WRC, Allemagne : Encore des surprises ? / more surprises?

Quelles surprises nous réserve le Rallye d’Allemagne 2015 ? La victoire d’un cinquième pilote différent depuis 2011 ? Un pilote qui ouvre son palmarès mondial, comme en 2013 et 2014 ? Le premier succès à domicile de Volkswagen ? Le troisième titre d’Ogier ?

Ces dernières années, le Rallye d’Allemagne nous a offert suspense et rebondissements. En 2011, la « guerre » Loeb/Ogier y fut à son apogée. En 2013, Dani Sordo a enfin ouvert son palmarès mondial après 100 rallyes WRC disputés. L’an passé, Thierry Neuville s’est lui aussi offert son premier succès mondial et Hyundai y a signé un doublé historique… Et jamais, depuis 2013, Volkswagen n’est parvenu à s’imposer à domicile.

Après deux échecs cuisants, la victoire au Rallye d’Allemagne 2015 est donc l’objectif prioritaire de Volkswagen Motorsport cette saison. Et si elle était assortie d’un 3^e titre mondial pour Sébastien Ogier, ce serait la cerise sur le Kirschtorte !

Car le double Champion du monde pourrait devenir triple à l’issue de cette 9^e manche 2015, la première sur « vrai » asphalte. Ses chances restent maigres, mais une victoire bonifiée et une contre-performance de Latvala, Ostberg et Mikkelsen pourraient lui suffire pour coiffer la couronne dès le mois d’août, ce qui serait un nouveau record.

Mais attention, car Jari-Matti Latvala, qui a remporté son premier rallye asphalte en France l’an passé, sera un concurrent sérieux sur les routes allemandes. Rappelons qu’il fut leader du Rallye d’Allemagne 2013 et 2014 avant, hélas, de sortir de la route.

Cette mésaventure est également arrivée à Kris Meeke l’an passé. Le Britannique avait brièvement pris la tête de l’épreuve avant de se faire surprendre en vue de l’arrivée. Mais cette année, Kris n’a plus la pression de décrocher sa première victoire mondiale et dispose d’une DS3 WRC « évolution » que l’on attend très performante sur asphalte.

L’équipe Hyundai Motorsport compte dans ses rangs les deux derniers vainqueurs du Rallye d’Allemagne et ce tandem pourrait encore créer la surprise dimanche prochain devant la Porta Nigra de Trèves. Sur le papier, les pilotes M-Sport Elfyn Evans et Ott Tanak ont peu de chances. Mais rappelons que le Gallois avait brillé en WRC-2 en 2013 et que l’Estonien avait signé deux temps scratch en 2012…

On suivra attentivement les débuts en WRC de Stéphane Lefebvre (DS3 WRC/Michelin) et la prestation de Robert Kubica (Ford) qui retrouve sa surface de prédilection. Les concurrents du WRC-2, du Fiesta Trophy et du R-GT vont également animer la course.

Le parcours de l’édition 2015 est assez classique avec ces « trois rallyes en un » qui font le caractère du Rallye Deutschland depuis près de 15 ans. Trois profils différents avec des routes étroites et escarpées dans le vignoble mosellan, des pistes cimentées du camp militaire de Baumholder et des spéciales vallonnées et rythmées du Saarland.

Les 16 spéciales ont été plus ou moins modifiées. Panzerplatte Lange mesure 45,61 km et sera intégrée dans une boucle comprenant Grafschaft (18,35 km), typée « vignes », et Bosenberg (17,13 km), typée « Saarland ». Vendredi, la spéciale de Mittelmosel (13,67 km) est de retour au programme depuis 2011.

Après le traditionnel Shakedown de Konz, la cérémonie de départ se déroulera devant la Porta Nigra jeudi soir.

Are we in for more surprises in Germany this week? Maybe a fifth different winner since 2011? Maybe a first-time winner, as in 2013 (Sordo) and 2014 (Neuville)? Or perhaps Volkswagen’s maiden success on home soil. It could even see Ogier wrap up his third world title…

Recent Rallye Deutschlands have been drama-packed affaires. In 2011, the ‘war’ between Loeb and Ogier was at its peak. Two years later, Dani Sordo took his first WRC victory. Last August, he was imitated by Thierry Neuville who spearheaded a one-two finish for Hyundai...

Meanwhile, Volkswagen has yet to win its home event and that will clearly be its objective this time round. A third world title for its French star Sébastien Ogier would be the icing on the cake!

Indeed, the two-time champion could take his score to three titles on Sunday. His chances are slim, but the combination of victory, a Power Stage win and poor results for Latvala, Ostberg and Mikkelsen could sew up the series in August. That would be a new record.

However, Jari-Matti Latvala claimed his first asphalt victory in France in 2014 and is a clear contender for more success in Trier. Remember, he led Rallye Deutschland in 2013 and 2014 before crashing out.

Kris Meeke suffered the same misadventure here last year when he briefly appeared in front before leaving the road on the final morning. This time, though, the Briton is no longer under pressure to score his first world class win and will be driving an ‘evolution’ version of the DS3 WRC which is expected to be quick on asphalt.

Hyundai Motorsport has two former Deutschland victors in its ranks and either could spring a surprise, but M-Sport’s Elfyn Evans and Ott Tanak have little chance. That said, it shouldn’t be forgotten that the Welshman put in a polished performance here in WRC2 in 2013, while the Estonian claimed two fastest times in 2012.

It will be interesting to follow the WRC debut of Stéphane Lefebvre (DS3 WRC/Michelin) and the speed of Robert Kubica (Ford) who will be back on his favourite type of surface. Spectators will also be entertained by strong WR2, Fiesta Trophy and R-GT entries.

The 2015 itinerary is quite conventional with the same three-rallies-in-one format that has characterised Rallye Deutschland since 2002. Its distinct profiles range from the steep vineyards of the Mosel valley, to concrete military tracks near Baumholder and flowing, undulated roads in the Saarland region.

There have been some detail changes to the 16 stages. Panzerplatte Lange (45.61km) will be incorporated in a loop that also includes the ‘vineyard’-like Grafschaft (18.35km) and the ‘Saarland’-like Bosenberg (17.13km). Friday’s action sees Mittelmosel (13.67km) return for the first time since 2011.

Thursday’s shakedown on the familiar Konz test will be followed by an evening start ceremony in front of Trier’s famous Porta Nigra monument.

Expedition Overlands Central America Expedition Ep6

Expedition Overland joins up with Team 5 to head into the Mayan jungles of Guatemala. They hope to have an impact on the villages through combining resources and providing high level medicine to remote villages in a forgotten area of the world.

Strange & Extreme TRAINS and Locomotives - PART 1

Family-friendly sports cars from the Classic Driver Market

By their very nature, sports cars aren’t usually regarded as the ideal mode of family transportation. But with these powerful-yet-cavernous examples, a spirited drive can be enjoyed by all members of your clan – and in some cases, Fido can come along, too…

Auctions | Cars

2003 Maserati Quattroporte

EUR 18 000 - 25 000

Market | Cars

1980 De Tomaso Deauville - sehr aufwändige Vollrestauration

EUR 97 700

Market | Cars

1970 Iso Rivolta - Fidia

EUR 69 900

Auctions | Cars

1967 Aston Martin DB6 - Mk I Shooting Brake

P.O.R.

Market | Cars

1995 Mercedes-Benz E-Class - 7-Sitzer AMG E36 Paket* E320T Familien...

EUR 17 950 (EUR 15 084 NET)

Market | Cars

1978 Monteverdi Sierra - 5.2 V8

EUR 49 500

Market | Cars

1990 Bentley Turbo - Turbo R

EUR 16 025

Market | Cars

1986 BMW M5 - E28 M5

EUR 34 983

Market | Cars

1991 Lagonda Aston Martin Lagonda - Series 4

P.O.R.

Market | Cars

1974 Maserati Quattroporte - Frua LHD

P.O.R.

Auctions | Cars

1996 Aston Martin V8 - Sportsman shooting brake

EUR 350 000 - 550 000

Market | Cars

1996 Jaguar XJ12 - SWB 6.0 V12

EUR 18 500

A spin in the Pinin, the world’s only four-door Ferrari saloon

A four-door Ferrari? It doesn’t seem right. We sent photographer Rémi Dargegen to capture the essence of the Ferrari that never was – and, very unusually, he was invited along for a ride, too.

A concept to tempt Enzo

Sergio Pininfarina longed to create a four-door Ferrari to rival the high-performance saloons ofMaserati, Jaguar and Mercedes. Pininfarina’s 50th anniversary, in 1980, seemed the perfect opportunity to develop a four-door Ferrari concept to tempt Enzo Ferrari into considering a step in this direction. So the design studio created the ‘Ferrari Pinin’, on a Ferrari 412 chassis, in time for that year’s Turin motor show. 

Longing looks

Thirty-five years later, photographer Rémi Dargegen’s first impressions are mixed: “The car appears strangely long when you see it from a distance, even though it’s only a little bit longer than a 365, 400 or 412. The shape is very late 70s or maybe early 80s, so it’s a style you’re going to love or hate – but either way, you can’t deny that it exudes a huge helping of elegance.”

Back to the future

But it was when Dargegen climbed inside the Pinin that he really started to appreciate the avant-garde nature of this luxury sports saloon. “You look around and start to realise that the modern high-end saloons – cars such as the Panamera, Rapide and new Lagonda – really aren’t the first of their breed. This Ferrari got there first: four seats, controls for the rear passengers, an incredible level of comfort, magnificent leather everywhere and some impressively innovative (for the period) technology. The dashboard is positively futuristic.”

Shoehorned engine

Since the Pinin was purely a show car, it wasn’t designed around an engine – although it contained a non-working, front-mounted, flat-12 engine when it was displayed at Turin. When the engine was adapted to make it work, it created some problems; as Dargegen discovered when he was invited to be a passenger on a short test drive. “The car is drivable, but it’s not that easy; since it wasn’t originally designed around an engine, there’s very little room. The result of squeezing a 512 BBengine under the bonnet is that you find yourself in a historically fascinating concept car that can hardly turn to the left, and in which you need to look out for every little stone on the road, as the power unit has been fitted so very, very low in the engine bay.”

Bad timing

Although Enzo Ferrari was deeply impressed by Pininfarina’s concept – so much that he seriously considered a production run of the four-door Ferrari – he eventually decided against adopting the radically different design direction. The concept car itself was instead sold to Jacques Swaters. “The Pinin was coherent with Ferrari’s philosophy, but unfortunately it wasn’t the right time for such a car…

The car that should have been

…but riding in it today, especially through the streets of Maranello, past the factory and on to the Cavallino restaurant – it’s pure magic. Even if the Pinin isn’t the most useable of cars on the road, it’s a great honour to find myself inside the four-seater Ferrari never made – but should have done.”

Photos: Rémi Dargegen for Classic Driver © 2015

The unique Ferrari Pinin is currently on sale from Classic Driver dealer Maranello Purosangue.

DEBOLEX W800 MK6

Looking older than you are isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it means you can buy fags and booze by simply removing your school tie and dance the night away with grown-up girls in nightclubs. Kawasaki’s W800 is motorcycling’s spotty teenager masquerading as a classically styled, distinguished gent. The air-cooled twin with an external bevel drive looks more Ace Café than Starbucks yet lurking in front of the K&Ns are a pair of electronically controlled throttle bodies. Infact, those familiar with the modern W will remember the first time the caught a glimpse of the throttle grip moving all on its own once the ignition is primed, rather unnerving and contemporary.

So with such a great looking engine mounted in a classically proportioned frame why don’t we see more of these Kawasakis being customised? Here in the Bike Shed we gave it a go when founder Dutch commissioned CRC motorcycles to build a W800 Street Tracker to transport him around London, and the occasional speedway track. The owner of this bike is a mate of Dutch’s and eagerly awaited a viewing of the new ride, after which he promptly called Calum from deBolex and booked a build slot,

The receiver was barely down when a low mileage donor landed at the deBolex south London HQ, shortly followed by an excited Ranx, keen to brainstorm ideas for the project. A street tracker with a sophisticated brat-style undertone was decided upon and the guys got to work. Calum & Des make a great team, with the complimentary skills needed to ensure deBolex keeps up with the ever higher customer expectations. Des has a background in upholstery and his resulting attention to detail is exemplary, more on that in a minute.

Anyone who’s sat on a stock W will have noticed how the subframe splays out considerably as it triangulates towards the shock mounts, and trapezoidal brat seats are not cool so the rails were chopped out and a new top rail and loop grafted in, complete with modest kick-up and a tail light boss.

Despite progress in the world of lithium batteries a fair few amps are required to turn over the 773cc engine whilst providing enough juice for the ECU, fuel pump etc. And with cold cranking amps comes size, although Shorai manage to make impossibly light and miniature battery packs the rectangular shape would have ruined the now clean looking rear triangle, so with a bit of jiggery pokery and some mods to the rear brake a battery box is now squeezed below the swingarm. Weathertight thanks to a rubber gaitor yet removable with a single bolt should charging be required.

Thanks to this relocation less squeezing-in needed to be done so a much smaller box was made for the wiring harness, ignition and Power Commander. A fluted wedge shape sits under the seat, adding the slightest bit of bulk which is not only practical but balances out the void beneath and well proportioned saddle.

With the clumsy looking ignition moved down below Calum smoothed-out the top clamp and fabricated a housing for the all-in-one Motogadget speedo. The lay-back bar clamps can look awkward on a stock bike but here they resemble a purposeful flat track inspired upgrade. ISR levers and switches are great quality with a chunky machined feel, further neatening the cockpit.

Des & Calum had previously experimented with a waterproof canvas supplied by luggage makers Malle London. The water repellence is thanks to dry wax, pre-impregnated into the material meaning it won’t rub-off onto Rank’s trousers. Lifting a leg to reveal a shiny gusset is not a good look. As you can see, Des is a master upholsterer who isn’t satisfied unless stitches are arrow straight. A tricky task with this fabric as there is nearly zero stretch, but well worth the effort as it’s about time we saw alternatives to leather, pleather and up-cycled ponchos.

Stock footpegs on the Kawasaki are fairly agricultural appendages wrapped in a chunky rubber boot so bosses were welded on to accept a more subtle pair of Tarozzis, with a pillion set further rearward too.

Despite the trend for fitting ever smaller fuel tanks, practicality was high up on Ranx’s brief so the stock unit was kept, besides, with an internal fuel pump sometimes is better to leave things be. The factory fit knee pads and badges had to go, unfortunately leaving unsightly holes. Calum takes his paintwork seriously so rather than use filler he leaded the holes and indentations before meticulously filing and sanding, the old fashioned and proper way of doing things. We like that.

All the handwork so far would be somewhat wasted without at least some hike in performance, after all the W800 was designed to be a retro classic, aimed at the more laid-back rider. A less restrictive Keihan silencer on handmade headers helps the cause and looks the business too. The engine note on these parallel twins is actually quite tuneful, follow the link further down for a video.

Once complete, as with all deBolex builds, Ranx’s W was sent to PDQ for a session on the rolling road where engine expert Nick tweaked fuel and ignition maps through the Power Commander to match the open filters and new pipework, managing to extract 9 extra horsepower. That’s nearly a 20% increase from an engine with a very mild cam and positively relaxed 8.4:1 compression ratio. We like that too.

Apparently, such results in black and white aren’t adequate for Calum, as he recently demonstrated by riding a customer’s CB750 to Biarritz and back, with multiple drag races up the Punk’s Peak hillclimb to ensure a proper shakedown was conducted. Yup, Ranx’s freshly finished W also needed such a comprehensive evaluation so Calum gave it a thorough seeing-to at the recent Malle Mile event. Essentially an all-out drag race up a country gent’s lawn.

Racing against one of his previous builds Calum sealed the day with an overall win, saying “Anyone who saw me that day and any pictures may have noticed the constant grin on my face, I was so shocked at how well the bike performed, loads of power, light weight and nimble and with the engine map truly dialled in you know what your getting every time you jump on”. 

There’s no doubt Calum and Des will build you a fantastically finished bike, but maybe keep hold of the key if you want to take the maiden ride.  Watch The Mile by Malle London here.

via PIPEBURN