ERC :Home success for Poland’s Kajetanowicz / Kajetanowicz s’impose à domicile

The Lotos Rally Poland, round nine of the FIA European Rally Championship, was won by Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Ford Fiesta R5/Michelin) in poor weather. The Pole was joined on the podium by Bryan Bouffier (Peugeot 207 S2000) and Jan Kopecky (Skoda Fabia S2000).

Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Ford Fiesta R5/Michelin) a remporté le Lotos Rally Poland, neuvième manche du Championnat d’Europe des Rallyes FIA 2013, disputé dans des conditions dantesques. Bryan Bouffier (Peugeot 207 S2000) et Jan Kopecky (Skoda Fabia S2000) complètent le podium.

After coming sixth on January’s Jännerrallye, the four-time Polish champion secured his best-ever international result this weekend and also handed the new Ford Fiesta R5 its first major victory. Kajetan Kajetanowicz, 34, eased into the lead of his home event after SS9 when Bryan Bouffier (Peugeot 207 S2000) was slowed by a rear damper problem.

The Frenchman, who has won three Polish titles himself, had led at the end of Day 1 which was marked by appalling weather. Heavy rain made the stages extremely muddy and the organisers were forced to shorten certain tests.

Many drivers were either eliminated or delayed by the conditions, including Robert Kubica (Citroën DS3 RRC) who was contesting Rally Poland for the first time. The former F1 star ripped a wheel off on SS7 while in second position.

The provisional ERC leader Jan Kopecky (Skoda/Michelin) salvaged third place after being handicapped by transmission trouble on SS10. The same test also caused problems for Craig Breen (puncture) and Jérémi Ancian (gearbox) who ended up seventh and 12^th overall respectively.

Michal Solowow (6^th, Ford RRC) was fourth until a puncture delayed him on SS13. Michal Kosciuszko (Ford R5) inherited the position to finish clear of veteran Krzysztof Holowczyc (Ford RRC) who rounded off the top five. Estonian youngster Martin Kangur, 20, posted two fastest times before his Ford Fiesta R5 developed a power steering problem.

The next round of the ERC will take teams to Croatia in two weeks’ time.

Après une 6^e place au Jännerrallye, le quadruple champion de Pologne (34 ans) a signé son plus beau résultat sur la scène internationale et offert la première victoire à la nouvelle Ford Fiesta R5. Kajetan Kajetanowicz a pris la tête du Lotos Rally Poland à l’issue de l’ES9 où Bryan Bouffier a connu un problème d’amortisseur arrière sur sa Peugeot 207 S2000.

Le Français, triple champion de Pologne, était leader au terme de la première journée de course disputée dans des conditions météo exécrables. Les pluies diluviennes tombées avant le départ avaient transformé les pistes en de véritables bourbiers, forçant les organisateurs à raccourcir certaines spéciales.

Ces conditions ont éliminé ou retardé de nombreux autres candidats à la victoire, comme Robert Kubica (Citroën DS3 RRC) qui disputait son premier Rally Poland. L’ancien pilote de F1 a arraché sa roue avant droite dans l’ES7 alors qu’il pointait à la 2^e place du classement général.

Leader du championnat ERC après cinq victoires cette année, Jan Kopecky (Skoda/Michelin) a terminé sur le podium malgré un souci de transmission dans l’ES10 où les pilotes de la Peugeot Rally Academy ont aussi connu bien des misères : crevaison pour Craig Breen (7^e) et boîte de vitesses défaillante pour Jérémi Ancian (12^e).

Michal Solowow (Ford RRC, 6^e) était au pied du podium avant une crevaison dans l’ES13. Michal Kosciuszko (Ford R5) lui a donc succédé à la 4^e place et devance le vétéran Krzysztof Holowczyc (Ford RRC) qui complète le top-five. Le jeune estonien Martin Kangur (20 ans) a signé deux meilleurs temps avant des ennuis de direction assistée sur sa Ford Fiesta R5.

La prochaine manche ERC se déroulera en Croatie dans deux semaines.

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From Bonneville to Bonneville - Le Record

From Bonneville to Bonneville, un projet un peu fou pour aller chercher le record du monde de vitesse sur une Harley Davidson, qui tenait depuis 2001. JVC Team Sport raconte cette belle histoire en 5 épisodes. Voici le 5e, qui montre le run victorieux à 255,30 km/h (158,642 miles/h).

'81 Yamaha SR 250 - La Raíz Motorcycles

It's that time of year. A time when our Northern Hemisphere friends are enduring the slow, steady descent into winter. And while they sadly put away their bikes and hunker down for many months of snowy oblivion, we here on the bottom the of planet are doing just the opposite. That's right - summer is coming. You can smell it in the air, and unless you haven't cleaned your leathers from last year, it's probably the sweet perfume of spring flowers. That's why this bike instantly caught our attention. There's something about it that screams summer like a Tourette's surfer with a loud hailer. The only thing missing from the shots is a case of cerveza, a beach, and a few surfboards. Like a warn breeze, here's the latest from Spain's La Raíz Motorcycles.

“Hi, my name is Gonzalo and I'm the co-owner of La Raíz Motorcycles from Vigo, in Spain. I'm responsible for graphic design and I'm also in charge of skateboard and surfing department. I´m the happy owner of this restored Yamaha SR 250 from '81. We called this Project the “Mark & The Mysterious”. As you can see we have changed some parts, like the handlebar, tyres, exhaust, suspension, rear fender and seat. On top of this we have simplified the electrical system and made the subframe shorter and higher.

“We gave the petrol tank an old rusty look by splashing seawater over it for two weeks straight. Coloman, our friend who is a tattoo artist and painter from Lugo, designed a skull on the lid of the petrol tank. We have made the engine stronger by changing the cylinder, piston and valves for brand new ones. We also reduced the gear ratio.”

“We had added difficulty raising the swing arm to make the motorbike higher, so we had to change the rear brake position and the braking mechanism. Another issue was where to hide the battery. Finally it was placed under the swing arm and it fits well while being completely hidden.” 

“The donor bike was completely abandoned in an open air vineyard; it was completely rusted, even some parts inside the engine. The motorbike is inspired in the forgotten navy boats wrecks that are absolutely and totally rusted on some distant tropical island. Despite their age, you can still see some markings that have disappeared in some places yet they they still let you know a little bit about their history. We love this idea.”

You still here? We were going to write a nice ending to this piece, but you know what? Apparently the swell at Bondi is running at 3 metres and someone's just gone on a beer run. Also, there's a BBQ to light, so you'll just have to make do and imagine it all by yourselves. Hasta mañana!

via PIPEBURN