Inside Rally

ITV4 channel is listing World Rally Championship highlights in its programme schedule on the ITV website.

The UK hasn’t had free-to-air WRC coverage since DAVE channel stopped its broadcast of the WRC at the end of 2010. It then went to EPSN. And then up to the end of last year Motors TV broadcast its coverage.

ITV4 has been broadcasting the British Touring Car Championship live since late 2000’s and has in the past shown coverage of WRC. There’s of yet, no information as to how much coverage it will show on the WRC after Rally Mexico.

The schedule lists the broadcast for ITV4 at 1750 UK time on Tuesday March 12 – the Tuesday following WRC Mexico.

Source: iRally/ITV
Photo: Rally GB by D.Darrall

Guerlain Chicherit makes a bold and complete John Cooper Works leap of faith, this time in the frigid snowscape of Tignes, France.

Guerlain Chicherit, The driver of BMW/Mini X-Raid team who competes in the Dakar Rally, which I regarded as the most dangerous and toughest race in the world across South America. Has made a ‘leap of faith’ by doing a Back Flip in his John Cooper Works Mini Rally Raid car.

The video by Mini is below.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Ry-ofJHatGs&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DRy-ofJHatGs

Chris Atkinson will rejoin the Citroen fold for round three of the 2013 World Rally Championship in Mexico next month according to Autosport.

The Australian had a one-off run with the Citroen Junior team in Ireland at the start of 2009 after losing his Subaru seat at the end of the previous year when the works team withdrew.

Atkinson subsequently dropped out of the WRC, focusing mainly on Proton’s Asia-Pacific programme, before returning for a single appearance with Monster Ford in Mexico last year and later completing the season in a Motorsport Italia Mini.

He will now take over Khalid Al Qassimi’s Abu Dhabi-branded Citroen for Mexico.

Citroen team boss Yves Matton said: “As Khalid is unable to take part in Rally Mexico, he wanted us to entrust the DS3 WRC of the Abu Dhabi Citroen Total WRT to Chris Atkinson and [co-driver] Stephane Prevot for this rally.

“Chris competed in the 2012 edition and we know he has the potential to do Abu Dhabi Racing proud.”

Citroen will also field an additional DS3 WRC in Mexico for last year’s Production WRC champion Benito Guerra, who will make his top-class debut on his home event.

Sebastien Ogier has taken victory on Rally Sweden and secured Volkswagen’s first ever WRC win with the new Polo R World Rally Car on only their 2nd WRC rally.

Photo:D.Darrall

Sebastien Ogier, dominated the 2nd round of the 2013 World Rally Championship, on the snow and ice of Sweden after taking the lead from his arch rival, Frenchman Sebastien Loeb on Friday morning.

At the stop line after the finish, Ogier said to World Rally Radio, “Team give me a perfect car for the weekend… Unbelievable… Big surprise. we never expected to be as dominant as we have been this weekend. Couldn’t be better! This morning Seb was putting alot of pressure on us, we has to pus because he was so fast.”

Loeb, in a Citroen DS3, kept the pressure on his former team-mate right to the end, but eventually had to settle for the runners-up spot, 41.8sec behind Ogier and his co-driver Julien Ingrassia. Loeb said at the stop line. “We did a really bad Qualifying, bad road position. OK, Seb Ogier has made the perfect rally, no mistakes.”

Qatar M-Sport driver in the Ford Fiesta RS, Mads Ostberg took third, the Norwegian finishing 42.7sec adrift of Loeb. “I knew quite early we could not win. It has been a big fight back. I am pleased to have won the fight with Jari Matti!” VW’s Jari Matti Latvala finishing in a close 4th just 6.1 behind Ostberg.

Photo:D.Darrall

Overall Results of Rally Sweden:
1. Ogier
2.Loeb 41.8
3. Ostberg 1:24.5
4. latvala 1:30.6
5. Neuville 5:06.4
6. Hanninen 5:43.1
7. Prokop 11:25.4
8.H.Solberg 11:42.7
9. Novikov 13:04.7
10. Al Rajhi 16:27.0