Rally Finland, ES16 : Le podium se dessine / the podium takes form

Le podium du Neste Oil Rally Finland 2014 se dessine peu à peu. Après trois meilleurs temps d’affilée ce matin, Jari-Matti Latvala (VW/Michelin) compte 29 secondes d’avance sur Sébastien Ogier, qui a repris la 2e place à Kris Meeke (Citroën). 

A 7h00, le parc d’assistance de Jyväskylä était désert. La fête s’était prolongée dans les rues de la ville et les fans vont sûrement manquer la boucle matinale de cinq spéciales qui s’annonce pourtant splendide.

Chez Volkswagen, on est habitué à cette tension permanente entre pilotes. Durant les 15 minutes du service, Sébastien Ogier s’est réfugié dans le motor-home des ingénieurs, alors que Jari-Matti Latvala s’est isolé à l’hospitalité en compagnie de son « mentaliste » Christof. Malgré l’accolade de son patron Jost Capito, Seb avait le visage fermé en s’installant au volant de sa Polo. Quelques minutes plus tard, Jari-Matti a remercié un à un ses mécaniciens avant de quitter le paddock, tout sourire.

Le Finlandais a bien débuté cette 3e journée en remportant Mökkiperä (13,84 km) devant ses deux équipiers Andreas Mikkelsen (+3s1) et Sébastien Ogier (+3s3). Kris Meeke, pourtant bien réveillé après un footing et un peu de natation matinale, a concédé 4 secondes.

Jari-Matti a poursuivi son effort dans Jukojärvi (21,93 km), devançant Seb Ogier de 3/10e et Kris Meeke de 4s3. Le Britannique a perdu sa 2e place du général. Derrière, Andreas Mikkelsen semble avoir pris l’ascendant sur Mads Ostberg et Mikko Hirvonen.

Sur la route menant à Surkee (14,95 km), les concurrents n’ont sans doute pas remarqué l’église en bois de Petäjävesi, classée au Patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco. Pour Jari-Matti Latvala, le patrimoine du pays, c’est le Neste Oil Rally Finland !

A l’arrivée de Surkee, le Finlandais avait toujours la « banane » : « C’est une de mes préférées. Elle est étroite, technique, avec une partie large et rapide au milieu, j’adore. » En 7min58s9 dès le 1er tour, Jari-Matti a frôlé le record d’Ogier (7min57s2) de 2013.

Mâchoires serrées, Sébastien Ogier semblait encore bien tendu au point stop. Le Français accuse désormais 29 secondes de retard sur son équipier. Il a sans doute fait une croix sur la victoire et va sécuriser sa 2e position au général. Sans être décroché par les deux Volkswagen, Kris Meeke ne semble toutefois pas en mesure de leur donner le change.

Le match à trois pour la 4e place se décante lui aussi. Andreas Mikkelsen a devancé ses challengers Ostberg et Hirvonen à trois reprises ce matin. Il est 4e avec 6s7 d’avance sur Ostberg et 15s6 sur Mikko Hirvonen a qui trop assoupli sa Ford pour cette ES16.

Derrière Paddon, toujours excellent 7e, Juho Hanninen (9e) est revenu à 4s2 d’Elfyn Evans. En WRC-2, le leader et vainqueur sortant Jari Ketomaa (Ford Fiesta R5) a touché une pierre à la corde et crevé/changé sa roue dans l’ES16. Sébastien Chardonnet (Citroên) serait sorti de la route. L’Estonien Karl Kruuda (Ford Fiesta/Michelin) est donc en tête devant Yazeed Al-Rahji.

Three consecutive fastest times this morning have taken Jari-Matti Latvala (VW/Michelin) 29 seconds clear of Sébastien Ogier at the top of the Neste Oil Rally Finland’s leaderboard. Kris Meeke (Citroën) has fallen back to third.

The service park was deserted at seven o’clock this morning. Yesterday’s revelry in the streets of Jyväskylä lasted well into the night and a good number of fans must have missed this morning’s magnificent loop of five stages.

Volkswagen is accustomed to tension between its star drivers. During the early 15-minute service halt, Ogier chose to take refuge in the team’s motorhome with his engineers, while Latvala could be seen in a corner of the hospitality area, sitting with his mental trainer Christof. Despite encouragement from his boss Jost Capito, the Frenchman was visibly tense as he climbed into his Polo. Minutes later, the Finn thanked his mechanics one by one and was smiling as left the ‘paddock’.

His day began with victory on ‘Mökkiperä’ (13.84km), ahead of team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen (+3.1s) and Ogier (+3.3s). Meeke, buoyed by a morning run and swim, conceded four seconds.

Latvala was fastest again on ‘Jukojärvi’ (21.93km), beating Ogier by three-tenths and Meeke – who fell back to third overall – by 4.3s. In the Briton’s wake, Mikkelsen appeared to have gained the upper hand over Mads Ostberg and Mikko Hirvonen.

On the run out to ‘Surkee’ (14.95km), competitors probably failed to notice the Unesco-registered wooden church in Petäjävesi. For Latvala, Finland’s real heritage is its rally…

At the end of ‘Surkee’, the Finn was still smiling. “That’s one of my favourite stages. It’s narrow and very technical, with a nice wide and fast portion in the middle. I love it.” His time of 7m58.9s wasn’t far off Ogier’s record (7m57.2s) in 2013.

In contrast, Ogier still seemed on edge at the Stop Control. His deficit to his team-mate was now up to 29 seconds and he has most likely given up hope of winning and will now focus on defending second place. That said, third-placed Meeke no longer appears to be a threat at this point in the rally.

The fight for fourth has also lost some of its spark after Mikkelsen went faster than Ostberg and Hirvonen on today’s first three stages. The Norwegian is now 6.7s clear of Ostberg and 15.6s ahead of Hirvonen who says his Ford’s suspension was too soft for SS16.

Paddon is still seventh overall, while ninth-placed Juho Hanninen has closed the gap to Elfyn Evans to just 4.2s. The WRC-2 leader Jari Ketomaa (Ford Fiesta R5) had to change a wheel on SS16 after hitting a rock and puncturing, and it is reported that Sébastien Chardonnet (Citroën) is off the road. This means that Estonia’s Karl Kruuda (Ford Fiesta/Michelin) now tops the class ahead of Yazeed Al-Rahji.

The rebirth of Jaguar’s most important C-type

C-type chassis number XKC003 is arguably the most important Jaguar in the company’s history. But the 1951 Le Mans winner ended its life as a retired racing car in the factory’s scrapyard. For Jaguar luminary Jerry Booen, the car had to be reborn…

A glorious racing career with an unfortunate end

With Messrs Walker and Whitehead’s Le Mans victory, piloting XKC003, in 1951, Jaguar established its reputation as a competitive racing brand, perfectly equipped to take on Ferrari and the rest of the sports car fraternity. The win at La Sarthe wasn’t the only notable result for the car, either. Peter Walker took second place in that year’s Tourist Trophy and the following year, after being upgraded and entered as the first ever racing car to boast disc brakes, Stirling Moss drove it to fourth place at the Easter race meeting at Goodwood, snatching the fastest lap in the process. Agonisingly, it retired from third place in the Mille Miglia after 827 miles and, following an accident at Monaco (Moss still set the fastest lap of the race), XKC003 was disassembled at the factory and never rebuilt.

Devil in the detail

There were no subsequent attempts to rebuild the car, such was the complexity of its construction. This makes Jerry Booen’s recreation all the more impressive. ‘His’ XKC003 is faithful to the original, with an electro-welded tubular steel frame and an aluminium body, featuring the correct period triangular bonnet louvres and four distinctive 'letter box' gills on the side. Power comes from a 1951 XK120 engine, upgraded to C-type specification and, naturally, the recreation possesses accurate disc brakes. Other details include Marchal headlights, a unique trademark on the front and authentic cockpit switchgear. 

Ready to race

Booen really has left nothing to chance while creating this tribute to the iconic Jaguar. We think it does the original more than justice. What’s more, the recreation, for sale at Historic Cars in Paris, would be a worthy addition to any private collection or museum thanks to its FIA certificate, making it eligible for historic motor racing events around the world. We sincerely hope it goes racing – the more people who get the chance to witness this special car and what it represents, the better. 

Photos: Rémi Dargegen

A wide range of historic racing cars can be found in the Classic Driver Market.

Quant's e-Sportlimousine promises an electric revolution

Dubbed the ‘e-Sportlimousine’, Quant’s new powertrain and energy storage concept could hold the key to the future of electric motoring…

A beacon of hope

So how does it work? Quite complicatedly, as it turns out. Essentially, each wheel has its own electric motor, drawing power from a central ‘Nanoflowcell’, a new chemical battery system capable of storing and releasing electrical energy at extremely high densities. Allegedly, the technology is a ‘beacon of hope’ for the future of electric transport, owing to its compact, powerful and effective nature. It will also charge much more quickly than conventional batteries. The figures speak for themselves – 217mph, 0-60mph in 2.8sec and a range of over 600km. 

While the e-Sportlimousine hasn’t yet been homologated for production, the striking prototype is a fascinating proposal, not to mention one of the most futuristic concepts we’ve ever seen. Perhaps the coolest feature is the natural wood dash which, when the car is turned on, freakishly turns into the infotainment system. It’s a gargantuan vehicle, too, measuring 5.25 metres long and a staggering 2.2 metres wide. That explains the limousine bit, then. Still, it would be a shame to employ a driver; the Quant e-Sportlimousine looks like a blast to drive.

Photos, Video: Nanoflowcell

You can find more information on the Quant e-Sportlimousine and Nanoflowcell technologyhere. 

Rally Finland, ES11 : Latvala s’échappe / a flying Finn

Jari-Matti Latvala a pris une (petite) option sur une seconde victoire en Finlande. Le pilote Volkswagen/Michelin compte désormais 18.3 secondes d’avance sur… Kris Meeke ! Le Britannique a dépossédé Sébastien Ogier de la deuxième place pour 1.8 seconde.

Kakaristo n’est pas complètement étrangère aux pilotes de WRC puisque les 15 derniers kilomètres – sur les 20,51 de cette ES7/11 – sont ceux d’Ouninpohja.

Mais c’est dans cette 1^ère portion, étroite, sinueuse et très « polluée », que Jari-Matti Latvala a creusé un écart conséquent sur Seb Ogier, contraint de re-balayer l’endroit au second passage. En 5 km, le Français a concédé 3s5 et c’est avec 8s3 d’avance sur le champion du monde que Jari-Matti Latvala a conclu cette ES11, reléguant son équipier à 20s1 au général. « Je ne peux pas piloter comme ça sur toutes les spéciales » a avoué Latvala. On le comprend : pour l’heure, c’est le rallye le plus rapide de l’histoire du WRC (123,9 km/h).

Sébastien Ogier a également abandonné sa 2^e place au pilote Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi Kris Meeke pour 1s8. Meeke avait signé deux 2^e meilleurs temps dans l’ES9 et 10.

Derrière, ça bagarre aussi très fort entre Andreas Mikkelsen, Mikko Hirvonen et Mads Ostberg, tous trois groupés en 2s3 ! Le pilote Volkswagen est passé de la 6^e à la 4^e place à l’issue de l’ES11. Hirvonen avait effectué un tête-à-queue dans l’ES10, alors que Mads Ostberg se plaignait d’une voiture trop basse pour l’ES11. Hirvonen et Ostberg sont 5^e ex-aequo.

L’assistance Hyundai Motorsport a remis en état l’i20 WRC de Juho Hanninen et le Finlandais est revenu 8^e à seulement 15s3 d’Elfyn Evans. En revanche, son équipier Thierry Neuville n’est pas reparti du parc d’assistance de Jyväskylä. Les commissaires techniques FIA ont découvert que les fixations du siège avaient été endommagées dans la sortie de piste matinale (ES5). Il est prévu que Robert Kubica (Ford) reparte en Rally2 demain.

Rally Finland’s overnight leader Jari-Matti Latvala seems determined to be the Flying Finn who puts an end to three years of French domination of his home event. The Volkswagen/Michelin driver is tailed by Kris Meeke (+19.7s, Citroën) and team-mate Sébastien Ogier (+21.3, VW).

After emerging in front after SS1, Latvala took advantage of today’s ultra-fast stages near Jämsa to extend his lead by a factor of five. With his VW Polo R WRC running on Michelin’s new soft-compound LTX Force S4 tyres, the Finn claimed five of today’s nine tests which were completed at an average speed of more than 120kph. The average since the start (122.9kph) makes this the fastest event so far in WRC history.

After Thursday’s storm, this morning’s stages were still damp under tree-cover and that played in favour of Ogier who has been running first on the road since the start. From SS7, however, conditions began to dry out in the sunshine, leaving a top-coating of gravel – occasionally deep – on the region’s dirt roads. Despite his best efforts, the world champion was unable to maintain his deficit at around the 10-second mark as he had hoped. “That’s the way it goes,” he shrugged, “but I’m still pleased with the way I drove today.”

He was even demoted from second place by the on-form Meeke (Citroën DS3 WRC/Michelin) who has figured on the provisional podium since the start. He emerged in second spot after SS11 and has built up a safety margin over Andreas Mikkelsen (4^th), Mikko Hirvonen (5^th) and Mads Ostberg (6^th) that could be sufficient to secure him a top-three finish on Sunday.

His three chasers have all had hesitant starts to the event, plus some small errors, but they are currently covered by just three seconds and their battle is likely to get even fiercer tomorrow.

Hayden Paddon (Hyundai i20 WRC) kicked off Day 2 with a pair of fourth-fastest times on what were new stages, but he then fell back and is overnight seventh, 27.8s clear of Elfyn Evans (Ford) who is under pressure from Hyundai’s Juho Hanninen (9^th). The Finn was fourth overall when he clouted a bank on SS6 before rolling a few kilometres later. Team-mate Thierry Neuville was eliminated after his seat bracket broke in an ‘off’.

The top 10 is rounded off by Irishman Craig Breen (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) who is just ahead of the WRC-2 leader Jari Ketomaa (Ford Fiesta R5): “I’m just trying to control my lead now,” explained the Finn, the class’s winner in 2013. Estonian Karl Kruuda (Ford) is second (+42s), while France’s Sébastien Chardonnet (Citroën) has a footing on the podium, ahead of Ford runners Yazeed Al-Rahji and Ott Tanak.

Slovakia’s Martin Koci (Citroën DS3 R3/Michelin) tops the WRC-3 standings, ahead of Frenchman Quentin Giordano. The Drive DMack Fiesta Trophy fight is led by Tom Cave who was 21 seconds clear of Sander Pärn ahead of this evening’s super-special.