WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2012
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VM kalendern 2012  
17-22 jan Monte Carlo *, ** » Läs mer
9-12 febr Sverige ** » Läs mer
8-11 mars Mexico *  
29 mar 1 apr Portugal ** » Läs mer
27-29 apr Argentina *  
25- 27 maj Grekland *
22-24 jun Nya Zeeland *, **  
2-5 aug Finland **
24-26 aug Tyskland *
13-16 sept Storbritanien, Wales **  
4-7 okt Frankrike **  
18-21 okt Italien *  
1-4 november Spanien *, **  
 
= Rallyt pågår
  
 
* = GrN-VM
 
 
** = SWRC
  
 

 



12-05-19 Rallying with the Gods
Ciao a tutti!
'A quick introduction – I'm Bruno De Pianto, Team Manager of WRC Team MINI Portugal and I’m going to keep you up to speed with the team's adventures during Acropolis Rally of Greece, sixth round of the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship.

'We’ve had a couple of hectic weeks since we got back from Argentina. First, we took part in MINI United last weekend at the legendary Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France. Thousands of MINIs of every shape and colour you can imagine gathered from all over the world for a weekend of pure fun with MINI family and friends! It was great – we were representing MINI's involvement in the WRC and we had an awesome time!

'Then it was straight back to the Motorsport Italia workshop and all systems go preparing for Greece and working hard to be 100% ready for one of the toughest challenges on the WRC calendar. The rally offers rough gravel roads, high temperatures, many, many stones and some of the most iconic stages in the whole of the WRC. As always we’ll be out in force at the Acropolis Rally with our two crews Armindo Araújo and Miguel Ramalho and Paulo Nobre with Edu Paula. Both crews know the rally from previous years and we’re focused on getting the best result possible.

'Greece feels like my second home, because I worked on the Greek Rally Championship for six years – from 2004 to 2009 – for our sister team Ralliart Italia managing Greek driver Aris Vovos. We used to do eight to 10 rallies per year in Greece so I got to know the country quite well. It's an amazing place - great weather, great food, nice beaches and a fantastic history.

'There are two places in Greece I like most. One is Porto Carras in the north of Greece – where the ELPA Rally used to be – there's a casino, it's on the sea and there's a fantastic golf course where I used to play golf with my driver. The other place I really like is Olympia, it's unbelievable that that very place is where the Olympic Games were held for the first time - thousands of years ago – and where the Olympic torch is still lit before each modern games. It's incredible being so close to a part of history. I have good memories from that place, I went there in 2002 for my first rally in Greece and have competed there about 10 times since. That's exactly where this photo was taken during my first time competing on a rally in Greece. Quite incredibly, you can see my friend and WRC Team MINI Portugal mechanic Roby also working on the car in photo – which just shows how far back some of the relationships in the team stretch!

'After working in Greece for four years, in late 2007 Armindo joined us to compete in the PWRC. I did one more season in the Greek Championship and then my focus turned solely to the WRC. With Ralliart Italia first and since last year also with Motorsport Italia and the MINIs. It gets really busy at times but I love the sport and I really enjoy traveling around the world doing my job!

'I’ve just arrived in Greece, along with some of my team where it’s quite unusually pouring with rain! We collected some MINIs to use during our stay from the local MINI dealer in Athens and then travelled to Loutraki where the rally is based. Today we will start to prepare the service park, then tomorrow we begin preparations for the Acropolis Rally with a pre-event test with both our drivers.

'I'll keep you up-to-date with WRC Team MINI Portugal’s adventures throughout the rally.
12-05-18 FIA WRC Academy crews set to tackle legendary Acropolis
The FIA WRC Academy crews will embark on one of the biggest challenges in their careers next week as they tackle the infamous Acropolis Rally. Famed as one of the toughest events on the WRC calendar, this year’s competitors will have to utilise all of their training as they look to conquer the ultimate test of both man and machine.

Supported by Ford Racing in Europe and with control tyres from Pirelli, this will be the WRC Academy’s first venture to the Greek event, which will provide the setting for the youngsters’ most challenging test to date. The identical Ford Fiesta R2s that make up the WRC Academy field have been strengthened to cope with restricted cooling in the slow corners of the twisting mountain tracks and withstand severe punishment from the rocks and underlying bedrock that litter the stages.

As one of the longest-standing rallies in the World Rally Championship (WRC), the 59th Acropolis Rally may prove less torturous than the five-day events of the past, but with temperatures reaching highs of over 30C and the earlier scheduling rendering the roads more abrasive than last year, the WRC Academy crews will have to adapt a blend of strength, reliability, speed and intelligence as they look to secure a strong result.

Crews will contest the 25km Super Special on Thursday evening before tackling the opening loops on Friday and Saturday. Despite contesting no repeat stages, this year’s WRC Academy contenders will have the opportunity to drive some of the most classic stages in Greece with runs over ‘Bauxites’ and ‘Drossohori’ as well as new challenges on the final day of competition through the beautiful Peloponnese peninsula.

Leading the WRC Academy following his victory at the Vodafone Rally de Portugal last month, Alastair Fisher (23) will be looking to maintain his lead. The Northern Irishman has been working with Sport Northern Ireland to ensure that he is in the best physical shape for the demands ahead – making best use of the programme’s heat chamber to test his fitness. As well as securing third place in the Fiesta SportTrophy UK series on the Pirelli International Rally earlier this month, Fisher has completed two extensive tests to ensure maximum seat-time before he rejoins regular co-driver Daniel Barritt for their debut on the Greek stages.

The Acropolis Rally marks a real mile-stone for the brother and sister pairing of Brendan Reeves (23) and Rhianon Smyth. Competing together since 2002, the second round of the WRC Academy will mark the duo’s 50th event together – 14 of which have been outside of their native Australia. Since securing second place in Portugal, Reeves and Smyth contested the Targa Tasmania Rally – a five-day endurance event on home soil in which they were running third in their modified Mazda RX8 SP before a mechanical problem forced them to retire. Reeves is currently training in Austria with the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy and will be looking to put all of his training and experience to good use as he makes his Greek debut next week.

Following a fantastic debut in the Ford Fiesta R2 last month, WRC Academy rookie Pontus Tidemand (21) returns to the one-make series eager to build upon his third place in the standings. The Swede has had a host of seat-time since the previous event. After taking class victory at Rally Sørland in Norway, Tidemand drove the zero-car on a local Swedish event, tested a Fabia S2000 and also completed a two-day test with fellow Swede Ingemar Svensson’s Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Next up, the 21-year-old will contest the third round of the Swedish Rally Championship alongside WRC Academy co-driver Stig Rune Skjærmoen before looking to emulate his recent Scandinavian successes on the international stage in Greece.

Also keen to replicate his good form from the previous round in Portugal, Timo Van Der Marel (22) will be looking for another strong result. The KNAF supported driver contested the 2012 Rallye Sulingerland earlier this month alongside co-driving girlfriend and former WRC Academy contender, Rebecca Smart. The pairing finished 14th overall and second in the Nissan Cup to lead the 350Z Challenge in their Nissan 350Z. Van Der Marel is also attending the fourth workshop of the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy where he will complete a number of practical seminars on physical fitness and driving style – sessions which will prove valuable as he rejoins Erwin Berkhof for the Acropolis Rally next week.

After claiming three stage wins in Portugal, the Scandinavian pairing of Fredrik Åhlin (21) and Morten Erik Abrahamsen will also return to competition in Greece. Since the season opener, Åhlin has been working for Audi as a driving instructor in Denmark. The 21-year old teaches an advanced driving course for the manufacturer and put his own skills to the test with some hot-laps in an Audi R8. The Swede will be back behind the wheel as he contests the South Swedish Rally this weekend where he and Abrahamsen aim to finalise preparations for their debut assault on the Acropolis Rally.

Also returning to the WRC Academy in Greece, Jose Suárez (21) will be reunited with regular co-driver, Candido Carrera. Since Portugal, the asphalt specialist contested Rally Auxerrois – a gravel round in the French Championship – to perfect his ever-improving driving style on loose-surface events. Despite being forced to retire from the rally with mechanical problems, the extra seat-time and recce will see the Spaniard well placed as he looks for a strong result on the gravel stages of the classic Greek event where he welcomes new sponsor, ACSM Marine Services.

Currently leading the British Rally Championship (BRC) in his Ford Fiesta R2, Elfyn Evans (23) will be looking to replicate his home success on the international stage. The Welshman has secured victory on every round of the Fiesta SportTrophy UK series this year, as well as a string of top-five finishes in the BRC to lead the championship ahead of a host of more powerful R3 specification cars. Evans’ consistency and mechanical sympathy, combined with his obvious pace, is set to prove an advantage as he makes his debut on the Acropolis Rally. In a change from the previous event in Portugal, Evans will be joined by the 2007 and 2008 BRC Champion, Phil Pugh. Having contested the J-WRC alongside Guy Wilks from 2004 – 2006, Pugh brings a wealth of experience from international events in both the WRC and Intercontinental Rally Championship.

After debuting in the WRC Academy on his home event in Portugal, João Silva (24) will return to the one-make series with a new co-driver – Hugo Magalhães. It has been a busy month for the Portuguese pairing as they work on building their relationship ahead of the second round of the season. Having run together as the zero-car on the third round of the Portuguese Championship, the pairing have also been training hard to make sure they are in top shape for the demanding event. This week also saw the duo conclude a test with the Ford Fiesta R2. Having completed 70 kms, the twosome learnt a lot about the car and are confident of finding a good set-up in Greece.

Also returning to the WRC Academy, John MacCrone (23) will be looking to put the disappointment of Portugal behind him where he was forced to Rally 2 following damage to his Ford Fiesta R2 on the opening day of competition. The Scotsman contested the second round of the Scottish Tarmac Rally Championship at Ingliston earlier this month. Despite being forced to retire from the event with a mechanical issue, MacCrone secured three fastest stage times in his Ford Fiesta R2 to out-perform a number of more powerful specification cars. Making their debut at the Acropolis Rally, MacCrone and fellow Scot Stuart Loudon will also welcome a new sponsor to their squad – Glengorm Castle on the Isle of Mull.

Also keen to put the disappointment of Portugal behind him, Chris Duplessis (24) makes a welcome come-back to the one-make series after being forced to retire from the previous round with accident damage to the rear of his Ford Fiesta R2 on the final stage. Returning to the States, the charismatic American has spent two weeks working and training at the DirtFish Rally School in Washington. Working on perfecting his pacenotes with the skills learnt from Ford World Rally Team’s Chris Patterson last month, Duplessis and regular co-driver Karl Atkinson will put their training into practice as they debut on the Acropolis Rally next week – an event where detailed pacenotes can make all the difference.

Finally, making his official debut in the WRC Academy, South African Ashley Haigh-Smith (19) brings the number of represented continents to four. As the youngest driver in the series, the 19-year-old is currently competing in the South African Rally Championship in a Ford Fiesta R2 and had been comfortably leading his class on the previous round at the Sasol Rally until collecting three punctures and ultimately being forced to retire from the event. Haigh-Smith has also been the driving force behind an exciting project in his native South Africa which offers an extended driving experience with the youngster and donates 20 per cent of the proceeds to charity. Accompanied by accomplished co-driver Craig Parry – who is currently leading the BRC co-driver standings – Haigh-Smith will be looking for a good result on his Greek debut.

Series leader, Alastair Fisher said:
“This will be my first time competing on the Acropolis Rally. There’s a lot of anticipation as we all know the reputation it has as one of the toughest events on the calendar, but I am really looking forward to the challenge.

“It is one of those events where anything can happen. It is important to have a good recce and you need to keep your head down, keep the concentration and stay out of trouble.

“I’ve been working hard on my fitness with Sport Northern Ireland which should see me well placed for the physical demands. I’ve completed a number of fitness tests with them and also been lucky enough to have use of their heat chamber as well as working on my own fitness in the gym.”

Making his debut as a registered WRC Academy driver, Ashley Haigh-Smith said:
“The WRC Academy is the place to be if you want to learn and eventually progress into top-level rallying. The competition [in the feeder series] is just as tough as it is amongst the P1 drivers and, with an equal playing field for everyone, it is just the driver and the navigator who make the difference which gives us the perfect opportunity to show what we can do behind the wheel.

“I’m feeling good ahead of Greece. For sure it will be a tough opening event for us, but I am looking forward to the challenge and we have been working hard to ensure a strong result. In South Africa we don’t conduct a recce as you would in the WRC, so I have spent the past two days working on my recce and pacenote skills up in the mountains.

“The roads in South Africa are pretty rough, so hopefully that will give us a slight advantage. But we have nothing to prove on the first event. For us, it will be about trying to find some consistency and getting our pace up to that of those who have had the benefit of an extra event.”
12-05-18 Tactical battle awaits M-Sport´s young guns in Greece
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Evgeny Novikov and Ott Tänak will be looking to make an impact as the World Rally Championship embarks on the toughest round of the season at the 59th Acropolis Rally next week.

First run in 1953, the Greek event is one of the longest-standing in the world series. Famed as one of the toughest events in the calendar, M-Sport’s young guns will have to put all of their experience into practice as they contend with a mix of rough, twisting tracks through the region’s mountain stages, blistering heat and dust making visibility a challenge.

As the ultimate test of man and machine, this classic event renders driver fitness crucial and demands a mechanical blend of strength, reliability and speed. With air temperatures reaching highs of over 30C, the conditions place high demands on the engine and gearbox with little cooling through the technically slow mountain climbs.

The event’s fearsome reputation is exemplified by the rocks and underlying bedrock that litter the stages and M-Sport’s rising stars will have a tactical battle ahead of them as they set their sights on another strong points haul.

Nevertheless, with the event holding the record for the highest number of rally victors – with more than 20 drivers making it to the top step of the podium – the duo will be keen to impress once again as they aim to translate their speed into another good result for the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team.

Novikov and co-driver Denis Giraudet have had an impressive start to their 2012 campaign and are currently laying a credible fifth in the championship standings. Despite a disappointing start to the previous round in Argentina, the young Russian proved he had the pace to challenge the top-three with blistering speed over the final day to set three second and one third fastest stage times.

This will be Novikov’s fourth venture to the Greek stages and the Russian will run with the Chelsea FC logo on his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Given the Russian affiliation with the English Premiership team, the association aims to illustrate ALM Rally’s support for the club as they face Bayern Munich FC in the final of the UEFA Champions League this coming weekend.

Elsewhere, in spite of their obvious speed, it has been a difficult start to the season for Tänak and regular co-driver Kuldar Sikk. Despite claiming three stage victories, the Estonian’s season has been blighted by misfortunes and the 24-year-old will be eager to prove his potential next week.

As well as supporting the FIA Action for Road Safety campaign, the Acropolis Rally will see Tänak sport the ‘Worldwide Ford Rally Fans’ logo on the rear of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC – Ford and M-Sport’s tribute to a whole host of social media groups which have been set up in support of the brand over the past year.

Evgeny Novikov said:
“The Acropolis Rally is one of my favourite rallies. It is really challenging and you have to be on the maximum with speed and concentration. The roads are really rough and can be quite hard on the car so you have to know when you can push and when you can’t.

“I have competed here three times before, but the earlier date this year means that the roads may be much rougher than they have been in the past. We will have to wait and see what to expect.

“This will be my first time back in the car since Argentina as we will have no pre-event testing, but for sure we will be looking to do our best for another top-five finish.”

Ott Tänak said:
“This is a really nice event. I competed in Greece last year and most of the roads are ok, but some of them can be really rough and you have to be careful and make sure your pacenotes are really detailed. With the earlier date for this year’s event, it is hard to know exactly what to expect – but I am looking forward to getting back in the car.

“The last few events have not been too good for us and this event will be all about making it to the end and getting some good points on the board. I’m constantly working on my training, and hopefully this event will see me regain my pace and my confidence behind the wheel.”
12-05-18 Ford goes for gold in Greece as Latvala returns from injury
As the Olympic flame journeys from Greece to Britain for the London games, Ford World Rally Team heads in the opposite direction for one of the FIA World Rally Championship’s classic fixtures. The team will go for gold in the gruelling Acropolis Rally of Greece (24 -27 May), traditionally a happy hunting ground for Ford, which has won there 13 times since the series began in 1973.

The squad is boosted by the return of lead drivers Jari-Matt Latvala and Miikka Anttila. Latvala missed the previous round in Argentina with a broken left collarbone, but proved his fitness at a two-day test in Portugal last week. They will join Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson in Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Cars for the four-day dirt event, which is significantly longer than the 2011 rally.

Seven of those wins came in the last 11 encounters of the most demanding round of the championship for man and machine. Air temperatures in the gravel speed tests around the Gulf of Corinth, west of Athens, will be close to 30ºC, with cockpit temperatures well above that. Driver fitness is crucial and regular fluid intake is vital to stave off dehydration and ensure peak performance.

Mechanically, success in Greece demands a blend of strength, reliability and speed. The undulating gravel tracks have a fearsome reputation and cars must withstand severe punishment from rocks which litter the surface, as well as unyielding bedrock which forms the base of the roads. The Fiesta RS WRCs will carry additional underbody protection to guard against damage.

The heat also places high demands on engines and gearboxes. The relatively slow mountain speed tests, punctuated by hairpins, offer little cooling from the flow of air, while a combination of the heat and abrasive road surface requires strong durability from Michelin’s tyres.

Latvala has good experience of the Acropolis, dating back to 2003 when as an 18-year-old he finished 10th on his World Rally Car debut. He has seven starts to his name, with a best finish of third in 2009. The 27-year-old Finn covered 440km on his return to the wheel in testing and reported no discomfort from his collarbone injury.

“I was surprised how good it felt,” he said. “I wore padding under the HANS device to spread the pressure across my chest and shoulders and it worked perfectly. We planned a shorter first day, but with no problems I drove a full schedule on the second day on a rougher road, and I felt no pain in my collarbone or shoulder. My recovery schedule has been tight but I’m confident I won’t have to worry about the injury.

“We worked on the suspension and made a step forward, with the car feeling better in bedrock conditions. After so long out of the car I felt so happy and relieved that my skills were still there!

“It will be a hard rally and Saturday’s leg will be especially difficult. It’s longer than last year, with two passes over a new 21km stage, and it will be tough for the tyres in the heat. It will be important to manage the tyres well because tyre wear could be the most important aspect. You can drive at 95 per cent in those conditions, but to drive at 100 per cent all the time would be risky,” added Latvala.

Solberg has a strong record in Greece. He scored his first career podium there in 2001, won in 2004 and has five podium finishes from 11 starts.

“It’s the roughest round of the season, but we’ll see if it proves to be the toughest,” he said. “There are many big rocks in Greece and that’s what makes the rally so tricky. I learned a lot about rough road driving when Kenya’s Safari Rally was part of the championship, and that’s useful for Greece. You have to be smart with your driving in this type of event.

“The rough roads and heat are also hard for the tyres. But Michelin’s tyres have been strong this year so I’m confident they’ll be good here also. I had some bad luck on the last two rounds, but still scored good championship points after driving at 110 per cent to climb back up the order. Hopefully I can have a clean run and keep the points coming,” added the 37-year-old Norwegian.

Team News

* Michelin’s Latitude Cross gravel tyres will be used by the Ford drivers and 48 of these will be available in hard compound. New-for-2012 regulations mean drivers will also have 10 soft compound tyres available if conditions are wet and muddy. However, only 48 units can be used in total during qualifying and the rally itself. Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the tyres and each car can carry two spare wheels.

* Seven privately-entered Fiesta RS WRCs are entered. Ott Tänak / Kuldar Sikk and Evgeny Novikov / Denis Giraudet are nominated by M-Sport Ford World Rally Team. Mads Østberg / Jonas Andersson is entered by Adapta World Rally Team, while Brazil World Rally Team will again be present with Daniel Oliveira / Carlos Magalhães. Martin Prokop / Zdenek Hruza will crew the Czech Ford National Team car and the Fiesta RS WRC entries are completed by the Autotek entry of Spyros Pavlides / Nicolas Klinger and Ukraine’s Oleksii Tamrazov / Oleksandr Gorbik.

* The rally marks the second round of the Ford-supported FIA WRC Academy. Eleven crews will drive Fiesta R2 rally cars over a shortened route before a Saturday lunchtime finish. Northern Ireland’s Alastair Fisher and Daniel Barritt lead the series after the opening round in Portugal.

* The cars of Latvala and Solberg will sport the Worldwide Ford Rally Fans logo in Greece and next month’s Rally New Zealand. In recognition of the support its members have pledged to Ford World Rally Team in recent months, the social media-founded organisation’s motif will appear on the rear of both cars, as well as on several other Fiestas.

Rally Route
A fourth day of competition and a new-look opening leg bringing the return of classic roads are the main changes for the 2012 edition. Loutraki, at the head of the Corinth Canal, remains the rally base with the main service park on the edge of the town. After Thursday’s start ceremony close to the spectacular Acropolis in central Athens, competitors tackle a single stage on the return route to Loutraki. Friday journeys north around the Gulf of Corinth to tackle stages near Itea that have not been used since 2009. It is the longest day, with almost 170km of competition and just two short service breaks in Itea. Saturday’s route journeys west across the Corinth Canal for stages in the Peloponnese peninsula and Sunday’s final leg is identical to last year and based east of Loutraki. Competitors tackle 22 stages covering 409.47km, 60km more than last year, in a route of 1661.39km.

ACROPOLIS RALLY OF GREECE ROUND 6 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 24 - 27 May 2012
Thursday 24 May: Qualifying and Day 1: Loutraki - Loutraki
QS Aghii Theodori 6.20km 10.33
Start A Loutraki 14.00
Start B Zappion, Athens 17.00
SS1 Kineta 25.24km 18.28
Serv A Loutraki (flexi 45 mins) 19.13
Finish Loutraki 19.58
Total 25.24km

Friday 25 May: Day 1 (cont): Loutraki - Loutraki
Serv B Loutraki (15 mins) 06.00
SS2 Aghia Marina 13.80km 06.53
SS3 Thiva 1 23.60km 08.31
SS4 Elikonas 1 19.89km 10.20
RSZ 1 Itea (15 mins) 11.53
SS5 Bauxites 1 23.17km 12.25
SS6 Drossohori 22.00km 13.19
RSZ 2 Itea (15 mins) 14.50
SS7 Bauxites 2 23.17km 15.22
SS8 Elikonas 2 19.89km 17.05
SS9 Thiva 2 23.60km 18.50
Serv C Loutraki (flexi 45 mins) 21.05
Finish Loutraki 21.50
Total 169.12km

Saturday 26 May: Day 2: Loutraki - Loutraki
Serv D Loutraki (15 mins) 07.30
SS10 Klenia Mycenae 1 17.41km 08.38
SS11 Ghymno 1 17.61km 09.45
SS12 Kefalari 1 18.40km 10.40
SS13 Ziria 1 21.36km 12.06
Serv E Loutraki (30 mins) 13.54
SS14 Klenia Mycenae 2 17.41km 15.17
SS15 Ghymno 2 17.61km 16.24
SS16 Kefalari 2 18.40km 17.19
SS17 Ziria 2 21.36km 18.45
Serv F Loutraki (flexi 45 mins) 20.20
Finish Loutraki 21.05
Total 149.56km

Sunday 27 May: Day 3: Loutraki - Loutraki
Serv G Loutraki (15 mins) 08.30
SS18 Aghii Theodori 1 19.42km 09.14
SS19 New Pissia 1 11.37km 09.45
Serv H Loutraki (30 mins) 10.58
SS20 Aghii Theodori 2 19.42km 11.57
SS21 New Pissia 2 11.37km 12.28
SS22 New Loutraki 3.97km 14.11
Serv I Loutraki (10 mins) 15.08
Finish Casino Loutraki 15.30

Total 65.55km
Rally total 409.47km
12-04-30 Stor besvikelse i Argentina för Ramona och Miriam
Det blev en stor besvikelse under Rally Argentina för Ramona och Miriam. Redan under första etappen tvingades de bryta rallyt på grund av trasig oljekylare. ”Vi gjorde en miss i noterna som gjorde att vi kom för snabbt in i en kurva, och åkte över ett hinder som stod i vägkanten. Odramatiskt och vi kunde fortsätta, men när oljelampan började lysa slog vi av motorn på en gång. Det visade sig oturligt nog att oljekylaren som sitter höger fram hade slagits sönder”, säger Ramona och Miriam och fortsätter, ”Ord kan inte beskriva hur besvikna vi är. Detta är ett bevis på hur utslagsgivande rally är och hur pass små marginaler det handlar om. Det kändes otroligt bra innan rallyt. Vi hade förberett oss på bästa vis och kände oss lugna men samtidigt riktigt laddade. När oljelampan tändes kändes det bara som att dra ner rullgardinen, detta är verkligen det tråkigaste vi varit med om på en rallytävling.

På den 55 km långa shakedownsträckan fick tjejerna ett kvitto på att de var med och slogs. Av de 17 startande i Gr.N var de 6:e snabbast, och enbart två sekunder efter segraren Benito Guerra från Mexico. ”Inställningarna på bilen kändes riktigt bra och vi såg verkligen fram emot en tuff fight”, säger Ramona. Och det visade sig även bli ett mycket tufft rally, precis som förutspått. Mindre än hälften av ekipagen kom i mål; 27 av 69 stycken.
- ”Vi gör det bästa av detta. Vi har gett oss ut och åkt tävlingssträckorna efter tävlingen för att kontrollera noter och se i vilket skick vägarna är. Nästa år ska vi tillbaks, det bara är så. Nu laddar vi om inför Nya Zeeland istället, säsongen har bara börjat!” säger Ramona och Miriam.
12-04-30 Thank you Argentina and your wonderful fans!
'Hola everybody, it's 'Palmeirinha' again!

'Today at Rally Argentina I drove the longest Special Stage of my entire rally career, the 65.74km Matadero - Ambul stage. Of course I've driven longer stages in cross country but in a rally it was the fist time. The stage was really fast and I got so tired by the end of it, but - gosh - it was incredibly beautiful. I really hope it continues to be part of the itinerary of Rally Argentina in the future because it's a really great stage.

'After that there were two small Special Stages - Mina Clavero and El Condor - and for me those are the most iconic stages of Rally Argentina, when I think of Rally Argentina I think of those stages. They are really twisty and narrow tests with a lot of rocks, quite tough for my MINI 'Porquinho Verde'! We completed them really well in the morning and we arrived in the Service Park at lunchtime really happy and motivated to finish the rally. This was a great boost of confidence after all the problems Edu and I had in Sweden, Mexico and Portugal.

'However, in the afternoon loop the car didn't survive many many hits. It wasn't one specific hit or one specific stone that the car couldn't survive but a combination of many. Then parts started to brake on the MINI and eventually the suspension broke and finally the wheel came off on SS17. It was game over, we had to stop!

'Where we stopped there was an Argentine family who made us coffee and tea and gave us some food. Everybody else left the Special Stage after it was finished, there were many many people - it was incredible how many spectators came to watch the rally - but even after everybody else left the kind family stayed, they started a fire and gave us more drinks. They were very very kind. Normally Brazilians think that because of the the rivalry in soccer, Argentinians will treat them very badly but wow these people were so kind with us because we all loved rally!

'Unfortunately our team mates Armindão and Miguelito retired on the same stage as us, It was a real shame as they were getting consistently good times but they suffered constantly on the stages despite their incredible control of the MINI. They stopped two kilometers after us with a broken steering arm and while they were waiting for the recovery vehicle, Armindo fell asleep in his MINI and the fans took a lot of pictures of him sleeping in the car and they came to show us and the family. It was quite funny!

'This is the fourth rally in a row I haven't finished. Of course that's not good for our motivation but I need to realize that rally isn't easy and that is why it means so much when you succeed. If you can't handle it you have to change sport and play chess! Now it's a new page for a new rally. Rally Argentina wasn't the first bad rally of my career and it won't be the last. My head is now on the Acropolis Rally, an event that I know a little bit because I competed there last year - I'm really hoping for a better result there!

'Now I'm looking forward to go to my house in Brazil to recharge my battery but I know that in a few days my rally 'bug' will be reignited and I'll be ready for another rally!

'I really hope you've enjoyed this ride on board with me and the WRC Team MINI Portugal. We'll be back for more action from 24 to 27th May at the Acropolis Rally in Grecce, stay tuned!

'Thank you very much for all your support throughout this weekend!
Paulo 'Palmeirinha' Nobre
12-04-30 Ford’s 150 WRC points finishes by numbers
Ford created history today by becoming the first manufacturer to score 150 consecutive points finishes in the FIA World Rally Championship. Sixth place for Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson at Rally Argentina brought up the landmark achievement.

Here are some of the key numbers behind Ford’s record:

1 The first rally in the scoring run was the 2002 Rallye Monte-Carlo when Carlos Sainz and Luis Moya finished third and Colin McRae and Nicky Grist were fourth. Both were driving Ford Focus RS World Rally cars.

6 Victories at Rally Sweden, the most successful event.

8 Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Cars finished in the top 10 at the 2011 Rally GB.

12 Drivers who contributed to Ford’s record. They are Mikko Hirvonen (84 points finishes), Jari-Matti Latvala (48), Marcus Grönholm (29), Markko Märtin (28), François Duval (19), Toni Gardemeister (13), Roman Kresta (10), Carlos Sainz (9), Colin McRae (9), Petter Solberg (4), Janne Tuohino (2), Henning Solberg (1).

14 Consecutive podiums for the official Ford team between 2006 Rally d’Italia Sardegna and 2007 Rally Mexico, and again from 2007 Rally Argentina to 2008 Rally Mexico.

18 Countries in which Ford has won.

23 Countries in which Ford has scored points.

27 The percentage of rallies Ford has won during the 150 events.

40 Ford wins.

50 The 50th consecutive finish came at the 2005 Cyprus Rally when Toni Gardemeister and Jakke Honkanen finished fifth, one place ahead of Roman Kresta and Jan Možný.

75 Rally New Zealand in 2006 marked not only the 75th consecutive finish, but it was also the rally in which Ford clinched the manufacturers’ world title.

96 Podiums achieved.
100 The centenary was reached at the 2008 Rally of Turkey when Ford claimed a 1-2 finish. Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen won and Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila were second.

1983 Points scored in the manufacturers’ championship.
12-04-30 Ford creates history with landmark result at Rally Argentina
Ford today claimed its 150th consecutive points finish in the FIA World Rally Championship. Sixth place for Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson at Rally Argentina enabled Ford to become the first manufacturer to reach the milestone figure in the championship’s 39-year history.

The record-breaking run began in the opening round of the 2002 series in Monte Carlo. At least one of the team’s nominated drivers has finished in a points-scoring position in every round since.

Ford and rally partner M-Sport celebrated the achievement at the finish ceremony of this fifth round of the 2012 championship in Carlos Paz this afternoon. Ford Racing senior manager Gerard Quinn and Ford World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson joined Solberg and Patterson in front of their Fiesta RS World Rally Car as they took the applause of the huge crowds.

“This record is the product of a remarkable blend of speed and reliability. We’ve shown over a decade of WRC rallies that we can score consistently. Celebrating 150 consecutive points finishes here today gives us the confidence to go on to mount a challenge for the manufacturers’ title during the remaining eight rounds of the season,” said Quinn.

However, there was also disappointment for the team when Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio retired their Fiesta RS WRC from third place with a suspected alternator problem just 4km from the end of the 502km rally. Sordo, replacing the injured Jari-Matti Latvala in a one-off appearance, delivered a superb performance to lie inside the top three from the start after only a single day’s testing.

Rally Argentina was the longest WRC round for almost a decade. Heavy rain before the start made the gravel roads in Cordoba province, 700km north-west of Buenos Aires, extremely slippery. With the rules allowing only a limited allocation of Michelin’s wet weather soft compound tyres, drivers were forced to complete much of the event using compromise hard compound rubber or worn soft tyres.

Solberg took the lead on Thursday night’s opening speed test and extended his advantage to more than 20 seconds on Friday morning. However, the 37-year-old Norwegian suffered heartbreak when his car’s sump guard hit some bedrock and bent the left steering arm. When the arm later broke, his car was pitched off the road into a rock and retirement.

He restarted with a 15 minute time penalty in 11th place. But a determined drive propelled him to sixth, winning nine of the last 10 special stages and claiming all six in today’s final leg. He also won the final Power Stage, claiming three bonus points to retain second in the drivers’ championship.

“After what happened on Friday, I have to be happy with sixth,” said Solberg. “To win all six tests and the Power Stage today was perfect. I’m proud of what we achieved yesterday and today. Friday was the toughest day I’ve had for a long time, but the result shows why you should never give up, no matter what the situation.

“The stages were enjoyable and the car felt good, so I was able to push hard today. The disappointing thing is that I could have won. This could have been my first victory for a long time, but we’ll continue to work hard and I know it will come soon,” he added.

Sordo’s fine performance ended just after the start of the final 4.15km Copina test when a suspected alternator problem brought his car to a halt.

“At the finish of the penultimate stage there were alarms flashing in the car indicating a battery problem,” said Sordo. “We started the final stage but less than 1km into the test the car stopped. It’s a disappointing way to finish, but the weekend was a good experience.

“I was happy with my performance. Finishing was our goal so not to do so was sad, but it was good working with the team. I’d like to thank Ford and M-Sport for giving me the opportunity to drive the Fiesta RS WRC. I loved the car and really enjoyed my four days of Rally Argentina,” he added.

Team director Wilson said: “Petter produced a great recovery which culminated in him winning the Power Stage. After everything that happened, to leave Argentina with Petter still second in the championship is good. Dani did a perfect job and it was desperately sad for him to retire so close to the finish. The fact that the voltage in the car was so low indicates it was an alternator problem.”

News from other Ford teams
Mads Østberg and Jonas Andersson climbed to third in the Adapta World Rally Team car after Sordo’s retirement, while Czech duo Martin Prokop and Zdenek Hruza moved up to a career-best fourth. After first day retirements, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Evgeny Novikov and Denis Giraudet and team-mates Ott Tänak and Kuldar Sikk restarted under Rally 2 rules. They focused on learning the roads and perfecting their pace notes and were rewarded with eighth and 10th respectively. Brazil World Rally Team’s Daniel Oliveira and Carlos Maghaläes did not restart today after damage resulting from a broken driveshaft yesterday.

Next round
Round six takes competitors back to Europe for the Acropolis Rally of Greece, which is based in Loutraki on 24 - 27 May.

Final positions
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen DS3 5hr 34min 38.8sec
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Citroen DS3 5hr 34min 54.0sec
3. M Østberg/J Andersson NOR Ford Fiesta RS 5hr 37min 49.2sec
4. M Prokop/Z Hruza CZE Ford Fiesta RS 5hr 44min 24.1sec
5. T Neuville/N Gilsoul BEL Citroen DS3 5hr 45min 56.4sec
6. P Solberg/C Patterson NOR Ford Fiesta RS 5hr 46min 41.0sec
7. S Ogier/J Ingrassia FRA Skoda Fabia S2000 5hr 47min 04.1sec
8. E Novikov/D Giraudet RUS Ford Fiesta RS 5hr 55min 49.0sec
9. N Al Attiyah/G Bernacchini QAT Citroen DS3 6hr 03min 01.4sec
10 O Tänak/K Sikk EST Ford Fiesta RS 6hr 11min 58.3sec

Drivers
1. S Loeb 91pts
2. P Solberg 73pts
3. M Hirvonen 70pts
4. M Østberg 68pts
5. E Novikov 43pts
6. J-M Latvala 28pts

Manufacturers
1. Citroen Total WRT 151pts
2. Ford WRT 106pts
3. M-Sport Ford WRT 81pts
4. Qatar WRT 37pts
5. Citroen Junior WRT 30pts
6. Adapta WRT 27pts

Stage Times
Stage 14: 1. P Solberg 38min 16.0sec; 2. Neuville + 23.7; 3. Novikov + 37.0; 4. Prokop + 46.3; 5. Sordo + 47.6; 6. Østberg + 47.8.
Overall: 1. Loeb 4hr 36min 56.6sec; 2. Hirvonen + 6.0; 3. Sordo + 1:34.7; 4. Østberg + 2:54.1; 5. Prokop + 9:09.0; 6. Neuville + 11:11.9; 9. P Solberg + 13:09.0.

Stage 15: 1. P Solberg 15min 38.1sec; 2. Novikov + 10.7; 3. Neuville + 16.8; 4. Hirvonen + 18.6; 5. Prokop + 21.6; 6. Sordo + 23.9.
Overall: 1. Loeb 4hr 52min 59.1sec; 2. Hirvonen + 0.2; 3. Sordo + 1:34.2; 4. Østberg + 2:55.3; 5. Prokop + 9:06.2; 6. Neuville + 11:04.3; 8. P Solberg + 12:44.6.

Stage 16: 1. P Solberg 13min 17.5sec; 2. Novikov + 18.5; 3. Loeb + 19.1; 4. Hirvonen + 20.2; 5. Neuville + 22.8; 6. Sordo + 23.0.
Overall: 1. Loeb 5hr 06min 35.7sec; 2. Hirvonen + 1.3; 3. Sordo + 1:38.1; 4. Østberg + 3:01.6; 5. Prokop + 9:14.1; 6. Neuville + 11:08.0; 8. P Solberg + 12:25.5.

Stage 17: 1. P Solberg 15min 29.3sec; 2. Novikov + 1.7; 3. Neuville + 10.1; 4. Sordo + 10.9; 5. Al Attiyah + 16.4; 6. Loeb + 16.5.
Overall: 1. Loeb 5hr 22min 21.5sec; 2. Hirvonen + 5.6; 3. Sordo + 1:32.5; 4. Østberg + 3:02.8; 5. Prokop + 9:25.9; 6. Neuville + 11:01.6; 8. P Solberg + 12:09.0.

Stage 18: 1. P Solberg 9min 37.6sec; 2. Loeb + 5.1; 3. Østberg + 10.4; 4. Sordo + 13.8; 5. Neuville + 14.1; 6. Novikov + 14.6.
Overall: 1. Loeb 5hr 32min 04.2sec; 2. Hirvonen + 15.8; 3. Sordo + 1:41.2; 4. Østberg + 3:08.1; 5. Prokop + 9:38.4; 6. Neuville + 11:10.6; 7. P Solberg + 12:03.9.

Stage 19: 1. P Solberg 2min 32.9sec; 2. Hirvonen + 1.1; 3. Al Attiyah + 1.5; 4. Loeb + 1.7; 5. Novikov + 3.2; 6. Østberg + 4.0.
Overall: 1. Loeb 5hr 34min 38.8sec; 2. Hirvonen + 15.2; 3. Østberg + 3:10.4; 4. Prokop + 9:45.3; 5. Neuville + 11:17.6; 6. P Solberg + 12:02.2.
12-04-29 Don't Cry For Me Argentina - We'll Fight Another Day!
'Ohhh goshhh! Another tough day! But no problem Edu and I won’t be defeated. We’ll find our good luck again!

'Day Two started very early again and we took our ‘little green pig’ from parc ferme before 7am, then after first service we drove almost 100km to start the first Super Special of the day! Today we were third on the road behind the Russian Novikov and in front the Chilean Salazar (also in a MINI!) The opening Special Stage wasn’t long, ‘only’ 20km, but there was a lot of mud that recce hadn’t prepared us for and even a few corners that were not in our pace notes. This sometimes makes the Super Special seem like a bit of a lottery. On one of these corners, I was scared I was going to go off the road and have no idea when or how to stop! But I tried to be calm and tried to use the accelerator to take the corner sideways. Unfortunately we spun, but better that than to leave the road! Anyway, it was a very tricky stage, but be managed to get through it without any big problems and there were two very nice ladies at the end of the stage giving out Red Bulls, one of them with such an amazing smile that it made my day!

'The second Special Stage of the day was the same distance as the first. Some parts were very narrow and twisty with even more mud.... But, hey who ever said Rally Argentina was easy? And the good news was – we made it through this stage too without any problems!!

'The third stage was very long, 40km, and threw all sorts of surprises at us... The beginning is twisty, with some stones that seem to appear out of nowhere. There are some fast parts after that with tight corners, which demand focus. In the middle the stage it becomes a ‘goat way’, it's very, very narrow and twisty. During the recce Edu and I actually thought we’d taken the wrong road, because it was impossible that this could really be part of an official stage. Can you imagine it?

But we loved it and the last part of the stage was as fast as anything!!! To be honest to go there "pe no porrão" (a Brazilian expression that means 'pedal to the metal') the driver would need to have three balls! Like most people I only have the two so I couldn’t push or drive the stage as it should be driven. Even so, it was very nice and I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

We were so happy to finish the first loop of the day and bring our MINI back to lunchtime service safely. However, rallying, like in soccer, is a box of surprises... Just as we were about to leave the service park the mechanics found a problem in the engine's cooler system that was losing pressure. Anyway we registered at time control three minutes late because of that but at least they fixed the problem!

'The real problem came on the same very long road section from the morning, which we started the afternoon loop with. Just as we were about to get to the time control for the fourth stage, the water temperature alarm went off and we couldn’t open the bonnet to check everything over so we decided not to start the afternoon stages. It was very disappointing, but that’s rally! When I stop being able to live without the pace and excitement (both good and bad) then it’s time to change sport!

'We waited for our mechanics for a long time, because they were stuck in traffic, but we had MANY friends around, so we passed some time with them. A lot, but really A LOT of crazy rally fans passed us or were waiting there to take photos and talk to us! It was nice to have the opportunity to pay them some attention. It was just a shame that this was only possible, because we wouldn’t be racing anymore that day.

'Another good part of the day was that our team mates Armindão and Miguelito completed another day without any big problems and they are doing a very good rally! They are a top driver / co-driver, twice world champions and they do not come to rallies to play. They put themselves under a lot of pressure to achieve. It’s their first time in Argentina and it’s one of the most difficult rallies on the calendar. So in my opinion their results so far are very good. ACELERA ARMINDÃO!!!!!

'Please cross your fingers that we aren’t disturbed by any bad luck tomorrow!
12-04-29 Sordo retains third after day of consolidation in Rally Argentina
Ford World Rally Team drivers Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio maintained their podium position during today’s second leg of Rally Argentina. A consistent pace in their Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car kept the Spanish duo in third place with one day remaining in this fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Team-mates Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson recovered to ninth after restarting under Rally 2 regulations following their retirement yesterday. They moved up from 11th overnight, hitting top gear in their Fiesta RS WRC this afternoon when they won all three speed tests.

After the attrition of yesterday’s opening leg, today was a much quieter affair. Drivers headed south from the rally base of Carlos Paz, 700km north-west of Buenos Aires, for two loops of gravel special stages in the Calamuchita Valley. The day ended with a second pass over the short test in Carlos Paz which kick-started the rally on Thursday. The seven stages covered 166.54km.

Dry but cool conditions this morning persuaded Sordo to opt for Michelin’s soft compound tyres. He later switched to a mix of soft and hard compound rubber, before choosing hard tyres for the entire afternoon loop.

Sordo, replacing the injured Jari-Matti Latvala in a one-off outing for the team, held a firm grip on third and took no risks this morning as he consolidated the podium place. The afternoon followed the same pattern, as the 28-year-old retained his focus on securing a strong points finish.

He was second fastest in the opening stage of the afternoon and the final test to end the day 1min 19.2sec ahead of his closest rival.

“I made no mistakes but I wasn’t so happy with my times this morning,” admitted Sordo. “I didn’t have full confidence in my pace notes, but they were better in the second pass. I had a front left puncture in the middle stage this afternoon and I only had one spare wheel. I couldn’t afford another puncture so I was more careful in the last stage.

“The roads were fun with jumps, fast corners and water splashes. I could have driven flat out, but even then it would be unlikely that I would close the gap to the drivers ahead. My goal is to keep this position. It would be better to finish third rather than take risks and go off the road,” added Sordo.

Solberg’s sole target was to climb as far into the points as possible. The 37-year-old Norwegian adopted a fast, but safe, pace and was never outside the top three times. Two seconds and a third this morning enabled him to close on those ahead and his hat-trick of victories this afternoon promoted Solberg up the order.

“This afternoon was perfect,” said Solberg. “The stages were fantastic and the Fiesta was so fast. My focus is to score as many points as I can so I didn’t take any risks. I would like to have more kilometres to chase the people ahead, but I only have one day remaining so I will do my best.

“I wasn’t as fast this morning but my start position meant I had to sweep the road and that was a key factor. I still set good times, but I hoped for more. My only mistake came in the second stage when I spun at low speed. The notes for the last stage were made in fog during the recce, and they weren’t perfect in today’s brighter conditions,” added Solberg.

Ford World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson said he could not have expected more from Sordo. “He’s done a great job for the team considering the limited time he’s spent in the car. He can’t catch the drivers ahead, so he’s aiming for a solid finish. He was frustrated with his pace but they were difficult stages. Petter fought back well. He had a disadvantage with his road position this morning, but the stages were cleaner for the second pass and he put in a strong performance,” said Wilson.

News from other Ford teams
Mads Østberg and Jonas Andersson remain fourth in the Adapta World Rally Team car, after a problem-free day, while Czech duo Martin Prokop and Zdenek Hruza climbed to fifth, following Nasser Al Attiyah’s retirement. M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Ott Tänak and Kuldar Sikk and team-mates Evgeny Novikov and Denis Giraudet focused on learning the roads and perfecting their pace notes after yesterday’s retirements. Novikov climbed to 11th with Tänak in 17th. Brazil World Rally Team’s Daniel Oliveira and Carlos Maghaläes had steering problems this morning before a broken driveshaft this afternoon sidelined them for the day.

Tomorrow’s Route
The final day includes some of the most iconic roads of the season and the longest special stage of the championship. After leaving Carlos Paz at 06.52, drivers head into the Traslasierra mountains via the monster 65.74km test from Matadero to Ambul, an amalgamation of four stages last used in 1996. Drivers then head into the classic Giulio Cesare and El Condor tests, before the final Power Stage across the picturesque hanging bridges near Copina. They face six stages covering 132.19km before the finish in Carlos Paz at 16.44.

Leaderboard after Day 2
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen DS3 3hr 57min 40.8sec
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Citroen DS3 3hr 57min 48.0sec
3. D Sordo/C del Barrio ESP Ford Fiesta RS 3hr 59min 27.7sec
4. M Østberg/J Andersson NOR Ford Fiesta RS 4hr 00min 46.9sec
5. M Prokop/Z Hruza CZE Ford Fiesta RS 4hr 07min 03.3sec
6. A Mikkelsen/O Floene NOR Skoda Fabia S2000 4hr 08min 12.5sec
7. S Ogier/J Ingrassia FRA Skoda Fabia S2000 4hr 08min 07.5sec
8. T Neuville/N Gilsoul BEL Citroen DS3 4hr 09min 28.8sec
9. P Solberg/C Patterson NOR Ford Fiesta RS 4hr 11min 49.6sec
10 A Araujo/M Ramalho PRT Mini John Cooper 4hr 11min 58.5sec

Stage Times
Stage 7: 1. Loeb 12min 41.3sec; 2. P Solberg + 1.5; 3. Hirvonen + 3.8; 4. Tänak + 10.7; 5. Neuville + 11.5; 6. Sordo + 13.0.
Overall: 1. Loeb 2hr 33min 11.9sec; 2. Hirvonen + 3.9; 3. Sordo + 46.1; 4. Østberg + 1:33.3; 5. Al Attiyah + 5:39.3; 6. Prokop + 6:48.9; 11. P Solberg + 14:25.7.

Stage 8: 1. Hirvonen 10min 40.5sec; 2. P Solberg + 0.5; 3. Loeb + 1.5; 4. Tänak + 15.7; 5. Sordo + 17.4; 6. Østberg + 17.5.
Overall: 1. Loeb 2hr 43min 53.9sec; 2. Hirvonen + 2.4; 3. Sordo + 1:02.0; 4. Østberg + 1:49.3; 5. Al Attiyah + 5:58.4; 6. Prokop + 7:20.9; 11. P Solberg + 14:24.7.

Stage 9: 1. Hirvonen 22min 48.1sec; 2. Loeb + 0.3; 3. P Solberg + 10.0; 4. Tänak + 21.8; 5. Novikov + 27.6; 6. Sordo + 29.0.
Overall: 1. Loeb 3hr 06min 42.3sec; 2. Hirvonen + 2.1; 3. Sordo + 1:30.7; 4. Østberg + 2:26.6; 5. Al Attiyah + 7:58.1; 6. Prokop + 8:07.5; 11. P Solberg + 14:34.4.

Stage 10: 1. P Solberg 12min 32.3sec; 2. Sordo + 6.2; 3. Loeb + 7.9; 4. Neuville + 9.2; 5. Hirvonen + 10.8; 6. Østberg + 11.3.
Overall: 1. Loeb 3hr 19min 22.5sec; 2. Hirvonen + 5.0; 3. Sordo + 1:29.0; 4. Østberg + 2:30.0; 5. Prokop + 8:21.0; 6. Mikkelsen + 9:02.6; 11. P Solberg + 14:26.5.

Stage 11: 1. P Solberg 10min 30.4sec; 2. Loeb + 3.0; 3. Hirvonen + 5.7; 4. Sordo + 11.5; 5. Østberg + 14.4; 6. Tänak + 18.4.
Overall: 1. Loeb 3hr 29min 55.9sec; 2. Hirvonen + 7.7; 3. Sordo + 1:37.5; 4. Østberg + 2:41.4; 5. Prokop + 8:47.0; 6. Mikkelsen + 9:34.5; 10. P Solberg + 14:23.5.

Stage 12: 1. P Solberg 22min 36.2sec; 2. Neuville + 11.3; 3. Loeb + 13.6; 4. Hirvonen + 13.7; 5. Sordo + 24.4; 6. Tänak + 27.2.
Overall: 1. Loeb 3hr 52min 45.7sec; 2. Hirvonen + 7.8; 3. Sordo + 1:48.3; 4. Østberg + 2:55.5; 5. Prokop + 9:16.0; 6. Ogier + 10:20.1; 10. P Solberg + 14:09.9.

Stage 13: 1. Neuville 4min 49.4sec; 2. Sordo + 4.3; 3. P Solberg + 4.6; 4. Hirvonen + 5.1; 5. Loeb + 5.7; 6. Tänak + 7.7.
Overall: 1. Loeb 3hr 57min 40.8sec; 2. Hirvonen + 7.2; 3. Sordo + 1:46.9; 4. Østberg + 3:06.1; 5. Prokop + 9:22.5; 6. Ogier + 10:26.7; 9. P Solberg + 14:08.8.
12-04-28 Fighting Spirit Palmeiras-Style
'Hola everybody, Paulo here!
'Rally Argentina started last night with a Super Special Stage! The start of the stage had been delayed when we arrived, which gave us time to watch the top drivers competing. Oh my goodness! It's almost like they do another sport to me. Hahaha!
'They are so fast and so skilled, they are completely in tune with their cars. It's amazing to see – or better put, to admire! I always find the speed of my team mate Armindo incredible. It doesn't matter to me if he's winning the rally or not, if you could see his performance from where I sit, the pace he shows in his MINI is fantastic.

'Next it was our turn and I have to confess I was very nervous. I don’t know if it was due to the trauma of retiring before the rally even started in Portugal or if it was because of the series of bad results I’ve had recently, which dented my confidence in my driving ability. The Palmeirinha that everyone saw in Wales at the end of last year and Monte Carlo at the start of the season was lost and I needed to try and get it back!

'Unfortunately, taking part in a rally without confidence is like going to a party without any interesting women. It’s better not to go (hahaha), so somehow I needed to find my mojo again.
'So, there I was at the Super Special Stage last night and when I turned on the anti-lag system with only five seconds to go until I was due to start I suddenly realised that I’d forgotten to switch on the MINI’s extra lights. No matter how good the light was on the Super Special, the extra lights make a positive impact in some places… But to explain a little bit, the MINI’s lights don’t switch on like those on a normal car. Instead, a computer that sits between my co-driver Edu and I with a lot of buttons – but really a lot - controls them. It reminds me of my Porquinho Verde aeroplane! :-) Once I had found the right button, Edu counted down 5…4…3…2…1, GO! And we started the Super Special.
'Corner-by-corner I started to relax and everything went exactly as we wanted. We drove at our pace and found our rhythm. We didn’t want to take unnecessary risks.

'With just over five hours sleep, we started Day One proper very early. At 6am, we entered parc ferme to take our lovely MINI to first service. We spent a long time on the road to SS2, the first stage of the day, and then were delayed at refuelling. The most interesting part of this experience was having the opportunity to see all the drivers and co-drivers interacting with each other. Normally everybody is so busy working with their teams that they don’t have time to get to know each other. Today, we did have the chance to spend a little time together though and I realised that I’m in the middle of the best world you can imagine with guys that before I only saw on television, in magazines and on the internet. And there they were all together and some of them are even my friends! This is really crazy for a guy like me who never thought he would find himself in rallies, but always only thought about playing soccer.

'We started SS2 and followed our strategy of not taking any risks to try and continue to increase our confidence and feel happy inside the car again. Everything went OK, but we had one big scare on a particularly tricky corner. It rained a lot yesterday, which had left a lot of mud on the stage and for a moment I lost control of the car and thought I was going to lose the road too. I imagined the worst, but in that split second I had the nerve to keep on full throttle and put the car sideways. We spun 180 degrees and ended up facing in the wrong direction, but we were alright! We quickly turned the car round the right way and continued on to the end of the stage without any problems.

'SS3, the second Special Stage of the day, was the longest at over 50km in length. I already knew the stage from other rallies I’d competed in here, including my WRC debut in in 2006 and some South American regional rallies. However, back then the stage was divided into two. Now the tough uphill part was directly joined to the equally challenging, fast downhill section.
- 'I have to confess that for me to do this Special Stage was very tiring and after avoiding many stones that cars which had passed before us had forced into the middle of the road, we clipped one stone in a corner 4km before the finish of the stage which hadn’t been there on the recce. In reality, the impact broke our front right suspension. However, at the time we thought that we simply had a flat tyre, stopped to change it and then realised that all the tyres were in good condition. We continued on, but a shock absorber had broken and burst through the bonnet and we quickly realised that it was Game Over for Day One. This was a real shame, because we were really doing our best to follow our strategy. What more could we do?
- 'BUT we are Brazilians and Palmeiras fans, so…we never give up!!!!

'Tomorrow we will be back with our MINI in tip-top condition and more news!'
12-04-28 Sordo learns quickly to hold third for Ford in Rally Argentina
Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio delivered an outstanding debut drive for Ford World Rally Team today to hold third after the opening leg of Rally Argentina. The Spanish duo, drafted into the line-up for the injured Jari-Matti Latvala, never put a foot wrong after just a day’s testing in a Fiesta RS World Rally Car to head Ford’s challenge in this fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Team-mates Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson led for the opening half of the marathon 204km leg. However, having built a 20sec advantage in their Fiesta RS World Rally Car, they retired after an impact with a rock damaged a steering arm. They will restart under Rally 2 regulations tomorrow.

The key word for this longest world rally for almost a decade is endurance, and the leg quickly turned into one of attrition. Many top drivers hit trouble during the six speed tests, which included two passes over the rocky 51.88km special stage from Ascochinga to Agua de Oro, north of the rally base in Carlos Paz. After an hour’s delay this morning, drivers spent more than 15 hours in competition.

Solberg and Sordo gave Ford a one-two overnight advantage after last night’s short curtain-raising test on the edge of Carlos Paz, 700km north-west of Buenos Aires. Solberg was second in this morning’s opening stage and won the daunting Ascochinga test to build a 20.1sec lead. Sordo took no risks as he began to learn the Fiesta RS WRC and settled into third.

As Solberg hit trouble in the afternoon’s opening stage, Sordo remained a model of consistency and was second fastest in the second pass through Ascochinga. Having used Michelin’s soft compound tyres all day in the cool temperatures, the 28-year-old Spaniard elected to switch to the harder compound for the final shorter test, to preserve his allocation of soft rubber for tomorrow. He dropped 20sec to end the day 33.1sec from the lead.
- “I enjoyed my first experience in the Fiesta,” said Sordo. “The more kilometres I drive in the car, the more comfortable I feel. I’m learning all the time. This isn’t the easiest rally in which to learn a new car and I could drive faster, but that means taking more risks, and that increases the risk of going off the road. I’m pleased with my consistency and I’ll continue driving the way I have been.
- “In places conditions were slippery and in others there was good grip. Tonight we decided to use the harder compound tyres to save the softer rubber for tomorrow, when it could be wet. We knew we would lose time as the traction wasn’t as good with the hard compound, but we hope to benefit later in the rally,” he added.

Solberg will restart in 11th position with a 15 minute penalty for failing to complete the final three stages. The 37-year-old Norwegian outlined the chain of incidents which led to his retirement.
- “I was driving in the ruts when the sump guard under the car touched some exposed bedrock and the impact bent the left steering arm,” he explained. “I continued at normal pace for another 10km until the arm snapped in mid-air at a sixth gear crest about 6km from the finish. The car went off the road when it landed and the front right hit a rock.

Solberg and Patterson replaced the broken arm with a spare unit carried in the car. However, when they restarted they discovered the right steering arm broke in the second impact and they had to stop.
- “Obviously I’m disappointed. I had a 20sec lead, although I didn’t feel that was a comfortable margin in a rally as long as this. I fought back to third in a similar situation at the last round in Portugal, so my aim now is to climb back up the order as far as I can over the next two days,” added Solberg.

Ford World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson praised Sordo’s debut drive. “Dani drove sensibly. When conditions were tricky he eased off, and when he felt confident and comfortable, he showed good pace. With Petter’s retirement we lost a great opportunity to win, which is a disappointment. Because the rally is so long, he has the chance to fight back and score good points. If Dani can maintain the pressure on the leaders then this rally can still have some twists and turns,” he said.

News from other Ford teams
Mads Østberg and Jonas Andersson are fourth in the Adapta World Rally Team car, despite an intercom problem this afternoon which meant Østberg had difficulty hearing the pace notes. Martin Prokop and Zdenek Hruza are sixth, the Czech duo reporting no major problems. M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Ott Tänak and Kuldar Sikk replaced a steering arm on their Fiesta RS WRC in stage three, but their good work was in vain as they spun off the road and retired on the next test. Team-mates Evgeny Novikov and Denis Giraudet damaged the left rear suspension of their car after hitting a rock in stage two and on the following test a bolt broke in the suspension, forcing them into retirement. Brazil World Rally Team’s Daniel Oliveira and Carlos Maghaläes retired on last night’s opening stage after hitting a bank and damaging their car’s front right suspension. They returned under Rally 2 rules today and climbed to 14th.

Tomorrow’s Route
The second leg journeys south to the Calamuchita Valley. After leaving Carlos Paz at 06.42, drivers face two identical loops of three stages there, split by a return to the rally base for service midway through the day. The leg ends with a second pass over the short test on the edge of Carlos Paz which began the rally last night. Drivers tackle seven stages covering 166.54km before the final overnight halt at 20.58.

Leaderboard after Day 1
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen DS3 2hr 20min 30.6sec
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Citroen DS3 2hr 20min 30.7sec
3. D Sordo/C del Barrio ESP Ford Fiesta RS 2hr 21min 03.7sec
4. M Østberg/J Andersson NOR Ford Fiesta RS 2hr 21min 49.0sec
5. N Al Attiyah/G Bernacchini QAT Citroen DS3 2hr 25min 47.5sec
6. M Prokop/Z Hruza CZE Ford Fiesta RS 2hr 26min 54.8sec
7. A Mikkelsen/O Floene NOR Skoda Fabia S2000 2hr 27min 06.6sec
8. S Ogier/J Ingrassia FRA Skoda Fabia S2000 2hr 27min 29.4sec
9. A Araujo/M Ramalho PRT Mini John Cooper 2hr 28min 45.1sec
10 T Neuville/N Gilsoul BEL Citroen DS3 2hr 30min 43.8sec

Stage Times
Stage 1: 1. P Solberg 4min 54.9sec; 2. Sordo + 3.6; 3. Østberg + 4.8; 4= Tänak, Novikov + 5.2; 6. Neuville + 5.6.

Stage 2: 1. Loeb 23min 12.5sec; 2. P Solberg + 1.9; 3. Hirvonen + 5.2; 4. Sordo + 12.8; 5. Østberg + 20.1; 6. Neuville + 20.6.
Overall: 1. P Solberg 28min 09.3sec; 2. Loeb + 8.3; 3. Sordo + 14.5; 4. Hirvonen + 16.6; 5. Østberg + 23.0; 6. Neuville + 24.3.

Stage 3: 1. P Solberg 37min 50.7sec; 2. Hirvonen + 3.5; 3. Sordo + 10.1; 4. Neuville + 13.7; 5. Loeb + 26.5; 6. Østberg + 28.1.
Overall: 1. P Solberg 1hr 06min 00.0sec; 2. Hirvonen + 20.1; 3. Sordo + 24.6; 4. Loeb + 34.8; 5. Neuville + 38.0; 6. Østberg + 51.1.

Stage 4: 1. Loeb 22min 56.3sec; 2. Hirvonen + 2.4; 3. Østberg + 10.3; 4. Neuville + 11.0; 5. Sordo + 15.6; 6. Al Attiyah + 54.7.
Overall: 1. Hirvonen 1hr 29min 18.8sec; 2. Loeb + 12.3; 3. Sordo + 17.7; 4. Neuville + 26.5; 5. Østberg + 38.9; 6. Mikkelsen + 3:39.3.

Stage 5: 1. Loeb 37min 21.8sec; 2. Sordo + 7.7; 3. Hirvonen + 13.4; 4. Østberg + 29.7; 5. Al Attiyah + 36.3; 6. Prokop + 1:22.0.
Overall: 1. Loeb 2hr 06min 52.9sec; 2. Hirvonen + 1.1; 3. Sordo + 13.1; 4. Østberg + 56.3; 5. Al Attiyah + 4:55.6; 6. Mikkelsen + 5:43.9.

Stage 6: 1. Hirvonen 13min 36.7sec; 2. Loeb + 1.0; 3. Sordo + 21.0; 4. Al Attiyah + 22.3; 5. Østberg + 23.1; 6. Prokop + 41.0.
Overall: 1. Loeb 2hr 20min 30.6sec; 2. Hirvonen + 0.1; 3. Sordo + 33.1; 4. Østberg + 1:18.4; 5. Al Attiyah + 5:16.9; 6. Prokop + 6:24.2.
12-04-25 Patrik och Maria fortsätter som team
Maria Andersson tar över rollen som codriver åt Patrik Sandell. Det var tänkt som ett tillfälligt inhopp under Rally Portugal, då hon klev in i högerstolen på Sandells WRC-MINI när ordinarie kartläsaren Staffan Parmander fick förhinder. Men nu meddelar Sweden World Rally Team att den tillfälliga lösningen blir permanent.

Enligt Patrik Sandell finns det flera anledningar till att man nu väljer att permanenta samarbetet med Maria. En viktig del är att Parmanders roll som kartläsare åt honom till stor del nu är klar.

Staffan har sedan länge fungerat som Patriks mentor. Till säsongen 2011 klev han dessutom in som codriver för att från insidan av bilen kunna bidra med fler viktiga pusselbitar i Patriks utveckling.
- Jag är verkligen tacksam för att Staffan tackade ja till att åka med mig. Jag känner att han med sin enorma rutin har hjälpt mig att utvecklas väldigt mycket, säger Patrik Sandell.

Staffans roll som codriver var dock aldrig tänkt som en långsiktig lösning. Och när samarbetet med Maria visade sig fungera bra fattades beslutet att det var rätt tillfälle att göra ett permanent byte.

Även för Maria landade det nya samarbetet precis rätt.
- Det blev inte så många rallyn förra året och jag började känna ett riktigt sug. Och då ringde Patrik och frågade om jag ville åka med honom i Portugal, så det var ju inget svårt beslut, berättar Maria Andersson.
- Sen vet man ju aldrig hur det kommer att funka med en chaufför första gången. Men det klickade direkt och vi trivs ihop som personer. Förutom att han är en duktig förare så är han en väldigt motiverande och lätt person att ha att göra med, så jag är jätteglad att det blir en fortsättning, säger Maria.

Staffan Parmander kommer istället att koncentrera sig på sitt arbete inom Sweden World Rally Team, som han själv var med och grundade, och på sin fortsatta roll som mentor åt Patrik och Maria.

Närmast på tävlingsschemat står Rally Croatia, den 24-26 maj, då Patrik och Maria kommer till start i en MINI super 2000.
12-04-21 Soccer, rally and the fantastic fans in Argentina
Introducing your host for the event...Mr. Paulo Nobre
'Fala galera, it's Paulo Nobre here, or "Palmeirinha", as many people from Brazilian rallying, call me!

So in an exciting twist, I'm going to be your reporter during Rally Argentina, giving you some news from on and off the stages. I'll be writing columns throughout the event to give you the chance to see the rally through my eyes. Follow me and the team for our fantastic journey on of one of the most challenging rallies of the season. I hope you'll enjoy it!!

'To be honest, it feels like a long time since the last time we really competed. Rally Portugal was terrible for Edu and me. We rolled our rally car on the Qualifying Stage and couldn't start the event. It was a real shame, because we enjoyed the recce a lot and we know that the fans are amazing in Portugal. Everyone knows that for me the support of the public is always a big confidence boost.

'After a short holiday in Lisbon, I came back to São Paulo, my home town and one of the biggest cities in the world with more than 11 million inhabitants. The traffic is crazy here and there are so many big buildings that we nicknamed it 'Floresta de Pedra' (the stone forest)!

What do I love most about São Paulo? That's easy - São Paulo is the hometown of Palmeiras, "my" football club. For me it's more than just a club, it's my religion, my way of life! That's why I'm so proud to have Palmeiras with me on my MINI and my gear. It gives me a lot of confidence and believe me, that's what I need most these days!

'Like all drivers, I am a human being, and to be really honest, after accidents every day in Mexico and failing even to start Rally de Portugal, my mojo's a bit dented heading into Argentina! This is a pity, because Argentina is one of the most difficult and challenging rallies of the season, with very tough special stages that even cut across country sometimes (a key difference between the Argentine and Brazilian stages). The event is also very well-organised and one of the rallies with the largest number of fans waiting for us on the stages as we come through!

'I actually made my WRC debut here in 2006. It's amazing to drive a rally in Argentina (even for a Brazilian!) There isn't the same rivalry between Argentines and Brazilians in rallying as there is in soccer, so all the spectators here are always very welcoming and kind to us! I have many friends from Argentinian rallying and I respect them all, because they are very good at the sport! If Brazil is the country of soccer, for me Argentina is the country of rally!!!!

'Unfortunately I haven't had too much time to prepare for Rally Argentina, because I work full-time outside the rallies at home in Brazil and April is a very busy month business-wise here when we have to declare our income to the government for the previous year. But now I'm ready to focus totally on the event!

'For every rally I pack my bag with just the essentials - I don't like to bring much stuff on-event, only the stuff necessary to race (overalls, helmet etc), my Palmeirinha team clothing and of course a Palmeiras flag! It's all settled now, myself, Edu, Pilli (my friend and cameraman) and Cirillo (another friend but this time a mechanic) are ready to take off for Villa Carlos Paz where we'll join the team for another MINI adventure!
12-04-20 Stamina the key for Ford quartet at arduous Argentine fiesta
Ford World Rally Team faces the longest FIA World Rally Championship encounter for almost 10 years in South America next week. More than 500km of rough road competition lie in wait at Rally Argentina (26 - 29 April), making this fifth round of the season the longest since Kenya’s legendary Safari Rally in 2002.

The emphasis will be on endurance with each of the three legs including a marathon speed test. Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson and team-mates Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio face two passes over a 52km special stage in the first leg. The going becomes even tougher in the final day with a 65.74km test across the Los Gigantes mountains, the longest of the season.

The increased distance brings the return of classic roads that will be new to the current generation of WRC drivers, having not been used since 1994.

More than a million people line the roadsides in Cordoba province, nearly 700km north-west of Buenos Aires. The event never fails to excite in a country where the tango mirrors the passion for life, and the atmosphere crackles alongside the gravel roads in the pampas as one of Argentina’s biggest fiesta occasions bursts into life.

The scenery is stunning, too, as each leg visits a different valley. Huge expanses of open plain in the Punilla Valley, north of the rally base in Carlos Paz, contrast with the gentle countryside to the south around the delightfully-named Santa Rosa de Calamuchita. Then the final day climbs into the Traslasierra mountains where rocky ribbons of road wind through a dramatic moonlike landscape.

The roads are predominantly soft and sandy during the opening two days, with plenty of river crossings, but the surface becomes more abrasive during the final leg west of Carlos Paz.

Solberg has delivered consistently strong results at the wheel of a Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car during the opening four rounds which have carried him into second into the drivers’ standings, just four points from the lead.
“I enjoy this rally but I think it could be quite different this year,” said Solberg, for whom this will be his 180th WRC start. “It’s 120km longer than in 2011 and that may alter the way in which some drivers approach it. It’s not a sprint, it’s an endurance rally. There’s no need to get too excited too early and attack from the start, so I can wait a little, judge the pace and push later on when I need to.
“It’s a difficult rally. The final day’s stages are at high altitude and conditions can be bad up there. Fog and even ice are not unusual. But I love it, partly because of the atmosphere. The stages are packed with people and even the liaison sections on the public roads have huge crowds. They’re so enthusiastic,” added 37-year-old Solberg, who has three podiums to his name here.

Sordo steps into the Ford squad for a one-off outing to replace the injured Jari-Matti Latvala. His experience of a Fiesta RS WRC is limited to a day’s testing on Wednesday close to the team’s Dovenby Hall base in Britain. Sordo finished second last year, his best result from five starts, and as a Spaniard, the 28-year-old will be a favourite of the Latin American fans.
“I’m excited to be driving for Ford in Argentina because when you are a rally driver all you want to do is compete,” said Sordo. “Although I’ve not had a lot of time behind the wheel of the Fiesta RS WRC, I quickly felt comfortable in the car during testing. The engineers provided a base set-up that worked for me and I’ll approach practice in Argentina with those settings.
“It’s like a home event for me because I speak the same language and in previous years the support from the fans was fantastic. This is only a one-off drive for Ford, but I want to do the best for the team and prove they made the right decision in selecting me. I’m not setting any targets, apart from a points finish, and I’ll judge my pace by how I feel once the rally gets under way,” he added.

Team News
* Michelin’s Latitude Cross gravel tyres will be used by the Ford drivers and 40 of these will be available in hard compound. New-for-2012 regulations mean drivers will also have 10 soft compound tyres available if conditions are wet and muddy. However, only 40 units can be used in total during qualifying and the rally itself. Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the tyres and each car can carry two spare wheels.

* Five privately-entered Fiesta RS WRCs are entered. Ott Tänak / Kuldar Sikk and Evgeny Novikov / Denis Giraudet are nominated by M-Sport Ford World Rally Team. Rally de Portugal winners Mads Østberg / Jonas Andersson are entered by Adapta World Rally Team, while Brazil World Rally Team returns after its debut there with Daniel Oliveira / Carlos Magalhães at the wheel. The Fiesta RS WRC numbers are completed by Martin Prokop / Zdenek Hruza in a Czech Ford National Team car.

Rally Route
The rally is again based around the lakeside service park in Carlos Paz but only a handful of stages are the same as last year. One of these is the floodlit super special stage on the edge of the town that launches the rally on Thursday evening and is repeated on Saturday night. The first full day on Friday is the longest, with almost 200km of competition north of Carlos Paz in the Punilla Valley. The second leg journeys south to the Calamuchita Valley before the final day in the rugged Traslasierra mountains. It includes the classic El Condor and Giulio Cesare stages as well as the 65.74km test from Matadero to Ambul, an amalgamation of four stages last used in 1996. The final test, which crosses the picturesque hanging bridges near Copina, forms the Power Stage, with bonus points on offer to the fastest three drivers. Competitors tackle 19 stages in total, covering 502.73km in a route of 1770.92km.

RALLY ARGENTINA ROUND 5 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 26 - 29 April 2012
Thursday 26 April: Qualifying / Day 1
QS Villa Garcia - Cabalango 4.59km 10.58

Start Carlos Paz 19.43
SS1 Parque Tematico Carlos Paz 6.04km 20.08
Finish Carlos Paz 20.28

Friday 27 April: Day 1 (continued) Carlos Paz - Carlos Paz
Serv A Carlos Paz (15 mins) 05.45
SS2 La Pampa - La Pampa I 37.51km 07.28
SS3 Ascochinga - Agua de Oro I 51.88km 08.21
Serv B Carlos Paz (30 mins) 10.48
SS4 La Pampa - La Pampa II 37.51km 12.46
SS5 Ascochinga - Agua de Oro II 51.88km 13.39
Serv C Carlos Paz (30 mins) 16.06
SS6 Cosquin - Villa Allende 19.18km 17.23
Serv D Carlos Paz (flexi 45 mins) 19.06
Finish Carlos Paz 19.51
Total 197.96km

Saturday 28 April: Day 2 Carlos Paz - Carlos Paz
Serv E Carlos Paz (15 mins) 06.42
SS7 San Agustin - Santa Rosa I 20.18km 08.30
SS8 Amboy - Santa Monica I 20.33km 09.18
SS9 Intiyaco - Golpe de Agua I 39.74km 10.31
Serv F Carlos Paz (30 mins) 12.41
SS10 San Agustin - Santa Rosa II 20.18km 14.44
SS11 Amboy - Santa Monica II 20.33km 15.32
SS12 Intiyaco - Golpe de Agua II 39.74km 16.45
Serv G Carlos Paz (30 mins) 18.55
SS13 Parque Tematico Carlos Paz 6.04km 19.50
Serv H Carlos Paz (flexi 45 mins) 20.13
Finish Carlos Paz 20.58
Total 166.54km

Sunday 29 April: Day 3 Carlos Paz - Carlos Paz
Serv I Carlos Paz (15 mins) 06.52
SS14 Matadero - Ambul 65.74km 08.00
SS15 Mina Clavero - Giulio Cesare I 17.41km 09.51
SS16 El Condor - Copina 16.32km 10.32
Serv J Carlos Paz (30 mins) 11.42
SS17 Mina Clavero - Giulio Cesare II 17.41km 14.07
SS18 El Condor - Casilla Negra 11.16km 14.48
SS19 Copina 4.15km 15.21
Serv K Carlos Paz (10 mins) 16.24
Finish Carlos Paz 16.44

Total 132.19km
Rally total 502.73km
12-04-19 Ramona Inför Rally Argentina
Idag åker Ramona Karlsson och Miriam Walfridsson till Argentina, tillsammans med teamet. Imorgon fredag landar de i Cordoba, och faller allt på plats med reservdelar, upphämning av bil från sjöcontainern m.m., kommer ett test att köras på söndag. På måndag startar reccen och pågår till och med onsdag. Torsdag kväll Argentinsk tid startar rallyt, och pågår till och med söndag eftermiddag. Argentina har fyra timmars tidsförskjutning – svensk tid ligger alltså fyra timmar före.

HÄR kan ni följa live-resultat från rallyt, och ramonarallying.com kommer att dagligen uppdateras med rapporter från rallyt.
- Hoppas ni följer oss och håller tummarna! Känslan inför rallyt är riktigt bra, vi känner oss betydligt mer förberedda både mentalt och praktiskt. Efter att ha tagit oss i mål i vårt första VM-rally, har vi samlat på oss mycket värdefull rutin och vet mer vad som väntar oss i Argentina. Vi känner oss lugna, men samtidigt väldigt taggade och ser verkligen fram emot att stå i startgropen igen! säger Ramona och Miriam.
12-04-18 Ford taps Sordo to replace injured Latvala at Rally Argentina
Ford World Rally Team has finalised an agreement for Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio to drive for the squad in next week’s Rally Argentina.

The Spanish duo will replace regular drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila in a Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car. Latvala was forced to withdraw from the fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship after breaking his left collarbone in a cross-country ski-ing accident while training in northern Finland last week.
- “We’re naturally disappointed that Jari-Matti will miss the rally, but ensuring a full recovery as quickly as possible is the most important thing for him and the team,” said Ford World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson.
- “We’re fortunate to have a driver of Dani’s calibre to join us. His experience at Rally Argentina was a key factor in the decision, having started the rally five times and finishing second in 2009. The agreement is for one rally only, and I would like to thank the management of Dani’s current team, who were extremely gracious in helping us in such challenging circumstances,” he said.

Sordo and del Barrio will join regular pairing Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson for the four-day Rally Argentina, which will be based in Carlos Paz on 26 - 29 April.
12-04-18 Historisk ”Rallybrud-comeback” i Argentina
På ramonarallying.com kan ni nu se filmen från Ramona och Miriams möte med rallylegenden Ewy Rosqvist. Filmat och producerat avBroadcast House.

I år är det 50 år sedan rallyföraren Ewy Rosqvist och hennes kartläsare Ursula Wirht det prestigefyllda rallyt ”Gran Premio” i Argentina. Filmen ”Rallybrudar” var inspirerad av Ewys och Ursulas framfart på 60-talet, och de blonda svenska tjejernas seger väckte stor uppmärksamhet världen över. Kvinnliga rallyförare var än mer ovanligt på den tiden, och deras prestation var en stor sensation. Ingen kvinna någonsin tidigare hade varken kört eller vunnit rallyt.

Nu, 50 år senare, är det dags för nästa generations rallybrudar att åka till Argentina, då rallyföraren Ramona Karlsson och hennes co-driver Miriam Walfridsson kör Rally-VM i Argentina med start och målgång 26:e respektive 29:e april. Ramona och Miriam är det enda helkvinnliga teamet i Rally-VM och gör i år en stor satsning i klassen PWRC i sin Mitsubishi EVO X.

Ramona och Miriam träffade den nu 84-åriga och mycket pigga Ewy Rosqvist i hennes lägenhet i Stockholm, där hon delade med sig av minnen från Argentina – och jämförde rally med hur det var då och nu. – ”Det var otroligt inspirerande och roligt att få träffa Ewy, jag har länge sett upp till henne och det var helt fantastiskt att få höra hennes berättelser”, säger Ramona, och fortsätter: ”Det skiljer sig mycket när man jämför rally nu och då. Nuförtiden är det helt andra bilar, som både är med preparerade maskinellt och säkerhetsmässigt. Ewy och Ursula körde en standardbetonad Mercedez utan störtbåge, och deras personliga ”utrustning” var hjälm och klänning”.

På torsdag flyger Ramona och Miriam till Argentina. Med samma flygbolag, och samma flygrutt som Ewy och Ursula, följer de deras fotspår. 62 ekipage är anmälda, varav 18 i Ramona och Miriams klass, Gr.N. 11 av ekipagen tävlar om VM-poäng. Ramonas och Miriams målsättning är inställd på topp 5 i VM. – ”Detta är vår första VM-säsong, och Rally Argentina är ett mycket tufft, långt och utslagsgivande rally. Att ta sig i mål är första målsättningen, och gör vi det bland de fem snabbaste ska vi vara mycket nöjda” säger Ramona och Miriam.
12-03-29 Jost Capito ny chef för Volkswagen Motorsport
Jost Capito blir från och med 1 maj 2012 ny chef för Volkswagen Motorsport. Han tar över efter Kris Nissen som kommer att stödja Capito under övergångsfasen och därefter bistå Volkswagen-koncernen i en rådgivande roll.

Jost Capito kommer närmast från Ford Motor Company USA. Han har årtionden av erfarenhet inom motorsport, bland annat har han varit inblandad i Formel 1 och har också varit kartläsare och vinnare i lastbilsklassen i Dakar-rallyt.

Jost Capito, 53 år från Tyskland, är utbildad civilingenjör. Han startade sin karriär 1984 som utvecklingsingenjör för BMW:s prestandamotorer. Capito började hos Porsche 1989 och var först chef för Porsche Carrera Cup-organisationen och senare samordnare för alla racingmästerskap med märket Porsche.

Han har också haft chefspositioner vid Sauber Petronas Engineering från 1996 till 2001 och var från 1998 Chief Operating Officer för Formel 1-teamet Sauber Red Bull. Capito gick vidare till Ford i slutet av 2001 där han den sista tiden var ansvarig för Fords globala verksamhet för prestandafordon samt motorsportsstrategi.

Kris Nissen, 51, har varit chef för Volkswagen Motorsport sedan 2003 och har under dessa år vunnit viktiga motorsportssegrar för Volkswagen. Ulrich Hackenberg, Volkswagen-koncernens utvecklingschef, tackar Nissen för hans insatser:
– Kris Nissen har tagit Volkswagen Motorsport långt framåt och har lett teamet under den mest framgångsrika fasen hittills i vår historia. Han bidrog till Volkswagens dubbelseger i 2009 års Dakar-rally och hjälpte till att skriva motorsporthistoria med trippelsegrar i Dakar-rallyt både 2010 och 2011.

Från och med 2013 kommer Volkswagen Motorsport att delta i rally-VM, WRC, med den helt nyutvecklade rallybilen Polo R WRC.
12-03-24 Ford and Solberg grab Fafe glory in perfect Portuguese warm-up
Ford World Rally Team’s Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson chalked up their first victory for the squad today with a stunning performance to triumph in the Fafe Rally Sprint, a warm-up event for next weekend’s Rally de Portugal.

Their win could hardly have been closer, as Solberg’s Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car edged out world champion Sébastien Loeb by just two hundredths of a second.

Formerly a popular part of the Rally de Portugal route, the 6.34km Fafe gravel speed test east of Porto was resurrected for the first time since it last echoed to the sound of FIA World Rally Championship cars in 2001, after which the rally moved south to its current Algarve base.

Although a non-championship event, the Fafe Rally Sprint attracted 30 entries, among them the Fiesta RS World Rally Cars of Solberg and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila. An estimated 100,000 fans lined the special stage, and they did not go away disappointed.

Although Latvala proved comfortably fastest on the first of three runs through the demanding stage, Solberg’s second pass was swifter still, earning the popular Norwegian the right to drive the team’s sole Fiesta RS WRC on the third and final test. Whilst disappointed not to make it through himself, Latvala admitted he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
- “I loved the character of the stage,” said the 26-year-old Finn. “I’d only ever seen it on video before, and there were some difficult jumps that made it really spectacular. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people on a stage, and you could really sense their enthusiasm. It’s a true classic, and I had a lot of fun out there. Of course, I would have liked to be the one doing the last run, but I guess I did two days of testing last week and Petter only one, so this was his payback!”

To add a touch of local flavour, Solberg’s two Portuguese mechanics attached a national flag to the roof of the 37-year-old’s Fiesta RS WRC for the winner-takes-all run. Following a characteristically effervescent drive, the 2003 world champion flashed across the finish line just ahead of Loeb.
- “What an unbelievable stage,” said Solberg. “There were some really big and difficult jumps, but they only made it even more exciting. We want to take our sport close to the fans, and that is exactly what we did here. This was a team effort and a team victory, for me and for Jari-Matti and for all the guys who did such a good job again with the car. It feels great to win.
- “I put on a big attack. There were a lot of people generating a lot of passion, and it was fantastic to be back here again. Fafe is truly a rallying place. I’m very happy, and I hope we can continue this way in the rally. We’ve taken the first step, and now Jari-Matti and I need to beat everybody else next week, too,” he added.


Rally de Portugal will get underway on Thursday in Lisbon, before competitors head south to Faro via three evening stages in the Alentejo region. They then face three days of challenging gravel speed tests in the Serra do Caldeirão hills above the Algarve, covering a total of 434.77km across 22 stages.
12-03-19 Rallyföraren Mattias Adielsson till WRC tävlingen i Portugal
När Portugals deltävling i Rally-VM avgörs helgen den 29 mars till 1 april finns Mattias Adielsson, Göteborg, och Christoffer Bäck, Hedemora, på plats i Portugal. Mattias och Christoffer ska innan tävlingen köra rekognoseringen. Att delta i rekognoseringen innebär att de tillsammans med övriga deltagare i VM-tävlingen åker tävlingens sträckor och skriver sina egna noter.
- Det här kommer att bli ett äventyr, säger Mattias Adielsson.

Resan till Portugal ingår i Mattias och Christoffers långsiktiga plan för att ta sig till WRC. Mattias och Christoffer blev tidigare i år uttagna till Svenska Bilsportsförbundets Junior Elitsatsning (JES), så att ge sig ut i världen för att få mer utbildning blev då ett naturligt steg. De har fått stor hjälp i planeringen av förbundskaptenen Anders Dawidsson på Svenska Bilsportsförbundet . Dawidsson kommer också att finnas med som stöd i Portugal.
- Det finns så mycket att tänka på och planera inför en start i en VM tävling. Vi får nu möjligheten att göra all planering fram till start i tävlingen. Det är mycket lärorikt och kommer att stärka oss i vår framtida satsning, avslutar Mattias Adielsson.
12-03-16 Första testet tillsammans för Patrik och Maria
Samspelet mellan MINI-föraren Patrik Sandell och hans nya codriver Maria Andersson verkar gå enligt planerna. Svenskarna befinner sig i England där de under fredagen genomfört en första test tillsammans.

Maria Andersson är till vardags sportchef på Svenska bilsportförbundet, men också en av landets mest meriterade kartläsare, efter flera säsonger tillsammans med Patrik Flodin.

Tidigare i veckan avslöjades att hon kommer att hoppa in i högerstolen bredvid Patrik Sandell under Rally Portugal om några veckor, då ordinarie codrivern Staffan Parmander fått förhinder.

Trots att Patrik och Maria känner varandra sedan många år är det första gången de kör tillsammans. Men att döma av fredagens test i England tillsammans med Prodrive kommer det inte innebära några problem.
- Samarbetet har fungerat klockrent, och vi hann med mycket också. Vid debriefingen efter Svenska rallyt listade vi ett antal saker som vi ville testa inför Portugal. Vi betade av hela den listan idag, säger Patrik Sandell.

Men det fanns en liten detalj som ställde till det lite i början av testet.
- Patrik hade svårt att höra mig ordentligt först, så jag fick helt enkelt ta i lite och höja rösten. Men det var nog den enda anpassningen vi behövde göra faktiskt, säger Maria Andersson.

Om en vecka beger sig Patrik och Maria till Portugal för ännu ett test under fredagen, följt av en rallysprint på lördagen - WRC Fafe Rally Sprint – där större delen av WRC-eliten kommer att finnas med på startlinjen.

Vodafone Rally de Portugal går sedan av stapeln veckan därpå, 29 mars – 1 april.
12-03-13 Pontus Tidemand kör WRC Academy 2012
I sista sekund så blev det klart att den 21-åriga värmländska rallytalangen Pontus Tidemand kommer att köra WRC Academy 2012. WRC Academy som är Junior-VM i rally har premiär i Portugal om tre veckor .
Efter att Pontus har vunnit båda SM-deltävlingarna som körts under vintersäsongen totalt och imponerat med en tredjeplats i SWRC-klassen i Rally Sweden så blev det klart sent på måndagseftermiddagen att Pontus kommer köra WRC Academy 2012.

Det är tack vare de fina resultaten under året och genom ett samarbete med det norska talangutvecklingsbolaget EVEN rally som Pontus får möjligheten att köra 2012-års Junior-VM i rally.
- Ja, det är snabba vändningar inom motorsporten. Det dök upp en möjlighet att vi kunde få till en satsning på WRC Academy under slutet av förra veckan. Jag är självklart mycket glad och tacksam för stödet jag har från EVEN Rally som gör denna satsning möjlig, berättar Pontus.

Svenska Landslagsföraren Pontus Tidemand tillsammans med kartläsaren Stig-Rune Skjaermoen är en av 13 stycken förare som är anmälda till premiären i Rally Portugal. Alla anmälda förare i WRC Academy ställer upp i likadana Ford Fiesta R2 som tillhandahålls av Ford´s officiella fabriksteam M-Sport.

Årets serie har sex deltävlingar och premiären är redan sista helgen i mars, då Rally Portugal avgörs. Serien fortsätter sedan med Akropolis-rallyt i juni sedan vidare till Finland, Tyskland, Frankrike och slutligen Spanien i november då finalen avgörs. Av de sex tävlingarna så avgörs tre stycken på grus och två på asfalt, medans finalen avgörs på båda underlagen.
- Det kommer bli jättekul och ser verkligen fram emot första deltävlingen. Det kommer bli ett otroligt lärorikt år, då jag kommer få mycket erfarenhet av VM tävlingar och att få köra på asfalt, avslutar Pontus
12-03-13 Sandell till Portugal med ny kartläsare
Det blir byte i högerstolen när Patrik Sandell åker till Rally Portugal om ett par veckor. Staffan Parmander, som är Sandells ordinarie codriver, har fått förhinder och tvingas avstå rallyt. Istället kliver Maria Andersson in i WRC-MINI:n bredvid Patrik.

Staffan Parmander är sedan flera år involverad i projektet World Rally Resort i sin hemby Kall. En satsning som kräver svenskens närvaro samtidigt som Rally Portugal körs, varför han helt enkelt tvingas avstå VM-tävlingen.
– Jag har verkligen känt mig ung på nytt nu när jag kört med Patrik det senaste året. Så det är tråkigt att tvingas kliva åt sidan i Portugal, men just nu är jag tvungen, säger Staffan Parmander.

Patrik och Staffan tävlar tillsammans för nystartade Sweden World Rally Team, med Staffan själv som en av grundarna. Räddare i nöden för dem blir nu en annan av landets mer erfarna kartläsare, Maria Andersson, som bland annat läst noter åt Patrik Flodin under flera år.
– Jag är väldigt glad att vi hittade den här lösningen med Maria. Jag har fullt förtroende för henne med tanke på all den erfarenhet hon har från Rally-VM sedan tidigare, fortsätter Parmander.

Även Patrik Sandell låter lugn när han pratar om sin nya partner.
– Vi har känt varandra i många år, ända sedan hon började köra med Flodin, så på det personliga planet vet jag att det kommer att fungera, säger Sandell.
– Hon har dessutom mer erfarenhet från Portugal än vad jag har. Hon har kört där två gånger och jag bara två, tillägger han.

Nu handlar det för Patrik och Marias del om att få så mycket tid som möjligt tillsammans i bilen. Redan fredag flyger de till England för ett kortare test tillsammans med Prodrive, som ansvarar för svenskarnas WRC MINI.

Fredagen därpå bär det av till Portugal för ännu ett test, följt av en rallysprint på lördagen - WRC Fafe Rally Sprint – med större delen av WRC-eliten på startlinjen.
– Vi får tre dagar tillsammans i bilen innan det är dags för recce i Portugal. Det är mer än vad jag och Staffan fick inför Svenska rallyt senast, så jag är säker på att när vi väl kommer till start så kommer det att funka kanon, avslutar Patrik Sandell.
12-03-12 Elsewhere end of day quotes Rally Mexico day 3
Mads Østberg, Adapta Motorsport World Rally Team (4th) said:
- “This was a tricky event for sure. It has been a bit up and down for us. We came here to fight for fifth and hopefully challenge some of the factory drivers. Ok, we have challenged them on some stages but not overall
- “But I think it has been a good event. We almost managed to stay out of trouble, but then when we did get into trouble [with a puncture on SS22] we had it in the worst possible place!
- “But ok, we managed to get through and secure a good position and also with a Power Stage point at the end – I am very pleased with that.
- “I am looking forward to doing some testing with the car ahead of Portugal because we have been trying a lot of different things this weekend. We will try some new strategies and a few things with the set-up of the car. I think we can still improve the car a lot and for sure I can improve as well so hopefully we can fight for a podium in Portugal.”

Ken Block, Monster World Rally Team (9th) said:
- “I’m glad to be finished with a total of three punctures over three days! Today the long stage went really well actually, until I had a little mistake in my notes. It wasn’t even that bad of a mistake. It was just ‘don’t cut’ on a very tight corner and I went wide to make sure I didn’t hit whatever I had warned myself about on the inside. But as I stayed out, the road kind of dropped away into a bank and we skidded on the lose stuff and got two punctures.
- “But I was able to finish ninth overall which is great. Ok three guys out today – and really unfortunate that Jari-Matti [Latvala] was one of them.
- “I’m stoked with the overall result in the top-ten, but it is not that way that I would have wanted it to be. We are just going to come back and work harder next time.”

Ricardo Triviño (10th) said:
- “I am so happy! This was a fantastic result for me. This was my first time in the WRC and to finish in the top-ten with one point on my home event is fabulous!”

Chris Atkinson, Monster World Rally Team (DNF) said:
- “The rally has been ok but unfortunately we had a couple of problems. We had the brake problem yesterday and broke the suspension because of that and then today we had the suspension lose its oil. So to have two problems like that is really frustrating because we could have had a good result here.
- “It is good to be back in the WRC [World Rally Championship], but it is always disappointing not to get a result. We set a few good times – a third fastest and a second fastest – and we were doing some decent times on the long stages. So the speed was there, we just have to get some more time in the car and have a bit more luck.
- “I hope we can do some more events with the Monster [World Rally Team] boys later in the year – the team is awesome.”
12-03-12 Tänak takes Guanjuatto for fifth
After a mammoth distance of 407.87 competitive kilometres, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Ott Tänak rounded off what has been a sensational first assault on Rally Guanajuato Mexico in the Ford Fiesta RS WRC with fifth place overall. Elsewhere however, there was disappointment for Evgeny Novikov as an off put the Russian out of the rally; failing to score a World Rally Championship (WRC) point for the first time this year.

Displaying maturity and composure beyond his 24 years, Tänak and co-driver Kuldar Sikk impressed throughout the weekend. Despite incurring a 10 second penalty, spin, stalled engine and a puncture costing the Estonian over a minute, Tänak held his own against the top drivers, continually setting the fifth fastest time and excelling over the Super Specials with one third and two fourth place finishes.

Struggling with the set-up of their Ford Fiesta RS WRC and having to perfect brand new pace notes for the event, Novikov and experienced co-driver Denis Giraudet did well to keep in touch with the front runners over the course of the weekend. Unfortunately for the Russian, an off on the final stage of Day 2 (SS20, Comanjilla 2) saw him damage the right-rear wheel of his Fiesta. Incurring a five minute penalty, Novikov was forced to Rally 2 on the final day of competition.

Embarking on the concluding stages, M-Sport’s young guns tackled another Super Special around Leon’s Autodromo (SS21) before one of the longest and most challenging stages on the WRC calendar – the daunting 54.30 km of Guanajuatito (SS22). Competitors then contested two final runs through Mexico’s mountainous landscape: the fast, flowing roads of Derramadero (SS23) before competing for Power Stage points over the final test.

Requiring total concentration and commitment, the 54.30 km test separates the men from the boys. Setting the fifth fastest time behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC – just 14.1 seconds adrift of last year’s Dakar winner, Nassar Al Attiyah – Tänak proved he has what it takes to compete against the world’s best drivers on some the most challenging stages the world series has to offer.

Following the retirement of factory Ford driver, Jari-Matti Latvala, on the notoriously challenging stage, Tänak saw himself propelled into fifth place. Moreover, a puncture for Mads Østberg meant that the Estonian found himself in contention for fourth heading into the final two tests – just 10.1 seconds adrift of last month’s podium finisher.

Setting the fourth fastest time on SS23 (Derramadero) – 0.3 seconds up on Mikko Hirvonen – Tänak continued to impress, consolidating his fifth place with only the final Power Stage left to run. Finishing Rally Mexico in style, Tänak set the fourth fastest time over the final test – a painstaking 67 thousandths of a second adrift off Østberg and his first Power Stage point.

Tänak now lies eighth in the Championship standings with 14 points, two adrift of Dani Sordo in seventh.
Returning under Rally 2 for the final day of competition Novikov and Giraudet planned to use the remaining stages to perfect their pace notes ahead of next year’s event. Regrettably, the pairing fell prey to Guanajuatito (SS22), crashing heavily and rolling his Ford Fiesta RS WRC onto its roof 35 km into the stage.

Despite failing to score on this event, Novikov’s impressive start to the season sees him hold sixth in the Championship standings with 21 points – just five adrift of factory Ford driver, Latvala.

Tänak’s strong result saw the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team extend their lead of the Mini WRC Team in the Manufacturers’ Championship.
Ott Tänak (5th) said:
- “The rally has been ok. We got what we wanted to achieve here – made it through and got the experience. Our mission was to get at least sixth position and we managed fifth so that was really good for us. I am sorry for Jari-Matti [Latvala] as he was doing really well, but that is just the way it is sometimes.
- “On the Power Stage we were just 67 thousandths [of a second] away from Mads [Østberg] and our first Power Stage point so that was a little disappointing, but at least we know who will be buying the drinks tonight!”

Evgeny Novikov (DNF) said:
- “This afternoon was really tough. We rolled the car onto the roof on the second stage [of the day, SS23] but it is not easy to say exactly what happened – it all happened so quickly. I have looked at some of the in car footage but still it is difficult to see. It is very disappointing for me as I was on track for some more strong points, but these things happen.
- “The first stage [SS21] was good and we were working on perfecting the pace notes for next year. I am very disappointed but we are still sixth in the [Drivers’] Championship. Now I have to look ahead to Portugal where hopefully we can be back on the pace and where we need to be.”
12-03-12 VM-poäng i tuff VM-debut i Mexiko
Det blev en sjätteplats i PWRC-klassen och åtta VM-poäng för Ramona Karlsson och Miriam Walfridsson i parets VM-debut i Mexikos VM-rally. En tuff resa över tre och en halv dag avslutades på söndagen och det var händelserikt in i det sista. Det blev till slut en sjätteplats och åtta VM-poäng efter att man drabbats av ytterligare tekniska problem under dagen samt en punktering när man låg trea på rallyts längsta sträcka.
- Målsättningen för sista dagen blev snabbt att ta oss i mål och säkra VM-poäng, säger Ramona. Det här har varit ett mycket händelserikt och lärorik rally. Självklart är det surt med de tekniska problem vi har haft men vi måste komma ihåg att vi nu har gjort vår VM-debut och det i mästerskapets tuffaste rally. Vi plockar mer och mer tid i takt med att vi får mer rutin och när allting fungerar har vi redan visat att vi hänger med de snabbaste i VM. Det här känns jättekul och är lovande för framtiden.

Målet för den sista dagen var att ta in på närmsta konkurrenten Salgado 80 sekunder före och knipa femteplatsen. Det började bra, söndagens första sträcka var en superspecial där Ramona och Salgado ställdes mot varandra. Ramona kunde ta ledningen men efter halva sträckan fick man nya problem med en växelvajer. Ramona och Miriam tvingades göra en snabb reparation inför rallyts längsta sträcka på 55 km och kunde i sista sekund starta sträckan. Efter tredje splitten låg man trea totalt och tog in rejält på Salgado i sammandraget men efter c:a 15 km slog man i en sten och drabbades av en dubbelpunktering. Utan service resten av rallyt la paret om målsättningen till att ta bilen i mål och till VM-poäng.
- Det var med hög puls vi fick ut på den längsta sträckan i rallyt efter att tvingats reparera växelvajern provisoriskt innan start, berättar Ramona. Vi kunde ändå ta in mycket tid på Salgado men efter punkteringen som också gjorde att vi skadade styrstaget la vi om fokus på att ta oss i mål. Nu har vi gjort vår VM-debut och när allting har fungerat har vi hängt med de snabbaste. Miriam har varit stentuff och kämpat sig igenom och nu ska vi fira att vi gått i mål och överlevt vår VM-debut. Vi ser redan fram emot nästa rally!
Resultat: http://www.wrc.com/results/2012/corona-rally-mexico/stage-times/?category=pwrc
12-03-11 Araújo and WRC Team MINI Portugal make their mark in Mexico
Armindo Araújo (PRT) and his co-driver Miguel Ramalho successfully navigated their Michelin-shod MINI John Cooper Works WRC through the demanding stages of Rally Guanajuato México this weekend representing the Motorsport Italia-run WRC Team MINI Portugal to get their best result to date. After three fierce days of competition the Portuguese pairing finished the event seventh overall, bringing home six drivers’ points in their – and MINI’s – first overseas outing in the FIA World Rally Championship. Araújo’s team mate Paulo Nobre (BRA) once again fulfilled his reputation as the fans’ hero despite having to retire on SS23.

After a Top 10 finish at Rallye Monte-Carlo and a clean pass through every stage at Rally Sweden last month, Araújo was keen to show his speed this weekend and aimed to match his ‘Monte’ result on MINI’s first long haul event. However, Rally México proved to be tougher than expected from the very beginning. Mapping problems jinxed Araújo's Thursday Qualifying Stage, leaving him first on the roads on Day One. Having to clean the roads for the competition made things difficult but – never to be defeated – the talented Portuguese driver gave everything he had out on the Mexican gravel on Day One, earning himself a well-deserved spot in the Top 10. The cherry on the cake of an already positive day, Araújo set respectively fourth and third overall times in the two runs through Friday’s Super Special Stage.

No longer taxed with the task of road sweeping, Araújo’s aim for Saturday’s stages was focusing on finding his rhythm and the best possible set-up for his MINI JCW. A spin on SS14 - costing him only a few seconds - and 'moment' on SS20 when he had to avoid a big rock in the middle of the road, were the only lows in an otherwise trouble-free day. With his confidence back and other drivers falling foul of the tricky conditions, the Portuguese driver was promoted up the field to finish the day in a confortable eighth place overall. With only four stages to go – including the massive 54.3 Guanajuatito stage – Araújo started the last day of Rally México completely focused and eventually finished in seventh place after the unexpected retirement of Jari-Matti Latvala on SS23.

With no previous experience of Rally México, but determined to make the most of the weekend and fail his fans down, Nobre took a steady approach to the event until disaster struck on SS5, the fourth stage of Day One proper, when he rolled his MINI JCW and was forced to retire for the day. With both Nobre and his co-driver Edu Paula unhurt, and thanks to the hard work of the Motorsport Italia boys back in service, the Brazilian duo was able to re-join the event on Saturday under Rally 2 regulations. The San Paulan returned eager to please his fans but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be - on SS14 he lost the road and one of his MINI’s wheels. Despite having been under the weather throughout the weekend, Nobre resolutely restarted on Day Three, refusing point blank to miss the final stages of the rally or let down the glorious Mexican spectators. The Brazilian’s last day at Rally México started on a high, as he had the honor of going head-to-head with 8-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb on the opening Super Special Stage, marking a new career highlight. However, Paulo’s outing at Rally México ended 3km into SS23, after he went off road causing too much damage to his MINI JCW WRC to continue.

Armindo Araújo: "I'm so happy to have finished in seventh here in Mexico! It's my best result to date in the WRC and now I can look forward to Rally de Portugal and try and do even better in three weeks time. After Mexico where the fans have been truly incredible, I can't wait to compete in front of my home crowd."

Bruno De Pianto, WRC Team MINI Portugal Team Manager: "We're very excited to have finished the event in seventh overall with our No. 1 driver Armindo Araújo. He did a great job all weekend and he's done us all very proud! His MINI worked perfectly and now we are all waiting to see what he - and we - can do at Rally de Portugal. As a team manager, it's a pleasure to work with a driver like Armindo. So far this season, he's taken on three events in-a-row that he's never competed on before in a MINI - on Tarmac, snow and gravel. He's not only successfully completed every single stage, but overcome a problem like having to drive through the Qualifying Stage here without putting in a competitive time, be first out on the tough Mexican gravel and still moved up through the field to finish seventh!"

Final overall classification – Rally Guanajuato México
S. Loeb/ D. Elena FRA Citroën DS3 4:15:32.7
M. Hirvonen/ J. Lehtinen FIN Citroën DS3 +42.4
P. Solberg/ C. Patterson NOR Ford Fiesta RS +2:11.4
M.Østberg/ J. Andersson NOR Ford Fiesta RS +4:51.5
O. Tanak/ K. Sikk EST Ford Fiesta RS +5:02.6
N. Al-Attyiah/ G. Bernacchini QAT Citroën DS3 +6:41.4
A. Araújo/ M. Ramalho PRT MINI JCW WRC +12:46.9
S. Ogier/ J. Ingrassia FRA Škoda F. S2000 +14:57.8
K. Block/ A. Gelsomino USA Ford Fiesta RS +22:26.8
R. Trivino/ A. Haro MEX Ford Fiesta RS +23:30.7
2012 FIA Drivers' Championship Standings

S.Loeb 66/M. Hirvonen 50 /P. Solberg 47/ M. Ostberg 28/ J-M Latvala 26/ E. Novikov 21/ D.Sordo 18/ / O. Tanak 14/ F. Delecour 8/ N. Al-Attyiah 8/ A. Araújo 7/ P. Campana 6/ H. Solberg 6/ …R.Trivino 1
12-03-11 Händelserik lördag i Mexiko
Ramona Karlsson och Miriam Walfridsson är fortsättningsvis sexa totalt i PWRC-klassen efter ännu en händelserik dag i Mexikos VM-rally. De inledde andra hela dagen med att återigen klättra upp på en fjärdeplats totalt efter specialsträcka 15 men växellådsproblem gjorde att de tvingades bryta och inte kunde fullfölja dagens sista sträckor. De kommer nu att starta om rallyt igen på söndagen efter att teamet fixat växellådan.
– Tyvärr fick vi problem med växelföraren efter att vi klättrat i totalen men vi har ett superteam som kan fixa det så vi kan starta om imorgon igen, säger Ramona.

Duon har hängt med bra på sträckorna men rallyt är tufft och många har haft problem under de första dagarna. Ramona säger att de samlar på sig mycket nyttig erfarenhet från sträckorna.
– På de partier som inte går uppe i bergen är vi med bra tidsmässigt och kör topp-3 tider, men när vi kommer upp i bergen tappar vi en del tid. Vägarna är väldigt annorlunda mot vad vi är vana vid och det är mycket små marginaler. De snabbaste i klassen har kört här många gånger och den erfarenheten är mycket viktig. Vi lär oss väldigt mycket och det är kul att se att på de partier som har en karaktär vi är vana vid är vi med och slåss i toppen.

Duon kommer nu att starta om igen på söndagen, rallyt sista dag, och samla på sig mer erfarenhet från de fyra sista specialsträckorna.
– Bilen går fantastiskt bra och hela teamet gör ett superjobb så vi ser fram emot att samla på oss mer erfarenhet från de sista sträckorna. Mycket kan fortfarande hända, förhoppningsvis kan vi även klättra i totalen. Miriam mår också mycket bättre efter att hon fått dropp under natten och vi är redo att kämpa på under den sista dagen, avslutar Ramona.

Resultat efter specialsträcka 20 och totalt efter dag 2.
12-03-10 Heartache for Novikov as Tänak masters Mexican endurance
Embarking on the toughest day of competition at the ninth Rally Guanajuato Mexico, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Evgeny Novikov and Ott Tänak endured a massive 183.30 km and 13 hours of competitive stages. Continuing a composed display of maturity on the difficult stages, Tänak held his own to secure sixth place heading into the final day of competition.

Elsewhere however, there was heartache for Novikov as the Russian clipped the rear of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC on the final stage of the day rendering him in, an unusual for 2012, 11th place.

The fast, flowing roads of SS13 (Ibarilla 1) are synonymous with the Mexican event and drivers have to work hard to find the right line and avoid the treacherous rocks which litter the side of the road.

Despite not being 100 per cent comfortable behind the wheel of their Ford Fiesta RS WRC, Novikov and co-driver Denis Giraudet set the eighth fastest time over the 29.9 km test to maintain their seventh place and keep former Rally Mexico podium finisher, Chris Atkinson, at bay. Regardless of his continued unease with the set-up of his Fiesta, the Russian kept pace with the top drivers over SS14 to set the seventh fastest time and increase his lead over Atkinson to 41.1 seconds.

Finding a better rhythm over the afternoon loop, Novikov avoided the pitfalls and punctures which blighted so many others on SS15 (Ibarilla 2). Setting the fourth fastest time a full six seconds clear of yesterday’s podium sitter, Mads Østberg, the Muscovite closed the gap to team mate Tänak to just 4.2 seconds.

The afternoon’s final set of stages saw the M-Sport crews tackle two passes through Comanjilla – the last five kilometres of which will form the Power Stage tomorrow – interspersed with an elongated Super Special; SS18 and SS19 having been combined to form one 4.42 km test around the Autodromo in León.

Another top-ten time from Novikov on SS17 saw the Russian consolidate his seventh place with over a minute in hand over Nassar Al-Attiyah in eighth. After thrilling the crowds on the Super Special, the Russian embarked on the second pass over Comanjilla (SS20). Unfortunately, the Russian hit a bank with his right-rear wheel on the second corner. After losing the wheel and damaging the rear of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC further into the stage, Novikov will restart under Rally 2 tomorrow.

Continuing their impressive campaign in Mexico, Tänak and co-driver Kuldar Sikk had a strong run over the morning loop. Having rolled his MM Motorsport run Ford Fiesta S2000 on Ibarilla last year, Tänak took a cautious approach towards the end of SS14. Despite his caution, the youngster held his own against the top drivers, setting the fifth fastest time in the process. A spin and a stalled engine on SS14 (Otates 1) lost the Estonian over 15 seconds, but Tänak still clinched the sixth fastest time just 19.6 seconds adrift of Petter Solberg’s trouble-free run in the factory Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

The second pass over Ibarilla (SS15) was less fruitful for Tänak as a puncture saw him lose almost a minute to the front runners. Deciding to continue but losing the rubber mid-way through the stage, Tänak’s lead over team mate Novikov tumbled from 58.4 seconds to just 4.2 seconds. Unfazed by his problems on the previous stage, the Estonian’s maturity shone through as he secured another impressive time on the second pass over Otates (SS16).

Taking it steady over Comanjills 1 (SS17) and gaining experience of tomorrow’s Power Stage, Tänak set the sixth fastest time to extend his lead over Novikov to over 20 seconds. Entertaining the crowds around the elongated Super Special at León’s Autodromo, the Estonian went head to head with Solberg – setting the fourth fastest time and vowing that one day he would get the better of the factory Ford driver before ending the day with another strong time over the final stage.

Ott Tänak (6th) said:
- “The last stages were quite ok. Mostly we were just checking our pace against Evgeny’s [Novikov] splits. I think the first stage after service went really well when we took about eight seconds out of him so that was good.
“It was a lot of fun going up against Petter [Solberg] on the Super Special. We tried, but I think we might have tried too much because on the first corner we went wide and lost some time. The gap after the first and second loop was the same so I lost the time on the first one. But that is just the way it is, and next time I’ll do better.
- “On the last stage we saw that Evgeny had a problem so we slowed right down as we don’t have any need to push. We have a pretty big gap behind us now so tomorrow we will work on perfecting the pacenotes for next year.”
12-03-11 Elsewhere, end of day quetes, Rally Mexico day 2
Mads Østberg, Adapta Motorsport World Rally Team (5th) said:
- “This afternoon has been quite ok. Still we are working with the car but now we are just driving to secure the fifth place. We have plenty of time so it is just about getting to the end.
- “We had really good fun fighting with Jari-Matti [Latvala] in the Super Special. It was just a shame that we could not beat him – but it was close!
- “We will try some new things in the morning but we won’t do anything I can’t change back because it [SS22, Guanajuatito] is a very long stage and you need to be comfortable with the car to keep the concentration.
- “We have a pretty big gap behind us now so we can use tomorrow to learn more about this event. It is quite special and you need a unique set-up and style to do well so the more we can learn for next year the better.”

Ken Block, Monster World Rally Team (10th) said:
- “This afternoon has been a lot more fun. I really enjoy that stage [Comanjilla] – it is a lot more flat out and flowing – really good fun. The twisty stuff like the long stuff this morning, I like it to a certain extent but when it is that long it can be real tricky.

“I have been making some minor adjustments to the car throughout the day to help on the longer sections, but it takes a lot of commitment to compete against these guys. If you are to really throw the car into the corners and lean on the tyres and expect some grip, you have got to be fully committed.
- "But yeah, I’ve been working on that, and on the braking and on the suspension a little so hopefully that should give me a little more confidence going into tomorrow.
- “It is just a constant learning process. The problem for me is that everyone continued to develop with this car. That is why I keep calling myself a tourist! I just can’t compete and develop at that same level as these guys.”
12-03-10 Elsewhere, Midday Quates Rally Mexido Day 2
Mads Østberg, Adapta Motorsport World Rally Team (5th) said:
- “This afternoon was quite ok. We did some changes to the car in service and it worked quite well on the first stage. We kept the set-up for the long run but it didn’t work so well there. It worked ok on the fast stuff, but in the very narrow and twisty stuff we had a lot of oversteer and I just lost a lot of time really.
“But ok, we are learning a lot about the set-up and about the car on this rally so we are getting a lot of good experience.”

Ken Block, Monster World Rally Team (12th) said:
- “This afternoon was good. I lost the brakes and the tyres got really soft towards the end of the last one, but that last long stage is a real workout!
- “The conditions are good. It is a lot nicer to drive swept roads because this morning we were the sweepers so it was nice to have some grip. But my times haven’t improved all that much so I’m not pushing hard. I’m too far away from the guys ahead of me. So yeah, we will just keep going and see what happens.”

Ricardo Triviño (14th) said:
- “The second pass was much better than this morning. Also the next stages I know very well so hopefully we will see our times improve even more.
- “The conditions were pretty tricky. The stages are so long that the tyres were completely worn by the end. There was so little grip and it was a real challenge to drive.”

Chris Atkinson, Monster World Rally Team
After losing the brakes throughout SS16, Atkinson lost them completely after the flying finish and hit a bank. The Australian will Rally 2 tomorrow.
12-03-10 M-Sport Ford WRT Midday Quotes Rally Mexico Day 2
Ott Tänak (6th) said:
- “We had a front-left puncture at the beginning of the first stage. I felt the puncture, but we still had the rubber on so it was possible to drive and it was not too bad. But then the rubber came off for the last 10 kilometres and it was really bad. But we had lost so much time already that it did not make sense to stop and change it and lose even more time.
- “On the second stage we tried a bit harder because Evgeny [Novikov] was getting really close to us and we set a good time so that was ok. The main reason we came here was to get experience of the new stages and that is the main objective for this afternoon. We are not going to take too many risks, just drive at our own pace and learn the stages.”

Evgeny Novikov (7th) said:
- “This afternoon was ok, but everything is still the same. There is much better grip which is a bit easier for me, but nothing special. I’m trying to drive the stages to the maximum, but we are still losing some time so we will have to see.
- “Of course I will keep trying to do my best and we will keep pushing in the next stages – maximum attack.”
12-03-10 Elsewhere, mid morning quetes, Rally MExico day 2
Mads Østberg, Adapta Motorsport World Rally Team (4th) said:
- “We had two very long stages so it was quite a tricky morning. I enjoyed the second stage more than the first one, but if you find the right rhythm, for sure the characteristics of the first one would be really good fun to drive.
- “Unfortunately though, nothing really worked for us on the first stage. We had a hole in the car yesterday which brought a lot of dust into the car so with the low sun on the first stage it was really difficult to see the stage properly.
- “We want to improve our times over the next pass. We will make a few small changes to the car and try to fine-tune everything. We are getting there but there are still some things to improve on the car and I also have to make some changes to my driving style.
- “But we are learning. Sometimes it is going in the right direction and then we are quicker, but other times it is not that simple. But that is just the way it is.”

Chris Atkinson, Monster World Rally Team (8th) said:
- “We had no major problems this morning but on the loose sections we were really struggling for grip. It was difficult getting the corner speeds right and we need to work on the medium speed corners for the second pass.
- “We played it fairly safe in the first stage and recorded an ok time. But on the second one we had a pretty average time. We’ll try a few things in service to try and control the car a little better going into the corners and then hopefully we'll get a bit more confidence there.”

Ken Block, Monster World Rally Team (12th) said:
- “This morning we actually ran my favourite and my least favourite stage, so that was pretty interesting! I think we did a good job considering our position on the road but for sure it wasn’t perfect and we were a little ragged in places with a few little moments.
- “We’ll try a few things out in service and then hopefully we can get back out there and entertain the fans with some quicker times.”

Ricardo Triviño (14th) said:
- “This morning the stages have been very good but in the second stage the tyres lost grip after about 20 kilometres. Apart from that it was pretty good.
- “This afternoon we will try to attack the stages a little bit more, but also try and preserve the tyres for the longer stage better than we did this morning.”
12-03-10 M-Sport Ford WRT, Mid morning Quetes Rally MExico day 2
Ott Tänak (6th) said:
“This morning was quite ok. We tried to push a little on the beginning of the first stage, but I made a mistake on the end of that stage last year so we were a bit more careful towards the end. Then on the last stage, we had a spin in the middle of the stage which stalled the engine. The engine was so hot by that point that it didn’t re-start straight away and I think we lost maybe 10 or 20 seconds. After that, our rhythm was not as good as it had been, but that is just the way it is.
- “The main thing was to check our speed against Evgeny [Novikov] and that was all ok. We are still learning this rally so I’m pretty happy with the times. We have a fairly big gap behind us now so we can try some small things in service, but nothing major.”

Evgeny Novikov (7th) said:
- “To be honest this morning was not so good for me. The results are not what I am looking for but we are trying to push and to do our best. We are trying to drive on the limit, but the times are still not as good as I would like.
- “We won’t do any major changes in service, just try our best and hopefully we will find the rhythm and be able to set some more competitive times this afternoon.”
12-03-10 Ramona och Miriam sexa totalt efter bromsproblem
Ramona och Miriam inledde som lovat och började klättra i tabellen när den första heldagen i Mexikos VM-rally inleddes på fredagen. De passerade italienaren Linaro i sammandraget upp till en fjärdeplats. Men på den sjunde specialsträckan försvann bromsarna en kilometer från målgång och paret tappade mycket tid.
– Som tur är hände det på ett lämpligt ställe, vi vågar inte ens tänka på vad som hade hänt om bromsarna hade försvunnit några hundra meter längre fram där vägen var smalare och hade rejäla stup, säger Ramona. Det visade sig att en bromsledning gick sönder, teamet kan fixa det och vi kommer att starta om under superrallyreglerna på lördag.

Bromsfelet innebär att Ramona och Miriam fick tidstillägg på de kommande sträckorna och har nu halkat ner till en sjätteplats totalt. Två hårda dagar återstår dock och duon laddar nu om för lördagens sträckor.
– Vägarna i Mexiko är tuffa med en mycket speciell vägkaraktär jämfört med vad vi är vana vid men vi kommer in i det mer och mer. Miriam har åkt på en magbakterie men vägrar ge upp och hon har fått läkarhjälp och är nu fit for fight! Rallyt har bara börjat och nu laddar vi om, det återstår två tuffa dagar och allt kan hända, avslutar Ramona.

På rally-VM:s officiella hemsida, www.wrc.com, kan ni följa rallyt via livetiming och rallyradio under dagen. Rallyt startar igen 06:54 lokal tid, 13:54 svensk tid.

Resultat PWRC totalt efter dag 1:
1: B. Guerra 1:32.02
2: M. Kosciuzko + 32,6
3: N. Fuchs + 41,5
4: G. Linari + 6:39.3
5: R. Salgado + 9:01.5
6: R. Karlsson + 20:48.8
12-03-10 Elsewhere, end of day Quetes, Rally Mexico Day 1
Mads Østberg, Adapta Motorsport World Rally Team (3rd) said:
- “I think this afternoon has been quite ok. We have tried to push but I am still not one hundred per cent happy with the car. We just have to try and make some changes and see if we go in the right direction. The car is drivable, but it’s not perfect and we still have some places where we can improve.
- “I’m still getting used to the gravel and still learning the rally. It’s only our second time here so I think we’re doing ok and hopefully we can push a little bit more tomorrow.”

Chris Atkinson, Monster World Rally Team (8th) said:
- “We had no problems all afternoon but we’re still not where we need to be. We tried to push a bit harder this afternoon but the times didn’t really come so we’ll try some different set-ups in service and hopefully tomorrow we can go a lot faster.”

Ken Block, Monster World Rally Team (15th) said:
- “This afternoon has been a little bit frustrating. We tried a couple of different driving styles to see if it is any quicker, but I can’t necessarily figure out what I’m doing wrong and right.
- “The stages went well, although I had the tracker come out from underneath my feet and it was bouncing around in the foot well and getting under the pedals. We just hit a rock and it popped all the zip-ties off so that was a bit frustrating for a couple of kilometres.
- “Other than that it was just trying to have a good clean run this afternoon because this morning was so frustrating. Tomorrow, it’s flat out.”

Ricardo Triviño (13th) said:
- “This afternoon has been much better than this morning. The feeling with the car was a lot better and there was much more grip than we saw earlier.

- “Tomorrow the stages are much better suited to my driving style. I know the stages pretty well and I really like driving Ibarrilla and Comanjilla – they’re very good, really good fun to drive!
- “The car is perfect so hopefully tomorrow we can go out there with more attack and make up some places.”
12-03-10 M-Sport Rising Starts impress despite misfourtunes
The ninth Rally Guanajuato Mexico got underway with a spectacular Special Stage through the cobbled streets and historic mining shafts of the stunning world heritage city of Guanajuato last night. With huge crowds lining the DC Shoes Street Stage, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team drivers Ott Tänak and Evgeny Novikov thrilled spectators over the 1.05km stage.

An impressive effort from Tänak and co-driver Kuldar Sikk saw the Estonian duo set the sixth fastest time to equal that of Ford factory driver, Jari-Matti Latvala. Elsewhere however, there was early disappointment for Novikov and experienced navigator Denis Giraudet as an issue with the intercom rendered the pairing 12th overall.

Based to the north and east of Guanajuato, the first full day of competition saw the M-Sport crews get their first taste of gravel in this the 2012 edition of the World Rally Championship (WRC). Tackling two new stages and overcoming the demands of continuous changes in grip, M-Sport’s rising stars rose to the challenge with Novikov securing seventh overall and Tänak sixth at the end of Day 1.

Eager to climb the leaderboard, Novikov had a strong run over the first full day of competition. Getting to grips with his Ford Fiesta RS WRC over the morning loop, the young Russian set the seventh fastest time on SS2, climbing four positions to secure eighth overall. Producing competitive times over the following tests, Novikov set another seventh fastest time on SS4, 6.4 seconds clear of previous Rally Mexico podium finisher, Chris Atkinson. Despite issues with his gear shifts – missing the shift light on his dashboard for much of the morning – the Muscovite set the fifth fastest time on the final 23.69 km test to claim fifth place overall.

Following Thierry Neuville’s retirement after service on SS6, Novikov was propelled into fifth position – seven places up on where he had started in the morning and just 12.7 seconds adrift of team mate Tänak. Despite setting the fifth fastest time on Las Minas 2 (SS7), Novikov lost out to a charging Latvala in the factory Ford Fiesta RS WRC. With SS9 cancelled, the final stage before service saw the crews tackle the 1.23 km Monster Street Stage within which the Russian maintained his seventh position overall.

After the final service, only two Super Specials remained. With the packed Autodromo in León illuminated with fork lightning and heavy rain, Novikov set the 12th and 10th fastest times and will start Day 2 eighth on the road.

Despite running early on the road in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC, Tänak mastered the slippery conditions over the morning loop. Setting the sixth fastest time on the first 22.12 km stage, the Estonian maintained his overall position just 1.1 seconds adrift of last month’s Rally Sweden podium finisher Mads Østberg. Tänak’s consistency continued over the following tests as the youngster set the sixth fastest time on four consecutive stages. Despite suffering from aggressive brakes, the final test of the morning saw Tänak set the fourth fastest time as he climbed to fifth in the overall standings, just 17.4 seconds adrift and closing on Neuville in fourth.

Following the Belgian’s retirement on SS6, the M-Sport driver was propelled into fourth place, just 25.7 seconds adrift of the podium. Despite setting competitive splits throughout SS7, the Estonian lost out to a blisteringly quick Latvala in the overall standings. Gaining experience with each competitive kilometre, the youngster set another fifth fastest time on the second pass over Los Mexicanos (SS8) to keep a recovering Petter Solberg at bay. In the absence of SS9, the Monster Street Stage followed with Tänak impressing once again with another fifth fastest time. Unfortunately for the Estonian, a late check-in saw him incur a 10-second penalty to put Solberg ahead going into Day 2.

With just the final two Super Special stages left to run, Tänak set the third and fourth fastest times on the rain-soaked track to bring the gap to Solberg down to just 1.3 seconds and will thus start Day 2 ninth on the road.

Ott Tänak (6th) said:
- “This afternoon was ok. We had no dramas. The conditions weren’t too bad and there were far fewer rocks out there than there had been this morning. The surface is quite hard so it wasn’t too bad. In some places it’s really clean and you have quite good grip, but in others it was still a bit dusty and slippery which is what makes it a bit tricky.
- “I think for tomorrow we will just stick with pretty much the same set-up as we have now. We’ll try to keep the pace and stay in front of Evgeny [Novikov]. It’s all good experience for me.”

Evgeny Novikov (7th) said:
- “This afternoon was a lot better than this morning but still not so good and I’m not 100 per cent satisfied with the result. But we are trying to do something about it; we will try a few things out in service and just see what the result is at the finish – there are still two days to go so you never know.
- “Tomorrow, of course, it will be the same approach – maximum attack. We will just try to do our best and see what happens.”
12-03-09 Elsewhere, Midday Quates Rally Mexico day 1
Mads Østberg, Adapta Motorsport World Rally Team (3rd) said:
- “It’s been quite a good morning. We had quite a good rhythm but somehow we are losing a lot of time on the uphill sections, which we don’t completely understand. But we gain a lot of time back on the straight and on the downhill so we’ll just have to try and push a little bit harder on the uphill sections this afternoon to see if there is anything we can do.
- “It’s very frustrating, especially when you are fighting with someone and you see that you are up on the splits and then from one split to another you lose five seconds just because it’s uphill so it’s a little bit disappointing.
- “But it’s still been a good morning for us. I think we have done a good job. The road position means we’re cleaning a little bit but not massively.
- “It’s really slippery out there though. You can see that because there is no one line, there are lines everywhere, and it seems like everyone is struggling to find traction. It’s not like in Sweden where you can follow a clean line, it’s in all directions! But the grip level is always changing and it’s not a small change; it’s always a massive change and it’s so difficult as a driver to judge that – especially when you come at it at such high speeds.
- “The cobbles also are so difficult to drive on. It’s not gravel and it’s not asphalt and it’s so difficult to find the rhythm. They are so hard on the tyres as well and after that stage our tyres were almost completely gone.
- “But third place is not a bad place to be!”

Chris Atkinson, Monster World Rally Team (9th) said:
- “Before the puncture, this morning had been going pretty well. The first stage was good considering our road position and we were around the same speed as Tänak and Østberg. Considering it’s our first time in the car, first time on these tyres, and it’s been a while since I was in Mexico I was pretty happy with that.
- “The plan was to stay with those guys and push a bit harder this afternoon and try and get in front of them but unfortunately the puncture pushed us back a bit. We’ll try and fight back, but it’s a long way to go.
- “It’s just bad luck. We came over a blind crest and were in the middle of the road so there’s not much you can do about that – try and miss it and swerve off the road or just hit it and maybe get a puncture. That’s just the way it is these days.
- “This morning I was learning the car, taking it pretty easy and then the plan was to try and push the speed this afternoon. Now I’ve just got to get some good times in and hopefully move up the running order for a better starting position tomorrow.”

Ricardo Triviño (16th) said:
- “The first stage was good, but by the end of the stage we had no tyres. The cobbles are so hard on tyres and you have to be really careful there. The other stages were better and in the slower corners I could feel much more traction in the front of the car.
- “The atmosphere is fantastic and I can’t wait to get back out there again! This afternoon we’ll just go out there, drive our best, and try and make up some positions.”

Ken Block, Monster World Rally Team (18th) said:
- “Yeah, we had a pretty eventful morning! Obviously being so far up on the road I was doing a lot of sweeping and for how well I was driving I was kind of bummed that the times weren’t a little better. But going out to the first stage this morning the gearbox wouldn’t go into neutral so we had to deal with that a little bit. Ok, it’s not that big of a deal but it’s pretty frustrating!
- “Eventually the gearbox started working again, so that was fine. But then on the last stage, the tyres were just so far gone that every corner felt like ice so I misjudged the braking on a tight-right corner and I ended up going off with the left-rear, getting a puncture and breaking the driveshaft.
- “Then we pulled over because Chris [Atkinson] was behind us and I didn’t want to hold him up. But little did we know he had a puncture himself so we ended up sitting there for a lot longer than we would have wanted.
- “It’s good to be back driving and the times were consistent for the position I was in, but then that last stage was just very frustrating.
- “I just need to focus and do what I need to do on the rest of the stages this afternoon.”
12-03-09 M-Sport Ford WRT, Midday Quates Rally Mexico day 1
Ott Tänak (5th) said:
- “This morning has been ok but the stages have been quite slippery, especially the first one as the asphalt section was really difficult to drive. We also had a problem with the brakes overheating so maybe I’ve been driving a little too aggressively. It got a little better in the later stages, but it was still very difficult to find the right line. We’ll change a few small things in service and see how we go this afternoon.”

Evgeny Novikov (6th) said:
- “This morning has been ok but for the moment I can’t seem to find the key to this rally. I’m trying to push the maximum and I feel like I’m on the limit but the times are not so good.
- “One problem may be that I don’t have the red light on my dashboard which tells me when I have to switch gear so maybe I am shifting less well than usual.
- “But we’ll see. The plan for this afternoon is to go out there with maximum attack and hopefully we will get into the rhythm of the rally soon!”
12-03-09 Ramona och Miriam femma efter första dagen
Mexikos VM-rally är inlett, på torsdagskvällen kördes en publiksträcka på asfalt och Ramona Karlsson och Miriam Walfridsson var femte snabbast.
– Nu är vi äntligen igång, hälsar Ramona. Femma totalt efter första sträckan i Guanajuato är helt ok. På fredag börjar rallyt på riktigt och då siktar vi på att plocka placeringar.

Det har varit ett stort intresse för rallyt hela veckan och det märktes inte minst på den första specialsträckan som var fullpackad med publik.
– Det var helt galet med publik och en helt hysterisk stämning. Vi har aldrig varit med om en sådan publik tidigare och det är helt fantastiskt. Nu laddar vi om för fredagen, avslutar Ramona.

På wrc.com finns också rallyradio som sänder från rallyts samtliga sträckor. Rallyt fortsätter igen fredag eftermiddag svensk tid, fredag morgon lokal tid.

Resultat efter SS1:
1: N. Fuchs 57,4
2: B. Guerra + 1,1
3: M. Kosciuzko + 1,8
4: R. Salgado + 3,8
5: R. Karlsson + 4,9
6: G. Linari + 7,5
12-03-08 Ramona och Miriam laddade för VM-rally
Ramona Karlsson och Miriam Walfridsson har avslutat två dagars rekognosering inför duons VM-start torsdag kväll och Ramona är förväntansfull efter att ha nu kört igenom sträckorna.
– De här vägarna har verkligen allt. Det finns inga marginaler och det kommer att bli ett tufft rally. Det är varmt och det gäller att verkligen fokusera men det här kommer att bli riktigt kul, säger Ramona.

Rallyt startar på torsdag kväll lokal tid och därefter väntar ytterligare tre dagars körning. VM-äventyret har redan börjat bra och det är ett laddat rallypar som ser fram emot VM-starten.
– Vi fick ett helt underbart välkomnande av Mitsubishi i Leon, hundratals människor hade samlats för att heja på oss. Man kan inte bli annat än laddad, vi är riktigt taggade och kan knappt vänta på att få komma igång med rallyt!

Närmast väntar shakedown och presskonferens för Ramona och Miriam innan den första specialsträckan som startar 18.15 lokal tid. Rallyt avslutas på söndag 14.15 lokal tid.

12-03-06 Första Mexikotestet avklarat för Ramona och Miriam
Ramona Karlsson och Miriam Walfridsson är nu på plats i Mexiko. Första testet inför VM-debuten är avklarat och rallyduon har fått en första smak av vägarna i Mexiko.
– Det känns bra att vi sitter i bilen igen och vi sa båda två att det är en speciell känsla att vara igång efter en lång vinter, säger Ramona.

VM-äventyret började dessvärre inte helt problemfritt. Tanken med dagens test var att testa teamets nya DMACK-däck men de fastnade i tullen och man tvingades istället att låna in däck från Ralliart Italien. Det var inte de enda problemen på vägen mot VM-debuten i Mexiko.
– Ett stort tack till Raliart Italien som kunde låna oss däck efter att våra däck fastnade i tullen. Som tur är kommer våra DMACK-däck fram senare ikväll. Det har varit lite strul med resan hit med allt från mekaniker som inte kom vidare från Mexiko City till att Miriams overall blev stulen på flygplatsen men vi tar det som ett dåligt genrep inför en bra premiär och nu är vi alla på plats.

Måndagens test var ett officiellt test för alla Grupp N-åkare och nu väntar två dagars rekognosering inför starten på torsdag kväll, en rekognosering där Ramona och Miriam ska sätta noterna för rallyt.
– Vi har märkt att det gäller att vara mycket noggrann i arbete med noterna, förklarar Ramona. Det finns mycket klurigheter i vägkanterna med allt från sten till stup men vi planerar inte att vara där ute och härja. Vi har fått en bra första känsla efter testet för vad vi har att vänta oss och det är som förväntat. Det är skönt att äntligen vara igång och nu har vi gått in i rallymode!

Rallyt startar officiellt på torsdag kväll.
12-03-02 Så kan ni följa Ramona och Miriams VM-premiär
Ramona och Miriam tillsammans med sina mekaniker och motoringenjör, sitter just nu på flyget på väg till Mexico. De hälsar att de är taggade till tänderna inför sin VM-premiär i Rally Mexico, och ser verkligen fram emot tävlingen.

Givetvis kommer vi att hålla er uppdaterade under deras VM-premiär. På ramonarallying.com kommer vår pressansvarige Ola Lennström att rapportera från måndagens test, inför rallyt, samt en rapport från varje tävlingsdag. Det är 7 timmars tidsförskjutning mellan Sverige och Mexico, och vi kommer att vara i mål under etapperna under sen natt (svensk tid). Fredag 9/3 kl. 03.00 (Svensk tid) startar rallyt, och målgång är ca kl. 22 söndagen 11/3 (Svensk tid).

HÄR kan ni se Live-resultat från PWRC, och övrigt resultat från rallyt, senaste nytt, rallyradio m.m. finner ni på wrc.com

På torsdag 8/3 ca kl. 06.20, kan ni (om tekniken håller) lyssna på en live-intervju med Ramona och Miriam i TV4 Nyhetsmorgon.

Nu håller vi tummarna för Rally Mexicos enda helsvenska ekipage!
12-02-26 Fredrik Åhlin klar för WRC Academy 2012
Den svenske landslagsföraren Fredrik Åhlin är nu klar för årets Junior VM i rally - WRC Academy 2012. Tillsammans med sin kartläsare Morten Abrahamsen kommer Fredrik att köra hela serien med start i Portugal den 29 mars.

Fredrik vann uttagningstävlingen Pirelli Star Driver 2011 och kvalificerade sig då till en friplats i WRC Academy. Med sin Ford Fiesta R2 krigade sig Fredrik fram till en slutlig 10:e plats i Junior VM-serien förra året.
- ”För mig existerar inte ordet otur, men det var en del stolpe ut förra året, och det gjorde att vi tyvärr inte kunde vara med i toppstriden om juniortiteln” säger Fredrik. ”Men i år blir det andra bullar. Nu har vi kört en säsong och lärt oss massor av det så det finns goda förutsättningar till att ta stora kliv uppåt i resultatlistan för i år” spår Fredrik.

Inför årets VM-säsong har Fredrik även jobbat tillsammans med en mental coach för att verkligen kunna fokusera och kanalisera sin vilja i rätt riktning. ”Det är lätt att överladda och det gäller att tänka positivt och hitta de rätta verktygen för att lyckas då man skall prestera och leverera på den här höga nivån” säger Fredrik.

WRC Academy kommer även i år att vara en supportklass till den tunga klassen – WRC, och Juniormästerskapet kommer att avgöras under sex deltävlingar med slutlig målgång i Spanien i november. Förutom dessa sex deltävlingar kommer Fredrik och Mårten även att köra några nationella rallyn för att hålla ångan uppe mellan VM-tävlingarna.
- ”Det här är ju det roligaste som finns på detta jordeliv” avslutar Fredrik och ger sig iväg för ytterligare ett träningspass på gymmet.
12-02-20 Sandell klar för Portugal
Patrik Sandell är klar för att köra Rally Portugal, för Sweden World Rally Team tillsammans med Prodrive och MINI. Det blir därmed Sandells andra WRC-start, efter den framgångsrika debuten i Svenska rallyt häromveckan.
– Jag har kört tävlingen två gånger förut, så jag har lite koll på vägarna och vet vad som väntar mig. Men det känns ändå lite speciellt att veta att jag kommer att sitta i en WRC-bil den här gången, säger Patrik Sandell.

Sandell och hans coddriver Staffan Parmander tävlar för nystartade Sweden World Rally Team. Svenskarna tävlar i en Mini John Cooper Works WRC, driven av engelska Prodrive, och precis som i Svenska rallyt kommer de att bli teamkollegor med spanjoren Daniel Sordo.
– Vi har resonerat tillsammans med Prodrive och kommit fram till att Portugal är ett perfekt nästa steg för oss i den WRC-satsning vi gör. Det är också viktigt för Patrik att få komma tillbaka in i tävlingsbilen så snart som möjligt, medan han har tempot uppe från Svenska rallyt, säger Jan Pettersson som är teamchef för Sweden World Rally Team.

Rally Portugal körs 29 mars till 1 april. Tävlingen börjar redan på torsdagen med en superspecial inne i Lissabon, följt av tre mörkersträckor senare under kvällen. Därefter beger sig bilarna ner till Faro på Algarve-kusten i södra Portugal, som sedan är huvudort för tävlingen under fredag, lördag och söndag.
12-01-26 Ramona och Miriam i historisk VM-satsning 2012
Ramona Karlsson och Miriam Walfridsson storsatsar inför 2012. Med det egna teamet Ramona Rallying är de klara för full VM-säsong i PWRC. Det blir sex VM-rallyn med start i Mexico i mars.
- För mig har det alltid varit en dröm att tävla i VM, det är det finaste man kan göra och det känns nästan lite overkligt att vi nu står inför det, säger Ramona Karlsson. Vi har varit långt ifrån det tidigare men efter hårt arbete och med stort stöd från partners som Höganäs, Sandå, Mitsubishi med flera är det nu äntligen verklighet, säger Ramona

Ramona är inte bara förare utan också teamchef för det egna teamet som blir det enda svenska teamet som kör full VM-säsong. Hon är dessutom den första svenska kvinna som kör rally-VM. Ramona är inställd på att det blir tufft men menar att man har goda chanser.
- Det blir vårt första år i VM så det är för kaxigt att påstå att vi ska kliva upp i toppen direkt. Men vi vet att SM är tufft och kan man hävda sig där står man sig väl även internationellt vilket våra inhopp i Polen och Tyskland ifjol visade. Vi har också med oss ett fantastiskt team med chefmekaniker Mikael Gustafsson i spetsen som backar upp oss till 100%. Det är självklart att vi är med för att köra om topplaceringar, det måste man alltid sikta på. Ingenting är omöjligt, konstaterar hon.

Det här blir också den första svenska kvinnliga VM-satsningen. Med sig i satsningen har Ramona nämligen kartläsaren Miriam Walfridsson som har arbetat med Ramona de senaste åren. Ett självklart val för Ramona.
- Jag och Miriam har kört ihop nu i fem år och vårt samarbete är perfekt. Det finns ingen annan jag skulle vilja ha med mig i högerstolen. Miriam är ung men trots det väldigt rutinerad och hon har liksom mig en riktig vinnarskalle. Det kommer vi att behöva i år mer än någonsin!

Ramona Rallying kommer att köra sex rallyn i VM-klassen PWRC i en Mitsubishi Evo 10. Tävlingskalendern består av Rally Mexico, Argentina, Nya Zeeland, Tyskland, Italien och Spanien.

Tävlingskalender, Ramona Rallying, PWRC 2012:
Rally Mexico 8-11 mars
Rally Argentina 27-29 april
Rally Nya Zeeland 22-24 juni
Rally Tyskland 24-26 augusti
Rally Italien 18-21 oktober
Rally Spanien 8-11 november
12-01-20 Rally-VM i SVT – redan på söndag!
Rally-VM är tillbaka i Sveriges Television. Redan nu på söndag sänds höjdpunkterna från premiären i Monte Carlo-rallyt med ett timslångt program med start kl 23.00 i SVT1.

SVT kommer att sända från mästerskapets samtliga 13 tävlingar. Störst blir satsningen från Rally Sweden 9-12 februari då det bland annat blir premiär för rally i populära Vinterstudion.

Rally-VM har tidigare visats i Sveriges Television. Nu är mästerskapet tillbaka.
– Det är bra för oss och vår sport att VM återigen sänds i SVT. Intresset för rally är stort i Sverige och genom SVT har alla möjlighet att följa tävlingarna i mästerskapet, säger Glenn Olsson, vd för Svenska Rallyt AB.

Rally-VM inleddes i onsdags med Monte Carlo-rallyt. På söndag är det målgång och kl 23.00 samma kväll sänds ett sammandrag från tävlingen i STV1.

Nästa deltävling i mästerskapet är Rally Sweden, som avgörs 9-12 februari. I det svenska VM-rallyt inleder Patrik Sandell sin WRC-satsning och till start i huvudklassen kommer även banracingmästaren från STCC, Richard Göransson.

SVT kommer att hårdbevaka Rally Sweden med dagliga sändningar. Som en del i den satsningen ingår även rapporter i Vinterstudion både lördag och söndag.

Johan Ejeborg, projektledare för sändningarna ser fram emot nysatsningen.
– Det känns otroligt roligt för oss att kunna erbjuda vår publik rally-VM som ytterligare ett starkt mästerskap i SVT:s motorutbud, säger han.

Kommentator under samtliga sändningar blir Stefan Klemetz och till sin hjälp får han expertkommentatorn och rallyprofilen Jonas Kruse.

Fakta Rally Sweden 2012
Rally Sweden är en av 13 deltävlingar i rally-VM, WRC. Tävlingen har 45 miljoner TV-tittare från 195 länder och lockar årligen 220 000 besökare. 2012 avgörs Rally Sweden 9-12 februari. Start och mål sker i Karlstad och den centrala serviceplatsen ligger i Hagfors. I år kommer ett flertal sträckor även att avgöras på norsk mark i trakterna kring Kongsvinger.

www.rallysweden.com
12-01-09 Patrik Sandell klar för Rally-VM med MINI
Sverige var länge ett aktat namn i rallyvärlden. Björn Waldegård blev 1979 den första individuella världsmästaren i rally. Fem år senare var det åter dags för en svensk att kliva upp på tronen då Stig Blomqvist körde hem VM-titeln. Rally var glödhett och räknades till en av de stora folksporterna i Sverige. Pengarna flödade och återväxten blomstrade. Men sedan hände något.

Samtidigt som sporten växte allt mer internationellt fick de svenska talangerna allt svårare att nå ända fram. Begåvningarna fanns, men de fick aldrig chansen. Förrän nu.

Sweden World Rally Team är en långsiktig elitsatsning med målet att hjälpa svenska rallyförare upp i världstoppen. Bakom satsningen står några av landets största rallyprofiler genom tiderna: Björn Waldegård, Stig Blomqvist, Thomas Rådström, Jan Pettersson, Leif Asterhag och Staffan Parmander. Tillsammans har de hundratals VM-starter, delsegrar och VM-titlar på meritlistan.

Teamet kommer att fokusera på en förare åt gången, som man sedan följer under tre år. Den förste föraren som teamet väljer att satsa på är den tidigare juniorvärldsmästaren Patrik Sandell.
– Det här är en helt fantastisk möjlighet. Att alla mina idoler sedan jag var liten går samman för att stötta mig känns rätt otroligt. Jag tror att det här är pusselbiten som behövs för att jag ska kunna ta sista steget in i den absoluta hetluften i rally-VM, säger Patrik Sandell.

Profilerna har gått samman och öppnat sina kontakt- och nätverk för att möjliggöra projektet. Med sin enorma kunskap och rutin från världens alla hörn kommer de även att fungera som mentorer till den utvalde föraren.

Björn Waldegård berättar om varför valet föll på Patrik:
– Vi har många stora förartalanger i Sverige, men valet föll på Patrik för att vi bedömt honom vara den som är närmast en fabriksstyrning i WRC idag. Han har ett helhetstänk i sitt sätt att jobba med partners, media och allt runtomkring, samtidigt som han besitter en otrolig förartalang, säger Björn Waldegård.

Den i gänget som bäst känner till Sandells förmågor är Staffan Parmander. Med sina 35 år i rallysporten och mer än 100 VM-starter är han en av de mest erfarna Co-drivers vi har. Sedan ett år tillbaka är han dessutom Sandells egen kartläsare.
– Jag har följt Patriks utveckling i många år och har länge sett honom som en möjlig WRC-kandidat. Efter att nu suttit i bilen ett antal tävlingar vet jag att vi satsar på rätt person. Han har imponerat stort på mig och har allt som den nya generationen WRC-förare behöver för att nå toppen, säger Parmander.

Under uppstartsåret 2012 har teamet valt att satsa på utvalda tävlingar. Premiären blir hemma i Svenska rallyt i början av februari. De övriga tävlingarna kommer att avslöjas löpande under året.

Sandell kommer att få köra en fabrikspreppad Mini John Cooper Works WRC, driven av engelska Prodrive. Det är alltså en riktigt konkurrenskraftig bil han kommer till start i med andra ord.

Richard Taylor, Team Director på Prodrive:
– Patrik har upprepade gånger visat att han är en förare på toppnivå och jag ser fram emot att få se honom i en Prodrive MINI. Det är extra kul att hans första tävling med oss blir i Sverige, där vi verkligen tror att han har stora chanser att sluta högt upp i sammandraget, säger Richard Taylor.
– Att få köra Svenska rallyt i högsta klassen och tävla mot Loeb, Solberg, Hirvonen med flera ska bli hur kul som helst. Jag känner mig mogen att ta steget och jag ska verkligen ge dem en match. Jag ska inte göra någon besviken, avslutar Patrik Sandell.

Personerna bakom Sweden World Rally Team:
Björn Waldegård 100+ VM-starter, 19 VM-segrar och 35 pallplatser. VM-guld 1979.
Stig Blomqvist 63 VM-starter, 11 VM-segrar och 33 pallplatser. VM-guld 1984.
Thomas Rådström 40 VM-starter, 4 pallplatser och seger i Svenska Rallyt 1994.
Staffan Parmander 100+ VM-starter, 5 VM-segrar, Vinnare av Märkes-VM 96 och 97.
Jan Pettersson 9 VM-starter, grundare av Toyota Team Sweden.
Leif Asterhag 5 VM-starter och teamchef för Toyota Team Sweden.

World Rally Championship – tävlingskalender 2012:
Rallye Monte-Carlo 17 - 22 Jan 12
Rally Sweden 09 - 12 Feb 12
Rally Mexico 08 - 11 Mar 12
Rally Portugal 29 Mar - 01 Apr 12
Rally Argentina 27 - 29 Apr 12
Acropolis Rally 25 - 27 May 12
Rally of New Zealand 22 - 24 Jun 12
Rally Finland 02 - 05 Aug 12
Rallye Deutschland 24 - 26 Aug 12
Rally of Great Britain 13 - 16 Sep 12
Rallye de France - Alsace 04 - 07 Oct 12
Rally d'Italia 18 - 21 Oct 12
Rally de España 08 - 11 Nov 12

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