WRC: Wales Rally GB (2012)

Steve · Sep 10, 2012

Starts this weekend!

Looks like this could be a good one, but what about the line "the potential of mud is eliminated" ... really? The GB rally without mud? :skep:

Fastest Rally GB ever in store, say experts (WRC.com)

07 Sep 12

Next week's Wales Rally GB, round 10 of the FIA World Rally Championship, could be the fastest in the event's 80-year history.

Thatâ€™s according to WRC TVâ€™s Julian Porter and photographer Colin McMaster of the respected McKlein agency, whose images regularly appear on WRC.com.

Earlier this week they conducted a reconnaissance of the entire three-day route in preparation for next weekâ€™s gravel contest and were full of praise for the work carried out by the event organisers and the Forestry Commission to ensure the stages will be in peak condition when the WRC heads to Wales from 14-16 September.

Porter, a former national level rally driver, said the stages were immaculate and urged fans yet to buy tickets to watch the action to do so in order to witness what he said would be a high-speed spectacle.

â€œThe stages are beautiful, so smooth and so super fast,â€ said Porter. â€œIf fans are in any doubt whether they should come then all I can say is now is the time because the stages are going to be fantastic, the potential of mud is eliminated and the weather should be amazing too.â€

Porter, who has worked in the WRC in a reporting capacity for several years, singled out the Port Talbot stage on the final day of the rally as being potentially decisive to the outcome of the event.

â€œItâ€™s everything youâ€™d want as a driver, with flat curves, crests and kinks and itâ€™s really going to be a wake-up call on the final day,â€ said Porter. â€œThe bravest will be the quickest in there, which could be the same as on the Dyfnant stage on Friday morning where I can see some drivers getting caught out.â€

McMaster, who has only missed one Rally GB since 1992 and captured the image above this week, said: â€œIâ€™ve never seen the stages in such a good condition. They are beautifully graded and nicely compacted. The organisers have far exceeded the brief when it comes to the spectator areas too - theyâ€™ve chopped down trees and prepared nice platform areas to offer great viewing.â€
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Round 10

13 - 16 Sep 12

Categories:WRC, SWRC

Based:Cardiff

Surface:Gravel with some asphalt sections

Website:Wales Rally GB | 2012 | Cardiff | 13-16 September

Britainâ€™s World Rally Championship counter has been a qualifying round of the series every year since the WRC was established in 1973. This yearâ€™s event will mark a move away from its end-of-term slot to a mid-September date, which it last occupied in 2005.

Wales Rally GBâ€™s origins date back to 1932 and, for many years, it was known as the RAC Rally in deference to the organiser, the Royal Automobile Club, before the advent of commercial sponsorship brought about a change of name.

While the event used to roam around England, Scotland and Wales, making it a test of endurance rather than a demonstration of all-out speed, since 2000 the action has been contained in Wales, specifically in the south, prior to the inclusion of stages further north into mid-Wales in 2008.

The 2009 edition expanded even further afield into Wales and took in the famous and ultra-fast Radnor stage, which is less than one hour by road from Birmingham, Britainâ€™s second largest city.

There was also a move towards a mixed surface format in 2010 with some asphalt sections creeping in to the predominantly gravel runs, while the Cardiff Bay special stage ran entirely on asphalt roads close to the main service area in the Welsh capital.

The format of this yearâ€™s Wales Rally GB is set to mirror the route trialled for the first time in 2011. Starting in the seaside town of Llandudno in the north of Wales and finishing in the capital Cardiff in the south three days later, last seasonâ€™s rally incorporated several stages not used for a number of decades.

It event began with two runs over the Great Orme toll road followed by a spectacular ceremonial start in Conwy. Builth Wells, in the centre of the country, housed the permanent service park although crews were required to return to Cardiff for overnight parc ferme and the ceremonial finish.

But itâ€™s the gravel-based forest stages that Wales Rally GB is most famous for. Fast and undulating, the roads are often made slippery by rainfall, ice and even snow although slightly more hospitable conditions are expected this year following the rallyâ€™s move to a mid-September date from its traditional November slot.
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Steve · Sep 10, 2012

Chris Atkinson: Time for Wales Rally GB! (Crash.net)

WRC Team MINI Portugal newbie Chris Atkinson previews Wales Rally GB, the tenth round in the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship...

G'day everyoneâ€¦

Yep, that's right it's Atko here â€“ and I'll be WRC Team MINI Portugal's 'host' for Rally GB. I've been round the world back now three times in the last month, but that isn't the only reason my head's spinning. It was under a month ago that I found out I was going to be catapulted back into the WRC full time for the remainder of 2012 in a MINI Countryman John Cooper Works WRC.

I'll do my best in these columns for WRGB to answer some of questions that have been put to me over the past few weeks and I figure a good place to start is at the beginning. I first met the guys at Motorsport Italia at Rallye Deutschland last year, with one key exception â€“ Richard 'Tomo' Thompson, now their chief engineer, was my engineer for my WRC works programme in 2006/07. Seemed like a nice team, good people, but I couldn't ever have predicted what would happen under one year on!

I followed the team growing from the start of this year when they first became work-supported and started working directly with the factory. The changes were huge and came event-on-event, which also meant that along with their technical capabilities, the opportunities that the team could provide a driver ramped up. All that meant that by the time we spoke pre-Germany about my joining the team for the rest of the season, I jumped at the chance.

The MINI's a great car and I also love the process of feeding back to the team about how I think the MINI could be best improved and taking a longer-term view to progress and development. In such a close team, it's easy to all become quite tight quite quickly and the enthusiasm for the project and aim always to be the best they can be immediately gave me a feeling that this was somewhere StÃ©phane [Prevot â€“ my co-driver] and I would fit in.

Now it's time for Wales Rally GB, my second rally with WRC Team MINI Portugal. I've competed here four times before, my best result to date was sixth overall, but I really enjoy these roads when the conditions are good, which means no rain!

We have done the event once before at this earlier time of year - as opposed to November - and the roads are really fast and high grip. It's actually very tough on tyres. Gravel rallies are for sure my background and they have been the source of my best results, so I can't wait to get back in the MINI and tackle my first gravel stages in anger.

I have been training quite hard for Wales Rally GB back home on the Gold Coast for the past two weeks... I've been trying to mix up gym, cycling (road bike) and running! On Thursday before I left Australia I did 60km on the bike, 5km run, 40 minutes gym... then a ducked into the sauna and took a swim for recovery. I know it sounds hard but I feel really good after that. I even sneaked in a 50km bike ride today to try and fight off my jetlag.

I do cycling training with a few of the V8 Supercar drivers (Australia Touring Car Series) and also a couple of professional cyclists. It's a good group of guys and everyone is always pushing each other. I wish I could train more, but its great to spend time with my wife and daughter, especially when I am travelling so much at the moment. I also take my daughter Ayva swimming most days. She loves the water and that is always a bit of a workout chasing her around and throwing her in the pool.

It's amazing to be back in the WRC, especially with such a cool team and such a fantastic brand which makes it even more fun. In Germany - for me - I didn't rush my speed. I knew we could get a good result if we were patient, which is hard for any driver to do! But fortunately the car was really nice to drive, so I could just enjoy and finishing fifth was amazing for us.

Tomorrow [Sunday] and Monday we'll test to prepare for Wales Rally GB and I can't wait to get back in the MINI and try it on gravel.

I'll be back with more updates during the rally week. Stay tuned'

Atko
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The feeling is good for Atkinson (WRC.com)

10 Sep 12

Chris Atkinson has spoken of a great feeling after driving his MINI John Cooper Works WRC on gravel for the first time.

Atkinson, who will complete a two-day test at the Walters Arena complex in Wales today (Monday) ahead of reconnaissance for round 10 of the FIA World Rally Championship getting underway on Tuesday, covered almost 140 kilometres during the first day of his session.

â€œIt was a very productive day,â€ said the 32-year-old from Australia. â€œWe did nearly 140 kilometres and narrowed down some set-up options to head into our second day of testing [today]. The MINI feels great and Iâ€™m confident we'll be in a good place ready to set to on the Qualifying Stage on Wednesday."

This weekâ€™s Wales Rally GB will mark the second of Atkinsonâ€™s planned five-event programme with WRC Team MINI Portugal. He had been due to contest the clashing Hokkaido Rally in Japan, a round of the Asia Pacific championship - which he currently leads by 45 points - but has been given special dispensation by his employer, Team MRF, to compete in Great Britain instead.

â€œIt could make the final round in China interesting but itâ€™s still possible to win the [Asia Pacific] championship and weâ€™re in pretty goo shape,â€ he said.
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Steve · Sep 10, 2012

Exciting new stage venue for Wales Rally GB (WRC.com)

13 May 12

A new special stage at the Celtic Manor Resort, venue of the 2010 Ryder Cup golf tournament, will test stars from the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia when they contest Wales Rally GB in September.

Britainâ€™s round of the WRC is switching from its traditional November date to a mid-September slot as it prepares to celebrate its 80th anniversary.

Once again organisers have devised a route stretching from the north of Wales to the south with a return to the Walters Arena venue for the Qualifying Stage on Wednesday 12 September.

Following the ceremonial start in Llandudno on Thursday 13 September, the event begins the trek south the following day with runs through classic stages such as Dyfnant, Hafren and Myherin based around a remote service in Newtown.

On Saturday 15 September, crews head to the Epynt military training range for the Crychan, Epynt and Halfway tests prior to the Celtic Manor Resort stage and overnight service in the capital Cardiff.

Sundayâ€™s action includes visits to Port Talbot, Rheola and Walters Arena followed by the finishing ceremony in Cardiff Bay.

Event chief executive Andrew Coe said: â€œItâ€™s a real privilege to be able to take Wales Rally GB to Celtic Manor Resort this year, as well as continue last yearâ€™s initiative of delivering a truly pan-Welsh route. We made huge strides forward last year in terms of embracing the whole of Wales with our route and we have tried hard to build on that this year, while also bringing more innovation and fresh-thinking to the event.â€

Wales Rally GB counts as round 10 of the 13-event WRC season from 12-16 September.
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Drivers to select GB road order at ceremonial start (WRC.com)

03 Sep 12

The 14 drivers in World Rally Cars contesting Wales Rally GB next week will select their starting positions for the opening day of action on Friday 14 September at the ceremonial start in Llandudno the previous evening.

Pilots will pick their starting position in order of fastest to slowest from Wednesdayâ€™s Qualifying Stage at Walters Arena located to the south of the principality.

Ordinarily, drivers will look to secure a lower starting position to avoid cleaning the opening stages of the loose coating of surface gravel. However, in the event of inclement weather, it could pay to run higher up the order should stage conditions deteriorate.

Local children and government representatives will join each crew when they take to the start podium to choose their road position. The ceremony begins at 19:00hrs local time on Thursday 13 September.

Prior to the starting ceremony, crews will take part in an autograph signing session in Llandudno from 17:30hrs. A display of iconic cars from the 80-year history of the event will also be on display on the townâ€™s promenade. Vehicles set to feature include Colin McRaeâ€™s 2001 Ford Focus WRC.

â€œLlandudno is a wonderful venue for the ceremonial start of what I'm sure will be another memorable Wales Rally GB,â€ said Welsh Business Minister Edwina Hart.

Wales Rally GB counts as round 10 of the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship and takes place from 12-16 September.
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Angib · Sep 10, 2012

Steve said: ↑

The GB rally without mud? :skep:
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On behalf of my whole country, I apologize most sincerely for this terrible situation - we recognise it is unnatural and just plain wrong.

Actually, some of the Welsh stages in the dry might be quite interesting, but if the car doesn't risk sinking up to its door handles in mud, it's just not the same....

Jason Montague · Sep 10, 2012

:cornut: No need to apologize for those roads. We have plenty of them here in Texas. They are called county roads and no one maintains them unless, of course, a county commissioner lives on one of them. Then then that one particular road is quickly leveled and paved.:lol::lol::lol:

Jason

Steve · Sep 11, 2012

A little video inspiration from last year:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AogmMM77aGw]WRC Wales Rally GB 2011 (HD) - YouTube[/ame]

Remember this travesty?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BR50J9JnGs]WRC Wales Rally GB 2011 SS16 ( should have been STOPPED!!) Rallying - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Sep 12, 2012

WRC Team MINI Portugal Wales Rally GB Update (RallySportLive.com)

By RSL Staff â€“ September 12, 2012

â€˜Itâ€™s Chris here live from Wales Rally GB and ready to tell you all about whatâ€™s been going on since my last column.

â€˜After a two day test with the MINI on the Welsh gravel at Walterâ€™s Arena, the feeling with the car is great. We tried a lot of different things during the test and I think weâ€™re starting from a good base for the rally.

â€˜The test was also great fun as my mates Colin Clark and Becs Williams from WRC Live joined the team for the day and we all had a great time together. I also took Col on a passenger ride through the test stage and he said he had â€˜the thrill of his lifeâ€™. Well, judging from his screams thatâ€™s not hard to believe. :wink:

â€˜My team mate Paulo had a good laugh together earlier today when he gave me a Palmeiras jersey as a present with my name on it and the sentence â€˜Howâ€™s it going maaaate?â€™ which he thinks pretty much sums me up!

â€˜Back to Wales Rally GB I have to say it already feels like a pretty full on week. Yesterday we had a full day of recce where we drove a killer 700km and today we completed the remaining stages then immediately joined the team at Walterâ€™s Arena for Free Practice and the Qualifying Stage but more on that later.

â€˜With the rally being run a couple of months earlier than usual the conditions are obviously a bit different from what weâ€™re used to. You can very rarely get dry weather in November, while you expect it more now during summer. There has been some rain over the last couple of days and a few of the stages were wet during recce, but itâ€™s different to November when youâ€™re close to zero degrees and you can easily find ice. On the other hand if the stages now are not wet itâ€™s a bit like Tarmac, the ground is very hard, compact and it can be very hard on tyres.

â€˜I feel quite confident after recce, gravel is for sure a more familiar surface for me and I know most of the stages here at Rally GB. There are only three stages Iâ€™ve never driven but theyâ€™re run in similar areas to others that I know. The first very stage of the rally â€“ Dynant â€“ is completely new but it feels like a very nice one where you have to be quite committed and even take a few risks to make a good time. Not an easy stage to start with and it was also wet and slippery when we recced it.

â€˜I know the Day Two stages better, but with the good feeling we have with the car I hope we can set some strong times straight away. I wonâ€™t push 100% from the beginning though, Iâ€™ll see how the feeling is and work from there.

â€˜As I mentioned today we did the Qualifying Stage which was our first one in the MINI and I feel it was quite ok. The time wasnâ€™t too bad and I think the feeling at start of the rally on Friday is quite good.

â€˜I am really looking forward to tackling these stages, but before that we have a long drive tomorrow up north to Llandudno where weâ€™ll do the Ceremonial Start and a few other media activities.

â€˜As you know I already knew some of the guys in the team from old times. For instance, my engineer Tomo and I have worked together in the past and clocked up some very good results together. Coming back and having him as my engineer again is really nice. He understands what I want from a car and heâ€™s a great guy to work with. The test was actually really good fun. We tried a lot of different things together trying to get the best out of the car and each other.

â€˜Of course Tomo is well-known for loving his food and wine and he introduced me to a lot of new things. We share the same tastes in good food so itâ€™s always a pleasure to go for dinner with him. When we go back to the hotel we normally get on the internet and look for nice restaurants to go nearby or new places to try anything new or different. Itâ€™s always a great way to relax and have a nice conversation with a friend.

â€˜The highlight of the day was a very emotional moment, my co-driver StÃ©phane was awarded with the Michael Park â€˜Beefâ€™ Trophy for service to the WRC as a co-driver. Finland this year was his 150th WRC start!

â€˜StÃ©phane has always been very loyal to me and I might be biased but in my opinion heâ€™s a truly top class co-driver.

â€˜Well, Iâ€™m going back to the hotel to relax a bit and maybe hit the gym for some training. Iâ€™ll get back with a new column on Friday night after the first big day of competition â€“ canâ€™t wait! :smile5:

â€˜See ya
Atko
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Steve · Sep 13, 2012

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xevXvuwqM0]Shakedown - 2012 WRC Wales Rally GB - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Sep 14, 2012

Angib said: ↑

On behalf of my whole country, I apologize most sincerely for this terrible situation - we recognise it is unnatural and just plain wrong.

Actually, some of the Welsh stages in the dry might be quite interesting, but if the car doesn't risk sinking up to its door handles in mud, it's just not the same....
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Fortunately, the "no mud" prognostication was off the mark...as expected.

Angib · Sep 14, 2012

Oh, that's a relief.

Like hearing that Canada has a strategic maple syrup reserve, hearing that Wales still has mud warms the cockles of my heart.

Steve · Sep 14, 2012

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlW7HfWA9LI]Leg 1 - 2012 WRC Wales Rally GB - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Sep 14, 2012

WRC Team MINI Portugal Wales Rally GB Day One (RallySportLive.com)

By RSL Staff â€“ September 14, 2012

â€˜Hey everyone,

â€˜Chris here again. Weâ€™re at the end of the first proper day of competition at Wales Rally GB. It was a really long day covering six stages and a total of 146.46km. Overall I can say StÃ©phane and I had a pretty solid day in our MINI. No major problems and weâ€™re happy with how the MINIâ€™s working. We finished the day in 11th overall, but we can go quicker and thatâ€™s the plan for tomorrow. Weâ€™re taking it step-by-step, but weâ€™ll push a bit more.

â€˜Our alarms went off pretty early this morning as we set off from the Llandudno Parc FermÃ© just after 6am after doing the Ceremonial Start last night. It was a pretty cool start by the sea with loads of people and good atmosphere. We also took part to in an autograph session with all the other WRC drivers â€“ an impressive turnout and nice to meet fans from all over Wales and Great Britain.

â€˜The first stage of the rally Dyfnant was a stage I had never driven before but it was a very nice stage and I found a good rhythm. Our speed this morning was ok â€“ we aimed to be one second off the pace as an average over the weekend, we were one and a half seconds a kilometre on only our first day which was pretty good, especially making sure we didnâ€™t take any risks.

â€˜We picked a brake problem at the end of the morning loop. Our MINIâ€™s brake pads started to overheat and it meant we had to slow down a little bit in the afternoon to avoid further damage. Weâ€™ll change the brake pad material this evening at Flexi Service and hopefully we wonâ€™t have the same problem tomorrow Weâ€™ll be able to work on the set up and build the speed up. We kind of had to survive through the afternoon stages but overall Iâ€™m quite happy with the car. Tomo and I have a couple of good set-up ideas we want to try for tomorrow which we hope will work.

â€˜The rain yesterday and the wet conditions under the shade of the trees made tyre choice for today pretty easy. We went with soft tyres as did all the other WRC drivers. The tyres had to be fitted on the MINI yesterday evening ready for todayâ€™s stages, which made things a bit trickier as we had to do our weather summary yesterday and make sure the information was good for today, which isnâ€™t always very obvious in Wales. Everybody made the same choice for the afternoon loop as well at Remote Service in Newtown as the wear rate was such that nobody was concerned softs again it was and that worked well.

â€˜Tomorrow it will be a bit more difficult to choose tyres as the stages are more abrasive and harder, but I think in all probability weâ€™ll stay with soft tyres in the morning and change to hards in the afternoon depending on the wear and how the tyres look at midday service.

â€˜I really enjoy Rally GB. Itâ€™s one of the WRCâ€™s classic events and this year is its 80th anniversary. Some of the stages here are legendary and it brings back many memories of some of the best and the worst times in the WRC â€“ Petter winning the World Title in 2003 and the tragic loss of Beef in 2005 are just a couple of many.

â€˜My team mate Paulo had a good day as well, he says that having competed here four times now he feels a bit at home. He likes Rally GB a lot and heâ€™s having a great time. Heâ€™s an amazing guy, mint personality and his enthusiasm is infectious. Heâ€™s one of the nicest guys Iâ€™ve ever met and he really shows his passion for rallying and for life. Itâ€™s nice when you travel so much around the world and you meet people like Paulo who really bring something positive to the experience.

â€˜Well thatâ€™s all for today from my side, tomorrow itâ€™s another big day and Iâ€™m really looking forward to seeing what weâ€™ll be able to do.

â€˜Bye for now.
Atko
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Steve · Sep 14, 2012

Friday wrap: Latvala out front for Ford (WRC.com)

14 Sep 12

Jari-Matti Latvala has reached an overnight halt of an FIA World Rally Championship round in the lead for the first time since Portugal in late March following an impressive charge on Wales Rally GB today (Friday).

Latvala was slightly hesitant through the opening brace of tests while he found the â€œfeelingâ€ on board his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. But a quartet of stage wins has put him out front by 12.1s heading into Saturdayâ€™s seven runs.

Indeed, itâ€™s been a day dominated by the works Ford squad with Petter Solberg moving into an early lead after going quickest on the first two stages. The Norwegian, a four-time winner in Wales, holds second with Citroenâ€™s multiple world champion Sebastien Loeb 9.2s further back after conceding that he couldnâ€™t live with the pace of the Fords on the slippery gravel stages.

â€œIâ€™ve been trying to push,â€ said Latvala, who survived clouting a pile of logs on stage two. â€œThe target was trying to make the difference to the Citroens and Iâ€™m pleased with the performance. The first two stages I was not at my best but then I started to catch the feeling. I was very pleased because the car was going really well, Iâ€™m enjoying it and the car is great to drive. I havenâ€™t had this feeling for a long, long time.â€

Loeb, who is on course for his ninth world title and can help Citroen secure its eighth world crown in Wales, carried two spare tyres for each loop in the event of his soft compound tyres losing performance in the drying conditions. Latvala and Solberg both relied on one spare. â€œI was flat out everywhere but there was no chance to catch the Fords,â€ said Loeb. But Iâ€™m not concerned because I donâ€™t need to win.â€

Mads Ostberg is fourth overnight in his Adapta Fiesta having lost precious seconds in the morning when he slowed in the mistaken belief heâ€™d picked up a puncture on stage two. His decision to use an old set of pace notes on stage three also led to a loss of confidence. Mikko Hirvonen is fifth in the second factory Citroen with Ott Tanak sixth despite reporting a powersteering glitch in his M-Sport Fiesta.

Russian Evgeny Novikov is seventh on his first rally with stand-in co-driver Ilka Minor. Thierry Neuville, who has run at the head of the field throughout the day, is eighth with Matthew Wilson - back in the WRC for the first time since Rallye Monte-Carlo in January - holding a solid ninth overall. Martin Prokop is 10th despite spending much of the day without sixth gear on his privateer Fiesta.

Chris Atkinson is 11th for WRC Team MINI Portugal with Sebastien Ogier 12th in his Volkswagen Motorsport-run Skoda Fabia S2000. Nasser Al-Attiyah is 13th for the Qatar World Rally Team with Super 2000 World Rally Championship leader Craig Breen 14th.

Saturdayâ€™s competitive action gets underway at 09:02hrs local time consists of two runs through the Crychan, Epynt and Halfway stages, plus the all-asphalt Celtic Manor superspecial, which brings the dayâ€™s action to a close at 18:30hrs. The top 14 crews will run in reverse order with Paulo Nobre going first followed by South African Jan Habig.
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Steve · Sep 15, 2012

Atkinson hopes for pace gains in Wales (WRC.com)

15 Sep 12

Chris Atkinson will be hoping to climb into the top 10 on day two of Wales Rally GB after revealing how his ultimate pace was masked by brake issues on Friday's six all-gravel stages.

Driving for WRC Team MINI Portugal for a second time, Atkinson is 11th overall starting Saturdayâ€™s seven tests in his John Cooper Works WRC. And heâ€™s optimistic for an upturn in speed following the overnight halt in Cardiff.

â€œWe had the brakes glazed over from the first stage and that probably cost us a fair bit of time through the day,â€ the Australian explained. â€œBut weâ€™ll change the type of pads weâ€™re using for tomorrow and hopefully solve that problem. The pedal was hard but when you pushed it, it didnâ€™t bite, there was no immediacy and you had to take care a bit. Then halfway through the stage I couldnâ€™t turn the car on the brake any more so I was having to drive round that a bit. It wasnâ€™t ideal but it was a good steady run with no major risks.â€

He continued: â€œWe were 1.6 seconds per kilometre slower on average over the day with the brake problem and Kris Meeke was one second per kilometre in his MINI last year so I think we can move up to that pace.â€

Atkinsonâ€™s Brazilian team-mate Paulo Nobre starts first on the road on day two. Heâ€™s currently 20th overall on the FIA World Rally Championship qualifier.
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Steve · Sep 15, 2012

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ2NDGzk5S4]Leg 2 - 2012 WRC Wales Rally GB - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Sep 15, 2012

Saturday wrap: Latvala edges closer to glory (WRC.com)

15 Sep 12

Jari-Matti Latvala is six stages away from winning Wales Rally GB, round 10 of the FIA World Rally Championship, following a controlled, albeit rapid display at the wheel of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC on day two of the gravel event.

Latvala left the overnight halt in Cardiff this morning leading by 12.1s. In largely dry conditions, the Finn bagged a further three stage bests to stretch his advantage out front to 24.5s. Team-mate Petter Solberg is second after staving off the attentions of Citroenâ€™s world champion Sebastien Loeb, who had closed to within 3.9s of the Norwegian after the morning stages but was then unable to respond when Solberg sped up in the afternoon.

â€œWeâ€™ve had a good feeling today but we need to keep going and keep fighting for the victory tomorrow,â€ said Latvala. â€œWhen Sebastien has a nice espresso in the morning he can attack and we need to be prepared for that.â€

Solberg lost time in the morning due to the set-up of his Fiesta being too soft and too low for the drying conditions. By stiffening the car at the midday service in Cardiff, Solberg was able to hit back in the afternoon with a brace of stage wins to keep Loeb 6.4s behind.

Despite ending Fordâ€™s sequence of stage wins with the fastest time on Saturdayâ€™s second test, Loeb will start day three trailing Latvala by 30.9s after he admitted to struggling to match the leading Fiestas. â€œThe only thing I can hope is to fight with Petter [for second] but he was very fast today and I couldnâ€™t beat him. For the moment we are third and we didnâ€™t find any miracle with the set-up.â€

Mads Ostberg made a hugely impressive start to day two by winning the first stage to close up to third-placed Loeb. However, his decision to carry two spare tyres for the afternoon loop adversely affected his carâ€™s handling and slowed the Norwegianâ€™s ultimate pace. Ostberg is more than half a minute clear of Mikko Hirvonen, who has struggled to make an impact in his works Citroen.

Ott Tanak and Evgeny Novikov clocked several impressive stage times in their M-Sport Fiestas to hold sixth and seventh places respectively. Thierry Neuville, who is eighth overall, experienced a build up of mud in his Citroen on Saturdayâ€™s opener after a hole appeared. However, he was able to block the gap with paper cloths to continue building his experience of the event he is tackling for the first time.

Matthew Wilson is ninth and the top British driver in his M-Sport Fiesta with Czech Martin Prokop rounding out the top 10 in his Fiesta, which is running a new gearbox after the original faltered on Friday.

Australian Chris Atkinson has spent much of the day tweaking the set-up of his MINI John Cooper Works WRC. He completed the day with a side window missing from his car after it was blown out during a stage.

Sebastien Ogier is 12th and Volkswagen Motorsportâ€™s sole representative still running after Kevin Abbring crashed out on Saturdayâ€™s second test. Nasser Al-Attiyah is 13th for the Qatar World Rally Team. Brazilâ€™s Paulo Nobre is on course for a finish in his WRC Team MINI Portugal entry and is 19th overnight.

South African Jan Habig retired on the dayâ€™s opening stage when he went off the road and got stuck. He is set to return under Rally 2 regulations on Sunday.

Sundayâ€™s action gets underway with the 17.35-kilometre Port Talbot stage at 07:18hrs.
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Steve · Sep 16, 2012

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DKEjxiHubA]The highlights - 2012 WRC Wales Rally GB - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Sep 16, 2012

WRC Team MINI Portugal Wales Rally GB Review (RallySportLive.com)

By RSL Staff â€“ September 16, 2012

â€˜Gâ€™day everyone,

â€˜Atko calling at the end of Wales Rally GB.

â€˜Todayâ€™s itinerary featured three stages repeated twice totalling 83.10km of stages that I know from the past and I was really hoping to set some good times. We made some set-up changes to the engine map last night, which seemed to be heading in the right direction as this morning we had good grip and the feeling with the MINI was great. Unfortunately a sensor in my MINIâ€™s gearbox (which meant that the monitor showed sixth gear whichever gear I was in!) cost us some time on the morning loop.

â€˜The problem was fixed by the mechanics at midday service but of course it made our morning a bit more difficult than we had hoped for. We set off this afternoon ready to clock some good times on the second loop. We were promoted into the Top 10 and the points scoring positions when Ott retired on SS17 â€“ the first stage of the second pass. However, it just wasnâ€™t our day!

â€˜Towards the end of the last stage with two splits to go we broke our left-rear toe control link, the function of which on the car is to align the wheel. We held Ogier off, but in one stage we dropped one minute and 30 seconds to Nasser and fell back down to 11th. Fortunately, I was able temporarily to jury rig the spare wheel so that we could get the car back to service.

â€˜Overall Iâ€™m happy and positive that weâ€™re in a good place for the forthcoming gravel events. Iâ€™m satisfied with what StÃ©phane, myself, the team and our MINI achieved together here in Wales. We finished the rally in 11th overall and our pace was nice and consistent, always close to the targets we set coming into the event. We were hoping to be one kilometre per second off the pace and weâ€™ve been there or thereabouts most of the time. And weâ€™re especially pleased that between here and Germany, weâ€™ve contested 32 stages and completed all 32 successfully!

â€˜Unfortunately my team mate Paulo was forced to retire after midday service today due to vibration causing an alternator cable to fail. Iâ€™m gutted for him, he was doing a good job and having loads of fun â€“ itâ€™s incredible how he never gives up and how much he enjoys what he does.

â€˜It was a big weekend for my co-driver StÃ©phane as well as he was awarded with the Michael Park â€˜Beefâ€™ Trophy to honor his career in the WRC. We started to work together in 2007 and even when we stopped competing in the World Rally Championship we continued to work together in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship. Heâ€™s been doing other things in the meantime as well but we clicked from the start and have always worked really well together. From my side I can say heâ€™s an amazing coâ€“driver â€“ heâ€™s very professional, focused and the feeling in the car is always great. For me, thatâ€™s exactly what I need from a co-driver and our relationship both in and out of the car is fantastic.

â€˜I want to add a special thank you to my mechanics. Theyâ€™ve worked tirelessly all weekend! Iâ€™m really happy with their work, they are all very professional and always put their best effort in making sure the MINI is in top form. We have Italian, Portuguese, Brazilian and Irish mechanics in the team but they all work together in a fantastic way!

â€˜Iâ€™m now staying in Europe for a while so I donâ€™t have to fly back and forward to and from Australia, which meansâ€¦ no jetlag. Bonus! An even bigger bonus is that my family is going to join me and Iâ€™ll get to spend some time with them before I head to Strasbourg for Rallye de France, whichâ€™ll be my third event with WRC Team MINI Portugal and after Germany weâ€™re keen for a good follow up result on Tarmac.

â€˜Iâ€™ve never competed in Rallye de France since it was moved from Corsica to Alsace, but in 2010 I was (half of) Ken Blockâ€™s gravel crew so I know more or less what to expect from the stages.

â€˜Thanks to everyone for following me and WRC Team MINI Portugal this weekend, itâ€™s great to have support from all over the world.

Catch you soon,
Atkoâ€™

Final Overall Classification â€“ Wales Rally GB

1.J.M Latvala (FIN)/ M. Anttila (FIN) Ford 3:03:40.3
2.S. Loeb (FRA)/ D. Elena (MCO) Citroen +27.8
3.P. Solberg (NOR)/ C. Patterson (GBR) Ford +28.7
4.M. Ostberg (NOR)/ J. Andersson (SWE) Ford +1:10.6
5.M. Hirvonen (FIN)/ J. Lehtinen (FIN) Citroen +1:29.5
6.E. Novikov (RUS)/ I. Minor (AUT) Ford +3:37.0
7.T. Neuville (BEL)/ N. Gilsoul (BEL) Citroen +4:11.9
8.M. Wilson (GBR)/ S. Martin (GBR) Ford +6:00.4
9.M. Prokop (CZE)/ Z. Hruza (CZE) Ford +6:58.9
10.N. Al-Attiyah (QAT)/ G. Bernacchini (ITA) +9:32.1
11.C.Atkinson (AUS)/ S. PrÃ©vot (BEL) MINI +9:37.0
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Steve · Sep 16, 2012

Chris Atkinsonâ€™s and Paulo Nobreâ€™s drama on final day in Wales GB (RallySportLive.com)

By RSL Staff â€“ September 17, 2012

Drop by drop â€“ the term applies equally to the weather and the tactics: On the final day of the Rally Great Britain, Chris Atkinson fought his way through the drizzle to the finish.

Getting to know car and team: that was the minimum target; taking away something tangible, a bonus. A consistent, safe drive to the finish was the chosen style. Yet, a championship point slipped through Chris â€œAtkoâ€ Atkinsonâ€™s fingers in, literally, the final minutes. Having started the 19th special stage in tenth place overall with a comfortable cushion, suspension failure was responsible for the dayâ€™s drama. Atko limped to the stage finish â€“ five seconds too late for a world championship point.

On the third rally day the weather decided to leave the WRC circus with a final impression of â€œtypical Walesâ€. Constant drizzle in Cardiff Bay once again ensured slippery, muddy special stages. Precisely the conditions the Rally Great Britain is renowned for.

Double trouble for MINI

â€œDuring the night before the third rally day we changed something on the set-up, which had a positive result,â€ said Atko. â€œUnfortunately a sensor failed, leaving us without a gear indicator, so the day was not as perfect as we had imagined. However, I still felt increasingly comfortable with the MINI as the rally progressed.â€

Then came suspension failure. â€œWe didnâ€™t hit anything â€“ at first I thought it was a puncture,â€ explained Atko at the stage finish.

Having lain 13th for a considerable period of time, Atko profited from the retirement of Ott TanÃ¤k, who withdrew from the rally on the third-last stage with suspension damage. Then, on â€˜SS 19, Atkoâ€™s ill-luck struck. However, TanÃ¤k and Atko were not the only unfortunate ones: Paulo Nobre, Atkoâ€™s team-mate in the WRC Team MINI Portugal, was forced to retire his MINI John Cooper Works WRC en route to the Port Talbot test â€“ SS17 â€“ with battery problems.
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Steve · Sep 17, 2012

Atko's MINI on 2 wheels at 2:39...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjScLXMYM4Q]WRC Wales Rally GB 2012 (HD - pure sound) - YouTube[/ame]

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