From RM's Don Davis Collection: Speedster, Spider, Roadster

As it's springtime, Classic Driver has taken a look at RM Auctions’ forthcoming (27 April 2013) Texas sale of the Don Davis Collection and chosen some fine, wind-in-your-hair open motor cars...

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1989 Porsche 911 Speedster: USD 90,000 - 120,000 


Porsche reprised its famous ‘Speedster’ name for the final G Series version of the 911. This car was an early version, built in 1989 and featuring the famous ‘double hump’ behind the front seats plus more steeply raked, cut-down windscreen. 

This black car, with red hide, has covered just 15,767 miles since new. 

further details on Lot 150 in the Classic Driver Marketplace >>

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1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 'Daytona' Spider: USD 1,200,000 - 1,400,000


Making its debut at the 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show (as a ‘GTS/4’), the convertible version of Ferrari’s mighty 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ - always referred to as a ‘Spider’ - is the stuff of legend. 

Only a whisker over 120 ‘Daytona’ Spiders were ever built, all but one bodied at Scaglietti and the vast majority were LHD cars. This one was delivered to the USA on July 17 1974 and shows just 21,077 miles on its odometer. Complete with Ferrari Classiche certification, the immaculate red-with-tan car was acquired by Don Davis around 2008. 

further details on Lot 148 in the Classic Driver Marketplace >>

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1965 Shelby Cobra 289: USD 650,000 - 850,000


Who doesn’t know the story of 1959 Le Mans winner Carroll Shelby and the creation of the eponymous company that married a dependable British chassis with simple, barchetta styling and an understressed, but massively powerful American V8? 

Original Shelby Cobras, particularly those with the simple, no-frills bodywork and wire wheels you see here, are desirable cars. This Don Davis Collection car is listed in the World Registry of Cobras and GT40s, and comes with its original documentation, including Shelby and dealer invoices. 

further details on Lot 112 in the Classic Driver Marketplace >>

Related Links You can view all entries in the forthcoming RM Auctions, 27 April 2013 Don Davis Collection sale in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Text: Classic Driver
Photos: RM Auctions

Million-Dollar Babes: The supermodels of the 90s

Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer were by no means the only highly paid catwalk queens of the 1990s. We bring you our personal best of the beauties.

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Claudia Schiffer



Blonde hair, pouty lips, and a fabulous figure: many saw her as a Teutonic Bardot but it was fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld who first recognised the young girl as Germany’s next supermodel. Even today, we’d rate her as one of the most beautiful women in the world.

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Naomi Campbell



Snooty, bitchy and moody: few others can embody these less fortunate attributes of a supermodel quite so effectively as British-born (with Jamaican roots) Naomi Campbell. Yet you can’t deny that these unpleasant traits are wrapped in an immaculate package. 

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Cindy Crawford



What better fate could befall a simple mole than to land on the cheek of Cindy Crawford? Born in DeKalb, Illinois, the American beauty married Richard Gere in 1991, a union which ended just four years later. In 2013, aged 47, the brunette has lost none of her sexy charm.

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Kate Moss



Just 5ft 7in tall, the young Kate Moss didn’t immediately fit the stereotype of towering catwalk queens, but this didn’t stop the girl from Croydon becoming one of the most recognised faces in the world… though this was partly due to a headline-grabbing reputation for alcoholic excess and drug use.

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Related Links Who were the top sex symbols of the 1980s? Find out in our feature on ‘The Girls that Just Wanted to Have Fun in the 80s’

Text: J. Philip Rathgen (ClassicDriver)
Photos: Getty Images

Triumph Thruxton SM 2004 by Speed Merchant

Foto: thespeedmerchant.net

honda cb200 by brodonolo garage

According the Google Translate when you first click over tothe Brodonolo Garage website, the makers of this ride, the homepage professestheir love is for the "Art of Motorcycle". Regardless of the accuracy for thistranslation it’s clear that these guys have some serious talent. Honda’s littleCB200 isn’t a common starting platform for a custom build, especially here inNorth America. Its tiny 200cc mill powering this bike isn’t going to rip yourarms off as you accelerate through the gears, but this solid light-weight bikeproved to be a good starting point, if in the right hands.

read more >>

Completed in only a month the initial vision for this build,titled ‘Prengkald-Prengkold’, was to strip the bike down to its essentialswhile maintaining a sporty, classic and elegant look and ride. The originalframe was used with only a few chops and modifications here and there to achievethe intended design.

With the frame complete the fun began. The majority of theengine and wheels were given a liberal dose of black paint, the stock pipeswere ditched for an awesome set of high pipes that were shorter than stock.Although the front fork-boots were retained (along with what looks to be theoriginal rubber from the kick-start lever) almost everything else was modified.Chrome dual rear suspension springs were replaced by aftermarket-looking red coils,while the clunky stock taillight/license plate mounting bracket was binned inexchange for a tidy brake light and small plate holder.

Next the tank, fenders and bodywork were all fabricated outof aluminum. Starting from the front; the front fender was cropped and heavilyengraved while the mounting brackets were modified and repositioned achieving amore symmetrical look. The larger stock headlight was replaced by a shallowerand slightly smaller diameter headlight in keeping with the minimalist theme. Finallywe come to my favorite part – the gas tank. The almost square original tank wasreplaced by a much more curvaceous one which was fitted with a custom gas cap.Beautiful and ornate engravings adorn most of the tank depicting images ofharmony between humans, plants and animals. Both side panels are also aluminumand are also heavily engraved, which was an amazing alternative to an intricatepaint scheme. Finally the rear fender was also cropped and given a healthyhelping of artistic engraving over the most rear portion of its metal surface.

To achieve the comfortable street-tracker-style ridingposition the OEM seat was removed and a slimmer, yet still comfortable looking,aftermarket unit took its place. MX bars replaced the stock one, and barraisers were added for a straight-armed stance. The bike now rides on muchthicker rubber, which we assume would add to its comfort without noticeablysacrificing handling.

With the build nearing completion and things shaping-up wellthe CB was given bits of gold here and there. All over actually. The gas cap,foot pegs, engine bolts and side panels all received the gold treatment.Unfortunately we were never told if the gold bits were real or, if not, whatthe material actual is.

The CB200 was only in production from ’73 to ’76 adding tothe exclusivity of this ride. The CB200A (or ‘K’, depending on which area ofthe world you’re in) was the model name given to the ’73 – ’74 bikes which wasfitted with a drum front and back brake. Then in ’75 and ’76 the bike was thengiven the code CB200B (or T) of which the most noticeable change was that thefront drum brake was replaced by a cable operated disc. What’s interesting isthat this is a 1976 model fitted with a drum brake. After a little internetsurfing we read that the disc’s cable operation was loved by some but hated byjust as many – I guess we now know which side of the argument the good peoplefrom Brodonolo Garage are on.

Opinions aside this bike is a great example of what can bedone with a little time and an artistic eye.
This post presented by, Battery Stuff an online storehouse of just about any replacement motorcycle battery you could need. No matter the ride—Scorpion, BMW, Harley, Honda—we can get you a replacement battery shipped free, shipped fast. Add to that our full range of battery chargers, and you can see why BatteryStuff.com is the web’s one-stop-shop for all your charging and battery needs.

 

bikermetric.com 

Moto Guzzi Sport 1100 1996 "Cafè Racer"

Foto: Facebook (The Bike Shed)
via Racing Café

Après ES4 : Ogier reprend les commandes

 Mads Ostberg crashed on SS3, leaving Sébastien Ogier (VW Polo R WRC/Michelin) to recover the provisional lead in the 2013 Rally de Portugal. Dani Sordo is second, only 2.4s behind. 

 

Mads Ostberg est sorti de la route dans l’ES3. Sébastien Ogier (VW Polo R WRC/Michelin) a repris la tête du Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2013 devant Dani Sordo qui pointe à seulement 2s4.

After today’s first loop of stages, there were some observers who believed that Ostberg would not be able to keep up the same sort of speed for very long. And they were right, since the Norwegian youngsters rolled on SS3, shortly after emerging at the top of the leaderboard.

That handed top spot back to the early pace-setter Sébastien Ogier in his VW Polo R WRC which is running on two hard-compound and two soft-compound Latitude Cross H2 tyres this afternoon (diagonally mounted). “I don’t think I made the ideal choice this morning,” admitted the Frenchman at the end of SS4, “but things haven’t gone too bad so far…”

Ogier is under pressure from Dani Sordo who posted two consecutive fastest times in his Citroën DS3 WRC on hard-compound H2 tyres. “Seb has done a good job on soft tyres, but we’re right behind him,” smiled the Spaniard who is only 2.4s behind the leader ahead of the super-special in Lisbon.

It was nice to see Jari-Matti Latvala with a smile on face again, too: “By playing with the set-up of my Polo I think I can improve its handling. It worked well on the second loop,” noted the Finn who is third overall, 11.3s behind his team-mate. Fellow Finn Mikko Hirvonen is complaining that the set-up of his DS3 WRC is too hard and that his car not handling well.

Even so, he is fourth overall (+17.1s), ahead of Thierry Neuville who was second fastest on SS4 but still wondering why he was much slower on SS1/3. Evgeny Novikov is more than a minute and hasn’t been a threat so far, while Andreas Mikkelsen dropped almost two minutes on SS4 when his power steering failed 1.5km after the start.

Esapekka Lappi (Skoda/Michelin) tops the WRC2 order ahead of Poland’s Robert Kubica (+23.5s) who finished SS4 with an unseated rear-left tyre. “My pace notes were better this afternoon and the car is going very well. All is okay,” said Lappi before embarking on the 500-kilometre round trip from Faro to Lisbon.

Après la première boucle de spéciales, certains ont dit que Mads ne pouvait pas tenir ce rythme bien longtemps. Ils avaient raison. Le Norvégien est parti en tonneaux dans l’ES3 alors qu’il venait de prendre la tête du rallye.

Premier leader du rallye, Sébastien Ogier a donc repris le pouvoir au volant de sa VW Polo R WRC chaussée de pneus Latitude Cross H2 (hard) et S2 (soft) cet après-midi (montés en « croix »). « Après coup, ce n’était peut-être pas le choix optimum », a commenté Ogier à l’arrivée de l’ES4, « mais on s’en sort bien. »

Le Français est leader devant Dani Sordo, auteur de deux meilleurs temps consécutifs au volant de sa Citroën DS3 WRC équipées de pneus H2 (hard). « Seb a fait du bon boulot en gommes soft, mais on est là, tout près… ». Effectivement, l’Espagnol ne pointe qu’à 2s4 du leader avant la Superspéciale de Lisbonne.

Jari-Matti Latvala a retrouvé le sourire : « En jouant sur les suspensions, je pense que je peux améliorer le comportement de ma Polo. Ca a bien fonctionné pour cette boucle », assurait le Finlandais, troisième du général à 11s3. Son compatriote Mikko Hirvonen se plaint toujours de suspensions trop dures et d’un mauvais comportement de sa DS3 WRC.

Il est quatrième à 17s1, devant Thierry Neuville, auteur du 2^e meilleur temps dans l’ES4 mais qui ne s’explique pas les écarts dans l’ES1/3. A plus d’une minute du leader, Evgeny Novikov n’est pas au mieux depuis le départ et dit pourtant attaquer au maximum. Andreas Mikkelsen a perdu près de deux minutes dans l’ES4 : sa direction assistée est tombée en panne après 1,5 km.

En WRC2, Esapekka Lappi (Skoda/Michelin) devance le Polonais Robert Kubica (+23s5) arrivé avec le pneu arrière gauche décoincé. « Mes notes sont mieux cet après-midi, la voiture est très bien. Tout est ok », avouait Lappi avant un aller-retour de quelque 500 km entre Faro et Lisbonne.

from best of rallylive

Triumph "La Scrambler" by MrMartini

Foto: mrmartini.it
via Racing Café

214 CONCURRENTS POUR LA MANCHE INAUGURALE !

Postposé en raison de la météo pourrie régnant sur l'Eifel, le coup d'envoi du championnat VLN sera bel et bien donné ce samedi sur le coup de midi. Un coup d'envoi qui s'annonce d'ores et déjà explosif, la bagatelle de...214 concurrents, et non des moindres, ayant rentré leur bulletin d'engagement. Soucieux de préparer au mieux les 24h du Nürburgring, BMW Motorsport a d'ailleurs déployé l'artillerie lourde. Ainsi le BMW Team Schubert alignera deux Z4 GT3 pour des équipages de choc, composés d'une part de Dirk Müller, Jörg Müller et Augusto Farfus et d'autre part de Claudia Hürtgen, Martin Tomczyk et Jens Klingmann.

Engagée sous la bannière H&R, la Z4 GT3 de Uwe Alzen ne devrait pas être en reste. Le véloce pilote-propriétaire s'étant attaché les services de Phillipp Wlazik et d'Alexander Margaritis. On suivra également les premiers pas à l'échelon supérieur de Ralf Oeverhaus et Henry Walkenhorst, lesquels défendront les couleurs du Bonk Motorsport. Véritable révélation de la saison écoulée, le Timbuli Racing entend bien poursuivre sa marche en avant. Pour ce faire, l'écurie managée par Volker Wolf alignera deux Porsche 911 GT3 R pour des équipages de premier ordre. Christopher Brück et Jaap Van Lagen se partageront le volant de la #35 tandis que Marco Seefried et Norbert Siedler se relayeront aux commandes de la #45.

Confiée aux bons soins de Klaus Abbelen, Sabine Schmitz et Patrick Huisman, la 911 GT3 R du Frikadelli Racing devrait également faire parler d'elle. Grosse surprise dans le chez du Manthey Racing avec la présence d'une seule 911 GT3 R pour la paire Klohs-Richter et en revanche de deux 911 GT3 RSR alignées en classe SP7 pour le compte de Weiss-Kainz-Jacobs et Krumbach-Holzer.

Quant à Christian Menzel, il épaulera à nouveau Wofgang Kohler sur la vénérable 911 GT3 Cup chère à Olaf Manthey. Si les Mercedes SLS alignées par les formations Black Falcon et Car Collection Motorsport ne devraient pas jouer les premiers rôles, les trois exemplaires engagés par le Rowe Racing pourraient, à contrario, faire parler la poudre. D'autant qu'ils seront aux mains de sérieux artificiers tels Thomas Jäger, Jan Seyffarth, Kenneth Heyer ou encore Lance David Arnold.

Les espoirs du clan Audi reposeront sur les écuries Prosperia-C.Abt Team Mamerow (avec le redoutable duo Chris Mamerow-Oliver Jarvis) et Phoenix (Johannes et Ferdinand Stuck étant épaulés par le véloce Michael Ammermüller).

Quant aux frères Dennis et Marc Busch, c'est également aux commandes d'un bolide aux anneaux qu'ils tenteront de se mettre en évidence. Peu en verve l'an dernier, la formation GT Corse remettra cependant le couvert avec deux Ferrari F458 confiées notamment à Maximilian Götz, Christian Kohlhaas et Mike Jäger.

La Mc Laren MP4-12C/Dörr Motorsport de Rudi Adams, la Ford GT de Jürgen Alzen et la Nissan GT-R de la famille Schulze venant apporter une pointe d'originalité supplémentaire à un plateau ne manquant pas d'allure. Sachant que ce week-end seront également donnés les 3 coups des Blancpain Endurance Series et du FIA WEC !

Pour conclure, notons que la classe CUP1, réservée aux nouvelles Opel Astra OPC CUP, semble promise à un bel avenir, pas moins de 18 équipages étant inscrits ! Parmi eux, on retrouve d'ailleurs quelques figures emblématiques du VLN tels Mario Merten, Wolf Silvester, Jannik Olivo, Elmar Jurek, Nicole Müllenmeister ou encore Jürgen et Heinz-Otto Fritzsche.

Voilà qui promet !

by Fabrice Bergenhuizen(Endurance-info)

After SS2: Ostberg takes the lead in Portugal

The early part of the 2013 Vodafone Rally de Portugal has been dominated by the event’s last two winners. Norway’s Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta RS WRC/Michelin) leads after SS2, ahead of Sébastien Ogier (+3.9). 

 Les deux derniers vainqueurs du Vodafone Rally de Portugal dominent ce début de course. Le Norvégien Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta RS WRC/Michelin) a pris la tête à l’issue de l’ES2 et mène devant Sébastien Ogier (+ 3s9).

After Thursday’s grey weather, the sun is shining over the Algarve at last, but still playing hide-and-seek with the remaining clouds. There was consequently a range of tyre choices for today’s action.

Citroën’s Dani Sordo chose five hard-compound Latitude Cross H2s, while Mikko Hirvonen went for four ‘hards’ and two ‘softs’. All the Fords left service with five hard tyres, except Al-Attiyah (six hards). Lastly, Volkswagen drivers Mikkelsen and Latvala both opted for four hards and two softs, whereas Sébastien Ogier took the more extreme decision to fit four softs and two hards.

SS1 (‘Mu’, 20.32km) was still damp in places, and that helped Sébastien Ogier to claim the best time, ahead of Mads Ostberg (+4.3s) and Mikko Hirvonen (+8.4s). Latvala and Sordo were more than 10s back, and Neuville dropped more than 20s…

The following test (‘Ourique’, 18.32km) was entirely dry and harder on the tyres. “It was very rough in there,” observed Nasser Al-Attiyah at the Stop Control. For some time, Thierry Neuville’s effort remained the time to beat (10m52.4s). “I pushed hard and made just one small mistake. I can’t understand my time on SS1,” commented the Belgian.

Mads Ostberg’s 10m42.7s would not be bettered, however. “I pushed very hard and I was on the limit in places,” he gasped. Ogier recorded a time of 10m50.6s on his four Latitude Cross S2 tyres and seemed to be happy with his run: “It’s not so bad, we’ll see how it goes next time round. For the moment, everything is okay…”

Yesterday’s Qualifying winner Dani Sordo also produced a strong performance on SS2 in his Citroën DS3 WRC/Michelin (10m46.2s): “It wasn’t 100% perfect through certain turns, but it’s a good start…”

In WRC2, Robert Kubica reached the finish with steam pouring out of his Citroën DS3 RRC’s radiator after a small off.

Après le temps maussade d’hier, le soleil est enfin revenu sur l’Algarve et joue à cache-cache avec les nuages. Les choix de pneumatiques, effectués ce matin pour toute la journée, ont été quelque peu variés.

Chez Citroën, Dani Sordo a opté pour 5 Latitude Cross H2 (hard) et Mikko Hirvonen pour 4H2 et 2S2. Chez Ford, tout le monde est parti avec 5H2 sauf Al-Attiyah (6H2). Enfin chez Volkswagen, Mikkelsen et Latvala ont effectué la même sélection (4H2 et 2S2), alors que Sébastien Ogier a fait le choix le plus extrême avec 4S2 (soft) et 2H2.

L’ES1, Mu (20,32 km) était encore humide par endroits. Sébastien Ogier a signé le meilleur chrono avec 4s3 d’avance sur Mads Ostberg et Mikko Hirvonen (+8s4). Latvala et Sordo étaient à plus de 10 secondes, Neuville à plus de 20…Des écarts déjà conséquents donc.

L’ES2, Ourique (18,32 km) était entièrement sèche et plus agressive pour les pneumatiques.« Ca secoue dans tous les sens », résumait Nasser Al-Attiyah au point-stop. Pendant longtemps, le chrono de référence affiché au tableau était celui de Thierry Neuville, en 10min52s4. « J’ai attaqué, j’ai juste fait une petite erreur dans un virage. J’ai pas compris mon temps moyen dans l’ES1 », avait commenté le pilote belge avant de s’échapper.

En 10min42s7, Mads Ostberg a frappé un grand coup : « J’ai attaqué très fort, c’était même limite à certains endroits, mais il fallait réagir… », souffla le Norvégien, marqué par l’effort. En 10min50s6 avec ses quatre pneus Latitude Cross S2, Sébastien Ogier était plutôt satisfait de sa prestation : « Ce n’est pas si mal, on verra après le deuxième tour, mais pour l’instant, ça va… »

Vainqueur de la Qualifying Stage hier, Dani Sordo a lui aussi réalisé une belle prestation au volant de sa Citroën DS3 WRC/Michelin (10min46s2) : « Ce n’était pas 100% parfait dans certains virages, mais c’est plutôt bien parti… »

En WRC2, Robert Kubica est arrivé avec une Citroën DS3 RRC fumante suite à une touchette (radiateur percé). C’est le Finlandais Esapekka Lappi (Skoda/Michelin) qui avait signé le meilleur temps quand nous sommes partis prendre un café en terrasse à Gomes Aires avant le second passage.

with  best-of-rallylive

MG CS concept leaked, debuts in Shanghai

Could preview an upcoming production model

The first pictures of the MG CS concept have leaked to the web, ahead of a possible debut at the Shanghai Motor Show.

Designed to preview the company's upcoming crossover, the model eschews the retro styling of last year's Icon concept. As a result, it echoes the rest of the MG lineup with angular lines and a familiar grille. We can also see front fender vents, an upward sweeping beltline and blacked out A-pillars. There's also a sporty rear bumper, a tailgate-mounted spoiler and a center-mounted dual exhaust system.

Speculation suggests the CS concept is based on the MG5 and could use a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder petrol engine with 135 bhp (101 kW). Nothing is official as of yet, but we should learn more later this month.

Source: Autohome and Autocar via worldcarfans

Kubica: “A real test for me” / «Un vrai test pour moi »

Poland’s Robert Kubica is making his world championship debut this week in a Citroën DS3 RRC/Michelin. The former F1 racer is counting on the weekend to gain experience, have fun and reassure himself. 

 

 Le Polonais Robert Kubica débute en Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA au volant d’une Citroën DS3 RRC/Michelin. L’ancien pilote de F1 compte profiter du week-end pour prendre de l’expérience, du plaisir et se rassurer.

More than ever, the WRC needs stars, and Robert Kubica is clearly the star of the service park in Faro. Despite suffering an accident on a rally that radically changed the path of his life in 2011, the Pole has chosen the sport to get his career back on rails, even though he doesn’t necessarily see his future in the WRC: “My aim is to return to where I left off two years ago. However, if a return to F1 proves impossible, and if I manage to get some good results, then why not continue in rallying? I don’t have any medium- or long-term plans. This weekend, I am here to gain experience, have fun and reassure myself. Hopefully, I will get some positive answers to all the questions I am asking myself, and not just about where I stand physically…”
Kubica got his first taste of the Citroën DS3 RRC/Michelin on the all-asphalt Rally Islas Canarias where he was leading before he crashed. His experience on gravel amounts to just two days of testing (300km, the equivalent of a WRC round) and last weekend’s short Fafe Rally Sprint. “This weekend will be a big test for me because nothing can replace actually competing. It’s also my first time on such long stages, like Almodovar which is 52.30km long. That said, it’s my favourite. My aim is to reach the finish in order to get as much experience as possible.”
After the event, Kubica will remain in Portugal since he will travel to the Azores for round four of the FIA European Rally Championship. Michelin is Citroën’s partner in this two-pronged programme.
In the recent past, three other F1 drivers have competed in the WRC, namely Stéphane Sarrazin, Kimi Raïkkonen and Eliseo Salazar. The Frenchman contested 15 rounds of the championship between 2004 and 2006, including 12 as a factory Subaru driver. The Finn took part in 21 rounds between 2009 and 2011, most of which were in a privately-run Citroën WRC. The Chilean sampled the WRC for the first time last year in Argentina, driving a Mini John Cooper Works WRC.

Sans le vouloir, Robert Kubica est une vraie star au parc d’assistance de Faro. Et plus que jamais, le WRC a besoin de stars… Malgré un terrible accident en rallye qui a bouleversé sa vie en 2011, le Polonais a choisi cette discipline pour relancer sa carrière qu’il ne voit d’ailleurs pas forcément en WRC : « Poursuivre en rallye serait revenir là où j’en étais il y a deux ans, avant mon accident. Mon objectif prioritaire est de retourner d’où je viens. En revanche, si c’est impossible pour moi de revenir en F1 et si j’ai de bons résultats en rallye, alors pourquoi ne pas rester dans cette discipline. Je n’ai donc pas de plan à moyen ou long terme. En tout cas, ce week-end, je suis là pour prendre de l’expérience, du plaisir et aussi me rassurer. J’espère avoir des réponses positives à toutes les questions que je me pose, sur un plan physique mais pas seulement… »

Robert Kubica a découvert la Citroën DS3 RRC/Michelin sur l’asphalte du Rally Islas Canarias où il était en tête avant de sortir de la route. Son expérience sur la terre se résume à deux jours d’essais et quelque 300 km (soit l’équivalent d’une manche WRC) et le court Fafe Rally Sprint. « Ce week-end, ce sera un vrai test pour moi car même si tout s’est bien passé en essais, rien ne remplace la course. C’est la première fois que je vais disputer des spéciales aussi longues, comme Almodovar, 52,30 km. C’est ma préférée. Physiquement, je saurais où j’en suis. Mon but est être à l’arrivée de ce rallye pour engranger un maximum d’expérience. »

Après cette épreuve, Robert Kubica ne quittera pas le Portugal puisqu’il se rendra sur l’Ile des Açores pour participer à la 4^e manche du Championnat d’Europe des Rallyes FIA. Michelin est partenaire de Citroën dans ce double programme.

Récemment, trois autres pilotes de F1 ont évolué en WRC : Stéphane Sarrazin, Kimi Raïkkonen et Eliseo Salazar. Le Français a disputé 15 rallyes WRC entre 2004 et 2006, dont 12 en tant que pilote officiel Subaru. Le Finlandais a participé à 21 rallyes mondiaux entre 2009 et 2011, la plupart sur des Citroën WRC « privées ». Le Chilien a découvert le Championnat du monde des Rallyes l’an passé sur une Mini John Cooper Works WRC au Rallye d’Argentine.

 from .best-of-rallylive

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, UAE

KTM’S MARC COMA LAUNCHES HIS RALLY SEASON WITH THE DESERT CHALLENGE

KTM factory rider and three times Dakar rally winner Marc Coma of Spain is in the United Arab Emirates to contest the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the Sealine Rally in Qatar, the events that open his racing season for 2013.

Coma was unable to compete in the 2013 edition of the Dakar Rally because he was not fully fit following corrective surgery for a shoulder injury, the result of a crash in the 2012 Morocco Rally in late October. But he is now ready to race and to tackle his favorite terrain, the sweeping sands of the desert, on the KTM 450 Rally bike. The Spanish rider, seeded number one, leads a top lineup of riders as he begins his defense of his World Rally Championship title. Coma is a proven rider in the Desert Challenge, which he has won six times, including the past four editions.

Speaking from the Emirates Coma said he is looking forward to racing after a long, enforced break. “We have tested in the desert of Tunisia but it has been a long break because of my injury and this is the right opportunity to see how fit I am, how quickly I can find my rhythm and get a good feeling for the bike. It will be difficult to win after such a long break but as always I will do my best.”

Racing with Coma in the Desert Challenge is his Polish factory teammate Jakub Przygonski and KTM’s extreme Enduro factory rider Taddy Blazusiak, also of Poland, who contests a rally for the first time to stay in shape ahead of the highly competitive EnduroCross season. Other top KTM riders are Pal Anders Ullevalseter of Norway and Miran Stanovnik of Slovenia with Mohammed Al Balooshi flying the flag for the UAE seeded at number nine, just behind Blazusiak.

The 23rd edition of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge takes riders around 2000 km through the spectacular desert terrain of the Western Region of Al Garbia next week and starts with a super special stage on Yas Ialand, Abu Dhabi, on Saturday, April 6, followed by five days of competitive desert stages. The rally starts and finishes at the Yas Marina Circuit and again takes competitors into the famed Liwa Desert.

Sealine Cross Country Rally follows
Riders will barely have time to draw breath after the Desert Challenge before they decamp for Qatar and the second round of the FIM Cross Country Rally World Championship. The Sealine Cross-Country Rally was staged for the first time in 2012 and coma returns here as the defending champion.

For this rally the KTM factory riders are to be joined by Chilean Chaleco Lopez, while Blazusiak refocuses his attention on the coming EnduroCross season. Lopez, third on an all KTM podium at the conclusion of the Dakar 2013, together with KTM’s Cyril Despres and Ruben Faria is no stranger to sweeping desert sands. He will be just at home in this Gulf States desert as he is in the desert coastal plain of his home country.

This year organizers report that the Sealine Rally will be fought over four desert selective sections and will feature a longer route over a total of 1500 km but a shorter timetable from April 22-26. The first three legs will be around 400 km and the final leg for the bikes of 250 km and organizers report there will be plenty of new tracks, more offroad sections and more tricky navigation. There will be a ceremonial start on Monday evening and the first of the four desert legs starts on Tuesday morning. The rally concludes on Friday.

Coma, even though the desert sands seem to be his natural habitat, underlined that the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the Sealine Rally are ‘the toughest’ of the World Championship series. “Conditions here are tough for racing and the high temperatures also make it very difficult. It’s going to be a good test of my fitness”.

FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship 2013 Calendar

April 6-11: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, United Arab Emirates
April 21-26: Sealine Cross Country Rally, Qatar
May 31 – June 5: Sardegna Cross Country Rally, Sardinia, Italy
June 16-22: Desafio Ruta 40, Argentina
July 23-August 4: Rally Dos Sertoes, Brazil
September 28-October 10 Pharaoh’s Rally, Egypt

Great photos by Photos by Chytka M.