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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Greece to lose WRC round?

The Acropolis Rally is expected to be dropped from the 2014 WRC Calendar in favour of the returning Rally Poland.

The Acropolis Rally has formed part of the WRC trail since it's beginning, way back in 1979. The only year it wasn't run was in 2010, partly due to the WRC's round rotation system but also due to the economic crisis that gripped the country, and continues to do so.

A hugely popular rally, the rough gravel roads can smash even the toughest cars to pieces. It takes it toll on drivers too, with soaring temperatures and extremely long stages, dehydration can set in. A good, strong, reliable car is always needed on the Acropolis.
The cars really do take a battering in Greece, but the
challenge makes it a driver favourite
Despite all these challenges it remains a firm driver favourite, as well as a true test of the teams. Manufacturers can use the event to showcase the toughness of their cars, which makes it a favourite with the teams as well.

Jost Capito, Team principal of the VW Motorsport team, makes a valid point in saying that the people of Greece can't continue to have things taken from them. The Acropolis Rally is a big benefit to the economy of the country, so it's removal from the Championship might cause far reaching issues.

He said: "I don't think it's nice to have Greece out. The Acropolis is an iconic event. It was always a good, challenging rally that the drivers were all looking forward to all season. "And when you see the situation in Greece, everybody takes everything from Greece; on a human level, I don't know how the country will survive if these people keep having everything taken from them.”

"They are very proud people and if you take everything - including their pride - away from them then I don't know how they can catch up." he added.

However he isn't against the running of the Polish event, marking it out as a “great event” when it was run back in 2009. Mikko Hirvonen, then driving for the M-Sport Ford team, won the rally that year, a win that helped bring the title fight right down to the last round.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Interview: Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan

Fresh from winning the Clare Stages on Sunday, Donagh and Kevin both took the time to speak to GRN. 

Name: Donagh Kelly                           Name: Kevin Flanagan
Hometown: Frosses, Co. Donegal        Hometown: Derry
Job: CEO KN Group                           Job: Self Employed
Road Car: BMW M5                            Road Car: Ford Mondeo ST
Rally Car: Ford Focus
Sponsors: Airtricity, Donnelly Group, Pirelli
and GMG Asset Management

Donagh and Kevin in action
in Donegal
Global Rally News: Firstly, congratulations on winning the Clare Stages, this isn't your first overall win but how did it feel when you crossed the finish line of the last stage, your first win in the new Focus?

Donagh Kelly: Really nice to get the first win in the Focus.
Kevin Flanagan: It was great to get the 1st win in the new car. We had a great days crack and it was a good test for the Cork 20.

GRN: What was it like to win your first rally overall?
DK: 2005 Turkey Run, GPA Evo 6, great feeling as it was a winning margin of .7 of a second over Sean Devine in a WRC Subaru.
KF: I guess everyone will remember there 1st overall win. For me it was in a Gpn Evo 9 on the Dogleap Rally in 2010. We beat Kenny Mc Kinstry by 1 second! A close one but as Kenny pointed out that day, it only takes a second. It was extra special for me as that event is organised by my home club and it was actually the 1st event I did with Donagh back in 2006.

GRN: What was your first rally car?
DK: 1300 GPN Vauxhall Nova.
KF: I did my first rally in a Gp N Honda Civic back in 2001.

GRN: What was your first event?
DK: Ingiliston Stages, Edinburgh 1995.
KF: 1st rally was Kirkistown Stages Rally.

GRN: What is your favourite rally car?
DK: My current car.
KF: My favourite car at the minute is a Fiesta WRC.

GRN: Who was your childhood hero in motorsport?
DK: Vincent Bonner.
KF: I think anyone a similar age to me who is into rallying will think on Colin Mc Rae when you ask this question. He was a real star at that time but I also remember standing watching the Irish greats like Fisher, McHale, Nesbitt etc back in the late 90's and thinking it was just unreal.

GRN: What are your favourite rallies?
DK: Donegal and Dogleap Rally.
KF: Killarney Rally of the Lakes is my new favourite event.

GRN: What was your best drive, to date?
DK: Killarney 2013
KF: Killarney this year was one of our best drives to date. We had never been to the event before and still managed to have a great race with the guys and finish up 3rd, by less than a second from memory. Great rally!

GRN: What was your most embarrassing moment on a rally?
DK: Getting lost on a road section in the Northwest of England!!
KF: Getting excluded from the 1st event I ever did by missing a time control!

GRN: What was your biggest accident?
DK: Harvest Rally 2000 – out of work for 4 months due to injuries.
KF: Biggest accident was on the Circuit of Ireland in 2004 in an Evo 6. 6 or 7 rolls into a field ! A mess!

GRN: Who would you rate as the top 3 British/Irish drivers today?
DK: Keith Cronin, Kris Meeke and Alastair Fisher.
KF: Top 3 drivers in Ireland / UK I think, Cronin, Fisher, Breen.

GRN: And in the World Rally Championship?
DK: Ogier, Neuville and Meeke.
KF: Top 3 WRC, Ogier, Neuville, Meeke.

GRN: What would you like to change in rallying (rules/admin ect.)?
DK: Have all prize giving at the finish ramp! – nobody has the time to hang about on a Sunday evening!
KF: Ban race fuel to reduce costs.

GRN: If you were handed £1,000,000 and could only spend it on rallying, what would you do
with the money?
DK: Buy a current WRC car and travel the world doing selected events for fun.
KF: If I had €1,000,000 to spend I would try and bring the WRC to Ireland again but in the summer and to good stages.

GRN: Having driven some of the best stages in Ireland, which one would you rate as your
favourite?
DK: Molls Gap.
KF: Atlantic Drive in Donegal, I always watched there as a kid, its always a good stage for us too.

GRN: What are your plans for the rest of the 2013 season?
DK: Cork 20.
KF: I'm doing the Bushwacker and Glens of Antrim Forest Rallies in a Subaru S12B and the Cork 20 with Donagh in the Focus.

GRN: And 2014?
DK: Tarmac Championship and selected events.
KF: 2014 I'd imagine we'll be back on the Tarmac Championship trail, Galway is back to 2 days next year I believe. Will do a few National events as well I'm sure.

GRN: And finally, what advice would you offer to an upcoming young driver?
DK: Think Safety at all times – never compromise and remember it’s a sport not a career!

GRN: In Kevin's case, what advice would you give to a young co-driver?
KF: I got into co-driving by joining my local motor club and helping out at events. I was lucky then to get a chance to sit on and it all went from there.

GRN: Thanks lads!

Sunday, September 22, 2013

King Kelly of Clare!

Since acquiring his ex-Mikko Hirvonen Ford Focus RS WRC from John Joe Fleming just before the Donegal International Rally back in June, Donagh Kelly has struggled to get used to the Left Hand Drive Focus. A winner in Right Hand Drive Subaru's, many wondered when (and a small few even wondered if) Kelly would get the hang of the new car.

But today on the Clare Stages Rally, the Donagh of old reappeared. Blindingly fast from the start, he was never troubled once over the six tough stages. It sets him up perfectly for the Cork 20 Rally, the final round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship in two weeks time.

Clare wasn't a round of the Irish National Rally Championship this year as part of the rotational system employed by the Championship. But it still attracted a massive entry, two stages repeated three times was the order of the day. A titanic scrap for the overall win was maybe lost with the withdrawals of Niall Maguire and Peadar Hurson before the rally, but this can't take away at all from the impressive performance of Donagh Kelly.

After SS1, Kenny McKinstry initially held second place behind Kelly, in his Subaru Impreza WRC S14. Having been involved in rallying for almost 40 years he's certainly showing no signs of slowing up! But it all went sour when a damaged radiator was the result of an overshoot on SS2, putting the Banbridge man out.

Stephen and Susanne Wright brought their ex-Garry Jennings Mitsubishi Lancer Evo home in an impressive second place, almost a minute down on Kelly. Stephen is having a very rewarding full-time switch to Tarmac this year, having almost solely competed on gravel in previous years, with some really spectacular performances in the new car!

Another man with a new car for this year is Kevin Barrett, switching from an S11 Subaru to an S14 model. Kevin is gradually getting to grips with the new car, finishing in third place overall in Clare. Just behind him was the 2WD winner, Edward O'Callaghan in his 2 litre 16v Mk2 Escort. Ed also scoops up the award for Class 13 winners and fourth place overall.

With Stephen Wright forefitting his award for being the fastest Group N car, Shane Maguire takes the Showroom class in his Subaru Impreza N11. Maguire, son of former National Champion Niall Maguire, took fifth place overall by a slender 4 secs over Ed Synan in sixth place, who also won Class 14.

Second in Class 14 was Mike Quinn, also seventh overall. Ninth place went to Jack Maguire, who swapped from a Class 13 Mk2 Escort to a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 during the summer. With Andy Hayes on the notes, the pairing once again won Class 20.

Sandwiched in between these two in eighth place was the mightily impressive Noel Kelleher. Piloting his Honda Civic, Noel hasn't been on the stages for two years but you'd certainly not think it from the times he was putting in! Seeded at Number 91, he certainly proved the surprise of the rally and in GRN's view, was certainly the drive of the rally. Michal Fitzgibbon rounded out the Top 10.


Perhaps the hard luck story of the rally was of Frank Kelly. With 'trainee navigator' (a sticker found on the back window of Frank's car) in the shape of Gary McElhinney in the hot seat for the weekend, the pairing sat third overall for a time. But, a reported fuel pump problem dropped Frank and Gary loads of time, then running repairs gained them massive time penalties, both of which transpired to send them to dead last. As deflating as it was, they still managed to have a “savage days craic”!

Friday, September 20, 2013

Ogier pledges maximum attack

Championship leader Sebastien Ogier has committed himself to pushing for wins on all three of the remaining 2013 WRC rounds.

Having already claimed six wins this season, Ogier has the title all but wrapped up, barring disaster (which, since this is rallying, is entirely possible). So, with three rounds remaining and the chance to beat his arch-rival Sebastian Loeb in their home country, and Loeb's back yard, Ogier will be going on a charge.

Ogier has the possibility of winning the title after SS1 in France. The first stage is nominated as the Power Stage, so Theirry Neuville (the only person mathematically in with a chance of beating Ogier) must win it, otherwise Ogier has the title wrapped up, regardless of who finishes where. Unless, that is, the Frenchman fails to finish.

“If this was to happen [winning the World Title in France], we wouldn’t stop there. Our fans shouldn’t worry, we’re not gonna sit there twiddling our thumbs for the rest of the season! We sure intend to go on winning, if only to help Volkswagen to get the Manufacturers title, which they’re also coming closer to thanks to the points scored in Australia.” he said.

Team Principal, Jost Capito, has granted Ogier permission to go on maximum attack to win in France, since Volkswagen have have such a massive Championship lead.

“To get the manufacturers’ lead by more than 40 points, this allows Seb to really fight in France. The whole team will support him unconditionally. If the gap was smaller, we might have had some tough words [with Ogier], but now he can really go for it. I’m sure he’s happy for this.” said Capito.

In something that might worry his rivals a bit, Ogier says he is now more relaxed now he is on the cusp of a maiden World Title success. Each rally will mean a renewed push for the win, so everyone who thought they might have a chance of beating the Frenchman might just have to think again, or really up their game.


“As for myself, I’ll be a bit more relaxed now that I won’t feel our championship pressure, and I’ll look at each rally as a new chance of victory. The Rallye de France is the perfect occasion to maintain our momentum,” he added.  

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Is Meeke still in with a chance?

Kris Meeke's dreams of a full time drive in the WRC might not have come crashing down to earth just yet.

Having replaced Dani Sordo on the event, he was expected by team boss Yves Matton to get a solid finish under his belt, to aid Citroen's fight with VW in the Manufacturer's Championship. Under huge pressure having never competed in Australia and being nominated points scorer for the Works team, he initially won the Qualifying Stage in spectacular fashion and held fourth place up until SS13, poised to hunt down Theirry Neuville on the final day of the event.
Meeke in action in Australia
However, it all ended with a slow roll down a hill into a field halfway through the thirteenth test. This left Meeke despondent, and team principal Matton absolutely fuming.

"At service this afternoon I told Kris to keep the pace, to stay not too far from Thierry [Neuville] and we would see tomorrow whether we try to catch him or not," said Matton. "For sure, I am not happy. He did not do what I asked him. This is just the opposite what I ask him.”

It appeared that Meeke has lost his long awaited chance to shine at World level, two crashes in two successive appearances for Citroen certainly didn't help his cause. But, it would seem that Meeke hasn't blown it completely.

Matton hasn't ruled Meeke out of a hugely popular appearance on Wales Rally GB in one of the team's DS3 WRC's. It was seemingly a pre-arranged agreement, finish Australia and start in Wales. But with the crash complicating matters, the Frenchman refuses to act on his first thoughts, which would most likely be to disregard the possibility of Meeke driving in Wales altogether.

"I told him clearly what I wanted him to do. I told him if he was at the finish here, he would be on the start in GB," said Matton. "Now, I don't know. I have to think about it. It's sure that if I take a decision too close to what happened, then the outcome will not be positive for him - and, of course, what happened when he went off again on the final day of the rally has not helped either.”

"I will not say he won't start in GB, I don't know." he added.

Meeke himself knows his chances are slim, but there is still a glimmer of hope for the 2009 IRC Champion. But he remains philosophical, stating he will respect whatever decision Matton and Citron come to. One massive advantage he has is his ability to jump into the car and be almost on the pace, which could just tip the balance in his favour in Wales.

"I'm massively grateful for the opportunity Yves, Khalid and everybody at Citroen has given me and if that's it, then, that's it. I realise I have made mistakes, but I feel I have also shown I have the speed to fight at the front and there aren't many who can do that now." he said.

"It's incredible to drive one of these cars at any time, but the chance to drive one at home with the home support would be unbelievable." he added.

Photo credit: Citroen WRT

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Rally Finland photos

A small selection of photos from this year's Rally Finland, won by Sebastian Ogier/Julien Ingrassia in the VW Polo R WRC. Thanks to Stefan Lassus for the images!

Note: Images copyright to Stefan Lassus Photography and cannot be reused without express permission from the copyright holder.