Most liked posts in thread: WRC: Rallye Monte-Carlo 2013

Steve · Jan 19, 2013

Loeb complains:

"If you go out of the line, you are out of the road. It is not interesting for us or for the spectators."

Really, Mr. Loeb? Maybe the on-scene spectators aren't thrilled but the rest of us will be avidly watching any and all video we can find.

Steve · Jan 19, 2013

Two cold, likely frozen night time stages to go.

Stage 16 - Loeb fastest - 2 stages left (iRallylive.com)

19.01.2013 17:37

SÃ©bastien Loeb set fastest time on the second run through Turini - SS16 Moulinet-La Bollene Vesubie (23.54km) - his time 22 minutes 8.8 seconds. 2 stages separate Loeb from his seventh Monte Carlo win.

After SS16 Loeb leads, Ogier +1:39.9, Sordo +3:49.0, Hirvonen +5:26.3, Bouffier +8:13.1, Ã˜stberg +12:03.7, Prokop +23:27.3, Wiegand +29:34.5

SÃ©bastien Loeb 22:08.8: "If you go out of the line, you are out of the road. It is not interesting for us or for the spectators..[at the top] I went off the line because I lost control of the car..."

SÃ©bastien Ogier 22:12.8: "Not easy stages. Nothing to complain..." Loeb now leads by 1:39.9 - both now on their way back to Service...

Dani Sordo 22:42.5: "Really, really tough. For the people in front, really difficult, I lost time to Ogier and Loeb but I don't take any chance."

Mikko Hirvonen 23:10.3: "I am trying to keep it together and just bring the car home..."

Bryan Bouffier up to fifth - his time 22:52.7: "I drive very safe as it is too easy to go out. I am really not confident in these conditions..."

Mads Ã˜stberg hit trouble, has lost almost 6 minutes and drops to sixth - his time 28:01.6, and telling stage end reporter Donaldson: "I hit something with the rear early on the stage...I went wide and hit something with the rear...I broke the wheel...I have a problem with the brake...the lateral link arm is broken..."

Martin Prokop is seventh, Sepp Wiegand is eighth, leading WRC2, Oliver Burri is ninth.

Michal Kosciuszko is tenth 24:43.0: "You can see on my car it is snowing, I hit a barrier. I think it is going to be more frozen [tonight]." .
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 19, 2013

Wow, the 16th stage was stopped and the last two stages were cancelled! I assumed it was because of weather but...

BREAKING NEWS: Loeb wins Monte after stages 17 and 18 cancelled (WRC.com)

The organisers of Rallye Monte-Carlo have stopped the event early, after huge numbers of spectators forced the cancellation of the final two stages on safety grounds.

The results after SS16 become the final classification, meaning Citroen DS3 driver Sebastien Loeb has claimed his 77th victory in the FIA World Rally Championship and his seventh on the Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Sebastien Ogier claimed second on his debut event in the Volkswagen Motorsport teamâ€™s Polo R. Dani Sordo took the final podium place in his Abu Dhabi Citroen Total Team DS3.
Click to expand...

I still suspect weather played a part. As in, many spectators along the roads and expectation of cars repeatedly sliding off. Either that or it's just an excuse because the drivers didn't like the conditions and didn't want to continue.

I've been surprised by all the complaints this week, even from the Scandinavian drivers! Maybe it really was too treacherous. Seems odd to me though for WRC but then I'm still getting used to it. I wonder how many WRC stages were cancelled in the past due to poor weather. In my mind it would have been very rare.

Steve · Jan 19, 2013

Another version of the news:

Bring down the curtain… (MaxRally.com)

And after 16 stages, it’s all over. Citroen driver Sebastien Loeb yet again has won the Monte Carlo Rally (for the seventh time), because the final two stages – over the famous Col de Turini – have been cancelled.

This is due to traffic caused by spectators arriving and leaving in the midst of bad weather, which has safety implications. If there is an accident, it’s obviously bad news if an ambulance can’t get through and as it’s currently dark, most helicopters can’t fly either.

The only sensible course of action is to scrub the remaining two stages, which will probably come as quite a relief to the remaining drivers: none of whom really enjoyed their first runs over Moulinet-La Bollene Vesubie. Even Loeb described it as “s***” while Mads Ostberg warned spectators to stand well back, as none of the drivers were really in control of their cars.

At the moment the drivers are heading back to the service park in Monaco, but bizarrely the podium doesn’t take place until tomorrow morning. With a bit of a lie-in for all the crews though, expect Stars and Bars (the WRC’s favoured watering hole) to be rocking tonight.

Citroen’s team principal Yves Matton commented: “We’ve not seen conditions like this for 20 years or so, and when you win a rally like this, it only makes it more special.”
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 19, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHxepmb57tg]WRC Leg3 Monte Carlo 2013 [HD] - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 19, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3uBh-d6gog]WRC Rallye Monte Carlo 2013 [HD] - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 19, 2013

Kosciuszko in the points tonight (iRallylive.com)

19.01.2013 21:19

Poland's Michal Kosciuszko is in the points in the FIA World Rally Drivers' Championship tonight, after scoring a Top 10 finish in his first WRC Event, the Rallye Monte Carlo. And he's scored 8 points in the Manufactuers' Championship.

Day 4 of the 2013 Monte Carlo brought Michal and co-driver Maciej Szczepaniak to the legendary Col de Turini stages.

For the 2 Poles, it was Tales of the Unexpected:

"Nothing could prepare us for what we found. I can only say that they were the worst conditions Iâ€™ve ever had to compete in. It wasnâ€™t like a rally. It was more like an endurance challenge. As drivers, we like to push as hard as we can, but I knew that if I didnâ€™t tiptoe through the stages and avoid using the throttle (which is horrible for any driver!), I wouldnâ€™t see the end of the event."

"Really good â€“ and experienced - drivers fell foul of SS14 Moulinet and this allowed us to move up through the field, but also warned us that it wasnâ€™t going to be easy to make it through ourselves. I focused on staying calm. With the help of Maciek, I made it through successfully in my MINI John Cooper Works WRC. On both of todayâ€™s stages there was a mixture of snow, ice and slush as well as fog and pouring rain. You name it, we faced it!"

"Honestly, the cancellation of the last loop was bittersweet. Although we werenâ€™t looking forward to heading back out for another battle against the elements, we did have ninth in our sights. We set off focused on catching the car in front and based on our average speed, we had a good chance of achieving this. Although of course this is rally â€“ so anything could have happened!"

"It was my first WRC outing in a MINI and I canâ€™t imagine Iâ€™ll ever face such a difficult event again. Next up is Rally Sweden. Iâ€™ve only competed there once before and that was seven years ago in a 2WD rally car when I was a junior, but Iâ€™m looking forward to it. Itâ€™ll be my first time competing there with Maciek as a co-driver, but I canâ€™t think of anyone Iâ€™d rather have navigating me. Whatever challenges weâ€™ve faced over the five years weâ€™ve competed together, weâ€™ve never had a fight. I think thatâ€™s because we really trust and respect each other."

"The last thing I have to say is thank you to Maciek, the team and my sponsors. It would be impossible to face any rally, but especially one like this without their support. Everyoneâ€™s worked crazy hours this event and theyâ€™re all still smiling!"
Click to expand...

Steve · Jan 19, 2013

Ogier: second feels like first on the Monte (MaxRally.com)

by Graham Lister / 19th January 2013

Sebastien Ogier says his podium finish for Volkswagen on the Monte Carlo Rally â€“ cut short due to safety issues â€“ feels like a victory.

Ogier was giving VWâ€™s all-new Polo R WRC its competitive debut and took second overall behind Sebastien Loeb with two stage wins to boot, including Wednesdayâ€™s opening test.

Speaking to WRC Liveâ€™s Becs Williams, Ogier said: â€œIâ€™m a competitor so Iâ€™m never happy with second place but this time Iâ€™m much more happy. For sure itâ€™s a shame Jari-Matti [Latvala] is not here [at the finish] because it would have been perfect for the team to have two cars in the top five but unfortunately the conditions were crazy today and it was so easy to make a mistake.â€

Ogier has spent more than a year developing the Polo for the WRC and said it was a relief to be back competing at the sharp end of the sport.

â€œIâ€™ve been waiting one year for this and it has been frustrating at times but itâ€™s great the Polo is immediately on the pace at its first race,â€ he said. â€œI want to thank all the guys for all the hard work they have done. I am very happy and I have a lot of motivationfor the rest of the season.â€
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Steve · Jan 19, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFvVny36NuA]WRC Leg 4 (Turini) Monte Carlo 2013 [HD] - YouTube[/ame]

Crashton · Jan 19, 2013

That last video really shows some terrible conditions. Love it!

Steve · Jan 19, 2013

The noise goes away after 1:12.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M4f0JgE81w]Rallye Monte-Carlo 2013 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jan 19, 2013

Crashton · Jan 20, 2013

^^^ Wow what a great shot! The sound inside that tunnel must have been pure music to the ears.

Angib · Jan 21, 2013

Some really great slo-mos in that vid - Latvala at 1:25 sliding one way and then the other, within the stone walls of a single-lane bridge with maybe 3-4" clearance on the rear both times - and that's a car he wasn't happy with!

Steve · Jan 22, 2013

Not a lot to see in this one but rather plucky of Novikov to continue with such a very deranged rear wheel in already treacherous conditions climbing what looks like the Turini.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1LpFbhv8O0]WRC Montecarlo 2013 - Evgeny Novikov[/ame]

Crashton · Jan 22, 2013

You can hear that he's in a FWD rally car dragging a broken leg. Lots of wheels slip. Good on him, press on regardless! That is the spirit of rally.

Stinker · Jan 22, 2013

I hope they televise the the rallies like in the pass.

Steve · Jan 22, 2013

I haven't seen anything yet. Unless I'm just missing it, looks like no tv coverage in the US. The WRC posted some excellent video coverage of the Monte -- WRC TV -- but it's only available through their website.

WRC Video

I'll see if I can find some of the Yurpeen coverage via YouTube.

Belhaven · Jan 22, 2013

the 'coverage" on the speed channel was laughable - all of 1 minute on Sunday night - with no mention of the fact that the event was actually over...

Steve · Jan 22, 2013

Professional coverage here. Don't understand the Speed tag in the upper right corner...can't find WRC anywhere on Speed's programming...I've not heard of a separate Speed in Europe. Oh well, here it is, finally, I'll keep my eyes open for this stuff during the next one...Sweden!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drZVf5stQFE"]WRC Rally Monte Carlo 2013 - Day 1 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWVoNaVSKko"]WRC Rally Monte Carlo 2013 - Day 2 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v0zmEvSI6E"]WRC Rally Monte Carlo 2013 - Day 3 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eZKB8278zE"]WRC Rally Monte Carlo 2013 - Day 4 - YouTube[/ame]

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