HandbrakesHairpins

Edition 80 May 2009

your insight into the world of rallying&

CoverMeekes wins again!

New engines for WRC?

NewsCeres Rally Preview

Features

page 14 page 4 page 10

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DIARYMAY EVENTSInternational Rallies:15 - 17: RA Oregon Trail Rally20 - 24: WRC Rally Italy-Sardinia22 - 23: BRC Jim Clark Rally22 - 23: USRC Rally Tennessee29 - 31: ERC Croatia Delta Rally

Got any questions, opinions or news to share? Please send your letters to evanrothman@gmail.com!

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE:

South African Rallies:15 - 16: Sugarbelt 400 (KwaZulu-Natal)16: Ceres Rally (Western Cape)21 - 23: NATIONAL: SCC-PTA Rally

04 - 06: News 09 - 18: Features 14: IRC Azores

14: Meeke wins again in IRC in Azores RalyCOVER PIC:WWW.IRCSERIES.COM

Welcome to Issue 80 of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, your FREE weekly source of rallying news.

This week’s issue is jam-packed with the latest information and rally news! Our cover feature is the thrilling IRC Sata Azores Rally, which was won by star British rally ace Kris Meeke.

This weekend sees the South African Off Road Championship competitors head to the sugar cane fields of KwaZulu-Natal for the Sugarbelt 400, and the Western Cape plays host to the third round of its regional rally championship, the Ceres Rally.

Jon Williams did South Africa proud in his P-WRC debut in Portugal: see pictures of his dream event on page 16!

As always, I hope you enjoy this week’s read!

Evan Rothman

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The world’s latest rally newsNo route change for WRC Rally SpainThe organisers of Rally Catalunya have revealed an identical route to last year for this October’s event, reported www.WRC.com. The Salou-based rally will include nine separate stages all run twice, with each day featuring two loops of three asphalt tests in the Tarragona region. And every one of those nine stages remains the same to the final metre. Dani Sordo’s favourite stage in the World Rally Championship, La Mussara, starts the event on Friday 2 October - with Day One being the longest on the itinerary. Service remains at the PortAventura theme park close to the centre of Salou. This year’s Rally Catalunya will be the penultimate round of the World Rally Championship and the final round of the Junior World Rally Championship. Citroen star Sebastien Loeb will be looking to extend his winning run on the Catalan roads to five victories. The Frenchman’s team-mate - and local hero - Sordo will, however, be looking to improve on the second place he’s managed for the last three years. - CREDIT: WWW.WRC.COM

New engines for WRC for 2011?The mooted 1600cc turbo-charged engine, which is being planned for use in the World Rally Championship from 2013, could come on stream as early as 2011, according to Motorsport News.

A meeting of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council in June is due to decide whether or not to introduce the new generation engine ahead of schedule, rather than continue with plans for a normally aspirated S2000 specification unit for two seasons.

The idea was discussed at a manufacturers’ meeting in Paris two weeks ago, where it received the thumbs-up.

Ford team boss, Malcolm Wilson, commented to Motorsport News: “All manufacturers are going smaller cc and turbo, so I have no issue with that at all. But we shouldn’t rush into this and find we have to change again in 2013 or 2015.”

Citroen team principle, Olivier Quesnel, remarked: “We need to know because we have stopped the work on the new car.” - CREDIT: Motorsport News and WWW.RALLYBUZZ.COM

Featuring European rally championships, British rally championships, Rally America events, international rally results and videos, as well as S2000 and WRC news.

THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF RALLYING

www.rallybuzz.com

A new feature of the 2009 edition of Rally d’Italia Sardegna, which takes place from the 21 - 24 May, is the introduction in the Spectators’ Guide of aerial maps of the route using Google Earth.

The Google Maps technology will provide a valuable support to spectators to choose and identify the areas where to watch the rally. The Special Stage start, finish and spectators’ areas described in the guide will be marked on the maps. And using the Google Earth program fans can follow the route the crews will take though the 17 stages totaling 1263,20Km around Sardegna.

To access the maps just download the Google Earth application, open the home page of the www.rallyitaliasardegna.com website and click on the Spectators’ Menu the link Spectators’ Guide – Aerial Maps.

Thanks to the Google Maps technology, it will be possible to have an aerial run over the Special Stage, a sort of birds’ eye view which will enable fans to realise the main attractions on the rally route. - CREDIT: WWW.RALLYBUZZ.COM

The 2009 WRC Rally Italy-Sardinia with Google Earth maps!

Wilson reports BIG interest in FiestaM-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson says his British-based firm has received inquiries from around the world after revealing plans

to build a Fiesta Super 2000 car, revealed www.WRC.com. And it’s not just the car which Ford could use as the platform for its next generation World Rally Car which has caused a stir, Wilson’s Fiesta R2 is also looking ready to be a big seller. Wilson said: “There’s been a huge amount of interest in both of the new Fiestas. We’ve had people calling us from everywhere: Russia, Portugal, the UK, Italy. It’s incredible. We’ve even had some people sending us a deposit for a car, even though we haven’t set prices yet.” While the test programme for the Fiesta R2 - which will take over from the current Fiesta ST as the model used in the popular Fiesta SportingTrophy series around the world - is up and running, the Super 2000 car remains in its very early stages. Wilson admitted there was no news on when the S2000 car would run for the first time. “The plan is to homologate it next year and have it running at the end of August or the beginning of September. We’ll certainly do the early running somewhere in the UK.” Stobart Ford World Rally Team driver Matthew Wilson has done much of the early mileage in the Fiesta R2 car. - CREDIT: WWW.WRC.COM

Featuring European rally championships, British rally championships, Rally America events, international rally results and videos, as well as S2000 and WRC news.

THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF RALLYING

www.rallybuzz.com

Sebastien Loeb is to contest the Rallye du Chablais on 29 - 30 May in a Citroen C2 S1600, with his wife Severine once again in the co-driver’s seat.

The event is the third round of the Swiss Rally Championship, which Loeb has been a long-time supporter. The C2 S1600 will be Pirelli shod this time.

Loeb commented on his participation on the rally: “Last year, in my message, I had promised that I would make it possible to visit you in 2009. By pledging this, I did not think of participating in the event, but this will now be the case. It is thus with joy that I will introduce myself at the beginning of the Rally of Chablais at the wheel of the Citroen C2 Super 1600 with, by my side, my wife Severine.”

Sebastien Loeb contested the French championship Rallye du Var last year in a C2 S1600, on BFGoodrich tyres, with his wife co-driving and finished an excellent third overall. - CREDIT: WWW.RALLYBUZZ.COM

Loeb will compete with wife on Rallye du Chablais

Baumschlager wins Bosch Super Plus Rallye 2009 in Skoda Fabia S2000The Skoda Fabia S2000 ran faultlessly throughout and was fastest on 10 of the 13 stages which Baumschlager attributed to the testing and development work.

Baumschlager commented at the finish: “This is the second win for the car and team. This proves that the work during the testing is going in the right direction.”

Andreas Waldherr tried to challenge the Fabia with his Volkswagen Polo S2000, as he was fastest on three stages but he retired with electrical problems. This left Waldemar Benedict to inherit second place overall in a Peugeot 207 S2000. Third place went to Mario Saibel in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX.

Manfred Stohl retired his gas-powered Mitsubishi Evo on SS4 with gearbox problems as Baumschlager now takes a healthy lead in the Austrian Rally Championship. - CREDIT: WWW.RALLYBUZZ.COM

FINAL Bosch Super Plus Rallye CLASSIFICATION:01) R. Baumschlager/T. Zeltner (Skoda Fabia S2000) 01h 39m 23,9s 02) W. Benedict/E. Hellinger (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 03m 25,6s 03) M. Saibel/D. Weissengruber (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX) + 03m 31,9s 04) P. Winter/M. Schwarzmayr (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX) + 03m 39,2s 05) W. Stengg Jr/J. Klinger (Subaru Impreza WRX STI N11) + 04m 29,3s 06) W. Kovar/S. Langthaler (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX) + 05m 35,6s 07) H. Danzinger/D. Stummer (Volkswagen Golf IV Kit Car CNG) + 05m 47,7s 08) A. Tazreiter/E. Aigner (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX) + 06m 01,0s 09) R. Pasteiner/G. Winter (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX) + 07m 21,9s 10) W. Rabl Jr/U. Breinessl (Volkswagen Golf IV Kit Car) + 07m 59,0s

Loeb and Citroen tipped to stay!Stories circulating in the British media claim that Citroen and Sebastien Loeb will continue in the World Rally Championship beyond the end of their current contracts in 2009, reported www.WRC.com.

Speculation still surrounds the decisions from Ford and Citroen, but team principal of the Versailles manufacturer Olivier Quesnel has confirmed the deal is in place for next season.

Quesnel said: “For myself we [Citroen] are okay to stay in rallying. I don’t have any problem for myself. For myself I got

the budget for the new car. Citroen wants to stay in rallying, so I have no problem with that.”

Allied to that, Quesnel says his five-time champion Loeb will remain with the team beyond the end of the season.

Quesnel added: “Sebastien will stay with us for as long as he wants. I’m quite sure for the next two years he should be there. For next year, it’s quite sure. The year after, he’s said why not, but we will see.”

Loeb said he and Quesnel were waiting for the final details of the sport’s future to be agreed before they talked about an extension to his current contract.

Loeb said: “When he proposes me to sign for next year I will, maybe, sign. I think he wants to know the decision from the FIA - which way it’s going, we need to know a bit more about that first.”

Quensel has confirmed work on the team’s maiden Super 2000 car is already underway. He concluded: “It will be a long time before the first test of the Super 2000 car.” - CREDIT: WWW.WRC.COM

Solberg to switch to Peugeot 307?Petter Solberg says he will not drive his current Citroen Xsara WRC on the next round of the World Rally Championship, the Rally d’Italia Sardegna, reported www.WRC.com.

Solberg has been chasing performance upgrades on his 2005-specification car for sometime and the Norwegian says he can’t go into the hot summer rallies with the car in its current state. If he doesn’t get the upgrades, the 2003 champion is ready to look at driving a Peugeot.

“I need some help here,” he said. “Some of the stage times and podiums have been more than I expected with this car, but now I want more. If I can get the 2006 parts for the Xsara, that would really help with the hot rallies.

“I would get a bigger radiator, intercooler and a bigger air in-take, all of which would help with the cooling and give me more power. I noticed in Portugal, when the engine got to a certain temperature, the power started to drop. I want to fight for the podiums, I want to fight with the Fords and if the car stays as it is, this isn’t possible and I’m not interested in that.”

Solberg said he has watched with interest as private teams have developed the Peugeot 307 WRC, particularly in the French Championship, where Danny Snobeck won the title in a Peugeot last year.

“The Peugeot has a very strong engine,” said Solberg. “I do believe I could fight [with the Fords and for the podium] with that engine. And the rest, the weight distribution and the dampers have all been worked on. It’s a good car now. Nothing is decided, but I will take a look at it.”- CREDIT: WWW.WRC.COM

Skoda to enter WRC in 2010?Skoda will decide on the future of the Fabia S2000 rally project

within the next two months, according to Motorsport News.

The Czech firm returned to top-level rallying at the start of 2009 for a limited IRC programme with the factory Fabias competing to help boost sales of the S2000 to privateer teams, though Skoda bosses have not decided whether to commit to the IRC in 2010.

They will most likely hold off on a decision until after the next FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in June, to see what the mooted regulation changes are for the world championship.

Skoda Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek explained to MN:At this moment we do not have a programme for future years. It is open. We will decide in the next month.

At this moment the WRC is not attractive because our experience from the last time is not positive - we invested much money but the gain is very limited.- CREDIT: Motorsport News and WWW.RALLYBUZZ.COM

Gronholm ready for Polish round?

Prodrive’s rally boss Richard Taylor has admitted he has spoken to Marcus Gronholm about the possibility of the Finn returning to a Subaru Impreza WRC for the Rally of Poland next month, reported www.WRC.com.

Gronholm came out of retirement to drive an Impreza WRC on the Rally of Portugal early last month. Despite rolling into retirement, Gronholm demonstrated the potential of the Subaru by running in second place for much of the opening day of the Algarve event.

Taylor said: “We’re in talks with Marcus and we’re keen to make this happen. Poland would make sense, it’s a new event, so it’s a level playing field for everybody. Prodrive also has a lot of experience in Poland, we know the nature of the roads quite well out there.”

Gronholm acknowledged the discussions with Prodrive, but he said the deal was nowhere near being done, adding that he still wasn’t sure whether he even wanted to compete at the highest level again.

“I’ve had the question from Richard Taylor, but that’s all. I really don’t know if I want to do the event. I am still fighting with my feelings about coming back and my head is not right after I was ill.”

Taylor added that it remained a possibility that the Prodrive-served Adapta World Rally Team could field a second Impreza WRC later in the season. - CREDIT: WWW.WRC.COM

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FEATURES•09: Al-Attiyah signs with Volkswagen for Dakar 2010!

•10 & 11: Another tough outing on Nissan Sugarbelt 400

•12: Sad end to KCB Uganda Rally: Riyaz Kurji dies in crash

•13: Ford Focus RS WRC passes severe crash test

•14 & 15: Meeke wins in IRC again!

•16: The H&H Jon Williams Fan Page

•17: Driver Profile: Henning Solberg

Here HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS goes behind-the-scenes, into the pit garages, into the team offices, to bring you the most interesting and in-depth feature articles.

•09: Al-Attiyah signs with Volkswagen for Dakar 2010!

•10 & 11: Another tough outing on Nissan Sugarbelt 400

•12: Sad end to KCB Uganda Rally: Riyaz Kurji dies in crash

•13: Ford Focus RS WRC passes severe crash test

•14 & 15: Meeke wins in IRC again!

•16: The H&H Jon Williams Fan Page

•17: Driver Profile: Henning Solberg

The Volkswagen line-up for the 2010 Dakar Rally is complete: Nasser Al-Attiyah from Qatar complements the Volkswagen squad as a team-mate of “Dakar” winner Giniel de Villiers, runner-up Mark Miller and Carlos Sainz.Alongside the proven co-drivers Timo Gottschalk, Dirk von Zitzewitz and Ralph Pitchford, the Spaniard Lucas Cruz Senra will join the team as a new member. By clinching a one-two victory in January at the “Dakar” premiere in Argentina and Chile Volkswagen made motorsport history: as the first automobile manufacturer in the 30-year history of the legendary desert rally, the brand won with a diesel-powered vehicle.

“Volkswagen will contest the Dakar Rally in 2010 with a clear aim: we want to repeat our triumph,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. “One thing is clear already: the route is likely to be even tougher and the challenge even greater. We’re perfectly set for this task: With his Cross-Country World Cup title and stage wins at the ‘Dakar’ Nasser Al-Attiyah proved that he ranks among the best drivers in this sport. The part of the co-drivers is a crucial factor at the ‘Dakar’ as well. The signing of Lucas Cruz Senra marks the return of an experienced navigator to our team.”

With the German Timo Gottschalk, 38-year-old Nasser Al-Attiyah will have a co-driver who is intimately familiar with the Volkswagen family. The 34-year-old from Berlin achieved sixth place at the past Dakar Rally with Dieter Depping. Like his new co-driver, Nasser Al-Attiyah can draw on experience in sprint and cross-country rallies. In addition to his runs in the FIA Rally World Cup and the FIA World Cup for Baja rallies that were crowned by drivers titles in 2008, the Olympic Games participant, who represents his native Quatar in clay pigeon shooting as well, has a track record of victorious races in the Group N classification and the FIA World Rally Championship. At the 2009 Dakar Rally he clinched two stage victories and had the overall lead some of the time.

“My heart beats for rally racing and I’m delighted to be able to contest the ‘Dakar’ 2010 with such a professional team as Volkswagen,” says Nasser Al-Attiyah. “With its one-two win the squad proved that it’s the team to be beaten. At Volkswagen,

I now have the chance myself to show that I can win the ‘Dakar’. I’ll give everything to achieve this goal.”

Timo Gottschalk adds: “The first thing we’ve got to do is grow together as a team quickly during tests and preparation rallies. His driving skills and my knowledge as a navigator can create a striking combination.”

The duo Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz Senra Carlos Sainz will tackle the 2010 Dakar Rally with a new co-driver as well. With Lucas Cruz Senra joining the team, the Spaniard, who had been leading the rally for eight days in January 2009 and decided six out of 13 possible stages in his favour, will share the cockpit with a compatriot who has experience in cross-country rally racing under his belt. For Cruz, the signing as a co-driver in the Race Touareg marks a return: As early as in 2006, Cruz, who is now 34 years of age, was part of the “Dakar” squad as co-driver in the Race-Truck.

“Of course, I’m delighted to return to the Volkswagen team. Having Carlos Sainz as one of the strongest and most famous drivers at my side gives me additional motivation,” says Lucas Cruz Senra. “Being able to speak Spanish in the cockpit may prove to be an advantage – because in extreme situations precise instructions are absolutely crucial.”

There will be no changes made to the “Dakar” one-two winning duos in the Volkswagen team: The South African Giniel de Villiers, who was the first driver from his continent to decide the toughest motorsport test of all in his favour in January 2009, will again contest the event with his German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz. “Giniel and I are very much looking forward to tackling the ‘Dakar’ title defence with the Race Touareg. The rally itself of course is the most brutal opponent and one should never underestimate the other teams either – but considering this strong driver line-up it’s likely that our toughest rivals will be within the team.” At the past ‘Dakar’, the duo de Villiers/von Zitzewitz had taken the lead three days before the end and not relinquished it again. Their team-mates Mark Miller and his co-driver Ralph Pitchford, who complemented the one-two victory for Volkswagen, were just narrowly defeated and will again compete in this proven combination in 2010 again.

Dieter Depping will remain a firm element in Volkswagen Motorsport as well: The sixthplaced “Dakar” finisher is involved in the Dakar Rally programme as a development and spare driver. - SUPPLIED BY VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT

Al-Attiyah signed to Volkswagen’s Dakar line-up for 2010 rally

ALL IMAGES: VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT

Competitors are in for another true off road race on the Nissan Sugarbelt 400, round three of the ABSA Off Road Championship, in KwaZulu-Natal on 15 - 16 May.

Race organisers have provided tough routes for the off road fraternity so far this season with the Adenco 400 in the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape 400 providing stern challenges. It looks as though the Nissan Sugarbelt, again based at the Beaumont Eston Farmers Club, won’t be any different.

“This will be an off road race and not a ‘rally’ and competitors

Another tough outing on Nissan Sugarbelt 400!

ALL IMAGES: MOTORPICS

will have to work harder for results than has been the case in previous Nissan Sugarbelts,” said clerk of the course Rex Boreham. “By the time they reach the finish they will know they have been in an off road race.

“The route is tight but the variety of terrain offers a challenge.”

Boreham added there had been plenty of rain in KwaZulu-Natal in recent weeks. Indications are, however, that come race weekend conditions will be dry and dusty.

As in the past the route will be made up of a figure of eight with an east loop of 95 kilometres and a west loop of 89 kilometres. National competitors will complete each loop twice and regional entrants will complete the east loop twice and the west loop once.

The race will start on the east loop which will also be utilised for the Friday prologue to determine start positions for Saturday’s race proper. The prologue ends in Mid Illovo village with a 22 kilometre liaison section on tar back to the Beaumont Eston Farmers Club.

“The opening section of the east loop is fast,” said Boreham. “It then tightens up and after 12 or 15 kilometres a mixture of caneland and grassland becomes very demanding.

“The west loop also starts off fairly fast and then gets tighter and more demanding. About 30 kilometres of this section is through timber plantations.”

The start and finish and the designated service point will all be at the Beaumont Eston Farmers Club. Both the east and west loops join behind Eston village for a common return route of 10 kilometres to the designated service point and finish.

With two wins in a row for Duncan Vos and Ralph Pitchford, the Donaldson Nissan factory team will be more than keen to make it three in a row on their own event. They face a tough

challenge from factory and privateer teams from Ford and Toyota, and the race could develop in to one of the season’s showpieces.

“There is a superb mix of terrain and spectators will be served up all sorts of varied viewpoints,” said clerk of the course Rex Boreham from the Natal Off Road Motor Club. “These range from narrow cane breaks on the edge of hillsides to fast and undulating roller coasters within easy sight of main tar roads.”The race will again be run in a figure of eight format with an east loop and a west loop that national competitors will complete twice. There are nine excellent viewpoints on the east loop, which will be run first, and eight on the west loop.“There are spectator points common to both loops,” said Boreham. “Team service crew and members of the public will also be able to watch the action where the route runs close to the Beaumont Eston Farmers Club and the start/finish and designated service point. Boreham added that the organisers had produced a detailed map with directions to individual spectator points. The

spectator points are all within a radius of 30 kilometres from the Eston Club, and with forward planning enthusiasts can enjoy a day of non stop action.

The spectator guide can be downloaded from www.saoffroadracing.co.za and will also be available at the Beaumont Eston Farmers Club. The Friday, 15 May prologue to determine start positions will start at 13h00 and the race proper on the Saturday, 16 May will get underway at 08h00. - SUPPLIED BY WWW.SAOFFROADRACING.CO.ZA

Sad end to KCB Uganda Rally: Riyaz Kurji dies in crash

Riyaz Kurji has been declared the winner of the KCB Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally 2009 and becomes the first posthumous winner of a round of the African Rally Championship (ARC).

The organisers took the decision to stop the rally at competitive section 10 Kajoji 1 – Miytana 2 (18.05km) after there was a high speed off road by the event leader while he was in the lead with over 02min 22sec over second placed Muna Singh of Zambia.

Kurji’s car lost control struck the bank on the road side and then went roof first into a big ‘anthill’ and spun 50m off the road into a tree. The driver was killed instantly on impact with the anthill and the co-driver was unhurt except for brusing and small cuts.

The stewards and organisers used article 5.5.5 Attribution of reduced points in FIA rules and regulation put in place to decide the winner in such circumstances after all drivers decided not not continue with the event. Kisitu Mayanja clerk of the course told Daily Monitor.

Family members of Riyaz’s received the prizes on behalf of the

deceased and his navigator from Nok Bwonditi KCB Executive Director at a function held at Hotel Africana yesterday.

Muna and his co-driver David Sihoka winner of ARC race handed over their trophies to Kurji family as a sign of respect. “On behalf of Zambia people we would like to send our condolences to the people of Uganda for the death of Kurji. He was more than a competitor. May his soul rest in peace,” Muna twice winner of the ARC title told the packed hall.

CACMS extends sincere condolences to the family of Riyaz Kurji and to all the fans and people of Uganda for we all in Africa have lost a great African rally star who entertained so many during his years of top level rally driving on our continent. - SUPPLIED.

FINAL ARC KCB Uganda Rally CLASSIFICATION:01) M. Singh/D. Sihoka (Subaru) - 01h 22min 27s02) J. Whyte/P. Archenoul (Subaru) + 02m 27s03) E. Katto/M. Matovu (Subaru) + 04min 31s04) O. Costa/O. Meganck (Subaru) + 05min 12s05) G. Davite/S. Vindevogel (Subaru) + 05min 17s06) M. Essa/D. Milner (Subaru) + 05min 41s07) J. Mangat/D. Israel (Subaru) + 07min 53s08) I. Mirza/A. Khan (Mitsubishi) + 21min 20s

HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS send their sincerest condolences to the family of Riyaz Kurji and to the African Rally Championship competitors.

R.I.P. Riyaz Kurji

ALL IMAGES: AFRICAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

Ford Focus RS WRC passes severe crash test

Continued measures to improve safety by further strengthening the Ford Focus RS WRC enabled Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila to escape injury during their violent crash on last month’s WRC Rally of Portugal, accident investigators have revealed in a comprehensive internal report.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s report into the incident on the first day of the rally highlights how the car’s cutting edge design features saved the driver and co-driver from serious injury. Such is the strength of the Focus RS WRC that despite plunging around 200 metres down a hillside, many areas of the car’s bodyshell can be rebuilt and used in further rallies later in the year.

Latvala’s accident on the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship was one of the most dramatic in the sport’s history. Footage of the crash has been watched more than 450,000 times on the YouTube video sharing website.

The report was prepared by Latvala’s engineer, Tim Jackson, who works for British-based M-Sport, Ford’s long-term WRC partner. He said:”As horrific as this incident appears from the video recordings, the safety structure of the car performed excellently and precisely as designed in protecting the driver and co-driver. The use of relatively ductile materials such as T45 Steel for the roll-cage meant that the steady – but limited – deformation of the roll cage structure not only absorbed sufficient energy to protect the occupants, but also that the many undamaged areas of the body shell can be rebuilt and used again.

“The introduction of increased safety measures – both by regulation and design choice – have proved to be beneficial in the incident, meaning that the driver and co-driver were both able to walk away uninjured,” added Jackson.

Data showed that the accident, 9,1km after the start of the fourth speed test, began when 24-year-old Latvala began to brake on a crest which hid a left-hand corner. “As the car left the crest it started to become ‘light’, meaning that both the braking and steering actions were not as effective due to the reduced loading on the tyres,” explained Jackson.

First the rear and then the front of the Focus RS WRC hit the bank on the inside of the corner, flinging the car over a roadside barrier and down the hillside, gathering momentum as it barrel-rolled. The bonnet and tailgate became detached while Latvala’s door opened and was crushed during the rolls.

“However, the door hinges and locking mechanism are still in good condition. Both these are, by regulation, standard production car items,” wrote Jackson.

The car stopped rolling when it hit a tree, without which it is expected the accident would have continued for a further 50 metres. The incident lasted 19.8 seconds with the car completing 12 full rolls. Despite the violence of the crash, the report reveals that the shape of the cockpit area was ‘maintained excellently’.

“Basic measurements show that there was no deformation into the cockpit of the main roll hoop joint. The A-pillar and door bar roll cage structures remained virtually undamaged on both sides of the car with only very small deformations evident. The main hoop tube, located close to the B-pillar buckled slightly on the driver’ side whilst the C-pillar body panel structure, unsupported by roll cage tubes, flattened to a shallower angle. However, none of these was sufficient to pose a danger to the crew,” said Jackson.

Both Latvala and Anttila were using the FIA safety seat, introduced into the Focus RS WRC in October 2008 and mounted into the car using M-Sport designed aluminium brackets which exceed minimum safety requirements. “Following the incident the seats and mounting brackets on both driver and co-driver sides are in visibly in ‘like new’ condition showing that these extra safety measurements were beneficial,” said the report.

In addition to its immensely strong roll

cage, the Focus RS WRC is equipped with a raft of safety features including built-in fire extinguishers and rupture proof fuel tanks. More recent safety enhancements include the use of door-mounted safety foam to add protection in side impacts.

Each Focus RS WRC is now tracked with GPS, allowing emergency services precisely to pin-point crash locations and respond faster. Both driver and co-driver wear flame retardant overalls, gloves and hoods. F1-style Head And Neck Safety (HANS) devices are now also mandatory, reducing the risk of whiplash injury.

“We are constantly striving to find ways to make the sport safer and we have made significant progress in recent years,” said BP Ford Abu Dhabi technical director Christian Loriaux. “One area in particular we have concentrated on is side impact protection. We’ve moved the driver and co-driver’s seats closer to the centre of the car, away from the doors, and we’ve added an extra crash beam inside both sills. There is no doubt that this has made a huge difference to occupant safety.”

Ford of Europe motorsport director Mark Deans says: “The Focus RS WRC is a tremendously strong and robust vehicle and these qualities are reflected across the entire Focus family. Motorsport is all about pushing boundaries and the World Rally Championship is the ultimate proving ground for safety technology. The learning that comes from these vehicles and the feedback our engineers get from the cars is invaluable when developing the next generation of Fords for our customers.” - SUPPLIED.

Kris Meeke blasts his way to another dominant IRC victory!

Peugeot UK driver Kris Meeke delivered a string of fastest stage times on the closing day of the Sata Rallye Acores, round four of the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge, to take victory and the overall championship points lead.

Over the course of seven stages, the 29-year-old Ulsterman, who took the lead on SS2 yesterday morning, resisted a strong performance from Czech ace Jan Kopecky in his Skoda Fabia while remaining largely untroubled by his championship rivals.

In wet and blustery conditions on the island of Sao Miguel, set in the heart of the Azores achipelago some 1 500km off the Portuguese coast in the Atlantic Ocean, the 37 cars to have survived the opening day’s action set out westward for

a gruelling day on the extremely challenging gravel stages. Meeke held an overnight lead of 40sec from defending champion Nicolas Vouilloz in a similar Peugeot 207, stretching his advantage through the first stage of the day while the Frenchman came under attack from a flying Kopecky.

Behind the three leaders, young Finnish star Anton Alen gamely carried the hopes of the Abarth squad with a fine performance in his Grande Punto in fourth place after his team-mate Giandomenico Basso was forced out with suspension damage on the second stage of the day. Alen enjoyed a day-long battle for fourth place with former WRC frontrunner Freddy Loix in another Peugeot 207, but spun on the penultimate stage and dropped 12min to finish 18th after encountering a problem in getting the Grande Punto going again.

Local hero Fernando Peres powered to fifth in his Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, ahead of the similar car of IRC regular Franz Wittmann of Austria. The battle for the final two

ALL IMAGES: WWW.IRCSERIES.COM

points positions was between Conrad Rautenbach, making his IRC debut in another Peugeot 207, and another Portuguese specialist in a Mitsubishi, Ricardo Moura.

The local man managed to overhaul the Zimbabwean shortly after the service halt but Rautenbach came back to clinch seventh place on the final few stages. The fight for the final IRC point continues on the Sata Rally Acores. Peugeot driver Conrad Rautenbach (pictured) - making his IRC debut - has got past the Mitsubishi of local driver Ricardo Moura. “It´s been quite tough to adapt to S2000 machinery as it takes a while to get used to it,” said the Zimbabwean. “But it´s a good car and from what I´ve seen of the IRC it is a very competitive series”.

In the IRC 2WD Cup, Frenchman Denis Millet took a comfortable victory in his new Peugeot 207 RC Rallye, which features an innovative 1600cc turbocharged engine, from Italy’s Manuel Villa in his Fiat Punto Super 1600.

The gruelling surface and ever-changing weather conditions

conspired to force a total of 17 cars into retirement from the 50 starters. Principal among these was the flying Finn Juho Hanninen who led Skoda’s early charge on the opening day, only to twice come to grief on the Pinhal da Paz stage, wrecking his wheel against some rocks on SS4 before suffering a bigger accident on the field’s return for SS10 yesterday.

The IRC heads to Belgium next month for the Ypres Westhoek Rally, one of my favourite rally events in the world. AS you have come to expect, HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS will feature all the news and previews of this upcoming event.

FINAL IRC Sata Rallye Acores CLASSIFICATION:01) Meeke/Nagle (Peugeot 207 S2000) - 02h 36min 48,3s 02) Kopecky/Stary (Skoda Fabia S2000) + 53,1s 03) Vouilloz/Klinger (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 01min 4,8s 04) Loix/Miclotte (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 02min 15,2s 05) Peres/Silva (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX) + 04min 45,2s 06) Wittmann/Ettel (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX) + 05min 33,2s 07) Rautenbach/Barritt (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 05min 35,8s 08) Moura/Eiro (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX) + 05min 41,3s 09) Magalhaes/Magalhaes (Peugeot 207 S2000) + 07min 03,5s 10) Sousa/Carvalho (Abarth Grande Punto S2000) + 08min 13,8s

The H&H Jon Williams Fan Page

South Africa’s brightest young rally star, Jon Williams, has returned from his adventure in the P-WRC Rally Portugal. Driving as the African winner of the Pirelli Star Driver scheme, Williams was the only one of the five Pirelli Star Drivers to have survived the torturous gravel roads.

Of the 68 crews that took to SS1, only 41 saw the finish line. Williams finished a highly commendable 23rd overall, in his first drive in a Group N rally car!

H&H will be closely following this young man’s progress on the world stage!

ALL IMAGES: WWW.WRT.COM

Sport and family are not separate. Matthew Wilson (Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team) is guided by his father, Malcolm Wilson, who is team principal and director of M-Sport. There are family links in marathon running: with Russian twin sisters and Bulgarian brothers. Even competition between siblings is not rare: Serena and Venus Williams (tennis players) regularly face-off on tennis courts around the world. And, in rallying Petter and Henning Solberg battle each other every other weekend in their rally cars…WRITES EVAN ROTHMAN.

Petter Solberg is the younger of the two brothers, and is the 2003 World Rally Champion. Henning is also a household name throughout Europe thanks to his impressive driving skills in Norwegian rally events.

Like Petter, Henning started his career in rallycross events, and then changed to rallying in the mid-1990s. In 1999 and 2003, he won the Norwegian Rally Championship for five years in a row!

Entering WRC events as a privateer, Henning was asked to join Bozian Racing for the 2004 WRC season. Competing in a Peugeot 206 WRC, in his first event, the 2004 WRC Rally Sweden, Henning drove home to sixth place to claim his first points in WRC. This result remained his season-best in 2004.

For 2005 he was snatched up by the BP Ford World Rally Team, and contested several events alongside team-mates Toni Gardemeister and Roman Kresta.

The following year Henning partnered Manfred Stohl at OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team driving a Peugeot 307 WRC in 12 of the 16 rounds. He took his first podium position at the WRC Rally Turkey, and scored consistently throughout the season to finish off eighth in the overall WRC Drivers’ standings.

In 2007 to present, Henning joined the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team. He added another podium finish to his career tally, and missed on another three due to mechanical retirements. He has, to date, competed in 75 WRC events, has 25 stage wins to his name and accrued a total of 17 WRC points. Henning is renowned for his fast yet consistent pace, and his witty sense of humour. With a few more steady results this season, another podium finish is a realistic!

Driver Profile: Henning SolbergALL IMAGES: STOBART MOTORSPORT

Temperamental cars and future stars to battle at Ceres Rally

With less than three days to go to the WBMK Ceres Rally taking this Saturday, 16 May, competitors are working hard to prepare and set up their cars, WRITES ERICA SOUTHEY.

One such crew is Charl Strydom/Sakkie Bosman in their Sabre Paints VW Polo 1,6 S3 who are a late entry pushing the number of entries to 14. Strydom and Bosman were hampered by a problematic gearbox that was the cause for them not putting any points onto the scoreboard so far this season. Bosman had the gearbox overhauled including the clutch master cylinder. With the help of Jacques, Neil and Sakkie, they are hard at work to get the car ready for Saturday’s showdown.

On the rally itself Bosman said: “We’re going to ‘voel voel’ through the stages. This is mainly a testing session for us.” Bosman remains positive and said they will see what the day produces.

Another competitor who is aiming to put points on the board is Jon Peiser with navigator Brian Hoskins in their Subaru Impreza GT S5. Peiser said that technical problems kept them from completing the first two events of the year. “History is repeating itself,” said Peiser. “Last year was the same with us not completing the first two events, but thereafter we went on and won three events in a row.”

He continued that with JP Damseaux and Mike Nathan

competing in stronger cars, he will keep as close to them as possible to take advantage of failures such as punctures. As for the stages, Peiser said that the roads are technical and he likes that, but it can be very slippery.

For the rally crew of the Freightmore 1600 Toyota Conquest S3, Kes Naidoo and Quaid Walbrugh it will be a total different strategy. Walbrugh will get his first taste of a rally car at high speed. Naidoo said that he and Walbrugh have not spent testing time in the car at all, but went through pace notes and the general rules. Naidoo said that he will be extra cautious in approach to get Walbrugh accustomed to the car, but will be pushing as best as he can to finish. Naidoo is looking forward to the event and said that they are doing last finishes to the car. “I will hold back and not go full throttle,” Naidoo said.

Both Peiser and Naidoo said that the expected heavy rains for Ceres on the day can make things interesting. Who on the entry list will remain standing at the ending of this challenging event?

•The Ceres Rally has been compacted, with competitors battling each other over just four special stages. The format is as follows: two long stages run twice. This results in a total of 96,6km of rally action, with a total rally distance of 205km. Documentation and scrutineering take place at 09h00, and the rally will start at 11h00 and finish at approximately 15h34.

ALL IMAGES: SUPPLIED BY PATRICK VERMAAK