WRC: Wales Rally GB

Steve · Nov 4, 2011

Mini keeping feet on the ground ahead of Wales Rally GB (autosport.com)

By Matt Beer | Friday, November 4th 2011, 16:01 GMT

Mini team boss David Richards and driver Kris Meeke say they do not expect a podium finish on the car's home debut in Wales Rally GB next weekend.

The new-for-2011 Mini programme achieved its first top-three finish when Dani Sordo fought for victory and finished second in France last month.

But Richards warned that as the team had been prioritising asphalt work in recent months, expecting a similar result in the Welsh forests was optimistic.

"We have already enjoyed a far better year than anyone could ever have expected but as our focus over the last few months has been on tarmac development, another podium result would be a surprise finish to a year that has far exceeded everyone's expectation," he said.

"Yet, I'm certain that both drivers are looking forward to a strong performance on the Mini WRC team's British debut in front of our home fans."

Meeke agreed that he would be keeping his feet on the ground, but said the number of new stages featuring in what he admitted would be feel like a home rally could work in his favour.

"Without a rally in Ireland, this is as near to a home event as it gets for me," said Meeke. "I did my first ever rally in Wales and grew up doing British championships, so feel very much at home there as it is terrain I felt quite comfortable on.

"We have to keep our expectations in check, even though I am sure we will have a lot of local support.

"The good thing is we have a level playing field in Wales, as there are lots of new stages this year and they are even new for the championship regulars.

"The conditions should be consistent for everyone and this will allow us to assess our car on the event. I would certainly like to finish the season on a high."
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Steve · Nov 4, 2011

Wrc.com preview: Wales Rally GB (wrc.com)

04 Nov 11

WRC round 13 of 13. Thursday 10 November - Sunday 13 November.

The rally
After 12 thrilling rounds in four continents, the 2011 World Rally Championship concludes in Great Britain next week with the title battle finely poised between Mikko Hirvonen and defending champion Sebastien Loeb.

Loeb, the seven-time title-winner, is eight points clear of Hirvonen after he ended a barren spell with victory on the last round, the 67th of his phenomenal career. But with Wales Rally GBâ€™s stages frequently subjected to mud, rain and strong wind, the destination of this yearâ€™s crown is far from settled.

In a further twist, significant changes have been made to the itinerary of this yearâ€™s title showdown with a route spanning from Llandudno in the north of Wales to Cardiff, the principalityâ€™s capital, in the south.

Although the stages on Saturday and Sunday will be familiar to Rally GB regulars, albeit with a few modifications, the stages on Thursday and Friday represent unchartered territory for most. And to spice up the action, an all-asphalt test on the Great Orme toll road, which juts out into the Irish Sea, will open the action, the first time since 1981 that it has been used on the rally.

Furthermore, the Clocaenog Forest stage late on Thursday afternoon last appeared on the event route in 1996, one year before Sebastien Loeb first took part in a full rally. Fridayâ€™s route is also untried by the bulk of the overseas competitors, with Dyfi Forest last used in 1996 and Dyfnant Forest not visited since 1997.

While Saturdayâ€™s stages in Hafren, Sweet Lamb and Myherin are unchanged from 2010, the Halfway, Crychan and Monument tests on Sunday will generally run in a reverse direction, with Halfway and Crychan again featuring a combination of asphalt and gravel.

Aside from the Great Orme test, Rally GBâ€™s stages on mainly closed forest roads are characterised by their high-speed and undulating nature with inconsistent grip levels caused by changeable weather conditions creating a huge challenge for crews.

In another change for 2011, the permanent service park will be housed in the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells, where shakedown will also take place on Wednesday. However, the rally headquarters will continue to be based in the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, while Llandudno will host an overnight halt on Thursday and a remote service zone.

As well as counting as the final event of the WRC season, Wales Rally GB will bring the curtain down on the Production Car World Rally Championship and the new-for-2011 WRC Academy Cup. Previews for both support championships will appear on Wrc.com next week.

So whoâ€™s going to win?
Sebastien Loeb starts Wales Rally GB knowing that second place will be enough for an unprecedented eighth world championship. However, the Frenchman insists he wonâ€™t hold back in his Citroen DS3 WRC as he bids for his third-straight victory on British soil.

Team-mate Sebastien Ogierâ€™s title dream ended when his DS3 suffered an engine failure on the previous round in Spain. Although he would have been under orders to support Loebâ€™s title bid in Wales, the rising star was hugely disappointed after his penultimate-round retirement and will be hoping to hit back with a sixth win of 2011.

Mikko Hirvonen triumphed on Rally GB in 2007 and must beat Loeb to stand any chance of becoming world champion for the first time. The Finn is a big fan off the all-gravel event and will be aiming to build on the confidence gained by winning the loose-surface Rally Australia back in September. Hirvonen lost out to Loeb in a final-round showdown in 2009 and will be determined not to let history repeat itself.

Jari-Matti Latvala joins Hirvonen in the factory Ford team and is long overdue his fist victory of the season after posting a succession of rapid performances in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. However, with Hirvonen desperate for points, Latvala is once again set to cede position to Hirvonen should he be in front of his fellow Finn.

Petter Solberg has fond memories of competing in Wales after winning the 2003 world crown in the principality. The Norwegian has battled to raise the finance to compete on the season-closer, even dipping into his own savings to take part. Victory would therefore be fitting reward for the privateer and his British co-driver Chris Patterson.

Factory MINI drivers Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo have produced a number of strong results since giving the John Cooper Works WRC its debut on Rally Italia Sardinia in May. Transferring the pace shown on asphalt in recent events to gravel is the next big test for the Prodrive-run squad but there is no reason why it canâ€™t rise to the occasion, particularly with Briton Meeke at the wheel of one of its cars.

Mads Ostberg, currently a fine sixth in the driversâ€™ table, hadnâ€™t been expected to compete in Wales after seemingly depleting his funds by contesting the previous round in Spain. But an unnamed investor has given the Norwegian the money necessary to take part at the wheel of his M-Sport Stobart Fiesta. British ace Matthew Wilson will partner Ostberg in the M-Sport squad and will be looking to make up for his late retirement in Spain, the result of a rare driving error.

Other World Rally Car drivers in action in Great Britain include Russian Evgeny Novikov, who is replacing Khalid Al Qassimi in Team Abu Dhabiâ€™s Fiesta, 2007 Formula One title winner Kimi Raikkonen, Norwegian veteran Henning Solberg, Dutch promise Peter van Merksteijn Jr, Gymkhana FOUR legend Ken Block, double Production Car world champion Armindo Araujo and Dennis Kuipers, who continues to make progress in his FERM Power Tools-backed Fiesta.

Martin Prokop and Ott Tanak graduate from the Super 2000 World Rally Championship and are likely to impress in their Fiesta RS WRCs. Brazilian Paulo Nobre will also sample a World Rally Car in competition for the first time after landing a deal to drive a MINI, the car of choice for his countryman Daniel Oliveira.

Volkswagen Motorsport will continue its WRC initiation in Wales with a brace of Skoda Fabia S2000s for Kevin Abbring and Sepp Wiegand.

On this rally last year
Sebastien Loeb ensured he would score points on each round of a WRC season for the first time in his career by claiming his eighth victory of the year on the final event for the old-generation World Rally Car. Driving a Citroen C4 WRC, Loeb beat Citroen privateer Petter Solberg by just under 20 seconds. Jari-Matti Latvala recovered to third after dropping time on Friday with a broken wheel rim. Spaniard Xevi Pons made history by winning the inaugural Super 2000 World Rally Championship crown in his Ford Fiesta S2000.

Tyres
Michelin will supply its Latitude Cross gravel tyre in soft compound only. Meanwhile, DMACK will provide its DMG Plus for Ott Tanak, the first time the Anglo-Chinese firm has supplied tyres to a World Rally Car. Several Production Car world championship runners will also use the DMACK covers.

Did you know?
Britainâ€™s World Rally Championship counter has been a qualifying round of the series every year since the WRC was established in 1973 although the eventâ€™s origins actually date back to 1932.
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Justa Jim · Nov 4, 2011

I like the way MINI is not talking "win" like they did prior to Spain. Just let it happen or not. Sounds like this one is similar to the older ones, where it is start to finish in a direct line, or did I misunderstand that?

Jim

Angib · Nov 5, 2011

jbewley said: ↑

Sounds like this one is similar to the older ones, where it is start to finish in a direct line, or did I misunderstand that?
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I don't think you'll find any national/international rallies like that any longer - here is the official overall map (PDF) - nowadays virtually every rally stage gets used twice in one day, so the effort of preparing and controlling it can re-used.

And to give flavour, here is a lovely quote from the Unclyclopedia entry for rallying:

Talk to any rally enthusiast and they will happily tell you that nothing beats getting up at 4am, driving 200 miles into the breacon beacons, abandoning the car in the middle of nowhere, walking across country for several miles, finding the stage, then hanging around for 6 hours freezing your conkers off before an unrecognisable car, covered from sill to roof in mud, tears past at 100mph, covering you in stones and mud.
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Steve · Nov 7, 2011

:lol: "... dry, dusty roads in British forests in November are about as common as the sight of Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke on a figure-skating rink." :lol:

Season Finale for the MINI WRC Team. (minimotorsport.com)

7 November 2011
The MINI WRC Team aims to end its maiden WRC season with yet another positive result. But, Rally Great Britain will be no walk in the park.

Some good news to start off with: Unlike the Rally Spain, the overall winner of the Rally Great Britain is not expected to be decided on the opening special stage. For dry, dusty roads in British forests in November are about as common as the sight of Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke on a figure-skating rink.

After his promising performances in Germany and France, Dani had high hopes to score the MINI WRC Teamâ€™s maiden overall victory in Spain. However, his hopes were already crushed after the first stage as thick dust clouds jeopardised all drivers who started behind SÃ©bastien Loeb, who built up a substantial seven second lead over the second-placed driver on the first stage alone by virtue of having a clear road ahead. Dani, who started fourth, already lay 43,2 seconds adrift at that point.

The teams are expecting totally different conditions for the season finale. "It is usually wet and so the roads are very muddy," says Dani. "Even though I do remember some good weather, there is still the mud." Rain is a regular feature of Rally Great Britain, with the chances of ice and snow not being excluded. As the roads are mostly gravel, a real "mud fest" can be expected.

Kris is extremely enthusiastic about the rally. "I did my first ever rally in Wales," he says, "and grew up doing British championships, so feel very much at home there as it is terrain I felt quite comfortable on. This is as near to a home event as it gets for me," adds the driver of the number 52 MINI John Cooper Works WRC, who was born in Northern Ireland.

Besides challenging weather conditions, the substantially changed Rally Great Britain route is expected to pose its own demands. Famous special stages with such unpronounceable names as Clocaenog, Gartheiniog, Dyfi and Myherin are naturally on the agenda, but this yearâ€™s event includes numerous new tests.

"The good thing is we have a level playing field in Wales, as there are lots of new stages this year and they are even new for the championship regulars," says Kris. Dani has admitted the pace notes are something that he and co-driver Carlos del Barrio "will work on". They face 354,97 competitive kilometres in a total of 23 stages over four days from Thursday.

As with previous events and in order to be best prepared, ahead of this rally the MINI WRC Team successfully completed a test session with the basically unaltered MINI John Cooper Works WRC in conditions similar to those expected in Wales. "We made no major changes to the cars," said Dave Wilcock, Technical Director for the MINI WRC Team, following the test in Wales. "We added a protection against cold engines on long road sections, water splash kits for deep puddles and anti-misting devices for the screens. But generally we were very satisfied with the rally performance of the cars after the Rally Spain."

Thus the finale of the MINI WRC Teamâ€™s maiden season in the WRC is nigh. "I would certainly like to finish the season on a high," says Kris, who made his WRC debut in 2005 on this rally. Adds Dani: "I like the rally a lot" â€“ little wonder given the fact that in 2008 and 2009 he made it to the podium, finishing third each time. Thus MINI fans can look forward to a thrilling last appearance of their team before the winter break. Shakedown starts on Wednesday 9 AM local time, the first car enters he opening special stage on Thursday, 2:38 PM sharp.
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minimark · Nov 7, 2011

Can't wait!!!

Steve · Nov 7, 2011

Slightly less waiting this time, Rally GB is three and a half days long...the half day is Thurs afternoon.

Steve · Nov 7, 2011

Never mind the mud .....

Justa Jim · Nov 7, 2011

Between the mud, the sheep and the figure skating, this is going to be a good one. :lol:

Jim

Crashton · Nov 7, 2011

Rally GB or the RAC as us old guys remember it has always been a tough contest to win. Even though they have changed the format in WRC to make the rallies a bit more tame the British round is the toughest of the lot me thinks. Well maybe the Safari was tougher. :wink:

Steve · Nov 8, 2011

Rallying: Meeke and the Mini revival (independent.co.uk)

Irish driver hopes to fuel car's remarkable return at this weekend's Wales Rally

Richard Rae | Tuesday 08 November 2011

The name is the same, and the shape, while altogether bulkier and more muscular, remains unmistakable. Otherwise, as Kris Meeke acknowledges, the resemblance between his Mini Cooper World Rally Championship car and that which won the Monte Carlo rally in 1964 and which, courtesy of the 1969 film The Italian Job, remains fixed in the national psyche as an example of a peculiarly British triumph against the odds, is minimal.

Certain parallels are, however, irresistible. The 2011 Mini may be the product of several years of research and development aimed at producing the perfect rally car, but the expenditure on the project, compared with the budgets of the big works teams of CitroÃ«n and Ford, has been relatively small. Yet this season, Mini's first back in the WRC and intended to be very much part of that development with just six out of 13 events entered, has been remarkably successful. Steady improvement over the year culminated in Meeke finishing last month's Rally de EspaÃ±a in fifth, one place and just one minute 40 seconds â€“ after more than four hours' driving â€“ behind his vastly experienced team-mate, the Spaniard Dani Sordo.

For both Mini and the 32-year-old Meeke it was a hugely encouraging result, and if the team can follow up with a similarly competitive performance in the very different conditions that will prevail in this weekend's Wales Rally GB, a meticulously planned smash-and-grab raid on next year's championship may not be an entirely fantastical proposition.

"Well, there's still a long way to go before we can think about that sort of thing," pointed out Meeke, while waiting to take his turn behind the wheel at a pre-race test in a Welsh forest last week. "It's certainly fair to say we're ahead of where we expected to be, though. We're still learning about the car, so to be fighting for podiums and even wins [Meeke won the Power Stage in Spain, while Sordo finished second overall in the Rallye de France Alsace] is exceptional.

"At the same time we're not as fast as CitroÃ«n yet, so we have to keep things in perspective."

The learning curve for Meeke has been, if anything, steeper than that of the team in respect to the car. A Northern Irishman brought up around the sport â€“ his father, Sydney, is regarded as the doyen of the country's rally engineers â€“ Meeke had no thoughts about becoming a professional driver when he graduated in mechanical engineering, and was working in a motor sport design department when his mother, Carol (now sadly deceased), entered him in a "Find a rally driver" competition at Silverstone.

Receiving the trophy from compatriot Paddy Hopkirk â€“ who drove the Mini to its 1964 triumph â€“ was, with the benefit of hindsight, a nice coincidence, but it was the experience gained and steady progress made over the following 10 years which persuaded David Richards, whose company Prodrive is behind the Mini project, to make Meeke one of his drivers. That included receiving early support â€“ financial and otherwise â€“ from Colin McRae, and in 2009 winning the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge with Peugeot.

But as a driver, Meeke is first to admit this has not been the easiest of years. Richards, who between 2003-05 was team principal of the BAR team which in many respects resuscitated the Formula One career of Jenson Button, is a tough taskmaster, and at times Meeke has probably tried too hard, both to impress and to keep pace with his much more experienced team-mate.

In France, for example, he was running fifth when he rolled the car on stage 13. "I was pushing, and I pushed a touch too hard. I was angry with myself, but it came about because I was pushing the boundaries, which in a car you're developing is at least a bit excusable if you're not fighting for the championhip. But it was a lesson learnt.

"In fact, every rally, every stage, has been a lesson learnt, because I've never driven in the WRC. Dani has had six years, and was No 2 CitroÃ«n driver to [world champion] SÃ©bastian Loeb for five of them. That's one of the reasons I'm looking forward to this rally â€“ there are a lot of brand new stages, so for once we'll be on something like a level playing field."

Richards understands. "Kris has made mistakes because he thinks he should be competing with the likes of Dani when he probably can't expect to, yet, but we've seen in some events this year he's been right up there. He can't expect to win events from the outset, he needs to be a bit more pragmatic. His time will come."

Richards' track record is one of a man who is very rarely wrong although, if Meeke's time may well come, it may not be this weekend.

Exceptional on asphalt, the new Mini is so far remarkably competitive on gravel, and the team would also like a bit more power from the BMW engine. In fact, they'd like more backing from their German parent company altogether, to ensure they have the budget to compete in every rally next year.

The annual budget of the top works teams is close to Â£50m: this year Mini has probably spent around a 10th of that sum.

From a marketing point of view, given the brand's unique image and what has been achieved this season, it seems something of a no-brainer, but times are hard. Another good result in Britain, and the publicity it would attract, might make all the difference.

Mini: Major achievements

The Mini Cooper S won the famed Monte Carlo Rally on three occasions, in 1964, 1965 and 1967.

In the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally Minis were initially placed first, second and third, but were disqualified by the French judges for illegal headlights â€“ the CitroÃ«n DS awarded first place also had illegal white headlamps but escaped disqualification.

In 1965 the Mini won a total of 17 international rallies and picked up no fewer than 116 major awards in international rallies and races.

In the early Minis, oil tended to leak on to the clutch plate from the main crankshaft oil seal. Rally drivers overcame this problem by throwing handfuls of sand into the clutch housing â€“ sometimes it was the only way they could finish the race.

5.3 million Minis were sold, making it by far the most popular British car ever made.

The Mini made very little money despite the number of sales â€“ Ford once dismantled a Mini and determined that BMC must have been losing around Â£30 per car.

The breathtaking escape through the Turin sewers by gold bar-filled Mini Coopers in 'The Italian Job' was filmed in Coventry.
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Steve · Nov 9, 2011

We Want to get One Driver on the Podium. (minimotorsport.com)

9 November 2011
With the shakedown of Rally GB underway, the MINI WRC Team's Technical Director Dave Wilcock speaks about a super relaxed Kris Meeke and the challenging season finale for the MINI WRC Team.

Hi MINI Fans,

Here we go for the final rally of the season. But before I go into further details here, I need to have a final look back at the Rally Spain because not only did we finally manage to get Kris across the finishing line but it was in spectacular fashion with Kris and Dani finishing first and second on the power stage respectively.

Kris was particularly delighted with his result, of course, finishing 5th overall and collecting 13 WRC points. Kris took a different approach to Rally Spain. Once he got behind the wheel on the pre-event test he closed the lid on what I call his "France demons". And with his new super relaxed mood he showed an excellent performance. Now we need to continue as we have been.

Rally GB is being run almost completely on gravel but this time it is wet, muddy, possibly icy and defiantly foggy. It is a rally which can catch anybody out at any time. It is a very unforgiving rally. It is held on a surface which we have not tested very much for. We managed half a day with each driver last week with positive results, but ideally we would have preferred more time, but anyway we feel as confident as we can. Our goal for both drivers is to get one of them on the podium.

We have a season review meeting with both crews after the rally. They will meet all the backroom staff who have helped to make our entrance into the WRC such a successful one. It has without doubt been an excellent start for MINI, Dani, Carlos, Kris, Paul and the entire team. So we are all having an evening together in Banbury before they fly-off home for a short break before it all kicks off again very soon.

Yours,

Dave
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Steve · Nov 9, 2011

Ostberg and Meeke set shakedown pace (wrc.com)

09 Nov 11

Mads Ostberg has vowed not to get too carried away after he set the joint fastest time in shakedown for Wales Rally GB, the deciding round of the 2011 World Rally Championship.

Ostberg, driving an M-Sport Stobart Ford Fiesta RS WRC, completed the 1.7-kilometre all-gravel stage in a time of 1m31.2s, the same time set by factory MINI John Cooper Works WRC driver Kris Meeke, from Northern Ireland.

â€œOkay, itâ€™s only shakedown and not the rally but it still means things are working straight away,â€ said the Norwegian. â€œIt gives you a small boost when you are fastest but we wonâ€™t get carried away. Definitely Iâ€™m happy with the car after the pre-event test. I just canâ€™t wait to start the stages now.â€

Works Citroen driver Sebastien Loeb, who heads Mikko Hirvonen by eight points in the chase for the world driversâ€™ title, was third fastest on the rain-hit practice course around the service park in Builth Wells with Meekeâ€™s MINI team-mate Dani Sordo fourth quickest.

MINI WRC Team technical chief Dave Wilcock was buoyed by the performance of his two drivers. He said: â€œBoth cars functioned perfectly on the shakedown. Both drivers are very happy with their cars and looking forward to starting the rally proper tomorrow. Now it is business as usual, getting the mud off the cars and putting the final settings in for the lights.â€

Sebastien Ogier, who partners Loeb at Citroen, factory Ford ace Jari-Matti Latvala and Briton Matthew Wilson were equal fifth fastest, all setting a time of 1m32.5s.

Hirvonen, meanwhile, was eighth quickest with ex-Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen ninth and Monster World Rally Teamâ€™s Ken Block 10th.

Here are the Shakedown times of the World Rally Car drivers:

=1. OSTBERG. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:31.2
=1. MEEKE. MINI John Cooper Works WRC. 1:31.2
3. LOEB. Citroen DS3 WRC. 1:32.1
4. SORDO. MINI John Cooper Works WRC. 1:32.2
=5. OGIER. Citroen DS3 WRC. 1:32.5
=5. LATVALA. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:32.5
=5. WILSON. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:32.5
=8. HIRVONEN. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:32.8
=8. RAIKKONEN. Citroen DS3 WRC. 1:32.8
10. BLOCK. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:33.4
11. H. SOLBERG. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:33.9
=12. KUIPERS. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:34.4
=12. P. SOLBERG. Citroen DS3 WRC. 1:34.4
=12. PROKOP. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:34.4
15. NOVIKOV. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:34.7
16. TANAK. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:34.8
17. ARAUJO. MINI John Cooper Works WRC. 1:35.2
(19). VAN MERKSTEIJN JR. Citroen DS3 WRC. 1:36.2
(23). OLIVEIRA. MINI John Cooper Works WRC. 1:39.3
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Justa Jim · Nov 9, 2011

I kind of wish Wilcock had stuck with his pitch from the other day. Now he is talking "podium" again and that could have a bad influence on both drivers. Mainly Kris. :frown5:

Jim

Steve · Nov 9, 2011

Couple comments from other drivers to give an idea of how challenging this rally may be.

Peter Solberg, after the shakedown:
"The conditions got more slippery towards the end as more and more grass and mud got dragged into the stage."

Jari-Matti Latvala reckons the WRC title finish will be resolved before Rally GB finish (autosport.com)

By David Evans | Wednesday, November 9th 2011, 14:16 GMT

Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala says he does not expect the fight for this year's World Rally Championship title to last the distance of Rally GB.

The Finn says the route and the conditions on this week's title-deciding finale are not conducive to both his team-mate Mikko Hirvonen and championship leader Sebastien Loeb making the finish.

"The new stages are making this event very, very interesting," said Latvala. "The stages in Dyfi are really nice, but once again I think it's more challenging now than ever. We don't know the grip level on the new stages and then the weather is changing and taking the grip level higher or lower.

"Personally, I believe the fight won't go on until the power stage - I think we will see this thing decided before that. There are enough tricky corners on this rally."

Latvala added that the first gravel test on the event - tomorrow's Clocaenog stage - will be among the toughest.

"That one is really difficult," said Latvala. "It's quite different to Dyfi and Dyfnant, it's hard to follow the way the rally goes - it doesn't read like a natural road. But at the same time it is fast and it can be quite dark.

"Already, this first day is very challenging way to start this event. Definitely this can be the most difficult rally of the year, especially if the fog comes down."
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Steve · Nov 9, 2011

Kris Meeke says Rally GB will show Mini's true gravel pace (autosport.com)

By David Evans | Wednesday, November 9th 2011, 17:15 GMT

Kris Meeke says this week's Rally GB will be the first true test of the Mini John Cooper Works WRC's competitiveness on gravel.

The car has undergone further development since its last forest outing on Rally Finland in the summer and Meeke says the Welsh stages will demonstrate exactly where the team is at on the loose.

"We did a day on the loose on the Catalunya Rally last month," said Meeke. "But that didn't really count - because of the dust we couldn't actually see where we were going for much of the time. We know where the car is on the asphalt from France and Germany and we know the car's really close [to the leaders]. But we'll know much more about the gravel after this week.

"The good thing is that we have some new stages on this rally and nobody knows those roads. We'll have a level playing field to really see where we are with the car, which will be really useful for the future."

Meeke added that he is a big fan of Friday;s new stages in North Wales.

"I love them," said the former Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion. "About 10 years ago, I competed on my first ever special stage - and that was stage four [Dyfnant] on this rally. I don't remember the stages at all, but I do know that I love these roads."
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Steve · Nov 10, 2011

SS1 and 2: Ogier out as Latvala leads (wrc.com)

10 Nov 11

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS1 and SS2, Great Orme 1 and 2 (4.74 kilometres)

Stage description:
By M-Sport Stobart

Ford Rally Team co-driver Scott Martin: â€œItâ€™s fast and itâ€™s going to be quite tricky because you never know how the surface is going to be, particularly with the sea being so close and what gets blown onto the road. As well as being wet there are big kerbs waiting to catch you out. Itâ€™s easy to knock a wheel off or something if youâ€™re silly and youâ€™re going to pay for it for the rest of the rally. The cars are going to be in gravel trim with gravel tyres and gravel suspension so itâ€™s not going to be ideal for it. You just have to make the best job you can.â€

How the action unfolded:
There was high drama as Wales Rally GB, the deciding round of the 2011 World Rally Championship, got underway with two runs over the all-asphalt Great Orme stage.

Sebastien Ogier crashed approximately 1.6 kilometres into the first run of the 4.74-kilometre test, taking a wheel off his Citroen DS3 WRC. It is understood his damaged car will be transported back to the permanent service park in Builth Wells where his mechanics will attempt to carry out repairs to enable him to restart under SupeRally regulations on day two.

Although Ogier dropped out of contention for the world title when he retired on the previous round in Spain, he was planning to play a supporting role to team-mate and championship leader Sebastien Loeb.

Petter Solberg, running two places behind Ogier, was also in trouble on the stage, damaging the right-rear of his privateer Citroen when he clipped a kerb and took the tyre off the rim.

The Norwegian feared heâ€™d damaged the bottom arm of his carâ€™s rear suspension in the process and reported a bout of understeer on the second pass, which he still managed to complete in fourth position overall. The first 1.5 kilometres of the stage were held in dry conditions. However, the remainder of the test ran over damp and slippery roads, increasing the challenge for the crews.

Jari-Matti Latvala, in a factory Ford Fiesta RS WRC takes a lead of 0.9s over Loeb into the eventâ€™s first forest stage, the 15.77-kilometre Clocaenog test, which gets underway at 16:18hrs local time.

â€œIt was a difficult start for me, really, really nasty,â€ said Latvala. â€œI saw big braking marks and then I saw Ogierâ€™s car in the wall. I took this a little more steady and careful this time so the time was not so good, but we will carry on from here.â€

Loeb is second overall, 3.0s clear of title rival Mikko Hirvonen. â€œIâ€™m glad thatâ€™s behind us,â€ said Ford driver Hirvonen. â€œI took it steady, maybe even steadier than the last time. The real rally starts now.â€

Meanwhile, Loeb said: â€œIt was really tricky this stage with some damp patches. With the gravel tyre it was really slippery.â€

MINI WRC Team drivers Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo are fifth and sixth respectively after two stages. Evgeny Novikov is seventh in his Team Abu Dhabi Fiesta. Mads Ostberg is eighth for the M-Sport Stobart team, with Volkswagen Motorsportâ€™s Kevin Abbring impressing by holding ninth overall in his Super 2000-specification Skoda Fabia. Briton Matthew Wilson completes the top 10 in his Fiesta.

Key moment:
Ogier out, Solberg in trouble on challenging asphalt runs.
Click to expand...

Steve · Nov 10, 2011

SS3: Hirvonen fastest as Loeb takes lead (wrc.com)

10 Nov 11

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS3, Clocaenog (15.77 kilometres)

Stage description:
By M-Sport Stobart

Ford Rally Team co-driver Scott Martin: â€œGiven the fact this stage was last used in 1996 I expected it to be more green and overgrown but itâ€™s actually in a good condition because some work has clearly been. It was minus two degrees when we did the recce and the ground was hard and frozen. With just a remote service afterwards we wonâ€™t be taking any risks. There are some quick straights and itâ€™s quite flat without the rise and fall you get on some of the other stages. There are quite a few square junctions, which can be a bit deceptive after the long straights. Itâ€™s also going to be dark under the trees and dark for the crews running further back.â€

How the action unfolded:
Mikko Hirvonen has boosted his chances of winning the World Rally Championship by going fastest on the Clocaenog stage in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Hirvonen completed the first forest stage of Wales Rally GB 2.3s faster than title rival Sebastien Loeb, who moves ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala into the overall lead, 0.7s ahead of Hirvonen.

â€œIt was very slippery,â€ said Citroen driver Loeb. â€œThere was a lot of mud and the grip was changing at every corner.â€

Hirvonen said: â€œIt was surprisingly dark in the forests but I was quite happy with that.â€

Former leader Latvala, who drops to third overall, said: "I wasn't maybe having the best feeling on the stage but it was okay."

With the daylight rapidly fading, crews began to struggle to see where they were going. Briton Matthew Wilson was affected more than most due to a broken light pod.

â€œIt was going really well,â€ said the M-Sport Stobart driver. â€œWe were up on Mads at about six of seven kilometres, then the front bumper light came up and I couldnâ€™t see anything - I lost the light completely.â€

Petter Solberg was fourth fastest in his privateer Citroen with Kris Meeke fifth in his MINI John Cooper Works WRC. Super 2000 World Rally Championship runner-up Ott Tanak impressed with the sixth fastest time on his first outing in a World Rally Car.

Crews are now heading to Llandudno for the remote service halt via the opening ceremony at Conwy Quay.

Key moment:
Hirvonen fastest, Loeb takes rally lead.
Click to expand...

Steve · Nov 10, 2011

Not a lot of action today, just three quick stages and they're done. Meeke is currently 5th, 18.7 sec behind the leader (Loeb) and Sordo is a further 8.6 sec back in 6th.

I expect some videos to show up from today's action, otherwise we wait to see what happens tomorrow.

In the meantime, here's some video of the MINIs on yesterday's shakedown.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By7Ffpk9w1I]WRC Wales GB 2011 - Mini Shakedown [HD] - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Nov 10, 2011

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