (Eurosport, RTP Açores)
SS11: Feteiras 2 (7.54kms): 18:30hrs-19:00hrs (www.fiaerc.com)
SS12: Sete Cidades 2 (23.97kms): 19:00hrs-20:00hrs (Eurosport, RTP Açores)

Saturday 27 April 2013
SS14: Tronqueira 1 (21.33kms): 12:15hrs-13:15hrs (Eurosport Player, RTP Açores)
SS19: Tronqueira 2 (21.33kms): 19:00hrs-20:00hrs (Eurosport)

* All timings are CET and subject to change

ERC Rally Radio live on-air times
Thursday 25 April: 17:15hrs CET
Friday 26 April: 12:30hrs CET
Saturday 27 April: 11:00hrs CET

ERC hero Kubica goes back to his racing roots

Formula One race winner turned FIA European Rally Championship stage pacesetter Robert Kubica went back to his racing roots during a pre-event test for SATA Rallye Açores on Monday.

Photographer Frantisek Dusek captured the Polish star catching Ekaterina Stratieva on the 5.5-kilometre test stage near Achada das Furnas in the centre of the island of São Miguel where the ERC qualifier will take place from 25-27 April after the gearbox in Stratieva’s Citroën C2 R2 failed.

She said: “Unfortunately again the gearbox is broken. Really I can’t believe the same thing has happened for a third time but I am happy that this happened now and not on a stage. My team will fix the problem and I try to be positive. I hope that we can do our plan for this rally.”

Monday’s test was hit by rain and fog. Several ERC regulars were in action on three separate test roads.

Family Taylor to watch ERC star live on TV

Molly Taylor’s family won’t have to travel far to watch the top Australian female driver begin her FIA European Rally Championship campaign on SATA Rallye Açores – they’ll be watching her live at home on Eurosport.

Taylor’s family live in Sydney and are not able to follow the 24-year-old in action of every rally she contests. Therefore, the live coverage produced by Eurosport Events of her rallies is a vital way for them to stay in touch as Taylor points out.

“The media coverage provided by Eurosport is a crucial element for increasing the profile of rallying worldwide,” said Taylor. “The television coverage is one of the most effective ways to bring the action to a large audience and the live element really raises the excitement for the viewers. Back in Australia my family and friends will be able to watch me competing live, on an island on the other side of the world. It’s pretty incredible when you think about it like that.”

Taylor will be in contention for FIA ERC Ladies’ Trophy honours along with Bulgaria’s Ekaterina Stratieva. Click here for more information about Molly Taylor.

Meeke keen on ERC runs with Peugeot

Never mind simply testing Peugeot’s all-new 208 T16, Kris Meeke wants to tackle rounds of the FIA European Rally Championship in the R5-specification when it’s ready for competition use later this season.

Along with ERC frontrunner Craig Breen, Meeke has been entrusted with testing and developing the striking French machine but would relish the opportunity to put it through its paces on a competitive event and face up to the serious competition ahead in the ERC, which resumes on SATA Rallye Açores this week.

“I’m up for doing any rallies, I just want to get back to competition,” said the British driver. “There’s nothing concrete about doing an event, but it’s sure that Peugeot need to be doing rallies and putting the car in the environment and that’s what they have traditionally done.”

Meeke has covered almost 500 kilometres on gravel in the 208 T16 and will test on asphalt for the first time next month. He has described the car as “exciting”.

ERC aces go hat-trick chasing

Hat-tricks will be the name of the game for Jan Kopecký and Bruno Magalhães in the FIA European Rally Championship this week.

ŠKODA Motorsport driver Kopecký (pictured) is targeting win number three in this year’s ERC and the third for the Czech manufacturer on SATA Rallye Açores, while Magalhães (Delta Racing Peugeot) can become a three-time winner of the gravel event following victories on the mid-Atlantic archipelago in 2008 and 2010.

Kopecký, the current ERC title-leader, said: “We want to continue our success story and achieve the best possible result in the Açores. It will not be simple, because the competition is tough and the stages are tricky. Moreover, the oceanic weather conditions are highly variable. This event is certainly one of the most difficult rallies, but also one of the most beautiful ones.”

Napoca plans big ERC push in Açores

Napoca Rally Academy is mounting a big push for glory on round four of the FIA European Rally Championship, SATA Rallye Açores.

The Romanian organisation is chasing points in the ERC Production Car Cup for Teams with Marco and Simone Tempestini competing in a brace of Subaru Impreza R4 STIs. In addition, Alessandro Bruscheta and ERC 2WD contenders Ekaterina Stratieva and Florin Tincescu will also carry the Napoca colours on the gravel event.

“When we decided to enter our team in the ERC our goal was to help also other drivers to start in the ERC,” said Marco Tempestini. “For Açores also we have Florin Tincescu with a Dacia Logan and Ekaterina Stratieva and Alessandro Bruscheta in our colours and we are proud to support them. It’s amazing what Eurosport achieved in such a short time and for us it is very important to have live coverage form the stages. The live broadcasting for this event is amazing and I hope that all our fans in Romania will support us.”

Members of the Napoca Rally Academy took part in the International Marathon of Cluj last Sunday (pictured).

In the spotlight: Bruno Magalhães

A three-time Portuguese champion, Magalhães switched to the IRC in 2010 and impressed by winning SATA Rallye Açores with Peugeot Sport Portugal. His 2011 campaign was littered with retirements and ultimately masked the Lisbon driver’s obvious talents. He was reunited with former co-driver Carlos Magalhães on a one-off basis for the 2012 IRC season-opener in Açores and was challenging for a podium when he crashed heavily. Financial constraints kept him out of action until Rali Vinho Madeira in August 2012, his last event prior to his outing on Rally de Portugal earlier this month. The 32-year-old hopes to contest more rounds of the ERC this season following his outing on this week’s SATA Rallye Açores.

SATA Rallye Açores in 100 words

Based on the Atlantic archipelago’s largest island of São Miguel, the event is famous for stunning countryside and narrow and undulating gravel stages. Changeable weather is a factor with rain and fog adding to the challenge. The event begins with the non-competitive City Stage in Ponta Delgada on the night of Wednesday 24 April followed by the Qualifying Stage on Thursday morning, which will be used to determine the starting positions amongst the ERC and FIA priority drivers for the first of three legs on Thursday afternoon. Eurosport and RTP Açores will show the Sete Cidades and Tronqueira stages live.

Key facts
Starts: 20:30hrs, Wednesday 24 April, Praça Gonçalo Velho, Ponta Delgada
Finishes: 19:15hrs, Saturday 27 April, Praça Gonçalo Velho, Ponta Delgada
Entries received: 42
ERC appearances: None (from restructuring of championship in 2004)
Stages: 19
Stage distance: 240.79 kilometres (34.74 kilometres leg one, 94.90 leg two and 111.15 leg three)
Surface: Gravel
2012 winners: Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR)/Ola Fløene (NOR) ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000

Website: www.satarallyeacores.com

Less than a month after his sensational FIA European Rally Championship debut on asphalt, Robert Kubica will be trying gravel for size when the ERC resumes in Açores from 25-27 April.

The Formula One race winner led Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés by more than one minute after setting the fastest time on the event’s first eight stages in his Citroën DS3 RRC. He will now look to transfer that pace to the spectacular loose-surface runs of SATA Rallye Açores, which will receive live coverage on Eurosport, RTP Açores and the official ERC website, www.fiaerc.com.

Kubica got his first taste of gravel competition in Portugal last week: “For my first gravel rally, I think I have shown good pace on the stages where I didn’t have any problems. I have found a lot of answers to the questions I had a few days ago so that augurs well for the rest of the season.”

He continued: “The most important thing for me is to manage to correlate what I see in recce with what happens in the race. I am already aware that none of the rallies will be easy.”

M-Sport chooses ERC for Fiesta R5 debut

M-Sport’s all-new Ford Fiesta R5 could make its FIA European Rally Championship bow as early as Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse in mid-May before it competes in competition for the first time on the GEKO Ypres Rally at the end of June.

Under plans currently being finalised by M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson, the Fiesta R5 will run as a non-competitive course car in Corsica. Providing dispensation is granted, the car will then compete in Belgium from 27-29 June, a few days prior to the intended homologation date of 1 July.

“We want to showcase the car, show the world hopefully how good it is and we’re confident it will be,” said Wilson. “The ERC is going to be a big market and, personally, the ERC is just going to get stronger and stronger as a championship, especially if the WRC goes more global. They’re trying very hard with the live streaming from the Açores. It makes a lot of sense.”

Meanwhile, Citroën Racing head Yves Matton has confirmed that the company’s DS3 R5 will be ready for use from January 2014. “The idea is to have the car ready for the rallies at the start of next year. It will be an ideal car for the European championship,” he said.

Meeke: live ERC TV is the ultimate for rally fans

Kris Meeke has urged fans not to miss the live coverage of round four of the FIA European Rally Championship next week.

ERC promoter Eurosport Events will produce for live broadcast six stages of SATA Rallye Açores, an event Meeke won in 2009 before finishing in second place one year later.

He said: “I don’t want to watch it, I want to be driving on the rally but fans love to be part of it and the Eurosport coverage is what everybody wants. You’re sitting with the driver in the car as he goes down the stage. It’s all very well watching highlights the week after the rally but the buzz and the adrenalin has gone. If you’re watching rallying live there’s no other sport like it.”

SATA Rallye Açores LIVE broadcast schedule*
Friday 26 April 2013
SS7: Feteiras 1 (7.54kms): 14:00hrs-14:30hrs (www.fiaerc.com)
SS8: Sete Cidades 1 (23.97kms): 14:30hrs-15:30hrs (Eurosport, RTP Açores)
SS11: Feteiras 2 (7.54kms): 18:30hrs-19:00hrs (www.fiaerc.com)
SS12: Sete Cidades 2 (23.97kms): 19:00hrs-20:00hrs (Eurosport, RTP Açores)
Saturday 27 April 2013
SS14: Tronqueira 1 (21.33kms): 12:15hrs-13:15hrs (Eurosport Player, RTP Açores)
SS19: Tronqueira 2 (21.33kms): 19:00hrs-20:00hrs (Eurosport)
* All timings are CET and subject to change

Stargazing in the ERC

A star-studded entry will ensure there’s serious competition ahead when the FIA European Rally Championship thunders back into life in Açores from 25-27 April.

Forty-two cars will line-up for the spectacular gravel event, which will feature live coverage on Eurosport, RTP Açores and the ERC’s official website, www.fiaerc.com.

The full entry list can be found by clicking here but here are some of the key highlights:

Six: Stages broadcast live
Nineteen: Special stages
One: Formula One race winner – Robert Kubica
Seventeen: Nations represented
Two: ERC Ladies’ Trophy participants
Three: National champions – Ricardo Moura (Açores, Portugal) and Mark Wallenwein (Germany)
One: World champion – Craig Breen (pictured)
One: ERC 2WD champion – Jan Černý
Two: Regional Rally Cars in action
Eleven: Manufacturers represented

In the spotlight: Molly Taylor

Leading female driver Molly Taylor will tackle eight rounds of this year’s FIA European Rally Championship, chasing points in the ERC 2WD Championship and ERC Ladies’ Trophy in the United Business Rally Team Citroën DS3 R3T she shares with British co-driver Sebastian Marshall. Taylor, who was inspired to take up rallying by her mother Coral, a successful navigator in her native Australia, achieved early success back home before stepping up to the British Rally Championship in 2009. Her performances in the UK earned the Sydney-born Taylor a shot at a Pirelli Star Driver scholarship for the inaugural WRC Academy in 2011. She was one of six drivers selected for the programme and impressed throughout the season. However, a lack of funds prevented her from continuing her career until management company, United Business, stepped in and handed her a programme of international rallies in the latter half of 2012.

– 7 Days
SATA Rallye Açores
Portugal Gravel

www.fiaerc.com

The coverage of the FIA European Rally Championship’s visit to the Açores later this month has stepped up another gear with confirmation that a further two stages will be shown live – and free of charge – on the internet.

For the first time ever, the ERC’s official website, www.fiaerc.com, will show live coverage of the two Feteiras stages of SATA Rallye Açores on Friday 26 April. This will be in addition to the four stages being shown live on Eurosport and RTP Açores announced previously.

The live coverage of the 7.54-kilometre Feteiras stage will be available through a dedicated section of the ERC website. This area will also include links to the ERC’s live timing service and Radio ERC, which will provide interviews with drivers just seconds after they complete the stages, plus additional updates and information.

“Showing these extra two stages live will only enhance the excellent coverage we already have planned from the Açores, which is a truly incredible place due to the magnificent landscape,” said François Ribeiro, the Motorsport Development Director of ERC promoter Eurosport Events. “By making this footage available on the ERC’s official website for free, more people than ever before will be able to watch the dramatic action and the serious competition ahead in the ERC.”

Ranked as one of the most spectacular events on the ERC calendar, SATA Rallye Açores is famed for its stunning scenery and demanding gravel stages, which work their way through lush countryside on the island of São Miguel in the mid-Atlantic. Formula One race winner Robert Kubica, rising star Craig Breen, ERC title leader Jan Kopecký and top female competitor Molly Taylor are among the drivers contesting the 19-stage event.

SATA Rallye Açores LIVE broadcast schedule*

Friday 26 April 2013

SS7: Feteiras 1 (7.54kms): 14:00hrs-14:30hrs (www.fiaerc.com)

SS8: Sete Cidades 1 (23.97kms): 14:30hrs-15:30hrs (Eurosport, RTP Açores)

SS11: Feteiras 2 (7.54kms): 18:30hrs-19:00hrs (www.fiaerc.com)

SS12: Sete Cidades 2 (23.97kms): 19:00hrs-20:00hrs (Eurosport, RTP Açores)

Saturday 27 April 2013

SS14: Tronqueira 1 (21.33kms): 12:15hrs-13:15hrs (Eurosport Player, RTP Açores)

SS19: Tronqueira 2 (21.33kms): 19:00hrs-20:00hrs (Eurosport)

* All timings are CET and subject to final confirmation.

*ŠKODA’s Czech star retakes ERC title lead with second victory of 2013

*Heroic performance earns Kubica Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy

*Success for Aigner, Antxustegi and Stratieva in support categories

Jan Kopecký has made it a hat-trick of wins on Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés to move into the lead of the FIA European Rally Championship. His success, at wheel of his Michelin-shod ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000, followed Robert Kubica’s dramatic retirement from top spot when he damaged his Citroën DS3 RRC striking a barrier on Saturday’s second stage.

In the ERC Production Car Cup there was success for Andreas Aigner, who powered his Yokohama-supported Subaru Impreza R4 STI to first place ahead of Renault Mégane N4 rookie Germain Bonnefis. Gorka Antxustegi took top honours for Suzuki in the ERC 2WD Championship with Ekaterina Stratieva becoming the first driver to win a round of the new ERC Ladies’ Trophy.

Kubica, who was making his ERC debut, had been leading by more than one minute after going fastest on all eight stages on Friday, when he hit trouble on a right-hand bend approximately five kilometres from the finish of stage 10. His heroic performance, however, earned him the prestigious Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy.

“It’s a great pleasure for me to win this award,” said Kubica. “Of course Colin was a great driver and I have been supporting him when I was young. Normally winners are only at the finish but this trophy gives us a bit of satisfaction after this hard end and Colin is always in our hearts. Yesterday was a very positive day for us with a lot of positive experience. Unfortunately today was a negative experience but it’s part of driving.”

Of his accident, Kubica explained: “We were in a high-speed downhill section. It was quite big braking into a third-gear corner. Unfortunately when I hit the brakes I lost the rear of the car and I had to reduce the pressure [on the brakes] otherwise I would spin and the road was very narrow. I tried to do the corner but I didn’t reduce enough speed and I hit the barrier with the rear-left corner. Then with the front we dived into the barrier. It’s a shame but unfortunately this can happen.”

Kopecký, meanwhile, who moves back on top of the ERC drivers’ standings by 18 points following his success on the opening round in Austria, said: “I have to say it’s good for us and ŠKODA. We didn’t expect rain and that’s why we were losing so much on the first day. But the set-up of this car for the dry conditions is really perfect. And we had no problems. Robert was great but he made a mistake, which can happen in rallying.”

Behind Kopecký and co-driver Pavel Dresler, Craig Breen continued his strong start to his career as a member of the Peugeot Rally Academy in an impressive second place alongside navigator Paul Nagle. But there was disappointment for team-mate Jérémi Ancian, who was forced to stop when he ran out of spare tyres after suffering punctures on successive stages this morning.

Local hero Luis Monzón completed the podium in his MINI after he fought back from a puncture on day one in style. Aigner took fourth, Bonnefis finished fifth with Antxustegi completing the top six. Elsewhere, János Puskádi scored his first ERC points of 2013 in seventh with Jean-Mathieu Leandri overcoming a late puncture to claim eighth overall in a 207 S2000.

Robert Consani ensured maximum points for Team Renault Sport Technologies in the FIA Production Car Cup for Teams in ninth overall despite two punctures slowing his progress on the final afternoon. Antonín Tlusťák extended GPD Mit Metal Racing Team’s lead of the overall entrants’ classification in 10th place after a faulty clutch was changed at midday service. Zoltán Bessenyey moves to the top of the FIA ERC 2WD Championship standings after beating Suzuki privateer Hermann Neubauer to second following a close battle.

Watch the action on Eurosport and Eurosport Player

Saturday 23 March

Rally Review: 23:30hrs-00:00hrs (Eurosport)

Sunday 24 March

Rally Review replayed: 08:00hrs-08:30hrs (Eurosport)

Tuesday 26 March

Inside ERC: 00:00hrs-00:30hrs (Eurosport)

All timings are CET and subject to change. Check local listings for further details.

TOP 10 POSITIONS (after 14 stages, 246.34 kilometres)
1 Jan Kopecký (CZE)/Pavel Dresler (CZE) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 2h24m30.9s

2 Craig Breen (IRL)/Paul Nagle (IRL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +1m52.4s

3 Luis Monzón (ESP)/Jose Carlos Deniz (ESP) MINI John Cooper Works RRC +3m18.9s

4 Andreas Aigner (AUT)/Jürgen Heigl (AUT) Subaru Impreza R4 STI +6m50.8s

5 Germain Bonnefis (FRA)/Olivier Fournier (FRA) Renault Mégane N4 +8m31.0s

6 Gorka Antxustegi (ESP)/Alberto Iglesias (ESP) Suzuki Swift Sport S1600 +9m21.6s

7 János Puskádi (HUN)/Barna Gódor (HUN) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +10m13.6s

8 Jean-Mathieu Leandri (FRA)/Renaud Jamoul (BEL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +11m05.8s

9 Robert Consani (FRA)/Tibo Gorczyca (FRA) Renault Mégane N4 +11m57.7s

10 Antonín Tlusťák (FRA)/LukᚠVyoral (FRA) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +14m05.2s

ERC Production Car Cup:

Andreas Aigner (AUT)/Jürgen Heigl (AUT) Subaru Impreza R4 STI

ERC 2WD Championship:

Gorka Antxustegi (ESP)/Alberto Iglesias (ESP) Suzuki Swift Sport S1600

ERC Ladies’ Trophy:

Ekaterina Stratieva (BGR)/Veronica Boni (ITA) Citroën C2 R2

Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy:

Robert Kubica (POL)

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS

Go to www.fiaerc.com for the championship positions following round three of 13.

RALLY LEADERS

SS1-9: Robert Kubica

SS10-14: Jan Kopecký

STAGE WINNERS

Day one (Friday 22 March, 144.82 kilometres):

SS1: Moya 1 (13.57kms): Overall: Kubica/PC: Aigner/2WD: Vinyes

SS2: Artenara 1 (21.18kms): Kubica/Aigner/Vinyes

SS3: Tejeda 1 (14.31kms): Kubica/Aigner/García Ojeda

SS4: Moya 2 (13.57kms): Kubica/Aigner/Vinyes

SS5: Artenara 2 (21.18kms): Kubica/Aigner/Vinyes

SS6: Tejeda 2 (14.31kms): Kubica/Aigner/García Ojeda

SS7: Agüimes (25.82kms): Kubica/Bonnefis/García Ojeda

SS8: Ingenio (20.88kms): Kubica/Aigner/García Ojeda/

Day two (Saturday 23 March, 101.52 kilometres):

SS9: Maspalomas 1 (13.28kms): Kopecký/Aigner/Antxustegi

SS10: San Bartolomé de Tirajana 1 (21.36kms): Kopecký/Consani/Antxustegi

SS11: Vallesco 1 (16.12kms): Monzón/Bonnefis/Antxustegi

SS12: Maspalomas 2 (13.28kms): Kopecký/Aigner/Antxustegi

SS13: San Bartolomé de Tirajana 2 (21.36kms): Kopecký/Aigner/Antxustegi

SS14: Vallesco 2 (16.12kms): Kopecký/Aigner/Antxustegi

KEY STATISTICS

ERC rally wins in 2013: Jan Kopecký 2; Jari Ketomaa 1

ERC stage wins in 2013: Jan Kopecký 12; Jari Ketomaa 8; Robert Kubica 8; Craig Breen 6; Bryan Bouffier 4; Raimund Baumschlager 3; Jan Černý 1; Beppo Harrach 1; Kajetan Kajetanowicz 1; Luis Monzón; Jaroslav Orsák 1; Václav Pech 1.

NEXT ROUND

SATA Rallye Açores, 25-27 April 2013

Visit the new ERC website, www.fiaerc.com. Follow the ERC on Facebook and Twitter.

Reigning German champion Mark Wallenwein will begin his FIA European Rally Championship bid in front of live television cameras when he contests SATA Rallye Açores from 25-27 April.

Wallenwein hopes to contest as many as six ERC rounds in 2013 at the wheel of a ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000 although his exact schedule beyond the gravel event remains unconfirmed.

“I want to take the next step in my career and the ERC gives me this opportunity,” said the 25-year-old. “For sure we will do four events but we would like to do more. I don’t have the experience to fight for podiums but if I can be in the top eight in Açores I will be happy and, of course, the live television coverage will be very important for my sponsors and partners.”

Eurosport and RTP Açores will show four stages of the event live.

Renault team gets ready for ERC start in Canarias

With 20 days to go until the FIA European Rally Championship resumes on Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés, the Renault Sport Technologies squad is gearing up for its first outing of 2013.

Renault Sport Technologies is entering a brace of Mégane Renaultsport N4s for Germain Bonnefis and Robert Consani on seven rounds of the ERC, starting with the island event from 21-23 March.

“Rally has been in Renault’s genes for more than 80 years, and we are proud and thrilled to present this ambitious project,” said Renault Sport Technologies Team Manager Eric Balondrade. “With the Mégane Renaultsport N4 and the teams we’ve got in place, we’re aiming to add even more race wins and titles to the make’s long list of triumphs.”

Mouton supports new FIA ERC Ladies’ Trophy

FIA Women in Motorsport Commission President Michèle Mouton is backing the new-for-2013 FIA ERC Ladies’ Trophy, which begins on Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés next month.

Mouton remains the most successful female rally driver in history having won four rounds of the world championship in the past.

“We want to do all we can to encourage more women to participate in motorsport and really welcome this initiative by Eurosport Events,” said Mouton. “Hopefully this will encourage more women on to our rally stages and give a clear message that motorsport is open to all.”

FIA heads attend ERC meeting in Zagreb

FIA Rally Director Jarmo Mahonen joined Michèle Mouton, the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission President, in attending a meeting of European Rally Championship event promoters in Zagreb last week.

Mahonen visited Rally Liepāja-Ventspils earlier this month (pictured) and plans to attend a number of further rounds in 2013 as part of his commitment to help the ERC grow in partnership with promoter Eurosport Events, which he underlined by travelling to the Croatian capital.

François Ribeiro, Eurosport Events’ Motorsport Development Director, said: “The meeting gave us an opportunity to update them on the promotional activities we’ve done since we signed our contract with the FIA last September, such as international TV distribution and some of the promotional upgrades to come from Canarias onwards.”

Tree-planting event planned on Gran Canaria

Organisers of Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés are planning a tree-planting programme on 17 March. Drivers, co-drivers – even members of the public – are being invited to support the initiative, which is being designed to lessen the environmental impact of the asphalt event.

Germán Morales, President of the Organising Committee of Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés, said: “It will be a great opportunity to prove that motorsport and environmental conscience go together. This tree planting will remind the public attending this event how important it is to preserve the environment.”

Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés counts as round three of the 13-event ERC season.

Outline Tour de Corse details revealed

Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse organisers have revealed outline details of the route of round five of the FIA European Rally Championship in May.

Starting in the picturesque harbour town of Calvi on Friday 17 May, the asphalt rally will feature 11 stages over a competitive distance of 248.08 kilometres.

Friday’s route consists of six stages with a stop in Corte and an overnight halt in Ajaccio. The itinerary for day two, Saturday 18 May, which will be based around Ajaccio, includes five stages. The popular rally, known as the Rally of 10,000 Corners due to the high frequency of twists and turns, is celebrating its 56^th anniversary in 2013.

In the spotlight: Robert Consani

French talent Robert Consani emerged on the international stage in 2012 when he won the IRC Production Cup crown after narrowly missing out on the IRC 2WD Cup accolade. And the 30-year-old will be hoping to continue that momentum when he embarks on a seven-event ERC Production Car Cup campaign in a Renault Sport Technologies-run Mégane N4. With new co-driver Thibaut Gorczyca by his side, Consani will begin his bid on Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés next month when he will be expected to challenge for class victory.

www.fiaerc.com

Kopecký clinches Jännerrallye by half a second in thrilling start to new-look ERC

*Three leaders and seven stage winners in Austria

*Local heroes Harrach and Danzinger triumph in support championships

ŠKODA driver Jan Kopecký has taken his second consecutive victory on the Jännerrallye in Austria, round one of the new-look European Rally Championship by just half a second after a dramatic final day – with the winner only decided on the very last stage.

Kopecký started Saturday’s eight stages with a 20-second advantage over the Peugeot of Bryan Bouffier. But heavy rain and some ice made today’s route around Freistadt extremely tricky, and the Czech driver concentrated on just getting to the finish in front of 120,000 spectators.

His fortunes were turned on their head when he picked up a front-left puncture around seven kilometres from the finish of stage 15, which dropped him to third with only three stages to go. Bouffier, competing on his first Jännerrallye, took the lead despite spinning on the same stage.

However, Kopecký was determined not to give up, and pushed as hard as he could to start the final 25-kilometre stage 10.6 seconds adrift of Bouffier. He emerged from it with a winning margin of 11.1 seconds, ensuring that he scraped to victory by just half a second in heavy rain and fog in his Michelin-shod Fabia Super 2000.

“I never stopped believing I could win because if you stop believing you cannot achieve anything,” said Kopecký at the finish after the epic day-long battle. “I was still believing and still hoping. Thanks to Bryan for an incredible battle and to the team for a great car. Pavel [Dresler], my co-driver, also did a great job so thanks to him.”

Bouffier settled for second, a result he hadn’t anticipated heading into the Austrian event, given his lack of experience of the undulating stages. “The conditions on this event were really tricky, some of the most demanding that I have ever seen,” said Bouffier, who scored seven bonus points for topping leg two.

For much of the rally Bouffier battled with local hero Raimund Baumschlager, a 10-time Austrian champion. After a big moment in his self-run Fabia on the opening stage of the day that nearly put him out, the 53-year-old decided that discretion was the better part of valour in the treacherous conditions. He then concentrated on scoring points for his domestic championship.

Czech driver Václav Pech – a former winner of the Jännerrallye – was fourth in a turbocharged MINI John Cooper Works S2000, having consistently fought at the front and even won a stage on the opening day.

Austria’s Beppo Harrach was another stage winner and finished fifth in his Mitsubishi Lancer, clinching the ERC Production Car Cup and the Colin McRae Flat Out Trophy for his battling performance following extensive delays with a misting windscreen on Friday night’s stages. He beat former Polish champion Kajetan Kajetanowicz in a Subaru by 1.1s. Kajetanowicz was making his Jännerrallye debut and starred with an outright stage victory.

Former world championship star François Delecour was seventh in a Kronos-run Peugeot. The Frenchman had a spin on Saturday’s second stage and then lost more ground with a puncture.

Czech driver Jaroslav Orsák (Mitsubishi) took eighth despite a scare prior to the final stage when his car refused to fire after he stopped to rectify a throttle glitch. Jaromír Tarabus overcame electrical and intercom gremlins to finish ninth with Pavel Valoušek completing the top 10 after Jan Černý dropped out with a broken differential on the final stage. Rallying legend Stig Blomqvist finished 12th.

Promising Austrian Hannes Danzinger recovered from a penultimate stage puncture to win the ERC 2WD Championship classification in a Renault Clio R3. Hermann Neubauer had been in contention until he retired with a damaged wheel.

The ERC promised ‘Serious Competition Ahead’ – and with three different leaders and seven stage winners on the opening round, the series certainly delivered on its pledge ahead of the second round, Rally Liepāja-Ventspils in Latvia from 1-3 February.

Watch the action on Eurosport and Eurosport Player

Saturday 5 January 2013

Highlights Day One: 07:00hrs-07:30hrs (Eurosport2)

Highlights Day One: 08:45hrs-0915hrs (Eurosport)

Rally Review: 23:30hrs-24:00hrs (Eurosport)

Sunday 6 January 2013

Rally Review: 07:00hrs-07:30hrs (Eurosport2)

Tuesday 8 January 2013

Inside ERC: 23:45hrs-24:15hrs (Eurosport)

TOP 10 POSITIONS (after 18 stages, 248.34 kilometres)
1 Jan Kopecký (CZE)/Pavel Dresler (CZE) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 2h35m45.3s

2 Bryan Bouffier (FRA)/Olivier Fournier (FRA) Peugeot 207 S2000 +0.5s

3 Raimund Baumschlager (AUT)/Klaus Wicha (DEU) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +1m18.1s

4 Václav Pech (CZE)/Peter Uhel (CZE) MINI John Cooper Works S2000 +2m47.0s

5 Beppo Harrach (AUT)/Leopold Welsersheimb (AUT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX R4 +3m31.8s

6 Kajetan Kajetanowicz (POL)/Jarosław Baran (POL) Subaru Impreza STI R4 +3m32.9s

7 François Delecour (FRA)/Dominique Savignoni (FRA) Peugeot 207 S2000 +5m21.2s

8 Jaroslav Orsák (CZE)/David Šmeidler (CZE) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +6m33.7s

9 Jaromír Tarabus (CZE)/Daniel Trunkát (CZE) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +7m56.0s

10 Pavel Valoušek (CZE)/LukᚠKostka (CZE) Peugeot 207 S2000 +8m11.8s

ERC Production Car Cup:

Beppo Harrach (AUT)/Leopold Welsersheimb (AUT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX R4
ERC 2WD Championship:

Hannes Danzinger (AUT)/Kathi Wüstenhagen (GER) Renault Clio R3

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS

Go to www.fiaerc.com for the championship positions following round one of 13.

RALLY LEADERS

SS1-4: Jan Kopecký

SS5: Raimund Baumschlager

SS6-14: Jan Kopecký

SS15-17: Bryan Bouffier

SS18: Jan Kopecký

STAGE WINNERS

Day one (Friday 4 January, 139.16 kilometres):

SS1: Pierbach 1 (18.99kms): Overall: Kopecký/PC: Harrach/2WD: Danzinger

SS2: Liebenau 1 (10.22kms): Baumschlager/Harrach/Sulzinger

SS3: St Oswald 1 (8.68kms): Orsák/Orsák/Neubauer

SS4: Pierbach 2 (18.99kms): Bouffier/Harrach/Danzinger

SS5: Liebenau 2 (10.22kms): Baumschlager/Harrach/Sulzinger

SS6: St Oswald 2 (8.68kms): Bouffier/Kajetanowicz/Sulzinger

SS7: Pregarten 1 (8.76kms): Kopecký/Harrach/Neubauer

SS8: Schönau-St Leonhard 1 (22.93kms): Bouffier/Kajetanowicz/Danzinger

SS9: Pregarten 2 (8.76kms): Pech/Kajetanowicz/Danzinger

SS10: Schönau-St Leonhard 2 (22.93kms): Kopecký/Harrach/Danzinger

Day two (Saturday 5 January, 109.18 kilometres):

SS11: Gutau 1 (8.27kms): Kopecký/Kajetanowicz/Danzinger

SS12: Unterweisenbach 1 (13:53kms): Bouffier/Kajetanowicz/Danzinger

SS13: Arena Königswiesen 1 (7.79kms): Baumschlager/Harrach/Danzinger

SS14: Gutau 2 (8.27kms): Kopecký/Harrach/Danzinger

SS15: Unterweisenbach 2 (13:53kms): Harrach/Harrach/Chentre

SS16: Arena Königswiesen 2 (7.79kms): Kajetanowicz/Kajetanowicz/Chentre

SS17: Bad Zell-Tragwein-Aisttal 1 (25.00kms): Kopecký/Harrach/Chentre

SS18: Bad Zell-Tragwein-Aisttal 2 (25.00kms): Kopecký/Kajetanowicz/Chentre

KEY STATISTICS

ERC rally wins in 2013: Jan Kopecký 1

ERC stage wins in 2013: Jan Kopecký 7; Bryan Bouffier 4; Raimund Baumschlager 3; Beppo Harrach 1; Kajetan Kajetanowicz 1; Jaroslav Orsák 1; Václav Pech 1.

NEXT ROUND

Rally Liepāja-Ventspils, Latvia, 1-3 February

Visit the new ERC website, www.fiaerc.com. Follow the ERC on Facebook and Twitter.