Italian driver Luca Betti tested the Peugeot 207 Super2000 in Montemale with the Kimera team on the 23rd of December. From what I know, Betti is currently trying to secure a budget for IRC in 2010 and a start in Monte Carlo is rumoured – but no deal is signed and the problem is – as always – money.
Anyway, let’s hope Betti comes to the startline and until then we’ll enjoy his drive on this video:
Since a few days, the french site PlaneteMarcus has published Google Earth map files for the IRC Rallye Monte Carlo 2010. What a nice christmas present, isn’t it? Maps are also available for use on the iPhone – which is even better. However, the iPhone version – created by StageTimes – cost’s a little.
Check the maps out here: http://planetemarcus.free.fr/googleearthmap.htm (link to iPhone app to the left on the page)
Guy Wilks did Rally Scotland this year in a Skoda, and since a while rumours have also placed him in the Fabia Super2000 for 2010 – backed by Skoda UK. The rumours are getting more intense, and multiple sources now claim that the deal is done an that the official announcement is really close. The IRC lineup for 2010 keeps growing impressively…
The Skoda tests continue and now Juho Hänninen has done his drive in Col de l’Able. Here is the video:
Thanks to rallyelange for the video.
Nasser Al-Attiyah were rumoured last year for a drive in the Skoda Fabia Super2000, but that plans never became true. However, according to the latest news Nasser now seems to have completed a deal with M-Sport for a drive in the brand new Ford Fiesta Super2000 car. The drive will cover selected parts of the S-WRC, IRC and the MERC championships. Check out yesterday’s post below for a few videos of the Ford Fiesta Super2000.
Last year I made a calendar on Google of all WRC events, allowing you to include it in your own Google Calendar, import it to your phone, Outlook, iCal on Mac etc. This year I’ve made the same – but it’s even more complete, since I’ve included IRC events too. The calendar includes the following information per rally: Championship (WRC/IRC), dates, location, surface and for WRC rallies support classes (JWRC, PWRC, SWRC).
You can reach the calendar in the following formats:
World Rally 2010 – iCal format
World Rally 2010 – HTML format
If you don’t know how to use the formats listed above, don’t worry. Your calendar software help can probably help you, or if you use Google Calendar, try this link: Subscribe to public calendars – Google Calendar Help.
EDIT: As most of you have probabaly understood by now, this was only a 1st of April Joke. Happy fools day, all!
A FIA representative in Algarve that I’ve been in contact with have confirmed the rumours that has circulated down in Portugal during the day: the WRC season 2009 will end already in May after the Ralli d’Italia-Sardegna – and then leave room for a new winter-based season starting in September this year. The main class during that new season will be the Super2000 class, with the same technical specifications as the Super2000 class used in the IRC.
The decision was made this morning at a meeting in Algarve with the most important FIA delegates, mobilised by Max Mosley – president of the organisation. The formal decision is scheduled to be taken this evening during a meeting starting at 7PM Portugese time, allowing for the FIA to inform media, team, organisers and fans already tomorrow – before the Rally of Portugal get’s started.
Swedish rally driver Daniel Carlsson is chocked but happy about the decision:
- I had no clue this was coming, but we saw already in the last World Council meeting that Max [Mosley] wanted to speed up the conversion to Super2000. Now, he has certainly done that and it will of course cause some problems to those drivers and teams that have commited to the full season – but at the same time I don’t see why we should wait for a change that we know are to come. Super2000 is the best class to attract manufacturers, so I think it makes sense to do it immediately. To me it feels like FIA has finally got their pieces together and made a good decision for the development of WRC.
I’ll get back with more information on this subject as soon as possible.
On Friday starts the International Rally de Curitiba, next round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. The gravel event starts the “summer season” and brings the IRC to Brazil and South America for the first time, and despite being an overseas event the start list is quite OK. Reigning IRC champion Nicolas Vouilloz will be accompanied by Kris Meeke, Freddy Loix, Giandomenico Basso, Anton Alen, former PWRC name Marcos Ligato and a number of other local South American drivers.
Among the challenges for the drivers I rank tyre choices highest. The stages are fast and flowing where cars can reach quite high speeds – which means the unpredicatable weather with rain forecasted will make tyre choices crucial. A wrong tyre choice will mean slower acceleration, earlier braking points and will for sure go directly into the results table.
Anyway, the most interesting thing with this rally is the format and location, where Eurosport Events continue to set new standards regarding innovative marketing. The rally service will be co-located with this weekends World Touring Car Championship premiere in the Curitiba cirquit. The rally is ran from Friday morning to Saturday lunch – making it end just before the WTCC qualifyings. This means motorsport fans (there are quite a lot of them in South America) as well as media can cover both events in a very easy and cheap way.
The conclusion is that IRC has once again tried out a new grip promoting their championship and getting it easy and interesting to watch, with a chance of attracting new fans to the rally sport (mainly those ones that have got into racing but not yet understood that rally is far better). I’ve said it before, but it’s good enough to be repeated: FIA should really watch and learn from the IRC organisers and take all those good things into the WRC.
Wanna see how the Curitiba is? Watch my previously posted videos.
The next IRC round, Rally Internacional de Curitiba, is coming up within a few weeks. The event is ran the 5th-7th of March in Brazil on gravel. I’ll get back with more info on the event later, but already now I thought I should post some videos. Here we go:
Onboard video from SS1 of the 2008 event:
Onboard video from the 2007 event:
Video from SS8 on the 2008 event:
SS4 on the 2008 event:
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