WRC WRC - 2015

RallyMini370 · Feb 5, 2015

I must say wrc+ is worth the $6 a month

Steve · Feb 5, 2015

Lots of good classics here. I'd like to see that black beauty at the end in the daylight. Anyone know what that thing is, exactly?

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1ciS_fPg2A"]Rallye Monte Carlo Historique 2015 par VDB - YouTube[/ame]

B.A.D. · Feb 6, 2015

To the Googles.....

I believe it is an Aston Martin DB2/4

Crashton · Feb 6, 2015

WOW!!! Great stuff, on board with 2 of the greats. :arf:

Steve · Feb 6, 2015

B.A.D. said: ↑

To the Googles.....

I believe it is an Aston Martin DB2/4

Click to expand...

I found the registration list and it says you're right, number 314 is a DB2.

The grille doesn't look right, though, with those smaller rectangular bits on the side separated from the larger center section. The side grille is also either absent or more much more subtle on many/most. Also, the headlights are lower. But I found this example, also identified as a DB2 Coupe. Don't know why they're so different than the majority of DB2s but DB2 is correct. And, FWIW, I retract my earlier wish to see it in daylight...this version looks better in the dark...

Steve · Feb 8, 2015

Less than a week until the start of Rally Sweden and the roads look like this today.

Crashton · Feb 8, 2015

Oh boy snow rally! :arf:

Steve · Feb 8, 2015

Sweden countdown: This yearâ€™s route (WRC.com)

The second round of the FIA World Rally Championship is a harsh winter challenge, set in the snowy forests of Swedenâ€™s south central VÃ¤rmland region and over the border into Norway.

Itâ€™s a long distance and varied event, comprising a start and finish in VÃ¤rmlandâ€™s capital city Karlstad, a service hub 91km north in the town of Hagfors and stages that include frozen forest tracks, an ice-covered horse racing arena and even a ski-slope.

Approximately one-third of this yearâ€™s route is different to 2014 and of the 11 individual stages four are either new or modified. Hereâ€™s what competitors will face this week:

Thursday 12 February
After two days of reconnaissance on Tuesday (10th) and Wednesday (11th) the drivers will first get into their rally cars on Thursday, for the Shakedown test in RÃ¥da, next to the central Service Park in Hagfors. That evening the ceremonial start will be held in Karlstad, followed by a short 1.9-kilometre head-to-head Super Special on an ice-covered track normally used for horse trotting. Crews will then complete the long road section back to Hagfors and the overnight parc ferme.

Friday 13 February
The first full day is an international affair, with stages in both Sweden and neighbouring Norway. After morning service, crews will tackle two loops of four stages - starting in Sweden with Torsby (14.76km) and then over the border in Norway to RÃ¶jden (18.73km), Finnskogen (20.76km) and Kirkenaer (7.07km). The Norwegian stages will be unfamiliar to most drivers. RÃ¶jden was driven in the opposite direction the last time it featured on the itinerary in 2011. Finnskogen is also classed as new: only certain sections of last yearâ€™s stage of the same name are to be tackled this year, and in the opposite direction. Only KirkenÃ¦r is almost identical to last year. The leg will conclude with a second run on the Karlstad Super Special before the cars return to Hagfors. Crews will drive 124.54 competitive kilometres and 473.81 kilometres of liaison sections.

Saturday 14 February
Packing in 134.82 timed kilometres, Saturday is the eventâ€™s longest day and features a loop of four all-Swedish stages that are unchanged since 2014: Fredriksberg (18.15km), RÃ¤mmen (22.76km), Hagfors Sprint (1.87km) and VargÃ¥sen (24.63km). The loop will be completed twice, separated by a thirty-minute midday service in Hagfors. Saturdayâ€™s final test features the infamous â€˜Colinâ€™s Crestâ€™. The best jumps here are rewarded with the â€˜Colinâ€™s Crest Awardâ€™ â€“ the trophy named after 1995 World Champion Colin McRae.

Sunday 15 February
The final leg will feature three stages: LesjÃ¶fors (15.00km), then two runs through VÃ¤rmullsasen (15.87km), which concludes with a flat-out sprint down a ski-slope and a jump before the finish. The second pass through VÃ¤rmullsasen will serve as the live televised Power Stage, offering bonus points to the three fastest drivers. The rally is scheduled to finish at 1500hrs with the podium ceremony in Karlstadâ€™s main square.
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Steve · Feb 11, 2015

Ideal conditions for Rally Sweden (best-of-rallylive.com)

10/02/2015 6:16 pm

The Swedish stages are coated in a thick layer of ice and lined with one-metre tall snow walls – the perfect conditions for some spectacular action later this week. Competitors started recce for the 2015 Rally Sweden today (Tuesday) with visits to the stages that figure on Saturday and Sunday’s menus (Fredriksberg, Lesjofors, Rammen, etc.).

Yesterday afternoon, we were a little worried when our pilot announced a mild 10Â°C as we approached Karlstad airport.

So, after a welcome dinner and a short sleep at the BjÃ¶rn Wardhus guest house near Rada, we headed for the stages in the wake of the crews. Like them, we visited Fredriksberg, Lesjofors, Rammen and Varmullsasen, before finishing with the infamous Vargasen test.

When we got to the start of Fredriksberg, east of Hagfors, we were completely reassured since the twisty forest track was covered in a nice layer of ice and lined with the snow walls on which the drivers famously ‘lean’ round the high-speed corners.

Lesjofors, which will be tackled on Sunday morning, is narrower and bumpier, and was also rutted in places. We were stuck there for almost three hours before a local tractor owner succeeded in pulling our Skoka Yeti out of one of the aforementioned snow walls.

We then moved on to Rammen which is a truly magnificent stage that begins with a wide, fast portion. The fastest time here last year was posted at an average speed of 117kph. After our earlier misadventure, however, we preferred to stay below 80kph…

Varmullsasen, which will serve as Sunday’s Power Stage, is technically more challenging, narrow and very tricky, especially the last section down the ski slopes that look out over Hagfors.

We kept the best for the end, namely Vargasen, the rally’s longest stage and a Rally Sweden classic, the record for which is still the property of Latvala in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Here again, the conditions were perfect, with a three- or four-centimetre covering of powder snow on top of ice. The snow walls are so high that it was tough to see the corners approaching without notes. At the famous Colin’s Crest leap, the arch, all the advertising boards and the long-jump distance markers were all in place. In four days’ time, the woods will be crawling with rally fans.

After our day in the VÃ¤rmland and a quick visit to the service park, we reckoned we deserved our sauna at the BjÃ¶rn Wardhus. Tomorrow’s plan is to recce the Norwegian stages…
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mrntd · Feb 11, 2015

Steve said: ↑

Lots of good classics here. I'd like to see that black beauty at the end in the daylight. Anyone know what that thing is, exactly?

Rallye Monte Carlo Historique 2015 par VDB - YouTube
Click to expand...

The blue one? Opal GT

Crashton · Feb 11, 2015

Car #219 Opel GT..... :yesnod:

Steve · Feb 11, 2015

Yes, that one caught my eye as well. Took me a few seconds to realize what it was. Really wanted one of those when I was a kid.

Steve · Feb 12, 2015

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f1lATRqOcA"]Rally Sweden 2015: Preview Clip - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Feb 12, 2015

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwcjJ5QqrRw"]Shakedown - 2015 WRC Rally Sweden - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Thaw concerns for Sweden drivers (wrc.com)

12 Feb 2015

Two days of above-freezing temperatures along the Rally Sweden route have led to concerns from drivers about thawing stages.

Conditions for the championship’s winter fixture were excellent during Tuesday and Wednesday’s pre-event recce, when stages featured a hard-packed ice base and were lined with deep snow banks.

But the temperature has rarely dipped below freezing since then, and with a high today of 5ÂºC the snow is melting rapidly.

Championship leader Sebastien Ogier will be first on the road on Friday and Saturday and warned that the melting surface could quickly wear through to the gravel beneath.

The conditions were really good in the recce so we just hope that some cold is coming again and it stays okay,” he said.

“If it becomes slushy then it will be very slippery and without overnight freezing I expect conditions will be very difficult. It will be especially tricky in the afternoons when after 100 cars and the historic rally we can expect some gravel on the road.”

If the ice wears though to the gravel beneath, grip will increase, but so will the likelihood of damage to the metal-spiked tyres and the appearance of deep ruts in the road.

“We know on some stages, especially around Hagfors it’s melting quite quickly now,” added Citroen’s Mads Ostberg. “It a bit colder in Norway at the moment, and that could help the Norwegian stages. I think a lot will depend on the weather when we drive the stages - not how they look now. If it’s +0.5ÂªC it will be difficult conditions but if it’s -0.5ÂºC it will be a lot better.”
Click to expand...

Steve · Feb 12, 2015

The paddle shifting is a bit of a surprise to me.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mDDq97tmzk"]Kris Meeke - Sweden ONBOARD at night!! Citroen DS3 WRC - YouTube[/ame]

Crashton · Feb 12, 2015

That sure looks like fun. I love snow rally's as much as rain races. :arf:

Steve · Feb 12, 2015

Just one very short stadium stage today but good to see Scandinavians are top 3 in Sweden...at least for today.

Steve · Feb 13, 2015

Mikkelsen leads after drama in Sweden (wrc.com)

13 Feb 2015

Andreas Mikkelsen led Rally Sweden after Friday’s dramatic opening leg in which team-mates SÃ©bastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala both went off the road while leading.

Mikkelsen battled handling issues on snow and ice-covered forest roads in Sweden and Norway to hold a 19.1sec advantage over Thierry Neuville, putting himself in a strong position to net his maiden FIA World Rally Championship victory.

The Norwegian clipped a chicane with his Volkswagen Polo R early in the day, and was astonished to leap from third to first following the troubles that befell championship leader Ogier and Latvala in the penultimate special stage.

“To be in Norway, with so many local supporters, gave me lots of motivation,” said Mikkelsen. “Obviously it’s a great feeling to lead, but I have to feel a bit bad for the luck of my team-mates. It’s also a bit of a surprise because we didn’t have the best rhythm all day.”

Ogier won three of the opening four stages to build a near-10sec lead but faulty windscreen wipers allowed Latvala to close. The gap fell to a second when Ogier’s bonnet flipped up and cracked his windscreen after he forgot to secure it while trying to repair the wipers before the test.

Then he became stuck in a snow bank after braking too late for a junction and dropped 40sec before regaining the road in fourth.

For a few brief minutes Latvala led, but the Finn ditched his car 400 metres from the finish of the same stage. It took spectators over eight minutes to manhandle the car back onto the road and he ended the leg in 23rd.

Neuville endured a frustrating morning as conditions benefited the earlier starters, but the Belgian steered clear of trouble in his Hyundai i20 to overhaul Mads Ã˜stberg and the Volkswagen duo in that penultimate stage. The gap between the pair is just 0.3sec.

Ã˜stberg fought tooth and nail with Mikkelsen throughout the day but dropped time this afternoon left him 19.4sec off the lead.

Ogier is 5.3sec behind the Norwegian, while Ott TÃ¤nak overcame an early morning off to climb to fifth in a Ford Fiesta RS. Hayden Paddon was sixth, the Kiwi effectively driving the injured Dani Sordo’s i20 with the Spaniard’s set-up, and he struggled initially to find confidence in the handling.

Martin Prokop lost fourth gear in his Fiesta RS but the Czech was seventh, ahead of Ukraine’s Yuriy Protasov, who claimed his maiden stage win. Henning Solberg and Elfyn Evans completed the leaderboard, although the Welshman was sixth until he beached his Fiesta RS on a snow bank.

Kris Meeke lost three minutes after going off while debutant Kevin Abbring dropped 90sec when he left the road after his glasses steamed up. Robert Kubica drove most of the afternoon with only front-wheel drive while Lorenzo Bertelli retired with driveshaft issues.

Tomorrow’s second leg is the longest of the rally. Competitors face eight forest stages covering 134.82km near Hagfors.
Click to expand...

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL2Do9-5KjU"]Leg 1 ( Latvala and Ogier crash) - 2015 WRC Rally Sweden - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Feb 13, 2015

Fans having fun.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU_SmuzmkCs"]Closer to people at KirkenÃƒÂ¦r Arena - Rally Sweden - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Feb 13, 2015

Stage 10 (L) and overall (R).

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