Most liked posts in thread: WRC: RallyRACC-Rally de Espana (Catalunya, Spain, 2012)

Steve · Nov 11, 2012

Yep, I had to include that one. A very nice touch IMHO.

I know this is a diversion from the rally news but since it's timely...

For anyone too young or otherwise unfamiliar with the Flanders Fields references you hear from time to time or who wonder why you see veterans wearing or giving out poppies:

In Flanders Fields

Steve · Nov 2, 2012

Jarkko Nikara joins Prodrive Mini line-up for Rally Catalunya (AutoSport.com)

By David Evans | Friday, October 12th 2012, 10:01 GMT

Jarkko Nikara will join Dani Sordo in the Prodrive Mini line-up for next month's World Rally Championship season finale in Catalunya.

Nikara has long been viewed as one of the quickest young drivers in Finland, and was part of the inaugural Pirelli Star Driver scheme in 2009.

He has mostly driven Group N cars since. Catalunya will mark his first WRC round in a World Rally Car, and his debut with Prodrive.

The firm's business development director Richard Taylor said he was excited at the Finn's arrival.

"Prodrive are delighted to have Jarkko in the team for Rally Spain," said Taylor.

"He has shown excellent pace on a range of events in the last couple of years and was particularly impressive in winning Group N in Finland this year where his stage times were often better than drivers with more modern and more powerful machinery.

"Of course this will be his first time in a Mini WRC car, however we expect him to set some strong stage times and we think he may surprise a few people."
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Steve · Nov 2, 2012

Mixed-surface format for WRC finale (WRC.com)

16 May 12

The spectacle has been raised for fans planning to attend the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia finale with confirmation of RallyRACC-Rally de Espana's mixed-surface format plus a new stage in host town Salou.

Scheduled from 8-11 November, organisers have added more gravel sections to day one (9 November) than in the previous two seasons with Saturday and Sundayâ€™s route covering asphalt-only tests.

Full details of the Salou stage have yet to be released but it will total two kilometres and run on asphalt and gravel in close proximity to the PortAventura permanent service area. It is due to start at 16:40hrs local time on 9 November.

Event organisers have confirmed details of the Qualifying Stage, which starts with a 970-metre stretch on gravel and finishes on a section of asphalt lasting 1970 metres. It will take place in the Emprius de Salou area on 8 November and offers excellent spectating points for fans and ample car parking.

RallyRACC will include 18 stages over a competitive distance of 405.40 kilometres. As well as counting as round 13 of the WRC, the event is also the last of the season for the Super 2000 and Production Car world championships, the FIA WRC Academy and the Rally Class initiative.
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Steve · Nov 6, 2012

WRC SEASON FINALE IN CATALONIA (MiniMotorsport.com)

5 November 2012

Five MINI John Cooper Works WRCs will line up at this weekendâ€™s Rally de Espana â€“ the final round of the 2012 WRC.

Over 405 timed kilometres, divided between 18 special stages over three days â€“ and on both gravel and tarmac: the Rally de Espana promises to provide another special highlight at the end of the 2012 WRC season â€“ particularly as Dani Sordo of the Prodrive WRC Team will be back in business and is out to put on a show for his home crowds around Barcelona.

â€œI will give it my all at my home rally. I know it well and will be surrounded by people cheering me on,â€ said Dani. â€œThe first day is very selective. Without the clouds of dust we encountered last year, the best times will be clocked by those who are really fast â€“ not those with the best starting position. As far as the other two days are concerned, they include beautiful stages that I know perfectly well, and on which we can achieve a very good result.â€

As well as Dani, 26-year-old Finn Jarkko Nikara will also drive a MINI John Cooper Works WRC for the Prodrive WRC Team. Jarkko won the Group N competition at this yearâ€™s Rally Finland and came home in fourth place at last weekendâ€™s IRC event in Cyprus. Abdulaziz Alkuwari will also start in a MINI John Cooper Works WRC for the Seashore Qatar Rally Team.

As usual, Chris â€œAtkoâ€ Atkinson and Paulo Nobre will line up for WRC Team MINI Portugal. â€œIt might be the last event on this year's calendar, but as always we're approaching it head on with maximum focus,â€ said Team Principal Bruno de Pianto. â€œIt is the only rally run on mixed surfaces. That puts us under great pressure when we do the set-up switch on Friday night.â€ While the first day of the rally is held on gravel, tarmac stages are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

Dani and Paulo familiar with the special stages.

The changes to the cars must be made at the double. â€œWe have a one hour fifteen minute service, so everyone needs to be 100% committed and concentrated,â€ said Bruno. Not only must the tyres be changed during the service, but the dampers, springs and anti-roll bars must also be adjusted. The MINI John Cooper Works WRC is also fitted with a new sump guard and the set-up of the gearbox and differential is also modified.

Only nine timed kilometres are new this year. Most drivers, including Dani and Paulo, are already familiar with the remaining 396 kilometres, having tackled them in previous years. Only Atko is starting pretty much from scratch. â€œChris has an idea of the rallyâ€™s tarmac stages from previous outings, but the last time he competed in Spain was in 2008,â€ explained Bruno, his Team Principal. â€œAs such, he has never tackled the mixed-surface version of the event.â€ However, Atko is sure to adapt quickly to the conditions â€“ all five MINI crews have been fine-tuning the set-up of their MINI John Cooper Works WRC in Spain since Monday.

Ceremonial Start in the centre of Barcelona.

The final WRC rally of the year gets underway with qualifying at 10:00 (CET) on Thursday. The qualifying stage is driven on both gravel and tarmac. The first special stage (SS1 â€œGandesaâ€) begins on Friday at 07:45 local time. The biggest test comes in the form of the 44-kilometre â€œTerra Altaâ€ special stage, on which the surface changes three times. As if that were not enough, they must overcome this challenge twice, as â€œTerra Altaâ€ is driven on both Friday morning and Friday afternoon.

A real treat for the fans is the Ceremonial Start in the centre of Barcelona on Thursday evening. All the teams will be presented to the public on the Avinguda de la Catedral, right in front of the impressive Catedral de Barcelona. On Friday evening the drivers will appear on the Platja de Llevant promenade where they will complete the two-kilometre â€œSalouâ€ special stage.
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Steve · Nov 6, 2012

Next year can wait, says focused Sordo (WRC.com)

06 Nov 12

Next season will be the last thing on Dani Sordo's mind when he contests his home round of the FIA World Rally Championship this week.

The Spanish heroâ€™s future in the sport remains unclear ahead of the mixed-surface season finale in Catalunya. However, in order to be fully focused on his outing with the Prodrive WRC Team, Sordo is putting the subject of 2013 to the back of his mind.

â€œIâ€™d like to announce where I will be next year, but right now Iâ€™m 100 per cent focused on the RallyRACC,â€ said Sordo, who is still chasing his first victory in the WRC. â€œIâ€™ve pinned a lot of hope in this race. The year could have been better but I will give it all in my home race. I know it well and I will be surrounded by people cheering me [on].â€

Sordo has contested a limited programme of world championship rallies this season in a MINI John Cooper Works WRC with the highlight being his second place on Rallye Monte-Carlo at the start of the year. He also won the Power Stage on Vodafone Rally de Portugal back in April having claimed five stage wins earlier in the event.

â€œIâ€™m happy with my driving performance in 2012 and the RallyRACC must be the culmination of a year in which thereâ€™s been a bit of everything,â€ Sordo added.
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Steve · Nov 7, 2012

RallyRACC- Rally de Espana: five reasons to get excited (WRC.com)

07 Nov 12

The final round of the FIA World Rally Championship is upon us as the series lands just south of Barcelona for some late-season Spanish sunshine.

Once again the Catalan organisers have lined up the fastest and finest gravel and asphalt roads for our WRC heroes. WRC.com has highlighted five reasons why RallyRACC-Rally de Espana will be one of the highlights of 2012.

1: The straight fight

In overall terms, the manufacturersâ€™ and driversâ€™ championships are won - so itâ€™s a straight fight from flag to flag; nothing to prove, nothing to lose. The fastest man wins in the seasonâ€™s only three-day mixed-surface scrap.

2: Sordo chases dream win

Heâ€™s come close before, but could this be Dani Sordoâ€™s biggest year at home to date. Heâ€™s done second, now he wants a first first and if the Prodrive WRC Team driver does bring his MINI John Cooper Works WRC back to Salou in P1 on Sunday night, the party might still be going on when we get back here next year...

3: A Friday night not to be forgotten

If youâ€™re in Salou this week, the only place to be come Friday evening is the seafront, with a cold cerveza, a plate of calamari and a field full of WRC superstars to entertain you. The rally comes to town properly for the first time at the end of day one...

4: SWRC fight

Anybody who thought the fight had gone out of this yearâ€™s season-long battle, think again - the struggle for supremacy in the Super 200 World Rally Championship has captivated since Rally Monte-Carlo in January 10 months ago. And here in Spain, on the eighth and final round, three drivers fight for the right to call themselves champion. Craig Breen leads P-G Andersson by two points, with Yazeed Al-Rajhi 20 down on the Irishmanâ€™s Fiesta at the start. The Production Car World Rally Championship is also tightly poised with six drivers in contention for glory.

5: The start of the big finish

Unless youâ€™ve been residing on another planet for the last few months, youâ€™ll be aware that the master of the WRC race - the nine-time champion - Sebastien Loeb is semi-retiring at the end of the year. Heâ€™ll be back for a few rallies next year, but nothingâ€™s guaranteed. This could be his last crack at Catalunya; itâ€™s the beginning of the end for our master. Enjoy it while it lasts.
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Gil-galad · Nov 7, 2012

If any misfortune whatsoever befalls Loeb, this could be Dani's year. It's almost hard to imagine how amazingly cool a P1 finish in Spain would be for Sordo and Prodrive. Multiple MINIs on the podium would be a cherry on the sundae.

I'm stoked.

Steve · Nov 8, 2012

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OtQBm5WSRw]Qualifying Stage - 2012 WRC Rally de Espana - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Nov 9, 2012

It does rain in Spain (WRC.com)

09 Nov 12

This is something you don't see every day: wet conditions on RallyRACC-Rally de Espana.

Spainâ€™s FIA World Rally Championship qualifier is famed for its warm and dry weather but with the move to November for 2012, rain and colder temperatures have greeted crews contesting the mixed surface season-closer.

Colin McMasterâ€™s image captures Mads Ostbergâ€™s Adapta World Rally Team Ford Fiesta RS WRC negotiating a water splash 33 kilometres into the 44.02-kilometre Terra Alta stage.

Ostberg, who leads Ott Tanak by 2.7s, said at midday service in Salou: â€œWe were on the harder tyre this morning so I was actually expecting to lose some time. I think the surface is getting worse for the cars behind us, but also we have been driving really well. Weâ€™re pushing to the maximum everywhere and I donâ€™t see any places where we could have gone much faster. Okay, we had a spin on stage three where we lost 10 seconds, but apart from that, it has been really good.â€

The wet conditions have made for treacherous conditions with several drivers hitting trouble this morning including Thierry Neuville, Petter Solberg and Dani Sordo.
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Friday midday wrap: Ostberg and Tanak star (WRC.com)

09 Nov 12

Ford's underdogs starred on a rain-lashed opening morning of RallyRACC-Rally de Espana, with Mads Ostberg holding a narrow lead over Ott Tanak after the first loop.

Increasingly heavy rain caused a litany of incidents and proved particularly troublesome to the regular rally winners, most of whom were running late in the start order and therefore hit the worst of the stage conditions on the sodden stage two in particular.

While the factory Citroens and Fords floundered, M-Sport Ford man Tanak and his Adapta counterpart Ostberg burst to the front.

Tanak held a tiny 0.1s lead after stage two, with Ostberg then edging into a 2.7s advantage by the end of stage three.

Neither had a totally straightforward morning either: Tanak overshot a braking point and slid off briefly on stage one, and Ostberg had a spin on stage three, and coped with running unsuitable hard tyres throughout the loop.

Citroen managed to salvage third and fourth from the morning, and by stage three its works cars were setting the pace again.

Mikko Hirvonen and Sebastien Loeb are currently 13s and 19s respectively behind Ostberg and poised for a comeback charge.

But the factory Ford team's hopes of winning its final rally in its current incarnation look remote already.

Jari-Matti Latvala led after stage one, then struggled a lot with the slippery conditions and took things too carefully on stage three.

He is now 55s off the lead, but still in better shape than team-mate Petter Solberg, who hit a rock on stage two and had to retire.

Ironically the same obstacle was Solberg's undoing in Spain in 2011 - and this year it also caught out Thierry Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen.

Another big name retirement was Dani Sordo, who put his Prodrive MINI off the road on stage three.

But his new team-mate Jarkko Nikara is thriving. The former Pirelli Star Driver is 14s behind Latvala in sixth, and holding Sardinia runner-up Evgeny Novikov at bay.

Chris Atkinson has had a troubled morning in eighth, with Citroen newcomer Hans Weijs ninth and SWRC leader Craig Breen 10th. Breen's title rival PG Andersson led the class until losing a minute with a differential issue.

Yeray Lemes is just 2s ahead of Marcos Ligato in a tight PWRC battle.
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Steve · Nov 9, 2012

When stage wins will have to do (WRC.com)

09 Nov 12

The Prodrive WRC Team is preparing to console itself with stage wins only after Dani Sordo's hopes of outright victory on RallyRACC-Rally de Espana were dashed following the Spaniard's exit on stage three this morning.

Sordo slid off the road on a right-hand bend four kilometres into the rain-hit 44.02-kilometre Terra Alta stage and got stuck in bushes five metres from the road. He is expected to restart on day two when Prodrive team principal Dave Wilcock expects Sordo to fly on his favoured asphalt surface.

â€œItâ€™s just gone away from us so itâ€™s all about setting fastest stage times from now on,â€ said Prodrive team principal Dave Wilcock. â€œThereâ€™s no damage to the car, heâ€™s just gone down five metres off the road and canâ€™t get back on. Itâ€™s disappointing for all of us and itâ€™s sort of summed up our year when weâ€™ve not managed to get the momentum and keep it going. It was a really slippery section and he knew it was because weâ€™d spoken about it only minutes before. He was just a little bit off line, locked up and couldnâ€™t recover it.â€

While Sordoâ€™s challenge is over, team-mate Jarkko Nikara continues to impress on his debut in a MINI John Cooper Works WRC. After four stages the Finn is seventh overall, despite managing only 50 kilometres of pre-event asphalt testing in the car.
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Steve · Nov 9, 2012

Sordo's car. No damage, it was just so thoroughly stuck in the muck he couldn't get back to the road. Will return tomorrow under Rally2 rules.

Steve · Nov 9, 2012

How a wheel saved the day for Nikara (WRC.com)

09 Nov 12

When a car's jack fails drivers resort to drastic action to maintain their pursuit of glory in the FIA World Rally Championship.

That was certainly the case for Jarkko Nikara on stage five of RallyRACC-Rally de Espana - the 44.02 kilometres of Terra Alta - this afternoon.

The Finn had been impressing on his debut in a Prodrive MINI John Cooper Works WRC when he picked up a front-left puncture and lost more than four minutes changing the damaged tyre when things went awry.

â€œIt was on the front-left corner on the long stage,â€ said Nikara. â€œWe hit a stone on the inside and we stopped to change. We started to change the tyre but we had a little problem with the jack and the car started to fall. It was quite a big mess and it takes too long time to change. We had to be quick when it happened so we put another wheel under the car to keep it up.â€

Nikara, who is eighth overall after six stages, continued: â€œThen after that I didnâ€™t have very good brakes and I donâ€™t know what the problem was but there was a very bad vibration. Itâ€™s a little disappointing after the good morning but the main thing is we are here and tomorrow we can get more experience.â€
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Friday wrap: Can Ostberg fend off the master? (WRC.com)

09 Nov 12

Mads Ostberg managed to reach the end of a thrilling day one of RallyRACC-Rally de Espana with a 27-second cushion over the field, as Sebastien Loeb moved himself to the head of the queue of pursuers.

Loeb had appeared content to tread carefully through the extremely wet and muddy opening stages of the event.

But when conditions became a little more palatable on the second run through the 44 kilometres of Terra Alta, Loeb dug deeper and produced a stage win that thrust him from fourth to second, 25s down on Ostberg.

Before that, the Adapta Ford driver had been extending his lead, storming through the afternoon's first stage as his morning combatant Ott Tanak began to drop back.

Loeb might have expected to trim a little more from Ostberg's cushion on the mostly asphalt Salou superspecial that brought leg one to a close, but instead he lost two seconds as rain began to fall before he took the start.

Given Loeb's illustrious asphalt record, Ostberg's chances of hanging on to the lead for the rest of the weekend appear remote.

Ostberg conceded that the 49s margin he holds over third-placed Jari-Matti Latvala was his main focus, yet wouldn't completely dismiss his chances of defeating Loeb.

"It's been extremely difficult today. But we seemed to cope with extremely difficult conditions very well," said Ostberg.

"I'm very happy with the day and I'm looking forward to doing some racing tomorrow.

"There are two more long days and if everything is perfect it is even possible to keep Loeb behind. But I reckon it will be hard to do two perfect days on tarmac."

Latvala moved into third as Mikko Hirvonen and Tanak fell back. A wild moment on Terra Alta cost Hirvonen, who rebounded by winning Salou, while Tanak was partly cautious and partly plagued by brake problems following a huge spin.

Evgeny Novikov gave DMACK a superb stage win on Pesells, only to then put his Autotek-run Ford into a ditch on the following Terra Alta stage.

Jarkko Nikara and Sebastien Ogier also hit trouble while in line for top-six slots. Nikara's Prodrive MINI sustained a puncture and had a troubled tyre change, leaving the Finnish World Rally Car debutant eighth. Ogier's Volkswagen-run Skoda Fabia S2000 stopped on the road section before Salou.

SWRC leader Craig Breen therefore holds an astonishing sixth overall, just ahead of Hans Weijs in the Qatar Citroen. Breen's class rival PG Andersson is several minutes behind, but still running in ninth, after a driveshaft breakage in the morning and then an error in the afternoon.
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Steve · Nov 9, 2012

If nothing else, read the part I highlighted (bold).

A View from the Engineer (WRC Team MINI Portugal)

'Hi everyone,

'Tomo here! I'm reporting to you about WRC Team MINI Portugal's first day of competition here at Rally de EspaÃ±a. It was a tough day due to the unpredictable weather conditions. Unfortunately both Chris and Paulo - like many others - succumbed to the difficult conditions and retired on the afternoon loop.

'This morning the top crews were split on tyre choice for the first three-stage loop. Bruno, Chris, myself and our Michelin tyre engineer together chose to fit hard tyres on the MINI. Chris struggled a bit with this compound in the wet conditions which made him loose a bit more time that we expected. Noone found it an easy morning though and overall we were happy when he came into midday service in eighth position overall.

'Chris did hit a rock one kilometre into SS2, damaging the front left compression strut on his MINI. The compression strut is a suspension component which controls the position of the wheel. Because it was bent Chris had to be very careful not to inflict further damage and to make sure he could reach service safely.

'Nobody would have expected such difficult conditions and the subsequent retirements here in Spain. It reminds everyone a bit of Rally de Portugal earlier this year, making today's gravel stages pure endurance for all the drivers and cars.

'Paulo had a good and trouble free morning but unfortunately he went off the road on SS4 - the first stage of the afternoon loop - which put an end to his day on the Spanish gravel earlier than planned. Luckily Porquinho Verde only has a damaged suspension which can be easily fixed.

'When we serviced Chris' MINI at lunchtime - besides changing all the damaged suspension parts - we made a couple of changes to make him more comfortable in the persistent wet conditions. As the rain continued to fall we chose soft tyres for the afternoon loop - like everyone! Chris was starting to feel more confident, his splits were improving compared to this morning and he was taking back some of the time he had lost.

'I caught up with Chris at remote refuel after SS4 and he said the feeling was better after the changes we made in service. His splits on SS5 (the second run of the 44km stage) were looking positive. He was quickly catching the driver in seventh, but unfortunately he made a small mistake 35km into the stage. He damaged the front right suspension on his MINI forcing him to retire for the day.

'Of course it was disappointing for everyone but Chris will be back tomorrow under Rally 2 regulations aiming to do a good job on the asphalt and prove how competitive we can be.

'Tomorrow the rally's move to asphalt means that tonight the mechanics have a big job to do transforming the MINI from a gravel set-up to a Tarmac one. That involves changing the complete power train assembly (the gearbox and rear differential) to tune them to run on asphalt. The shock absorbers have to be changed too, because you need stiffer ones for the higher grip level. The springs and anti-roll bars are also different as well as the brakes - which are a lot bigger for the increased forces involved.

'The mechanics will have to trim the weight of the car as well and check the alignment carefully. When you change the suspension, the rear differential and transmission it means the wheels are in slightly different positions which have to be examined.

'Applying such changes to a standard car in a dealership would take around two days but on a rally the mechanics normally have to do it in one hour and fifteen minutes. We'll have a bit more time due to Rally 2, but still we'll see our guys doing an impressive job. It's not an understatement to say that the technicians know every nut, bolt and washer in the car!

'The Tarmac stages here at Rally de EspaÃ±a are truly fantastic, very twisty and busy for both drivers and co-drivers. Glenn won't have a moment to spare and he will be firing the pace notes out very, very quickly.

'Well I think that's all from my side. Tomorrow is another long and busy day and everyone in the team will work very hard to make sure it's a good one for us.

'Speak soon,
Tomo'

For more information on Motorsport Italia and WRC Team MINI Portugal, please contact:
Nicoletta Russo
Press Officer
E: [email protected]
M: +39 339 7769566
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Steve · Nov 10, 2012

An interesting turn of events today for Dani Sordo. He retired yesterday after getting stuck off road but was able to return today under Rally2 conditions. In fact, I think 3 of the other 4 MINI drivers did the same, all for different reasons of course.

After strong showings on loose surface stages in the recent past Prodrive were hoping for rain in Spain, but the rain and loose surfaces of Day 1 proved anything but helpful. Fortunately for Sordo, he's a hard surface expert and after Day 1 Spain is all tarmac.

Apparently according to split times Dani was on course to finish 2nd on the first stage (#7) but half way through the car dropped a cylinder. Since he could do nothing about it until reacing the mid-day service, he finished Stage 7 and also ran 8 and 9 on 3 cylinders. Given the resulting loss of power, his 7th place finish on 7 and 10th on both 8 and 9 were remarkable.

The team didn't know the cause of the problem so they threw a bunch of parts at the car in the service:

Afterward Prodrive said "it was a faulty injector - it would have been quicker to change the whole engine - but of course you are not allowed."

It worked, the car was late to arrive at the Stage 10 start (nearly too late, almost excluded) but it was running on 4 cylinders again.

Dani won Stage 10 then he won Stage 11! The only other stage today was Stage 12 (14.2km) which he finished 3rd, only 0.7sec out of 1st place on the stage.

Unfortunately because of his retirement yesterday and the 4min 40sec in time penalties he received today he's running 18th overall. Still, with the car working well over 3 stages he has 2 wins and a 3rd...not too shabby, eh?

Official reports to follow, below.

Steve · Nov 10, 2012

Stage 10:

Sordo rewards team with stage win (WRC.com)

10 Nov 12

Dani Sordo has rewarded the Prodrive WRC Team for its efforts in restoring his MINI John Cooper Works WRC to full working order by going fastest of all on stage 10 of RallyRACC-Rally de Espana.

The Spanish hero was 4.4s faster than event leader Sebastien Loeb through the 20.48-kilometre La Mussara test.

Sordo was late leaving midday service in Salou while his Prodrive engineers rectified the glitch that had dropped the engine onto three cylinders this morning. Afterwards, Sordo, who was one minute away from going over the permitted time limit in service, said: “I’m going flat out, maximum.”
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Steve · Nov 10, 2012

Stage 11:

Sordo wins stage, thanks Gorban (WRC.com)

10 Nov 12

Dani Sordo has thanked Valeriy Gorban after setting his second consecutive stage best on RallyRACC-Rally de Espana.

Gorban, in a production-specification Mitsubishi Lancer, is running ahead of Sordo on the road following his delay leaving midday service in Salou. Despite Sordo, who is driving a MINI John Cooper Works WRC, starting the stage four minutes after Gorban, the Ukrainian driver was slowed with a brake glitch and there were fears that Sordo would lose time overtaking him.

At the stage finish, Sordo climbed out of his car to thank Gorban for not getting in his way. “I’m really happy with him because I only lost one second so thank you to him,” said Sordo. “I’m happy with the stage and tried to push to the maximum. In the end it was really good.”

Sordo was 4.2s quicker than event leader and nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb.
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Steve · Nov 10, 2012

Saturday midday wrap: Loeb edges clear (WRC.com)

10 Nov 12

Sebastien Loeb underlined his status as the FIA World Rally Championship's most successful driver by turning an overnight deficit of 27.2s into an advantage of 18.9s at the midday halt in Salou.

Loeb, who is chasing an eighth victory on RallyRACC-Rally de Espana, was trailing Mads Ostberg in the overall classification when the Norwegian went off the road less than 10 kilometres into Saturdayâ€™s second test, which featured some damp sections.

Jari-Matti Latvala also profited from Ostbergâ€™s rare error to take second. The Finn is now 18.9s behind Frenchman Loeb with Ostberg 47.9s adrift of Loeb in third. â€œIâ€™m having to push because Jari-Matti is pushing hard,â€ said factory Citroen driver Loeb, who has gone quickest on two out of the three all-asphalt stages this morning.

Latvala began day two with a rapid time through the first La Mussara stage but wasnâ€™t happy with his efforts through the next run, the gruelling 45.97-kilometre El Priorat test. Like several rival drivers he encountered a build up of mud and gravel dragged onto the road on stage nine, which he completed 2.6s slower than Loeb.

Behind Ostberg, who lost more time on stage eight striking an Armco barrier, Mikko Hirvonen is fourth overall in the second works Citroen with Ott Tanak fifth and Hans Weijs sixth on his debut in a Qatar World Rally Team Citroen after overcoming an overshoot at a hairpin on stage seven.

Dani Sordoâ€™s efforts to make up lost time following his exit on Friday morning have been hampered by a power glitch in his MINI. Thierry Neuville, who also restarted under Rally 2 rules, reported brake issues. Meanwhile, John Powell made it through stage seven but withdrew shortly afterwards suffering from an inner ear infection.

Craig Breen continues to hold a comfortable advantage over P-G Andersson in the Super 2000 World Rally Championship. But there has been high drama in the Production Car World Rally Championship with overnight leader Marcos Ligato dropping back with a brake glitch on stage eight, where second-place Yeray Lemes was slowed by a transmission problem.

Michal Koscisuzko, one of six PWRC title contenders prior to the start, went off the road in a long left-hand corner on stage nine, leaving team-mate and title leader Benito Guerra in the clear. Local hero Jose Suarez was on top in the WRC Academy after stage eight.

Stage 10, the repeat of the 20.48-kilometre La Mussara test, goes live at 13:51hrs local time.
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Saturday wrap: Loeb on course as Latvala concedes defeat (WRC.com)

10 Nov 12

Jari-Matti Latvala admits Sebastien Loeb can't be caught in the battle for first place on RallyRACC-Rally de Espana, which switched to all-asphalt stages today following the mainly gravel tests on Friday.

Citroenâ€™s nine-time world champion has outpaced Ford driver Latvala for much of day two and starts Sundayâ€™s six closing stages of the FIA World Rally Championship season finale with an advantage of 27.0s.

â€œI canâ€™t catch him,â€ said Latvala. â€œIâ€™m not disappointed, thatâ€™s the way it is. Heâ€™s fantastic on Tarmac. I need to work more and learn.â€

Loeb, who is contesting his last event as a full-time WRC driver, said: â€œItâ€™s been a good day for me, quite tricky condition in the first loop with wet roads and slippery in some places. There was a lot of gravel on the road and a risk of puncture but, okay, no problem. At the moment I am feeling well in the car. Jari-Matti was pushing very hard at the start of the day but for me the feeling was really good so I continued to push.â€

Mads Ostberg began Saturdayâ€™s first test leading by 27.2s following a hugely impressive showing on Fridayâ€™s rain-hit mainly gravel stages. But his challenge would soon unravel when he opted to use a combination of hard and soft compound tyres in a diagonal formation for the first run through the damp El Priorat on Saturday morning where he suffered a time-consuming off.

And there was more frustration in the afternoon due to set-up issues, which caused the Norwegian to struggle for performance in his privateer Fiesta. He is now 1m31.4s of top spot in fifth overall, which could have a huge bearing on his efforts to beat Latvala to third place in the final championship standings.

Ott Tanak completed a strong afternoon by winning stage 12, a result that puts him 14.7s behind Mikko Hirvonen, who holds third overnight in the second factory Citroen. Behind Ostberg, Hans Weijs remains on course to score WRC points in sixth place on his first run in a World Rally Car.

Super 2000 World Rally Championship leader Craig Breen is seventh with Evgeny Novikov eighth and Jarkko Nikara ninth after a handful of moments in his Prodrive MINI in the afternoon, which included a spin on stage 11 and contact with a barrier on stage 12. P-G Andersson completes the top 10 for PROTON, one place ahead of WRC Team MINI Portugalâ€™s Chris Atkinson.

Following a frustrating morning when his MINIâ€™s engine dropped onto three cylinders, Dani Sordo fought back in the afternoon with two fastest stage times after his Prodrive team restored the car to full working order at midday service by replacing a faulty injector.
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Steve · Nov 10, 2012

TEAM GIVES SORDO CHANCE TO SHOW MINIâ€™S PACE (Prodrive)

Dani Sordo showed why the MINI John Cooper Works WRC is more than a match for any World Rally Car and why he is one of the best drivers in the world, by setting two fastest times in three stages this afternoon. It could have been more, but a fuel injector fault, which developed on the first stage of the day, meant the car ran on three cylinders for the
morning loop.

The Prodrive WRC Team managed to identify the fault and change the fuel rail during the midday service with just a couple of minutes to spare before the car would have been excluded for exceeding service time. The car then ran faultlessly during the afternoon and despite running in 22nd place, on increasingly dirty roads, set two first and a third fastest stage time.

Jarkko Nikara competing on tarmac for the first time in a World Rally Car, also started the day on soft Michelin tyres like Sordo and in the damp conditions set competitive stage times comparable to far more experienced tarmac drivers. In the afternoon on stage 11 he clipped a wall damaging his rear suspension but was able to make road side repairs ready for the final stage of the day. A spin on a hairpin on the final stage lost him around 30 seconds but he still finished the day in 9th position.

Dave Wilcock, Prodrive WRC Team principal said: â€œWe have gone through the whole range of emotions today. First we were on a high when it looked as though Dani would be second quickest on the opening stage, followed by the low of hearing the car firing on three cylinders and being unable to do anything about it until service. The guys here then did an incredible job to firstly narrow the fault down to the injector and then change them all within an hour. It would probably have been quicker to change the engine.â€

â€œDani was then really fired up and focussed and blitzed the field on the next two stages, while they were all pushing as hard as they could. I am sure that if he hadnâ€™t been running in 22nd position on a dirty road, he would have won the final stage too.â€

Wilcock added: â€œJarkko drove particularly well this morning. These are tricky tarmac stages and to do the times he is on his debut is a real credit to him. Heâ€™s currently lying 9th and I am sure he can take 8th tomorrow. In a world class field on your debut, that is a great achievement.â€

Dani Sordo said: â€œWe had a small problem with car, but after seeing the mechanics working really really hard to repair the car for me, I was really motivated to drive fast and show what the MINI can do. There is still more to come from the engine and I know the guys are working on this now in Banbury. Tomorrow I will push again and like everyone, I will be looking to win the powerstage.â€

Jarkko Nakara said: â€œIn the morning there were no problems and I tried to step up my speed, but this afternoon was little more difficult. We went a little wide and I touched a barrier damaging the car, which made it difficult for the rest of the stage . As we had to repair the car on the road section, we didnâ€™t get all the gravel notes so it made the next stage very tricky as it was really muddy. I made a mistake in a slow left corner and went a bit off the road. Tomorrow, hopefully there is not so much mud and we can try and get a good rhythm and we can aim to gain another posiion.â€
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