PURE MOTORCYCLES CB650

To the uninitiated the mention of custom motorcycles will forever conjure images of stretched Harley’s decked out in handlebar tassels and flaming paint jobs ridden by fat men in leather chaps. Whilst it is entirely certain that a pair of chaps shall never appear in the Bike Shed Gear Guide, it just might be that a revival of lairy 70’s style tank jobs could be on the horizon. This fabulous cb650 from Pure Motorcycles would most certainly suggest so.

One can always trust the French when it comes to fashion and Pure Motorcycles hail from Cannes, one of the countries trendiest and most beautiful regions. We first had our attention drawn to the work of William and David when they sent us the details of a pair of beautiful Honda CB500’s, Blue Moon and Black Beauty. For this latest build they have upped the capacity and date of the donor but stuck with their preferred manufacturer, opting for a 1980 Honda CB650.

The aim was to create from this base a bike with the spirit of a 70’s dirt tracker, “This project was so complicated because it was necessary to find the balance between the big block engine and the flat-track smoothness.” William also had to deal with the added complication of secrecy as he tried to hide this build from its eventual owner, David, the boss man at Pure Motorcycles.

To get things going William rebuilt the block and offered up a free flowing 4 into 1 exhaust along with four colour matched racing air-filters. He stripped and cleaned the frame of superfluous lugs before trimming back the rear-end and installing the ubiquitous loop, William then finished it off with a coat of black Epoxy to match the Comstar wheels which are shod with chunky 18′ Dunlop K180 tyres.

The electrical system was refined and replaced then stored in a small box under the seat which also houses a small lithium battery. The wide flat track bars host fabulous homemade switchgear units with wires that run internally for that racing look. Bar end indicators, a small speedometer and a single mirror mounted low on the forks keep the cockpit clean enough to showcase those sparkly, boiled sweet grips. The headlight formerly found employment as a car spotlight before being given a yellow tint and sole lighting responsibilities on the Honda.

The gloriously painted aforementioned tank came from an old 125 of unknown heritage, Pure describe it as “very special because she take a 70’s style with cream color, candy orange and gold leaf. All this forms Scallops style.”  Unquestionably one of this years top tanks. The seat was handmade for purpose with space for two, there is a wraparound diamond stitched mid-section and plain leather front and rear giving the seat great definition. A small side mounted light and numberplate keep the rear aspect super clean.

William describes the finished article as “Simply perfect” and I find it very hard to disagree with him. As the cold British nights begin to close in the pictures of this sparkling machine glinting in the sunshine on that glorious coast are just enough to keep the fires burning through the winter.

Bring on the summer already.

via The Bike Shed

Yard Built XV950 'Boltage' by Benders

Christian and Raphael Bender are back with their second Yard Built project, a stunning retro racer XV950 concept.

The German brothers latest collaboration with Yamaha has delivered an achingly cool café racer, inspired by one of their previous projects, the ‘Jericho’, based on a 1983 Yamaha TR1. 

DEBOLEX MK1B

If being a thoroughly nice chap paid the bills then Calum, the front man of deBolex, would be able to kick back with a Piña Colada and watch the world go by. Unfortunately hard work and an eye for detail is what keeps the bailiffs from his door, proof being the repeat orders from customers and the business now able to step up a gear.

As the customer base has grown and projects become more creative, the original deBolex MK1 build was left languishing at the back of the workshop whilst the latest flavour of the month is transformed and fettled. Like the worn out Action Man figure with his cammo rubbed off, cast aside to the bottom of the toy box. Someone should make a movie about that.

The MK1’s 1979 Cb750 base was still perfectly usable, having been rebuilt properly in the first place, but needed a new owner and a bit of love. Eduardo, an enigmatic Italian with an infectious personality had been buzzing to work on a trusty but wheezy RS125, and frequently popped over the road to see what Calum was working on. Eduardo decided he needed a commuting upgrade and the now MK1b could take on a new lease of life under his ownership.

Being a frequent visitor, Ed was able to fine tune the design organically to his taste and keep an eye on progress. With the bike back in bits, the frame given a further clean up and the rear hoop scalloped-out to accept the LED tail light. A new aluminium seat base was made with a diamond stitched saddle, this time with creating a more subtle kick-up at the rear.

The silver frame was re-stripped and powder coated in satin black to meet the darker and moodier theme, complimented by fresh Dunlops on re-powdered black mags.

deBolex bikes look good in black, and the b is no different, the tank broken up by a wide cream band and black pinstripe; with matching logo of course. Ed’s enthusiasm around the workshop was usually followed by “Sweeet!” so this was added, just ahead of the headstock.

A new Daytona speedo, some finishing touches, a tune-up and Ed was on his way down the road; shortly followed by Calum wishing he hadn’t parted with his firstborn. A good few miles later and a text message came through “Sweeet!!!!”

Sometimes you have to let the past go to make way for the future and deBolex are well on their way to achieving that. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for news and the website if you want to book a slot in their growing build queue.

via The Bike Shed

Porsche selects the world’s best driving routes

At the press launches for its latest models, Porsche often produces a sophisticated book detailing the most scenic and varied driving routes in the local area. The fruits of this extensive research are now available to the public, as Porsche has created a global map of its favourite driving roads…

Community curve-hunting

Using a tailored version of the Google Maps software, Porsche is not only highlighting its own favourite roads but also inviting keen drivers from around the world to upload their own routes, which can then be rated by members of the GTS community using ‘the GTS factor’. Not-so-subtle marketing ploy aside, the excellently executed idea is demonstrated using a new Porsche 911 Carrera GTS on the lonely roads of New Zealand’s West Coast in the video below.

Photos, Video: Porsche

You can find hundreds of modern and classic Porsches for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

‘80 Moto Morini 500 – Revival Cycles

Let’s face it; the whole car-to-bike custom crossover thing isn’t exactly hot news. We’ve all seen the evidence. The Gulf Oil paint jobs. The Ayrton Senna tribute builds. The hotrod-inspired Harleys. But for the more inquisitive builders out there, there’s still many untapped sources of four-wheel inspiration left if you look hard enough. And for Alan Stulberg from the renown Revival Cycles in Texas, the style for his latest build was obvious. “Sure, it’s not a 80’s Ferrari and Moto Morini never built a GTS model, but it’s what we wanted; a bike with a little 80’s Ferrari passion.” Here’s the bike Magnum P.I. would have ridden if he had better taste – Revival’s Moto Morini “GTS”.

Alan started by telling us that the client who brought in the donor bike said he was inspired by 80’s Italian sports cars. As far as design briefs go, we can think of a lot worse. “He wanted us to take that thought and build him a cool, stripped down custom that displayed some of that same Ferrari charm. No it’s not a Ferrari, but we’d like to think one could see the direction we took made sense.”

The Austin team took this build on simply because Revival’s favourite type of build is one that is different from the crowd and, let’s face it, Morinis definitely set you apart from the masses. “Perhaps we’re a little different from other shops, but we specialize in not specializing. It keeps things more interesting to have the chance to master more than one particular model.”

Having the time to get well acquainted with the Italian hardware at hand, Alan sang the praises of the Moto Morini engine design team. “Long before the new, flathead-inspired Indian Twin, Moto Morini tried and succeeded in making an overhead cam engine look like something much simpler and with a more vintage appeal. I think the Italian manufacturers almost always did this better than the rest, but in my opinion there are few engines that post date this one that still focused on engine’s appearance so tightly.”

The owner’s request for a budget-conscious build mean that the decision to keep the original tank was an easy one. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t modified. “We tweaked the factory tank to allow space for the new Anti-Gravity Lithium Ion battery, new wiring and a new ignition system. As per our previous builds, the brains of the machine is a Motogadget M-unit electronic control unit and ignition system. The switches and speedo are also Motogadget units and they really help clean up the cockpit. They are so good, we’ve been installing them on all our builds. They seem to be up to it  – we’ve seen few returns and many happy customers.”

“We cut the side cover over the dry clutch. It gives that visceral feel to the bike when it’s running.”

One of the weak points on the Morini twins was their electric starters, so Revival chose to remove it altogether and rely solely on the bike’s kick starter. This also allowed for some stylistic modifications to the side cover once it was removed. “We also cut and modified the other side cover over the dry clutch. With it now exposed, it improves the visuals of the engine and gives that visceral feel to the bike when it’s running.”

“From there we modified a metal headlight bucket we carry and installed the Speedo in the new housing. We also installed a headlight that incorporates LED turn signals into the periphery of the lens. Out back, the lighting is rounded off with a simple LED tail light/turn signal combination.” The entire setup has been integrated into the Revival custom seat, which was then professionally upholstered by Ginger at New Church Moto in a rich tan leather that is (you guessed it) inspired by Ferrari interiors from the 80s. That, or the over-baked skin of a rich, 80s Italian housewife holidaying on the Amalfi coast.

Then came the custom rearset footpegs and controls which were then hooked up to a relocated rear master cylinder. And although they were able to utilise the factory’s rear brake caliper and rotor, they chose to go a different route on the front. Alan got machining and in no time a custom rotor carrier and bracket were nabbed up and married to a modern Brembo rotor and dual-piston caliper assembly. “Coupled with a modern Brembo front master cylinder and new micro stainless brake lines front to back, it all came together to make a real difference to the bike’s stopping power. This little guy stops on a dime and the brakes are very responsive.”

There was also time set aside to rebuild and upgrade the front fork internals and to add a simple set of progressive shocks in the rear. We’d think that this would be one of the better handling Morinis out there.

“We then designed and built a very simple, matched set of stainless header exhaust pipes with integrated mufflers by Cone Exhaust. And to round out the entire build, we chose a Ferrari metallic grey paint for the bodywork and decided that the factory gold finish of the 7-spoke mag wheels perfectly complimented the Ferrari-inspired look we were going for.”

At the end of the day it’s not too big a stretch of the imagination to see that the theme of a 1980’s Ferrari was implemented with much aplomb and this little Morini seems to carry it pretty well. So well, in fact, that we can almost feel the Italian summer breeze blowing through our chest hairs. Tom Selleck would be proud; and were pretty sure the boys from Revival Cycles are, too.“We believe it stands up well stylistically to many of our more complex builds,” says Alan. “Also, did I mention this Italian twin has an awesome exhaust note?” We hope it’s new owner enjoys hearing it as much as we enjoyed looking at it.

via PIPEBURN

Reborn to be wild: The chopper returns

Choppers - those raked-out, laid-back, sissy-barred motorcycles ridden by the coolest cats of the '60s - have been in the spotlight lately...

The reason being that the most famous one of all, the Harley-Davidson-based 'Captain America' ridden by Peter Fonda in Easy Rider, recently fetched $1.3 million at auction in California. Well, it was actually one of the most famous choppers of all because several were used in the film and another, unrestored example is said to be sitting in the Texas garage of a man called Gordon Granger, who claims to have acquired his bike from the same source, an actor called Dan Haggerty who had a bit part in the movie.

The greatest road trips in cinematic history

In any event, those fish-tail exhausts, the stars 'n' stripes paint job and that deep-buttoned, stepped seat speak of one of the greatest road trips in cinematic history, when chopper-riding Fonda, his sidekick Dennis Hopper and a random pillion passenger in the form of Jack Nicholson cruised the blacktop from L.A. to New Orleans. It's odd, isn't it, that choppers - probably the least comfortable, least practical, worst handling motorcycles ever conceived - have become synonymous with making the most of the freedom of the open road to travel far and wide on journeys of discovery?

 

The radical chopper look was born from the stripped-down bobbers created from Army surplus motorcycles sold off after the war. The bobber style prevailed through the 1950s, with the first choppers emerging during the '60s when groups of California-based custom builders – one of the most famous being San Francisco's Arlen Ness – began to design bikes with stretched frames and forks, skinny, large-diameter front wheels, fat rear ones and ape-hanger handlebars.

From counter-culture to mainstream TV

The release of Easy Rider in 1969 saw a surge in demand, and the '70s and '80s saw designs become increasingly far-out as the chopper scene found a small but dedicated following around the world. By the 1990s, chopper building was turning in to a full-blown art form that was appreciated by the super-rich, and even became the subject of mainstream TV with the arrival of the American Chopper series that followed the slapstick antics of the Teutul family, proprietors of Orange County Choppers.

The full story of the chopper's gradual evolution has now been told by leading motorcycle historian Paul d'Orleans in a book simply called 'The Chopper', which explains the part played by custom bikes in popular culture and modern history. It's one of the most in-depth studies of the genre ever written and is both a fascinating read and an inspirational one. It might even give you the urge to buy the most bitchin' chop you can get your hands on and head off into the sunset...

Photos: Gestalten Verlag

The Chopper - The Real Story. Paul d'Orleans and Robert Klanten. 288 pages, full colour. Euros 49.90. Available now from shop.gestalten.com

WRC, Wales Rally GB : Les « Britons » ont toutes leurs chances / Britain’s best chance in years

Kris Meeke (Citroën) et Elfyn Evans (Ford) représentent les meilleures chances de victoire britannique au Wales Rally GB depuis des années. Matthew Wilson est de retour en WRC sur une Ford Fiesta RRC aux couleurs de Michelin, et peut jouer la victoire en WRC-2.

Le dernier pilote britannique à s’être imposé sur ses terres en WRC fut Richard Burns, vainqueur en 1998, 1999 et 2000 sur Mitsubishi, puis Subaru. A cette époque, son grand rival était l’Ecossais Colin McRae (vainqueur en 1994, 1995 et 1997) et les médias britanniques se délectaient de ces duels annoncés avant chaque départ du Wales Rally GB.

Après la disparition de Richard Burns (2005) et de Colin McRae (2007), aucun pilote britannique n’a été en mesure de suivre leurs traces et celles de Roger Clark (1976), le seul autre pilote britannique à avoir remporté son épreuve depuis la création du WRC en 1973.

Les copilotes britanniques ont connu plus de réussite sur leurs terres avec Henry Liddon (1973, 1974), Paul White (1980), Terry Harryman (1984), Neil Wilson (1985), Nicky Grist (1993) et Phil Mills (2002, 2003, 2004) qui ont conduit les pilotes scandinaves Timo Mäkinen Henri Toivonen, Ari Vatanen, Juha Kankkunen et Petter Solberg à la victoire.

Ce week-end, le Gallois Elfyn Evans va disputer son premier Wales Rally GB sur une Ford Fiesta RS WRC/Michelin. Il pourra compter sur sa parfaite connaissance du terrain car il habite au cœur des collines qui accueillent la première étape. Son patron, Malcolm Wilson, est aussi un grand supporter : « Il progresse sur un rythme élevé que j’ai rarement vu chez un pilote de rallye. »

« C’est vraiment particulier de conclure ma première saison mondiale à la maison », confie le Gallois. « Et c’est bien de voir des pilotes britanniques capables de gagner ce rallye. J’espère que ça va redonner de l’intérêt pour la discipline comme à l’époque Burns/McRae. »

L’Irlandais du Nord Kris Meeke (Citroën/Michelin) jouera certainement les premiers rôles lui aussi et sa forme actuelle laisse supposer qu’une première victoire mondiale n’est qu’une question de temps. « J’ai disputé mon tout premier rallye au Pays de Galles, je connais bien la région. Mais je n’ai participé au Wales Rally GB qu’une fois ces huit dernières années. »

De son côté, Matthew Wilson, effectue son retour en rallye sur une Ford Fiesta RRC aux couleurs de Michelin. Il avait débuté au Wales Rally GB en 2004. Rapide et régulier, il pourrait se mêler à la lutte pour la victoire en catégorie WRC-2 (news à suivre). Matthew est le pilote avec le taux d’abandon le plus faible du WRC ! En 90 rallyes disputés, il n’a abandonné que 7 fois.

Citroën’s Kris Meeke and M-Sport Ford’s Elfyn Evans are the UK’s best chances of victory on Britain’s round of the WRC for a long time. The list of home-grown drivers is swelled by Englishman Matthew Wilson who is contesting Wales Rally GB in a Michelin-backed Ford.

The last Briton to win his home round of the FIA World Rally Championship time was the late Richard Burns who collected victories in 1998, 1999 and 2000 with Mitsubishi, then Subaru. At the time, his rivalry with Scotland’s Colin McRae for the local fans’ hearts with was exploited by the national media to pump up interest ahead of the then Rally of Great Britain.

Sadly, McRae, who secured RAC Rally success for Subaru in 1994, 1995 and 1997, is no longer with us either. Since the early Noughties, therefore, there has been nobody to restore British pride and follow the examples of Burns, McRae… and Roger Clark (1976), the only other Brit to have enjoyed home glory since the world championship’s creation in 1973.

British co-drivers have been more successful, however, since local specialists Henry Liddon (1973, 1974), Paul White, (1980), Terry Harryman (1984), Neil Wilson (1985), Nicky Grist (1993) and Phil Mills (2002, 2003, 2004) have navigated Scandinavians Timo Mäkinen, Henri Toivonen, Ari Vatanen, Juha Kankkunen and Petter Solberg to the top prize nine times over the same period.

In his bid to put the Union Jack back on top this week, Ford/Michelin’s Elfyn Evans will be able to count on unique local knowledge. He lives in the heart of the hills that host Day 1’s action and his speed will provide the non-Brits with a valuable benchmark.

M-Sport team boss Malcolm Wilson is a big supporter: “He is improving at the highest rate of progress I have seen from any driver.”

“It’s special to finish the year at home,” adds the Welshman. “And it’s great to have Brits in two top class cars. Hopefully, it will rekindle the interest the sport had in the Burns/McRae era.”

Northern Irishman Kris Meeke is another probable front-runner and his current form for Citroën/Michelin suggests that a maiden WRC victory is only a matter of time. “My first ever rally was in Wales, so I know the region very well,” he says, before playing down expectations by recalling that he has only contested Wales Rally GB once in the last eight years.

Meanwhile, Matthew Wilson, son of Malcolm, is poised to make his comeback to rallying’s world arena after stepping back from the sport to manage M-Sport’s GT racing activities. The Cumbrian is returning to the forests in a striking Michelin-liveried Ford Fiesta WRC (see separate story).

6 Heures de Rome 2014 : un plateau de qualité

par Claude Foubert (Endurance-Info.com)
La liste des engagés des Six Heures de Vallelunga -16 novembre 2014- n’est pas encore définitive, mais on en connaît désormais les grandes lignes.

L’édition 2014 ne sera malheureusement pas un grand cru, quantitativement parlant. Les Séries se multipliant, les calendriers se chevauchent souvent avec des conflits de dates inévitables, aggravés par des voitures en voie d’acheminement vers la prochaine course ou sur le chemin du retour de leurs ateliers, ce qui complique les organisateurs. C’est le cas de ceux des Six Heures de Rome cette année, avec des voitures pas encore rentrées de Baku ou en partance pour Abu Dhabi ou Sepang et qui auraient été habituellement au départ à Vallelunga, comme celles du Kessel Racing qui seront absentes sur l’autodrome romain pour la première fois depuis de nombreuses années.

Heureusement, si la quantité ne sera pas au rendez-vous, la qualité sera bien là, et notamment en Gold Cup, la catégorie qui réunit les GT. Onze voitures sont inscrites : deux Ferrari 458 GT3 AF Corse en configuration Open GT avec des équipages plus que solides : Giancarlo Fisichella/Giuseppe Perazzini/ Marco Cioci et Duncan Cameron/Matt Griffin. Perazzini et Cioci ont déjà remporté l’épreuve à trois reprises (2008, 2011 et 2013) et l’apport de Fisico pourrait leur permettre de faire la passe de quatre. Cameron et Griffin ont terminé deuxièmes l’année dernière.

Une Ferrari 458 GT3 est également engagée par le team MP1 Corse, tandis que Autorlando Sport a inscrit deux Porsche 997 GT3 R.

Deux Mercedes SLS GT3 duTeam G-Private Racing de la famille Zumstein seront au départ, ainsi que la Nissan GT-R GT3 de l’équipe Nova Race, l’Audi R8 LMS de Audi Sport Italia avec Thomas Biagi, une Porsche 997 Cup et une Lotus Elise.

En Silver Cup (Tourisme et Silhouettes), deux GC 10 V8 de GC Automobiles seront opposées à la BMW M3 de Promotor Sport et de Massimo Zanin, une des habituelles animatrices des Six Heures de Rome, et à la Megane Trophy Oregon Sport, autre habituée de l’épreuve.

En Bronze Cup, ce sera donc le retour des protos, avec une opposition purement transalpine, les deux Wolf GB08 officielles de Avelon Formula –avec le pilote maison Ivan Bellarosa- face à la Tatuus PY012 MSR Corse de Lacorte/Sernagiotto, vue régulièrement cette année en VdeV Endurance Series.

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WRC, Wales Rally GB : Peta, l’atout charme du rallye ! / Peta brings glamour to Rally GB

Dans ce monde très misogyne du sport automobile, il n’est pas surprenant de voir l’intérêt suscité par Peta Todd (Madame Cavendish) engagée ce week-end au Wales Rally GB. L’ex-modèle de charme a vite appris les rudiments du métier de copilote.

Peta Todd, aujourd’hui épouse du sprinteur Mark Cavendish, n’a pas hésité une seconde quand on lui a proposé de copiloter le vétéran Tony Jardine au Wales Rally GB 2014.

Les lecteurs assidus de Best-Of-RallyLive se souviennent sans doute de Tony Jardine, très connu dans le monde des relations publiques, qui chaque année invite des « people » pour le copiloter au Rally GB. L’an passé, il avait recruté la médaillée d’or olympique 2010 de skeleton Amy Williams. Le duo avait terminé 26^e du classement général et remporté sa catégorie.

Cette année, Tony est navigué par Peta, qui, il y a quelques semaines, ne savait pas ce qu’était un rallye ! Ni un copilote… Depuis qu’elle a dit « oui », Peta a disputé trois rallyes et s’est rendue sur différentes épreuves pour apprendre les bases.

Son apprentissage ne fut pas facile néanmoins. Après son premier rallye au côté de Tony, elle a souffert d’un affaissement d’un poumon. Après son traitement, le mal est réapparu et Peta n’a pu éviter l’intervention chirurgicale.

Pour beaucoup, ç’aurait pu être une excuse toute trouvée pour déclarer forfait. Mais pas pour Peta…

« Les docteurs m’ont dit que j’étais complètement rétablie », nous a dit Peta. « J’avais une petite douleur après l’opération, mais aujourd’hui ça va. A mon premier rallye, j’étais malade. Tout était nouveau pour moi et j’avais du mal à me concentrer. Je pense avoir compris comment ça fonctionne. J’ai juste un peu peur avec les maths et les calculs des temps sur le carnet de bord. Mais j’ai confiance. »

A la maison, les trophées rapportés par son mari Mark prennent toute la place, mais Peta est bien décidé à ajouter un trophée du Wales Rally GB dimanche. « Mark est jaloux », observe Tony Jardine. « Il a essayé de prendre sa place, mais Peta lui a dit de rester sur deux roues ! »

« Depuis le début du projet, c’est très sympa de collaborer avec Peta », conclut Tony, 62 ans, qui dispute son 16^e Wales Rally GB. « Elle est très déterminée, elle apprend vite et les médias britanniques adore l’histoire. »

In a predominantly misogynist world like motorsport, it’s no surprise to see how much interest the participation of lady co-driver Peta Todd in this week’s Wales Rally GB has generated. Learning the necessary skills and preparing for the start has been an extremely steep learning curve for the former glamour model.

Peta Todd, alias Mrs. Cavendish, wife of world champion cycle racer Mark Cavendish, didn’t hesitate in the slightest when she was asked to read out pace notes for amateur Tony Jardine on the 2014 Wales Rally GB.

Best-of-RallyLive visitors will recall that the British driver, a well-known specialist in the world of motorsport public relations, relishes the challenge of grooming celebrity guest co-drivers to accompany him on Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship. Last year, for example, he recruited the 2010 skeleton Winter Olympics gold medallist Amy Williams. The pair reached won their class and finished 26^th overall!

This year, Jardine is joined by Peta who, only a few weeks ago, had no idea of what sitting in a rally navigator’s seat involved.

Since saying ‘yes’, however, the mother of two children has contested three rallies and attended a number of specialised courses to help her learn the basics.

Her intensive apprenticeship wasn’t entirely trouble-free, though. After her first trial rally with Jardine, she suffered a collapsed lung. Following treatment, the ailment returned shortly afterwards and she was compelled to undergo surgery…

For many, men and women alike, that would have been the ideal excuse to turn down the opportunity to compete as a novice in Britain’s rallying showpiece. But not, Peta…

“The doctors say I am completely fit,” she says. “I was in a little pain immediately after the operation but now I’m fine. On my first rally, motion sickness was a problem. Everything was new to me and it was hard to concentrate. Now, I think I understand how it all fits together. I’m just a little concerned about my maths and adding up the times on the timecard. But I feel confident.”

At home, the trophies won by ultra-successful husband Mark tend to take pride of place, but Peta is determined to move them aside to add her won prize on Sunday.

“Mark is actually jealous,” observes Jardine. “He has tried very hard to take her place, but Peta told him he should stick to two wheels!

“It’s been great fun working with her,” adds the English ‘veteran’, 62, who calculates that this is his 16^th attempt at Rally GB. “She’s determined, she’s a fast learner and the British media loves the story. What else could I ask for?”

WRC, Wales Rally GB : Mikkelsen remporte le Shakedown / Mikkelsen tops shakedown order

Les trois Volkswagen Polo R WRC/Michelin ont signé les trois meilleurs temps du Shakedown. Andreas Mikkelsen s’est imposé avec 3/10e d’avance sur ses équipiers Ogier et Latvala ex-aequo. Les pilotes Ford Robert Kubica et Ott Tanak sont dans le rythme eux aussi.

La dernière manche de la saison WRC 2014 a démarré ce matin avec le Shakedown organisé dans les forêts de Clocaenog, à une quarantaine de kilomètres de Chester. Leremote-serviceétait situé à Ruthin.

Dès son premier run, le Champion du monde Sébastien Ogier a signé le meilleur chrono en 2min01s8. Il a un peu amélioré à son second tour avec un 2min01s6 qui restera le 2^e meilleur chrono de ce Shakedown, à égalité avec son équipier Jari-Matti Latvala.

Le Français était le premier à rentrer au parc d’assistance de Deeside. « Le Shakedown était représentatif du rallye avec de la boue, de la terre, mais sans les portions rapides typiques du Wales Rally GB. Deux passages nous ont suffi… » a commenté son copilote Julien Ingrassia.

Le chrono d’Ogier a été battu par Andreas Mikkelsen en 2min01s3 réalisé au troisième de ses quatre tours.

Les pilotes Ford Fiesta RS WRC Robert Kubica (4^e, 2min02s2) et Ott Tanak (5^e, 2min02s3) ont livré un aperçu de leur potentiel sur ces spéciales. Ils sont suivis par Kris Meeke, qui a bouclé pas moins de 7 tours, et Elfyn Evans (Ford). Les deux Britanniques n’ont pu se départager (2min02s4). Le bientôt-retraité Mikko Hirvonen (Ford) a signé 2min02s5.

Hayden Paddon (8^e, 2min03s2) a réalisé la meilleure performance du clan Hyundai à son troisième run, devant Thierry Neuville (10^e, 2min03s9) et Juho Hanninen (12^e, 2min04s8) qui n’a couvert que deux tours.

Tous les pilotes Michelin ont utilisé le pneu LTX Force S4 qui sera sans aucun doute le choix principal pour le rallye.

Les concurrents vont ensuite participer à la cérémonie de départ qui sera organisée ce soir à 19h00 à Colwyn Bay, au nord du Pays de Galles. Après une bonne nuit de sommeil, ils auront 105 km chronométrés à parcourir demain, à commencer par Gartheiniog (14,58 km) qui s’élancera à 7h44. L’entrée au parc d’assistance est fixée à 5h30 !

Volkswagen/Michelin’s trio monopolised the top three places on this morning’s shakedown. Mikkelsen completed the 3.32km test three-tenths of a second faster than team-mates Ogier and Latvala who recorded identical times. Ford drivers Kubica and Tanak also showed good pace.

Competitive action at the final round of the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship kicked off with this morning’s shakedown which took crews to Clocaenog forest, around 45km southwest of Chester.

World champion Sébastien Ogier hit the ground running in his Polo R WRC to go straight to the top of the order with a time of 2m1.8s. He then improved marginally with his second pass to post what would remain the second-best time of the morning (2m1.6s), equal with team-mate Latvala.

The Frenchman called it a day after that and was the first driver to return to the main Service Park in Deeside where his co-driver Julien Ingrassia described the stage to us: “It was quite representative of the rally, with a good mixture of mud and gravel, although it didn’t include any of the long fast portions that are so typical of Wales Rally GB. But you can’t have everything! Two passes were enough to check that everything was okay.”

Ogier’s benchmark was eventually bettered by fellow VW driver Andreas Mikkelsen who appeared at the top of the list with a time of 2m1.3s on the third of his four attempts.

Ford drivers Robert Kubica (2m2.2s) and Ott Tanak (2m2.3s) gave an interesting indication of their speed by taking fourth and fifth places. They were followed in the order by Citroën’s Kris Meeke, who used the morning to notch up the highest number of passes of any driver (seven), and Elfyn Evans (Ford). The two Britons were equal sixth thanks to best efforts of 2m2.4s, chased by future retiree Mikko Hirvonen (Ford, 2m2.5s) who has recovered from the emotional farewell party that M-Sport organised in the Service Park yesterday evening.

Hayden Paddon (8^th, 2m3.2s) emerged as the fastest Hyundai representative after three runs, ahead of Thierry Neuville (10^th, 2m3.9s) and Juho Hanninen (12^th, 2m4.8s) who only tackled the stage twice each. Mads Ostberg (Citroën, 2m3.2s) was ninth.

All Michelin’s WRC partners used the soft compound version (‘S4’) of its gravel tyre which will no doubt be the choice for the entire rally.

After a final chance to relax this afternoon, competitors face a drive along the North Wales coast to Colwyn Bay for this evening’s ceremonial start at 7pm local time.

Hopefully, they will then be able to get a good night’s sleep to be ready for the 105km run out to the week’s first stage (‘Gartheiniog 1’, 14.58km) which begins at 7:44am tomorrow. That will necessitate starting from the Service Park at 5:30am!