S Rally

13/02/2023

TÄNAK TAKES TREMENDOUS MAIDEN PUMA RALLY1 VICTORY IN SWEDEN
Ott Tänak and Martin Jarveoja claim their first victory with M-Sport Ford World Rally Team and the Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 in 2023 after an exemplary drive in Sweden this weekend.

On only his second FIA World Rally Championship outing in the Puma, Tänak claims his second Rally Sweden victory and his first win with M-Sport since 2017.

The Estonian pair now lead both the drivers’ and co-drivers’ championships after their historic win helped by claiming an additional two points in the dramatic final Power Stage.

The dream win for the M-Sport team comes after a phenomenal performance from Tänak, who stayed locked in a tight battle for the top-spot throughout the weekend, not once dropping lower than second overall in the standings.

Taking the rally lead on Friday morning, Tänak’s commitment never wavered despite still learning the ways of his new car in what were tricky stages, and particularly rough on the second pass. Showcasing his talent, he would take his maiden stage win behind the wheel of the Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 in SS7, the cut-up surfaces of the afternoon loop not holding him back in the slightest.

Saturday would see the Estonian pairing chasing a 2.6 second deficit to Breen, and the team would watch with bated breath while as times came in throughout the day. SS14 would see Tänak put on an almighty charge, being nearly 14 seconds quicker than Breen, but a puncture towards the end of stage hampered his otherwise perfect run. Despite the issues his raw speed was still enough to see him take the lead at the end of the penultimate day of rallying.

Sunday morning would see Tänak extend his lead to a comfortable 11.6 seconds, allowing him to hold the top spot going into the Power Stage and see him bring home the win for the M-Sport team.

On only their second event together after being reunited, Tänak’s win has delivered the team and their lead driver a very special victory. Tänak’s weekend performance speaks to not only his own, undisputed talent, but the power and capabilities of the Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1.

Tänak’s teammate, Pierre-Louis Loubet made impressive progress on a surface otherwise unfamiliar to him. Setting competitive splits throughout Friday, culminating in a fantastic second-fastest time in SS5, the young French talent continued to build confidence on snow-and-ice as the rally progressed. A technical issue on the final Power Stage meant he dropped time, but still hung on to sixth place and scored some deserved points to get his championship attack back on track.

In the fiercely competitive WRC2 category, Robert Virves showed very impressive pace in his first outing in the Fiesta Rally2 with M-Sport, a very strong start to his JWRC prize-winner’s campaign.

The team will now take home it’s silverware to Dovenby Hall, alongside the memories of an action-filled weekend, and now focus fully and look forward to the challenges of the next round in Mexico.

Ott Tänak, First Overall, said:
“It’s quite impressive, not so bad at all. When we came into the rally, we didn’t really know what to expect. In the build up to the rally we understood that we were never going to be the fastest, but we’re happy to have kept our average pace pretty high and alongside the other guys.

“As a team, we made sure we didn’t have any bad stages and didn’t lose any time anywhere; that was the key. Sweden is unique, we only rally here once a year. It’s the same for Mexico, and opening the road there can’t be a big advantage! It’s a great start to the championship, probably more than we expected. For sure we can improve a lot, and the plan is to pick up the pace.”

Pierre-Louis Loubet, Sixth Overall, said:
“I first want to say a huge congratulations to Ott, Martin and the rest of the team. This weekend has been a huge achievement for M-Sport and I am very glad to be a part of it.

“I think I have a lot of positives to take from this weekend; Friday was a good day and we spent a lot of time on the pace of the guys at the front. We also achieved a second-fastest time, and considering I don’t have a lot of experience on snow-and-ice, I think we can be very happy with this. Sometimes we lacked the confidence to really push the car, and this is where we lost some time, but overall I am happy. It was a challenge but we have learnt a lot,and now we look forward to a different challenge in Mexico.”

Richard Millener, Team Principal, said:
“This weekend has been another one of those dream weekends. To come here and not be too sure of where we would be placed, and to come away from this event with the win is something that is really special for us all. The pace this weekend from all the crews has been so close, so to take the overall victory just makes this extra special.

“We all knew that Ott and Martin were capable of this speed and results, so to see it come to fruition on only the second event of the season is even more exciting. I cannot wait for the next event in Mexico already.

“I want to extend a special thank you to all our WRC team sponsors, particularly Ford and Red Bull, for their support throughout the Rally1 programme and in the lead-up to the 2023 season.

“I want to, as always, thank everyone in the team who have played their part, and kept working to the highest levels possible to make sure we were going to be competitive. Seeing them celebrate on the podium this afternoon is a real money cannot buy experience.”

20/01/2023

Sebastien Ogier has opened up a healthy lead over world rally champion Kalle Rovanpera following a dominant display on Friday at the World Rally Championship curtain raiser in Monte Carlo.

20/01/2023

J***t ga; če znaš, znaš🤷‍♂️👍👏

Sebastien Ogier has opened up a healthy lead over world rally champion Kalle Rovanpera following a dominant display on Friday at the World Rally Championship curtain raiser in Monte Carlo.

15/11/2021

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mclaren-denies-audi-buyout-as-vws-f1-preparations-ramp-up/6784637/?utm_source=English+Newsletter+Edition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20211115+Motosport+Insider+110+%28Y6Gqsg%29&_kx=3WEmg5btwWQjU3Vjpe3s81X23awc22Ut0Pp6iAJvo6U%3D.WA7V6T&nrt=54

12/07/2021

02/06/2021

23/04/2021

Nova Honda HR-V

18/03/2021

Pa daj Daniel Elena, saj se ti itak ne ljubi!

Dakar – Richards has defended the decision to forge a Dakar future without Elena

04/11/2020

Audi proti Audiju!
Intense combats for the title guaranted – Rast vs. Müller in DTM finale at Hockenheim


Defending champion at an advantage: René Rast (Audi) going into the final title battle as the favourite
Challenger in attack mode: Rast’s fellow Audi driver Nico Müller has nothing to lose
Outsider with chances: Robin Frijns could turn the scales
The final two rounds in the battle for the title are imminent: this weekend (6-8 November), Hockenheim serves as the stage for the ultimate showdown for the DTM and the title antagonists. In the red-and-white corner: René Rast (GER, Audi), the defending champion and the points’ leader. In the green-and-white corner: Nico Müller (SUI, Audi), the challenger and currently second in the standings. And then there is also Robin Frijns (NED, Audi), who, mathematically, can become champion as well. Making any predictions? Possible, but pointless, because certainly there has been no lack of surprising twists in the 2020 DTM season. And therefore, TV viewers can look forward to sporting outstanding final races, spectacular duels and thrilling action (live on Saturday and Sunday from 13.00 on TV partner SAT.1).

If in doubt … – for Müller and Frijns, going flat-out and achieving top results are the only things that matter

Two who have nothing to lose: for the two teammates in the Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline, Nico Müller and Robin Frijns, the strategy is one of motorsport’s age-old adages: if in doubt, flat out. Their situation, after all, is clear: both have to make up many points on René Rast in order to be in a position to turn the tables on the home straight of the season. Müller is 19 points down, Frijns 41. There are still two times 25 points for the two race wins at stake, plus three additional points for each of the two pole positions. None of the two candidates is in a position to make up sufficient points by their own means: the maximum possibility is 16 points in case of a maximum score at Hockenheim against the driver who theoretically comes second. As a duo, however, they could well be in a position to turn the tables, for instance when the Abt drivers secure the two top positions in the qualifying sessions and the races with Nico Müller coming out on top on every occasion.

To finish first … – calculated risk is the strategy of choice for René Rast

Conversely, this also means: René Rast can achieve the successful title defence by himself. To do so, he ‘just’ has to come at least second in both qualifying sessions and both races. If that is the case, there is no way somebody else can keep him from securing the large trophy, irrespective of what his opponents achieve. In the process, the following things are absolutely forbidden: mistakes, setbacks, retirements. For Rast, the golden racing rule applies: to finish first, first you have to finish. René Rast, after all, has something to lose. A ‘worst case’ happening, however, seemed highly unlikely in recent times: with two compelling race weekends at Zolder, Rast converted a 47-points’ deficit into a 19-points’ lead – the most important ‘Route 66’ towards the title defence, to say so. Rast is heading to Hockenheim with boosted self-confidence. In case he manages to defend his title, it would be his third DTM crown, drawing level with legend Klaus Ludwig. Only Bernd Schneider is still ahead with five title wins.

Turning the scales – the rising stars of the season are keen to shine once more

They are the latest ‘newbies’ on the DTM podium: Robert Kubica (POL, BMW) and Ferdinand Habsburg (AUT, Audi). Earlier in the 2020 season, Sheldon van der Linde (RSA, BMW) first entered the circle of the top 3 drivers and then went on to add his name to the winners’ list. They are the primary candidates to make the aforementioned mathematical and theoretical championship scenarios obsolete: Sheldon van der Linde is in contention for fourth place in the final championship standings and is keen to conclude the season as ‘best of the rest’. For Kubica and Habsburg, the aim is to confirm their upward trend of the 2020 DTM season after their recent strong achievements and podium results at Zolder. At the same time – typical for the DTM – there are also plenty of other candidates for surprises and remarkable achievements.

Race venue Hockenheim: a large strategic playing field for drivers and engineers

Two factors are providing the drivers and engineers with a huge strategic playing field in terms of possible combinations at Hockenheim. In the cooler temperatures, the Hankook control tyres will degrade less during the race, so that the mandatory pit stop could become a creative tool to make up ground in the race and to catch out the opposition by surprise. For instance with radical strategies that lead to so-called over- or undercuts, so either particularly late or early stops to avoid the dense traffic, depending on the position of the driver in the race.

Another aspect enabling strategic freedom is the characteristic of the Hockenheim race track itself. Basically, it allows for two different approaches in terms of set-up. Either you opt for high top speed by means of less downforce, or for higher cornering speed with considerably more aerodynamic downforce. Moreover, the plain asphalt surface and the flat kerbstones at the Hockenheimring allow to run the vehicles with little ground clearance. Experts expect a flat-out rate of around 74 percent. The concerted use of overtaking and catch-up aids DRS (drag reduction system) and PTP (push-to-pass) is estimated to provide an advantage of around seven tenths of a second per lap during the race.