Most liked posts in thread: WRC: Rally GB 2013

Steve · Nov 15, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfO4e8Lmr0k]Stages 1-6: Wales Rally GB 2013 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Nov 15, 2013

Ogier extends GB lead over Latvala (WRC.com)

15 Nov 13

Sebastien Ogier won four of today's six speed tests in the second and longest leg of Wales Rally GB to build a 20.1sec lead over team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala.

After a commanding win in the opening Hafren test by almost 10sec, the Frenchman was fastest on all three afternoon tests in a Volkswagen Polo R. Thierry Neuville, second after the opening leg in a Ford Fiesta RS, could not live with the pair and is 62.6sec off the lead in third.

The dank forests of mid-Wales became increasingly difficult as the day progressed. A slimy layer of mud was cleaned during the first pass, to leave wet and polished stones on the surface when they were repeated.

â€œIt was more slippery this afternoon than this morning and it was hard to stay on the driving line. But we used the lines quite well,â€ explained Ogier, who had the benefit of following Latvala in the tests and seeing his braking points.

Latvala made a cautious start but ended the morning by winning his favourite Myherin test. His confidence surged and a softer set-up on his Polo R encouraged him further.

â€œI really pushed hard and there wasnâ€™t much left to give. I found it hard at the beginning where it was very slippery but I got a good feeling as things went on. Maybe I just took too long to wake up,â€ said Latvala, who almost pushed too hard and was fortunate to escape a high-speed moment in the final stage.

Neuville followed his usual strategy of perfecting his pace notes in the morning loop, but admitted there was no more speed to find this afternoon.

â€œI did my best and I think I drove very well. But there was so little traction on the slippery stones,â€ explained the Belgian.

Qatar M-Sport Fiesta RS team-mates Mads Ostberg and Evgeny Novikov are split by just 3.7sec in fourth and fifth, but they are more than 90sec off the lead. Ostberg regretted altering his carâ€™s set-up this afternoon while Novikov lived with a daylong problem affecting the launch control at stage starts.

Andreas Mikkelsen is sixth in another Polo R, just 1.1sec behind Novikov, with Martin Prokopâ€™s Fiesta RS in seventh, more than three minutes adrift. Leading WRC 2 runners Elfyn Evans and Mark Higgins are eighth and tenth, with Dani Sordo sandwiched between them in ninth.

Sordo, saddled with a five minute penalty before last nightâ€™s start, was fastest on the second stage and climbed 36 places in his Citroen DS3.

Robert Kubica rolled his DS3 out of seventh in the opening stage and Mikko Hirvonen compounded a disastrous rally for the factory Citroen squad by rolling his similar car out of fourth two stages later after a pace note error. Hirvonen will not restart tomorrow.

Drivers restart tomorrow at 06.00 and face two identical loops of two tests in Dovey Forest. After the longest stage of the day in Dyfnant, crews return to Deeside via two passes of the short Chirk Castle test. It all adds up to 98.42km of action.
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Steve · Nov 15, 2013

Kubica back and on top in Wales (MaxRally.com)

by Graham Lister / 15th November 2013

Robert Kubica is all-set to restart Rally GB on Saturday morning following his stage-four smash – and will run first on the road through the seven stages that make up leg two of the WRC finale.

Kubica crashed out six kilometres from the finish of Myherin when he misjudged the slippery conditions and skated into a ditch, ending up with his Citroen DS3 WRC on its roof.

Providing his car can be repaired in service in Deeside tonight, Kubica will start first followed by fellow Pole Michal Solowow and Citroen team-mate Dani Sordo.

“There is no big damage I think, even though the car is three metres down,” Kubica told a WRC TV crew earlier. “It was a soft half-roll and didn’t feel like a big crash. I tried to recover it with the handbrake but we ran out of road. It was quite steep and we ended upside down. Hopefully I can return. It’s a shame because one small misjudgment and we ended up like this.”
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Steve · Nov 15, 2013

Splash!

Steve · Nov 16, 2013

Wales continues to take its toll.

The #49 MINI (in WRC-2):

Robert Kubica out again:

going...

going...

gone.

Steve · Nov 16, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7mPN0TRyJ0]Leg 3 - 2013 WRC Wales Rally GB - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Nov 16, 2013

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch? Ah, Welsh, such a beautiful language.

What the Welsh stage names mean (best-of-rallylive.com)

16/11/2013 7:00 am

Welsh is a colourful Celtic tongue which pre-dates English. It shares its roots with the language spoken in Brittany and many words are similar to modern-day French. For visitors, however, many place names are unpronounceable. We tried to uncover the meaning behind the some of the places visited by this weekendâ€™s rallyâ€¦

The internet served as an initial source of information, and we also asked some Welsh speakers on the event. In certain cases, they were left scratching their head. Elfyn Evans was quizzed, too. He lives in Dolgellau, Mid Wales, but even he couldnâ€™t fill in the remaining blanks.

If any of our visitors can help, donâ€™t hesitate to let us know!

Gwydyr (SS1): This forest takes its name from Gwydyr castle, ancestral home of the Wynn family. The different interpretations of the word include â€˜field of bloodâ€™, because the Wynns are said to have bought the castle with money made as mercenaries!

Penmachno (SS2): â€˜Penâ€™ means â€˜head ofâ€™, so this signifies the upper reaches of the Machno River, a tributary of the River Conwy, which reaches the sea near the rallyâ€™s start venue.

Clocaenog (SS3/19): A mystery word, Iâ€™m afraid.

Hafren (SS4/7): Another mystery.

Sweet Lamb (SS5/8): This name was chosen by the rally complexâ€™s founder. It is taken from a poem (The War Song of Dinas Vawr) featured in an Arthurian novel by Thomas Love Peacock (The Misfortunes of Elphin) in 1829. It talks about sheep-stealing by invading armies. â€œThe mountain sheep are sweeter, but the valley sheep are fatter. We therefore deemed it meeter [better], to carry off the latter.â€

Myherin (SS6/9): Another mystery, especially as â€˜Myherinâ€™ visits Tarenig Forest.

Gartheiniog (SS10/12): Mystery.

Dyfi (SS11/13): This is the Welsh spelling of the short River Dovey which flows through Mid Wales to the Irish Sea.

Dyfnant (SS14/17): â€˜Nantâ€™ means small stream. It refers to the moorland near the River Doveyâ€™s source.

Chirk Castle (SS15/16): The original 13th Century castle was built next the River Ceiriog (or Keyroc). â€˜Chirkâ€™ is believed to be a corruption of this name.

Penllyn (SS18): â€˜Penâ€™ means â€˜head ofâ€™ and â€˜Llynâ€™ means â€˜lakeâ€™, soâ€¦ â€˜head of the lakeâ€™.

Kinmel Park (SS20/21): Another mystery, especially as the letter â€˜Kâ€™ does not exist in Welsh.

Great Orme (SS22): There are two headlands near Llandudno: Great and Little Orme. The name â€˜Ormeâ€™ is actually of Viking origin and means â€˜sea serpentâ€™. The Vikings thought the peninsular resembled the head of a sea serpent when seen from the sea.

Llandudno (finish venue): â€˜Llanâ€™ means church, the â€˜church of Saint Tudnoâ€™. The 13th century chapel on Great Orme is located where Tudno â€“ a 7th Century missionary â€“ is said to have lived in a cave.

One last name, just for funâ€¦ As our British visitors will know, on the island of Anglesey near Llandudno is the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch! Translation? Saint Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of Saint Tysilio of the red cave.
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Steve · Nov 16, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAv_cvFPx3w]2013 Rallye Great Britain - day 01 and 02 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Nov 16, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMFnVz3btio]Robert Kubica - Wypadek w Rajdzie Walii OS4 WIDEO / Crash, Wales Rally SS4 VIDEO [HD] - YouTube[/ame]

Crashton · Nov 16, 2013

Thanks for the coverage Steve!

Nathan · Nov 16, 2013

Those are some greasy looking "roads"

“We had a misunderstanding in the pace notes,” said Kubica, whose car ended up 60 metres from the gravel road. “I should have been braking but I was still flat out. By the time I saw the corner it was too later. We had a sort of blackout in communication.”

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mndfrh5pYA]Robert Kubica Wales Rally GB SS11 Huge Crash + Intervieuw After Wypadek na OS11 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Nov 17, 2013

VW and Ogier conclude title-winning year in style! (best-of-rallylive.com)

17/11/2013 4:07 pm

The 2013 world champion SÃ©bastien Ogier rounded off 2013 with his ninth victory of the year on Wales Rally GB, taking Volkswagen/Michelinâ€™s score to 10 wins from 13 rounds! The Frenchmanâ€™s speed frustrated the bid of team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala (2nd, +21.8s) to make it three Rally GB wins in a row. Podium honours sufficed for Thierry Neuville (Ford, +1m24.5s) to come second in this seasonâ€™s WRC. The first prize in the WRC-2 and WRC-3 classes went to Elfyn Evans (Ford) and Quentin Gilbert (CitroÃ«n) respectively.

â€˜Great Ormeâ€™ is a stunningly beautiful stage, set to the backdrop of the Irish Sea. Itâ€™s a bright, wind-free, almost warm day by the seaside and this is an idyllic backdrop to end the 2013 World Rally Championship.

The peaceful Sunday day-tripper routine in Llandudno â€“ a short walk from the stage â€“ is broken only by the sirens of the various safety cars as they drive through the weekendâ€™s 22nd stage to make sure spectators are standing in a safe spot. â€œMost of them are on high ground. Thatâ€™s where theyâ€™ll get the best views from,â€ reports the driver of the â€˜double zeroâ€™ car.

This is their last opportunity to watch the WRC stars in action and, all too soon, the show is over as the front-runners reach us at the finish control, in reverse orderâ€¦

After appearing as a potential threat to Neuville on Saturday, Andreas Mikkelsen was kicking himself for his two spins this morning. They effectively ruined Volkswagen Motorsportâ€™s hopes of a one-two-three finish in Wales to round off its polished maiden campaign at world level.

They also took pressure off Mads Ostberg who concluded a season of ups and downs with a commendable fourth place. On the stop line of SS22, he confirmed he had a strong chance of a drive in 2014, but didnâ€™t specify the team. However, the Norwegianâ€™s last-day speed, assisted by a softer set-up, was insufficient to deprive fellow Qatar M-Sport runner Neuville of a podium finish.

Meanwhile, third spot after a maturely-paced performance was enough for the Belgian to pocket 2013â€™s silver medal, ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala. It was an emotional moment as the Ford driverâ€™s friends and family greeted him with champagne at the end of SS22. â€œAt the beginning of the season, with a new car and a new team, I couldnâ€™t have imagined coming second in the championship,â€ he admitted.

Latvala had been hoping to win Britainâ€™s round of the WRC for a third straight year and was doubly disappointed to have to settle for third in the Driverâ€™s standings. â€œI made too many small mistakes this weekend,â€ he admitted. â€œI have the speed, but I need to work on finding a rhythm next season.â€

Unsurprisingly, the man everyone was waiting for at the end of â€˜Great Ormeâ€™ was SÃ©bastien Ogier who wrapped up the year with a convincing win. â€œItâ€™s amazing. Iâ€™m so happy,â€ he said after posing for pictures on the roof of his Polo R WRC/Michelin. â€œMy car was perfect again, so thanks to the team for that; and we had a great battle with our team-mate this weekend. Fantastique! Itâ€™s the perfect end to a perfect season!â€

Moments later, it was Elfyn Evanâ€™s turn to celebrate after securing a surefooted success in the WRC-2 class for Ford on his home event, while Frenchman Quentin Gilbert (CitroÃ«n) claimed an assertive victory in WRC-3.
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Evans claims maiden victory in WRC 2 (WRC.com)

17 Nov 13

Elfyn Evans secured a breakthrough victory in the WRC 2 support category at Wales Rally GB this afternoon after dominating the four-day event in a Ford Fiesta R5.

The 24-year-old Welshman made the most of local knowledge after taking the lead on the second of the 22 speed tests on Thursday night. He was never again headed and after building a comfortable lead he measured his pace to win by 63.1sec.

Evans, who won the WRC Academy title last season, stepped up to the major support series this season. He finished second on the asphalt rallies in Germany and France before sealing top spot in the mud-caked forests of north and mid-Wales.

â€œIt feels great to win my home round. Today I concentrated on driving cleanly and not doing anything silly. It has been a great learning experience with the M-Sport team and Iâ€™m grateful to them for delivering such a fantastic car,â€ said Evans.

Ketomaa, who took maximum points in Finland earlier in the season, led initially but was hampered by a misfire and fell to third behind Mark Higgins. With his Fiesta R5 restored to full health, he moved back ahead yesterday and headed the Isle of Man driver by 64.8sec.

â€œItâ€™s a pity we had problems with the car but in motorsport things donâ€™t always work as they should. We were very lucky to escape a huge fifth gear moment this morning and the misfire returned again in tight hairpins and uphill sections,â€ said Ketomaa.

Higgins suffered similar misfire issues yesterday, but the 42-year-old triple British champion was happy with a podium on his first appearance at the rally for five years.

â€œWe had a couple of little niggles but it was a great weekend. I didnâ€™t want to do anything silly today so I settled for what I had. There was a great atmosphere in the forests and the new venue for the rally was a great success,â€ said Higgins.

Eyvind Brynildsen ended a troubled season in fourth, 2min 21.5sec ahead of Welsh youngster Tom Cave.

Cave, incurred a hefty time penalty after changing the gearbox in his Fiesta R5 on Thursday night. But he stormed back up the order with a string of stage wins on Friday and also survived a sticking throttle.

Italyâ€™s Edoardo Bresolin completed the top six in a Fiesta RRC.
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Steve · Nov 18, 2013

Steve · Nov 18, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfigyZKnX0U]Stages 20-22: Wales Rally GB 2013 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Nov 18, 2013

These are coming up a bit out of order...oh well, still good stuff.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alBGoHadxoo]Stages 17-19: Wales Rally GB 2013 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Nov 18, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7mPN0TRyJ0]Leg 3 - 2013 WRC Wales Rally GB - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Nov 18, 2013

Some really good video here.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXIM4mTJrMU]WRC - RAC Wales Rally GB 2013 [HD] - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Nov 19, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk4yD2NcFTw]WRC Wales Rally GB 2013 [HD - Maximum Attack] - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Nov 20, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VegZmZSwmVc]REVIEW: Wales Rally GB 2013 - The Rally of Legends - YouTube[/ame]

RallyMini370 · Nov 28, 2013

Thanks Steve, I'll be down loading for Sunday's flight. Happy TG

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