Inside Rally

It a big week in Paris this week, as its the Paris Motorshow. And plenty of news and rumours get confirmed. There have been rumours of a WRC comback for Hyundai, who pulled out of the sport in 2003. But now They have confirmed there intrest for the WRC.

The release says Hyundai is “poised to return to the FIA World Rally
Championship”, though no details have been given.

Mark Hall, Marketing
Director at Hyundai Motor Europe, is quoted in an official release:

“The World Rally Championship is recognised as one of the most dramatic sporting series on Earth. It’s a spectacle filled with excitement and dynamism − the perfect embodiment of the Hyundai brand. The WRC also offers the most technologically-diverse challenge for an automotive manufacturer. Our participation will demonstrate Hyundai’s engineering excellence and durability,
and will also help to enhance our passenger vehicles in future.”

The press release describes the car as “rally-ready”, and adds: “Following its withdrawal from motorsport in 2003, Hyundai’s long-term goal was to set up an in-house WRC team in Europe and develop a performance rally car, resulting in the WRC i20’s debut in Paris.”

Source:iRally-live.com

“Molly Taylor is really fast and strong” this is the brief comment from Pier Liberali, Untied Business team principal at the end of the Wales Rally GB, rally which marked the end of the 2012 sports programme of Molly Taylor and Seb Marshall with the Citroen DS3 R3T followed by Bp Racing with the livery Italian sports management company United Business. A season planned at the best: several days of testing and Rally Casentino, where the crew was running as course car and where the race was used as a further test and four races: Geko Ypres Rally, Coppa Città di Lucca, Neste Rally Finland and Wales Rally GB. Asphalt and gravel, prestigious national events, European Championship, IRC and World Championship. A season which allowed Molly Taylor to find the right feeling with a new car for her and to face valued opponents, obtaining special stage victories and being several times in the lead of her class.

In Wales Rally GB Molly Taylor won the Richard Burns Trophy and Seb Marshall was awarded the Michael Park Trophy, two prestigious awards in memory of two key actors of world rallying prematurely disappeared.
Pier Liberali said: “We are very pleased with the Molly and Seb’s season, we were sure of their potential and we liked the maturity they showed in their gradual growth and improving performance culminated with two major awards at Wales Rally GB. We are already working on the next season, considering the various proposals received. I can say that in 2013 Molly and Seb will certainly be at the start of a prestigious international program to build on the experience gathered this year and I think next year will be a very important season for them, I have reasonable confidence that it will be the season of the true confirmation of Molly Taylor at international level”.

For Molly Taylor, Seb Marshall, United Business and Bp Racing 2012 has been a good season, we gained a lot of experience, continuous and constant technical and sporting improvements and with much satisfaction: fans everywhere have greeted with lots of sympathy this Australian girl, humble, determined and fast!

Fords Jari Matti Latvala takes another stunning Victory in Wales Rally GB.

Photo:D.Darrall

The Finn lead from Day 1 when he took the lead from his team mate on Stage 3 and never lost it, although his rivals were beginning to creep in on him towards the end of the Rally, Latvala was never under any real threat of loosing his lead. Up until The afternoon of Day 3 it looked set to be a Ford 1 – 2. Latvala’s team mate, Petter Solberg was also on pace. Led the first 2 stages of the Rally, but suffered from grip and lost time to drop him to 2nd position. But still keeping up the pace to keep Citroën behind until Day 3. Petter had damaged the front right tyre after a jump on SS16 and lost him enough time to drop him down to 3rd behind 8 times Champion Sebastien Loeb.

Solberg, determined to get that 2nd place back to claim Fords 1st 1 – 2 since Rally Australia last year, he kept on pushing, but maybe over driving at times as the Norwegian seemed to run wide in places. On SS18 Solberg managed to claw back that 2nd place but was just a mere two tenths of a second ahead of Loeb going into the final PowerStage. But Solberg didn’t wanna risk a repeat of Greece when he pushed to beat Loeb and went off. The Norwegian did push but it wasn’t hard enough, and Solberg had to settle for 3rd place on Wales Rally GB.

Photo:D.Darrall

It was a disappointing Rally for Citroën, the DS3 seemed to struggle a lot in the welsh Forests, mostly with grip. Both Loeb and Hirvonen’s tyres seemed to of worn out a lot quicker than the others, and were at times off pace. Although Loeb made the most of it to get a few fastest stage times. Hirvonen’s seemed to suffer the most. Very in happy in the morning of day 2, but their pace improved and Hirvonen went fastest on the PowerStage to Claim 3 bonus points, Loeb 2nd fastest. That put Loeb 2nd place overall and Mikko Hirvonen Ended the rally in 5th.

The best of the rest was Ford Privateer Mads Ostberg, he took his first WRC stage won since 2009 and put in some good times. The Norwegian finished 4th overall.

Overall results:
Latvala wins Wales Rally GB, Loeb+27.8
PSolberg+28.7
Ostberg+1.10.6
Hirvo+1.29.5
Novik+3.37
Neuvi+4.11.9
Wilson+6.00.4
Prokop+6.58.9
Al-Atti+9.32.1