After SS16: a strong lead for Ogier

Following this morning’s retirement of Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta RS WRC), Sébastien Ogier (Polo R WRC) enjoys a lead of more than one minute over Mikko Hirvonen (Citroën DS3 WRC). Thierry Neuville is third.

Après le retrait de Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) ce matin, Sébastien Ogier (Polo R WRC) compte désormais plus d’une minute d’avance sur Mikko Hirvonen (Citroën DS3 WRC). Thierry Neuville est troisième.

To reach our chosen viewing point 7.3km after the start of SS15 (‘Otates’, today’s longest stage), we had to take a gravel track which climbs some 15km into the mountains near Léon.

The first spectator cars we came across were stopped about a kilometre from the stage and, following the advice of a photographer colleague, we parked our big pick-up by the side of the road. That turned out to be a wise move, because 10 or so buses had tried to force a way through and were now blocking the access road, which was supposed to have been kept clear for emergency use all day long…

We ended up finding a pretty good spot to watch: a sequence of fast and slow downhill corners followed by two uphill hairpins. The day’s start list showed that Jari-Matti Latvala should have been first to show after re-starting under the Rally2 ruling. Instead, it was Novikov’s Ford Fiesta which appeared after the Finn chose to check in late in order not to have to sweep the road.

The excitement mounted a notched when Benito Guerra passed, followed by the highly spectacular Ken Block. Next to arrive were Thierry Neuville and Mikko Hirvonen, but there was a three-minute gap when Mads Ostberg failed to show. Next was therefore the Polo R WRC/Michelin of Ogier whose lines and style seemed perfect, while his car benefitted from excellent traction on the uphill portion. It came as no surprise to learn that the stage had brought the Frenchmen his second stage win of the morning...

Mads Ostberg trailed Ogier by 41.4s after ‘Ibarrilla’ (SS14) but was then halted by an alternator problem on the road section from SS14 to SS15: “Mads first told us he had abnormal clutch pedal travel,” said Qatar M-Sport WRT. “He stopped to cure that and was able to re-start. A few minutes later, though, he called us again to say he had an electrical problem and that he couldn’t get his car to fire up…”

Pour rejoindre le km 7,3 d’«Otates », spéciale n°15, la plus longue du jour (42,17 km), nous avons emprunté un chemin en terre qui grimpe dans les montagnes entourant Leon sur une quinzaine de kilomètres.

Les premières voitures de spectateurs étaient garées à environ un kilomètre de l’accès et, sur les conseils avisés d’un photographe, nous avons opté pour stationner notre imposant Pick-up là, sur le côté. Heureuse décision : une dizaine de bus se sont engouffrés entre les voitures et ont bloqué l’accès – un itinéraire d’évacuation du rallye en cas d’accident – toute la journée !

Le passage était plutôt sympa avec une enfilade de virages plus ou moins lents en descente avec de belles cordes, puis deux larges épingles en montée. La liste de départ du jour indiquait l’arrivée imminente de Jari-Matti Latvala, mais c’est la Ford Fiesta de Novikov qui est apparue au loin. Le Finlandais, reparti en Rally2 ce matin, a préféré pointé en retard pour ne pas balayer la piste.

L’ambiance est montée d’un cran avec l’arrivée de Benito Guerra, puis de Ken Block, très spectaculaire. Puis les choses sérieuses ont commencé avec Thierry Neuville, Mikko Hirvonen et… Trois minutes ont passé, pas de Mads Ostberg. La VW Polo R WRC/Michelin de « Seb » Ogier est apparue au loin ; trajectoires précises, enchaînements parfaits, motricité en montée… Sans surprise, le leader du rallye a signé un second temps scratch ce matin.

Mads Ostberg, pointé à 41s4 d’Ogier après « Ibarrilla » (ES14), a connu un problème d’alternateur sur la liaison entre l’ES14 et l’ES15 : « Mads nous a d’abord dit que sa pédale d’embrayage s’enfonçait anormalement », racontait-on chez Qatar M-Sport WRT. « Il s’est arrêté pour réparer cela, puisil est reparti. Quelques minutes plus tard, Mads nous a appelés de nouveau pour nous dire qu’il y avait un problème électrique, que la voiture s’était arrêtée et qu’elle ne démarrait plus. »

from best-of-rallylive.

THE BEACHING OF SUBMARINE SM U-118

These extraordinary images were taken in 1919 on the beach at Hastings in Surrey, the submarine is a WWI model designated SM U-118 – she was being towed to France to be scrapped when the tow cable snapped during a storm. SM U-118 washed ashore right in front of the popular Queens Hotel and became an overnight sensation, drawing in tourists from all over England, Wales and Scotland.

SM U-118 was launched on the 23rd of February 1918 and surrendered one year to the day later, on the 23rd of February 1919. She was 81.5 metres long (267 ft) and had a beam of 7.42 metres (24.3 ft), her total displacement was 1,164 tonnes surfaced and 1,512 tonnes submerged. powered by twin diesel engines producing 1,200 hp in total and when submerged she was powered by twin electric motors with a combined 600 hp.

The tourist boon surrounding the sub waned a little after a small expeditionary party that entered the sub suffered 2 fatalities. It was a mystery what killed the men at the time and so all trips into the sub were stopped, it was later discovered that chlorine gas which had been escaping from SM U-118′s batteries had caused severe abscesses on the lungs and brains of the unfortunate men.

By the time the novelty had worn off in December 1919 the sub was slowly taken apart and sold for scrap, though it’s believed that her keel still lies a few metres beneath the beach at Hastings, outside the hotel where it originally washed ashore.

from SILODROME

1928 Windhoff 746cc Four

Windhoff was a German company based in Berlin, founded in 1880 by the Windhoff brothers. The company produces some of the best motorcycles of their time. The Windhoff Four is an impressive machine from the late 1920′s, offering 746cc overhead camshaft, oil-cooled engine. Bonhams quotes motorcycle historian Erwin Tragatch as saying the Windhoff is perhaps “the most unique, progressive and beautiful motorcycle ever made.”

The Windhoff 746cc four motorcycle was sold at a Bonham’s auction in 2008 for £100,500. It’s up for auction again at the Classic Motorcycle Show in Stafford on 29th April 2012. The estimated price for the current sale is £100,000-£130,000 or $160,000-$210,000USD.

Via:Bikeglam

A long way from Mexico / Le Mexique, vu de très loin...

We called Sébastien Loeb to find out what he thought about the first day’s action in Mexico and to find out what he was up to…

Nous avons joint Sébastien Loeb au téléphone pour avoir son avis sur la première étape du Rallye du Mexique. Eh, « Seb », t’es où, tu fais quoi ?

Last Friday, when I would normally have flown to León, I caught another plane – to Val Thorens [French Alps], where there was a Trophée Andros ice racing car waiting for me. I have to say it was quite enjoyable once I’d worked out what sort of driving technique it called for. You need to be practically travelling backwards as you approach the corners. It was good fun, and I had another go the following Monday.

On Tuesday, I tested my McLaren at Magny-Cours. The idea is to get in as much track time as possible before the first race. We need to find a good set-up, because the cars are basically delivered with no work on them and everyone has to find a set-up that suits them. We are also working on reliability and getting the team ready, while I am trying to get as much time in the car as possible.

On Wednesday afternoon, I went to the pool with my daughter Valentine, then spent Thursday on the Citroën stand at the Geneva Motor Show. I went there again yesterday to show the cars to Valentine.

On Friday afternoon, the text messages I received from Citroën Racing ‘transported’ me to the mountains near León and Guanajuato. I saw that Jari-Matti Latvala had had another misfortune and that Mads Ostberg and Thierry Neuville were quick.

Mikko has dropped a little ground, a bit too much. But I know how reliable and gritty he is, and he won’t give anything up until the finish. I don’t really understand what the situation is with Dani Sordo. Okay, he didn’t go to Mexico with the Mini, but that can’t be the whole story.

I’m not surprised by Sébastien Ogier’s excellent drive. I was probably the person who was able to get the best idea of his speed. The Polo R WRC is competitive, too, but that’s not a surprise, either. Given the technical regulations, the cars are necessarily evenly matched. We’ll soon see if the Polo is reliable, as well.

So it doesn’t look as though I will have an easy time in Argentina. It won’t be simple to re-join the championship once it is well under way, and I will need to pump up my motivation again. We’ll see. Until then, my life as a rally driver exploring new horizons isn’t so bad. On Monday, I will get to try a MotoGP2 bike at Le Castellet!

See you soon!

Vendredi dernier, jour où j'aurais dû m'envoler pour León, j'ai bien décollé, mais pour Val Thorens, où m'attendait une voiture du Trophée Andros. Je me suis bien amusé à son volant, une fois pigée la technique spécifique à cette discipline qui consiste, en gros, à arriver quasiment en marche arrière dans les virages. L'exercice m'a plu, j'y suis retourné lundi.
Mardi, j'étais en tests à Magny-Cours avec la McLaren. Nous essayons de rouler le plus possible avant la première course, avec quatre buts. D'abord, trouver un bon set-up : les voitures sont livrées brutes de fonderie, chacun doit trouver ses réglages. Ensuite, fiabiliser. Troisième objectif, plus personnel, « bouffer » des kilomètres à son volant. Et enfin affûter l'équipe.
Mercredi aprem', Valentine et moi, nous avions piscine. J'ai passé la journée de jeudi sur le stand Citroën du Salon de Genève, et du coup j'y suis retourné hier, avec Valentine, pour voir les autos.
A partir de vendredi après-midi, à intervalles réguliers, les sms de Citroën Racing m'ont ramené dans les montagnes entourant León et Guanajuato. J'ai noté la nouvelle mésaventure de Jari-Matti Latvala, les bons temps des jeunes Mads Ostberg et Thierry Neuville.
Mikko est un peu décroché. Un peu trop, même. Mais je fais confiance à sa fiabilité et à sa pugnacité, il ne va rien lâcher jusqu'à l'arrivée. Je ne comprends pas trop ce qui arrive à Dani Sordo. Bien sûr il n'a pas disputé ce rallye avec Mini, mais ça ne peut pas être toute l'explication.
Je ne suis en tout cas pas surpris par l'excellente performance de Sébastien Ogier. Je suis peut-être celui qui a pu jauger au plus près sa pointe de vitesse. La Polo R WRC est dans le coup, ce n'est pas surprenant non plus. Avec la réglementation technique actuelle, les voitures sont forcément proches les unes des autres. Pour sa fiabilité, nous serons bientôt fixés.
Du coup, je me dis qu'en Argentine, ma tâche ne va pas être facile. Reprendre le train WRC en marche, se rebâtir une motivation... Nous verrons. En attendant, je trouve que la vie de pilote de rallye en reconversion a du bon : lundi, je vais rouler en Moto GP2 sur le circuit du Castellet !
A bientôt...

from best-of-rallylive

NEVER ENOUGH ALFA

Rather than owning delicate show cars, Alfa Romeo collector Manuel Leon Minassian prefers cars with a bit more gusto. He often buys cars that have been neglected or are unwanted by the average buyer, and he is extremely picky as to how he will bring them back to life. He’s bought and sold countless amounts of cars in his lifetime, and there’s likely not an end in site.

Although he prefers not to mention the exact number of vintage cars he owns, there’s one that he holds very close, a 1972 Alfa Romeo Berlina. Customized to his personal satisfaction, the work in this Berlina hints at remnants of his childhood as a rambunctious Alfa driver of only thirteen years old.

Source – Petrolicious

The ‘100’ club!

After Spain’s Dani Sordo in Sweden, lady co-driver Ilka Minor is celebrating her 100th WRC start this weekend. Malcolm Wilson and her driver Evgeny Novikov presented her with a rally plate signed by the WRC crews on Thursday afternoon.

Après l’Espagnol Dani Sordo en Suède, la copilote Ilka Minor fête ce week-end son 100e rallye mondial. Une plaque de rallye signée des équipages du WRC lui a été offerte par Malcolm Wilson et son pilote Evgeny Novikov jeudi après-midi.

Sordo’s 100^th world class start in Sweden went pretty much unnoticed, although the Spaniard would dearly love to kick off his second ‘century’ with a top result and, why not, his first world championship victory.

Of the 22 drivers who have clocked up 100 WRC starts, only four have never won a rally: Manfred Stohl (127 starts), Toni Gardemeister (112), Henning Solberg (111) and Dani Sordo. Armin Schwarz and Harri Rovanperä only won one round.

The record for the highest number of WRC starts is still firmly in the hands of Carlos Sainz (196) who probably won’t be beaten for some time, since the next drivers on the list have all practically retired: Solberg (188), Loeb (166), Kankkunen (162), Auriol and Grönholm (152). Of the 22 drivers who have exceeded 100 starts, 12 are former world champions and, between them, they total 28 Drivers’ titles and 336 wins. The next driver to join the club could be Matthew Wilson (90), unless François Delecour (97) is tempted by three more participations in WRC rounds.

Meanwhile, Ilka Minor is the 19^th co-driver to reach a score of 100, 10 years after her last colleague to do so (Robert Reid). The record still belongs to Denis Giraudet (175). Neither Daniel Elena (167), Phil Mills nor Luis Moya (equal on 161) are likely to beat the French veteran, but he could be passed one day by the active Stéphane Prévot (156^th start this weekend), or by Jarmo Lethinen (144, equal with Timo Rautiainen). Miikka Anttila is celebrating his 130^th start in Mexico. Italy’s Giovanni Bernacchini is expected to reach the ‘ton’ in two rallies’ time, and he could be imitated by Jonas Andersson before the end of the year.

Le 100^e rallye WRC de l’Espagnol Dani Sordo est quasiment passé inaperçu en Suède, lequel espère bien entamer ce second centenaire par une belle performance, et pourquoi pas une première victoire.

Parmi les 22 pilotes « centenaires » du WRC, quatre n’ont jamais gagné de rallye mondial : Manfred Stohl (127 départs), Toni Gardemeister (112), Henning Solberg (111) et donc Dani Sordo. Armin Schwarz et Harri Rovanperä n’ont remporté qu’une seule épreuve.

A ce jour, 22 pilotes ont disputé 100 rallyes mondiaux ou plus. Le record appartient toujours à Carlos Sainz avec 196 départs en WRC et il ne sera pas battu de sitôt car ses dauphins, Solberg (188), Loeb (166), Kankkunen (162), Auriol et Grönholm (152) sont tous à la retraite ou presque. Parmi ces 22 pilotes, on dénombre 12 champions du monde et on totalise 28 titres Pilotes et 336 victoires mondiales. Le prochain à intégrer ce club des « 100 » pourrait être Matthew Wilson (90), à moins que François Delecour (97) n’effectue encore trois piges en WRC.

Côté copilote, Ilka Minor est la 19^e à rejoindre le gotha du WRC, dix ans après le dernier entrant, Robert Reid. Avec 175 départs en rallye mondial, Denis Giraudet occupe toujours le haut de l’affiche. Ses dauphins Daniel Elena (167), Phil Mills et Luis Moya ex-aequo avec 161 rallyes WRC, ont peu de chance de grimper dans la hiérarchie contrairement à Stéphane Prévot (156 ce week-end), encore très actif, de même que Jarmo Lethinen (144, ex-aequo avec Timo Rautiainen) et Miikka Anttila qui dispute son 130^e rallye mondial ici au Mexique. L’Italien Giovanni Bernacchini devrait accéder au club des « 100 » dans deux rallyes, en attendant Jonas Andersson peut-être en fin d’année.

from .best-of-rallylive

Cafe Racer 351 – The Northsiders

A ride with our buddies from Porto throughout the north side of Portugal.
Cafe Racer 351 - The Northsiders from Cafe Racer 351 on Vimeo.

Cafe Racer 1976 Honda CB550 by MotoHangar

Culture of cafe racers began in the 1960s, when the British riders have sought to speed on public roads. Since then, it has evolved and been forgotten, even for a while, but in recent years cafe racer experiencing a second “golden age.” The new draft experts ” MotoHangar “proof cafe racer Honda CB550.

Pat Jones from the workshop “MotoHangar” is a great master who has a great sense of style, resources, and good skills. As the base of the latter project Pat used motorcycle Honda CB550 1976 release. Almost all upgrades he made with his own hands. To start the bike was completely disassembled to get to the fundamental components (eg, frames). When separating Jones also sorted the items, some of which are considered unnecessary and removed.

Features and details of MH cafe racer Honda CB550:
• Redesigned sub-frame for the installation of a new seat and tail
• Refurbished engine, new rings, gaskets, etc.
• Speedometer Honda CB350
• Custom mufflers, handmade collector
• Super Sport
• Fork Honda CB550, remade (below 20 mm)
• Custom mount lights klipony
• Parts are made by hand: the tail with the tail lights, seat Bridgestone tires
• Incidentally, the bike may be for eBay

from bikeglam

Land Rover Defender Electric: The ‘Lion Whisperer’

Based on an earlier requirement from a South African game reserve for a near-silent vehicle in which to approach easily disturbed wildlife, the experimental all-electric Defender revealed other talents when we gave it a quick test-drive in Geneva.

The vehicle was a big success ‘in the bush’ and now Land Rover has built a further seven examples, all based on the current Defender 110. A day before the car’s debut at the Geneva Show, Land Rover allowed journalists to take it for a trip around the block – despite the lack of elephants or lions running wild in the Swiss city.
The classic British 4x4 is the perfect test-bed for such technology. No other vehicle is as dedicated to uncompromising use off the beaten track. But here lies the problem: building a ‘shopping car’ electric vehicle is one thing, creating a 4x4 worthy of the ‘Land Rover’ badge is quite something else. The Defender Electric would have to have the marque’s legendary terrain-covering capabilities, while keeping its sophisticated electrics safe and secure through riverbeds and up mountain trails.


Under the bonnet, instead of a lusty diesel there sits a 410kg, 300-volt, lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 27kWh, giving a range of more than 50 miles. “In typical, low-speed, off-road use it can last for up to eight hours before recharging,” says the British company. It powers a 70kW (94bhp), 330Nm electric motor that drives all four wheels via the Defender’s existing four-wheel-drive system.
As electric motors deliver maximum torque from start-up, there is no need for a gearbox. When driving the car it elicits a slight hum. That’s not enough to scare the animals, and neither will the relatively modest maximum speed of 65km/h. But it is capable of that in reverse, too – something that might come in useful when faced with a charging rhino.


A modified version of Land Rover’s Terrain Response System has been incorporated and, via Hill Descent Control, its regenerative braking system can generate 30kW of electricity. Up to 80 per cent of the kinetic energy in the vehicle can be recovered in this way, depending on conditions.
And the Electric Defender has another surprise up its sleeve. Lacking many of the vents and intakes required by a car with a conventional internal combustion engine, the electric Landie can wade through much deeper water (800mm, that’s up from 500mm on the standard car). Without the fuel-fired heater in the cabin requiring an air intake, and with appropriate sealing, it could drive totally underwater.

For now, however, its role is above ground as a rolling test vehicle to assess the potential of electric off-road vehicles with as light an impact on the environment as possible.

Related Links You can find many modern and classic Land Rovers in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Text: Jan Baedeker(ClassicDriver)
Photos: Land Rover

‘Hoonigans’ invade rallying! / Le « Hoonigan » du paddock

Despite his commitments to events like the X-Games, the Global Rallycross series, the American Rally Championship, Gymkhana GRID and Octane Academy 2, the USA’s Ken Block has found time to contest the Rally Guanajuato Mexico 2013, which is one of his favourite competitions.

Entre les X-Games, le Global Rallycross, le Championnat américain des Rallyes, le Gymkhana GRID, l’Octane Academy 2, l’Américain Ken Block a trouvé le temps de disputer le Rally Guanajuato Mexico 2013, un de ses rallyes préférés.

“Before this week, I hadn’t driven a WRC car since last August’s Rally Finland,” says the American who is sporting a bushy beard this weekend. “Let’s just say it’s my winter costume, but you’re right, it’s a little hot here in Mexico!

“I didn’t do any testing with the Fiesta RS WRC before this event, so I’m easing myself in gradually,” he says, suggesting this could be his only WRC outing of 2013 instead of the three initially planned. “I’m extremely busy at the moment, what with the X-Games which don’t only take place in Los Angeles, but also in Brazil, Spain and Germany. There’s also the Global Rallycross series which I contested for the first time in 2012, plus the Gymkhana GRID and the American Rally Championship. I want to do every round of that…”

To run all these programmes, Block has founded Hoonigan Racing Division and invested in a 1,000 sq. metre building – made with 17 recycled sea containers – near Park City, Utah. In the USA, the word ‘hoonigan’ describes someone who drives a car in an unorthodox, aggressive fashion, while performing tricks like drifts, burnouts and doughnuts, for example.

We took advantage of the fact that we were with a world-famous gymkhana star (Episode 5 filmed in the streets of San Francisco has generated more than 42 million viewings on YouTube) to ask what he thought of the first ever backflip in a car performed last month by Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit?

“Yeah, I saw that. Very interesting. It’s not something I would try, but congratulations to him. I know a few guys who tried before him. Robby Gordon made two attempts, I think, but he landed once on the roof and the second time on the car’s side. Another American driver has had a go, too…” Ken Block has promised a surprise for the next episode of DC Gymkhana… but without any backflips, apparently!

« 

Je n’avais plus vu une voiture WRC depuis le Rallye de Finlande en août dernier », entame Ken Block qui porte une barbe bien fournie ce week-end. « Disons que c’est mon costume d’hiver, mais c’est vrai qu’il fait un peu chaud là, au Mexique ! »

 « Je n’ai pas fait d’essais avec la Fiesta RS WRC avant ce rallye, alors j’y vais progressivement », poursuit l’Américain qui nous a laissé entendre que le Rallye du Mexique pourrait être son seul et unique de la saison mondiale 2013 alors qu’il en avait prévu trois : « Je suis super occupé cette année avec les X-Games qui se déroulent non seulement à Los Angeles, mais aussi au Brésil, en Espagne et en Allemagne. Et puis il y a le championnat Global Rallycross que j’ai disputé pour la première fois en 2012, le Gymkhana GRID et le Championnat américain des Rallyes que je vais disputer en intégralité. »

Pour mener à bien tous ces projets, Ken Block a monté une nouvelle structure, le Hoonigan Racing Division, et investi dans un bâtiment de 1000 m² – construit avec 17 containers maritimes recyclés - près de Park City (Utah). En Américain, Hoonigan qualifie une personne qui conduit une voiture de manière peu orthodoxe et agressive, par exemple en effectuant des drifts, burnouts, doughnuts…

Nous avons profité d’avoir la star mondiale du gymkhana devant nous – l’épisode 5 tourné dans les rues San Francisco a fait plus de 42 millions de vues sur Youtube – pour lui parler du premier « backflip » en voiture réussi par Guerlain Chicherit le mois dernier.

« J’ai vu ça, oui. Très intéressant. Ce n’est pas quelque chose que je tenterai, mais bravo à lui. Je sais que plusieurs avaient essayé avant lui. Robby Gordon, je crois, à deux reprises. Mais il avait atterri sur le toit et une autre fois sur le côté. Un autre Américain avait essayé également… » Ken Block promet une surprise pour le prochain épisode de DC Gymkhana…sans « backflip » apparemment !

from best-of-rallylive

LaFerrari is LaPopular, has over 1000 interested customers

Model already a sales successor

The LaFerrari is proving to be a critical sales success as the company has revealed that more than 1,000 people have expressed interest in buying the bespoke supercar.

Recently unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, the LaFerrari has a 6.3-liter V12 engine that develops 800 HP (588 kW) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque. It is backed up by an electric motor which contributes an additional 163 HP (120 kW) and 199 lb-ft (270 Nm) of torque. This enables the model to have a combined maximum output of 963 HP (708 kW) which allows it to accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in less than three seconds, 0-200 km/h (0-124 mph) in under seven seconds and 0-300 km/h (186 mph) in 15 seconds. With enough roadway available, the LaFerrari will eventually top out in excess of 350 km/h (217 mph).

Production is limited to 499 units, so a number of consumers will be denied their chance of owning the 1.3M EUR (1.11M GBP or 1.69M USD) supercar.

Source: Ferrari via WORLDCARFANS

Moto Guzzi 1000 SP "Black Jack" by Officine Rossopuro

Foto: officinerossopuro.it
from Racing Café