WRC: Rallye de France - Alsace (2012)

Steve · Oct 4, 2012

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds6qQqalmcw]SÃ©ance test PrÃ©-Alsace WRC 2012 Mini Cooper John Works WRC Dani Sordo - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Oct 4, 2012

Sordo sets shakedown pace (WRC.com)

04 Oct 12

Dani Sordo has gone fastest in shakedown for Rallye de France Alsace, round 11 of the FIA World Rally Championship.

At the wheel of a MINI John Cooper Works WRC, Sordo set a fastest time of 2m34.1s through the 3.8-kilometre Parc des Sports-Hautepierre stage this morning. He was 0.3s faster than factory Ford pilot Jari-Matti Latvala with Petter Solberg 0.6s further back in his similar Fiesta.

Sebastien Loeb, who can secure his ninth WRC driversâ€™ crown in France this week, covered the practice stage in 2m35.5s with Thierry Neuville 0.2s behind his fellow Citroen driver. Shakedown began in dry conditions at 07:30hrs local time this morning although there was light drizzle later in the morning.

While Sordoâ€™s Prodrive team played down the Spaniardâ€™s effort, admitting the shakedown stage was not â€œindicativeâ€ of the bulk of the competitive route, it follows on the back of a successful pre-event test and the introduction of a new engine software calibration and an enhanced gear cut to improve shift speeds.

â€œIt's the first time I have driven the car with these changes, but it feels much better and stronger,â€ said Sordo. â€œI am also really pleased the FIA has agreed all WRC cars can have gravel notes. I am sure the times will be close this week, so every little bit of time we can find will help.â€

Mikko Hirvonen and Nasser Al-Attiyah were joined sixth fastest in their Citroens. Mads Ostberg was eighth quickest with Evgeny Novikov ninth and Ott Tanak 10th.

Top 10 shakedown times

1 Dani Sordo (MINI) 2m34.1s

2 Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford) 2m34.4s

3 Petter Solberg (Ford) 2m35.0s

4 Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) 2m35.5s

5 Thierry Neuville (Citroen) 2m35.7s

6 Mikko Hirvonen (Citroen) 2m37.5s

= Nasser Al-Attiyah (Citroen) 2m37.5s

8 Mads Ostberg (Ford) 2m38.0s

9 Evgeny Novikov (Ford) 2m39.4s

10 Ott Tanak (Ford) 2m40.0s.
Click to expand...

Steve · Oct 4, 2012

There's no qualification stage because it's considered a hard surface rally, so the starting order was determined based on standings.

Only one stage on Day 1. It's short and fiddly through Strasbourg with lots of curbs. Many drivers take it easy on this sort of stage figuring there's more to lose than there is to gain. On the other hand, Dani Sordo lost this rally last year by just a few seconds and knows they all count. After Loeb announced his near withdrawal in 2013 a few others are hoping to be considered to fill his seat and they'll push constantly as well.

At the end of the stage, Sordo 3rd, Atkinson 10th, Dumas 14th, Nobre 23rd, Muller 26th (71 finished the stage).

SS1: Neuville tops Strasbourg test (WRC.com)

04 Oct 12

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS1, Strasbourg (3.63 kilometres)

Stage description:
By Citroen Junior World Rally Team co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul: â€œWe donâ€™t get to recce this stage until close to the stage starting but there will be a lot of concrete edges so it will be quite tricky. Because of this the stage can catch us out and we have to be very clever because there is nothing to win in this type of stage.â€

How the action unfolded:
Thierry Neuville is the early leader of Rallye de France Alsace after he went fastest through the 3.63-kilometre Strasbourg stage this evening.

Driving a Citroen DS3 WRC, the Belgian youngster set a 2m44.7s in increasingly fading light to top the leaderboard by 0.8s ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala, who said he made a small mistake in his factory Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Neuville, meanwhile reckoned he lost a few vital seconds sliding wide at one corner.

Dani Sordo said he didnâ€™t take many risks at the wheel of his Prodrive MINI John Cooper Works WRC after he shared the joint third fastest time with Mikko Hirvonen and Petter Solberg.

Sebastien Loebâ€™s co-driver Daniel Elenaâ€™s protÃ©gÃ© Sebastien Chardonnet impressed on his first WRC outing in a Citroen DS3 WRC by outpacing the eight-time world champions by 0.2s, 1.4s down on Neuville in sixth position.

Loeb said: â€œIt was okay but I struggled on the first loop because I was not so happy with my pace notes. We did the recce for this stage not in my normal recce car and the notes were a bit wrong. I tried to adjust my rhythm on the second lap.â€

Nasser Al-Attiyah suffered a spin in the second corner and dropped 20 seconds at the wheel of his Qatar World Rally Team Citroen. He reported a knock to his right-rear wheel in the process. Martin Prokop said his Fiesta was being hobbled by an engine misfire.

Chris Atkinson reported a moment when he locked up the brakes of his WRC Team MINI Portugal entry. Yvan Muller suggested a power issue had slowed his Prodrive-run MINI, while Romain Dumas said he was experiencing understeer in his MINI.

Craig Breen set the pace in the Super 2000 World Rally Championship, while Alastair Fisher was the fastest FIA WRC Academy runner, earning a championship point in the process. However, there was despair by category rival Timo van der Marel, who took the right-wheel off his Fiesta R2.

Fridayâ€™s action begins with the 28.67-kilometre Hohlandsbourg-Firstplan test at 09:23hrs local time.
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Steve · Oct 5, 2012

Friday wrap: Loeb on top at home (WRC.com)

05 Oct 12

Sebastien Loeb will start day two of Rallye de France Alsace leading the FIA World Rally Championship qualifier by 13.1s.

Loeb, who can become world champion for a ninth time by beating Citroen team-mate Mikko Hirvonen on the asphalt counter based in Strasbourg, has won four of day oneâ€™s eight all-asphalt stages with second-placed Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala claiming three stage bests to remain firmly in the fight for top spot.

â€œItâ€™s been a good day with no problems at all,â€ said Loeb. â€œWeâ€™ve done the right tyre choices but itâ€™s been a big push because Jari has been pushing very hard.â€

Latvala said he lost ground on the dayâ€™s penultimate stage on sections where mud and gravel had been dragged onto the road. Nevertheless the Finn revealed it had been one of his best performances on asphalt in the WRC: â€œWeâ€™re still a bit up and down and not as consistent as it should be. But we are still in the fight and itâ€™s still going on.â€

Behind Latvala, Mikko Hirvonen, in the second works Citroen, holds a narrow advantage of 0.7s over Latvalaâ€™s Ford team-mate Petter Solberg in the battle for third.

Dani Sordoâ€™s ultimate pace was masked by set-up and brake issues on his MINI John Cooper Works WRC. The Spaniard is fifth overall, one place ahead of Thierry Neuville, who showed plenty of pace in the morning but was slightly more circumspect in the afternoon following a spin in his Citroen Junior DS3 WRC.

Mads Ostberg is seventh in his Adapta Fiesta with M-Sport Fiesta pilots Ott Tanak and Evgeny Novikov eighth and ninth respectively. Sebastien Chardonnet, competing in a Citroen DS3 WRC in the world championship for the first time, demoted WRC Team MINI Portugalâ€™s Chris Atkinson for 10th overall on stage five.

Martin Prokop is 12th having been hampered by an engine misfire throughout the day. Nasser Al-Attiyah is 13th with Sebastien Ogier heading his Volkswagen Motorsport team-mate Andreas Mikkeslen in 14th overall. Frenchman Julien Maurin is 16th in his Fiesta RS WRC.

Romain Dumas heads Yvan Muller in the battle of the racers. They are 19th and 20th overnight respectively in their MINIs. A broken rear driveshaft has hobbled Brazil World Rally Teamâ€™s Daniel Oliveira. Countryman Paulo Nobre is 28th overall.

While large chunks of the morning stages took place in damp conditions, making tyre compound choice a factor, the afternoon was dry and sunny with all leading crews opting for Michelinâ€™s hard-compound rubber. Saturdayâ€™s action begins with the Masif des Grands Crus - Ungersberg stage at 08:38hrs local time.
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Steve · Oct 5, 2012

Pics from Prodrive's (via Facebook):

Steve · Oct 5, 2012

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1BHk0OuwXQ]Rallye de France Alsace Day 1 [HD] Rallye-Addict.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Oct 6, 2012

Saturday midday wrap: Loeb stretches lead (WRC.com)

06 Oct 12

Citroen star Sebastien Loeb has kept his FIA World Rally Championship title bid firmly on track by extending his lead of Rallye de France Alsace this morning - but it has been far from plain sailing for the bulk of his rivals.

Loeb won two of the three stages that were run - the 12th stage, Klevener, was cancelled due to excessive numbers of spectators - but it was still enough for the Frenchman to extend his lead to half a minute.

â€œIt has been okay this morning,â€ said the eight-time title winner. â€œI tried to push hard and we were able to increase a bit our lead. Now the situation is a little bit more comfortable but still we have to continue to push to keep the rhythm.â€

The most spectacular misfortune, by contrast, befell Fordâ€™s Petter Solberg who crashed out while challenging for third place when he went off on the opening stage and felled a telegraph pole while he battled to regain control of his Fiesta.

On the following stage, his team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala slid into a ditch and lost around 10 seconds but maintained second place, nearly 20 seconds ahead of Citroenâ€™s Mikko Hirvonen in third: the only person who can mathematically deprive Loeb of a ninth driversâ€™ crown. Latvala hit back by going fastest on stage 11.

The battle for fourth was much closer, with Citroen Junior driver Thierry Neuville getting past the Prodrive MINI of Dani Sordo on stage 11. The duo are now separated by 0.3s with Mads Ostberg 1.8s behind Sordo in his privateer Fiesta.

Ott Tanak is seventh with Evgeny Novikov in eighth, Chris Atkinson ninth and Martin Prokop 10th. Sebastien Ogier continues to head Volkswagen Motorsport team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen in a close fight in 11th overall.

Hayden Paddon commands the Super 2000 World Rally Championship category in his Skoda Fabia, while Elfyn Evans continues to lead the WRC Academy.
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Steve · Oct 6, 2012

Warning...NSFW Language

Ouch!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc42-RJ0hl0]WRC 2012 - Onboard Petter Solberg Accident - Rallye de France - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Oct 6, 2012

Better yet (jump to 1:08).

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SItREA31ODg]WRC 2012 France ES9 Solberg Big Crash - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Oct 6, 2012

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO-hHnOGJQo]Day two - 2012 WRC Rallye de France - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Oct 6, 2012

Steve · Oct 6, 2012

Saturday wrap: Loeb on course for glory (WRC.com)

06 Oct 12

Sebastien Loeb is six stages and 61.54 timed kilometres away from winning the FIA World Rally Championship for a ninth time after he completed day two of Rallye de France Alsace with a lead of almost half a minute.

Citroen pilot Loeb, who was born close to the event base in Strasbourg, began day two in a close battle with Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala. However, when Latvala slid into a ditch on the dayâ€™s second stage and dropped some 20s, the path was clear for Loeb to extend his overall advantage, which stands at 29.7s at the overnight halt.

â€œToday has been good with no problems,â€ said Loeb. â€œI have felt pressure all day but I didnâ€™t take any risk as I donâ€™t need to win to be world champion. There could be rain and tricky weather tomorrow so it could be a great day for Citroen but it could also be a difficult final day.â€

Latvala, meanwhile, hit back with three stage wins but admitted he needs to find more consistency in order to close the gap to leader Loeb. â€œMy speed was good again today, although Iâ€™m disappointed I made a mistake this morning,â€ said the Finn. â€œTomorrowâ€™s stages are short so it will be difficult to attack. But Iâ€™m thinking more about preserving second than trying to win, which will be almost impossible unless Loeb makes a mistake. My car is fast enough to win the rally, but itâ€™s the driver that has to improve.â€

Mikko Hirvonen, in the second factory Citroen and the only driver capable of preventing Loeb from claiming the world title, is third overnight, 24.3s behind Latvala having suffered from a heavy cold throughout the day.

Petter Solberg had high hopes of overhauling Hirvonen for third place starting day two only to crash out in spectacular fashion when he felled a telegraph pole as he battled to regain control after going off the road on a fast left-hand bend. Like Nasser Al-Attiyah, who retired on stage 10, he is due to restart under Rally 2 rules on Sunday.

Mads Ostberg demoted Prodrive MINI runner Dani Sordo for fourth with an impressive display in his Adapta Fiesta. However, both will be under threat from Thierry Neuville who slipped to sixth after he was handed a 20-second time penalty for an early check-in at the start of stage 11.

M-Sport Fiesta youngsters Ott Tanak and Evgeny Novikov are seventh and eighth respectively with Chris Aktinson ninth for WRC Team MINI Portugal alongside stand-in co-driver Glenn Macneall. Czech Martin Prokop completes the top 10 after enduring a high-speed spin in the afternoon.

Sebastien Ogier is 11th for Volkswagen Motorsport. The French ace, last yearâ€™s winner, had been in a close fight with team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen but pulled clear when the Norwegianâ€™s similar Skoda Fabia Super 2000 dropped onto three cylinders.

Circuit racers Yvan Muller and Romain Dumas are 15th and 17th respectively in their MINIs. Brazil World Rally Teamâ€™s Daniel Oliveira is 21st with countryman Paulo Nobre 24th despite encountering a gearshift issue.

Sundayâ€™s action begins with the 17.08-kilometre Vignoble de Cleebourg stage at 09:23hrs local time.
Click to expand...

Crashton · Oct 6, 2012

HOLY CARP crushing grapes & knocking power poles out all in one fell swoop. Luckily no fried spectators. Yikes!!! :eek6:

Steve · Oct 6, 2012

Crashton said: ↑

HOLY CARP crushing grapes & knocking power poles out all in one fell swoop. Luckily no fried spectators. Yikes!!! :eek6:
Click to expand...

I hope that's true. :fingerscrossed: It was very close.

Since I haven't read anything to the contrary I assume he also missed running over any of them. I'll bet those guys standing up on what look like aluminum ladders were in a panic when those lines were headed their way. :eek6:

Crashton · Oct 6, 2012

Yep that was scaring shite for sure. I saw those ladders & thought the same thing. Wonder if the guys jumped off or they were vacant I couldn't tell. The last thing rally needs are spectator fatalities.

Steve · Oct 6, 2012

You can see them scrambling down off the ladders at 1:24. Looks like the lines ended up down near or on the road but as far as I know they didn't need to halt the stage.

Steve · Oct 6, 2012

Fans to the rescue for Dumas (WRC.com)

07 Oct 12

Le Mans 24 Hours winner Romain Dumas has a group of spectators to thank for keeping him in the fight on Rallye de France Alsace following his moment on Saturday's opening test.

Dumas, who is making his debut in the FIA World Rally Championship in a MINI John Cooper Works WRC, hit trouble five kilometres into stage nine and need the intervention of spectators to get him back onto all four wheels.

â€œIt was on a right corner,â€ said Dumas. â€œThe road was damp, I didnâ€™t see and I carried too much speed, spun and went up onto a bank. It was my fault but thankfully the spectators were there to put me back on my wheels.â€

Dumas completed the 17.08-kilometre stage with a punctured rear tyre, which he picked up 10 kilometres from the end of the run. He lost more time in the afternoon when he selected soft compound tyres in the mistaken belief that it would rain.

â€œOn Friday, at the end, when I was 1.6 or 1.5 [second per kilometre] off the pace of the guys at the front, I was starting to like it,â€ Dumas continued. â€œBut today, you have to be so precise and already, we are far from being precise.â€

Multiple World Touring Car champion Yvan Muller, who is starting his home event for a third time, is 15th overnight in his similar MINI following a spin on stage 10. â€œIt's been really hard,â€ said Muller. â€œBut the car is good - itâ€™s better than meâ€
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Steve · Oct 7, 2012

Sordo started the day very well with the 2nd best time on both of the first 2 stages, then...

SS19: Trouble for Sordo (WRC.com)

07 Oct 12

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS19, Haguenau 1 (5.74 kilometres)

Stage description:
By Citroen Junior World Rally Team co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul: â€œThis used to be the Power Stage. Itâ€™s a bit faster than the Mulhouse town stage but there are still lots of barriers to avoid. If you take a big risk in this stage you can have a big problem, you have to be clever.â€

How the action unfolded:
Dani Sordoâ€™s bid for fourth place on Rallye de France Alsace is over after the powersteering failed on his Prodrive MINI John Cooper Works WRC.

The Spaniard was in fifth overall, 3.6s behind Thierry Neuville, starting the Haguenau stage but has now slipped down the order after going 49.6s slower than stage winner Neuville through the street test.

â€œThe powersteering is broken in the stage,â€ said Sordo. â€œBefore the stage it felt strange, really heavy but in the startline it was completely gone. I try to fix it but I donâ€™t know if I can continue [with no service].â€

Rally leader Sebastien Loeb completed his hometown stage 5.0s down on Neuville as he continues to adopt a cautious approach in his factory Citroen. Mads Ostberg has moved ahead of Sordo into fifth place as a result of the MINI driverâ€™s delay.
Click to expand...

Steve · Oct 7, 2012

Sunday midday wrap: Cautious Loeb on the brink (WRC.com)

07 Oct 12

Sebastien Loeb is getting closer and closer to his ninth FIA World Rally Championship despite rain making driving conditions treacherous on Rallye de France Alsace this morning.

Loeb, in a Citroen Total World Rally Team DS3 WRC, completed his hometown stage in Haguenau this morning leading by 25.3s ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

â€œThe stages have been tricky with aquaplaning,â€ said Loeb. â€œWe had some big moments so we donâ€™t take any risks because we donâ€™t have to win to be world champion. This afternoon the roads are going to be very muddy so this rally is not finished.â€

Latvala said before Sundayâ€™s opening stage that he would only be able to overhaul Loeb for top spot if the Frenchman hit trouble. With rain falling on the three tests run so far today, Latvala has been similarly cautious as he bids to maintain his healthy grip on second over Citroen pilot Mikko Hirvonen.

Thierry Neuville has impressed throughout the morning, climbing from sixth to fourth with a trio of stage wins in his Citroen Junior entry. â€œIt has been a good morning,â€ said the Belgian. â€œWe try to drive very fast but when there is mud we slow down because we donâ€™t want to make a mistake. It was risky for everyone with the water.â€

Neuville is 4.8s ahead of fifth-placed Mads Ostberg with Dani Sordo dropping back to a distant sixth when the power steering failed on his MINI John Cooper Works WRC starting the Haguenau street stage. The Spaniard is 48.4s behind Ostberg.

Ott Tanak suffered a spin on stage 18 but remains in seventh overall ahead of M-Sport team-mate Evgeny Novikov, who lost several moments rolling into a field where he was delayed trying to regain the road. Miraculously, Novikovâ€™s car suffered cosmetic damage only.

Hayden Paddon heads the Super 2000 World Rally Championship category in his Skoda Fabia following a trouble-free morning. Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Craig Breen are in a close battle for second place.
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Steve · Oct 7, 2012

Muller was 4th on Stage 18, 5th on 19.

Practice makes perfect for Muller (WRC.com)

07 Oct 12

Multiple FIA World Touring Car champion Yvan Muller has made a strong start to the final day of Rallye de France Alsace this morning with a brace of top-five stage times in his MINI John Cooper Works WRC.

Local hero Muller, making only his third start in the world championship, was fourth quickest through Bischwiller-Gries and fifth fastest through the Haguenau street stage to maintain his grip on 15th place in the overall classification.

â€œWe start step by step to know better the car,â€ said Muller. â€œThe problem is I have to do another rally before this rally because it is too complicated to learn the car, be back in the pace notes and also to be in the rhythm. Today is better - the rally should be two days longer now.â€

Mullerâ€™s fellow circuit racer Romain Dumas is 17th overall in a similar MINI. The former Le Mans 24 Hours winner reported a problem changing from fifth to sixth gear this morning.
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