Burcu Cetinkaya will become the first female driver to contest an expanded programme of Intercontinental Rally Challenge events when she starts her IRC campaign on Rally d’Italia-Sardegna from 4-6 June.
Cetinkaya, from Istanbul, will drive a Peugeot 207 Super 2000 with support from Turkey’s Peugeot importer. She will also contest the asphalt rounds in Ypres, Madeira and Zlin; the gravel events in Azores and Scotland, and the mixed-surface Rallye Sanremo. A decision on whether or not she competes on the Cyprus Rally, the IRC’s other asphalt/gravel event, will be taken in late August. Cicek Guney will continue in her role as Cetinkaya’s navigator.
"To drive a Super 2000 car has been my dream and the Peugeot has been a very successful car in the IRC for the last few seasons so it is a good choice," said Cetinkaya, 29. "Also, the support and coverage Eurosport gives to the IRC is very good and very important for my sponsors. It’s one of the main reasons why I chose the IRC."
Cetinkaya is no stranger to IRC competition having contested the Geko Ypres Rally and Barum Czech Rally Zlin in the past.
She is planning to test on gravel and Tarmac in the coming months in preparation for her IRC bid.

Burcu Cetinkaya (right) has joined the IRC in a Peugeot 207

Loix targets wins on IRC return

Freddy Loix will go all out to chase event wins when he returns to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge on the Geko Ypres Rally in Belgium this summer.
The 39-year-old has won the asphalt rally on five previous occasions. Because his IRC campaign will be limited to four events, Loix has ruled out a title bid and will instead chase outright wins in his BFO-Skoda Rally Team Fabia S2000, starting on home soil from 24-26 June.
"Because I’m only doing four IRC rounds I can’t think about the title so my priority will be rally wins," said Loix, who has scored a total of three IRC event wins during his career. "I am very excited about returning to the IRC and I’ve been told the Skoda Fabia is very easy to drive."
In addition to tackling the Ypres Rally, Loix will also compete on the IRC rounds in Zlin and Sanremo. A fourth event will be added to his schedule although a decision on what rally this will be has yet to be taken.

This is how Freddy Loix’s Skoda Fabia will look in the IRC

Canarias entry important for IRC title hopes, says Skoda UK

Skoda UK Motorsport team manager Pierfrancesco Zanchi has said entering Rally Islas Canarias later this month is important if Guy Wilks is going to maintain his bid for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge title.
Wilks is second in the IRC drivers‘ standings after scoring a brace of podium finishes on last month’s double-header in South America. Earlier this week, his team confirmed it would be entering a Fabia S2000 for Wilks and regular co-driver Phil Pugh.
Zanchi said: "We have made a good start to the IRC and after three strong points-scoring finishes we are second in the drivers‘ standings. When Rally Islas Canarias was announced as the fourth round of the series, we felt it important for us to contest it as it will enable us to try and maintain our strong championship position and stay in the game."

Circuit of Ireland promises to be spectacular

Organisers of this weekend’s Circuit of Ireland, the first IRC Supporter Event to run in 2010, are promising plenty of spectacular action for drivers and spectators alike.
Based in the town of Newry in Northern Ireland, the all-Tarmac rally will feature stages on both sides of the border with the Republic of Ireland when it runs from 3/4 April.
Bobby Willis, the event director, said: "It’s going to be a great battle throughout the field, we’ve got a great entry and we’re braced for many thousands of spectators. Like all rallies in Ireland, it’s going to be a real challenge because Irish roads aren’t like normal Tarmac stages in that they’re twisty, bumpy and narrow."
Craig Breen, one of the likely frontrunners in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000, said: "Ask anyone to name a rally in Ireland and they’ll say the Circuit of Ireland because there’s so much history and heritage attached to the event. It’s an honour to be taking part."

www.rally-irc.com

Third consecutive podium for IRC leader
Skoda secures one-two-three finish
Juho Hanninen and Skoda have made it three different winners from three rounds of this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge following a dominant victory on Rally Argentina, which finished with a spectacular superspecial stage through the streets of host town Carlos Paz earlier today (Sunday).
The Finn, who drives for the factory Skoda Motorsport team, builds his overall title lead to five points after claiming his first win of the season. Proof of the 28-year-old’s impressive performance on the challenging gravel event was underlined by the fact he won 11 of the 15 special stages, despite having to run first on the road on the final day of the rally.
Hanninen’s win also marked Skoda’s maiden victory of the 2010 IRC and has given the Czech firm a 22-point lead in the IRC manufacturers‘ standings after three rounds.
Briton Guy Wilks finished runner-up after a strong drive, which helped him to cement his second place in the drivers‘ table. Wilks started Sunday’s final leg intent on closing on overnight leader Hanninen but a minor brake problem on his Fabia S2000 cost him valuable time and meant he had to settle for second.
Kris Meeke, in a Peugeot 207, was also hamstrung by mechanical problems, an electronic issue contributing to an intermittent throttle glitch, which led to a fraught midday service while his Peugeot UK mechanics worked to rectify the problem. He looked set to hold on to third place until disaster struck on the penultimate stage of the event when a steering bolt broke and forced him to retire. Meeke’s misfortune let in Jan Kopecky for third place to complete a one-two-three for Skoda.
Gabriel Pozzo finished as the top Argentine driver in fourth overall after edging ahead of countryman Federico Villagra on Sunday’s fourth stage to secure the first IRC manufacturer championship points for Subaru. Pozzo’s performance meant he also secured his second win in a row in the Argentinean championship, which ran alongside the main IRC event.
Villagra reported that his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000, which he was using in competition for the first time, lacked outright pace on the sandy stages although he conceded he was still getting to grips with his car.
Bruno Magalhaes scored points for the third time this season in his Peugeot Portugal 207. He reported his car had struggled for power on the higher altitude stages but said he was satisfied at the progression he had made throughout the weekend.
Argentine Nicolas Madero held onto his overnight seventh place at the wheel of his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. Paraguay’s Diego Dominguez claimed the final point in eighth place in a similar Lancer with Alejandro Cancio and Juan Marchetto rounding out the top 10 in ninth and 10th respectively.
Claudio Menzi started the final day in ninth but incurred a 50-second penalty for leaving first service late after he missed his alarm call and failed to wake up in time. A front-right puncture, caused by hitting a rock on stage 11, added to his woes and dropped him to 11th.
Nasser Al-Attiyah’s IRC debut ended in retirement when his Skoda Fabia ingested too much water going over a river crossing and triggered a misfire. Daniel Oliveira retired his Peugeot 207 with suspension damage after going off on stage 11.
Brazilian Rafael Tulio took the IRC 2WD Cup laurels in his Peugeot 206. He had trailed Argentine Pablo Pelaez initially but moved in front on stage five on Saturday when Pelaez damaged the front of his Honda Civic going through a water splash, which caused the engine to overheat.

Juho Hanninen was fastest on 11 of the 15 stages in Argentina

DRIVER QUOTES

Juho Hanninen (Finland), Skoda Fabia S2000, first overall: "I’m very happy but a little bit surprised how good everything has been for me on this rally. There was a lot of fog on the first stage but I knew I didn’t need to push. I took it easy to avoid the rocks but I also had to keep my rhythm to avoid making any mistakes. It’s been safe and fast you could say and I have had a very good feeling. I would like to have the same feeling on every rally."
Guy Wilks (United Kingdom), Skoda Fabia S2000, second overall: "We’ve had a fantastic two rallies in South America with two second places and Skoda UK Motorsport has done a magnificent job. Juho drove very well and we maintained a fast and safe pace. I’m looking forward to fine tuning the set-up and challenging for victory on our next event."
Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic), Skoda Fabia S2000, third overall: "I’m very happy to be on the podium after quite a difficult rally but I think without Kris having the problem it would not have been possible. It was bad luck for him but good for me."

Co-driver Mikko Markkula and Juho Hanninen celebrate victory

TOP TEN IRC POSITIONS AFTER LEG TWO

1 Juho Hanninen/Mikko Markkula Skoda Fabia S2000 2h30m38.1s
2 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh Skoda Fabia S2000 +51.0s
3 Jan Kopecky/Petr Stary Skoda Fabia S2000 +2m20.1s
4 Gabriel Pozzo/Daniel Stillo Subaru Impreza STI +5m03.9s
5 Federico Villagra/Jorge Perez Companc Ford Fiesta S2000 +5m14.2s
6 Bruno Magalhaes/Carlos Magalhaes Peugeot 207 S2000 +6m11.0s
7 Nicolas Madero/Guillermo Piazzano Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +6m47.5s
8 Diego Dominguez/Edgardo Galindo Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +7m39.3s
9 Alejandro Cancio/Santiago Garcia Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +8m38.3s
10 Juan Marchetto/Gustavo Franchello Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +9m17.6s
Leading IRC 2WD Cup finishers: Rafael Tulio/Cesar Valandro (Peugeot 206)

IRC STANDINGS

Drivers after round three of 12
1 Juho Hanninen (Finland) 24pts
2 Guy Wilks (United Kingdom) 19pts
3 Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic) 15pts
4 Kris Meeke (United Kingdom) 10pts
= Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) 10pts
6 Bruno Magalhaes (Portugal) 9pts
7 Nicolas Vouilloz (France) 6pts
8 Gabriel Pozzo (Argentina) 5pts
= Stephane Sarrazin (France) 5pts
10 Federico Villagra (Argentina) 4pts etc
Manufacturers after round three of 12
1 Skoda 46pts
2 Peugeot 24pts
3 M-Sport 14pts
4 Ralliart 6pts
5 Subaru 5pts
IRC 2WD Drivers after round three of 12
1 Kris Princen 10pts
= Marcos Tokarski 10pts
= Rafael Tulio 10pts
4 Pierre Campana 8pts
= Luis Gius 8pts
= Pablo Pelaez 8pts
= Luis Tedesco 8pts
8 Thomas Barral 6pts
= Ulysses Bertholdo 6pts
= Alicia Reina 6pts etc
IRC 2WD Manufacturers after round three of 12
1 Peugeot 36pts
2 M-Sport 22pts
3 Abarth 19pts
4 Honda 8pts
5 Skoda 5pts

STAGE WINNERS

Friday 19 March
SS1: Super Special Stage Carlos Paz 1 (3.30kms): Kris Meeke
Saturday 20 March
SS2: Las Bajadas-Villa del Dique 1 (16.57kms): Juho Hanninen
SS3: Amboy-Santa Monica 1 (20.43kms): Juho Hanninen
SS4: Santa Rosa-San Agustin 1 (21.53kms): Guy Wilks
SS5: San Agustin-Villa General Belgrano 1 (16.46kms): Juho Hanninen
SS6: Las Bajadas-Villa del Dique 2 (16.57kms): Juho Hanninen
SS7: Amboy-Santa Monica 2 (20.43kms): Juho Hanninen
SS8: Santa Rosa-San Agustin 2 (21.53kms): Juho Hanninen
Sunday 21 March
SS9: La Cumbre-Agua de Oro (15.06kms): Juho Hanninen
SS10: Ascochinga-La Cumbre (22.40kms): Juho Hanninen
SS11: Valle Hermoso-Casa Grande 1 (11.34kms): Juho Hanninen
SS12: Cosquin-Villa Allende 1 (19.18kms): Juho Hanninen
SS13: Valle Hermoso-Casa Grande 2 (11.34kms): Jan Kopecky
SS14: Cosquin-Villa Allende 2 (19.18kms): Juho Hanninen
SS15: Super Special Stage Carlos Paz 2 (3.30kms): Jan Kopecky
Stage winners in 2010
Juho Hanninen: 19
Kris Meeke: 7
Sebastien Ogier: 7
Mikko Hirvonen: 3
Jan Kopecky: 2
Stephane Sarrazin: 2
Nicolas Vouilloz: 1
Guy Wilks: 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
Monday 22 March
06:30-07:00: Day two highlights repeated (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
08:30-09:00: Day two highlights repeated (Eurosport)
Tuesday 23 March
23:30-24:00: Magazine (Eurosport and Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
Wednesday 24 March
03:30-04:00: Day two highlights repeated (Eurosport Asia-Pacific)
09:00-09:30: Magazine repeated (Eurosport)
All times are CET

www.rally-irc.com

Juho Hanninen will start the final leg of the 30th Personal Rally Argentina with a lead of more than half a minute following a dominant performance at the wheel of his Skoda Motorsport Fabia Super 2000 today (20 March).
The 28-year-old Intercontinental Rally Challenge leader from Finland was fastest on six of Saturday’s seven special stages, despite insisting he was not going flat-out in his efforts to claim his first victory of the season alongside co-driver Mikko Markkula. Although Hanninen could lose time by running first on the road on Sunday, his pace during this afternoon might be enough to minimise any disadvantage he could face.
Guy Wilks, driving for the Skoda UK Motorsport team, moved into second place on the sixth stage of the event when he demoted fellow British driver Kris Meeke into third overall. Wilks claimed his first stage win of the campaign when he went fastest on the fourth test of the gravel rally. Apart from regretting his decision to raise the ride height of his Fabia and experiment with his suspension settings in the afternoon, the Englishman said he was satisfied with his performance.
Meeke, the defending IRC champion, rued his choice of the harder compound tyre for the afternoon’s loop of three stages, which he said was not suited to the conditions, which remained dry, albeit slightly colder than in the morning. The Peugeot UK ace, who was hindered by an electronic glitch on stages four and five, lost more ground when he picked up a front-right puncture two kilometres from the end of the day’s final stage.
Czech Republic’s Jan Kopecky, in the second factory Skoda, makes no secret of his lack of gravel prowess although a fourth-gear spin on stage three did little to help his confidence. He had hoped to find more speed by running with only one spare wheel to carry less weight during the morning loop of stages but that gamble made no difference to his outright pace. Nevertheless, he is on course for a healthy haul of points in fourth overall.
Fifth-placed Federico Villagra is the leading Argentine heading into day two in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta. The eight-time national champion was mystified that he wasn’t closer to the leading pace and suggested his car’s engine had lacked grunt on the sandy stages.
Gabriel Pozzo completes the top six in his Subaru Impreza WRX, despite being handed a 10-second time penalty for leaving morning service late while his mechanics worked to repair damaged rear suspension.
Bruno Magalhaes blamed his lowly starting position of 11th for his failure to run at the sharp end of the leaderboard. But the Peugeot Portugal driver has refused to be disheartened and battled his way to eighth overnight, behind leading Argentine Group N driver Nicolas Madero, in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X.
Nasser Al-Attiyah has made a steady start to his IRC career at the wheel of a Rene Georges Rally Sport-run Fabia. Although the Qatari has extensive experience of competing in Argentina, he’s still lacking knowledge of his car, although his main cause of complaint, particularly in the morning, was running first on the road. Hopes of a reversal of fortune in the afternoon were shattered when he picked up two right-side punctures on stage six.
Daniel Oliveira was in the top 20 when an off on stage three left him stranded in thick mud for more than 10 minutes until spectators helped to haul his Peugeot 207 back onto the road. The delay dropped the young Brazilian into last position at one stage but he has fought back to within touching distance of the top 30 heading into Sunday’s final leg.
Despite heavy rain in the build-up to the rally, it remained dry throughout Saturday’s leg. Rain is expected tonight, however, while fog is expected to add to the challenge facing the crews on Sunday’s early stages.

Juho Hanninen is on course for victory on Rally Argentina

DRIVER QUOTES

Juho Hanninen (Finland), Skoda Fabia S2000, first overall: "It’s been a good day with no problems. I pushed a bit more this afternoon to keep my lead good for tomorrow even though there were some deep ruts. I plan to keep my gap tomorrow although I know the boys behind will still be pushing. I will just see what I can do."
Guy Wilks (United Kingdom), Skoda Fabia S2000, second overall: "The stages have been tricky today but we’ve got to keep the pressure on tomorrow because you never know what will happen. Juho has been flying today, particularly this afternoon."
Kris Meeke (United Kingdom), Peugeot 207 S2000, third overall: "The water splash on stage four seemed to affect the gear shifting systems, which cut the engine, but we got it fixed at service. It’s been impossible to live with Juho today but it’s not over yet."

Kris Meeke (left) dropped valuable time with a puncture

TOP TEN IRC POSITIONS AFTER LEG ONE, SECTION TWO

1 Juho Hanninen/Mikko Markkula Skoda Fabia S2000 1h16m55.0s
2 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh Skoda Fabia S2000 +32.2s
3 Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle Peugeot 207 S2000 +51.0s
4 Jan Kopecky/Petr Stary Skoda Fabia S2000 +1m26.2s
5 Federico Villagra/Jorge Perez Companc Ford Fiesta S2000 +2m57.7s
6 Gabriel Pozzo/Daniel Stillo Subaru Impreza STI +3m11.1s
7 Nicolas Madero/Guillermo Piazzano Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +3m34.6s
8 Bruno Magalhaes/Carlos Magalhaes Peugeot 207 S2000 +3m45.9s
9 Claudio Menzi/Diego Cagnotti Subaru Impreza STI +3m56.8s
10 Diego Dominguez/Edgardo Galindo Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +4m03.4s

LEG TWO ITINERARY (SUNDAY 21 MARCH)

Service D: Carlos Paz, 06:40hrs; SS9: La Cumbre-Agua de Oro (15.06kms), 08:13hrs; SS10: Ascochinga-La Cumbre (22.40kms), 09:13hrs; SS11: Valle Hermoso-Casa Grande 1 (11.34kms), 10:08hrs; SS12: Cosquin-Villa Allende 1 (19.18kms), 10:40hrs; Service E: Carlos Paz, 12:10hrs; SS13: Valle Hermoso-Casa Grande 2 (11.34kms), 14:08hrs; SS14: Cosquin-Villa Allende 2 (19.18kms), 14:40hrs; SS15: Super Special Stage Carlos Paz 2 (3.30kms), 16:23hrs; Service F: Carlos Paz, 16:33hrs; Finish: Carlos Paz, 16:53hrs.

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LEG ONE, SECTION ONE REPORT: Personal Rally Argentina, 19-21 March, 2010
Intercontinental Rally Challenge, round three of 12

MEEKE TOPS SUPERSPECIAL TO LEAD IN ARGENTINA

Kris Meeke will take a slender lead of 1.4 seconds into the second section of leg one of the 30th Personal Rally Argentina after topping the times on the opening superspecial stage through the streets of Carlos Paz on Friday (19 March).
In front of a capacity crowd of 12,000 fans, Meeke completed the all-asphalt 3.30-kilometre course, held in wet conditions, in a time of 2m32.8s at the wheel of his Peugeot UK 207 Super 2000.
Bruno Magalhaes, in his Peugeot Portugal 207, was second fastest having recovered from illness in the lead up to the rally. Guy Wilks completed the top three as the highest-placed Skoda Fabia driver.
Intercontinental Rally Challenge leader Juho Hanninen, who was paired against Meeke on the street course, was fourth fastest in the first of two factory Fabias. His time was identical to that of team-mate Jan Kopecky, who was classified fifth.
Juan Manuel Marchetto was the leading Argentine driver in sixth overall in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, with countryman Federico Villagra seventh. However, Villagra will face an anxious wait to learn if his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000 can be restored to full working order after he reported a problem with his car’s gearbox at the end of the stage.
Along with Uruguayan veteran Gustavo Trelles, Miguel Baldoni was the first driver to tackle the stage and ended up eighth quickest, marginally faster than Brazilian Daniel Oliveira, who finished the stage with slight damage to the right-rear corner of his Stohl Racing Peugeot 207 after nudging a straw bale.
Saturday’s action features seven stages with the opening 16.57-kilometre Las Bajadas-Villa Del Dique stage getting underway at 08:13hrs local time. However, the results of the superspecial won’t alter the road positions for the second section of leg one, which were determined earlier today. Nasser Al-Attiyah, who is tenth overnight, will be the first to tackle the stages in his Fabia. Hanninen will go second with Wilks third, Villagra fourth and overnight leader Meeke fifth. The overnight forecast is for heavy rain.

Kris Meeke holds a slender overnight lead on Rally Argentina

DRIVER QUOTES

Kris Meeke (United Kingdom), Peugeot 207 S2000, first overall: "It was a good enough run through but it’s one of those stages when you can lose everything, particularly when the rain came in. It was impossible to judge the grip so we might have been a bit wrong to have shaved our tyres so much. The fans were incredible, I really enjoyed it."
Bruno Magalhaes (Portugal), Peugeot 207 S2000, second overall: "It was very difficult and very slippery, especially with gravel tyres on wet Tarmac. I was very cautious because of this. I think the car is better now after Brazil."
Guy Wilks (United Kingdom), Skoda Fabia S2000, third overall: "I tried to keep it as neat as possible but what a welcome that was to Rally Argentina with greasy Tarmac, gravel tyres and rain. It got a bit close at times."

Bruno Magalahes is second overall in his Peugeot Portugal 207

TOP TEN IRC POSITIONS AFTER LEG ONE, SECTION ONE

1 Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle Peugeot 207 S2000 2m32.8s
2 Bruno Magalhaes/Carlos Magalhaes Peugeot 207 S2000 +1.4s
3 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh Skoda Fabia S2000 +2.2s
4 Juho Hanninen/Mikko Markkula Skoda Fabia S2000 +2.9s
5 Jan Kopecky/Petr Stary Skoda Fabia S2000 +2.9s
6 Juan Manuel Marchetto/Franchello Gustavo Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +7.2s
7 Federico Villagra/Jorge Perez Companc Ford Fiesta S2000 +7.8s
8 Miguel Baldoni/Jose Luis Diaz Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +8.4s
9 Daniel Oliveira/Carlos Del Barrio Peugeot 207 S2000 +9.3s
10 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Giovanni Bernacchini Skoda Fabia S2000 +9.4s

LEG ONE, SECTION TWO ITINERARY (SATURDAY 20 MARCH)

Service A: Carlos Paz, 06:10hrs; SS2: Las Bajadas-Villa del Dique 1 (16.57kms), 08:13hrs; SS3: Amboy-Santa Monica 1 (20.43kms), 09:00hrs; SS4: Santa Rosa-San Agustin 1 (21.53kms), 09:41hrs; SS5: San Agustin-Villa General Belgrano 1 (16.46kms), 10:24hrs; Service B: Carlos Paz, 12:14hrs; SS6: Las Bajadas-Villa del Dique 2 (16.57kms), 14:57hrs; SS7: Amboy-Santa Monica 2 (20.43kms), 15:44hrs; SS8: Santa Rosa-San Agustin 2 (21.53kms), 16:25hrs; Service C: Carlos Paz, 18:20hrs.

www.rally-irc.com

Eurosport Events, the promoter of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, has today announced that Rally Islas Canarias ‚Trofeo El Corte Ingles‘ will replace Rally Principe de Asturias on the 2010 IRC schedule.
The event will become the fourth round of the 12-event IRC series and take place from 28 April-1 May.
A one-year agreement has been reached between Eurosport Events and the Canarias Sport Club with an option for a two-year extension.
Confirmation of Rally Islas Canarias‘ inclusion in the IRC is the result of a successful collaboration between Eurosport Events and Real Federacion Espanola de Automovilismo. This was instigated after the organisers of Rally Principe de Asturias decided they could not honour the terms of their agreement with Eurosport Events and declared they would no longer host the IRC round, which had been due to run from 9-11 September.
Marcello Lotti, the General Manager of the IRC, said: "We are grateful to President Carlos Gracia Fuertes, of Real Federacion Espanola de Automovilismo, who supported the IRC in finding a quick and solid alternative solution after Rally Principe de Asturias encountered financial issues. Rally Islas Canarias enjoys a good reputation and benefits from a strong organisational background. We are hopeful this partnership will not be a one-off experience."
Rally Islas Canarias is an all-tarmac event and is one of the most famous rounds of the Spanish asphalt championship. The rally organisers are making special arrangements for IRC international regular teams to transport their cars and equipment to the event.
The revised 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge schedule is as follows:
Round: Event (Country) Date (Surface)
01: Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo (Monaco) 19-23 January (Asphalt)
02: Rally Internacional de Curitiba (Brazil) 04-06 March (Gravel)
03: Rally Argentina (Argentina) 19-21 March (Gravel)
04: Rally Islas Canarias (Spain) 28 April-01 May (Asphalt)    
05: Rally d’Italia Sardegna (Italy) 04-06 June (Gravel)
06: Geko Ypres Rally (Belgium) 24-26 June (Asphalt)
07: Sata Rally Açores (Portugal) 15-17 July (Gravel)
08: Rali Vinho Madeira (Portugal) 05-07 August (Asphalt)
09: Barum Czech Rally Zlín (Czech Republic) 27-29 August (Asphalt)
10: Rallye Sanremo (Italy) 23-25 September (Mixed)
11: RAC MSA Rally of Scotland (United Kingdom) 15-17 October (Gravel)
12: FxPro Cyprus Rally (Cyprus) 04-06 November (Mixed)

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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

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)

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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