2.9.2010 von Wolfgang.

Keith Cronin says he wants to get back behind the wheel of a PROTON Satria Neo S2000 in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge following a promising debut for the Malaysian manufacturer on Barum Czech Rally Zlin last week.
The 24-year-old Irishman had posted a succession of top 10 fastest stage times when he crashed out close to the finish of the penultimate stage of the opening day of the demanding asphalt event.
He said: "I want to do something with PROTON again but I don’t know when at the moment. It took me a little while to get to grips with the car but it was perfect, a fantastic car. I couldn’t believe it when I went off. It was so disappointing and I hurt my wrist a bit but that was nothing compared with the feeling of being out of the event. But it was a fantastic chance for me and one I’m not going to forget for a long time."
Cronin and co-driver Barry McNulty were in 14th overall when they crashed. They were fifth fastest on stage six of the event and seventh quickest on stage seven, despite overshooting a junction.
PROTON’s next IRC outing is currently scheduled for October’s RACMSA Rally of Scotland.

Keith Cronin impressed on his debut for the PROTON IRC team

Route changes for Rally of Scotland revealed

The penultimate round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, October’s RACMSA Rally of Scotland, has undergone a few changes with the addition of a new stage on the final day of the spectacular gravel event.
A new stage, Clashmore, has been introduced to replace Achray, which can no longer be used due to access issues, on day two of the event. As a result, the Loch Ard stage will be trimmed from 33.52 kilometres to 29.04 kilometres to accommodate the new test.
Furthermore, the finish at Stirling Castle on Sunday 17 October will also be 30 minutes earlier than scheduled at 15:04hrs local time, while the remote service on Sunday has been switched from Callander to Aberfoyle.
Clerk of the Course Iain Campbell said: "The new stage is more of a technical challenge than we had before. The start is very narrow with off-camber corners before joining a new forest road that takes in part of the Loch Ard stage. The final two-thirds are very fast and the committed driver will make the most of this test."
More information on the event can be found via the official website www.rallyofscotland.com.

Zlin Subaru Individual Award for Stajf

The latest Subaru Individual Award has gone to Vojtech Stajf following his run to 17th place on Barum Czech Rally Zlin, which took place in southeast Czech Republic from 27-29 August.
Driving for the Czech National Subaru Team, Stajf was making his second start in this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge following his appearance on Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo in January where he finished 14th alongside regular co-driver Marcela Doleckova.
The Subaru Individual Award is presented on each of the 12 IRC rounds this year to the highest-placed Subaru finisher and demonstrates the support that Subaru is extending to its customer drivers in the IRC in 2010.
Olivier Burri (Monte Carlo), Juan San Martin (Curitiba), Gabriel Pozzo (Argentina), Jose Barrios (Canary Islands), Teemu Arminen (Sardinia), Florian Gonon (Ypres), Sergio Silva (Azores) and Pedro Meireles (Madeira) are the other Subaru Individual Award winners so far this season.

Vojtech Stajf is the latest Subaru Individual Award winner

Miclotte reveals late scare in Zlin

Barum Czech Rally Zlin-winning navigator Frederic Miclotte has revealed that he and driver Freddy Loix suffered a dramatic moment of their own in the closing stages of the thrilling Intercontinental Rally Challenge event, which featured three changes of lead on the final four stages.
The Belgian pair secured their third win in as many starts in the IRC this season on the rain-hit asphalt rally in their Skoda Motorsport Fabia S2000. Despite being a relatively comfortable 25 seconds clear of closest rivals Juho Hanninen and Mikko Markkula at the finish in Zlin on Sunday afternoon, there was a moment when Miclotte feared their bid for victory would end prematurely.
"From looking at the data the team realised there was a problem with the gearbox and that it would have to be changed in the final service," said Miclotte. "We only had 20 minutes and it normally takes more than this. But the guys changed it in 14 minutes, which was really amazing. The team did a perfect job so we’re very happy even though it was quite a tense finish."

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1.9.2010 von Wolfgang.

Jan Kopecky’s disappointment at losing out on victory on Barum Czech Rally Zlin on Sunday (29 August) has been eased slightly after he was chosen as the winner of the third Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy, which is presented to the most spectacular driver who best embodies the spirit of the rallying legend on rounds of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
Kopecky, who follows in the footsteps of previous winners Bruno Magalhaes and Freddy Loix, was handed the prestigious award by a panel of judges consisting of the IRC’s Motorsport Development Manager Jean-Pierre Nicolas, Gilbert Roy, the Director of Editorial and Programme Development for Eurosport Events, and Colin’s father Jim McRae, who was in Zlin to make the presentation to Skoda Motorsport driver Kopecky.
Chasing his second win in a row on the demanding asphalt event, Kopecky had led from the start and was 26 seconds clear in front when he crashed into retirement with three stages remaining. Nevertheless his performance, which included setting the fastest time on five of the rain-hit stages, was enough to earn him the prestigious accolade on round nine of the 2010 IRC season.
An emotional Kopecky said: "I have to say it’s a big honour. Colin was an official Skoda driver and [on Rally GB in 2005] I did the whole recce with him. He was a very good guy and it’s really sad what happened to him."
The judges also considered Keith Cronin, who set several top 10 stage times in the emerging PROTON Satria Neo S2000, and Vaclav Pech, who was battling for a top five finish in his showroom-specification Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX before an off dented his hopes. However, Jim McRae said that Kopecky was most deserving of the award because of the pace he displayed in the changeable conditions at the wheel of his Fabia Super 2000.
"I went to a few stages on Saturday and Sunday," said McRae, a five-time winner of the British Rally Championship and a trustee of the Colin McRae Vision charity. "The conditions were very difficult but Jan drove very well and was unlucky not to win. It’s for this reason that he was chosen."
The Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy will be presented on all remaining rounds of the IRC with an end of season trophy, the Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Driver of the Year, also being handed over at the IRC’s end of season awards ceremony.
It was conceived following the formation of an official partnership in June between Eurosport Events, the promoter of the IRC, and Colin McRae Vision, a charity established following the death of the 1995 world rally champion, his young son Johnny and two family friends in a helicopter accident in 2007, which aims to improve health and education for children around the world.
Eurosport Events and Colin McRae Vision will work with organisers of selected rounds of the IRC to identify suitable projects and initiatives that help young people*.
The 2010 IRC season continues with Rallye Sanremo, round ten of the series, from 23-25 September when the next Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy will be presented.
*Prior to the start of Barum Czech Rally Zlin, reigning IRC champion Kris Meeke, an ambassador of Colin McRae Vision, presented a cheque for 90,000 CZK (about 3700 Euros) to a local Zlin-based charity, the Children’s Traffic Foundation.

Jan Kopecky (left) receives the Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy

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30.8.2010 von Wolfgang.

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

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

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

 
Bryan Bouffier lost victory with two stages remaining

DRIVER QUOTES

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

 
Juho Hanninen remains in control of the IRC title chase

TOP TEN IRC POSITIONS AFTER LEG TWO

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

IRC STANDINGS

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

RALLY LEADERS

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

STAGE WINNERS

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

KEY STATISTICS

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

TV TIMES

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

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26.8.2010 von Wolfgang.

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

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

Fast Freddy expects tough fight in Czech Republic

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

Neuville plans new approach for IRC return

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

Thierry Neuville plans to up his pace on his IRC return

Hunt talks down IRC 2WD chances in Zlin

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

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

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12.8.2010 von Wolfgang.

Guy Wilks will mark his comeback from injury when he tests a Skoda UK Motorsport-run Fabia S2000 Facelift for the first time on August 23.
The test in Czech Republic, which is in preparation for Barum Czech Rally Zlin, round nine of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge from 27-29 August, will take place 80 days after Wilks suffered two fractured lumbar vertebrae during a high-speed crash on Rally d’Italia-Sardegna on 5 June.
Wilks said: "I’m massively looking forward to getting back into the Skoda Fabia S2000. It’s been very frustrating since Sardinia, being on the outside of the IRC looking in. I’ve missed three rallies but it was important that I’m 100 per cent fit before getting back into the car. My motivation to get back into a rally car and win rallies has never been higher than it is right now."
The British driver has resumed full training following his most recent round of x-rays and has also been driving a road car for several weeks.
He added: "I’m sure we’ll have a good test and be well prepared for the Barum Rally. I’ve got no problems with getting back into a rally car and driving flat-out. If we’re able to begin from near where we left off [in Sardinia], I’m sure we’ll have a good run and be able to score IRC points."

Guy Wilks is due to return to the IRC in Czech Republic later this month

New driver line-up for PROTON R3 Rally Team

The PROTON R3 Rally Team has confirmed that Irishman Keith Cronin and Niall McShea from Northern Ireland will drive its brace of Satria Neo Super 2000s on Barum Czech Rally Zlin from August 27-29.
Run by the British MEM organisation, the PROTON R3 Rally Team is embarking on its second appearance in this year’s IRC following its entry on Geko Ypres Rally in June when Chris Atkinson and Alister McRae drove its two factory machines.
Cronin is the reigning British rally champion, while McShea is a former PROTON driver and the winner of the Production Car World Rally Championship title in 2004.
"Niall has done some testing for us in the development of the Satria and we wanted to put him in the car for an IRC round this season and Zlin fits perfectly," said PROTON R3 Rally Team principal Chris Mellors. "And it’s hard to ignore Keith Cronin. He’s a British champion and one of the hottest young talents around."

Meireles scoops Madeira Subaru Individual Award

Pedro Meireles has become the eighth Subaru Individual Award recipient of the season following his run to 12th overall on Rali Vinho Madeira last weekend, round eight of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
Co-driven by fellow Portuguese Jorge Henriques, Meireles had the honour of being the only Subaru representative on the asphalt rally, which was based in Madeira’s capital Funchal.
The Subaru Individual Award is presented on each of the 12 IRC rounds this year to the highest-placed Subaru finisher and demonstrates the support that Subaru is extending to its customer drivers in the IRC in 2010.
Olivier Burri (Monte Carlo), Juan San Martin (Curitiba), Gabriel Pozzo (Argentina), Jose Barrios (Canary Islands), Teemu Arminen (Sardinia), Florian Gonon (Ypres) and Sergio Silva (Azores) are the other Subaru Individual Award winners so far this season.

Pedro Meireles has won the latest Subaru Individual Award

More Rallye Sanremo details emerge

Organisers of Rallye Sanremo, round 10 of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, have revealed further details of their event, which runs in Italy from 23-25 September.
The event will be divided into two legs and will consist of 220 competitive kilometres over 11 all-asphalt special stages.
Leg one, which gets underway on the afternoon of Friday 24 September, will feature five special stages. The second leg, which is made up of six special stages, starts on the morning of Saturday 25 September and finishes later that afternoon.
Once again, the service park and event headquarters will be located on Sanremo’s picturesque seafront.

New website launched for FxPro Cyprus Rally

The FxPro Cyprus Rally, which brings the curtain down on the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge season from November 4-6, has launched a new website at www.cyprusrally2010.com.
With full historical information on the event, a guide to Cyprus and outline details of this year’s rally, visitors to the site can register to receive regular updates on the IRC qualifier.

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8.8.2010 von Wolfgang.

Madeira victory puts Belgian joint top in all-time list of winners
Skoda dominates asphalt rally with podium lockout
Freddy Loix has made it two wins from two starts in this season’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge by heading a Skoda one-two-three on Rali Vinho Madeira. Loix’s victory was his fifth since the IRC began in 2007 and means he joins Kris Meeke at the top of the list of all-time IRC event winners.
Juho Hanninen continues to lead the IRC drivers’ standings but, by finishing behind team-mate Jan Kopecky in third, the Finn’s title advantage has now been trimmed to seven points with four rounds remaining. It was the third time this season that Skoda has filled all three podium places.
Co-driven by fellow Belgian Frederic Miclotte, Loix didn’t put a wheel wrong throughout the event in his Fabia S2000 Facelift. Following an early battle with Abarth Grande Punto driver Luca Rossetti, Loix moved into a lead he would never relinquish on stage seven. To underline his dominance he was fastest on 14 of the rally’s 21 all-asphalt stages, despite nursing an injured left shoulder, which he sustained falling off his motorbike two weeks ago.
Defending IRC champion Kris Meeke started leg two in second but failed to go beyond stage 17 when his Peugeot UK 207 suffered a terminal engine failure 2.8 kilometres into the test. Meeke had been embroiled in a close scrap with Kopecky for the runner-up spot. After dropping behind the Czech when an alternator glitch developed on stage 15, Meeke hit back following rapid repairs by going fastest of all on stage 16 to retake the place only to stop on the very next run.
"It was very sudden and is a real blow," said Meeke. "It leaves the championship hanging by a thread but I have to be pleased with my performance because I don’t think I’ve ever driven as well on a Tarmac rally as I did this weekend."
Meeke’s retirement almost brought about disaster for Kopecky and Hanninen, who were both competing in Madeira for the first time. The Skoda drivers were running behind Meeke on the road when they encountered a coating of oil on the road, which had been dropped by Meeke’s stricken Peugeot.
Kopecky managed to survive a wild slide on the third-gear sweeping left-hand corner, while Hanninen could not avoid brushing a concrete retaining wall. The impact caused damage to his Fabia’s right-rear corner, which triggered a puncture eight kilometres from the end of the stage and dropped the Finn behind local driver Miguel Nunes.
But with Nunes concentrating on maximising points in the Madeira championship rather than maintaining third place, Hanninen faced little opposition on his charge to the final podium spot. Nunes, who only began competing in 2006, revealed his surprise at his final position at the wheel of a Peugeot 207, especially after his original engine failed during a pre-event test.
Vitor Sa overcame an oil pressure problem to claim fifth with Filipe Freitas finishing as the leading Group N runner in sixth overall following Rui Pinto’s crash on stage 16 in a similar Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer. The final IRC points went to Joao Magalhaes in seventh and Pedro Peres in eighth. Ricardo Moura took ninth with Belgian Dominique Bruyneel completing the top 10 on his first visit to Madeira since 1993.
Burcu Cetinkaya achieved her objective of reaching the finish in her Peugeot Sport Turkey 207 as she continues to gain vital experience during her transition to four-wheel drive competition. Brazil’s Daniel Oliveira also completed the full distance in his Stohl Racing-prepared 207 after a mature drive.
Duarte Ramos secured IRC 2WD Cup honours in his Peugeot 206 after long-time leader Luis Serrado went out on Friday’s final stage. Not only did Ramos, who becomes the seventh different winner in the two-wheel drive class this season, cover the event’s 298.20 competitive kilometres, he also doubled as a mechanic due to a shortage of helpers in his privately-run team. Filipe Carvalho, at the wheel of a Peugeot 106, finished second.
Luca Rossetti’s challenge came to an end with a sizeable accident on Friday’s penultimate stage. Although his Procar-run machine was badly damaged, neither Rossetti nor co-driver Matteo Chiarcossi suffered any injuries.
Loix had double reason to celebrate after the finish in Funchal when he was handed the Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy, which is presented to the most spectacular driver on all remaining rounds of this year’s IRC as part of the association between Eurosport Events, promoter of the IRC, and the Colin McRae Vision charity. Loix was chosen as the winner by IRC’s Jean-Pierre Nicolas, Eurosport’s Gilbert Roy and Jim McRae, Colin’s father.

Freddy Loix landed his second IRC win of 2010 in Madeira

DRIVER QUOTES

Freddy Loix (Belgium), Skoda Fabia S2000, first overall: "It’s been a good, clean drive from the start. I had a two-hour test on Wednesday evening and straightaway I had a perfect feeling with the car and there was never a problem. Okay, I hurt my shoulder but it was fine in the stages because this car is so good and easy to drive. I’m very happy."
Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic), Skoda Fabia S2000, second overall: "It was a shame when Kris stopped because we were having a nice battle but it also caused me to have a big moment. I had a great test in Spain before the rally and this is a really good result."
Juho Hanninen (Finland), Skoda Fabia S2000, third overall: "Before the start I would not have believed I could be third because this is such a specialist rally and it has not been easy for me. But I am lucky to finish because I hit the wall really hard on stage 17."

 
Madeira victory was Freddy Loix’s (right) fifth in the IRC

TOP 10 IRC POSITIONS AFTER LEG TWO

1 Freddy Loix/Frederic Miclotte (Skoda Fabia S2000) 3h08m14.3s
2 Jan Kopecky/Petr Stary (Skoda Fabia S2000) +37.8s
3 Juho Hanninen/Mikko Markkula (Skoda Fabia S2000) +2m25.8s
4 Miguel Nunes/Victor Calado (Peugeot 207 S2000) +2m42.7s
5 Vitor Sa/Nuno Rodrigues (Peugeot 207 S2000) +3m13.7s
6 Filipe Freitas/Daniel Figueiroa (Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X) +9m03.2s
7 Joao Magalhaes/Jorge Pereira (Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X) +9m29.0s
8 Pedro Peres/Tiago Ferreira (Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX) +10m39.8s
9 Ricardo Moura/Antonio Costa (Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX) +11m06.3s
10 Dominique Bruyneel/Lara Vanneste (Peugeot 207 S2000) +12m38.9s
Leading IRC 2WD Cup finishers: Duarte Ramos/Luis Ramos (Peugeot 206 S1600)

IRC STANDINGS

Drivers after round eight of 12
1 Juho Hanninen (Finland) 54pts
2 Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic) 47pts
3 Bruno Magalhaes (Portugal) 30pts
4 Guy Wilks (United Kingdom) 25pts
5 Kris Meeke (United Kingdom) 23pts
6 Freddy Loix (Belgium) 20pts
7 Thierry Neuville (Belgium) 11pts
8 Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) 10pts
9 Andreas Mikkelsen (Norway) 9pts
10 Paolo Andreucci (Italy) 8pts etc
Manufacturers after round eight of 12
1 Skoda 116pts
2 Peugeot 79pts
3 M-Sport 26pts
4 Ralliart 19pts
5 Subaru 11pts
IRC 2WD Drivers after round eight of 12
1 Rafael Tulio 20pts
2 Pierre Campana 16pts
3 Kevin Abbring 10pts
= Harry Hunt 10pts
= Yeray Lemes 10pts
= Kris Princen 10pts
= Duarte Ramos 10pts
= Marcos Tokarski 10pts
9 Carlos Oliveira 9pts
10 Filipe Carvalho 8pts
= Enrique Cruz 8pts
= Luis Gius 8pts
= Pablo Pelaez 8pts
= Colin R Smith 8pts
= Luis Tedesco 8pts etc
IRC 2WD Manufacturers after round eight of 12
1 Peugeot 72pts
2 M-Sport 68pts
3 Abarth 19pts
4 Honda 16pts
5 Skoda 5pts

RALLY LEADERS

SS1: Kris Meeke
SS2: Freddy Loix
SS3: Luca Rossetti
SS4: Freddy Loix
SS5-6: Luca Rossetti
SS7-21: Freddy Loix

STAGE WINNERS

Thursday 5 August
SS1: Av. Do Mar (2.18kms): Kris Meeke
Friday 6 August
SS2: Campo de Golfe 1 (15.99kms): Freddy Loix
SS3: Terreiros 1 (21.77kms): Luca Rossetti
SS4: Campo de Golfe 2 (15.99kms): Freddy Loix
SS5: Terreiros 2 (21.77kms): Luca Rossetti
SS6: Serra D’Agua 1 (13.77kms): Freddy Loix
SS7: Boaventura 1 (10.76kms): Freddy Loix
SS8: Cidade de Santana 1 (13.85kms): Freddy Loix
SS9: Referta 1 (14.29kms): Luca Rossetti
SS10: Serra D’Agua 2 (13.77kms): Freddy Loix
SS11: Boaventura 2 (10.76kms): Luca Rossetti
SS12: Cidade de Santana 2 (13.85kms): Freddy Loix
SS13: Referta 2 (14.29kms): Freddy Loix
Saturday 7 August
SS14: Paul 1 (10.92kms): Freddy Loix
SS15: Ponta do Pargo 1 (13.13kms): Freddy Loix
SS16: Rosario 1 (11.52kms): Kris Meeke
SS17: Chao da Lagoa 1 (22.01kms): Freddy Loix
SS18: Paul 2 (10.92kms): Freddy Loix
SS19: Ponta do Pargo 2 (13:13kms): Freddy Loix
SS20: Rosario 2 (11.52kms): Jan Kopecky
SS21: Chao da Lagoa 2 (22.01kms): Freddy Loix

KEY STATISTICS

Rally wins in 2010 (drivers)
Hanninen: 2
Loix: 2
Hirvonen: 1
Kopecky: 1
Magalhaes: 1
Meeke: 1
Rally wins in 2010 (manufacturers)
Skoda: 5
Peugeot: 2
M-Sport: 1
Stage wins in 2010 (drivers)
Juho Hanninen: 29
Kris Meeke: 27
Freddy Loix: 23
Jan Kopecky: 20
Sebastien Ogier: 7
Paolo Andreucci: 5
Bruno Magalhaes: 4
Luca Rossetti: 4
Mikko Hirvonen: 3
Stephane Sarrazin: 2
Andreas Mikkelsen: 1
Bernardo Sousa: 1
Nicolas Vouilloz: 1
Guy Wilks: 1
Stage wins in 2010 (manufacturers)
Skoda: 73
Peugeot: 43
M-Sport: 5
Abarth: 4

TV TIMES

Eurosport, Europe’s largest television sports channel, will show highlights of the rally, which will also be available at www.rally-irc.com, as follows:
Saturday 7 August
20:45hrs-21:15hrs Day two highlights (Eurosport and Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Sunday 8 August
22:30hrs-23:00hrs Rally review (Eurosport and Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Monday 9 August
08:30hrs-09:00hrs Rally review repeated (Eurosport)
13:00hrs-13:30hrs Rally review repeated (Eurosport 2)
24:30hrs-25:00hrs Rally review repeated (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Tuesday 10 August
16:15hrs-16:45hrs Rally review repeated (Eurosport 2)
Friday 13 August
17:30hrs-18:00hrs Rally review repeated (Eurosport 2)
All times are CET

www.rally-irc.com

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31.7.2010 von Wolfgang.

With a little more than three months remaining until the inaugural Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally, more details of the event, which takes place in Cyprus on 7 November, and carries a prize fund of 150,000 Euros, have been released.
Designed to showcase rallying in a new and exciting way by making it accessible, understandable and attractive to a wider audience, the compact, fan and television-friendly format covers a single 25-kilometre mixed-surface stage run twice. The stage will be known as the Love Cyprus Golden Stage in deference to support from the country’s tourism authority.
Regulations for the Limassol-based event, which runs the day after the FxPro Cyprus Rally, the 12th and final round of the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (4-6 November), will shortly be finalised by event organiser the Cyprus Automobile Association, while representatives from Eurosport Events, which is promoting the competition, have completed a thorough inspection of the planned course.
“It will be exciting with most of the stage running in a downhill direction,” said Jean-Pierre Nicolas, the Motorsport Development Manager of the IRC and a former international rally driver. “The gravel section was in a good condition when we visited and the road was not so narrow although bumpy in places, which adds to the challenge for the drivers. But the biggest test they will face will be how they handle the downhill sections because it can be easy to make a mistake under braking.”
The Golden Stage Rally is open to all teams and drivers competing with Super 2000, Group N and Group A (up to A7) cars, in both two- and four-wheel drive configuration. The entry fee will be 2,000 Euros per car and regulations and entry forms will be available from September onwards on the IRC website, www.rally-irc.com, and the FxPro Cyprus rally website, www.cyprusrally.com.cy.
The event begins with scrutineering from Saturday 6 November for cars not contesting the FxPro Cyprus Rally and on Sunday 7 November for crews taking part on the FxPro Cyprus Rally. The reconnaissance will take place on Thursday 4 November when crews are permitted to complete two passes of the Love Cyprus Golden Stage, which starts 31 kilometres from Limassol. The first competitor is due to tackle the stage late morning on Sunday with the second run going live in the early afternoon. The prize ceremony is due to take place in Limassol in conjunction with the IRC End of Season Awards Ceremony.
The event will enjoy extensive live television coverage with a number of networks around the world showing the action as it happens or highlights following the event. Eurosport, Europe’s largest television sports channel, will broadcast the rally live in its entirety through its network, which reaches out to 117 million homes across 59 countries.
Eurosport Events, which has successfully pioneered live coverage from the stages of several IRC rounds, will manage the live production and will also be responsible for the distribution of the worldwide media rights, including television.
Gilbert Roy, Eurosport Events’ Director of Editorial and Programme Development and the man in overall charge of the live television coverage of the Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally said: “The scenery is beautiful and the changes of surface will lead to a lot of big slides, so it will be very exciting for the TV viewer. The finish is by a lake close to a dam and there is a good view of Limassol.”
Antonios Michaelides, Chairman of the Organising Committee, said: “Rallying is a hugely popular sport in Cyprus and we, the organisers, are always keen to seek out ways to break new ground and bring fresh, new, innovative ideas to the sport. The Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally promises to be a standout, memorable event this year and shows that not only are we dedicated to stretching the boundaries of world motorsport, but also to making the very best of our island’s beautiful countryside.”
Title sponsor and long-term supporter of international motorsport in Cyprus, Cyprus Tourism Organisation Chairman Alecos Oroundiotis, added: “Every year, the hosting of world-class rally events attracts sports fans new and old to our beautiful island and our rallying heritage has come to play a major part in promoting Cyprus overseas. The Cyprus Tourism Organisation is therefore extremely proud to sponsor the Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally, which is sure to attract even more attention to our island and provide a thrilling sporting spectacle.”

Cypriot Nicos Thomas hopes to contest the Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally

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22.7.2010 von Wolfgang.

Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Kris Meeke says the decision of the Automobile Club de Monaco to continue its relationship with the IRC for a third season is "great news" for the Eurosport Events-promoted series.
The 2011 IRC season will get underway on the world-famous rally from Wednesday 19 January to Saturday 23 January with next year’s event marking 100 years since the first Monte Carlo Rally took place on 21 January 1911.
Meeke said: "It’s great news and shows the Monte organisers like the style of how the IRC is approaching the sport by taking it back to its roots and encouraging amateurs and importers to take part. The TV coverage on Eurosport is second to none and for a driver the Monte is one of the biggest challenges in rallying, if not motorsport as a whole."
Full details of the route and several key features, including initiatives to encourage the participation of amateur drivers as well as live television coverage, will be announced later in the year. The ACM has confirmed the rally route will include 324 competitive kilometres over 13 stages.

The Monte Carlo Rally will turn 100 when it opens the IRC next season

Basso and Rossetti join bulging Madeira entry

Factory-supported Abarth drivers Giandomenico Basso and Luca Rossetti will return to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge on Rali Vinho Madeira next month.
The Italians have claimed numerous victories in the IRC with Basso winning the Tarmac-based Madeira event on three occasions, including last season when he defeated Bruno Magalhaes in a nail-biting finish.
Basso and Rossetti are among 19 drivers in Super 2000 machines for the island rally, which runs from 5-7 August and features almost 300 competitive kilometres over 21 special stages.
Other notable highlights on the 56-car entry are Skoda trio Juho Hanninen, Jan Kopecky and Freddy Loix, defending IRC champion Kris Meeke and Bruno Magalhaes, the winner of the last IRC round in the Azores.
Heading the list of local drivers is Bernardo Sousa at the wheel of an M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000. Miguel Campos, a former Madeira winner, will drive a similar car.
Turkish lady driver Burcu Cetinkaya will also be taking part after being forced to miss the trip to the Azores while her Peugeot Sport Turkey 207 was being repaired following her crash on the Geko Ypres Rally last month.

Giandomenico Basso will return to the IRC on Rali Vinho Madeira

Trophy winner Magalhaes earns praise from Jim McRae

Jim McRae has praised Bruno Magalhaes after the Portuguese driver won the first Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy on Sata Rallye Acores last weekend.
The award, which is presented in memory of Jim McRae’s son Colin, will be handed to the most spectacular driver who best embodies the spirit of the rallying legend on rounds of the IRC.
It was conceived following the formation of an official partnership last month between Eurosport Events, the promoter of the IRC, and Colin McRae Vision, a charity established following the death of McRae, his young son Johnny and two family friends in a helicopter accident in 2007, which aims to improve health and education for children around the world.
"Even though he had good knowledge of the stages from before, he’s new to the IRC so to go at the pace he did obviously proves he’s got a load of talent," said Jim McRae. "I’m very pleased for him and it’s also a great thing to hear that Colin was his hero when he was growing up."

Silva secures latest Subaru Individual Award

Sergio Silva has won the latest Subaru Individual Award following his eighth-place finish on Sata Rallye Acores last weekend.
Silva, from Portugal, was one of five Subaru Impreza drivers contesting the gravel-based Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier on the Atlantic archipelago. Co-driven by Paulo Leal, Silva finished more than two minutes ahead of the next highest Subaru finishers, Paulo Rego and Abel Carreiro. The result also meant Silva secured one manufacturers’ point for Subaru, while also earning a drivers’ point for himself.
The Subaru Individual Award is presented on each of the 12 IRC rounds this year to the highest-placed Subaru finisher and demonstrates the support that Subaru is extending to its customer drivers in the IRC in 2010.
Olivier Burri (Monte Carlo), Juan San Martin (Curitiba), Gabriel Pozzo (Argentina), Jose Barrios (Canary Islands), Teemu Arminen (Sardinia) and Florian Gonon (Ypres) are the other Subaru Individual Award winners so far this season.

Sergio Silva is the latest Subaru Individual Award winner

www.rally-irc.com

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19.7.2010 von Wolfgang.

Magalhaes was handed the prestigious award by a panel of judges consisting of IRC’s Motorsport Development Manager Jean-Pierre Nicolas, Gilbert Roy, Eurosport Events’ Director of Editorial and Programme Development, and Colin’s father Jim McRae.
It followed his maiden IRC victory on last weekend’s Sata Rallye Acores when the 30-year-old doggedly fought back from a gearbox fault in his Peugeot Sport Portugal-run 207 Super 2000 to regain first place on the final stage of the challenging gravel event. Kris Meeke, who battled several punctures to finish second, and Andreas Mikkelsen, who recovered from a scary moment when he encountered a herd of cows to claim fourth were shortlisted for the award.
"It’s a pleasure to give this trophy to Bruno," said Nicolas. "After discussing with Jimmy McRae and Gilbert Roy we decided in this rally the fighting spirit of Colin was best shown by Bruno who has done a really fantastic rally. We hope he will fight again on the next rally to compete for the second trophy."
After accepting the award from Nicolas, Magalhaes said: "It’s a big honour for me because Colin is my hero. He was the driver who impressed me the most. I remember him in Rally of Portugal in 1999 when he won the first two special stages by one minute over the other guys and won the rally. He was incredible so for me it’s an honour to receive this gift because Colin is a hero."
Jim McRae added: "Even though he had good knowledge of the stages from before, he’s new to the IRC so to go at the pace he did obviously proves he’s got a load of talent. I’m very pleased for him and it’s also a great thing to hear that Colin was his hero when he was growing up."
The Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy will be presented on all remaining rounds of the IRC with an end of season trophy, the Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Driver of the Year, also being awarded at the IRC’s end of season award ceremony.
It was conceived following the formation of an official partnership last month between Eurosport Events, the promoter of the IRC, and Colin McRae Vision, a charity established following the death of the 1995 world rally champion, his young son Johnny and two family friends in a helicopter accident in 2007, which aims to improve health and education for children around the world.
Eurosport Events and Colin McRae Vision will work with organisers of selected rounds of the IRC to identify suitable projects and initiatives that help young people. They will also work with the IRC’s partners, manufacturers and drivers to promote the efforts of Colin McRae Vision and increase the levels of exposure and support, with regular updates on the IRC website (www.rally-irc.com), in the IRC newsletter and during television coverage of IRC rounds.
The 2010 IRC season continues with Rali Vinho Madeira, round eight of the series, from 5-7 August when the next Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy will be presented.

Bruno Magalhaes (left) receives the first Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy from Jean-Pierre Nicolas

www.rally-irc.com

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16.7.2010 von Wolfgang.

Two tenths of a second will cover the top three cars when Sata Rallye Acores, round seven of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, resumes tomorrow (Friday). After the opening three stages, title leader Juho Hanninen holds a 0.2s advantage over Bruno Magalhaes with Andreas Mikkelsen tied on time with the Portuguese driver. The trio claimed a stage victory apiece as the gravel event on the Atlantic archipelago got off to a thrilling start.
Magalhaes, running fourth on the road in his Peugeot Sport Portugal 207 Super 2000, capitalised on the slightly cleaner road surface he encountered to go fastest on the opening stage. Although he admitted to making a few mistakes on the next test, which Hanninen won, he still maintained his overall advantage. However, he said that he was too hesitant over a jump on the day-closing superspecial stage, which allowed Hanninen to move in front.
Hanninen, tackling the stages second on the road behind IRC champion Kris Meeke, said he was surprised to have gone fastest on stage two after reporting a slippery stage surface due to the loose gravel. He attempted to counter this by carrying two spare BFGoodrich tyres in his Skoda Motorsport Fabia S2000, which he said had helped the balance of his car.
Running sixth on the road, Mikkelsen said he had struggled through stage two after being forced to make his pacenotes for the test during the fog-hit reconnaissance on Tuesday, but was otherwise delighted with his performance in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000 after recording his first stage win in the IRC.
Jan Kopecky is fourth overnight and will hope that his Skoda Motorsport mechanics will be able to plug a small hole in his Fabia S2000, which ingested clouds of dust during the opening stage, as well as repairing a broken clutch, which faltered seconds before the start of the superspecial stage.
Bernardo Sousa, the current Portuguese championship leader, completed leg one in fifth overall and will therefore start first on Friday’s second leg after the top five places are reversed to determine the new running order. He had trailed Meeke after the first stage but moved ahead of Meeke on stage two when the Northern Irishman dropped time in his Peugeot UK 207.
Meeke described driving first on the road through the loose coating of surface gravel as "impossible", while co-driver Paul Nagle admitted they feared they had picked up two punctures on stage one after running wide and clouting some rocks.
"You could see the times of the guys running further back were much faster than those running up front and that was definitely the case for me," said Meeke, who is sixth on the road for day two and well-placed to capitalise thanks to his superior starting position. "It was so easy to make a mistake because it was just so slippery."
Azores rally champion Ricardo Moura suffered an early blow when he picked up a puncture six kilometres from the end of the opening 14.9-kilometre stage in his Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. He’s ninth overnight behind Pedro Peres and Vitor Pascoal. Pedro Vale completes the top 10 in his Lancer.
Brazilian Rafael Tulio heads the IRC 2WD Cup runners in his Peugeot 206 with Carlos Oliveira next up in a similar car.
Friday’s leg consists of nine stages, the first of which, Batalha Golfe, gets underway at 10:03hrs local time.

DRIVER QUOTES

Juho Hanninen (Finland), Skoda Fabia S2000, first overall: "It was very slippery so I am surprised I set such a good time on stage two. The car has been perfect but the big problem will be tomorrow and Kris Meeke because he will come very fast with his road position. But tomorrow is another day so we will see."
Bruno Magalhaes (Portugal), Peugeot 207 S2000, second overall: "I’m very happy. We did a test on Monday and I found a lot of confidence in the car, which gave me a good rhythm. I damaged my car on the jump in the superspecial last year so I took it more slowly this time and that cost me the lead."
Andreas Mikkelsen (Norway), M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000, third overall: "I decided to have a lot of fun on the superspecial and it worked very well for me. I don’t think we can push too much more but I am very satisfied with what we have achieved today."

TOP 10 IRC POSITIONS AFTER LEG ONE

1 Juho Hanninen/Mikko Markkula (Skoda Fabia S2000) 18m35.8s
2 Bruno Magalhaes/Carlos Magalhaes (Peugeot 207 S2000) +0.2s
3 Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene (M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000) +0.2s
4 Jan Kopecky/Petr Stary (Skoda Fabia S2000) +5.5s
5 Bernardo Sousa/Nuno Silva (M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000) +11.3s
6 Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Peugeot 207 S2000) +12.3s
7 Pedro Peres/Tiago Ferreira (Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX) +46.6s
8 Vitor Pascoal/Mario Castro (Peugeot 207 S2000) +47.4s
9 Ricardo Moura/Sancho Eiro (Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX) +49.7s
10 Pedro Vale/Rui Madeiros (Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX) +1m20.1s

LEG TWO ITINERARY

Service C: Ponta Delgada, 09:30hrs; SS4: Batalha Golfe 1 (7.90kms), 10:03hrs; SS5: Feteiras 1 (7.47kms), 10:38hrs; SS6: Sete Cidades 1 (18.30kms), 11:03hrs; Service D: Ponta Delgada, 12:18hrs; SS7: Batalha Golfe 2 (7.90kms), 12:57hrs; SS8: Feteiras 2 (7.47kms), 13:32hrs; SS9: Sete Cidades 2 (18.30kms), 13:57hrs; Service E: Ponta Delgada, 15:12hrs; SS10: Lagoa/Marques 2 (14.90kms), 15:57hrs; SS11: Achada das Furnas 1 (8.42kms), 16:50hrs; SS12: Lomba da Maia 1 (7.80kms), 17:13hrs; Service F: Ponta Delgada, 18:38hrs.

TV TIMES

Eurosport, Europe’s largest television sports channel, will show highlights of the opening day of the rally, which will also be available at www.rally-irc.com, as follows:
Thursday 15 July
23:00hrs-23:30hrs Day one highlights (Eurosport and Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Friday 16 July
09:00hrs-09:30hrs Day one highlights repeated (Eurosport and Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
All times are CET

www.rally-irc.com

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1.7.2010 von Wolfgang.

Kris Meeke has refused to concede defeat in his efforts to defend his Intercontinental Rally Challenge title, vowing to hit the ground running when the series resumes on Sata Rallye Acores from 15-17 July.
The Peugeot UK driver is fifth in the drivers’ standings, 27 points adrift of leader Juho Hanninen, following his crash on last weekend’s Geko Ypres Rally in Belgium, the third time this season that he has failed to finish an IRC qualifier due to an accident.
"It’s getting more difficult [to defend my title] and maybe we’ll have to change our approach a bit because we can’t carry on pushing to the limit in every corner and on every rally," said Meeke, who turns 31 tomorrow (Friday 2 July). "But Acores is another rally and we go there hoping to hit the ground running."
Co-driven by Paul Nagle, Meeke won Sata Rallye Acores on his first appearance on the event last season. The maximum haul of points he scored back then put him to the top of the IRC standings, where he remained for the rest of 2009.

Kris Meeke is convinced he can defend his IRC crown

Busy weekend in store for factory Skoda drivers

Skoda Motorsport drivers Juho Hanninen and Jan Kopecky are braced for busy weekends, even though the next round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge is more than two weeks away.
Hanninen, the current IRC series leader, is contesting Rally Bohemia in Czech Republic, while team-mate Kopecky is taking part on Rally di San Marino, round four of the Italian Rally Championship.
Rally Bohemia, which forms part of the Czech Rally Championship, takes on added significance for Skoda. Not only is the rally centred in Mlada Boleslav, where Skoda is based, but the event will also mark the first time the new Fabia Super 2000 Facelift has competed in the Czech Republic following its debut victory in the hands of Freddy Loix on the Geko Ypres Rally last weekend.
Pavel Valousek, the current Czech championship leader, will also be at the wheel of a factory-supported Fabia S2000 Facelift on Rally Bohemia, albeit run under the Skoda Delimax banner.
Loix, meanwhile, is heading to the UK for the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend, where he will be demonstrating a Fabia S2000.

Nicolas calls on IRC community to support Colin McRae Vision

Jean-Pierre Nicolas, the Intercontinental Rally Challenge Motorsport Development Manager, has called on the IRC community to help support the work of Colin McRae Vision, which announced an official partnership with the IRC prior to the Geko Ypres Rally in Belgium last week.
Colin McRae Vision was established following the accident which claimed the lives of rally legend Colin McRae, his five-year-old son Johnny, and two family friends in September 2007, to improve health and education for children around the world. The relationship with the IRC will support charities and good causes that help young people living close to the route of IRC events.
Nicolas said: "We invite all the IRC community to join us, to give some new ideas for this project and to help raise some money for the charity to improve health and education of children."
IRC champion Kris Meeke, a former protégé of McRae and an ambassador of Colin McRae Vision, added: "It’s fantastic to be able to use his popularity to give something back to the communities where the rallies go to and all credit to the McRae family and everyone who has come up with this idea. It can only go from strength to strength."

Gonon clinches Subaru Individual Award in Ypres

Florian Gonon’s run to 16th overall on last weekend’s Geko Ypres Rally has earned him the latest Subaru Individual Award.
Swiss champion Gonon, who was driving an Impreza for the Annie Spiers Rallye Team, was making his Ypres debut and his first appearance in this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
"The more confident we got the more our times came down," said the 34-year-old. "We struggled on the first day with a few technical issues but I was very pleased with my result and really enjoyed the atmosphere of the event."
The Subaru Individual Award is presented on each of the 12 IRC rounds this year to the highest-placed Subaru finisher and demonstrates the support that Subaru is extending to its customer drivers in the IRC in 2010.
Swiss Olivier Burri (Monte Carlo), Juan San Martin (Curitiba), Gabriel Pozzo (Argentina), Jose Barrios (Canary Islands) and Teemu Arminen (Sardinia) are the other Subaru Individual Award winners so far this season.

Florian Gonon is the latest Subaru Individual Award winner

Lino Vanelli

It is with regret that we advise of the passing of photographer Lino Vanelli, who was a founding member of the respected PHOTO 4 agency 35 years ago, and formed part of the official IRC photography team since the start of the series back in 2007. Lino was a popular member of the IRC community and covered rallies throughout the world. He was 62.

www.rally-irc.com

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27.6.2010 von Wolfgang.

Sixth Geko Ypres victory for popular local hero
Kopecky closes on title lead with Skoda one-two
Local hero Freddy Loix has clinched his sixth Geko Ypres Rally victory to become the fifth different winner of an Intercontinental Rally Challenge round this season. Driving for Skoda Motorsport for the first time, the Belgian was roared all the way through Saturday’s 13 sun-coated special stages by tens of thousands of adoring fans, who lined the demanding all-asphalt route.
Co-driven by fellow Belgian Frederic Miclotte, Loix had started day two with a slender 5.8-second lead over Peugeot UK’s Kris Meeke, last year’s Ypres winner and the defending IRC champion. But what was shaping up to be a repeat of the pair’s epic battle in Belgium 12 months previously ended when Meeke suffered a spectacular high-speed roll on Saturday’s second stage.
With runaway IRC title leader Juho Hanninen crashing into retirement on Friday evening, Meeke was desperate to make the most of the Finn’s early exit by taking his second win of 2010. But it all went awry for the Northern Irishman when he lost control on the exit of a fast right-hander two kilometres into the stage, clipped a bank and rolled. Fortunately both Meeke and co-driver Paul Nagle were uninjured but the crash marked their fourth retirement of the season.
"It was a mistake with the pacenote," said Meeke, who began day two of the rally by claiming his third fastest stage time. "We turned in a little too early and ran out of room on the exit of the corner. When you’re pushing like we were that kind of thing can happen."
Although Meeke’s crash took the pressure off Loix, the 39-year-old rued his rival’s retirement as it meant he had to adopt a less attacking style while also maintaining his concentration by driving at a similar pace for the remainder of the leg, which covered more than 190 competitive kilometres. Apart from a minor brake glitch, little troubled the driver affectionately known as Fast Freddy, whose win was Skoda’s fourth in the IRC in 2010 and its first with the facelift Fabia.
Meeke’s departure handed second place to Jan Kopecky, who has closed to within three points of Hanninen at the top of the title standings with six rounds remaining. Kopecky got to within 25 seconds of Loix with a succession of fastest stage times on Saturday afternoon but a mistake on stage 15, when he went wide into a field, ended any outside hopes he might have had of snatching an unlikely victory.
In fact, Kopecky admitted to a lack of confidence with the handling of his Fabia Super 2000, but was able to dial-out the contributing understeer by making a handful of set-up changes.

Freddy Loix flew to his sixth Ypres win on IRC return

Thierry Neuville took a career-best third in his Kronos Racing-run Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg 207. The young Belgian showed a level of maturity that belied his 22 years and rarely made a mistake as he adhered to team orders by reducing his pace to ensure a podium finish. His performance, which elevates him to sixth in the standings, provided some cheer for the Kronos squad, which lost the cars of Meeke and Belgian championship leader Pieter Tsjoen in separate accidents.
Belgian Bernd Casier was a solid fourth overall in his Skoda Fabia with Andreas Mikkelsen fifth in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000. The Norwegian was delayed by a puncture on Friday’s second stage but gradually climbed the leaderboard throughout Saturday to bag his first IRC points and finish as the highest-placed Ypres Rally rookie.
Veteran Patrick Snijers was keeping the charging Bruno Magalhaes at bay and seemingly certain of sixth place in his 207 only to retire on the final stage with a technical fault. Magalhaes was pushing hard in his efforts to lessen the impact of a 1m10s time penalty imposed for twice leaving service late due to a gearbox problem and was rewarded with sixth place when Snijers retired.
Poland’s Michal Solowow overcame a puncture on the final stage to claim seventh in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000, with Luca Betti eighth and rounding out the point scorers after also falling victim to a deflated tyre on the last run.
Dutch youngster Kevin Abbring won the IRC 2WD Cup in his Clio R3, one place ahead of Corsican Pierre Campana, who now leads the two-wheel drive standings in his similar car, despite a slow puncture on the penultimate stage. Kris Princen had led the class only to drop out of Friday’s first leg with alternator failure.

Thierry Neuville was the leading Peugeot finisher in third

DRIVER QUOTES

Freddy Loix (Belgium), Skoda Fabia S2000, first overall: "I’m very happy, very happy. It was a nice comeback for me to the IRC. I really have to thank my sponsor BFO and Skoda Motorsport who gave me the possibility to prepare myself properly and provided me with a car to win. It was difficult when Kris retired because it was hard to know how much to attack so I am very happy."
Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic), Skoda Fabia S2000, second overall: "We have again a one-two for Skoda and showed what a good car we have. Freddy did a very good job so congratulations to him. The championship is closer now and Azores is coming next where we will do our best."
Thierry Neuville (Belgium), Peugeot 207 S2000, third overall: "I am so happy, it is incredible. It was a long weekend but this result will really help for the future. I had to listen to my team and drive more slowly today to get to the finish but I was happy to do that."

Loix and co-driver Frederic Miclotte (centre) celebrate Ypres win

TOP TEN IRC POSITIONS AFTER LEG TWO

1 Freddy Loix/Frederic Miclotte (Skoda Fabia S2000) 2h35m36.9s
2 Jan Kopecky/Petr Stary (Skoda Fabia S2000) +22.1s
3 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Klinger (Peugeot 207 S2000) +2m05.5s
4 Bernd Casier/Francis Caesemaeker (Skoda Fabia S2000) +4m06.1s
5 Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene (M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000) +5m20.9s
6 Bruno Magalhaes/Carlos Magalhaes (Peugeot 207 S2000) +6m06.2s
7 Michal Solowow/Maciej Baran (M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000) +7m24.5s
8 Luca Betti/Pierangelo Scalvini (Peugeot 207 S2000) +9m37.6s
9 Corrado Fontana/Nicola Arena (Peugeot 207 S2000) +9m53.0s
10 Maciej Oleksowicz/Andrzej Obrebowski (M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000) +10m39.0s
Leading IRC 2WD Cup finishers: Kevin Abbring/Erwin Mombaerts (Clio R3)

IRC STANDINGS

Drivers after round six of 12
1 Juho Hanninen (Finland) 42pts
2 Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic) 39pts
3 Guy Wilks (United Kingdom) 25pts
4 Bruno Magalhaes (Portugal) 20pts
5 Kris Meeke (United Kingdom) 15pts
6 Thierry Neuville (Belgium) 11pts
7 Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) 10pts
= Freddy Loix (Belgium) 10pts
9 Paolo Andreucci (Italy) 8pts
10 Nicolas Vouilloz (France) 6pts etc
Manufacturers after round six of 12
1 Skoda 98pts
2 Peugeot 55pts
3 M-Sport 21pts
4 Subaru 10pts
5 Ralliart 8pts
IRC 2WD Drivers after round six of 12
1 Pierre Campana 16pts
2 Kevin Abbring 10pts
= Harry Hunt 10pts
= Yeray Lemes 10pts
= Kris Princen 10pts
= Marcos Tokarski 10pts
= Rafael Tulio 10pts
8 Enrique Cruz 8pts
= Luis Gius 8pts
= Pablo Pelaez 8pts
= Colin R Smith 8pts
= Luis Tedesco 8pts etc
IRC 2WD Manufacturers after round six of 12
1 M-Sport 68pts
2 Peugeot 42pts
3 Abarth 19pts
4 Honda 16pts
5 Skoda 5pts

RALLY LEADERS

Kris Meeke: SS1-2
Freddy Loix: SS3-19

STAGE WINNERS

Friday 25 June
SS1: Hollebeke 1 (28.82kms): Kris Meeke
SS2: Westouter 1 (6.04kms): Freddy Loix
SS3: Messen-Sauvegarde 1 (14.80kms): Freddy Loix
SS4: Hollebeke 2 (28.82kms): Freddy Loix
SS5: Westouter 2 (6.04kms): Kris Meeke
SS6: Mesen-Sauvegarde 2 (14.80kms): Freddy Loix
Saturday 26 June
SS7: Proven-Vieteren 1 (14.80kms): Kris Meeke
SS8: Watou 1 (12.33kms): Freddy Loix
SS9: Kemmelberg 1 (9.06kms): Freddy Loix
SS10: Langemark 1 (18.84kms): Jan Kopecky
SS11: Dikkebus 1 (11.32kms): Jan Kopecky
SS12: Heuvelland 1 (28.80kms): Jan Kopecky
SS13: Lille-Eurometropole (1.66kms): Jan Kopecky
SS14: Proven-Vieteren 2 (14.80kms): Jan Kopecky
SS15: Watou 2 (12.33kms): Freddy Loix
SS16: Kemmelberg 2 (9.06kms): Freddy Loix
SS17: Langemark 2 (18.84kms): Freddy Loix
SS18: Dikkebus 2 (11.32kms): Jan Kopecky
SS19: Heuvelland 2 (28.80kms): Jan Kopecky

KEY STATISTICS

Rally wins in 2010 (drivers)
Hanninen: 2
Hirvonen: 1
Kopecky: 1
Loix: 1
Meeke: 1
Rally wins in 2010 (manufacturers)
Skoda: 4
M-Sport: 1
Peugeot: 1
Stage wins in 2010 (drivers)
Juho Hanninen: 22
Kris Meeke: 21
Jan Kopecky: 16
Freddy Loix: 9
Sebastien Ogier: 7
Paolo Andreucci: 5
Mikko Hirvonen: 3
Stephane Sarrazin: 2
Nicolas Vouilloz: 1
Guy Wilks: 1
Stage wins in 2010 (manufacturers)
Skoda: 48
Peugeot: 35
M-Sport: 3

TV TIMES

Daily highlights of the Geko Ypres Rally will be available at www.rally-irc.com, while Eurosport, Europe’s largest television sports channel, will show coverage on Sunday 27 June as follows:
10:00-10:30: Day two highlights repeated (Eurosport 2)
10:15-10:45: Day two highlights repeated (Eurosport)
23:15-23:45: Magazine programme (Eurosport and Eurosport Asia-Pacific)

www.rally-irc.com

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26.6.2010 von Wolfgang.

Freddy Loix is on course for his sixth Geko Ypres Rally victory after completing Friday’s opening leg with a lead of 5.8 seconds over last year’s winner Kris Meeke. But there will be no chance of a sixth consecutive podium finish for Intercontinental Rally Challenge leader Juho Hanninen after the works Skoda Motorsport driver slid into a ditch on the day’s fourth stage and got stuck, retiring from the event in the process.
Hanninen’s exit has turned the race for the IRC title on its head with Peugeot UK’s Meeke and works Skoda team-mate Jan Kopecky poised to capitalise in second and third places respectively. However, neither driver has been able to check Loix’s impressive progress on his first appearance in the IRC this season.
Loix, cheered on by thousands of enthusiastic spectators, won four of today’s six sun-baked stages on his first outing with the factory Skoda squad, which is running its facelift Fabia for the first time in Belgium. According to the 39-year-old, the car’s wider track has enhanced its stability in fast corners, which he said has given him a "perfect feeling" on the technically demanding asphalt stages.
Meeke was full of praise for Loix at the end of Friday’s leg, conceding that he couldn’t have gone any faster in his Kronos Racing 207. Meeke’s co-driver Paul Nagle suggested running number one on the road had proved a slight disadvantage, particularly on the third Mesen-Sauvegarde stage when they ran first over a short gravel section and lost the lead to Loix, who was running nine places further back. Meeke also reported struggling to get on the throttle exiting junctions on the second pass due to the amount of gravel that had been pulled onto the road.
Jan Kopecky is third overnight in his factory Fabia but suggested he could have been closer to the pace had he not opted for a soft compound tyre for the second loop of stages. With ambient temperatures still high heading into the evening’s stages, the rubber gradually lost optimum performance and proved a minor hindrance for the Czech ace.
Rising Belgian star Thierry Neuville is an impressive fourth overall in his Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg 207 with Pieter Tsjoen fifth and Bernd Casier sixth. Andreas Mikkelsen, a puncture victim on stage two, is seventh in the lead M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000 with local legend Patrick Snijers in the final points-paying position in eighth.
Bruno Magalhaes is up to ninth on his first appearance in Ypres at the wheel of his Peugeot Sport Portugal 207. Jasper van den Heuvel is the highest-placed driver in a conventional Group N machine in tenth place in his Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer.
Friday’s opening stage proved troublesome for several crews including Toshi Arai and Stephane Sarrazin. Sarrazin failed to complete the run after a puncture caused him to slide off into a ditch on a right-hand bend five kilometres into the test, where his Peugeot 207 became stranded. Arai spun his Subaru Impreza on a square left junction and, in his efforts to get pointed in the right direction, he inadvertently slid into a ditch but fortunately managed to regain the road, albeit with a delay of almost 10 minutes.
Proton’s return to the IRC ended in disappointment when the factory cars of Australian Chris Atkinson and Scot Alister McRae and the semi-works Satria of young Briton Tom Cave all stopped with engine failures on stage four. None of the trio will restart on Saturday.
Young Dutch driver Kevin Abbring tops the IRC 2WD Cup standings in his Clio R3 from Corsican Pierre Campana, who overcame a puncture on stage two. Belgian Kris Princen had led the division only to retire on stage five.
Saturday’s leg is almost double the distance of Friday with crews tackling 191.96 competitive kilometres over 13 special stages. The opening stage gets underway at 11:13hrs local time with the first car due to reach the finish in Ypres at 22:30hrs.

Freddy Loix leads the Geko Ypres Rally on his IRC return

DRIVER QUOTES

Freddy Loix (Belgium), Skoda Fabia S2000, first overall: "It’s a little bit of a surprise for me to be straight away fighting at the front but I have a very good feeling with my car from the pre-event test and I know these stages well. It’s much too early to think about winning but I have to say we are on the limit."
Kris Meeke (United Kingdom), Peugeot 207 S2000, second overall: "Freddy took quite a bit of time out of me and I couldn’t do any more. If he keeps at that pace it’s going to be difficult to catch him but it’s never over until it’s over. I had nigh on a perfect stage [stage six] and couldn’t find another tenth so we’ll take what we have."
Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic), Skoda Fabia S2000, third overall: "It has been a tricky rally and it is a shame for Juho. We will try to come back for sure but so far it has not been easy. We had a big moment on the first stage when I went a bit off the road and I was quite cautious after that."

Kris Meeke has been impressed by Freddy Loix’s pace

TOP TEN IRC POSITIONS AFTER LEG ONE

1 Freddy Loix/Frederic Miclotte (Skoda Fabia S2000) +54m33.6s
2 Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Peugeot 207 S2000) +5.8s
3 Jan Kopecky/Petr Stary (Skoda Fabia S2000) +22.1s
4 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Klinger (Peugeot 207 S2000) +45.7s
5 Pieter Tsjoen/Eddy Chevaillier (Peugeot 207 S2000) +1m10.5s
6 Bernd Casier/Francis Caesemaeker (Skoda Fabia S2000) +1m37.6s
7 Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene (M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000) +1m58.2s
8 Patrick Snijers/Cindy Cokelaere (Peugeot 207 S2000) +2m07.2s
9 Bruno Magalhaes/Carlos Magalhaes (Peugeot 207 S2000) +2m14.8s
10 Jasper van den Heuvel/Martine Kolman (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X) +2m30.5s

LEG TWO ITINERARY (SATURDAY 26 JUNE)

Service D: Ieper Rally Center, 10:30hrs; SS7: Proven-Vieteren 1 (14.80kms), 11:13hrs; SS8: Watou 1 (12.33kms), 11:31hrs; SS9: Kemmelberg 1 (9.06kms), 12:12hrs; Service E: Ieper Rally Center, 13:01hrs; SS10: Langemark 1 (18.84kms), 13:41hrs; SS11: Dikkebus 1 (11.32kms), 14:16hrs; SS12: Heuvelland 1 (28.80kms), 14:43hrs; SS13: Lille-Eurometropole (1.66kms), 15:56hrs; Service F: Ieper Rally Center, 17:20hrs; SS14: Proven-Vieteren 2 (14.80kms), 18:13hrs; SS15: Watou 2 (12.33kms), 18:31hrs; SS16: Kemmelberg 2 (9.06kms), 19:12hrs; Service G: Ieper Rally Center, 20:01hrs; SS17: Langemark 2 (18.84kms), 20:41hrs; SS18: Dikkebus 2 (11.32kms), 21:16hrs; SS19: Heuvelland 2 (28.80kms), 21.43hrs; Service H: Ieper Rally Center, 22:30hrs; Finish: Ieper Rally Center, 22:40hrs.

TV TIMES

Eurosport, Europe’s largest television sports channel, will broadcast live coverage from the service park in Ypres, plus action from each day of the event. It will also show a rally highlights show, while highlights will also be available at www.rally-irc.com.
Saturday 26 June
10:00-10:30: Day one highlights repeated (Eurosport 2)
22:45-23:15: Day one highlights repeated (Eurosport)
23:15-23:45: LIVE from the service park and day highlights (Eurosport and Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Sunday 27 June
10:00-10:30: Day two highlights repeated (Eurosport 2)
10:15-10:45: Day two highlights repeated (Eurosport)
23:15-23:45: Magazine programme (Eurosport and Eurosport Asia-Pacific)

www.rally-irc.com

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26.6.2010 von Wolfgang.

Ypres, 25 June, 2010
Eurosport Events, the promoter of the Intercontinental Rally
Challenge, and Colin McRae Vision have today announced an exciting
partnership to support charities and good causes that help young
people living close to the route of IRC events.
Colin McRae Vision was established following the accident which
claimed the lives of rally legend Colin McRae, his five-year-old son
Johnny, and two family friends in September 2007, to improve health
and education for children around the world.
Eurosport Events and Colin McRae Vision will work with organisers of
selected rounds of the IRC to identify suitable projects and
initiatives. They will also work with IRC’s partners, manufacturers
and drivers to promote the efforts of Colin McRae Vision and increase
the levels of exposure and support, with regular updates on the IRC
website (www.rally-irc.com), in the IRC newsletter and during
television coverage of IRC rounds.
Furthermore, as part of this partnership, a new trophy will be
created: the "Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy" that will be presented
to the most spectacular driver on all remaining rounds of the IRC,
starting with Sata Rallye Açores from 15-17 July. An end of season
award, the Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Driver of the Year, will be handed
over at the IRC’s end of season awards ceremony.
As a result of the incredible support they have received from fans
around the world, the McRae family aims to see as much charitable
benefit generated as possible following their loss. They remain
extremely focused on ensuring Colin McRae Vision is able to raise and
distribute as much funding to good causes as possible. Colin’s widow
Alison wishes the main focus of the Vision to be in the areas of
children’s health and education.
In March, during the IRC’s inaugural visit to Argentina, Alison McRae
joined defending IRC champion Kris Meeke, who was Colin McRae’s
protégé and is now an ambassador of Colin McRae Vision, to present a
cheque for 74,000 Argentine Pesos (about 14,100 Euros) to the
Municipal Hospital in Carlos Paz, where the IRC-counting Rally
Argentina was based. The money was used to buy a new X-ray machine to
negate the need for patients requiring X-rays to be transferred to
Cordoba, some 35 kilometres away.
Marcello Lotti, General Manager of the IRC, said: "We are very proud
and delighted to be supporting the work of Colin McRae Vision, a very
worthwhile charity. While Colin McRae never competed in the IRC, he
was an iconic name whose spectacular driving style and spirit lives on
in many of the drivers currently competing in our series. Colin was a
man of the people who captured the imagination of rally fans around
the world. We look forward to collaborating on a variety of
initiatives during the remainder of the current IRC season and
beyond."
Colin McRae’s father Jim McRae added: "After Rally Argentina it
quickly became apparent Eurosport Events represented the type of
forward thinking organisation that the Vision was looking to partner
with. We are currently in dialogue with two further IRC events, Barum
Czech Rally Zlín and RACMSA Rally of Scotland, to identify suitable
projects for the Vision to support and we hope that these will
represent the first of many future donations that we will be able to
facilitate through our association with the IRC. With the assistance
of the promoters, event organisers, teams and rally fans around the
world, we feel we can make a genuine difference to some of the local
communities that welcome the IRC family each year."

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24.6.2010 von Wolfgang.

Thierry Neuville insists he won’t be feeling any added pressure when he starts the Geko Ypres Rally on Friday, despite his billing as one of his country’s brightest hopes for the future.
Neuville, 21, hails from Hunningen in the far east of Belgium near to the border with Germany, approximately 300 kilometres from Ypres, where round sixth of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge will be taking place.
He will drive a Peugeot 207 Super 2000 run by the vastly successful Kronos Racing operation under the Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg banner in deference to backing from the two Peugeot importers.
"Ypres is the most important event of the year for me with lots of people in Belgium looking for my result," said Neuville. "But I don’t feel under any pressure to try to win because of this. All I want to do is stay on the road and get some experience."
Neuville made his debut in a S2000 car on the event last season after being selected for the BFGoodrich Drivers’ Team seat by a panel of Belgian journalists. He ran as high as fourth before a crash forced his retirement.
"Even though the stages can be quite hard it is a real pleasure to drive in Ypres and it’s good that I have some experience of this event," said Neuville. "I came to watch this rally with my family when I was 10 years old so it is nice to be here competing."

Neuville will be chasing a finish on his home IRC event

Loix to make Goodwood Festival of Speed debut

Belgian ace Freddy Loix will make his debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK next month (2-4 July). The 39-year-old, who is due to return to Intercontinental Rally Challenge duty on this week’s Geko Ypres Rally, will pilot a Skoda Fabia Super 2000 at the motorsport extravaganza, which regularly attracts in excess of 100,000 spectators.
Loix drives for Skoda’s Belgian importer in the country’s national rally championship and is also embarking on a selected programme of IRC rallies, starting with the Tarmac-based Ypres Rally, when he will drive a third Fabia for the factory Skoda Motorsport team.
At Goodwood, Loix will drive a Skoda UK Motorsport-run Fabia in place of Briton Guy Wilks, who is still recovering from the injuries he sustained during his crash on Rally d’Italia-Sardegna earlier this month. Although he won’t be able to drive, Wilks will be present at Goodwood to sign autographs and meet fans.
Numerous big names from several motorsport disciplines will be attending the Festival, which features an asphalt hill climb and a gravel rally stage, as well as static displays of competition cars.

New website for Sibiu Rally IRC Supporter Event

Organisers of the Sibiu Rally, the IRC Supporter Event, have created a new English-language website at www.raliulsibiului.ro/en/.
The all-gravel event takes place in Sibiu, Romania, from 15-18 July. As well as being an IRC Supporter Event, it is also the fifth round of the popular Romanian National Rally Championship.
Sibiu Rally bosses are trying to attract more drivers from outside of Romania to take part on the event and organiser, Sorin Itu, said: "We will have more kilometres of stages than in 2009 for bringing us closer to the standard of an IRC event. We will also reintroduce the night stage Santa and are preparing many surprises for this year’s edition."
The Sibiu Rally, the second of three IRC Supporter Events scheduled to run this season, gets underway with a ceremonial start in the main square in Sibiu on 15 July.

RACMSA Rally of Scotland tickets go on sale

Tickets for RACMSA Rally of Scotland, the penultimate round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, have gone on sale to members of the public.
Prices have been reduced this year in response to the current economic downturn with various packages available to fans ranging from a ticket offering access to a single stage to a pass covering all stages and services. Furthermore, children under 16 attending the event with an adult will be admitted free of charge to all stages.
RACMSA Rally of Scotland made its first appearance in the IRC in 2009 and was won by Guy Wilks in a Skoda Fabia Super 2000. This year’s event is based in Perth and is scheduled to take place from 15-17 October.
Full ticket details are available at www.rallyofscotland.com.

Tickets for Scotland’s IRC round are now on sale to fans

www.rally-irc.com

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