7.3.2010 von Wolfgang.

Kris Meeke has become the most successful driver in the short history of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge by winning Rally Internacional de Curitiba for a second successive time. Co-driven by Irishman Paul Nagle, the defending IRC champion beat fellow Briton Guy Wilks to victory in Brazil by 46.7 seconds following a faultless performance in his Peugeot 207 Super 2000. It was Meeke’s fifth win from 12 IRC starts.
Behind Skoda UK driver Wilks, Juho Hanninen claimed six fastest stage times on his way to the final podium spot in third. The result means the Finn now tops the drivers’ standings with 14 points to the 11 Wilks has accumulated during the opening two rounds of the 12-event IRC season.
Meeke’s only cause for concern on day two occurred when he came across a flooded river just under three kilometres into stage ten. He said the section was almost one metre deep and 50 metres in length. At one point he feared he might aquaplane off the road. However, he completed the test unscathed and marked his victory by completing a celebratory lap of the Curitiba race circuit, which is hosting the opening two rounds of the World Touring Car Championship tomorrow (Sunday). The races are being televised live on Eurosport.
Wilks also suffered at the hands of the watersplash when his Skoda Fabia’s engine momentarily cut onto three cylinders after taking in too much liquid. To prevent a repeat of the problem on the second pass of the stage in the afternoon, Wilks attacked the watery section at full speed. He avoided any time loss but damaged his car’s bumper.
Jan Kopecky started the second leg in third place but a right-rear puncture five kilometres before the finish of the Saturday’s first 28.32-kilometre Bocaiuva stage dropped him into Hanninen’s clutches. And his Skoda team-mate duly moved in front on the next stage to run.
Bruno Magalhaes scored points on his second IRC event in a row despite reporting making a few mistakes with his pacenotes, which resulted in a loss of confidence. Unable to catch Kopecky for fourth and with his fifth place secured, Magalahes spent the final stages trying different set-ups for the third round of the IRC in Argentina later this month.
Eduardo Scheer completed the top six in his Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer. The Brazilian fought out a close battle with Bolivian Eduardo Peredo, whose similar Lancer suffered an engine failure within sight of the finish of the final stage, where he retired.
Daniel Oliveira had been sixth when he picked up a front-left puncture ten kilometres into Saturday’s first stage. Because it was only a slow puncture Oliveira and new co-driver Denis Giraudet elected to soldier to the end of the stage before changing the damaged tyre. They were rewarded with seventh overall in their Stohl Racing-run 207.
IRC 2WD Cup winner Marcos Tokarski, from Brazil, secured the final IRC drivers’ point in eighth overall aboard his 1600cc Peugeot 207.
Heavy rain during rally week forced organisers to cancel the two Rio Pesqueiro stages when the river of the same name running adjacent to it burst its banks. The event-closing Super Prime Pinhais stage was also lost because of the weather.

Kris Meeke has claimed his fifth IRC rally win in Brazil

DRIVER QUOTES

Kris Meeke (United Kingdom), Peugeot 207 S2000, first overall: "It’s a near-perfect result for us and it’s great to have put all the experience of last year to such good use. Paul has been brilliant alongside me and made no mistakes. It’s not been easy this weekend but we’ve learned to control the lead and that’s really pleasing. We’ve been relaxed, driven in the middle of the road, but also showed plenty of commitment when we needed to. I know what it takes to win again."
Guy Wilks (United Kingdom), Skoda Fabia S2000, second overall: "I’d not done a gravel rally this fast since Finland in 2007 so to have adapted to the stages and got second is a great result for me, Phil and Skoda UK. We’ve shown a lot of pace here but I think the difference has come down to the experience Kris has got from doing the rally last year. He drove very well but experience is very important here."
Juho Hanninen (Finland), Skoda Fabia S2000, third overall: "I am quite satisfied because we are now leading the championship when yesterday we thought it would be a really bad result after the puncture. I kept pushing today to keep the rhythm and it is lucky for me Jan got his puncture because it might have been hard to have got ahead of him."

Guy Wilks took second place for Skoda UK

TOP TEN IRC RESULTS AFTER LEG TWO

1 Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle Peugeot 207 S2000 1h42m45.4s
2 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh Skoda Fabia S2000 +46.7s
3 Juho Hanninen/Mikko Markkula Skoda Fabia S2000 +1m20.2s
4 Jan Kopecky/Petr Stary Skoda Fabia S2000 +1m49.3s
5 Bruno Magalhaes/Carlos Magalhaes Peugeot 207 S2000 +4m05.5s
6 Eduardo Scheer/Geferson Pavinatto Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +14m00.4s
7 Daniel Oliveira/Denis Giraudet Peugeot 207 S2000 +14m41.8s
8 Marcos Tokarski/Laercio Reginatto Peugeot 207 +23m21.4s
9 Luis Tedesco/Gabriel Morales Fiat Palio +23m25.8s
10 Juan San Martin/Martin Villete Subaru Impreza WRX +23m42.6s
Leading IRC 2WD Cup finishers: Marcos Tokarski/Laercio Reginatto (Peugeot 207)

The top three drivers celebrate in Curitiba

IRC STANDINGS

Drivers after round two of 12
1 Juho Hanninen (Finland) 14pts
2 Guy Wilks (United Kingdom) 11pts
3 Kris Meeke (United Kingdom) 10pts
= Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) 10pts
5 Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic) 9pts
6 Bruno Magalhaes (Portugal) 6pts
= Nicolas Vouilloz (France) 6pts
8 Stephane Sarrazin (France) 5pts
9 Eduardo Scheer (Brazil) 3pts
10 Daniel Oliveira (Brazil) 2pts etc
Manufacturers after round two of 12
1 Skoda 28pts
2 Peugeot 21pts
3 M-Sport 10pts
4 Ralliart 3pts
2WD Drivers after round two of 12
1 Kris Princen 10pts
= Marcos Tokarski 10pts
3 Luis Tedesco 8pts
= Pierre Campana 8pts
5 Thomas Barral 6pts
= Ulysses Bertholdo 6pts
7 Simone Campedelli 5pts
= Luciano Fleck 5pts
9 Jean-Michel Raoux 4pts
= Pablo Alejandro Pelaez 4pts etc
2WD Manufacturers after round two of 12
1 Peugeot 26pts
2 M-Sport 14pts
3 Abarth 8pts
4 Skoda 5pts
5 Honda 4pts

STAGE WINNERS

Friday 5 March
SS1: Campo Magro 1 (18.85kms): Kris Meeke
SS2: Ouro Fino 1 (9.58kms): Kris Meeke
SS3: Curitiba 1 (12.58kms): Kris Meeke
SS4: Campo Magro 2 (18.85kms): Kris Meeke
SS5: Curitiba 2 (12.58kms): Juho Hanninen
SS6: Campo Magro 3 (18.85kms): Kris Meeke
SS7: Ouro Fino 2 (9.58kms): Kris Meeke
Saturday 6 March
SS8: Bocaiuva (28.05kms): Juho Hanninen
SS9: Rio Pesqueiro 1 (15.06kms): Stage cancelled due to flooding
SS10: Quatro Barras 1 (12.02kms): Juho Hanninen
SS11: Nobre (10.14kms): Juho Hanninen
SS12: Rio Pesqueiro 2 (15.06kms): Stage cancelled due to flooding
SS13: Quatro Barras 2 (12.02kms): Juho Hanninen
SS14: Campina (22.78kms): Juho Hanninen
SS15: Super Prime Pinhais (3.38kms): Stage cancelled due to water damage
Stage winners in 2010
Juho Hanninen: 8
Sebastien Ogier: 7
Kris Meeke: 6
Mikko Hirvonen: 3
Stephane Sarrazin: 2
Nicolas Vouilloz: 1

TV TIMES

Eurosport, Europe’s largest television channel, will show highlights of each day of the rally. Highlights will also be available at www.rally-irc.com
Sunday 7 March
23:00-23:30: Magazine (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
24:00-24:30: Magazine (Eurosport)
Monday 8 March
03:30-04:00: Magazine repeated (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Tuesday 9 March
13:00-13:30: Magazine repeated (Eurosport2)
Wednesday 10 March
18:30-19:00: Magazine repeated (Eurosport2)
All times are CET

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7.3.2010 von Wolfgang.

Kris Meeke is on course to repeat his Rally Internacional de Curitiba victory of last year after winning six of the seven special stages on the first leg of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier in Brazil today (Friday 5 March).
The defending IRC champion holds a 32.7-second lead over fellow Briton Guy Wilks heading into Saturday’s second leg after making the most of his knowledge of the high-speed gravel stages: Meeke is the only leading IRC regular who has previous experience of the event.
Meeke, 30, also benefited from choosing a hard compound tyre for the afternoon loop of stages when his rivals all opted for softer rubber in the mistaken belief it would rain. However, he received extensive praise from his co-driver Paul Nagle and his team boss Marc van Dalen following a faultless performance behind the wheel of his Peugeot UK-backed 207 Super 2000.
Further evidence of Meeke’s dominance was provided by the fact he was the only leading driver to carry two spare tyres in his car all day, which meant he was saddled with an extra 40 kilograms of weight.
Wilks said his countryman’s superior knowledge of the stages had been the difference between the pair although he admitted dropping approximately five seconds on the third stage of the morning when his car’s spare intercom lead became detached and momentarily blocked his vision. He said his Skoda UK Motorsport-run Fabia S2000 had performed well all day, however.
Jan Kopecky reached the second service halt at Curitiba’s race circuit this evening in third overall in the first of two Skoda Motorsport-run Fabias. The Czech reported the rear of his car was sliding too much on the morning stages, which were slightly damp in places following overnight rain. He also bemoaned his lack of recent running on gravel for not being closer to Meeke and Wilks in the overall standings. Otherwise he said he was satisfied to be in contention for a podium finish tomorrow.
Team-mate Juho Hanninen holds fourth overnight after spending much of the day recovering from the left-rear puncture he picked up two kilometres into the first stage of the day. Because he was only carrying one spare tyre, the Finn had to be extra cautious over the next three stages of the morning loop before returning to service. An extra spare tyre for the afternoon’s three stages helped his confidence although the decision to run soft compound rear tyres in the afternoon caused a bout of oversteer and triggered a handling imbalance.
Bruno Magalhaes was fourth at midday service but lost time on stage five when his Peugeot’s front-right tyre became partially detached from the rim. Although it remained inflated, a change at the end of the stage was required and meant he had to tackle the next two tests with no spare and dropped behind Hanninen as a result of his cautious approach.
Daniel Oliveira achieved his aim of completing the leg without incident as he continues to build his experience of his Stohl Racing Peugeot 207. The young Brazilian had never driven the car on gravel before Thursday’s shortened shakedown. While he conceded he still needs to find more speed he said he had learned plenty during the day alongside new co-driver Denis Giraudet.
Eduardo Scheer, the son of Brazilian rallying legend Oswaldo, won the A6 class in Curitiba last year. Now armed with a four-wheel drive Mitsubishi Lancer, Scheer impressed throughout the day to hold a slender advantage over Bolivian driver Eduardo Peredo in seventh overall.
Peugeot 207 driver Marcos Tokarski is in control of the IRC 2WD Cup with veteran Brazilian Ulysses Bertholdo in second in a similar 1600cc 207.

Kris Meeke leads in Brazil after opening day of action

DRIVER QUOTES

Kris Meeke (United Kingdom), Peugeot 207 S2000, first overall: "Apart from a big hit going over a jump at some crossroads on the third stage everything else has been perfect today. I was a bit too cautious over the jump when the stage was repeated and lost a bit of time. Choosing the hard compound tyre was the right thing to do because it stayed dry and gave me more precision and stability. Now it’s down to me managing my lead tomorrow but I’ve been in this position before so I know what I’ve got to do."
Guy Wilks (United Kingdom), Skoda Fabia S2000, second overall: "Kris got a jump on us this morning and that’s down to his experience of the stages and nothing to do with anything I’ve done wrong or the car. We should have gone for the harder tyre in the afternoon but I don’t think it made a massive difference. Kris has now got to run first on the road tomorrow so we’ll keep the pressure on and see what happens."
Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic), Skoda Fabia S2000, third overall: "It’s been a long time since I’ve done a very fast gravel event like this so I have to be satisfied that I am with a chance of a podium tomorrow. It took time to get used to the stages today because of the speed but the roads are going to be a bit more technical tomorrow and I think it will be easier to adapt to."

Guy Wilks is second overall for Skoda UK Motorsport

TOP TEN OVERALL POSITIONS

1 Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle Peugeot 207 S2000 49m17.2s
2 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh Skoda Fabia S2000 +32.7s
3 Jan Kopecky/Petr Stary Skoda Fabia S2000 +1m00.1s
4 Juho Hanninen/Mikko Markkula Skoda Fabia S2000 +1m42.7s
5 Bruno Magalhaes/Carlos Magalhaes Peugeot 207 S2000 +2m07.9s
6 Daniel Oliveira/Denis Giraudet Peugeot 207 S2000 +5m58.7s
7 Eduardo Scheer/Geferson Pavinatto Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +7m16.1s
8 Eduardo Peredo/Claudio Bustos Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +7m19.5s
9 Marcos Tokarski/Laercio Reginatto Peugeot 207 1600 +11m37.1s
10 Juan San Martin/Martin Villete Subaru Impreza WRX +11m55.1s
Leading IRC 2WD Cup contenders: Marcos Tokarski/Laercio Reginatto (Peugeot 207 1600)

LEG TWO ITINERARY

Start: 07:30hrs; Service 3: Autodromo Curitiba, 07:30hrs; SS8: Bocaiuva (28.05kms), 08:30hs; SS9: Rio Pesqueiro 1 (15.06kms), 09:20hrs; SS10: Quatro Barras 1 (12.02kms), 10:10hrs; SS11: Nobre (10.14kms), 11:00hrs; Service 4: Autodromo Curitiba, 11:50hrs; SS12: Rio Pesqueiro 2 (15.06kms), 13:05hrs; SS13: Quatro Barras 2 (12.02kms), 13:45hrs; SS14: Campina (22.78kms), 14:20hrs; SS15: Super Prime Pinhais (3.38kms), 15:15hrs; Finish: Pinhais, 15:30hrs.

TV TIMES

Eurosport, Europe’s largest television channel, will show highlights of each day of the rally. Highlights will also be available at www.rally-irc.com
Friday 5 March
24:00-24:30: Day one highlights (Eurosport and Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Saturday 6 March
05:00-05:30: Day one highlights repeated (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
24:00-24:30: Day two highlights (Eurosport and Eurosport Asia-Pacific)

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26.2.2010 von Wolfgang.

THE CHALLENGE
After the snow and ice coated asphalt roads of Rallye Monte-Carlo in January, the Intercontinental Rally Challenge resumes in the Brazilian city of Curitiba from 4-6 March where the conditions could not be more contrasting.
The slippery mountainous lanes and sub-zero temperatures experienced on the IRC season opener will be replaced by high-speed gravel roads and a near tropical climate for Rally Internacional de Curitiba, the second round of the 12-event IRC series.
Residents of Brazil’s ’smiling city’ will get an extra treat. Not only will the IRC event be fought out within easy reach of central Curitiba, the city will also host the opening round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship.
Just like the rally, the WTCC competitors will be based at Curitiba’s race circuit where the opening two rounds will take place on Sunday 7 March. Both series are promoted by Eurosport Events and will enjoy coverage on Eurosport, Europe’s largest television channel.
Rally Internacional de Curitiba, which became a round of the IRC for the first time last year, is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2010. The event was originally called the Graciosa Rally in deference to the famous Graciosa Road, which connected Curitiba to the Atlantic Ocean several centuries ago.
Consisting of 15 stages covering 217 kilometres, the event is extremely compact compared to other rounds of the IRC. The total road distance is just short of 500 kilometres.
Friday’s opening leg is identical to 2009 and is made up of seven stages run to the west of Curitiba with a single visit to the permanent service park at Autodromo Curitiba shortly after midday. The first stage, Campo Magro, is run three times during the day with the Ouro Fino and Curitiba tests repeated once.
Saturday’s final leg, run to the north east of Curitiba, will feature eight stages and is set to finish with a spectacular superspecial stage in the district of Pinhais close to the service park. The spectator stage is purpose built and will pitch two drivers running side by side against each other. The bulk of Saturday’s stages will be used only once with the exception of Rio Pesqueiro and Quatro Barras, which will be run twice.
Unlike some gravel rallies, which are held over punishing rock-strewn terrain, the roads around Curitiba are smooth with numerous blind crests peppering the route. Although the surface is largely sandy, because the roads link small towns and villages, the surface is compact and in theory will not deteriorate when the stages are repeated.
Crews making the trip from Europe are due to arrive in Brazil over the weekend ahead of the two-day reconnaissance, which takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Following a shakedown test on Thursday morning and a ceremonial start, a run over the Super Prime Pinhais superspecial stage will determine the starting order for day one but won’t have a bearing on the overall result.

Kris Meeke will be aiming to repeat his 2009 Curitiba win

THE COMPETITORS

With the exception of defending IRC champions Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle, none of the other IRC regulars making the trip to Brazil have contested the event before. In theory, that should give the Peugeot UK crew, who won in Curitiba last season, the advantage, particularly as Nagle describes the event as being one of the hardest on the calendar to master. However, what time they might be able to gain on the opening day is likely to be cancelled out on day two if they end up running first on the road and having to cope with the loose surface gravel.
Meeke has prepared for the trip to Brazil with a test in the south of France in early February where he was joined by Peugeot Portugal’s Bruno Magalhaes. Like Meeke, Magalhaes will use a Peugeot 207 S2000 in Brazil and, also like Meeke, his pre-event test was disrupted by snow.
Daniel Oliveira completes the ranks of Peugeot runners in his Stohl Racing 207 following his IRC debut in Monte Carlo. Despite hailing from Brazil, Oliveira, who took part on his first rally last season, has never rallied in his homeland before but will be able to count on his new co-driver, the vastly experienced Denis Giraudet, for support.
Mikko Hirvonen tops the IRC standings following his victory in Monte Carlo, which also marked a maiden triumph for M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta S2000. Because the Finn will spend the rest of the season contesting the World Rally Championship and will not compete in Curitiba, his title lead will be short-lived with Skoda Motorsport’s Juho Hanninen in pole position to capitalise in Brazil.
Hanninen is second in the IRC standings after finishing runner-up to Hirvonen on the IRC opener. His knowledge of the Curitiba stages has been garnered from watching on-board camera footage from last year’s event and a DVD supplied by the event organisers. He has likened the high-speed undulating roads and numerous crests to the stages in his native Finland and believes it won’t take him long to get up to speed.
His team-mate Jan Kopecky, second to Meeke in last year’s IRC standings, prepared for Brazil with a three-day test in Sardinia following a holiday to Mexico, which the Czech used to acclimatise to the high ambient temperatures that will be a feature of the rally. Hanninen also carried out his own three-day test, which Kopecky described as being very successful.
Guy Wilks, who won his last gravel rally in a Skoda, will drive a third Fabia S2000 in Brazil. The Skoda UK driver travelled to Sardinia for a pre-event test but reported the low ambient temperatures he encountered will mean he will use the shakedown to fine-tune his car’s set-up.
Of the other leading Brazilians on the 48-car entry, Rafael Tulio was the first local driver home last season, finishing ninth overall and claiming IRC 2WD Cup honours in the process. He has switched from his Peugeot 206 to a 207, albeit still only with two-wheel drive and a 1600cc engine.
Eduardo Scheer has also changed cars and will drive a Mitsubishi Lancer after claiming the Brazilian A6 class title in 2009 at the wheel of a Renault Clio. Oswaldo Scheer, the reigning Brazilian champion and Paulo Nobre will also line up in Lancers and will both be in contention for the top six. Nobre’s last event was the snow-based Rally Sweden in early February but he triumphed on his last two starts in Brazil.

Guy Wilks will be making his Curitiba debut

THE EXPECTATIONS

Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic), Skoda Fabia S2000: “My last rally on gravel was in Russia last July and after making two mistakes in Monte Carlo I need to get some points. For sure I would like to fight for first position but I can’t afford to make any more mistakes. From looking at the video of the stages they look really fast and I prefer the faster stages. We had a good test and did some good work with the suspension so I am confident.”
Kris Meeke (United Kingdom), Peugeot 207 S2000: “I’ve obviously been here before and I’ll be looking to capitalise on that but I’m up against some seriously quick guys who can learn the stages just as fast as I did. It was difficult to replicate the hot temperatures we’ll get in Brazil during our test in France because it snowed but I’m happy with the shape we’ve got the car in. However, I know Skoda has not been standing still so the competition is going to be really tough.”
Daniel Oliveira (Brazil), Peugeot 207 Super 2000: “This will be the first time I have competed on a rally in Brazil so I will hope to keep on with my learning and try to finish with a good result. Monte Carlo was really new to me. Snow, asphalt, ice, night time driving, Super 2000, a new co-driver…all at once! It was really a race that made me grow up as a driver and I can say that it was all very hard. But the will to step on the gas and not being able to was the hardest part. I knew that I had to finish and that I could not risk anything.”

Jan Kopecky will drive a Skoda Fabia in Brazil

TV TIMES

Eurosport, Europe’s largest television channel, will show highlights of each day of the rally. Highlights will also be available at www.rally-irc.com
Friday 5 March
24:00-24:30: Day one highlights (Eurosport and Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Saturday 6 March
05:00-05:30: Day one highlights repeated (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
24:00-24:30: Day two highlights (Eurosport and Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Sunday 7 March
23:00-23:30: Magazine (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
24:00-24:30: Magazine (Eurosport)
Monday 8 March
03:30-04:00: Magazine repeated (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Tuesday 9 March
13:00-13:30: Magazine repeated (Eurosport2)
Wednesday 10 March
18:30-19:00: Magazine repeated (Eurosport2)
All times are CET

EVENT ESSENTIALS

Event: Rally Internacional de Curitiba
Starts: Thursday 4 March
Finishes: Saturday 6 March
Entries received: 48
IRC appearances: one (2009)
2009 winners: Kris Meeke (GBR)/Paul Nagle (IRL) Peugeot 207 S2000
Surface: gravel
Number of stages: 15
Special stage distance: 219.38 kilometres
Liaison distance: 493.26kms
Total distance: 712.64kms
Itinerary (all times shown are local): Prologue stage (Thursday 4 March): Super Prime Pinhais (3.38kms), 15:30hrs. Leg one (Friday 5 March): Start: 08:30hrs; SS1: Campo Magro 1 (18.85kms), 08:55hrs; SS2: Ouro Fino 1 (9.58kms), 10:05hrs; SS3: Curitiba 1 (12.58kms), 10:45hrs; SS4: Campo Magro 2 (18.85kms), 11:10hrs; Service 1: Autodromo Curitiba, 12:40hrs; SS5: Curitiba 2 (12.58kms), 14:50hrs; SS6: Campo Magro 3 (18.85kms), 15:15hrs; SS7: Ouro Fino 2 (9.58kms), 15:45hrs; Service 2: Autodromo Curitiba, 17:55hrs. Leg two (Saturday 6 March): Start: 07:30hrs; Service 3: Autodromo Curitiba, 07:30hrs; SS8: Bocaiuva (28.05kms), 08:30hs; SS9: Rio Pesqueiro 1 (15.06kms), 09:20hrs; SS10: Quatro Barras 1 (12.02kms), 10:10hrs; SS11: Nobre (10.14kms), 11:00hrs; Service 4: Autodromo Curitiba, 11:50hrs; SS12: Rio Pesqueiro 2 (15.06kms), 13:05hrs; SS13: Quatro Barras 2 (12.02kms), 13:45hrs; SS14: Campina (22.78kms), 14:20hrs; SS15: Super Prime Pinhais (3.38kms), 15:15hrs; Finish: Pinhais, 15:30hrs.

LEADING ENTRIES (unseeded)

Juho Hanninen (FIN)/Mikko Markkula (FIN) Skoda Fabia S2000
Jan Kopecky (CZE)/Petr Stary (CZE) Skoda Fabia S2000
Bruno Magalhaes (POR)/Carlos Magalhaes (POR) Peugeot 207 S2000
Kris Meeke (GBR)/Paul Nagle (IRL) Peugeot 207 S2000
Paulo Nobre (BRA)/Edu Paula (BRA) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
Daniel Oliveira (BRA)/Denis Giraudet (FRA) Peugeot 207 S2000
Guy Wilks (GBR)/Phil Pugh (GBR) Skoda Fabia S2000
Eduardo Scheer (BRA)/Geferson Pavinatto (BRA) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
Oswaldo Scheer (BRA)/Gilvan Jablonski (BRA) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
Rafael Tulio (BRA)/Cesar Valandro (BRA) Peugeot 207 S1600

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS

Drivers (after one of 12 rounds):
1 Mikko Hirvonen (FIN) 10pts
2 Juho Hanninen (FIN) 8
3 Nicolas Vouilloz (FRA) 6
4 Stephane Sarrazin (FRA) 5
5 Jan Kopecky (CZE) 4
6 Guy Wilks (GBR) 3
7 Bruno Magalhaes (POR) 2
8 Jean-Sebastien Vigion (FRA) 1
Manufacturers (after one of 12 rounds):
1 Skoda 14pts
2 M-Sport 10
3 Peugeot 7
IRC 2WD Cup drivers (after one of 12 rounds):
1 Kris Princen 10pts
2 Pierre Campana 8
3 Thomas Barral 6
4 Simone Campedelli 5
5 Jean-Michel Raoux 4
6 Arnaud Monnet 3
7 Christophe Fontaine 2
8 Tom Cave 1
IRC 2WD Cup manufacturers (after one of 12 rounds):
1 M-Sport 14pts
2 Peugeot 10
3 Skoda 5

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19.2.2010 von Wolfgang.

Nasser Al-Attiyah has said the opportunity to win rallies outright was one of the major influences behind his decision to enter the Intercontinental Rally Challenge this year.
Al-Attiyah, from Qatar, will drive a Rene Georges Rally Sport-run Skoda Felicia S2000 on at least six rounds of the IRC this season. His first event will be Rally Argentina in March, where he won the Group N division in eighth overall when the event counted as a round of the world championship in 2009.
He said: "In the IRC if you win, you win the race and it’s not always like that in some other rallies I do. This is very important for the concentration and makes it so interesting to be doing the IRC. I am doing so much to win this championship and I know it can be a good fight because the rallies are always open with many good drivers."

Basso and Rossetti get factory Abarths for Sanremo

Abarth has put itself in a strong position to add to its tally of wins in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge by confirming that it will enter a pair of factory-supported Abarth Grande Punto Super 2000s on Rallye Sanremo in September for two former event winners.
The Turin manufacturer, which has claimed six overall wins since the IRC began in 2007, has signed star drivers Giandomenico Basso and Luca Rossetti to lead its assault on the Italian Rally Championship, which runs alongside the IRC on the Sanremo-based Tarmac rally from September 23-25.
Basso and Rossetti have both claimed four victories apiece in the IRC (Rossetti was driving a Peugeot 207 when he landed his quartet of wins), and both have won in Sanremo before, with Rossetti triumphing in 2007 and Basso taking the laurels the following season.
Team Trico Motor Sport will run the factory Abarths this season.

Basso (seen winning Sanremo in 2008) will return in a factory Abarth

M-Sport Fiesta ranks set to grow

The number of M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000s competing in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge is set to rise after Martin Prokop and Bernardo Sousa confirmed that they will contest selected events in the car.
Prokop, from Czech Republic, and Sousa, from Portugal, are both highly-rated. Prokop is planning to enter the rounds in Sardinia, Zlin and Sanremo. Sousa will be in action on the IRC events in Acores and Madeira.
With Andreas Mikkelsen already confirming his seven-event campaign in a Fiesta, news that more examples of the car will take part in the IRC is a further boost to the series.
Mikko Hirvonen took a Fiesta S2000 to a debut victory on Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo last month. Although there won’t be any Fiestas in action on Rally Internacional de Curitiba in Brazil next month, Federico Villagra is due to drive one of the cars on Rally Argentina.

Wittmann excited by IRC schedule

Franz Wittmann has spoken of his delight after finalising his Intercontinental Rally Challenge schedule in his Interwetten Racing Peugeot 207 S2000.
The Austrian had contemplated contesting the South American rounds in Brazil and Argentina next month but will instead focus on a programme of European-based events, starting with the fourth round of the series in Sardinia. He will also compete in Ypres, Acores, Zlin, Asturias, Sanremo and Cyprus.
"I’m so happy to get everything sorted out and to know I am going back to some events I know from last year," said Wittmann, 26. "We have a good mixture of Tarmac and gravel events and I can’t wait to experience these rallies and get more knowledge of driving my Peugeot 207."
Wittmann, who began his 2010 IRC campaign on Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo last month, wants to contest a handful of practice rallies and also test his Romo Motorsporttechnik-run car prior to Rally d’Italia-Sardegna, which runs from 4-6 June.

Wittmann will tackle seven more European-based IRC events

www.rally-irc.com

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4.2.2010 von Wolfgang.

Nasser Al-Attiyah will make his Intercontinental Rally Challenge debut on Rally Argentina next month, driving a Skoda Fabia S2000 for the Belgian Rene Georges Rally Sport team.
The highly-regarded Qatari, 39, is a hero in Argentina after he finished runner-up to Carlos Sainz on the Dakar Rally, which started and finished in the capital Buenos Aires last month.
He is also no stranger to the Villa Carlos Paz-based Rally Argentina, having won Group N on the event when it counted towards the World Rally Championship in 2009. He has experience of Super 2000 technology after winning the Qatar International Rally in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta last month.
Al-Attiyah, a six-time Middle East rally champion, will also contest other selected rounds of this year’s IRC and his programme will be confirmed after Rally Argentina.

Nasser Al-Attiyah will enter selected IRC events

New superspecial stage for Curitiba

Competitors on Rally Internacional de Curitiba are set for a spectacular finish to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge event when the series resumes in Brazil next month.
A new 3.38-kilometre superspecial stage is being built close to the Autodromo Internacional de Curitiba where the gravel rally will be based from 4-6 March. It will mark the 15th and final stage of the event, round two of the IRC.
Crews will tackle the stage in pairs and organisers hope that up to 15,000 spectators will turn up to watch.
Event promoter Marcos Marcola said: "There will be a bridge with a crossing point so we can have two cars side by side. The stage is close to the city of Curitiba and close to the service park so we hope it will make it easy for the fans to go and see. Everybody likes this kind of show and I think it will be very exciting for the rally and for the drivers."

Meeke set for French test run

Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Kris Meeke will prepare for the second round of the series in Brazil next month with a four-day test in France from 8-11 February.
The 30-year-old from Northern Ireland won Rally Internacional de Curitiba when it was included in the IRC for the first time last season. It was his first of four victories during his title-winning campaign.
He said: "It’s a five-day Peugeot Sport test and I’m doing four days. More time in the car is always good and we should head to Brazil in good shape."
Peugeot UK driver Meeke received more good news recently when he was presented with the Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs’ Northern Ireland Motorsport Award.

Oliveira impresses team boss Stohl

Manfred Stohl has said his team’s driver Daniel Oliveira exceeded his expectations when he finished the 78th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo last month in 20th overall.
The Intercontinental Rally Challenge opener was the first time the Brazilian had driven on snow and ice and Stohl said he was full of praise for the 24-year-old.
"One week before the rally he tested for two days in Austria and that was the first time he had driven on snow and ice," said Stohl. "Because of this I did not expect him to finish because the conditions were so difficult. But he listened very well and did a very good job to finish the rally. I was very pleased."
Oliveira’s Stohl Racing Peugeot 207 S2000 is currently being shipped to South America where rounds two and three of the IRC will take place next month.

Daniel Oliveira has made a strong start to his IRC career

Video highlights of Monte Carlo Rally online

Highlights of Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo, the opening round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, can be found at www.rally-irc.com by going to the video section. The best moments from each day of the event plus a 26-minute event review are now available to watch.

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29.1.2010 von Wolfgang.

The factory Skoda Motorsport team will enter its works drivers Juho Hanninen and Jan Kopecky on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge events in Brazil and Argentina in March.
Skoda is planning an expanded programme of IRC appearances this season and its commitment to the South American gravel rallies will help to ensure a strong turnout of European-based crews.
Company spokesperson Karel Pokorny said: "We will run two cars in Brazil and Argentina. Skoda has some experience in Argentina from the World Rally Championship but we have never been to Brazil so that will be something new.
"We saw last year the pace of the Fabia Super 2000 on gravel in the Azores and Russia and we hope this will continue when we go to Brazil and Argentina."
Satellite team Skoda UK Motorsport has also confirmed it will field a Fabia S2000 on the South American leg for British driver Guy Wilks.

Skoda Motorsport will enter South American IRC events

First Subaru Individual Award presented to Burri

Olivier Burri has become the first recipient of the "Subaru Individual Award" for 2010. The accolade is in recognition of Burri finishing Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo as the highest-placed Subaru Impreza driver.
Burri, from Switzerland, and co-driver Stephane Rey finished 13th overall in their Impreza WRX STi. They were 17.2s ahead of rival Subaru crew Vojtech Stajf and Marcela Doleckova from Czech Republic, who were classified in 14th overall.
Frenchman Bryan Bouffier had been the leading Subaru driver until a puncture triggered an electrical failure. The Tommi Makinen Racing driver was 11th overall when he retired on the eighth stage of the event.
The Subaru Individual Award will be presented on each of the 12 IRC rounds this year to the highest-placed Subaru finisher and demonstrates the support that Subaru will extend to its customer drivers in the IRC in 2010.

Olivier Burri is Subaru’s first Individual Award winner

Meeke will hit back from Monte crash, says van Dalen

Team boss Marc van Dalen has backed his lead driver Kris Meeke to fight back following the crash that put him out of the Monte Carlo Rally last week.
Meeke, the defending Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion, was in second place when he slid off the road on a patch of black ice on the opening stage of the second leg of the event. Although his Peugeot UK 207 S2000 suffered nothing more than a cracked front bumper, the car was stranded down a bank and Meeke and co-driver Paul Nagle were forced to retire.
"It was a mistake and it can happen," said van Dalen, the co-owner of Meeke’s Kronos Racing team. "But I am not going to blame him because we win as a team and we lose as a team and I know he will come back from this, starting in Brazil when I hope we can win again."

Hirvonen’s Monte Carlo success is first for Pirelli in IRC

Mikko Hirvonen’s victory on Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo marked the first outright success on a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge for tyre firm Pirelli.
The Italian manufacturer has been active in the IRC since the championship’s inception in 2007. Its maiden win came after a typically challenging Monte Carlo Rally, which featured freezing temperatures, snow and ice.
Hirvonen, who led from start to finish and claimed three stage wins, used a varied selection of tyre patterns and compounds from Pirelli’s Sottozero range. He said: "Even though the conditions were changing all the time, we managed to find enough grip to allow us to be extremely competitive."
Pirelli’s Rally Manager Mario Isola added: "We’re delighted with this important success, not just because Monte Carlo is such a well-known and prestigious event, but also because it’s a rally where tyres really make a difference."

Mikko Hirvonen gave Pirelli its first IRC victory

www.rally-irc.com

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28.1.2010 von Wolfgang.

Full live coverage - a worldwide first for rallying - with 12 hours of live broadcasts on Eurosport TV
70% audience increase in reach compared to 2009 with record peak ratings
Eurosport Events, the promoter of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, is delighted to announce exceptional viewing figures for its world first full live coverage of the 78th Monte Carlo Rally, the oldest and most prestigious rally in the history of the sport.
A cumulative reach of 12 million different viewers (*) tuned in to Eurosport and Eurosport2 to watch the opening round of the 2010 IRC season, which featured over 12 hours of live coverage from the stages, a first for rallying.
The audience figures were particularly high on Thursday 21 January when an average audience of 810,000 viewers, and a peak of over one million, watched the snow-covered ninth stage (St Bonnet).
This year’s cumulative reach represents an increase of 70 per cent over 2009, when seven million viewers tuned in to watch last year’s rally. The audience profile was predominantly male, with men representing 68 per cent of viewers.
The IRC Monte Carlo Rally also attracted a comprehensive online following: the IRC website recorded over three million page impressions over the week, while the brand new IRC iPhone application has been downloaded 6000 times and registered 187,000 pages viewed.
Géraldine Filiol, Managing Director of Eurosport Events, commented: "We are very happy with our pioneering live coverage of this epic event, which marks a world premiere in the way that the sport of rallying is broadcast. The unprecedented audience figures reinforce the appeal of the IRC to a global television audience. It also confirms the value of the IRC, which intends to bring rallying closer to the fans and to provide rally organisers and car manufacturers with a dynamic TV and new media package. We look forward to continuing our development and innovative approach over the rest of the season."
The IRC will resume in Curitiba, Brazil, from 4-6 March for the second round of the season. This event will run alongside Brazil’s World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) round, held at the same venue and also promoted by Eurosport Events.
(*) source: Eurometrix - AGF/GFK, SKO, BARB, TNS Global, MMS, AGB Nielsen Media Research, TNS Gallup, ARMA/GFK Romania (TBC) / Nedstat for online figures.

Eurosport’s live IRC Monte Carlo Rally coverage attracted a record audience

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23.1.2010 von Wolfgang.

A processing error meant the Intercontinental Rally Challenge Manufacturers’ and IRC 2WD Cup Manufacturers’ points published following the Monte Carlo Rally were incorrect. The correct points are as follows:
IRC Manufacturers
1 Skoda 14 points
2 M-Sport 10 points
3 Peugeot 7 points
(No points awarded to Subaru and Ralliart)
IRC 2WD Cup Manufacturers
1 M-Sport 14 points
2 Peugeot 10 points
3 Skoda 5 points

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23.1.2010 von Wolfgang.

Mikko Hirvonen has given M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta S2000 a debut victory on the opening round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, the 78th Automobile Rallye Monte-Carlo, which finished in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The 29-year-old from Finland and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen held the lead from the opening stage on Wednesday to claim their first win on the legendary event. Although Sebastien Ogier closed to within 38.3 seconds of them with his seventh stage victory on Friday evening, the Peugeot 207 driver’s bid for a second successive win in the Principality was cruelly ended when he retired on the road section heading to the penultimate stage.
Ogier’s retirement, the result of a broken alternator pulley shaft, elevated Skoda’s Juho Hanninen to second place with Nicolas Vouilloz claiming third on a one-off outing for the Czech firm. The result means Skoda tops the IRC Manufacturers’ standings over M-Sport by four points.
Hanninen held second at the start of the day but fell behind Ogier on the first stage of Friday evening when his choice of winter tyre proved too conservative for the conditions, which were drier in parts than expected.
Stephane Sarrazin was the lead Peugeot 207 driver home in fourth. Having lost time with a puncture and a crash into a snow bank earlier in the event, Sarrazin had an anxious wait at the first service halt in Monaco on Friday afternoon while his PH Sport mechanics rushed to replace a broken front differential. Their efforts were rewarded when he went fastest on stage 13, despite the lack of a functioning first gear. He was quickest again on the last stage of the event.
Jan Kopecky, the runner-up in last year’s IRC Drivers’ standings, dropped out of contention with a puncture on the very first stage. A second puncture on day two added to his woes but he gradually fought back to claim fifth and four Drivers’ championship points. With the 2009 champion, Kris Meeke, crashing his Peugeot UK 207 S2000 on Friday’s first stage, Kopecky’s recovery could prove decisive as the season progresses.
Briton Guy Wilks made it four Skoda Fabia Super 2000s in the top six, with a solid drive to sixth overall. He bemoaned poor tyre choice and a lack of experience of driving his Fabia on asphalt for his failure to challenge higher up the order although he achieved his aim of a points finish.
Portugal’s Bruno Magalhaes and Frenchman Jean-Sebastien Vigion completed the points scorers with seventh and eighth respectively in their Peugeot 207s.
Like Ogier, Franz Wittmann failed to go the distance when he damaged his 207 hitting a wall on stage 13. Toni Gardemeister withdrew heading to the day’s opening stage with engine damage sustained in a crash on Friday afternoon.
Clio R3 European Trophy competitor Kris Princen won the IRC 2WD Cup in 11th overall after surviving a puncture on Friday evening. Young Corsican Pierre Campana took an impressive second in class on his Monte Carlo Rally debut after making repairs to a broken water expansion tank following the penultimate stage.
Hirvonen ran on Pirelli tyres throughout the Monte Carlo event, sealing the Italian company’s first overall victory in the IRC series.
The 78th Monte Carlo Rally was characterised by an unprecedented 14 hours of spectacular live television coverage from Eurosport, allowing viewers all over the world to see the action directly as it happened.

Hirvonen claimed his first IRC victory in Monte Carlo

DRIVER QUOTES

"It’s always been a dream of mine to win the Monte Carlo Rally. I have to say the car has been perfect from start to finish thanks to the mechanics who worked so hard to get everything ready. It was never easy but thanks to an excellent job from the team we were able to win having led from the start. I’ve really enjoyed this experience and I’d love to come back again. It was a shame Sebastien Ogier had his technical problem because it was a great battle but it also came as a relief that he stopped. We had a perfect tyre from Pirelli. I am very happy." Mikko Hirvonen, first overall
"Of course it’s good to get some points but it’s disappointing we lost the fight to Ogier. But I am happy with second place following a difficult rally in difficult conditions. I am very pleased to have got to the end. If anything it was even harder than last year but I think we’ve improved and the car has improved so we can look forward to what I am sure will be a very strong season for us. I would like to congratulate Mikko for a fantastic job." Juho Hanninen, second overall
"My aim was to finish the Monte Carlo Rally for the first time and this is what I did. To do this with Skoda is also very good so I am very happy. It was not easy and perhaps I did not always have the speed or the confidence I wanted to be able to push. But I did not make any big mistakes and to be on the podium on this rally is a big achievement." Nicolas Vouilloz, third overall

Hanninen finished second for Skoda Motorsport

TOP TEN POSITIONS AFTER LEG THREE

1 Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen Ford Fiesta S2000 4h32m58.5s
2 Juho Hanninen/Mikko Markkula Skoda Fabia S2000 +1m51.4s
3 Nicolas Vouilloz/Benjamin Veillas Skoda Fabia S2000 +3m19.1s
4 Stephane Sarrazin/Jacques Julien Renucci Peugeot 207 S2000 +7m25.5s
5 Jan Kopecky/Petr Stary Skoda Fabia S2000 +8m48.7s
6 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh Skoda Fabia S2000 +9m24.5s
7 Bruno Magalhaes/Carlos Magalhaes Peugeot 207 S2000 +9m45.4s
8 Jean-Sebastien Vigion/Stephane Prevot Peugeot 207 S2000 +13m33.5s
9 Jaroslav Orsak/Karel Vajik Skoda Fabia S2000 +21m16.6s
10 Andrej Jereb/Miran Kacin Peugeot 207 S2000 +25m26.1s
Leading IRC 2WD Cup contenders: Kris Princen/Eddy Smeets Renault Clio R3

IRC STANDINGS

Drivers after round one of 12
1 Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) 10pts
2 Juho Hanninen (Finland) 8pts
3 Nicolas Vouilloz (France) 6pts
4 Stephane Sarrazin (France) 5pts
5 Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic) 4pts
6 Guy Wilks (United Kingdom) 3pts
7 Bruno Magalhaes (Portugal) 2pts
8 Jean-Sebastien Vigion (France) 1pt
Manufacturers after round one of 12
1 Skoda 14pts
2 M-Sport 10pts
3 Peugeot 9pts
4 Subaru 5pts
5 Ralliart 1pt
2WD Drivers after round one of 12
1 Kris Princen 10pts
2 Pierre Campana 8pts
3 Thomas Barral 6pts
4 Simone Campedelli 5pts
5 Jean-Michel Raoux 4pts
6 Arnaud Monnet 3pts
7 Christophe Fontaine 2pts
8 Tom Cave 1pt
2WD Manufacturers after round one of 12
1 M-Sport 13pts
2 Peugeot 10pts
3 Skoda 6pts

STAGE WINNERS

Tuesday 19 January
SSS: Lente-Col de Gaudissart (8.83km): Toni Gardemeister
Wednesday 20 January
SS1: Burzet-Lachamp Raphael (27.27km): Mikko Hirvonen
SS2: St Pierreville-Antraigues (45.17km): Sebastien Ogier
SS3: Burzet-Lachamp Raphael (27.27km): Mikko Hirvonen
SS4: St Pierreville-Antraigues (45.17km): Sebastien Ogier
Thursday 21 January
SS5: Labatie D’Andaure-St Pierre Sur Doux (25.30km): Nicolas Vouilloz
SS6: St Bonnet-St Julien Molhesabate-St Bonnet (25.67km): Sebastien Ogier
SS7: Lamastre-Gilhoc-Alboussiere (21.92km): Mikko Hirvonen
SS8: Labatie D’Andaure-St Pierre Sur Doux (25.30km): Juho Hanninen
SS9: St Bonnet-St Julien Molhesabate-St Bonnet (25.67km): Sebastien Ogier
SS10: Lamastre-Gilhoc-Alboussiere (21.92km): Sebastien Ogier
Friday 22 January
SS11: Montauban Sur Ouveze-Eygalayes (30.42km): Sebastien Ogier
SS12: Peira Cava-La Bollene Vesubie (18.42km): Sebastien Ogier
SS13: Lantosque-Luceram (19.13km): Stephane Sarrazin
SS14: Peira Cava-La Bollene Vesubie (18.42km): Juho Hanninen
SS15: Lantosque-Luceram (19.13km): Stephane Sarrazin

TV TIMES

Eurosport, Europe’s largest television channel, will show a review programme from 23:00-23:30 CET on Tuesday 26 January. Highlights of each leg of the rally are also available at www.rally-irc.com

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21.1.2010 von Wolfgang.

Mikko Hirvonen continues to lead the 78th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo, the opening round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, following a dramatic second day’s action in the Haute Loire region of France.
The Finn, who is driving the M-Sport Fiesta S2000 in competition for the first time, heads the overall standings by 47.7 seconds following Thursday’s six stages. Juho Hanninen is second for the works Skoda Motorsport team with Sebastien Ogier battling from fifth last night up to third in a Peugeot 207 S2000, courtesy of three stage wins.
While Hirvonen edged closer to a debut IRC victory, last year’s champion Kris Meeke was an early retirement, crashing out one kilometre from the start of the day’s first stage. The Briton clipped a patch of black ice on a right-hand bend, understeered into a low bridge and veered down a bank, where his Peugeot 207 became stranded.
Although the weather conditions were remarkably tame on Wednesday’s first leg, black ice and snow littered today’s first two stages. The majority of the leading crews opted to use full studded tyres for the first loop in the hope they would provide sufficient grip to withstand the treacherous stage conditions. Meeke, however, opted to run half studs in the hope they would give him an advantage on the third stage of the day, which was largely free of ice and snow.
Unfortunately for the Peugeot UK driver he never made it that far and, for a second year in succession, he and Irish co-driver Paul Nagle have failed to finish the demanding asphalt event.
Hirvonen’s day wasn’t entirely free of incident. He picked up a front-left puncture six kilometres from the end of the day’s second stage when he struck a rock lying in a snow bank. It resulted in a 40-second delay for the 29-year-old World Rally Championship regular.
Hanninen inherited second overall when Meeke crashed but felt he could have been closer on time to his countryman Hirvonen heading into Friday’s final leg. He said he had driven too aggressively on the day’s last stage, which caused his rear tyres to lose grip towards the end of the run.
Ogier’s main cause of complaint occurred on the last test of the opening loop of three stages when he and co-driver Julien Ingrassia received a split time that was faster than they had actually recorded. Assuming they were setting a strong pace, they backed off in order to avoid making any mistakes but were ultimately too cautious than they should have been.
Skoda driver Nicolas Vouilloz started the day ahead of Ogier but, despite going fastest on the first stage, was powerless to prevent last year’s Monte Carlo winner from moving ahead.
After a time-consuming puncture on Wednesday, Stephane Sarrazin suffered further delay today when he slid into a snow bank on stage six and got stuck for more than two minutes. The French Peugeot driver blamed the incident on carrying too much speed into an ice-coated corner.
Franz Wittmann, Guy Wilks and Bruno Magalhaes completed the top eight at the overnight halt in Valence with Toni Gardemeister falling from seventh to tenth behind Jan Kopecky. Gardemeister, driving an Abarth Grande Punto, lost time with a puncture on stage five and two spins on stage nine. Skoda driver Kopecky suffered a puncture of his own on stage seven.
Clio R3 European Trophy contender Mathieu Arzeno’s hopes of winning the IRC 2WD Cup ended when he crashed into retirement on stage eight. The young French driver’s misfortune handed the category lead to Belgian veteran Kris Princen with Pierre Campana now up to second. The rising star from Corsica impressed by setting the ninth fastest time overall on the day’s final stage, which was run under the cover of darkness.
Friday’s final leg gets underway with the 30.42-kilometre stage from Montauban sur Ouveze to Eygalayes, 120 kilometres south east of Valence. Crews then continue south to Monte Carlo for an early evening service before they tackle the final four stages at night, which include two passes over the famous Col de Turini in the mountains above Monaco. The first car is due to finish at 0105hrs on Saturday.

Hirvonen remains in control of the Monte Carlo Rally

DRIVER QUOTES

"It’s been another good day today. We were testing different components on the car and in the afternoon we were able to try a bit more of a dry set-up. Although there was still a bit more black ice than I expected we’ve had no problems with the car. We had a puncture in the morning but it didn’t cause us too many problems. It would be fantastic to win the Monte but there’s still a very long way to go so I’m not even thinking about that." Mikko Hirvonen, first overall
"We had no problems today and the car has been perfect. Our safety note crew is very experienced and their knowledge and help has been an important part of getting to where we are. Generally I’ve been happy with the tyre choices. There were a couple of times when I maybe would have wanted a safer tyre but, okay, it wasn’t a disaster. Mikko is setting a fantastic pace in front but I am not surprised by that." Juho Hanninen, second overall
"Although we won three stages today and moved from fifth to third we didn’t push very hard because that would have meant taking too many risks. The conditions have been too difficult to do that and there is also now a problem of mud on the road following the first pass through the stages. I would prefer to be in front but I am also happy that I am still in the rally tonight." Sebastien Ogier, third overall

Juho Hanninen is second for Skoda Motorsport

TOP TEN POSITIONS (AFTER LEG TWO)

1 Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen Ford Fiesta S2000 3h12m44.0s
2 Juho Hanninen/Mikko Markkula Skoda Fabia S2000 +47.7s
3 Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Peugeot 207 S2000 +1m10.3s
4 Nicolas Vouilloz/Benjamin Veillas Skoda Fabia S2000 +1m34.3s
5 Stephane Sarrazin/Jacques Julien Renucci Peugeot 207 S2000 +6m06.0s
6 Franz Wittmann/Klaus Wicha Peugeot 207 S2000 +6m53.8s
7 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh Skoda Fabia S2000 +7m07.3s
8 Bruno Magalhaes/Carlos Magalhaes Peugeot 207 S2000 +7m12.8s
9 Jan Kopecky/Petr Stary Skoda Fabia S2000 +7m24.4s
10 Toni Gardemeister/Tomi Tuominen Abarth Grande Punto S2000 +9m13.0s
Leading IRC 2WD Cup contenders: Kris Princen/Eddy Smeets Renault Clio R3

LEG THREE ITINERARY

Service E: Valence, 06:30hrs; SS11: Montauban sur l’Ouveze- Eygalayes (30.42 kilometres), 09:23hrs; Service F: Monaco, 17:27hrs; SS12: Peira Cava-La Bollene Vesubie 1 (18.42 kilometres), 19:15hrs; SS13: Lantosque-Luceram 1 (19.13 kilometres), 19:48hrs; Service G: Monaco, 21:35hrs; SS14: Peira Cava-La Bollene Vesubie 2, 23:20hrs; SS15: Lantosque-Luceram 2, 23:53hrs; Service H: Monaco, 01:05hrs. Prize giving (Saturday January 23): Place du Palais Princier, 11:00hrs.

FRIDAY’S TV TIMES

Eurosport, Europe’s largest television channel, will show live coverage of four stages tomorrow (see below), ensuring viewers will be able to follow all of the action as it happens. Highlights of the day will also available at www.rally-irc.com
19:00-20:45: SS12 and SS13 LIVE Eurosport
23:00-00:45: SS14 and SS15 LIVE Eurosport

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21.1.2010 von Wolfgang.

Mikko Hirvonen capped an impressive competition debut for the M-Sport Fiesta Super 2000 by completing the opening leg of Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo with a 41.9-second lead over reigning Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Kris Meeke.
Hirvonen, from Finland, went fastest on Wednesday morning’s first stage from Burzet to Lachamp Raphael and was never headed at the top of the leaderboard thereafter. He was quickest again when the 27.27-kilometre run was repeated in the afternoon and was able to extend his advantage after Peugeot 207 driver Stephane Sarrazin suffered a puncture on stage four and slipped down the order.
The French driver’s delay promoted Meeke into second place. The Briton adopted a cautious approach and drove without error throughout the day in his efforts to begin his title defence with a points finish, having crashed out of this event last season. Meeke felt he could have been closer to the leader but for a confidence-denting moment on the second stage braking for a left-hand corner.
Juho Hanninen heads the works Skoda Motorsport challenge after lead driver Jan Kopecky lost more than three minutes with a front-right puncture close to the start of the first stage. Hanninen reported a few scares in the thick fog that descended on a 12-kilometre section of the second stage from St Pierreville to Antraigues, but otherwise enjoyed a trouble-free day. Kopecky recovered to hold 12th overnight.
Nicolas Vouilloz, on a one-off drive with the Skoda squad, holds fourth overall after the first day of competition. He spent the morning acclimatising to the Fabia S2000 and admitted his choice of tyres had been too conservative.
Last year’s Monte Carlo winner Sebastien Ogier had closed to within 4.9 seconds of leader Hirvonen after two stages but his hopes of a top finish evaporated when he went off the road on the third stage on a patch of snow and damaged his front-right wheel, losing 1m30s in the process. He fought back with the quickest time on the final stage of the day to complete the leg 1m51s adrift of Hirvonen in fifth overall.
Peugeot Portugal driver Bruno Magalhaes said he was satisfied with how his Monte Carlo debut had gone so far as he adapted to driving on slippery asphalt for the first time. He lies sixth overnight, one place ahead of Finn Toni Gardemeister, the lead Abarth Grande Punto pilot.
Gardemeister lost time by running dry weather tyres on the rain-hit opening brace of stages, when he overshot a left-hander on the second run and clouted a stone wall. Damage was miraculously limited to a scuffed front-right bumper and Gardemeister was able to continue his challenge for a top-six finish.
Sarrazin, who had complained of a loss of engine power on the first stage, reached the overnight halt in Valence in eighth, clearly frustrated that his bid for victory had suffered a serious blow due to his puncture, which added almost three minutes to his total time.
Austria’s Franz Wittmann spent the morning stages adapting to his Peugeot 207, which he was using for the first time in the IRC. He improved his pace in the afternoon and completed the first leg in ninth but said he still lacked confidence.
Briton Guy Wilks lies tenth overnight in the Skoda UK Motorsport Fabia. With seldom experience of driving his car on asphalt, Wilks used the day to gather more mileage in the car and experiment with different settings. He reckoned his choice of tyres hadn’t been ideal for the conditions, while a spin on the final stage of the day cost him 20 seconds.
Leading Clio R3 European Trophy runner Mathieu Arzeno, from France, tops the IRC 2WD Cup in 13th overall with Italian Matteo Gamba second and Belgium’s Kris Princen third.
Of the 58 starters, 46 crews returned to the service in Valence following a tough day of competition in the French Ardeche region. Thursday’s action is due to get underway with the 25.30-kilometre stage from Labatie D’Andaure to St Pierre Sur Doux.

Hirvonen tops the Monte Carlo Rally in his M-Sport Fiesta S2000

DRIVER QUOTES

"This rally is so much about tyres. The car is handling well and it’s great to be leading but on this rally a 40-second lead is nothing because it can all change in a minute. We went for a combination of snow tyres and intermediates on the second loop of stages and that seemed to work quite well. You also need to have the right information to make the choice work. We’ve not made too many adjustments to the car, just been trying to drive safely. But of course we have to do the same now for the rest of the rally." Mikko Hirvonen, first overall
"We’ve had three good stages out of four. If you offered me second place before the start of today I would have taken that. I’ve got half my mind on the championship but people like Ogier and Hirvonen have got nothing to lose whereas I have because they’re not doing the full championship. In the morning we lost 40s over 20ks when I lost my confidence after hitting some slippery Tarmac. Had it not been for that we would have been very close to the lead." Kris Meeke, second overall
"I made the same combination of tyre choices for the afternoon as I did for the morning. However it did not work quite as well because the conditions were worse the second time but not full snow. It’s always a compromise and I do not think I made a bad choice. I’m very happy to be where we are overnight and when you’re competing against someone like Mikko you have to remember he’s one of the best drivers in the world." Juho Hanninen, third overall

Defending IRC champion Kris Meeke is second after leg one

TOP TEN POSITIONS (AFTER LEG ONE)

1 Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen Ford Fiesta S2000 1h34m01.8s
2 Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle Peugeot 207 S2000 +41.9s
3 Juho Hanninen/Mikko Markkula Skoda Fabia S2000 +1m04.4s
4 Nicolas Vouilloz/Benjamin Veillas Skoda Fabia S2000 +1m20.3s
5 Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Peugeot 207 S2000 +1m51.1s
6 Bruno Magalhaes/Carlos Magalhaes Peugeot 207 S2000 +2m28.1s
7 Toni Gardemeister/Tomi Tuominen Abarth Grande Punto S2000 +2m43.2s
8 Stephane Sarrazin/Jacques Julien Renucci Peugeot 207 S2000 +3m15.8s
9 Franz Wittmann/Klaus Wicha Peugeot 207 S2000 +3m44.1s
10 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh Skoda Fabia S2000 +4m27.1s

LEG TWO ITINERARY

Service B: Valence, 08:30hrs; SS5: Labatie D’Andaure-St Pierre Sur Doux 1 (25.30 kilometres), 10:13hrs; SS6: St Bonnet-St Julien Molhesabate-St Bonnet 1 (25.67 kilometres), 10:55hrs; SS7: Lamastre-Gilhoc-Alboussiere 1 (21.92 kilometres), 12:20hrs; Service C: Valence, 13:45hrs; SS8: Labatie D’Andaure-St Pierre Sur Doux 2, 15:28hrs; SS9: St Bonnet-St Julien Molhesabate-St Bonnet 2, 16:10hrs; SS10: Lamastre-Gilhoc-Alboussiere 2, 18:05hrs; Service D: Valence, 19:15hrs.

THURSDAY’S TV TIMES

Eurosport, Europe’s largest television channel, will show live coverage of all six stages tomorrow, ensuring viewers will be able to follow all of the action as it happens. Highlights of the day will also available at www.rally-irc.com
10:00-11.45: SS5 and SS6 LIVE Eurosport2
12:15-13:15: SS7 LIVE Eurosport2
15:15-16:00: SS8 LIVE Eurosport2
16:00-17:00: End of SS8 and SS9 LIVE Eurosport
19:30-20:00: SS10 delayed Eurosport2*
23:45-00:15: SS10 repeated Eurosport
*SS10 LIVE on Eurosport France from 18:00-19:00
All times are CET

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17.1.2010 von Wolfgang.

THE CHALLENGE
Two months after the curtain came down on the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge season in Scotland, the series bursts back into life on one of motorsport’s showpiece events: Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo. And to befit a rally of such magnitude, an exciting driver line-up, including world rally star Mikko Hirvonen, Renault F1’s Robert Kubica, IRC aces Kris Meeke and Jan Kopecky, plus several leading amateurs, will take the start in the French city of Valence on Tuesday January 19.
For the second season in a row, the Monte Carlo Rally will open the 12-event IRC schedule. Just as in 2009, a demanding route has been plotted with the 63 crews expected to tackle the 405 competitive kilometres over 15 special stages prior to the finish in Monaco in the early hours of Saturday January 23.
The event will continue to be based in Valence, the capital of the department of Drome, in the Valentinois region of France. As well as the ceremonial start, the main service park will also be located in the city before the event heads south to Monaco for the final quartet of stages on the night of Friday January 22.
But it’s the narrow mountainous roads in the Ardeche region that will provide the backdrop for the bulk of the competitive action on Wednesday January 20 and Thursday January 21. On Wednesday the itinerary will consist of the Burzet-Lachamp Raphael and St Pierreville-Antraigues stages run twice with remote service in the town of Vals les Bains, where crucial tyre changes will be permitted. On Thursday the route heads to the north of Drome for three repeated stages split by service in Valence.
Friday’s final leg starts in Valence. Following a stage from Montauban sur l’Ouveze to Eygalayes, crews continue south to Monaco where they will service before the first run over the famous Col de Turini, which is included on the Peira-Cava to La Bollene Vesubie stage. After three more stages, including a second run over Col de Turini, the surviving competitors head back to Monaco and the finish just after 01:00hrs on Saturday.
In a change to the format for this year’s rally, a nine-kilometre prologue stage will get the action underway on January 19 following the ceremonial start in the Champ de Mars in Valence. The run between Lente and Col de Gaudissart will determine the starting order of the rally, which gets underway with leg one on January 20. Although the standings won’t influence the final outcome, they could be pivotal in the event of the inclement weather synonymous with the rally.
Given the rally’s mountainous location the weather is notoriously changeable and that means a stage could start in dry conditions but finish on ice-coated roads. Because opportunities to change tyres are restricted, drivers regularly have to compromise when selecting their choice of rubber for a loop of stages. The result is drivers frequently having to adopt a cautious approach on one stage if their tyres are not suited to the conditions, but then being able to push on the next test if their tyres are ideal for the stage surface.
It can lead to drivers losing chunks of time on one stage but then quickly regaining any lost ground on the subsequent run. Even in dry conditions, the varying quality of the road surface means grip levels often change.
Crews will prepare for the event with a three-day reconnaissance of the stages from Saturday January 16 to Monday January 18. They will also be able to use additional stage information gathered by their safety crews, who are authorised to pass through the stages shortly before they are used competitively to give up-to-date information on the road surface and any potential hazards that might lie in store.

Sebastien Ogier was a shock Monte Carlo Rally winner in 2009

THE COMPETITORS

Peugeot starts 2010 on the back of winning its third IRC manufacturers’ title. Briton Kris Meeke, who claimed the drivers’ crown last season with four wins, tops the list of 207 runners in a Peugeot UK-backed entry. But he will face strong opposition from French drivers Sebastien Ogier, last year’s shock winner, and Peugeot development pilot Stephane Sarrazin. Portuguese Bruno Magalhaes will make his Monte Carlo debut but is a known quantity on asphalt. Austrian Franz Wittmann, who spent 2009 driving a Mitsubishi Lancer, switches to a 207 for the new campaign and will be a solid performer.
Skoda is set to provide Peugeot with its sternest test. Jan Kopecky, last year’s IRC runner-up, heads the three-strong factory effort that also includes Juho Hanninen and Nicolas Vouilloz. Hanninen led in Monte Carlo last year before rolling, while Kopecky claimed fourth overall. Vouilloz won the IRC drivers’ title in 2008 but endured a frustrating season last year, which began when he crashed on the Monte. He switches from Peugeot Team Belux to drive a Skoda Fabia S2000 in competition for the first time. Of the other Skoda drivers, the inclusion of Guy Wilks on the entry provides added intrigue. The Briton won the RAC MSA Rally of Scotland, last year’s IRC season finale, in a Skoda UK-supported Fabia.
Abarth will count on several privateer drivers to fly the flag for the Italian make. Finn Toni Gardemeister provides the firm’s best chance of victory. His Grande Punto will be run by the Italian Astra Racing concern. He was in contention for a podium finish last season until an electrical fault intervened and forced his retirement. French drivers Olivier Marty and Renaud Poutot will also appear in Grande Puntos.
For the first time ever, M-Sport will be represented in the IRC. The British preparation firm overseas Ford’s World Rally Championship programme and is responsible for the design and development of the Fiesta S2000. Two examples of the machine will appear in Monte Carlo: WRC event winner Mikko Hirvonen will drive the lead car with French youngster Julien Maurin appearing in a second entry. Hirvonen, from Finland, finished second on the event when it last counted for the WRC in 2008. Maurin took part in 2009 in an Abarth Grande Punto but retired with mechanical woes.
Subaru also joins the IRC this season and boasts French ace Bryan Bouffier as its expected star performer. The Polish rally champion will drive for Tommi Makinen Racing and should challenge for a top ten placing. Swiss Olivier Burri and Frenchman Jerome Aymard should also show well.
Italian Gabriele Noberasco heads Ralliart’s challenge in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. Frederic Romeyer, from France, will also drive an Evo IX. Irish veteran Eamonn Boland, who has extensive Monte Carlo experience, will have a new Evo X model at his disposal. His countryman, Daniel Barry, is highly rated after winning the one-make Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge in the UK last season.
Proton is also registered for the IRC but won’t make its first appearance of the season until Rally d’Italia Sardegna in June when Alister McRae, younger brother of rally legend Colin McRae, will drive one of the two factory cars.
The Monte Carlo Rally hosts the opening round of the Clio R3 European Trophy, which will also appear on the IRC-counting Geko Ypres Rally in Belgium and Barum Czech Rally Zlin later in the season. Drivers registered for the European Trophy will be able to score points in the IRC 2WD Cup on those three rallies. While Belgian Kris Princen can count on plenty of experience, rising Corsican star Pierre Campana and Grand Prix driver Robert Kubica can be expected to challenge for the category win. Kubica, from Poland, is a self-confessed rally fan and is tackling selected events alongside his programme with the Renault F1 team.

Juho Hanninen will form part of the three-strong works Skoda team

THE EXPECTATIONS

"It’s the oldest and the most prestigious rally in the world and it really makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up just thinking about it because it’s also the most daunting and challenging event of the year. From a driving point of view your heart is in your mouth all the time because the conditions are constantly changing and you’re never always on the right tyre. You can win the rally not by going quickest on any of the stages but by reading the conditions correctly and trusting your instincts."
Kris Meeke, Peugeot UK driver and defending IRC champion
"Every driver wants to win the Monte Carlo Rally because it is so tough and never easy with the changing weather conditions. It’s not my favourite rally in the world but it’s an event I do like and, in the past, I have had some good results. To be successful you need to concentrate on your pacenotes all the time and trust the information provided by your ice note crew because the stages can be very tricky in places. You also need to be brave and have a car that is very reliable."
Toni Gardemeister, Abarth Grande Punto privateer
"I’ve always had a difficult relationship with this rally. I love the rally when I am not competing on it but when you get there and the conditions are hard then it can be tough. But it’s a great challenge and has a long history so it’s very important to win this rally. The Fiesta Super 2000 is a new car but I’ve had a good feeling with it when we have tested on Tarmac so I hope we can develop it more and try to win. But I know my rivals have a lot of experience in their cars and did Monte Carlo last year so that will help them."
Mikko Hirvonen, M-Sport Fiesta driver

TV TIMES

Eurosport, Europe’s largest television channel, will show live coverage of 14 of the 15 stages (see below), ensuring viewers will be able to follow all the action as it happens. Highlights of each day will also available at www.rally-irc.com
Wednesday January 20
11:45-14:00: SS1 and SS2 LIVE Eurosport2
14:45-16:00: SS3 LIVE Eurosport2
16:00-17:00: SS4 LIVE Eurosport
Thursday January 21
10:00-11.45: SS5 and SS6 LIVE Eurosport2
12:15-13:15: SS7 LIVE Eurosport2
15:15-16:00: SS8 LIVE Eurosport2
16:00-17:00: End of SS8 and SS9 LIVE Eurosport
19:30-20:00: SS10 delayed Eurosport2*
23:45-00:15: SS10 repeated Eurosport
Friday January 22
19:00-20:45: SS12 and SS134 LIVE Eurosport
23:00-00:45: SS15 LIVE Eurosport
Tuesday January 26
23:00-23:30: Review Eurosport    
*SS10 LIVE on Eurosport France from 18:00-19:00
All times are CET

EVENT ESSENTIALS

Event: 78th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo
Starts: 17:00hrs, Valence, January 19
Finishes: Monaco, January 23
Entries received: 63
IRC appearances: one (2009)
2009 winners: Sebastien Ogier (FRA)/Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Peugeot 207 S2000
Surface: asphalt
Number of stages: 15
Special stage distance: 405.01 kilometres
Liaison distance: 1264.55 kilometres
Total distance: 1669.56 kilometres
Itinerary (all times shown are local): Prologue stage (Tuesday January 19): Lente-Col de Gaudissart (8.83 kilometres), first car due: 18:38hrs. Leg one (Wednesday January 20): Start: 09:23hrs; Tyre Service: Vals les Bains, 11:03hrs; SS1: Burzet-Lachamp Raphael 1 (27.27 kilometres), 11:51hrs; SS2: St Pierreville-Antraigues 1 (45.17 kilometres), 12:59hrs; Tyre Service: Vals les Bains, 14:14hrs; SS3: Burzet-Lachamp Raphael 2, 15:02hrs; SS4: St Pierreville-Antraigues 2, 16:10hrs; Tyre Service: Vals les Bains, 17:15hrs; Service A: Valence, 19:10hrs. Leg two (Thursday January 21): Service B: Valence, 08:30hrs; SS5: Labatie D’Andaure-St Pierre Sur Doux 1 (25.30 kilometres), 10:13hrs; SS6: St Bonnet-St Julien Molhesabate-St Bonnet 1 (25.67 kilometres), 10:55hrs; SS7: Lamastre-Gilhoc-Alboussiere 1 (21.92 kilometres), 12:20hrs; Service C: Valence, 13:45hrs; SS8: Labatie D’Andaure-St Pierre Sur Doux 2, 15:28hrs; SS9: St Bonnet-St Julien Molhesabate-St Bonnet 2, 16:10hrs; SS10: Lamastre-Gilhoc-Alboussiere 2, 18:05hrs; Service D: Valence, 19:15hrs. Leg three (Friday January 22-Saturday January 23): Service E: Valence, 06:30hrs; SS11: Montauban sur l’Ouveze- Eygalayes (30.42 kilometres), 09:23hrs; Service F: Monaco, 17:27hrs; SS12: Peira Cava-La Bollene Vesubie 1 (18.42 kilometres), 19:15hrs; SS13: Lantosque-Luceram 1 (19.13 kilometres), 19:48hrs; Service G: Monaco, 21:35hrs; SS14: Peira Cava-La Bollene Vesubie 2, 23:20hrs; SS15: Lantosque-Luceram 2, 23:53hrs; Service H: Monaco, 01:05hrs. Prize giving (Saturday January 23): Place du Palais Princier, 11:00hrs.
Top ten entries:
1 Kris Meeke (GBR)/Paul Nagle (IRL) Peugeot 207 S2000
2 Mikko Hirvonen (FIN)/Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN) Ford Fiesta S2000
3 Jan Kopecky (CZE)/Petr Stary (CZE) Skoda Fabia S2000
4 Sebastien Ogier (FRA)/Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Peugeot 207 S2000
5 Juho Hanninen (FIN)/Mikko Markkula (FIN) Skoda Fabia S2000
6 Stephane Sarrazin (FRA)/Jacques Julien Renucci (FRA) Peugeot 207 S2000
7 Nicolas Vouilloz (FRA)/Benjamin Veillas (FRA) Skoda Fabia S2000
8 Toni Gardemeister (FIN)/Tomi Tuominen (FIN) Abarth Grande Punto S2000
9 Bruno Magalhaes (POR)/Carlos Magalhaes (POR) Peugeot 207 S2000
10 Guy Wilks (GBR)/Phil Pugh (GBR) Skoda Fabia S2000
IRC 2WD Cup (selected):
35 Pierre Campana (FRA)/Sabrina de Castelli (FRA) Renault Clio R3
36 Kris Pincen (BEL)/Eddy Smeets (BEL) Renault Clio R3
37 Robert Kubica (POL)/Jakub Gerber (POL) Renault Clio R3
38 Mathieu Arzeno (FRA)/Romain Roche (FRA) Renault Clio R3
51 Harry Hunt (GBR)/George Gwynn (GBR) Ford Fiesta R2
Remaining IRC rounds:
02: Rally Internacional de Curitiba (Brazil): March 04-06 (Gravel)
03: Rally Argentina (Argentina): March 19-21 (Gravel)
04: Rally d’Italia Sardegna (Italy): June 04-06 (Gravel)
05: Geko Ypres Rally (Belgium): June 24-26 (Asphalt)
06: Sata Rally Açores (Portugal): July 15-17 (Gravel)
07: Rali Vinho Madeira (Portugal): August 05-07 (Asphalt)
08: Barum Czech Rally Zlín (Czech Republic): August 27-29 (Asphalt)
09: Rally Principe de Asturias (Spain): September 9-11 (Asphalt)
10: Rallye Sanremo (Italy): September 23-25 (Asphalt/gravel)
11: RAC MSA Rally of Scotland (United Kingdom): October 15-17 (Gravel)
12: FxPro Cyprus Rally (Cyprus): November 04-06 (Asphalt/gravel)

www.rally-irc.com

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16.1.2010 von Wolfgang.

With the start of the Monte-Carlo Rally drawing ever near, Eurosport Events, the promoter of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, has today announced the launch of its new iPhone application: IRC Rally.
This application, which is free to download, allows all rally fans to catch up with all the latest news from the IRC and get up-to-the-minute information about the IRC rallies, drivers, teams and official standings.
In the fast-moving environment of rallying, every second counts: with live times from the stages and breaking news as it happens, the new IRC Rally application for iPhone is simply a must for every rally fan!
In addition to this live content, IRC Rally also features the latest pictures and provides iPhone users with practical information to map the location of the Service Park, book tickets and access the events’ official websites.
As well as being a useful companion, IRC’s latest communication tool is also adaptable and interactive: fans can modify the size of the text for their own reading comfort, share information and easily pass stories onto their friends by email or on Facebook.
With the IRC iPhone application, you too can become a part of the New Generation of rallying!
Available NOW free of charge on iTunes and at the App Store http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/features/app-store.html or at www.rally-irc.com

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9.1.2010 von Wolfgang.

M-Sport, the team that has run Ford’s factory rally activities since 1997, is to enter the Intercontinental Rally Challenge this year, which allows any Driver in a Ford car to score points in the Drivers and in the Manufacturers classification for both the main IRC series and the IRC 2WD Cup.
Consequently, the number of represented brands on the IRC will rise to eight for the 2010 season, with Ford drivers joining Abarth, Honda, Peugeot, Proton, Ralliart, Skoda and Subaru among the ranks of the IRC competitors. Five of them, including Ford, will be represented by state-of-the-art Super 2000 machinery.
M-Sport will make its IRC debut on the Monte Carlo Rally from January 19-23, with an entry for its star driver Mikko Hirvonen from Finland in the all-new Ford Fiesta S2000. In addition, a number of private clients are lining up entries with the brand new Ford Fiesta, which first appeared on the IRC as zero car on the RAC MSA Rally of Scotland last year.
The two-wheel drive variants of the Ford Fiesta are also expected to figure prominently on the IRC 2WD Cup.
Malcolm Wilson, the Managing Director of M-Sport, commented: "Joining the IRC allows us to offer our customers the chance to make the most out of their participation on the series, as well as the opportunity to showcase our products in new markets. Initial testing with the Ford Fiesta S2000 has gone extremely well, and we’re very much looking forward to seeing our car make its competition debut with Mikko Hirvonen in Monte Carlo later this month."
Marcello Lotti, the General Manager of the IRC, added: "We’re extremely happy to welcome M-Sport, one of the most successful and prestigious teams in the history of rallying, to the IRC family. With this important news, the 2010 IRC season promises to be the most exciting we have experienced so far, with breathtakingly close competition for all the spectators, whether watching the action on-site or live on TV."

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20.12.2009 von Wolfgang.

IRC STARS COLLECT THEIR PRIZES … AND ALL THE OTHER LATEST NEWS FROM THE IRC

Peugeot UK’s Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle were amongst the IRC champions who received their awards in the lavish surroundings of the Pavillon Dauphine in Paris, at the IRC prize-giving ceremony last Monday night. The event, which also featured spectacular TV highlights from the year, was attended by drivers, teams, event organisers and media from all over the world.
Receiving his prize after a season of unprecedented success with the Kronos-run Peugeot UK 207 S2000, Meeke commented: "It was almost exactly a year ago when Peugeot UK agreed to fund my IRC campaign for this year. When I look back at how far we’ve come in one year, it’s simply incredible. There are many people who I would like to thank for what has been not only a very successful but also extremely enjoyable year. The competition has been incredibly close, and that’s what matters most in any form of sport."
Peugeot also collected the prize for winning the manufacturers’ championship for the third year running. Olivier Quesnel, the director of Peugeot Sport, was present to pick up his team’s prize. Peugeot also claimed the honours for the two-wheel drive manufacturers’ title.
Denis Millet and his co-driver Julien Vial collected the IRC 2WD Cup trophy after an excellent season aboard their Peugeot 207 RC Rallye. Each of the 11 event organisers were also called to the stage to receive an award in recognition of their efforts.
Marcello Lotti, the IRC’s General Manager, concluded: "Once more, it is people who have formed the key strength of our series in 2009. I’d like to thank them all individually for their valuable contributions to this memorable season. We’re now looking forward to an even more successful year in 2010."
The IRC season review is now available to watch online at www.rally-irc.com in the ‘video’ section.

Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle collected their trophies in Paris

CIRCUIT OF IRELAND JOINS IRC SUPPORTER EVENTS

The Circuit of Ireland, the world’s second oldest rally, has received Intercontinental Rally Challenge Supporter Event status for 2010.
The IRC Supporter Event scheme allows selected national events to benefit from the prestige of being associated with the IRC, from the strengths of the IRC brand, and to promote themselves internationally through on-demand video highlights available on the IRC website, www.ircseries.com.
Accepting the IRC Supporter Event status at the recent IRC awards ceremony in Paris, Circuit of Ireland Rally Director, Bobby Willis said: "Having this prestigious charter bestowed upon the Circuit of Ireland is the first step in our strategy to re-awake the sleeping sporting giant that is the Circuit of Ireland. On top of that, Circuit of Ireland will be the only rally event to be granted "Supporter Event" in Ireland for 2010."
Present at the ceremony was Irish driver Kris Meeke who was recently crowned 2009 IRC champion. He commented: "The global success and growth of the IRC is testament to the popularity of rallying across the world and I’m delighted that Circuit of Ireland is to become part of this family."
In 2010, the Circuit of Ireland will be staged during its traditional Easter slot with precise details to be released in the near future.

The Circuit of Ireland will be an IRC Supporter Event next year

MONTE CARLO TEST FOR SKODA’S KOPECKY

Skoda Motorsport driver Jan Kopecky continued his preparations for the new Intercontinental Rally Challenge season by testing close to a very famous stage.
Kopecky, who finished runner-up to Kris Meeke in the 2009 drivers’ standings, was sampling Skoda’s latest-specification Fabia Super 2000 at a test site near the legendary Col de Turini stage last week. The stage will be used on the Monte Carlo Rally in January, the opening round of the 2010 IRC.
"The test went well, although the weather was a bit warmer than we had hoped: around four degrees Centigrade with no snow," said Kopecky. "The car feels good, although it’s not so different than before. We just tried one or two things that were maybe slightly better, but no real change. It’s hard to be sure."
Kopecky covered approximately 400 kilometres of running during the test and reported no problems with the works Fabia. He was due to carry out further testing this week.
OGIER TIPPED FOR MONTE CARLO RETURN
Sebastien Ogier is on course to repeat his shock Monte Carlo Rally victory of last January after being linked to a drive in a Peugeot 207 Super 2000. Ogier, was competing for the BFGoodrich Drivers Team when he won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge season opener almost 12 months ago.
It was the French driver’s first time in a Super 2000 car and his first time contesting the famous event. After winning the event, Ogier spoke of his desire to tackle more rounds of the IRC. He said at the time: "It was very exciting to be doing the Monte Carlo Rally and I enjoyed it very much and also the IRC."
Stephane Sarrazin is confirmed to run in Monte Carlo, driving a privately-run Peugeot 207 S2000 with help from the Peugeot factory. Sarrazin, who is currently testing in preparation of the event, said: "I’m really looking forward to the Monte Carlo Rally. I feel that I have improved a lot as a rally driver after the last year and I have benefitted from having more experience. However, there are going to be some very strong drivers there this year, with a field that is even stronger than last year, so I don’t want to make too many predictions. I feel that I can challenge though, and I am certainly going to enjoy it."

Stephane Sarrazin will drive a Peugeot again in Monte Carlo next year

COUNTDOWN TO MONTE CARLO: -31 DAYS

In just 31 days’ time, the Monte Carlo Rally from 18-23 January 2010 promises to be one of the highlights of the 2010 motorsport season, not only from a sporting point of view but also from a television perspective.
This legendary event will benefit from an unprecedented total of 14 hours of live television coverage and entries are already coming in. As part of the IRC, the Monte Carlo Rally is open not only to the top professional teams but also to talented amateur crews - who now have the opportunity to match themselves against the top stars of the sport.
All information including rally guide, itinerary, regulations are available at www.acm.mc.

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