rassemblement ..RUSSENSCHMIEDE

SuperMoto : doublé de Chareyre (TM – Michelin) en Italie / double tops for Chareyre in Italy

Après avoir laissé échapper la victoire lors de la première épreuve du Championnat du monde FIM SuperMoto en Espagne, Thomas Chareyre (TM-Michelin) s’est rattrapé en signant le doublé en Italie, deuxième épreuve de la saison.

Auteur de la pole position pour la deuxième fois consécutive, Thomas Chareyre, champion du monde en titre, a, cette fois-ci, concrétisé en course en remportant les deux manches.

Le Français a conservé l’avantage au départ et a mené de bout en bout la première course ne laissant ainsi aucune chance à ses adversaires. Il s’impose avec plus de six secondes d’avance surPavel Kejmar (Husqvarna). Lukas Hoellbacher (Husqvarna) monte pour la troisième fois consécutive sur la troisième marche du podium. Les trois premières positions n’ont pas évolué tout au long de la course.

La quatrième place est revenue à Ivan Lazzarini (L30 Racing - Honda) qui a pris le meilleur sur son compatriote Andrea Occhini (Mobomotor-Honda-Michelin) lors du huitième tour. Le pilote Honda-Michelin se classe finalement sixième juste derrière Mauno Hermunen (SHR – TM).

Qualifié en deuxième position, le Finlandais a complétement raté son départ et s’est retrouvé en sixième position au bout du premier tour. Il a réussi à gagner une place et terminé cinquième perdant laissant envoler de précieux points au général.

Malgré le holeshot d’Hermunen lors de la seconde course, Thomas Chareyre s’est emparé de la tête lors du deuxième tour et ne l’a plus jamais quitté pour remporter sa deuxième victoire. Il franchit la ligne d’arrivée avec une avance de neuf secondes sur Hermunen, deuxième, qui a commis une petite erreur de pilotage qui lui a couté la victoire.

Pavel Keymar, qui avait également profité de la faute du Finlandais, pour se hisser à la deuxième position, a rétrogradé de deux places au septième tour, impuissant face à Hermunen et Lazzrini. Le Tchèque se classe quatrième.

Auteur d’un bon début de saison, Hoellbacher finit sixième derrière Vermulen Devon (KTM).

Grâce à son doublé, Thomas Chareyre prend la tête du classement général avec deux points d’avance sur Hermunen. Lazzarini est troisième avec 12 points de retard sur le leader.

After failing to win at the opening round of the 2015 FIM SuperMoto World Championship in Spain, Thomas Chareyre (TM-Michelin) bounced back to claim both victories at Round 2 in Italy.

The defending world champion qualified on pole once again, but this time converted the honour into two wins.

Race 1 saw the Frenchman score a flag-to-flag success in dominating style, crossing the line more than six seconds clear of Pavel Kejmar (Husqvarna). Lukas Hoellbacher (Husqvarna) was third for the third time in a row. The top three remained unchanged from start to finish.

Fourth place went to Ivan Lazzarini (L30 Racing-Honda) who got the better of compatriot Andrea Occhini (Mobomotor-Honda-Michelin) on Lap 8. The Honda-Michelin rider ended up sixth, just behind Mauno Hermunen (SHR-TM).

The Finn qualified in second place but got away to a disastrous start and was sixth after the opening lap. He managed to recover one position but might live to regret the lack of points.

Hermunen responded with the hole shot in Race 2, but Chareyre took control on Lap 2 before powering to his second victory of the weekend, nine seconds ahead of Hermunen who squandered his chances of victory with a small mistake.

Keymar took advantage of the same error to take second place but was passed on Lap 7 by Hermunen and Lazzarini. The Czech rider had to settle for fourth.

Hoellbacher strong early showing continued with sixth behind Vermulen Devon (KTM).

Chareyre’s double whammy takes him to the top of the provisional standings, two points better than Hermunen. Lazzarini (+12 points) is third.

Prochaine épreuve : 17 mai, TBA

Résultats :

Course 1 : 1. Chareyre Thomas (FRA-TM) ; 2. Kejmar Pavel (CZE-Husqvarna) ; 3. Hoellbacher Lukas (AUT-Husqvarna) ; 4. Lazzarini Ivan (ITA-Honda) ; 5. Hermunen Mauno (FIN-TM) ; 6. Occhini Andrea (ITA-Honda) ;…

Course 2 : 1. Chareyre Thomas (FRA-TM) ; 2. Hermunen Mauno (FIN-TM) ; 3. Lazzarini Ivan (ITA-Honda) ; 4. Kejmar Pavel (CZE-Husqvarna) ; 5. Vermeulen Devon (NED-KTM) ; 6. Hoellbacher Lukas (AUT-Husqvarna) ;….

Classement général : 1. Chareyre Thomas (FRA-TM) 90 points; 2. Hermunen Mauno (FIN-TM) 88 p.; 3. Lazzarini Ivan (ITA-Honda) 78 p.; 4. Hoellbacher Lukas (AUT-Husqvarna) 75 p.; 5. Kejmar Pavel (CZE-Husqvarna) 69 p.; 6. Vermeulen Devon (NED-KTM) 54 p.; 7. Ravaglia Christian (ITA-Honda) 53 p.; 8. Kingelin Asseri (FIN-Honda) 49 p.; 9. Monticelli Teo (ITA-Honda) 48 p.; 10. Sammartin Elia (ITA-TM) 44 p.

WRC ; Brèves d’Argentine…/ Tales from Argentina…

Au menu des brèves du Rallye d’Argentine 2015, des larmes chez Volkswagen, de la joie chez Citroën et M-Sport, des pénalités, des amendes, de la daube et des Maxi Rally…

C’est très rare, mais les Volkswagen Polo R WRC n’ont guère été fiables sur ce rallye : problèmes d’injecteurs et de direction assistée pour Ogier, de boîte de vitesses, de freins et d’injecteurs pour Latvala, de direction pour Mikkelsen.

                                   

La Polo R WRC version 2014 de Mikkelsen disputait son dernier rallye… avant sa destruction ! Chez VW, on ne reconditionne pas les voitures de course pour les vendre ou les louer.

Rien à voir avec le week-end difficile de VW en Argentine, mais le Président de Volkswagen Group Ferdinand Piech (78 ans, petit-fils de Ferdinand Porsche) a démissionné en raison de tensions avec le PDG Martin Winterkom. Ferdinand Piech avait toujours repoussé l’arrivée du Groupe en F1…

Yurii Protasov n’a pas été récompensé de ses efforts. L’Ukrainien avait terminé l’ES5 sur trois roues. Or, le règlement stipule qu’une voiture doit rouler sur ses quatre roues en liaison. Du point stop, le pilote est allé rechercher la roue manquante à l’arrivée de la spéciale en courant. De retour avec l’ensemble roue/transmission placé dans le coffre, l’équipage a ensuite parcouru 1080 mètres sur trois roues pour trouver un emplacement et pouvoir réparer. Yurii et son copilote ont réussi à remettre la 4^e roue en place pour rallier l’assistance. Mais pour avoir parcouru ces quelques hectomètres sur trois roues, ils ont reçu 15 minutes de pénalité !

En revanche, les commissaires n’ont pas jugé bon de rendre la trentaine de secondes perdues par Elfyn Evans dans la poussière de Thierry Neuville dans l’ES2.

Mais ils ont distribué une pluie d’amendes : 1000 € à Seb Ogier, Dani Sordo, Martin Prokop et Thierry Neuville pour avoir pris (involontairement) une coupe de 130 mètres dans la spéciale n°2, 300 € pour la même erreur du pilote privé Miguel Vazquez.

Pour l’anecdote, l’arrivée de l’ES5 Villa Bustos-Tanti était située tout près du centre géographique de l’Argentine.

La daube servie samedi soir chez M-Sport était succulente paraît-il. Et pour cause, « Mick Le Chef » l’a préparée (par erreur) avec un très bon vin rouge acheté par Malcolm Wilson. Grand vin, bonne sauce…

Kris Meeke a remporté sa première victoire mondiale au volant de la DS3 WRC (châssis n°17) pilotée par Sébastien Loeb au Rallye d’Argentine 2013, la 78^e et dernière victoire du nonuple champion du monde en WRC.

Pour la première fois, les voitures Maxi Rally homologuées RC2N (équivalentes aux S2000) en Argentine étaient autorisées à courir en WRC et ont offert une grande variété au plateau mondial. Federico Villagra (Ford Fiesta MR) a terminé à la 10^e place du général. Il y avait aussi une Chevrolet Agile MR, une Peugeot 208 et une 207 MR, une Gol Trend MR, une Citroën DS3 MR, une Fiat Palio MR et une Renault Clio MR. En revanche, l’Audi inscrite sur la liste des engagés n’a pas été admise aux vérifications techniques. Dommage, cette Audi R1 « bodybuildée » était superbe !

Our post-Rally Argentina snippets range from Volkswagen’s dip in form and tears of joy at Citroën, to penalties, fines, gastronomy at M-Sport and Maxi Rally cars…

It’s a rare occurrence, but the Volkswagen Polo R WRCs weren’t an example of reliability on this rally: there were fuel injector and power steering problems for Ogier, gearbox, brakes and injector woes for Latvala, plus power steering issues for Mikkelsen. 

It was the final outing for Mikkelsen’s 2014-spec Polo R WRC before its destruction! VW doesn´t recondition its cars for sale or hire.

Totally unrelated, the Volkswagen Group’s President Ferdinand Piech, 78 (grandson of Ferdinand Porsche), has resigned because of tensions with CEO Martin Winterkom. Piech has always shunned the Group’s presence in F1…

Yurii Protasov was poorly rewarded for his efforts after completing SS5 on three wheels. The regulations state that cars must have four wheels on road sections. So, after driving out of the finish control, the Ukrainian ran back into the stage to retrieve the car’s missing corner (wheel, transmission…), put it in the boot and drive 1,080 metres on three wheels to find a suitable spot for repairs. Along with his co-driver, he managed to put everything back together and reach the next service park. However, he was handed a 15-minute time penalty for the short distance he drove with one wheel in the boot…

                                   

There were a number of fines handed out over the weekend: Seb Ogier, Dani Sordo, Martin Prokop and Thierry Neuville all parted with €1,000 for accidently taking a 130-metre shortcut on SS2. Privateer Miguel Vazquez paid €300 for the same fault.

We learned during the rally that the end of SS5 (Villa Bustos-Tanti) was very close to the geographical centre of Argentina.

It appears that the stew served to the team at M-Sport on Saturday evening was especially delicious. No wonder: the chef accidentally used one of the bottles of excellent red wine that boss Malcolm Wilson had just purchased locally!

Kris Meeke secured his first world class win in the same DS3 WRC (chassis number 17) that Sébastien Loeb drove to victory on this event in 2013. That was the 78^th and last success of the nine-time world champion.

                               

For the very first time, national Maxi Rally RC2N cars (equivalent to S2000) were authorised to compete in a WRC event. Federico Villagra even came 10^th in his Ford Fiesta MR. Other Maxi Rally entries were a Chevrolet Agile MR, a Peugeot 208, a Peugeot 207 MR, a Gol Trend MR, a Citroën DS3 MR, a Fiat Palio MR and a Renault Clio MR. However, the Audi A1 which was on the original entry list failed to pass scrutineering. A shame, because it was a superb-looking machine!

A day with Monsieur C. and his Maserati A6GCS

Mr C. is one of those connoisseur collectors who could have chosen a big-business career, but opted instead to dedicate his life to classic cars. Mr C. has some important cars, but prefers to remain discreet. Among his fabulous machines, we decided to focus on a very special one: his Maserati A6GCS.

What’s your oldest automobile memory?

My grandparents had a big company, made big money, and they always had nice cars. As often as she could, my grandmother would take me with her to the casino, in her Delage Coupé Chauffeur. There was a toy shop next to the casino and, almost every day, she bought me a Dinky Toy. I loved them, played with them all the time, and I still have a few – in excellent condition, still in their boxes. I also remember going to their factory with my brother. My grandfather had a Bentley and my brother always jumped in it, as if he was going to start it up and hit the road. And I always screamed, “No, no, stop it!”

And what next?

We had a big family country house. The gardener’s son was always working on his moped and one day I began to work with him. I loved going there, because I could work on the mechanical parts, and after that he bought his first car and we continued to work on it together. That’s how I learned how a car worked, and how it was put together.

Why didn’t you work in the family business to make big money to buy all your dream cars?

Well, for two reasons: the first is that I wasn’t so good at school, and I didn’t want to keep studying. The second reason is that I just wanted to work on classic cars, not in the family business which has nothing to do with cars. But still, while I didn't make ‘big’ money, I did make enough to buy the cars I’ve always wanted.

And how did you start? With which cars?

The first was a Citroën Traction 11 Légère. Then I had some Jaguars, Austin-Healeys and, in 1994, my first pre-War car: a Rolls-Royce Phantom I. In a way, this changed my life as a collector...

Why?

…because pre-War cars have this ‘je ne sais quoi’ which make them very special. Once you’ve driven one, you can’t forget it, and you want to drive others. It’s an addiction.

And so you bought more pre-War cars?

Yes, a Bugatti 57 Ventoux and then a Delage D8-120 Aerosport that I completely restored to concours condition. It made a big impression at the 1997 Rétromobile, as I presented the car half-restored.

What’s your philosophy regarding classic cars?

Cars are made to live, to be driven. Almost every day I take one of my cars from home to work. That’s a huge pleasure. I’ve always favoured cars with authenticity and soul. When I sit in a car, I want to feel something. I want to feel its history, its soul. I want to see the traces of age, of the good times... I like it when the original patina expresses something, tells you the story of the car.

Which matters more to you, design or mechanics?

Definitely design. I love very special cars. I like to imagine how the designer pictured the body before building it. Even if I’m also a mechanics freak...

Do you regret buying or selling any cars?

No, I have no regrets. Although there’s one car I hope I’ll never have to sell: my Bugatti Type 51.

What’s the most wonderful car in your opinion?

A Hispano-Suiza in cabriolet form. There are some awesome bodies on Hispano chassis: I’d love to own one.

And the most interesting car, mechanically?

A Hispano-Suiza again. The engine parts are wonderful.

So we can say you dream of a Hispano-Suiza?

Well, I’d love to have one. My grandfather had an H6B – but my dream would really be a Talbot-Lago Le Mans car.

In your collection, which car do you like the most?

Either my Bugatti Type 51, or my Maserati A6GCS.

And what about your Maserati? As a pre-War specialist collector, is that a car you always wanted?

Well, we’ve come back to my childhood. Among all my Dinky Toys, there’s one I loved above all others: a red Maserati A6GCS that I still have in its little box. I loved the shape and always thought, “One day, I’ll have one.”

Can you tell us more about the car?

Well, as I said, I like cars with a very clear and unusual history. This particular car is the 23rd built in the series but, most importantly, it’s one of the four Works cars that ran for Maserati in period.

So it has a special racing history?

Yes, indeed. In 1955, the car ran in the Mille Miglia, Le Mans 24 Hours, the Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti and the Targa Florio, where it finished second in class. In 1956, it ran again in the Mille Miglia and finished first in class and 13th overall. Then in 1956, 1957 and 1958, the car competed in such races as the Grand Prix des Frontières in Chimay, the 6 Hours Esso in Vallelunga, the Shell Trophy in Monza, the Spa Grand Prix...

And what about its condition?

The car is mostly original: in 1958, the front end was modified with a more aerodynamic nose by Fantuzzi, and the aluminium sheets are still the right ones. The car has its original engine and gearbox and the majority of small details are correct for the period and have clearly never been modified. I really love this car... the shape is incredible, the music of its engine is unique, and the feeling at the wheel can’t be described.

So your childhood dream came true?

Yes, the little Dinky Toy is now full-size in my garage... I think that’s a nice story. And as my son is also crazy about cars, I know this car (and the others) will continue to live for a long time. Just as they were made to do: being driven with passion.

Photos: Rémi Dargegen for Classic Driver © 2015

First his bikes – now Richard Hammond's 'Bigfoot' Defender is for sale

This Bigfoot-style 1987 Land Rover Defender 110 has the claim to fame of being formerly owned by (ex?) Top Gear host Richard Hammond. However, that’s only the most recent of a series of interesting chapters in the car’s history…

Hardcore Hamster

In the wake of the Clarkson fracas-gate, it seems the two blameless Top Gear hosts are rapidly cashing in their assets. Just last week, it was announced that Richard Hammond and James May had consigned numerous motorbikes to Bonhams’ Staffordshire County Show sale. Now, Classic Driver dealer Mather Collectable Motorcars is offering ‘Buster’: a 1987 Defender previously owned by Richard Hammond, who heavily modified the vehicle. Among the upgrades are a 230bhp 4.5-litre V8, a chassis-mounted rollcage, Bigfoot-esque wheels and tyres, and quilted oxblood leather upholstery lifted from a Range Rover Autobiography.

A new role

Buster’s life was an interesting one long before Hamster first assumed ownership, however. The vehicle was built as an airport fire tender before being decommissioned in order to feature in a TV show. After taking ownership shortly afterwards, ‘Hamster’ supposedly spent almost £70,000 on the changes – making the offered price all the more tempting.

Update: The car has now been sold

Photos: Mather Collectable Motorcars

Richard Hammond’s 1987 Land Rover Defender 110 V8 is currently for sale via Mather Collectable Motorcars. You can find many more Land Rover Defenders for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

WEC ; Toyota Gazoo Racing : Briller à Spa avant d’affronter l’ogre Le Mans

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing ne se déplacera pas très loin ce week-end pour disputer la deuxième manche du Championnat du Monde d’Endurance, les Six Heures de Spa-Francorchamps, en Belgique. (In English)

L’équipe est basée à Cologne, en Allemagne, chez TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH, soit à environ 120 km de Spa, considérée comme la première des trois épreuves « à domicile » avec celles de Fuji et du Nürburgring.

Un peu plus tôt ce mois-ci, Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi et Kazuki Nakajima, sur la TS040 HYBRID #1, ont débuté la saison en montant sur la troisième marche du podium des Six Heures de Silverstone. Anthony et Sébastien se sont imposés à Spa voilà 12 mois.

A Silverstone, la quatrième place de la voiture #2 d’Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin et Mike Conway a permis à l’équipe de marquer un nombre satisfaisant de points. TOYOTA rejoint la Belgique à la deuxième place du classement général des constructeurs, soit huit points derrière les leaders, Audi.

L’épreuve de Spa sera la 10^ème course de la TS040 HYBRID. Au moins une des deux voitures est montée sur le podium de chacune de ces courses et s’est imposée à cinq reprises.

Comme sur la première course de la saison, l’équipe utilisera de nouveau sur la TS040 HYBRID le package à forts appuis. Bien que les exigences du tracé de Spa nécessitent un niveau d’appuis inférieur à Silverstone, l’utilisation de ce package permettra d’atteindre des vitesses plus élevées sur la longue ligne droite de Kemmel.

Contrairement aux années précédentes, où tout le programme du meeting du Spa était concentré sur deux jours, cette année le programme s’étalera sur trois jours. Les essais libres débutent le jeudi (12h00-13h30 et 16h30-18h00) et se terminent le vendredi (14h00-15h00), juste avant les qualifications (de 18h35 à 19h00). La course débutera le samedi à 14h30.

Toshio Sato, président de l’équipe : « Spa est une course importante pour nous, et pas seulement parce qu’elle compte parmi nos épreuves à domicile. C’est aussi la dernière course avant Le Mans, il sera donc très important de collecter de nombreuses données et d’affiner notre voiture afin d’optimiser notre préparation. Nous avons gagné cette course l’an dernier et ce sera encore une fois notre ambition, même si nous savons que nos adversaires sont redoutables. Tout le monde a travaillé très dur après Silverstone pour que nous soyons prêts et nous allons nous battre pour la victoire. »

Anthony Davidson (TS040 HYBRID #1) : « Je suis impatient de revenir rouler à Spa car c’est une piste que j’aime et l’une de celles où nous avons gagné l’année dernière. J’espère que nous serons plus compétitifs là-bas que nous l’étions à Silverstone. La météo est toujours imprévisible à Spa. On ne sait jamais ce qui va arriver et cela peut certainement affecter les résultats. La piste elle-même est vraiment fascinante et passer l’Eau Rouge est beaucoup plus difficile avec une LMP1 qu’une F1. Dans un bon jour, c’est à peu près à fonds, ce qui signifie que l’on est toujours à la limite en passant là. »

1-of-1 creates personalised prints of your pride and joy

No matter how many examples of your treasured machine were produced, it will always be ‘one of one’, according to Australian graphic artist Steve Schenko. It seems many agree – so he’s now transformed his hobby of creating beautiful bespoke works of auto-art into a thriving business…

“We work closely with the client to identify all the important features of the car that they want us to capture,” self-proclaimed ‘bald art director and car enthusiast’ Steve Schenko told Classic Driver. “The most common request we get is to capture the decals on the cars – the little things that make their car ‘theirs’. A good example is a customer from California, who asked us to capture a very subtle decal he had placed on the rear window of his 993 C2S. The decal is so subtle that most people would never notice it, but to us (and him) that’s what makes it cool – he’ll notice it.”

We noticed your ‘ERR KULD’ numberplate too, Mr 993 – very ‘cool’ indeed…

A hobby at heart

Schenko began to work on custom commissions after using his graphic design expertise to illustrate his own car, the Chiffon White 1984 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera shown in the lead image above. Requests soon began coming in from his own circle of friends and beyond, and the promise of spending his working week talking to like-minded enthusiasts led him to form his own company, appropriately named 1-of-1. “I’ve conceded that it’s never going to be a big money-maker which, to be honest, is okay.”

Accurate, down to the finest details

“To ensure we capture all the correct details, we often ask for many reference shots, from detailed shots of the wheels and tyres, through to any decals,” Schenko continues. “Once we have illustrated it, we then send proofs to the client to approve. It’s their artwork – we want them to be 100% happy, and we invite them to be part of the process, much like building a car. Each illustration takes around two days to produce, depending on how much detail the client wants. It’s a long process; however, it offers the customer the opportunity to change details should they wish, prior to finalising the print.”

Photos: 1-OF-1

For further information, visit the 1-OF-1 website.