Publicat in: July 13, 2009, Vizualizari: 45
Skodas Dominate Rally Russia
Skoda drivers Juho Hanninen and Jan Kopecky dominated the IRC series Russia Rally, with Hanninen winning this event for the second year running. Their team took full advantage of troubles for their rival Fiats and the absence on this occasion of the championship leading Peugeot cars from the Kronos team. Absentee Kris Meeke still heads the series but Kopecky is now only one point behind. This three-day event was based again at Vyborg and run over fast but soft surfaced tracks in conditions made difficult by recent rains which deepened water crossings and led to many punctures when rocks became dislodged.
The Skodas showed their superior pace in Shakedown but a surprise third fastest was the Swede Patrik Flodin’s Subaru, a car not eligible for IRC points but the driver was the leader of the Russian national series. They were ahead of the two Fiats and the Proton of Guy Wilks. Hanninen went immediately into the lead on Day 1 and proceeded to win every stage on the rally except one, with Kopecky almost immediately rising to second. There were many dramas. Top seeded orthodox Group N driver Andrey Zhigunov (Mitsubishi) lost seven minutes with a puncture and withdrew from the event, Alen started a troubled event with his cockpit drenched with water which entered the roof vent, Wittmann’s Mitsubishi had two punctures, Basso and Alen had one, Flodin slowed by power steering problems which dropped him from fourth to seventh and leader Hanninen was delayed by the police for a traffic infringement. Aleksandr Zheludov, a regular Mitsubishi driver, had rented a Peugeot for this event and was delayed with ignition trouble. Top non Skoda was third placed Wilks on front of Basso, Alen and Zheludov..
On day 2 Wilks lost towards 4 minutes changing a punctured tyre falling from third to seventh and Flodin was delayed with a broken driveshaft. Anton Alen, the 2007 winner, climbed up to third overall but then lost a wheel and stopped on stage 9, allowing his teammate Giandomenico Basso up to a podium placing. Alen’s luck was that the stage 10 was cancelled so his missed-stage penalty remained at 5 minutes. Despite missing a stage, Alen was still eight overall. There were organizational problems when two stages were cancelled due to zero-car troubles, so four stages were run on both the first and second days.
Alen returned for the final six stages on day 3 and immediately passed Wittmann and then rose to sixth when Zheludov retired with mechanical reasons and ended up sixth behind Wilks and in front of Wittmann. Flodin’s fourth place gave him his third Russian championship win this year and every possibility of becoming the first foreign Russian champion. In the two wheel drive category Kaspar Koiytla had a fraught event. He was one of three Kalina drivers entered by Lada Sport Rally team who then withdrew their entries on account of financial problems said to be related to the teams’ WTCC project, but he secured a Honda Type R to drive instead. He led this category through days 1 and 2 before going into SupeRally rules for a stage, came back on Day 3 in second place behind Evgeniy Rogov’s Citroen. Within one stage he regained the category lead and held this to the end, finishing tenth overall.
Anton Alen finally had an extra five minutes added to his total time, because he missed the final stage on the first day. This demoted him to seventh in Rally Russia, behind Wittmann
3mmm
Skodas Dominate Rally Russia
Skoda drivers Juho Hanninen and Jan Kopecky dominated the IRC series Russia Rally, with Hanninen winning this event for the second year running. Their team took full advantage of troubles for their rival Fiats and the absence on this occasion of the championship leading Peugeot cars from the Kronos team. Absentee Kris Meeke still heads the series but Kopecky is now only one point behind. This three-day event was based again at Vyborg and run over fast but soft surfaced tracks in conditions made difficult by recent rains which deepened water crossings and led to many punctures when rocks became dislodged.
The Skodas showed their superior pace in Shakedown but a surprise third fastest was the Swede Patrik Flodin’s Subaru, a car not eligible for IRC points but the driver was the leader of the Russian national series. They were ahead of the two Fiats and the Proton of Guy Wilks. Hanninen went immediately into the lead on Day 1 and proceeded to win every stage on the rally except one, with Kopecky almost immediately rising to second. There were many dramas. Top seeded orthodox Group N driver Andrey Zhigunov (Mitsubishi) lost seven minutes with a puncture and withdrew from the event, Alen started a troubled event with his cockpit drenched with water which entered the roof vent, Wittmann’s Mitsubishi had two punctures, Basso and Alen had one, Flodin slowed by power steering problems which dropped him from fourth to seventh and leader Hanninen was delayed by the police for a traffic infringement. Aleksandr Zheludov, a regular Mitsubishi driver, had rented a Peugeot for this event and was delayed with ignition trouble. Top non Skoda was third placed Wilks on front of Basso, Alen and Zheludov..
On day 2 Wilks lost towards 4 minutes changing a punctured tyre falling from third to seventh and Flodin was delayed with a broken driveshaft. Anton Alen, the 2007 winner, climbed up to third overall but then lost a wheel and stopped on stage 9, allowing his teammate Giandomenico Basso up to a podium placing. Alen’s luck was that the stage 10 was cancelled so his missed-stage penalty remained at 5 minutes. Despite missing a stage, Alen was still eight overall. There were organizational problems when two stages were cancelled due to zero-car troubles, so four stages were run on both the first and second days.
Alen returned for the final six stages on day 3 and immediately passed Wittmann and then rose to sixth when Zheludov retired with mechanical reasons and ended up sixth behind Wilks and in front of Wittmann. Flodin’s fourth place gave him his third Russian championship win this year and every possibility of becoming the first foreign Russian champion. In the two wheel drive category Kaspar Koiytla had a fraught event. He was one of three Kalina drivers entered by Lada Sport Rally team who then withdrew their entries on account of financial problems said to be related to the teams’ WTCC project, but he secured a Honda Type R to drive instead. He led this category through days 1 and 2 before going into SupeRally rules for a stage, came back on Day 3 in second place behind Evgeniy Rogov’s Citroen. Within one stage he regained the category lead and held this to the end, finishing tenth overall.
Anton Alen finally had an extra five minutes added to his total time, because he missed the final stage on the first day. This demoted him to seventh in Rally Russia, behind Wittmann
3mmm
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