Inside Rally

The French rally will see, for their second race of the season, Molly Taylor and Seb Marshall with the Citroen DS3 R3 with which they took part in the Rally of the Azores.

If it is true that the first race of the year was unlucky for Molly Taylor, as she was forced to retire after a small off, to avoid another competitor, the sports programme of the strong Australian driver continues as announced by United Business, the Italian company which takes care of her sports management.

Molly Taylor will be at the start of the Tour de Corse (16-18 May), one of the “mythical” races of international rallying, a rally of great tradition, difficult and challenging, which takes place on the beautiful Mediterranean island.

Molly Taylor and Seb Marshall are aware that the event which awaits them will not be an easy one, but their spirits are high, “The Tour de Corse is definitely a challenging race – says the Australian driver – I am anxious to do the recce, it is the first time I take part in this rally. Other United Business drivers, who have already been there, have confirmed that it is really full of corners and very twisty. I am sure that the Citroen DS 3 will help me but it is a totally new rally, it will be important to read the race well trying to get the maximum result. I do not yet know our opponents, probably some of them will not be at their first time on the Corsica roads and they will certainly be favoured over me, but Seb and I will certainly will not be mere spectators, I like challenges and the Tour De Corse is a great challenge”.

To best prepare the challenging Corsican race, United Business has planned a test session for next week, most likely in Tuscany, in order to find the best set-up for the car in accordance with the new tyres which Molly Taylor will use in Corsica.

Don’t forget that the World Rally Pass which gives access to all four days of Special Stages plus the Service Park, is now available for purchase at a special ‘pre-sale’ offer price!

Adult World Rally Passes will be priced at £99* (down from £130 in 2012) but are now available for just £90* if purchased via the official newly redesigned http://www.walesrallygb.com website or telephone hotline (0844 847 2251 or +44 161 425 7560 for overseas callers) before the end of June.

For those aged between nine and 15 years old, a child’s World Rally Pass is now available for just £1*. Access for those aged eight and under is free.

Full ticket details will be announced when the final route is confirmed.

* Terms and conditions apply to all ticket prices.

Its Volkswagens Jari Matti Latvala how set the fastest time in the 4km Qualifying stage before Rally Argentina this morning.

The Finn went 0.035 seconds faster than Citroen’s World Champ, Sebastien Loeb. Latvala will get first choice for road position this evening for Day 1 of Rally Argentina.

In manufacturer terms, Volkswagen and Citroën share the top 5 places. With Qatar M-Sport seeming to be off the pace of the fastest drivers, however the qualifying stages aren’t always representative of the Special Stages used for the rally.

The drivers get their pick of where to start at 1300 local time. The opening Super Special gets under way at 1603 at the Super Especial Branca Unico – 6.04km.

Qualifying Positions;
Latvala, Loeb, Ogier, Sordo, Hirvonen, Østberg, Neuville, Novikov, Mikkelsen, Prokop, Kosciuszko, Pozzo.

Historically important models from Aston Martin, Ferrari and Bentley will make up just part of an awe-inspiring collection of more than 200 of the world’s rarest and most beautiful classic cars and motorsport vehicles at this year’s Cholmondeley Pageant of Power (www.cpop.co.uk; 14-16 June). The 2013 Pageant, the UK’s most dynamic motorsport event, promises to showcase one of the most extensive and noisiest collections of performance cars ever.
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Stretching back through the annals of high-octane history, this year’s Pageant boasts track appearances from some of the most exclusive and iconic vehicles ever to have graced the international racing scene. Famous race cars include the ground-breaking Donington Collection W125 – evoking the dominant ‘Silver Arrows’ cars of the 1930s – and the 1956 Maserati 250F made famous by Juan Manuel Fangio and Sir Stirling Moss.

To celebrate the marque’s centenary, a special Aston Martin race category at the Pageant will feature more than a dozen famous models, including the DB4 GT – a lightweight version of the beautiful DB4 with a shorter wheelbase, lighter bodywork and more powerful engines. The DB4 GT on show at the Pageant is one of only 75 ever manufactured.

Other legendary models from Aston Martin include the single-seater 1959 DBR4, as driven successfully in Formula One, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Sportscar Championship in the late 1950s, and an ex-Sir Jack Brabham 1955 DB2/4, fitted with a DB3S engine. The DB2/4 was one of the fastest cars on the road and track by the standards of the day.

Of the many masterpieces on show at the Pageant, the prodigious Bentley Speed 8 endurance race car is among the cream of the crop. Its 4.0-litre twin turbocharged engine delivers the 615 bhp that catapulted the very vehicle on show at the Pageant to its decisive victory at the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans. 10 years to the day after its famous victory, the Speed 8’s presence at the Pageant is sure to set onlookers’ hearts racing.

Other notable motorsport stars include the 4.5-litre supercharged 1930 Bentley Blower, driven by the ‘Bentley Boys’ during a golden era of British motorsport, and a 1978 Williams FW06, the first F1 car ever engineered by the Williams F1 team.

James Hall, Event Director for the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power, said: “The Pageant of Power is an event like no other, celebrating power and performance in all its forms, and nowhere is this mandate fulfilled more thoroughly than with this selection of classic stars. This year’s display is sure to delight and fascinate our spectators, providing a wonderful showcase of power, performance and beauty from many of the rarest and most historically significant track and road cars anywhere in the world.”

Now in its sixth year, the 2013 Pageant will take place on the Cholmondeley Estate in Cheshire from 14 to 16 June, celebrating power and performance in its many forms. Until 15 May, adult tickets start at just £22 for the Friday Preview Day, and £28 to see all the action on Saturday or Sunday. Under-16 tickets are also currently available free of charge.

A full event schedule and list of participants will be announced over the coming weeks. To buy tickets or find further information, visit http://www.cpop.co.uk