Rally

The Missouri license plate calls it the “Show Me State.”  Ken Block proved that is the case this weekend, as all one has to do to learn how to race in the Rally of the 100 Acre Woods is watch him behind the wheel.

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Block has won the Rally America event every time since 2006.

This high-speed flowing event is well-matched to Block’s flat-out approach. Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino have now won this event in southern Missouri four times in a row. The rally took place through the Ozark foothills of southern Missouri. The smooth gravel course sees some of the highest speeds in the series.

“I love the flow of the stages of this event,” said Block at the finish. “I love the high speeds.”

Defending Rally America Champion and Block’s teammate Travis Pastrana suffered a rollover on Day One after a strong start. He and co-driver Christian Edstrom were unharmed, but their rally was over. Pastrana had stated that he was ready to win or crash trying to keep Block out of the top spot. 

The weather, as usual, played a big part of the event. Friday’s warm temperatures that met the competitors at the Friday turned cold and blinding snow at the finish line. The conditions deteriorated so much that the final stage was dropped after it was deemed impassable.

Andrew Comrie-Picard finished in second place, 43.1 seconds behind, in his NOS Energy Drink Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX after a close contest with Tanner Foust in his new Rockstar Energy Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.

“I feel awesome,” said Comrie-Picard. “The car was perfect and our Yokohama winter tires gave us an edge when the snow started coming down.”

Foust and co-driver Chrissie Beavis were just behind by just a tenth of a second, but the gap extended as the weather worsened during the final stages of the contest.   Debuting their new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, Foust let it be known that he was able to pick up the pace as he adjusted to the new car. 

“It’s good to be on the podium,” said Tanner. “The car has great potential.” 

This news adds to the optimism that this year’s edition of America’s premier rally championship will be one for the highlight reel. Two rounds into the Rally America Championship, Comrie-Picard and Foust are now tied for the championship lead.

“It’s really exciting to be at the top of the points with Tanner. I’m really enthusiastic for this season,” said Comrie-Picard.

In fourth place overall were Bill Bacon and co-driver Peter Watt in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX, while Polish driver Andi Mancin and co-driver Maciej Wislawski rounded out the top five.

Matt Johnson and co-driver Jeremy Wimpey took the win in the new Super Production class, with a finish of sixth place overall in their Subaru WRX.

“I love this event, it’s awesome,” said Johnson. “You just put the hammer down and hang on.”

Johnson had pulled ahead of Dave Mirra and co-driver Derek Ringer in their Subaru Rally Team USA Subaru WRX for the class win on the second day of the contest. Mirra and Ringer started strong, even running as high as third place overall early in the rally.

The two-wheel drive win went to Burak Tuglu and co-driver Carrie Wilburn in their 2001 Ford Focus. 
 
Rally America championship next moves west to Washington State for the Olympus Rally, April 18-19.

Round two of the Rally America Championship heads south from the frozen tundra of Michigan to scenic Ozark foothills of southern Missouri in southern Missouri Feb. 27 to 28.  It is early spring in this region, but the teams must come prepared for anything when it comes to the weather. Anyone who attended last year can attest to that as a freak storm blanket the region with a thick layer of ice in the days before the rally.

The Rally in the 100-Acre Wood course is fast, tight, and tortuous, on roads known as some of the best in the nation for rallying.

The fast an flowing course through the Missouri forest seems tailored made for  Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block as it suits his let-it-all-hang-out style.

How well does it suit him?

He all but owns this event.  Block took his first national win at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in 2006 and has stood at the top of the podium ever year since.

But don’t think for a moment that Ken Block will have it easy as his dominance has made him a tantalizing target for the other competitors.  His greatest challenger will be his own teammate on the Subaru Rally Team USA, Travis Pastrana.  Pastrana wasn’t even finished celebrating his Round one win at Sno*Drift when he stated that he wasn’t prepared to let Block take his fourth consecutive win in Missouri.

Among the other challengers to Block will be Rockstar Energy driver Tanner Foust.  Currently second in the points after a superb drive at Sno*Drift in the “tired”, ex-John Buffman Hyundai Tiburon, Foust will debut a potent new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X rally car for this event.  NOS Energy’s Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard is looking for another solid finish after he claimed the third spot on the podium at Round One.

In a bid to be more competitive Rally America newcomer Andi Mancin, has used the time between events to upgrade his rally car.  Look for the young man from Poland to use this to challenge for the podium.

Rally America’s new Super Production class will provide it’s own furious competition with Dave Mirra’s anticipated debut with the Subaru Rally Team USA’s. Former two-time Production-GT champion Matt Johnson is looking to rebound after a disappointing first round in Michigan.

Rounding out the field will be a number of veteran two-wheel drive competitors who are also projected to participate at the Rally in the 100-Acre Wood which should make for thrilling battles all weekend.

It was a very tight contest between Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen across the snow and icy roads of Rally Norway. The intense fight lasted from the very first stage to the very end at the World Rally Championship's second round of the 2009 season.

Norway is enjoying a spectacular winter and with temperatures nudging -30ºC, the ice-packed roads were in perfect condition for a classic snow rally.  Bone hard and lined by large snow banks, they encouraged drivers to attack.  The tungsten-tipped studs in Pirelli's Sottozero tires provided amazing grip as they cut into the deep ice base and the competitors clocked speeds of more than 200 kph through the picture-postcard countryside.

Loeb led from the start—as first car on the road on all three days—to finish the rally 9.8 seconds ahead to take his 49th win in his record breaking WRC career. This gives Loeb a perfect winning record on the two rallies so far this year. As he fights for an unparalleled sixth consecutive WRC drivers’ title, Loeb leads the drivers’ standings with 20 points, six ahead of Mikko Hirvonen in second.

Snow expert Mikko Hirvonen applied persistent pressure on his rival, but Loeb was able to hold his own on the icy surfaces upon which he is not wholly at ease and secured a hard fought win.

"That's been very difficult, Mikko did a very good rally," Sebastien Loeb said after taking the win.

The Citroen Total Sport driver admitted that there was a certain amount of pressure involved as well, as "we could lose everything until the very last corner of the last stage; that's very difficult."

The Ford team's Mikko Hirvonen had mixed feelings: "Definitely I'm sad we came second but I'm glad it's finished." Speaking of Loeb, the Finn basically explained: "He was faster."

"This was the best winter rally I've competed on—and I have driven many," said Hirvonen.  "It was fantastic to drive on the edge in snow and ice for three days, and to be involved in such a great battle.  To be split by less than 10 seconds after more than 360 km of competition says it all.  The line between making a small mistake and being perfect at those speeds is so tiny and I couldn't have done any more.  I took so many risks, but we both had to do that because the competition was so close.”
"I'm disappointed to be second.  I lost the rally yesterday because I couldn't respond to Loeb's speed then.  It wasn't the result I wanted but I'm glad that we went down fighting and it was a hugely enjoyable battle," he added.

Latvala took hold of third place early on day one.  While the 23-year-old was unable to match his teammate's pace, he was easily faster than anyone else and finished more than two minutes clear of the forth placed Focus RS WRC of Henning Solberg.

The works Ford driver spoke of a "big frustrating weekend", yet was nonetheless very happy with his position on the podium.

"I'm happy to score a podium, but at the same time disappointed not to be able to fight for victory," Latvala said.  "They are good points for myself and the team but my chances really ended on Saturday morning.  I should have softened the suspension settings earlier so I can look in the mirror and see the reason why I didn't challenge the top two drivers.  If I could start this weekend again, I would redo the mornings.  The grip level was good then and I should have trusted that and taken greater advantage.”

Behind Latvala, Stobart Ford's Henning Solberg and Citroen's Dani Sordo fought for fourth position, and completed the last stage with identical times. Solberg took fourth place, ahead of Sordo, and was very pleased with his performance at his home event: "The only thing missing is a podium!"

Petter Solberg ended up sixth on his first event as the owner and driver of the newly-founded Petter Solberg World Rally Team; a team quickly created following Subaru's WRC pullout.

The Norwegian started with a dream start, leading at Thursday evening's opening super special stage, but mechanical problems would complicate matters later on. In spite of the problems, his sixth place finish is an exceptional result for his first rally at the controls of an older Citroen Xsara WRC car with which he had little time to test before the event.

"Anything is possible" said Solberg. "I came to the finish," he added, and indeed he did.

Stobart Ford Teammates Mathew Wilson and Urmo Aava rounded out the last two points paying places in seventh and eighth.
 
The next round of the World Rally Championship will take place in very different surroundings from those encountered in wintry Norway: the asphalt and gravel event of Rally Cyprus will take place in mid-March.

Final positions

1.  S Loeb/D Elena                                Citroen C4              3 hr 28 min 15.9 sec
2.  M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen                       Ford Focus RS        3 hr 28 min 25.7 sec
3.  J-M Latvala/M Anttila                        Ford Focus RS       3 hr 29 min 37.7 sec
4.  H Solberg/C Menkerud                       Ford Focus RS        3 hr 31 min 49.4 sec
5.  D Sordo/M Marti                               Citroen C4               3 hr 32 min 07.9 sec
6.  P Solberg/P Mills                               Citroen Xsara          3 hr 34 min 41.3 sec
7.  M Wilson/S Martin                             Ford Focus RS       3 hr 34 min 51.5 sec
8.  U Aava/K Sikk                                  Ford Focus RS       3 hr 35 min 05.0 sec
9.  M Østberg/O Unnerud                        Subaru Impreza      3 hr 38 min 16.4 sec
10 S Ogier/J Ingrassia                            Citroen C4              3 hr 41 min 05.7 sec

Drivers                               Points

1.  S Loeb                          20 pts                  
2.  M Hirvonen                    14 pts                  
3.  D Sordo                        12 pts                  
4.  H Solberg                      10 pts                  
5.  J-M Latvala                    6 pts                 
6.  C Atkinson                     4 pts 

Manufacturers                     Points

1.  Citroen Total                    32 pts
2.  BP Ford Abu Dhabi            22 pts 
3.  Stobart VK M-Sport Ford   16 pts
4.  Citroen Junior Team           8 pts

Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen surrendered the lead of Rally Norway on Friday’s final stage, slipping 2.6 seconds behind Sebastien Loeb into second place.
 
This ignited speculation that Hirvonen had slowed his pace intentionally in order to benefit from a racing line swept of loose snow by the new leader Sébastien Loeb.

Hirvonen insisted the switch was not deliberate.

“My rear tires are completely finished. I tried really hard,” he said. “We had a lot more tire wear than the Citroens. I’m missing lots of studs. This is definitely not what I wanted to do. Now we have a lot to make up. It’s going to be a big fight tomorrow.”

Loeb did not know he was the new rally leader when he finished the stage, but didn’t think road clearing would be that important. “Its really good fun to drive like this,” said the Citroen Total driver. “I pushed really hard, took some risks sometimes, but we’re here okay and in a good position for tomorrow. If I had a choice I would prefer to be second on the road but I really don’t think it will be a big difference.”

In the WRC, the previous day’s top finisher starts the next day’s stages first.  In some cases the stages have loose dirt, gravel, or in this case, snow which—makes for less than ideal conditions for the driver.  Those following benefit from the lead car’s “sweeping” of the stage.

Finishing the day in third was Jari-Matti Latvala in his BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team Focus RS WRC. The Finn will start tomorrow 23.6 seconds adrift of Hirvonen. “Of course I want to apply some pressure,” he said. “This morning was bad but we’ve improved a lot this afternoon. Let’s see how we go.”

Loeb’s teammate Dani Sordo ended the day fourth and is hopeful for a better day on Saturday. “I lost lots of time in the slow parts and I need to study the data to understand why,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of studs left in my tiresz-which didn’t help on the last stageZ-but I might need to alter my style of driving. Third place here is going to be difficult to achieve so my priority is to protect fourth—that wouldn’t be a bad result.”

Petter Solberg finished the day a surprising fifth, 22.9 seconds behind Sordo, but regretted a weight-saving tire plan. “We had a good morning and things were fine on the first stage this afternoon but I was the only car to take just one spare and that turned out to be a very stupid decision!” he said. “We lost a lot of studs. It’s unfortunate but that’s how it is—we will keep pushing.”

P-G Andersson took his first stage win of his career on SS6, and finished second on SS7.  He ended the day sixth, just a tenth of a second behind Petter Solberg. “I’m going to take another two stage wins tomorrow!” said the former Suzuki factory driver. “The second time through the stages today has been fantastic. We had plenty of grip. I think the position we have now is probably the best we can hope for, but we’ll see.”

In seventh place, 7.8 seconds behind Andersson is Henning Solberg.  The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver battled mechanical issues all day but is optimistic that he will make rapid progress through the standings on Saturday. “With the gearbox problems we've had today it’s been difficult, but it will be okay,” he said. “I’ll drive on the limit tomorrow. I will be top three!”

Matthew Wilson took the last points position in his Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Focus. Wilson said: “It’s been okay—we tried to keep it as neat and tidy as we could. This has been a day not to make any mistakes. I think tomorrow might be even better.”

Matthew Wilson, son of M-Sport owner and Abu Dhabi Ford World Rally Team Malcolm Wilson, is set to once again finish in the points in the upcoming Rally Norway.

The Stobart V-K driver said in an interview after Monday's recce “We started well in Ireland and now the emphasis for me is to continue to collect driver points and build upon our consistent performances.”

I realize I went on a diatribe a short while ago about Wilson, so I'm sorry to those that consider him a good talent because here I go again only because he receives the media attention he does. 

This is Wilson's fourth full season in the WRC, and being only 22-years of age, that is quite the accomplishment. Here's the thing though...he's already participated in 50 WRC events with less than spectacular results.

Technically, although Wilson's car adores Stobart livery, the car is owned and run by M-Sport, his father's company. Wilson Sr. has laid out a five-year plan for Matthew to develop and become a WRC champion-caliber driver. So far, his best result in 50 WRC events is a pair of fourth-place finishes.

Of the 50 events he has participated in, this future "champion" has only won ONE stage, that being in Argentina in 2006, his first full year.

In Ireland earlier this year, Henning Solberg and Urmo Aava were elected for points, and due to the high number of retirements and/or crashes, Wilson bested Aava to take seventh place (Aava crashed out). Don't look too much into his seventh place finish, 13th place belonged to a car that retired from the event.

It is obvious with Wilson's progression that the five year plan is too short to build him into champion material. In fact if M-Sport did not own the car he drives, what are the chances that he would have a seat at all?

I wish Matthew best of luck, I really do, but it's time to not think about consistent finishes anymore, the five year plan is not working out and you have to impress. You have to justify to us the fans as to why some should keep faith in you. You are lucky Matthew, you have a guaranteed ride no matter what...so do something productive with it. In sports (and in life), there's a saying "Go Big or Go Home." It's time Matthew.

The FIA has just announced the new regulations for which World Rally Championship (WRC) cars must abide by for the 2010 season onwards.

On the eve of the Rally Norway and in light of their efforts to create a "greener" event, the FIA has developed the following specifications for the 2010 WRC cars for which drivers such as Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen will have to pilot:

• No car may produce more than 200bhp. By limiting the peak power produced, higher efficiency may be achieved. 
• All WRC-class cars will have a speed governor of 45 miles per hour in an effort to maximize fuel efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide output from the vehicle.
  
• All WRC-class cars must have an engine no larger than 1200cc and no smaller than 1000cc.
• No car may have a revolution cycle that exceeds 2000rpm. Keeping revs low will allow power without putting too much duress on the engine.
  
• All cars must be fitted with 4-speed automatic transmissions with rev limiters. This measure will ensure that drivers do not push their car to the "maximum" and keeping the car as fuel efficient as possible.
• In an effort to reduce the overall weight of the car, all-wheel drive will be banned and only front-wheel drive will be permitted. 
• To increase the fuel efficiency of the vehicle and reduce the environmental impact on the earth, all WRC-class vehicles must have a design similar to the Toyota Prius or upcoming Honda Insight hybrid line of vehicles.
• Drivers can weigh no more than 130lbs. Those currently above the allowed limit will automatically be placed into a local Jenny Craig weight-loss program.
  
• Co-drivers can weigh no more than 120lbs. This weight difference allows the fire extinguisher and first-aid kits to be placed beside the co-driver.
  
• Drivers will be required to log how much carbon dioxide is emitted by their car during each special stage. At the end of the day, the team will calculate their carbon footprint and purchase credits from the United Nations.
  

The following are changes to the layout of the WRC rally race event:

• To reduce harm to the environment, no event may take place outside the limits of a nearby city. Hereby all forest (and related stages) have been deemed unusable.
  
• Each event will consist of no more than 20 special stages run through a town or city limits.
• No WRC event may utilize any terrain other than asphalt. This eliminates all surfaces other than tarmac.
  

In collaboration with the World Rally Council, the FIA's regulations will take effect on January 1, 2010.

Claiming to have set an environmental standard by aiming at an emission-neutral rally the organizers of Rally Norway are challenging competitors and other organizers of the 2009 Rally Championship to join them.

Every competing team has been sent a letter explaining their environmental objective, along with a Climate Reporting form and information on how to purchase emission credits certified by the United Nations (UN).

Every participating team in the Rally Norway was invited to calculate its carbon footprint and compensate for the CO2 emissions related to the Rally Norway 2009 or the whole World Rally Championship 2009.

The organizers claim that if all teams opt in, the Norwegian Rally will have the chance to be the first ever to be completely climate neutral. The calculation includes fuel used by competing vehicles, in logistic support, and in travel.

“Rally Norway AS wants to be an eco-advocate,” affirmed Even Wiger, Rally Norway General Manager. “Critics could accuse rally sport of being an environmental delinquent, but we have a high level of environmental awareness. We want environmental respect and motor sport to go hand in hand and demonstrate this by ensuring that the 2009 event causes the least possible harm to the environment."

“Our first initiative was in 2006 when Rally Norway AS got its environmental certification. We also started to buy emission credits to compensate for the CO2 emissions produced during the event. And Rally Norway was likely to be the first WRC event called, carbon neutral. This year we want to take an important step further, developing a carbon footprint analysis of our total emissions and buying emission credits to fully compensate.”

The emission credits are issued by the UN and called CER (Certified Emission Reduction). They are a Kyoto Protocol instrument to combat global warming, called the Clean Development Mechanism and goes far beyond other environmental initiatives in the rally sports world. A CER is an official emission credit. When a CER is sold, the diminution in greenhouse gas emissions has already taken place. The resources raised then support sustainable growth in developing countries.

There is no truth to the rumor that Birkenstock has been named as the official footwear of the Rally Norway but the organizers have refused to deny the story that the final Super Special will include a group hug and singing of Kumbaya!

In little more than a month after Subaru decided to suddenly withdraw from the World Rally Championship, Petter Solberg was able to assemble his very own WRC team.

Solberg displayed his original energy when he proudly introduced his team and new Citroen Xsara WRC in his hometown of Spydeberg a week before the Rally Norway.

"This is a dream come true. I have wanted to put together my own WRC team for a long time, but I must admit I had not planned for it to happen in exactly these circumstances or in this time frame," he said.  "But we are ready now and I am looking forward to this weekend's test and Rally Norway," he added.

Less than two months have passed since Subaru announced its abrupt withdrawal from its World Rally Championship activities, leaving Solberg and co-driver Phil Mills effectively without a ride for 2009.

Solberg has not been working alone in putting together his WRC team.  His wife, Pernilla, has been keenly involved in putting the team together ever since the Subaru withdrawal.

"I promise you Petter did not just sit down and complain or feel sorry for himself," she insisted. “He was on the phone at once, talking to people all over Europe and he was not discouraged in any way by the thought of trying to make meetings and deals happen right in the middle of the Christmas and New Year holiday period."

Solberg has assembled an extremely capable staff, including his new team boss, former Subaru World Rally Team logistics manager Ken Reese.

Solberg said that he wanted "to make some noise at the top." in regards to his targets for this season with his new Citroen.  "We're an outsider surrounded by the manufacturer teams of Citroen and Ford, as well as Henning's Stobart team," he said, referring to his brother.

Solberg will be testing the Citroen Xsara WRC this weekend in Norway under the same conditions expected for the rally.
 
The Petter Solberg World Rally Team intends to enter in the 11 remaining WRC rounds this season. The team will debut in Oslo this Thursday, Feb. 12 with the opening super special stage of Rally Norway.