SRI LANKA

Vidéo ; first leg of Rally Sweden

WRC, Suède, après ES9 : Mikkelsen en tête ! after SS9: Mikkelsen inherits Swedish lead!

Andreas Mikkelsen (Volkswagen/Michelin) a hérité de la première place à l’issue du second passage dans Torsby. En effet, les deux leaders, Ogier et Latvala, ont perdu du temps et cédé les commandes du rallye à leur équipier norvégien. Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) et Mads Ostberg (Citroën) sont à la bagarre pour les 2e et 3e places.

Si l’ordre des départs était au cœur des conversations jusqu’à la pause de Kirkenaer, ce ne fut plus le cas cet après-midi.

Sébastien Ogier a perdu 8 secondes dans l’ES6 en raison d’une panne d’essuie-glace. Le Français a tenté une réparation sur la liaison, mais l’équipage de la Polo R WRC n°1 a ensuite oublié d’attacher le capot avant qui est venu casser le pare-brise dans l’ES7. Latvala en a profité pour réduire l’écart à 2s9 après l’ES8.

Dans le même temps, la bataille pour la 3^e place entre Mikkelsen et Ostberg a tourné à l’avantage du pilote VW (meilleur temps ES8), Mads ayant été perturbé par un spectateur ivre. Les commissaires pourraient lui rendre les secondes perdues…

De leur côté, Robert Kubica (transmission, ES7), Elfyn Evans (coincé dans un mur de neige, ES8) et Kris Meeke (mur de neige, ES7) ont tous perdu beaucoup de temps.

Nous avons retrouvé les concurrents à l’arrivée de Torsby 2 (ES9). C’est là où il fallait être aujourd’hui.

Ogier fut le premier à apparaître, le radiateur de sa Polo R WRC complètement obstrué par la neige. « J’ai fait une erreur à un carrefour. Je pensais que l’arrière allait toucher le mur de neige, mais la voiture a pivoté et c’est l’avant qui s’est planté dans la neige. » Le Français a concédé près de 40 secondes.

Latvala était donc virtuellement en tête. Mais quelques instants plus tard, on a vu des spectateurs s’agiter au loin, à moins d’un kilomètre de l’arrivée. « Je suis arrivé trop vite sur un freinage et l’arrière a tapé un mur de neige et la voiture s’est immobilisée dans un fossé. » Grâce aux spectateurs, le Finlandais a pu repartir, quelque 9 minutes plus tard.

Heureusement pour Volkswagen, un autre pilote était là pour reprendre le flambeau, Andreas Mikkelsen. « J’ai vu Jari-Matti, mais je ne savais pas pour Seb. Je suis désolé pour eux. Mais je connais Ogier, il ne va rien lâcher. »

L’ES9 a finalement été remportée par Thierry Neuville – une première victoire suédoise pour un Belge ? Le pilote Hyundai a effectué une belle première étape et pointe sur le podium provisoire, aux côtés de Mads Ostberg (3^e). Sébastien Ogier est 4^e à 26s1, suivi par Ott Tanak (Ford, +1min06s1) et le surprenant Hayden Paddon (Hyundai, +1min59s1).

Avant la Superspéciale de Karlstad ce soir, Jari Ketomaa (Ford) est leader WRC-2 devant Eyvind Brynildsen et Fredrik Ahlin. Pontus Tidemand s’est planté dans un mur de neige (ES7).

Andreas Mikkelsen (Volkswagen/Michelin) tops the leaderboard after a dramatic second visit to ‘Torsby’. Pace-setters Ogier and Latvala both lost time on the test, promoting their Norwegian colleague to top spot. Neuville’s consistency has taken him to second place for Hyundai, but Citroën’s Ostberg is only nine-tenths behind.

The chief topic of conversation at the midday break in Kirkenaer, Norway, involved predicting how much the start order would affect the leaderboard this afternoon.

As the day progressed, however, there was so much drama amongst the front-runners that nobody raised the subject again!

The first victim was leader Ogier who dropped eight seconds on SS6 after his windscreen wiper jammed, hampering visibility. He (vainly) tried to make repairs on the following road section but didn’t fix his Polo’s bonnet pins properly afterwards. On SS7, the bonnet flew open and cracked the windscreen, losing him a few more seconds.

Jari-Matti Latvala took advantage of the situation to close the gap to 2.9 seconds after SS8.

At the same time, the battle for third between Mikkelsen and Mads Ostberg turned in the former’s favour when his rival was distracted by a presumably drunk spectator on SS8, which was won by VW’s Norwegian driver.

Meanwhile, Ford runners Robert Kubica (transmission, SS7) and Elfyn Evans (stuck in snow bank, SS8), and Citroën’s Kris Meeke (snow bank, SS7) all lost big chunks of time.

We caught up with the crews again after ‘Torsby 2’ (SS9), the end of which was definitely the place to be in order to experience the day’s final drama live.

Ogier was first to show, his radiator aperture packed with snow. “I made a mistake at a junction and span,” he explained. “I thought the rear would hit the snow wall, but the car turned again and the front took the impact.” The incident cost the Frenchman almost 40 seconds.

Suddenly, Jari-Matti Latvala was in the lead. Instants later, though, we learned that he was off the road, too, less than a kilometre from the finish… It was only thanks to help from spectators that he was able to complete the test, after spending almost nine minutes in a ditch.

Happily for Volkswagen, there was another Polo driver to take over, the extremely surprised Mikkelsen: “I saw Jari-Matti, but I didn’t know about Seb. It’s sad for them both. But if I know Seb right, he will never give up…”

SS9 was ultimately won by Thierry Neuville – the first rally Sweden stage victory for a Belgian? The Hyundai driver’s caution and consistency has clearly paid off because he has suddenly appeared in second place (+19.7s) after easing past Ostberg (3^rd, Citroën) on the day’s final ‘real’ test.

Ogier has fallen to fourth (+26.1s), with Ott Tanak (Ford, +1m6.1s) and the surprising Hayden Paddon (Hyundai, +1m59.1s) rounding off the provisional top six!

With only the Karlstad super-special to come tonight, Jari Ketomaa (Ford) continues to dominate the WRC2 battle. He is joined on the overnight podium by fellow Ford competitors Eyvind Brynildsen and Fredrik Ählin after Pontus Tidemand, also Ford, dropped time on SS7.

Skateboarder Magazine - 'The Killing Season'

Skateboarder Magazine "We probably should have intervened when our Senior Photographer Jonathan Mehring got together with the globetrotting filmer Patrik Wallner to concoct some harebrained excursion to another third world country for a skateboarding trip, especially when they started throwing motorbikes into the mix.

But as they say, the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward, which is probably why the likes of Jerry Hsu, Keegan Sauder, Joey Pepper, Javier Mendizibal and Michael "Michi" Mackrodt were game to accompany them on this journey down nearly the entire length of Vietnam despite some of their limited past experience with riding motorbikes."

Skateboarder Magazine - 'The Killing Season' from Patrik Wallner on Vimeo.

Is the De Tomaso Deauville better than a Maserati Quattroporte?

Fast, comfortable, elegant, Italian – the De Tomaso Deauville seemed tailor-made for the Seventies jet set, but sales of the sophisticated saloon remained below expectations. Today, it borders on the miraculous to encounter a live Deauville. We had the pleasure…

The history of Deauville started when Carrozzeria Ghia received a request from Ford to create a compact American sports saloon with European styling elements. Ghia designer Tom Tjaarda came up with a design that referenced the Lancia Marica and De Tomaso Mustela I – other creations from Tjaarda’s drawing board. After Ford discarded the idea of a four-door sports saloon, Alejandro de Tomaso took up the project and, based on Tjaarda’s drafts, built a luxury saloon for the wealthy end of the market that he unveiled at the 1970 Turin Motor Show. Critics pointed out the similarity to the 1968 Jaguar XJ6, but Tjaarda insisted that his design had been completed before the premiere of the British competitor. 

From Rome to Milan in two hours

A year after the presentation of the Deauville, it went into production. De Tomaso named the car after the French resort of Deauville, where he regularly went with his wife, but production of the saloon never took off – the highest recorded annual sales figure was in 1972, at just 46 cars. The saloon was equipped with everything desired to fill the gap in the market for a sporty, luxurious limousine. Powered by a Ford Cleveland V8 engine, the same as carried by the De Tomaso Pantera, the Deauville claimed to be one of the fastest saloon cars in the world. De Tomaso once told journalists at a press event that he had just driven from Rome to Milan in two hours, producing receipts from the Italian highway tolls as evidence. 

A best-seller as a Maserati

In parallel with the Deauville – and on the same platform –the mid-seventies saw the appearance (under de Tomaso’s direction) of the Maserati Quattroporte III. The angular saloon saw sales rocket and the Maserati celebrated the sort of success deserved all along by the Deauville that – by contrast – only ever saw a few hundred examples built in the course of its entire production lifetime. No wonder it’s rare to see the sophisticated saloon today.

The first, last and best

The car in the photograph is a second series car, in which the engine has been shifted back by 10cm to improve weight distribution. In addition, the second series saw changes to suspension geometry that were used as the basis for the Quattroporte III. This car, in its elegant Grigio Platino paintwork, appears to be in as-new condition. It was completely dismantled, with the engine rebuilt and converted to fuel injection, while the transmission, steering and air-conditioning were updated. The interior has been restored with the best leather and new carpets; also new are the bumpers, headlights, wheels, tyres and exhaust, along with a great many other components. The car is accompanied by bills for this work and other documents.

This is quite possibly the best (and last) Deauville we will ever encounter. And for us, at least, it’s better than a Maserati Quattroporte.

Photos: Felix Liebel for Classic Driver © 2015

The 1980 De Tomaso Deauville seen here is for sale from Hallier Classic Cars.

Un test concluant pour le Team Suzuki MotoGP / Steps forward for Suzuki as racing return beckons

Aleix Espargaró et Maverick Viñales ont tiré un bilan positif de leur premier test de l’année en Malaisie.

Aleix Espargaró et Maverick Viñales ont continué à améliorer leurs chronos vendredi au Circuit International de Sepang, où ils finissaient le premier Test Officiel de l’année sur une GSX-RR bien plus performante qu’elle ne l’était à Valence en novembre dernier.

Espargaró a réalisé un total de 137 tours et fini avec le dixième temps (2’00.486) sur le classement combiné, en ayant gagné 1.73s depuis mercredi.

Viñales, qui débute en MotoGP™ cette année, a pour sa part bouclé 176 tours et s’est hissé à la douzième place avec un meilleur temps de 2’00.964 et 2.2s de gagnées depuis la première séance de la semaine.

« Je suis globalement très content de ce premier test et nous pouvons être fiers d’avoir grandement amélioré la fiabilité du moteur, » a déclaré Espargaró. « Nous n’avons eu aucun problème sur ces trois journées, c’est une bonne chose et l’ambiance au sein du team est excellente. Je me sens déjà mieux que l’an dernier et je suis très à l’aise avec le team. Pour moi il est important que je me sente en famille avec les gens avec qui je travaille et je suis donc très content. »

« Je suis aussi satisfait de la moto, qui progresse et se développe très rapidement. Suite à ce premier test, je pense que nous ne sommes pas si loin que ça des Yamaha et Ducati. Nous pouvons en être fiers mais nous devons continuer à travailler très dur. Nous avons fini à 1.6s de la première Honda et nous devrons être plus proches lors du prochain test. »

« Je sais que les ingénieurs et les techniciens de Suzuki vont travailler dur et je vais aussi m’entraîner chez moi pour être en pleine forme. La première partie de la saison ne va pas être facile parce que tout est encore nouveau mais je suis quand même très optimiste. »

Viñales a ajouté : « Je suis très content parce que nous avons travaillé très dur dès la première journée et que nous avons bien progressé. Nous avons gagné plus de deux secondes depuis la première journée et nous en sommes très contents. »

« Nous avons beaucoup travaillé sur le châssis au long de ces trois journées et j’aimerais davantage me concentrer sur le moteur lors du prochain test mais le châssis est parfait. Je peux me donner à 100% sur la moto, vraiment pousser sur le pneu avant et c’est quelque chose que j’aime beaucoup sur cette moto. Je peux prendre les courbes très vite et c’est un bon avantage. Si nous avions un peu plus de puissance à associer à ce châssis, je pense que nous pourrions faire d’importants progrès. »

« J’ai un peu de mal à gérer les pneus, qui sont très différents de ceux du Moto2, et je n’arrive pas toujours à trouver les meilleures trajectoires. Mon team m’aide beaucoup pour trouver les trajectoires et j’ai vraiment progressé là-dessus durant ce test. Je suis très heureux que toute l’équipe et les ingénieurs aient travaillé aussi dur pour moi durant ces trois journées d’essais et j’attends le prochain test avec impatience. »

Suzuki’s MotoGP™ team have concluded the three day season opening test at Sepang in Malaysia with positive results and valuable new data acquired in readiness for their Grand Prix comeback in 2015.

Team riders Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales continued to improve their lap-times around the 5.543km Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, enthusiastic about progress made this week; and the improvements and refinements made to their GSX-RRs.

Espargaro completed a total of 137 laps to finish 10th in the overall rankings after setting a best-lap of 2’00.486 on Friday; an improvement of 1.73s since testing began on Wednesday.

MotoGP class rookie Viñales, who recorded a total of 176 laps, moved up to 12th overall on Friday after lapping at 2’00.964; a significant improvement of 2.2s from his initial first-session time.

Satoru Terada, Team Director and Project Leader, said, “The most important thing is that we had no major troubles and no crashes, plus we completed a full three-days of testing. Both of our riders have made great improvements, which has given us the confidence in the work we have done over the winter; and we are even-more motivated now.”

“We are quite happy with their lap-times as they have improved a great amount during the three-days, and we are clearer now on the areas we have to work on. The factory needs to find the optimal-solution now for our upcoming tests so that we can get ready for the first race in Qatar.”

Davide Brivio, Team Manager, commented, “I’m very happy with this test because we were able to achieve some good improvements and also get some good answers and feedback. First of all, our reliability has greatly improved, we have run for three-days now, plus two-days previously with our test riders; which means five-days without any problems. This shows that the engineers at the factory in Japan have worked well during the winter, and they have made a great effort.”

“We were also able to work a lot with both our riders and put-in many laps and this helped them both to understand the bike more and we could therefore improve the settings of their machines. We also made good improvements on the electronics-side as well, and overall, the package seems to be at a good level already, because we learned that we have a very good chassis and a very good bike which Aleix and Maverick are happy to ride.”

“The other thing that we have to mention is that our riders are obviously a very-strong factor of this whole package and development: They work very hard and they get along with the team crews very well, which I believe is very important; so there are many positive elements here. But we also know our weak-points, but I think our engineers have acquired sufficient information here to find a solution to them all. We still have a lot of work to do and there’s a long way ahead to achieve them yet, but I would say that we are having a promising start. It’s been a hard winter for everybody and I want to thank all the guys in Japan; everyone needs to continue going forward and we have to continue to give our best.”

Espargaro stated, “Overall I’m very happy with the first test and we have to be proud of improving a lot of the reliability of the engine. We had no problems in three days which is great and the atmosphere of the team is really fantastic. I already feel better than last year as I am very comfortable with the team. It’s very important for me that I feel the people working together are my family; so I’m very happy about this!”

“I‘m also happy that the bike is improving and developing really quickly: From the first test I think that our bike is not so-far-off the factory Yamaha and Ducati, so we have to be proud of that - although we still have to continue really hard. We finished the test 1.6-seconds away from the factory Honda, so we need to be closer at the next test.”

“I know that the Suzuki engineers and technicians will work really hard at the factory and I will also train harder in my house to be fully-fit. It won’t be easy during the first part of the season, as everything is still new, but I’m really optimistic.”

Viñales added, “I’m very happy as we worked so hard from the opening day of the test and we made some big steps forward. We improved more than two seconds from the first day, so we are very happy. We worked so much with the chassis all the time during the past three days and I believe that we can go two-to-three steps better now.”

“I would like to concentrate a little bit more on the engine-side for me at the next test, but the chassis is perfect; I can go 100% on the bike and I can push so much more with the front tyre, so that this is what I really like a lot with the bike. I can go so fast into the corners and this is the big advantage. If we are able to have slightly more engine power, and keep this advantage of the chassis, I believe that we can make even bigger improvements.”

“Although I’m struggling a little bit on how to manage the tyres - as it’s so very different to Moto2 - finding the best lines is a slightly difficult-point for me right now. My team helped me a lot finding the best lines and I managed this and improved a lot during the test. I’m so happy that all the crews and engineers worked so hard for me during these three days of testing and I’m really looking forward to our next test.”

Confederate X132 Hellcat Combat at the Bonneville Salt Flats

All aboard the Deus ex Machina Ducati Dreamliner

The name Deus ex Machina is a well-known one in bespoke motorcycle circles, but the Californian customiser has yet to apply its twist to an Italian motorcycle. Well, until it unveiled the Ducati-based ‘Dreamliner’, that is…

The move into unfamiliar waters stemmed from a conversation with the eventual owner, who insisted the bike should lean heavily towards functionality. “I wanted to recreate the feel of a 1960s Ferrari,” says Deus Ex founder Woolie. “When you opened up the hood, all you found was a motor, coils, distributor and a battery. Just what you need, and no more.” Using this philosophy as a basis, Woolie sourced a 750cc V-Twin from a Monster – but rather than simply building around the existing frame, he instead chose to create a custom frame from scratch, hence the absence of the familiar trellis arrangement. What’s more, the fancy Ohlins suspension is set up specifically for the weight of its new owner, taking the bespoke aspect of the build well beyond mere aesthetics.

Sitting up, looking back

Despite this, Woolie claims the basic geometric set-up is similar to that of a 916RS, and that the bike’s spartan makeup lends it a dynamic character closer to that of a 250 GP bike. Further nods to classic Ducatis include asymmetrical exhaust headers inspired by the 1970s Imola Desmo racing bike, while the beautiful hand-rolled tank harks further back to those worn by Italian bikes of the 1950s. Even with all this Italian inspiration, the Dreamliner has a distinct American persona: where outsourced custom work is necessary, Woolie uses nearby specialists in order to support local trade.

Photos: Deus ex Machina

You can find numerous classic Ducatis for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

RUSTY BOLT GARAGE AS1

“I just couldn’t cut it up too much…” Charles Burkhardt of Rusty Bolt Garage was smitten with this little Yamaha the very first moment he saw it.
Now we are not usually inclined to advocate reverence when it comes to the cutting of supposedly precious metal, but a little restraint can go a long way. With this gorgeous AS1 Charles has enhanced our belief that in the right hands, a grinder and a welding torch can certainly improve all but the rarest of museum piece.

Charles acquired the AS1 in a multi-bike bundle deal, but it was always this particular machine he had his eye on,“We had to buy 3 others from the guy just so we could get our hands on this one!” The little 125 was in a sorry state so a full restoration was in order, along with those subtle modifications/improvements.

Charles has been building and repairing bikes ever since he got his first two wheeler, a Honda CB550.
“About a month after I bought it I took it on a 1500 mile roadtrip. Of course, old bikes need a fair amount of attention so after that trip, it needed some work. My passion for bikes started with that.”
Rusty Bolt Garage grew from that passion into Charles’ full time business, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Back to RBG’s latest, inspiration for the classic look came from one of Charles’ good friends who owned an AS1 back in the day, the stories he told of the fun he had aboard his Yam captured the imagination.
“He grew up in England and decided to get his first motorcycle when he was 18 in the early seventies. He had 100 pounds and was able to find a used AS1. The guy was asking 150 but he was able to talk him down to what he had in his pocket.”

With his inspiration and a finished target firmly in mind Charles set to work, starting with the engine.  He totally rebuilt the top end with new pistons, rings, clips, pins, gaskets and seals throughout. The carbs were cleaned by vapor blasting and overhauled to accommodate the new K&N filters. The stock semi-expansion chambers he reused after polishing them to a bright shine and fitting the freshly black powder coated heat shields.

The frame and swingarm were blasted down to bare metal and cleaned of unnecessary tabs, Charles then mounted new seat brackets and fabricated a removable rear hoop.
“This way, if you wanted to go back to the stock seat it would be no problem. Nothing we did to the frame can’t be undone. We then powder coated the frame, swingarm, and skid plate in gloss black.”

The forks have been rebuilt with new seals, the legs are polished and the springs powder coated in gloss black to compliment the new rear shocks. The bike rides on new Michelin semi dual sport tyres, the speed scrubbing duties are handled by the stock front and rear drums which boast new brake shoes and springs. Up front Charles unsurprisingly chose to stick with the classy original headlight assembly and speedometer. A new left hand switch controls the turn signals, high and low beam, and a chirpy new horn. New cushion grips have been to the broomstick type handlebar along with new rubbers on the foot pegs, mini LED turn signals, a small brake light and license plate bracket.

“Yamaha had a black and silver version of the AS1, so we thought we would stick with the colour combo but switch it around a little. The tank, side cover and oil tank have been painted silver. The fenders got the same treatment after we cut them down a bit. We then went with a black seat, tank panels and pads, and headlight bucket to give the sort of ‘straight across’ visual we wanted.”
The handmade seat features a small step to give the pillion a panoramic view, but their footpegs are removable for when they choose to stay at home.

The finished article is exactly as Charles imagined, a resto-mod with its heritage fully intact, enhanced with the tweaked details that satisfy the roving modern eye. And the riding experience? Had time tinted the friends tales of yore with a little too much enthusiasm?
“All I can say is this; she may look small, but once you get this puppy in her powerband…hang on. You will be pleasantly surprised…”
It seems not!

via PIPEBURN

What’s the time, Mr Warhol?

Well-executed remakes are more the exception than the rule, adding weight to the classic ‘if it ain’t broke’ cliché. But the elegant ‘Black Tie’ from Piaget is most certainly a success story, taking the lead from a 1970s classic that found favour with Andy Warhol…

Warhol was famous for bringing everyday objects such as bananas, Coke cans and bean tins into the focal field of his works. But when he wasn’t glamorising daily objects, the pop art poster boy was known to indulge in the finer things in life. He treated watches as fashion pieces rather than practical timekeepers. Indeed, he once said of his Cartier Tank: “I don’t wear a Tank to tell the time. In fact I never wind it. I wear a Tank because it’s the watch to wear.” He was also known to sport a rose gold 1940s Rolex – fitted with his own custom strap – and a Piaget.

What would Warhol wear?

Warhol’s favoured Piaget was fitted with the slim Quarzwerk Beta 21 movement – the same used in the early 1970s by Patek Philippe, IWC and several others. The oval shaped case with its ‘stepped’ edges very much represented the style of the decade and, as such, was offered by Piaget in many different variants. At last week’s Geneva Watch Salon (SIHH), the Swiss brand revealed the latest model in the form of a gentleman’s formal dress watch: the Black Tie Vintage Inspiration. Beyond some subtle styling tweaks, the Beta 21 movement has been replaced with an even slimmer automatic calibre 534P.

As a result, the Black Tie Vintage Inspiration fits the profile of a ‘dress watch’ superbly, and the infinite-depth Onyx Black dial and white gold case will also prove to be a conversation starter without being overtly noticeable. Provided you’re able to secure one of the 28 to be produced, that is.

Photos: Piaget

You can find thousands of classic watches for sale (including several Piagets) in the Classic Driver Market.

WRC, Suède : Un Saoudien dans la neige / a Saudi in the snow

Révélation du dernier Rallye Dakar, Yazeed Al-Rajhi dispute ce week-end son quatrième Rallye de Suède au volant d’une Ford Fiesta RRC/Michelin, une semaine après avoir participé au Qatar Rally. Le Saoudien est aussi à l’aise dans les dunes que dans la poudreuse…

Pour sa première participation au Dakar le mois dernier, Yazeed a remporté une victoire d’étape et pointait à la 3^e place du classement général avant une casse moteur sur son Toyota Hilux à deux jours de l’arrivée. En 2016, il reviendra avec des envies de victoire…

Yazeed Bin Mohammad Al Rajhi a débuté en course automobile au Rallye de Jordanie 2007 sur une Mitsubishi Lancer, avant de disputer deux épreuves mondiales en 2008 (Argentine, Jordanie). Puis, copiloté par Mathieu Baumel et coaché par Alexandre Bengué, Yazeed s’est lancé dans un programme mixte IRC/MERC sur une Peugeot 207 S2000 du team belge Kronos, avant de s’orienter vers le WRC. Après une campagne mondiale désastreuse en 2011, Yazeed et son nouveau copilote, le Britannique Michael Orr, ont signé plusieurs podiums de catégorie en Mondial.

En 2013, le Saoudien a créé la surprise en remportant la catégorie SWRC et terminant 10^e du général au Rallye de Suède. L’an passé, il a conclu au pied du podium après avoir remporté 7 spéciales et mené la catégorie WRC-2 jusqu’au dimanche matin.

« Je n’avais jamais roulé sur la neige avant ma première participation en Suède en 2012, même pas au volant d’une voiture de série ! Mais je me suis immédiatement senti à l’aise sur cette surface où il faut beaucoup de sensibilité », raconte le pilote d’Arabie Saoudite. « Je viens d’un pays où il fait souvent 50°C. J’ai vu de la neige pour la première fois dans les montagnes du Liban, en 2005, à 24 ans. »

« Mon objectif est de gagner la catégorie WRC-2 ce week-end, mais la concurrence s’annonce plus relevée que l’an passé avec Ketomaa, Tidemand, Grondal, Alhin qui connaissent très bien ce rallye. »

Yazeed va mener trois programmes de front cette année (24 courses) avec WRC-2, MERC et la Coupe du monde FIA de Cross-Country. « Je dois m’entraîner pour le Dakar que je veux gagner en 2016 ». En fait, Yazeed veux tout gagner. « Avec Michael, nous avons de l’expérience sur tous les rallyes désormais et il est grand temps de passer à l’attaque ! »

After a stunning performance on January’s Dakar, Yazeed Al-Rajhi is contesting Rally Sweden for the fourth time this weekend in a Ford Fiesta RRC/Michelin. Last week, he took part in the Qatar Rally, but the Saudi driver is as at home on snow as he is over sand dunes.

In January, Yazeed came away from his first attempt at the Dakar with one stage win to his name and was up to third overall when the engine of his Toyota Hilux failed two days from home. He says his intention in 2016 will be to win…

Yazeed Bin Mohammad Al Rajhi made his motorsport debut on the 2007 Jordan Rally in a Mitsubishi Lancer before starting two WRC rounds in 2008 (Argentina, Jordan). Then, with French co-driver Mathieu Baumel sitting alongside, and boosted by coaching from ex-French champion Alexandre Bengué, he put together a mixed IRC/MERC programme in 2010 (Peugeot 207 S2000, Kronos Racing) before turning his attention to the WRC once more.

He had a disastrous year in 2011 but returned the following season with a new co-driver – Briton Michael Orr – and notched up several podium successes in his class.

In 2013, the Saudi driver took a surprise victory in the SWRC and came 10^th overall in Sweden, which he followed up with fourth here last year in WRC2 after collecting seven stage wins and even topping his class until the final morning.

“I had never driven on snow before my Rally Sweden debut in 2012, not even in a road car,” he relates. “I felt at home at once. It’s a surface that calls for a great deal of sensibility. I come from a country where the temperature often reaches 50°C. I was 24 when I saw snow for the first time in my life, in the Libyan mountains, in 2005!”

“My aim is to win WRC2 this weekend but the opposition promises to be fiercer than last year because there will be drivers like Ketomaa, Tidemand and Grondal who know this event very well.”

Yazeed has a triple programme this season, with a diary of 24 events in WRC2, the MERC and the FIA Cross-Country World Cup. “I need to practice for the Dakar because I want to win it in 2016.”

In reality, he wants to win everything: “Michael and I have done all the rallies together now so it’s time to start coming first!”

reprographie

WRC, Suède : 39-4-2, le tiercé sur l’hippodrome / outsider Tidemand wins at Karlstad hippodrome

La 63e édition du Rallye de Suède a débuté ce soir avec la Superspéciale tracée sur l’hippodrome de Karlstad et remportée, à la surprise générale, par Pontus Tidemand au volant de sa Ford Fiesta R5/Michelin, devant Ostberg et Latvala.

La Superspéciale de Karlstad ouvre traditionnellement l’épreuve suédoise devant des milliers de spectateurs massés dans les gradins de l’hippodrome. Chaque année, les organisateurs ajoutent du show au spectacle, avant et après le passage des concurrents.

Les festivités ont débuté peu après 18h00 avec la séance d’autographe où les fans ont pu rencontrer les pilotes WRC, suivie d’un concert du groupe suédois Panetoz. A 19h00, le Rallye Show a commencé avec la présentation des pilotes et des World Rally Cars alignées face au public.

L’ambiance est montée d’un cran lorsque les freestylers suédois, Daniel Bodin et Fredrik « Frog », sont entrés en piste. Motoneige contre motocross,back-flipcontrewhip… Le public était médusé. Nous, nous avons suivi le spectacle depuis un restaurant situé en bord de piste, transformé pour l’occasion enwaiting loungepour les pilotes et les membres des teams. L’endroit était bondé, bruyant, mais tout le monde était cool et décontract’ avant le début des choses sérieuses.

La Superspéciale a débuté peu après 20h00, après le feu d’artifice. Une piste tout spécialement tracée et verglacée sur l’hippodrome attendait les concurrents lancés par paire sur les 1,9 km de spéciale. En raison des températures positives aujourd’hui à Karlstad, les pilotes ont effectué les repérages de cette Superspéciale avec les voitures de recos chaussés de pneus à petits clous, pour ne pas endommager la glace.

Cette année, ce sont les fans qui ont choisi les duels via les réseaux sociaux du Rallye de Suède. Le Norvégien Anders Grondal (DS3 R5) et le Suédois Pontus Tidemand (Fiesta RRC/Michelin) ont ouvert les hostilités. Le beau-fils d’Henning Solberg s’est facilement imposé devant ses fans suédois. Puis Fredrik Ahlin (Fiesta R5) a offert une nouvelle victoire à la Suède face à la Norvège (Brynildsen).

Les premières WRC sont entrées en piste à 20h28 avec le duel polo-ukrainien Solowow/Protasov, puis celui des débutants Abbring/Bertelli. Le match des Norvégiens, Mikkelsen/Solberg a été remporté par le pilote VW, puis Tanak est venu à bout de Kubica dans un duel de Fiesta RS WRC. Neuville et Latvala ont gagné leur duel, de même que Mads Ostberg opposé à Sbastien Ogier.

Mais aucun pilote WRC n’est parvenu à battre le chrono de 1min32s1 réalisé par Pontus Tidemand au volant de sa Ford Fiesta RS/Michelin ! Le Suédois avait visiblement été avantagé par sa première position sur la glace vierge.

Les concurrents du Rallye de Suède 2015 seront de retour sur l’hippodrome de Karlstad demain soir (vendredi) pour une seconde Superspéciale. Ensuite, le show sera assuré par d’anciens vainqueurs du rallye Marcus Grönholm et Thomas Radström, le pilote de circuit Richard Goransson et de Rallycross Sebastian Eriksson.

The 63rd Rally Sweden started with this evening’s short super-special at Karlstad’s horse trotting track. The 1.90km stage was won by dark horse Pontus Tidemand (Ford Fiesta RRC S2000/Michelin), chased past the post by Mads Ostberg (Citroën, +0.3s) and Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford, +0.4s).

 super-special at Karlstad’s hippodrome is a tradition that dates back a long, long time and it invariably attracts a huge turnout of casual rally fans. Every year, the organisers turn the occasion into a big show which precedes the WRC action and continues afterwards.

Festivities kicked off just after 6pm with an autograph signing session which gave spectators a chance to get close to the WRC stars. This was followed by a concert by Swedish group Panetoz before the Rally Show proper commenced at 7pm with a presentation of the drivers and their World Rally Cars in front of the main grandstands.

The entertainment continued with displays by Swedish freestyle aces Daniel Bodin and Fredrik ‘Frog’ who performed back flips and whips on bikes and snow scooters in front of a clearly appreciative crowd.

We followed all this from a small restaurant located on the edge of the track which had been converted into a ‘waiting lounge’ for the crews and their respective teams. The place was packed and noisy, but the mood was good-natured – almost pub-like, without the alcohol – as the countdown to the start of hostilities ticked by…

The stage itself began shortly after 8pm and used a specially-prepared course across the hippodrome’s icy infield, with competitors tackling the 1.9km test two at a time. Because of today’s mild, sunny weather, the recce was performed in cars equipped with small studs in their tyres so as not to damage the ice.

This year, it was the fans who decided who would compete against who via Rally Sweden’s social media and the show started with WRC2 runners Anders Grondal from Norway (DS3 R5) against Swede Pontus Tidemand (Fiesta RRC). The WRC matches included Mikkelsen vs Solberg, Tanak vs Kubica and Ogier vs Ostberg

In the end, it was Tidemand who took the honours in his WRC2 Ford/Michelin, helped by the fact that he was the first driver on the road before the conditions gradually deteriorated. Despite driving more powerful World Rally Cars, the championship’s front-runners were effectively unable to better the Swedish youngster’s effort.

Even so, Ostberg will be pleased to have ended up as the best WRC driver after winning his contest against world champion Sébastien Ogier by 0.8s. Latvala was third best.

Competitors will contest the same stage again after the first full day tomorrow (Friday). The entertainment will then be provided by ex-Rally Sweden winners Marcus Grönholm and Thomas Radström, circuit racer Richard Goransson and rallycross star Sebastian Eriksson.