WRC, Rally Poland : Depuis 1921…/ an event dating back to 1921…

Après le Rallye alpin d’Autriche (1910) et le Rallye Monte-Carlo (1911), le Rallye de Pologne est la troisième épreuve routière la plus ancienne avec une première édition organisée à Varsovie en 1921.

Le Rally Poland, qui fête cette année sa 72^e édition, figure sur le podium des rallyes les plus anciens après l’Österreichische Alpenfahrt et le Monte-Carlo. Sa première édition remonte à 1921, mais la première épreuve routière polonaise date de 1912.

Cette année-là, l’Imperial Club de Saint-Pétersbourg avait organisé un rallye automobile entre Varsovie, Kiev et Moscou. Une seconde édition s’est tenue en juillet 1913 sous forme d’une boucle de 582 kilomètres autour de Varsovie avec 16 équipages au départ. L’année suivante, l’épreuve comptait quatre étapes, 1215 km, et fut remportée par le Comte Karol de Raczynski sur une Rochet-Schneider.

La Première Guerre mondiale mit un terme momentané aux courses de vitesse en Pologne. En 1921, l’Automobile Club de Pologne (Towarzystwo Automobilistów Królestwa Polskiego), qui avait pour mission principale de promouvoir l’automobile et de former les conducteurs, a organisé le premier Rajd Polski sur un parcours de 600 km (Varsovie- Białowieża-Varsovie), en grande majorité sur terre.

Seuls six concurrents se sont présentés au départ et la victoire est revenue à Tadeusz Heyne sur une Dodge Touring. Né en 1883, Tadeusz Heyne avait suivi des études techniques avant de travailler chez Skoda en République Tchèque, puis dans l’aviation en Russie.

Le Rajd Polski s’est développé Entre-Deux-Guerres, passant de 600 à 4500 km en 1939. Cette année-là, l’épreuve a carrément fait le tour du pays avec 68 équipages. Elle fut remportée par Renato Ghisalba sur une Fiat 1100 engagée par l’importateur, devant Stefan Grossman sur Citroën.

Après la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, l’Automobile Club de Pologne a réorganisé le Rajd Polski en septembre 1946 avec quelque 71 voitures épargnées par les ravages de la guerre. Les participants ont reçu une véritable ovation sur le parcours.

Puis le Rallye de Pologne a intégré le calendrier européen en 1960. En revanche, il ne compte que trois éditions en WRC : 1973, 2009 et 2014.

Depuis 2005, le Rajd Polski est installé à Mikolajki, dans la région des Lacs de Mazurie, et en octobre dernier, un accord a été signé entre l’Automobile Club de Pologne et les élus de la cité touristique pour que l’épreuve continue d’être organisée à Mikolajki pendant les dix prochaines années.

Rally Poland is the third longest-standing road fixture in motorsport history, after the Austrian Alps Rally (1910) and the Rallye Monte-Carlo (1911). The first event was based in Warsaw and organised in 1921.

This year marks the 72^nd running of Rally Poland. That makes it the third oldest rally after the Österreichische Alpenfahrt and the Monte-Carlo. It was organised for the first time in 1921, but the country’s original rally was held in 1912.

That year, the Imperial Club of Saint Petersburg staged a rally between Warsaw, Kiev and Moscow. A second version in July 1913 took the form of a 582km loop around Warsaw with 16 starters. The following year, it was divided into four legs totalling 1,215km and was won by Count Karol de Raczynski in a Rochet-Schneider.

Competitive action in Poland was halted by the outbreak of the Great War but returned in 1921 when the national car club (Towarzystwo Automobilistów Królestwa Polskiego, tasked with promoting the automobile and educating drivers) organised the inaugural, predominantly dirt Rajd Polski which featured a 600km run from Warsaw to Białowieża and back.

Only six entries were received and the event was won by Tadeusz Heyne in a Dodge Touring. Heyne was born in 1883 and his technical background led him to jobs with Skoda in the Czech Republic and then in Russia’s aviation industry.

The Rajd Polski grew in length to 4,500km by 1939 when the 68 starters performed a complete tour of the country. Winner was Renato Ghisalba in a Fiat 1100 entered by the local importer, ahead of Stefan Grossman in a Citroën.

After World War 2, the event returned in 1946 with an entry of 71 cars which had survived the war.

Rally Poland was included in the European Rally Championship in 1960 and has counted towards the WRC three times (1973, 2009 and 2014).

Since 2005, it has been based in Mikolajki in the Mazurian Lake District. Last October, the Polish Automobile Club signed a deal with the local authorities for the event to remain in the tourist resort for the next 10 years.

"DREAM" by Dozer garage & Eugene Kredentser

WRC, Rally Poland : Quiétude et fraîcheur / tranquillity and cool weather

Depuis dix ans, le Rajd Polski est organisé au nord de la Pologne, dans la magnifique région des Lacs de Mazurie. Alors que l’Europe occidentale suffoque sous une vague de chaleur, ici une petite brise et quelques cumulus régulent l’air ambiant à 25°C… 

Il flotte comme un parfum de vacances sur la cité lacustre de Mikolajki, située à 250 km au nord de Varsovie. Après quelques orages localisés hier mardi, on annonce une tempête de ciel bleu pour cette fin de semaine.

Touristes et fans de rallye déambulent sur la Marina, alors qu’au loin, voiliers, pédalos et jet-ski batifolent sur les eaux limpides du Lac Talty. Les terrasses s’étalent sur le rivage, à l’ombre desquelles on se rafraîchit de cornets glacés ou de Ziwiec. A ce propos, une récente étude a démontré que, sur 75 villes testée dans le monde, c’est en Pologne que la bière était la moins chère…

A quelques centaines de mètres du lac, sur les hauteurs, se dresse l’immense hôtel Golebiewski qui accueille la 7e manche du Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA. Car ce n’est pas tout à fait les vacances pour les 74 engagés au Rally Poland 2015, qui viennent de terminer les reconnaissances du parcours renouvelé à 80 %.

Mardi, les équipages ont pris en notes les spéciales de la première étape, au Nord, vers Goldap, près des frontières russes et lituaniennes. Le profil est rapide, voire ultra-rapide, sur des pistes tantôt larges, tantôt étroites entre des prairies rougies de coquelicots. Le fond des pistes reste dur, sous une couche de gravier parfois épaisse. La longue spéciale de Stanczyki (39,12 km) est superbe et somme toute assez variée même si le rythme général est rapide.

Aujourd’hui, mercredi, les concurrents ont visité les spéciales de la deuxième étape, dont la désormais célèbre Wieliczki, la plus rapide de la saison 2014 (136,88 km/h de moyenne). Ca devrait aller un peu moins vite cette année car une nouvelle portion finale emmène les concurrents sur des chemins étroits. Paprotki (ES13, 23,15 km), se dispute sur des pistes très souples et étroites qui passent de fermes en fermes. Elle ne sera parcourue qu’une fois, pour éviter une dégradation trop importante.

La prise de notes jouera un rôle déterminant dans les résultats du week-end car ces spéciales sont difficiles à « lire ». Ca va très, très vite sur des pistes parfois étroites où les virages sont masqués par de hautes herbes, avec ça ou là des « ciels » aveugles, ou des sections pavées piégeuses. Il faut beaucoup de précision et d’abnégation !

Le parc d’assistance est installé sur le parking de l’hôtel Golebiewski, dont une grande surface a été bétonnée cette année de sorte que tous les principaux teams se trouvent sur du « dur ». Il y déjà beaucoup de monde devant le stand de Robert Kubica, plus que vers les immenses structures Hyundai et Volkswagen.

Le Rally Poland 2015 débutera demain avec le Shakedown (à partir de 8h00) organisé tout près du parc. Après la cérémonie de départ sur la place de Mikolajki, les concurrents disputeront une Superspéciale, toujours dans l’enceinte de l’hôtel Golebiewski.

For the past 10 years, the Rajd Polski has been based in northern Poland’s magnificent Mazurian Lake District. While much of Europe is in the grips of a heatwave, there is a slight breeze here, and scattered clouds are keeping the temperature down to a cool 25°C. 

There’s something of a holiday atmosphere here in Mikolajki which is around 250km north of Warsaw. There were some localised storms on Tuesday, but we’ve been promised fine sunny weather for the rest of the week.

The marina is full tourists and rally fans, while the more nautically-minded can be seen out on the clear waters of Lake Talty sailing yachts, or enjoying jet skis or pedal boats. On the shore are a number of terrace cafés where customers are keeping cool in the shade of a parasol with an ice cream or a Ziwiec. Interestingly, a recent study covering 75 towns revealed that the cheapest beer is to be found in Poland…

On high ground a few hundred metres inland sits the huge Golebiewski Hotel which is hosting round seven of the FIA World Rally Championship. It’s not yet holiday time for the 74 crews entered for the 2015 Rally Poland who have just returned from their recce of the stages, 80 percent of which are new this year.

Tuesday saw competitors note the first day’s essentially high-speed tests near Goldap, to the north, close to the Russian and Lithuanian borders. The roads here range from quite wide to narrow between prairies full of red poppies. The ground is hard-packed under an occasionally thick top-coating of loose gravel. The long, predominantly fast ‘Stanczyki’ stage (39.12km) is superb and quite varied.

Today (Wednesday), competitors visited the second day stages. They include the famous ‘Wieliczki’ test which was the fastest of the 2014 championship (average: 136.88kph). It should be a little slower this year because a narrower portion has been added towards the end. Paprotki (SS13, 23.15km) is soft and narrow. It runs between farms and will only be used once in order to minimise damage.

The quality and precision of the crews’ work could play a big role because the stages are quite hard to note. The speeds will be very fast, yet the roads themselves are quite narrow in places and certain corners are concealed by tall grass, not to mention a number of blind crests and paved portions.

The service park uses the Golebiewski Hotel’s car park and all the top teams will benefit from a hard surface since more concrete has been laid since 2014. The focus for spectators is naturally Robert Kubica’s marquee which is attracting more interest than the huge facilities of Hyundai and Volkswagen.

Action will begin with tomorrow morning’s shakedown at 8am. After a start ceremony in Mikolajki, crews will tackle a super-special in the grounds of the Golebiewski Hotel.

2015 SCORE Baja Sur 500 - Onboard with Eugenio and Schwarz

WRC, Rally Poland : Le 150e de « JML » / Jari-Matti’s 150th

Jari-Matti Latvala dispute ce week-end son 150e rallye mondial et entre dans le top-8 de l’histoire du WRC. En Pologne, le Finlandais pourrait décrocher un 50e podium en WRC et remporter sa 400e spéciale.

La carrière mondiale de Jari-Matti Latvala a débuté au Wales Rally GB 2002. En ce dimanche 17 novembre, après 17 spéciales, le jeune Finlandais de 17 ans a terminé 17^e au volant d’une Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI jaune.

De 2003 à 2007, Jari-Matti Latvala a fait ses gammes en WRC au volant de différentes voitures (WRC, S1600, GrN…) avant d’intégrer l’équipe Stobart/M-Sport pour un programme complet en Ford Focus WRC. Une saison d’apprentissage très probante marquée par une première victoire en spéciale (Norvège), une première position de leader (Sardaigne), un premier podium mondial au Rallye d’Irlande (sur asphalte), et dix meilleurs temps au Wales Rally GB 2007.

Sa première victoire en WRC n’a pas tardée. Au Rallye de Suède 2008, deuxième manche de la saison. Jari-Matti n’avait que 22 ans et 10 mois quand il a immobilisé sa Ford Focus WRC officielle sur la plus haute marche du podium à Karlstad. Un record de précocité qui tient toujours…

Rapide sur tous les terrains, mais souvent impétueux au volant et auteur de quelques « bourdes », le Finlandais a dû attendre le Rallye de Sardaigne 2009 pour ajouter une deuxième ligne à son palmarès, puis le Rallye de Nouvelle-Zélande 2010 pour un troisième succès remporté avec 2.4 secondes d’avance sur Ogier.

Cette année-là, la victoire au Rallye de Finlande, devant tous ses fans, fut l’un des plus beaux moments de sa carrière, tout comme sa première victoire sur asphalte au Rallye de France 2014.

A seulement 30 ans, avec 13 victoires (15^e place dans la hiérarchie, ex-aequo avec Solberg), deux titres de vice-champion du monde et cinq podiums au championnat, Jari-Matti possède un des plus beaux palmarès du WRC. Ce week-end, il vise un 50^e podium mondial (top-10) et une 400^e victoire en spéciale (396 avant le départ).

Avec 150 rallyes WRC, Jari-Matti Latvala entre dans le top-8 mondial aux côtés de Kankkunen, Sainz, Auriol, Grönholm, Solberg, Loeb et Hirvonen.

Volkswagen Motorsport, qu’il a rejoint en 2013 après 93 rallyes disputés sur Ford, a confirmé un partenariat de long terme avec le Finlandais.

Rally Poland will be Jari-Matti Latvala’s 150th world class start and will make him the eighth most active driver in WRC history. He could celebrate the landmark by finishing on the podium for the 50th time and claiming his 400th stage victory.

Latvala’s WRC career started with the 2002 Wales Rally GB. On Sunday, November 17 of that year, the 17-year old Finn was 17^th overall after 17 stages in his yellow Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI!

From 2003 to 2007, he diligently learned his trade in a variety of cars (WRC, S1600, Group N, etc.) before earning a full programme with Stobart/M-Sport in a Ford Focus WRC. That assertive apprenticeship was marked by his first stage victory (in Norway), his first time in the lead (Sardinia), his first podium finish (Ireland, asphalt) and 10 fastest times on the 2007 Wales Rally GB.

His first WRC triumph followed three months later in Sweden, the second round of 2008. The Finn was only 22 years and 10 months when he parked his factory Ford Focus WRC on the highest step of the podium in Karlstad. That age record still holds.

Quick on all types of terrain, but occasionally victim of his own impetuousness, he had to wait until Sardinia 2009 for his second success, then New Zealand 2010 for the third when he beat Ogier by 2.4s.

Victory on the same year’s Rally Finland was one of the finest moments of his career to date, as was his first asphalt success in France in 2014.

At the age of just 30, he has 13 wins to his name (level with Petter Solberg), as well two runner-up titles and five bronze medals. A score of four stage wins or more would take his score to 400.

Meanwhile, 150 WRC starts will make Jari-Matti Latvala the championship’s eighth most prolific starter, behind Kankkunen, Sainz, Auriol, Grönholm, Solberg, Loeb and Hirvonen.

After 93 rallies with Ford, he joined Volkswagen Motorsport in 2013 and recently confirmed a long-term association with the German make.

Now that’s what you call a barn find...

Thought the Baillon collection was the mother(ship) of all ‘barn finds’? Think again, as this abandoned Russian cosmodrome – complete with dilapidated space shuttles – is without doubt the largest ever to be found, at least in the physical sense…

In the late 1980s, Russia initiated a space shuttle programme as a retort to the U.S.A.’s efforts with Atlantis et al earlier that decade. Ultimately, the resulting Buran made only one (unmanned) journey into space, in 1988, before a roof collapse at the facility in which it was stored completely destroyed the rocket-powered relic in the early Noughties.

Clipped wings

However, the Buran had several sister ships, one of which – named Ptichka, or ‘little bird’ – was stored elsewhere on the Baikonur Cosmodrome site, alongside a full-scale testing mock-up. The pair has sat here in eerie silence since the hangar’s mammoth sliding doors were shut for the final time, after the project’s cancellation circa 1992.

Little bird, big project

Covered in dust and bird droppings, and slowly shedding their heat-shield plates, the shuttle and its lookalike test-bed now appear to be entombed for eternity – their birthplace ironically doubling up as a crypt. One only hopes that the same level of dedication that has seen so many ramshackle classic cars rescued will one day be afforded to Ptichka and her de-feathered friend. 

Photos: Ralph Mireb

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Honda CB500

This race ready CB500 was built by Chris Booth and the photos feel like they could have actually been straight from the 1970s. Photographer Luke Uri

WOODLAND CREATURE: EL SOLITARIO DUCATI ‘MONONOKE’

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There’s never been an El Solitario bike that hasn’t polarized opinion. Which is completely fine by David Borras and Co. They’re happy to march to the beat of their own drum, and even adopted “the world’s most hated motorcycles” as their unofficial slogan for a while.

But the Spanish outfit is nothing if not eclectic. While their last few builds looked like they were made to scare small children, their latest—’Mononoke’—looks like it jumped out of the pages of a story book.

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Which isn’t far from the truth: “The inspiration came from my children’s favorite movie,” says David, “Hayao Miyazaki’s anime epic, Princess Mononoke.”

“It’s a beautifully realized tale of nature versus civilization, set in the Muromachi period. Princess Mononoke—along with the wolves and the gods of the forest—tries to defend nature from human greed.”

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Lurking under the bohemian exterior though, is a pretty serious machine.

The starting point was a classic Ducati 350 ‘wide case’ from the 1970s. At its heart is a fully blueprinted, race-spec motor. It’s been rebuilt with a Phil Joy camshaft, a VMH three-piece crankshaft, a Leonti conrod and all new bearings. The head’s been ported and a high output oil pump installed.

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There’s also an external camshaft feed with return pipes, a new ignition and a twin spark setup. Power’s delivered to the back wheel via a close ratio gearbox and a Mario Sassi dry clutch. A Dell’Orto PHF 36 carb’s been added for good measure, as well as a custom exhaust system.

The performance package extends to the suspension and wheels too. The front forks are 35mm, Maxton-tuned Ceriani GP units, with a set of Hagon shocks out back. Keeping things in check are a White Power steering damper and a Fontana magnesium four leading shoe brake. The wheels are from Borrani (the rear is laced to the stock Ducati hub).

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The Ducati’s frame and swingarm were checked, straightened and modified where necessary. For the bodywork, El Solitario sourced an aftermarket, fiberglass Ducati race kit. The seat is as basic as it gets: a piece of nappa leather, folded up and secured to the frame via a pair of vintage leather army straps.

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Up in the cockpit, the team fitted clip-ons, a Domino quick action throttle and Tommaselli controls. The rear-sets are custom, and the instrumentation is from Veglia.

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El Sol roped in friend and artist Osiyuyu to execute the ‘Mononoke’ artwork, in oils. The frame has been done in a contrasting red, with raw, natural tones dominating the remaining components.

There are also some finer details that may go unnoticed at first: like the engraving on the velocity stack and fork legs.

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Once ‘Mononoke’ was done, El Solitario wheeled it into the middle of a forest to be shot by one of our favorite photographers: Ms Kristina Fender.

An appropriate location for this enigmatic creature.

El Solitario website | Facebook | Instagram | Kristina Fender

via BIKEexif

The Creative Workshop in Florida is the result of 15 years of tenacity

In 15 years, The Creative Workshop in Florida has established itself as a global benchmark of classic car restoration. We chatted to its founder…

Jason Wenig, the founder of The Creative Workshop, started his career in advertising and marketing in New York. So how did he end up in Florida, running one of the best classic car restoration companies on the planet? “In a bizarre twist of fate, I was brought into a dot-com start-up in the car business by my friends. Our company fell apart, but at least it got me involved professionally in cars for the first time,” he recalls.

Twist of fate

As a self-confessed ‘genetic gear head’, that’s when it clicked that Wenig wanted to forge a life around cars. “We saved everything we had, packed up and drove down to Florida.” After miles spent on the road, searching for the ideal premises, he happened upon a dilapidated barn dating back to the 1930s. It was perfect. “The first year was spent renovating the building, hiring staff, and taking on any project that would come our way – it was pure tenacity.”

Today, The Creative Workshop carries out world-class restorations on some of the rarest and most exclusive classic cars ever built. From pre-purchase research and evaluation to post-restoration event preparation (the team has been to both Pebble Beach and Villa d’Este several times to assist clients, often successfully), comprehensive project management is key to the service that Jason and his team offer.

The line of duty

Comprising trusted and highly skilled craftsman, assembled over a number of years, Wenig’s team undertakes sheet metal fabrication, mechanical work, paint, upholstery and trim work, plus the machining of parts, all on site and to a very high standard. 

In fact, there’s almost nothing The Creative Workshop doesn’t do – the team even does its own CAD design for the perfect fabrication of parts, attesting to the trouble it will take to get things just right. “The amount of time I’ve spent with a loupe over a grainy black and white photograph,” exclaims Wenig, adding that it’s his duty to history that makes him ensure things are spot on. “If I were to restore a Picasso and put eyebrows on it, that would be sacrilegious, in the same way that if I were to put incorrect components or materials into a one-off Ferrari, I would be doing a disservice to that historical record.”

Cognoscenti's curios

A quick glance at the list of oddities that have been transformed and it’s clear that The Creative Workshop is a choice for classic car cognoscenti. Projects range from Cisitalias and a 1955 Arnott-Climax, to one-off Vignale-bodied Ferraris and an ex-Briggs Cunningham Stanguellini (pictured). “I don’t want to be a Mustang guy or a Ferrari guy,” emphasises Wenig. “What happens is that clients recognise our diversity; how we can take a French car or a British car, a 1920s car or a 1960s car, and be better at what we do as a result of that. It gives them the confidence to explore.” That's apparently how the whole business has evolved.

Many projects have great stories, but the MG TD Speciale's is definitely up there. “The Motto-bodied MG TD Speciale – they built three, and this one was driven by Gus Ehrman – was a remarkable car, and one of my favourites that we’ve done,” explains Wenig. “Gus was an ex-pilot and, when we started disassembly, we found his goggles behind the back seat.” And that's not the only thing they've unnearthed during a restoration – “We actually found decomposed rats in the heater tubes of one barn find.”

Tenacity tells

In a world of seldom seen or heard-of classics, where clients often demand absolute discretion, it’s refreshing to see Wenig extensively documenting his restorations on Facebook. “We’re still car guys, despite a car’s price or a client’s wealth. Facebook is a way that we can share all of our fun with the community.” And engaging with enthusiasts does have its benefits – many times, the team has unearthed or verified information about certain cars from its now global audience.

Looking forward, Wenig tells us that he wants two things: for the cars he restores to be a benchmark and, at some time in the future, for someone to look at one of his projects and say, “I can't believe how much detail they went into.” We think it’s safe to say that this has already been achieved. 

Photos: The Charis Culture

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