Inside Rally

The United Business driver Molly Taylor and Seb Marshall, with the DS3 R3T in the United Business livery followed by BP Racing, return to the World Rally Championship.

After the excellent performances shown in Neste Rally Finland, where they had to abandon the fight for the class win due to an electrical fault a few special stages from the end, while traveling in second place after having previously occupied the top spot and having won some stages, the United Business
crew returns to the well known roads of Wales Rally GB, which in the 2011 edition had seen them get their first stage win in the WRC Academy. A test before the race will allow Molly to fine tune the set-up of the Citroen DS3 R3T before embarking on the dirt roads through the Welsh forests.

Molly Taylor said: “I am very excited to have the opportunity to compete at Wales Rally GB. From all of the WRC Academy events we did last year, I have the best memories of this event and it is where we got our first WRC Academy stage win. I have also done a few smaller rallies around the same area, so whilst the stages will be different, I have a good idea of the nature of the roads. I really enjoyed Rally Finland and am looking forward to spending some more time in the car and progressing from what we learnt in Finland “.

Pier Liberali (United Business) said: “United Business is very pleased with what Molly is doing, both Seb and her have proven to be two excellent professionals, inside and outside the cockpit. Both myself and my staff are pleased with the steady growth that Molly is achieving, race after race and test after test her feeling with the car improves just like her performance. With Wales Rally GB the programme we had planned ends, we will see whether by the end of the year there will be the opportunity to tackle some other rallies, but this is not a priority, the most important thing on which we are now focused is to plan the 2013 racing season in the best way. We are evaluating and exploring different options and proposals that we have received. We hope to make the best choice, 2013 will be a very important year for Molly Taylor and her sporting career, we will try to make the right choice”.

Wales Rally GB will start in Llandudno on Thursday, September 13th at 19:00 GMT, and will end in Cardiff on Sunday 16th at 15:40 GMT, after 1,606 km, of which 325 timed, divided into 19 special stages.

To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Wales Rally GB, Michelin is giving away two pairs of VIP hospitality tickets to the iconic event on Friday 14 September.

Wales Rally GB, taking place 13-16 September, sees more than 198 miles of competitive action across the famous Welsh countryside and also features an ‘all-new’ special stage at Celtic Manor Resort, venue of the 2010 Ryder Cup.

As an official partner of the WRC, Michelin’s exclusive prize includes admission passes to the Hafren Sweet Lamb Stage, the most popular viewing platform which benefits from live commentary and close-up action. Winners will also enjoy a hearty Welsh breakfast, lunch with locally-sourced produce, a complimentary programme, beers, wines and soft drinks throughout the day and VIP in-stage parking.

Jianni Geras, Michelin UK head of marketing, said: “The Wales Rally GB is always one of the highlights of the WRC calendar.

“Here at Michelin we want to reward our fans with the chance to see the best of British motorsport with all the perks of a VIP experience.”

The competition is up and running now and closes Sunday 9 September .

To enter simply follow the link http://bit.ly/SMtOhD.

Formula 1 driver Kimi Raikkionen has revealed that, due to being a big fan of the Sport, the fin would plan a WRC comeback when he retires from F1.

By D.Darrall

Speaking to Autosport.com, the Finnish ace says he doesn’t want his two-year stint in the FIA World Rally Championship in 2010 and 2011 to be his last, but hinted that he wouldn’t pursue a full-time programme when he does return.

“It’s not that I lost interest in rallying,” said the Lotus racer. “It’s just that I’ve always raced in my life and when you race against each other it’s different to just doing times. I enjoy racing against people. It’s why I came back, to have a fight against others. I had a good time [in rallying] but I kind of missed racing.”

Of his rallying comeback, Raikkonen told Autosport.com: “I will do it for fun. The one reason why I wanted to do it in the first place was to see if I can do it or not. I’m a big fan of it and I always thought it was so difficult that I wanted to see what happens. I still want to improve in it and try to do well. It’s something that, when I’m a bit older, I can do and have fun with. I will definitely do it when I have more time.”

Kimi’s best WRC finish was 6th place in 2011 rally Jordan and Rally Germany.

Source: AutoSport.com

Andreas Mikkelsen made history on ADAC Rallye Deutschland on Sunday when he became the first driver to score a bonus point on an FIA World Rally Championship Power Stage in a Super 2000 car.

Mikkelsen was third quickest through the Circus Maximus test in Trier in his Volkswagen Motorsport Skoda Fabia Super 2000. Although his car gives out less power than the headlining World Rally Cars, the 23-year-old capitalised on his natural talent and stage pedigree – he was fastest around the Porta Nigra UNESCO Heritage Site in 2008.

“It was a good way to end the rally, I really enjoyed that stage,” said the Norwgian, who finished seventh on the all-asphalt event, one place behind team-mate Sebastien Ogier. “My first stage victory in a World Rally Car was on this stage in 2008 so it’s good fun to come back and get a [bonus] point. It’s been a fantastic weekend for our team – sixth and seventh on home soil – and I am so happy to be here with them. We struggled a bit with the set-up but I am happy with my performance.”

Source/credit: WRC.com