WRC Wales Rally GB : Deux VW/Michelin en tête du Shakedown / VW/Michelin duo tops shakedown

Sébastien Ogier et Jari-Matti Latvala ont signé le même chrono au Shakedown du Wales Rally GB 2015, alors que Mikkelsen était absent ce matin. L’ancienne pilote-essayeur en F1 Susie Wolf et l’ingénieur Audi Sport Leena Gade ont embarqué aux côtés de Meeke et d’Ogier.

La dernière manche du Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA 2015 ne débutera que demain avec l’ES1 programmée à 9h27, mais les équipages ont un planning très serré depuis la fin des reconnaissances mercredi après-midi.

A commencer par hier soir, avec les traditionnelles rencontres médias et un « happy hour » exceptionnel chez M-Sport qui fêtait le dernier rallye de son coordinateur John Millingtonaprès 20 ans passés dans l’écurie britannique. John n’a pas manqué un seul des 266 derniers rallyes WRC !

Pendant ce temps, un « rally forum » était organisé dans un hôtel près du parc d’assistance pour les spectateurs. Au programme : une vente aux enchères de différents objets en rapport avec le rallye, dont une peinture de la Subaru de Colin McRae du RAC Rally 1995 signée par la famille de l’Ecossais et mise à prix à 1000 £. Les fonds récoltés seront reversés au Welsh Air Ambulance. 

Parmi les invités, Hayden Paddon, Petter Solberg, Neil Wilson, le copilote d’Henri Toivonnen vainqueur sur Lancia Delta S4 en 1985, Nicky Grist, l’ancien copilote de Colin McRae... Le triple champion du monde Sébastien Ogier a également fait sensation auprès des fans britanniques. A la question « doutez-vous parfois », Sébastien a répondu : « Oui, comme tout le monde dans cette salle. »

Ogier n’a pas trop douté ce matin, sur le Shakedown de 3,32 km organisé à Clocaenog Forest, à environ 45 km du parc d’assistance. Clocaenog, une grande classique du Rally GB pour s’échauffer, comme si le Shakedown du Rallye Monte-Carlo était au Col du Turini !

Il y avait un « remote service » au village de Ruthin, ville natale de l’ancien pilote de F1 des années 1970 Tom Pryce et du patron de Prodrive, David Richards.

Ogier a signé le meilleur chrono en 2min01s4 à son 3e tour, pour revenir ex-aequo avec Jari-Matti Latvala qui avait réalisé le même temps à sa 2e tentative. Le troisième pilote Volkswagen et vainqueur du Rallye d’Espagne Andreas Mikkelsen a dû déclarer forfait pour ce Shakedown. Le Norvégien ne se sentait pas bien hier et est reparti en Allemagne pour passer des examens médicaux. Il devrait revenir à temps pour prendre le départ du rallye.

Kris Meeke (Citroën/Michelin) a signé le 3e meilleur temps en 2min01s7. Après un changement de boîte de vitesses, le Britannique est reparti copiloté par l’Ecossaise Susie Wolf, pilote-essayeur Williams en F1, qui vient d’annoncer sa retraite. Cette initiative fait partie du programme « Women in Motorsport » de la FIA. De son côté, Sébastien Ogier a embarqué dans sa VW Polo R WRC Geena Gade, l’ingénieur de l’Audi R18 e-tron quattro/Michelin triple victorieuse des 24 Heures du Mans.

Thierry Neuville, Hayden Paddon et Dani Sordo ont complété le top-5 dans cet ordre, ce qui n’est pas pour déplaire au Belge qui n’a pas été nominé par Hyundai Motorsport ce week-end.Les pilotes M-Sport Elfyn Evans et Ott Tanak ont été perturbés par des ennuis de boîte de vitesses ce matin.

Les nouvelles sont bonnes en revanche pour Gianluca Linari. En début de semaine, la Subaru n°48 avait subi un sabotage avec du sable dans le réservoir. La voiture n’a pas pu être présentée aux vérifications techniques à temps, mais les commissaires ont bien voulu inspecter l’auto ce matin.

Linari pourra donc prendre le départ. Les deux Fabia de Skoda Motorsport sont forfait, tout comme Henning Solberg et JariKetomaa. La céré monie de départ se déroulera ce soir à Llandudno.

Volkswagen/Michelin’s Ogier and Latvala go equal fastest on the Wales Rally GB shakedown, but team-mate Mikkelsen missed the session for medical reasons. Ladies Susie Wolff (Williams F1 development driver) and Leena Gade (Audi le Mans-winning race engineer) were treated to passenger rides.

The final round of the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship doesn’t begin until 9:27am Friday (SS1) but the crews have faced a busy schedule since completing recce on Wednesday afternoon.

In the evening, there was the usual round of ‘media’ functions, including a special ‘happy hour’ at M-Sport which, after marking the end of Hirvonen’s career this time last year, bid a fond farewell to the team’s long-serving Logistics Manager John Millington after 20 years with the company.

Meanwhile, in a hotel near the Deeside service park, a ‘rally forum’ evening was held for spectators, with proceeds going to the Welsh Air Ambulance charity. The programme included an auction of rally memorabilia and a painting of Colin McRae’s 1995 RAC Rally-winning Subaru signed by the Scot’s family entourage fetched £1,000.

Guests included Hayden Paddon, former RAC winner Petter Solberg, Neil Wilson, the brave co-driver  who partnered Henri Toivonen to victory in the amazing Lancia Delta S4 in 1995, and McRae’s former right hand man Nicky Grist.

There was also an appearance by the three-time world champion Sébastien Ogier who showed a side to his character that many British fans weren’t aware of. When asked whether he ever had doubts, the Frenchman responded: “of course, I’m just human like everyone else in this room…”

Self-doubts or not, Ogier was joint-fastest on this morning’s shakedown 3.32km stage which took place in Clocaenog Forest, about 45km from the main service park.  Clocaenog is such a Rally GB classic that it’s almost like the Monte Carlo using Col du Turini for the pre-start test!

There was a remote service zone in nearby Ruthin, home town of the 1970s F1 racer Tom Pryce and of ex-world championship navigator, Prodrive founder and former WRC promoter David Richards.

Ogier topped the shakedown timesheet with a best effort of 2m1.4s at his third attempt which put him exactly level with VW/Michelin team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala. The German make’s third man, Rally de Espana-winner Andreas Mikkelsen, did not take part after feeling poorly on Wednesday evening. The Norwegian is in Germany for medical tests and will hopefully be back for the start.

Third fastest was Citroën/Michelin’s Kris Meeke (2m1.7s) who had a celebrity sitting alongside in the person of Susie Wolff, the Scottish racing driver who recently announced her ‘retirement’ from her role as F1 development driver at Williams. This was part of an FIA ‘Women in Motorsport’ initiative which also saw Ogier take Audi’s three-time Le Mans-winning race engineer Leena Gade for a high-speed ride through Clocaenog.

The top six was rounded out by Hyundai/Michelin’s Thierry Neuville (2m1.9s), Haydon Paddon (2m2.4s) and Dani Sordo (2m2.6s), an order that will not displease the Belgian who has been dropped as a nominated points scorer for the Korean team this weekend.

The morning of Ford drivers Elfyn Evans and Ott Tanak, who know they are both under close observation this weekend, was troubled by transmission trouble.

There is good news for Gianluca Linari, however. Earlier this week, the Italian’s N°48 Subaru was bizarrely sabotaged when somebody poured sand into its  engine. The car consequently couldn’t be presented to scrutineering in time, but the stewards have agreed to check the car this morning instead.

Along with his 75 fellow drivers, Linari will consequently be able to enjoy the start ceremony in the North Wales coastal resort of Llandudno this evening, ahead of Friday morning’s two loops of three stages without service (131.40km). Missing from the list, though, will be the two Skoda Motorsport drivers and Jari Ketomaa.

THREE GIRLS, THREE BIKES, TRIPLE TROUBLE!!

Jaguar D-type Longnose to be offered by RM Sotheby’s in Arizona

With several key sales remaining in 2015, the auction year is far from over but the various houses are already hard at work consigning cars for next year. Arguably, the best so far is this Jaguar D-type ‘Longnose’ from RM Sotheby’s…

With recent high-profile auction consignments such as the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato andFangio’s Ferrari 290 MM, it feels like blue-chip classics are ten-a-penny on the market right now. This latest offering from RM Sotheby’s – a Jaguar D-type ‘Longnose’, chassis XKD 604 – will be offered at its Arizona sale, taking place on 28-29 January 2016, and is significant in that it’s the first of just six D-types built for the 1956 season, complete with a raft of factory upgrades that include fuel injection and de Dion rear suspension, the latter a feature fitted exclusively to this car.

An accident sustained during its first race at Silverstone in 1956 prematurely ended this D-type’s racing career, when the decision was taken not to repair the car back at the factory, for financial reasons. It was subsequently sold to the Ecurie Ecosse racing team in Scotland where it remained, dormant, until 1971, before passing through a number of collectors to its current custodian, who’s owned the car since 2004. Yes, it might not have the most desirable provenance, but the sale of XKD 604 is a rare opportunity to own a D-type built and developed by the Works team. 

Photos courtesy of RM Sotheby’s © 2015

Honda XR600R by Moto Motivo

Written by Ian Lee.

The Honda XR600R is hardly the sort of bike you could classify as refined. A big plastic drenched thumper, it’s design aims for function over form. That’s not to say that can’t be changed though, with the big single making a great platform for a custom build. This is exactly what Moto Motivo has done with their latest commissioned build, taking a 1993 XR600R and making it ‘stand out in a sea of XR builds’. Looking very naked, this decluttered XR was built for Greg Hochreiter, the founder of Devolve Moto, a moto lifestyle shop based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Conceived with the idea of using the machine as a daily rider, Moto Motivo has ensured the Honda retains it’s utility, while making it look a whole lot prettier than it did in it’s polyethylene cloaked factory guise.

With Greg spending a lifetime on Honda bikes, the shop owner knew what make of bike he wanted to use in the build, and an idea of what the final product should look like. Taking a fancy to the XR600R model after seeing them in action in the Baja 1000, Greg was ‘blown away by how technically savvy the design was, from the RFVC, to the fully adjustable suspension and kick start only option’.

Ultimately, the build brief was to create a bike that could go curb jumping on weekdays to get to work, then to be able to explore any fire trails that Greg comes across on the weekend. Approaching Moto Motivo, who are known for their credibility in the custom bike game, this is a different take for a workshop known for their cafe racer and naked bike builds. The final result is worth the gamble though, showing that Moto Motivo can take any type of bike and build it well.

Taking the bike back to bare bones, the word of the day was ‘minimalism’. The rear seat frame was ditched and replaced with a Dime city cycles loop, a custom seat cushion manufactured inhouse at Moto Motivo. Gone is the bulky factory tank, in it’s place is a CG125 tank, chosen to narrow the bike to ‘comically skinny’ dimensions. While the frame was stripped, a new wiring harness was manufactured, in order to allow for more electrical options like high beam, turn signals and a charging system for the AntiGravity battery now fitted.

Casting a glance over the bike you can see it is peppered with ceramic coated componentry, the first time Moto Motivo has used it on a build. This helps for when Greg takes the bike off road, the firearm silver ceramic coating more likely to stand up to rocks and road debris than a regular paint job – plus it looks damn good.

While on the subject of offroading, the suspension has been given the Moto Motivo treatment to help with the bike’s use as a daily rider, as well as to help it tackle the trails. The factory front forks have been retained, although they sit a bit lower than they did from the factory, and have been fitted up with a 280mm EBC brake rotor. At the rear sits an Eibach shock, featuring a lowering link to change the ride properties of the superleggera machine. Rims chosen for the build are Excel Takasago products, wrapped in Cinti TKC80 Twinduro rubber.

In order to retain that reliability the XR600R is known for, the engine was not modified during the build. The carb is stock, the air filter is now K&N, but it all exhales through that work of art Leo Vince exhaust, hugging the frame and pointing skyward. Performance of the stock XR powerplant is more than adequate with the Leo Vince exhaust fitted, according to Greg: ‘It sounds like a machine gun from the future and is honestly one of the most fun bikes I’ve ever had the privilege of riding. Being able to pop a wheelie just by goosing the throttle is pretty damn cool too’.

The first bike created in a series of custom builds for the Devolve Moto shop, the use of an XR as the platform for the custom has paid off. Ticking the boxes for reliability, useability, and likeability, Moto Motivo has created yet another sweet ride and we can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

via PIPEBURN

Vignale’s Ferrari 212 Inter was an alien hero of Jet Age styling

With the dawn of the Jet Age came a social and stylistic revolution that stretched far beyond aviation. The American automotive giants took full advantage of its effect on pop culture – however, Vignale’s outlandish Ferrari 212 Inters were the first that made the cut for the international jet set…

Following on from the 166 Inter, Ferrari’s first car to be tamed for road use, the 212 Inter moved the melding of ground-breaking performance and lavish luxury to the next level – just as the de Havilland Comet was doing in the commercial aviation industry. During this formative period in the early 1950s, around 80 Inter-spec 212s were produced and subsequently farmed out to independent coachbuilders for their clothing. Among these was Vignale, whose outré shapings Il Commendatore increasingly preferred to those of his other collaborators of the time, such as Ghia and Touring.

Six Geneva Coupés

In the case of the six 212 Inters that soon became known as the ‘Geneva Coupés’ – the first of which was the car pictured here – initial designs were conjured up by Giovanni Michelotti before being brought to life in the workshop of Alfredo Vignale. The Turinese metalwork expert executed his commissions like a true artist, treating each rolling chassis with the individuality of a sculptor given a fresh block of marble. As such, although the Geneva Coupés of 1953 bore many visual similarities, both with each other and the 340 Mexico berlinettas purpose-built to contest the Carrera Panamericana the previous year, they all had not-so-subtle differences.

Flight-inspired flourishes

Alongside the increasingly familiar ‘egg-crate’ grille, other dominant features on the first car included a set of bumper-ettes, superfluous but entirely character-defining. These were worn high above the main bumper and led into a sky-high shoulder line which, when twinned with the low roofline, gave a ‘chopped’ appearance. The bonnet crease and tailfins were lifted straight from the aero epoch, and highlighted by the two-tone colour scheme that might easily have been applied to the trend-setting uniforms of the era’s ‘trolley-dollies’. Interestingly, many of the design flourishes used would come to define a crucial period of American automotive design, despite the locally clothed Ferrari’s emergence tallying with the recognised pioneers of Jet Age styling, such as theCadillac Eldorado and GM Firebird concept.

More than the obvious attractions

Even though it was the next generation of competition-derived Ferraris that brought mechanical advancements (such as disc brakes and synchro ’boxes) to rival those taking hold in the skies above, the 212 Inter was still all but unmatched on the road. Boasting new developments such as a five-speed gearbox and the latest 2.6-litre version of the ever-expanding Colombo V12, it drew in customers who wanted class-leading performance and luxury in equal measure. Indeed, this example was bought new by the owner of a two-time Indy 500-winning racing team, shortly after it was inaugurated at the San Remo Concours d’Elegance.

As such, when it’s offered at the forthcoming RM Sotheby’s ‘Driven by Disruption’ sale on 10 December in New York (an auction showcasing ‘the moulds broken by engineers and designers’), the rare Vignale-bodied Ferrari 212 Inter will not only offer the obvious attractions – but also the fact that it was an unsung innovator of the Jet Age era that today’s designers still use for inspiration­.

Photos: Tom Shaxson for Classic Driver © 2015

WRC Wales Rally GB: Les autres Gallois du WRC / the WRC’s other Welshmen

A 26 ans, Elfyn Evans est aujourd’hui le plus grand ambassadeur du Pays de Galles en rallye. Mais deux autres Gallois, Tom Cave et Osian Pryce, rêvent eux aussi de faire carrière. Tous trois sont au départ du Wales Rally GB.

Commençons notre tour d’horizon des pilotes gallois avec Tom Cave, bientôt 24 ans. Malgré son jeune âge, on a l’impression de le voir depuis des années ! Nous avons reçu ses premiers communiqués de presse à ses débuts, à 14 ans, en Lituanie !

Il a été initié au rallye par son père, un pilote de niveau régional, et a grandi à Aberdyfi, littéralement sur l’estuaire de la rivière Dyfi qui coule à travers les spéciales du Rally GB. Peut-être que sa passion lui est venue en buvant de l’eau de la Dyfi !

Trop impatient pour attendre l’âge minimum de 17 ans pour avoir un permis au Royaume-Uni (et donc une licence), il a débuté en Lituanie à seulement 14 ans. Tom a disputé deux saisons (2007 et 2008) sur une MG TR, puis une Ford Fiesta ST GrN.

Fin 2008, il avait l’âge de courir chez lui. Quelques jours après ses 17 ans, il a effectué ses débuts en WRC au Wales Rally GB, et remporté la catégorie N3 sur sa Ford Fiesta.

Ce résultat l’a évidemment poussé à continuer en 2009, au Royaume-Uni et à l’étranger. En janvier 2010, il était au départ du Monte-Carlo (27^e).

En 2012, il a disputé deux rallyes en tant que pilote officiel Proton Motorsport : victoire en Thaïlande, et une 2^e place S-WRC au Wales Rally GB derrière Craig Breen, mais devant son équipier PG Andersson.

Depuis 2014, il pilote en DMack Fiesta Trophy. Après une victoire en 2014 (Allemagne), il a terminé à la 2^e place du championnat. Cette année, il s’est imposé en Finlande, mais a une nouvelle fois échoué au 2^e rang final. Il termine sa saison ce week-end sur une Ford Fiesta R5.

L’eau de la Dyfi a peut-être aussi eu de l’effet sur Osian Pryce (22 ans), qui a grandi à Machynlleth, dans la vallée de la Dyfi. Osian est lui aussi issu d’une famille de rallyman et, comme Cave, a débuté en Lituanie avant de disputer son premier rallye en Grande-Bretagne à 17 ans et un mois.

En 2011, à 18 ans, il a remporté le Fiesta Sport Trophy britannique avant de passer sur Citroën DS3 R3 avec laquelle il a terminé à la 3^e place du Championnat britannique des Rallyes, derrière Cave et devant Elfyn Evans ! L’année suivante, il a été titré vice-champion britannique après avoir remporté la moitié des courses.

L’an passé, il a encore terminé à la 2^e place du championnat, mais a impressionné avec une 18^e place au Wales Rally GB sur une Ford Fiesta R5, sa première expérience en 4-roues motrices.

Ce résultat a débouché sur une campagne partielle en JWRC/WRC-3 cette année sur une Citroën DS3 R3 Max. Il a mené le Rallye du Portugal avant d’abandonner, et terminé 2^e au Rallye de Pologne. Ce week-end, à domicile, il pourrait convertir ces deux 2^e places en victoire.

Although only 26, Elfyn Evans has emerged as the indisputable ambassador for Wales in world class rallying. But two other young Welshmen are doing all they can to join the M-Sport driver at the top: Tom Cave and Osian Pryce. Both are competing at home this week.

Let’s begin our presentation of Wales’s two rising stars with Tom Cave who will turn 24 next Monday.

Despite his tender age, it feels like he’s been around for years. Indeed, we started receiving press releases about his plans and results shortly after he started competing at the age of 15, in Latvia.

He was introduced to the sport by his father, a competitor at club level, and grew up in Aberdyfi, literally ‘estuary of the Dyfi/Dovey’, a river that flows through some classic Rally GB territory. Perhaps Tom’s passion for the sport stemmed from drinking the local water!

Too impatient to wait for the minimum age (17) to obtain a UK driving licence (and therefore a competition licence), his eagerness to get started took him to Latvia where you can contest proper rallies at just 14-years old. Tom pounced on the opportunity to get two seasons under his belt, in an MG TR, then in a Group N Ford Fiesta ST.

By the end of 2008, he was old enough to compete at home and, just days after his 17^th birthday, he made his WRC debut on Wales Rally GB, impressively winning the N3 class win in his Fiesta.

Unsurprisingly, that result encouraged him to continue in 2009, in the UK and abroad. By January 2010, he was ready for the Monte Carlo (27^th overall).

In 2012, his ongoing apprenticeship secured two factory outings with Proton Motorsports which produced a victory in Thailand. On that year’s Wales Rally GB, he came second in SWRC behind Craig Breen, but ahead of Proton team-mate P-G. Andersson!

Since 2014, he has focused on the DMack Fiesta Trophy, winning one round of the inaugural series (Deutschland) en route to the inaugural championship’s silver medal. This year, he won in Finland but, again, had to settle for runner-up honours.

To conclude the season, he has traded his R2 Fiesta for an R5 version of the car for this week’s Wales Rally GB (N°46).

Meanwhile, the ‘local water’ quip above applies equally to fellow Welsh hopeful Osian Pryce, 22, who grew up in Machynlleth… in the Dyfi Valley. He, too, grew up in a rallying family and, like Cave, turned to Latvia to kick off his career before his first UK competition less than a month after his 17^th birthday.

In 2011, aged 18, he entered and won the British Fiesta Sport Trophy before switching to a Citroën DS3 which he steered to third in the 2012 British Rally Championship, behind Cave but in front of fourth-placed Elfyn Evans! The following season, he swapped places with Cave after winning half the rounds.

Last year, he was second again, but notably impressed by coming 18^th on Wales Rally GB in a Fiesta R5, his first outing in a four-wheel drive car!

That was the encouragement he needed to turn his attention to a limited JWRC/WRC3 programme in 2015, in his DS3. He provided glimpses of his skill by leading in Portugal, where he failed to finish, and in Poland where he bagged 2^nd in class.

1. Competing on home soil this week (N°64) could well give him the boost he needs to turn these two near-misses into victory…

You Can (Kind of) Own the Gadgets of James Bond

By JOHN ZIENTEK  (Gear Patrol)

James Bond is known for completing missions with style, charm and a bit of hard work— though every so often, some gadgets from Q come in handy. From boom boxes that double as rocket launchers to Omega watches with built-in lasers, 007’s gear is enviable, if unavailable (or just plain impossible). Invisibility cloaks for cars are still a few years away, but there are still a few demilitarized Bond gadgets you can buy today.

Spike Umbrella from ‘For Your Eyes Only’ (1981)

Walking through Q’s lab, 007 (Roger Moore) saw an umbrella with claw-like spikes. Though a deadly umbrella may have you looking at jail time, a hand-made, solid-stick umbrella from Lockwood Umbrellas will add an element of Bond’s style to any rainy day outing.

BUY NOW: $437

Rolex Submariner from ‘Live and Let Die’ (1973)

Bond’s Submariner can not only stop a bullet, but it can also turn into a Dremel-esque saw to cut through ropes. Though there are plenty of vintage watch mods out there, the miniature saw is not one of them — so perhaps a mint-condition 1973 Submariner will do.

BUY NOW: $7,495

Voice Changer from ‘Diamonds are Forever’ (1971)

Q builds a voice changer without breaking a sweat after super-villain Ernst Blofeld uses one to imitate the voice of billionaire Willard Whyte. The iStranger Mobile Phone Voice Changer, by KJB Security Products, is easy to use and can change your voice’s pitch, so it can go unrecognized. Or, if you’re Bond on a budget, get a free voice changer as an app.

BUY NOW: $323

TV Watch from ‘Octopussy’ (1983)

Seiko’s TV Watch, released in 1982, was featured in Octopussy, but for your money, an Apple Watch with a black classic strap will get you into just as much trouble.

BUY NOW: $649

Homing Beacon from ‘Goldfinger’ (1964)

Though this was new technology at the time, practically everyone has their own homing beacon now, located on their cell phone. Free apps like GPS Tracker let you locate other phones in real time, but have to be enabled to work. The Sanoxy Real Time Portable Mini Tracker can monitor a target’s coordinates and it can send alerts for various situations (e.g. when the target moves to restricted areas or when the target starts moving).

BUY NOW: $26

Aston Martin DB5 from ‘Goldfinger’ (1964) and ‘Thunderball’ (1965)

Bond’s Aston Martin had a homing beacon, tire slashers, bulletproof glass and machine guns (among other things). Though all these mods are clearly after-market, you can still enjoy your own 1964 DB5 for under $1 million.

BUY NOW: $969,850

Hot...rod......

Justin Lofton Vegas to Reno 2015

Jimco TT #41 Justin Lofton takes on the longest off- road race in the US, the 2015 Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno.

WRC Wales Rally GB : Une sensation bizarre / a bizarre sensation

Tout est en place pour la finale du Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA 2015 et la manche britannique s’annonce comme des plus classiques. Les récentes pluies ont rendu les spéciales très piégeuses dans les forêts galloises, alors qu’une belle dépression est attendue sur le Royaume-Uni. Mais pour l’heure, la météo est plutôt clémente.

Le vent, les arbres multicolores et des ombres étirées par une  lumière rasante... Aucun doute : nous sommes bien en automne au nord du Pays de Galles pour la manche britannique du WRC.

Mais quelque chose ne va pas. Au parc d’assistance de Deeside, près de la frontière entre l’Angleterre et le Pays de Galles, le thermomètre indique 19°C. On ne se souvient pas avoir connu des températures aussi élevées ces dernières années...

Mais, si le HQ est illuminé par quelques rayons de soleil, de gros nuages noirs pointent à l’horizon, peut-être les signes de la tempête Abigail qui avance sur l’Atlantique-Nord en direction des Iles britanniques.

C’est la première tempête baptisée officiellement par les météorologues britanniques. Des vents de 140 km/h et des pluies diluviennes sont attendus jeudi. L’œil de la tempête devrait être centré sur le nord-ouest de l’Ecosse, mais le nord du Pays de Galles devrait aussi être touché. Et les températures devraient chuter, évidemment...

Difficile de prévoir quel sera l’effet de « Storm Abigail » sur la course. Le sol des spéciales galloises est compact et draine plutôt bien, même si la fine pellicule de boue en surface est toujours très glissante.

Pour le moment, d’après les pilotes et les photographes qui ont parcouru les spéciales en début de semaine, les pistes forestières sont dans de bonnes conditions, grâce à une préparation minutieuse du Natural Resources Wales, qui regroupe l’ancienne Forestry Commission.

Les conditions pourraient se détériorer si les quantités d’eau sont importantes, lesquelles creuseront de profondes ornières de boue. Les premiers pilotes en piste seraient donc avantagés, comme Sébastien Ogier (VW/Michelin) qui ouvrira les routes vendredi matin. Ceci dit, le second passage devrait être délicatpour tout le monde.

Les pilotes du WRC-3 seront tous dans les mêmes conditions. C’est le seul championnat où le titre 2015 reste à attribuer, avec un net avantage de 19 points pour Quentin Gilbert sur Simone Tempestini. Le titre ira à celui qui saura rester sur la route...

Everything is in place for the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship’s finale and Britain’s round of the series has the makings of being an absolute classic. Recent heavy rain has made the high-speed forest stages of Wales Rally GB pretty treacherous, while a huge storm is about to sweep over the United Kingdom. For the moment, though, the weather is unseasonably mild.

It’s windy, and the multi-coloured hues of the North Welsh countryside confirm that this is autumn, while the long shadows cast by the low sunshine tell the senses that it’s the time of the year for Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship. 

Something isn’t quite right, however. As we took up our place in the car park next to the service park in Deeside, Wales, just a couple of kilometres west of the border with England, the thermometer stood at 19°C. We can’t recall having ever experienced such warm temperatures during the build-up to past Rally GBs.

But while the event’s HQ, is picked out in an occasional pool of sunlight, we are surrounded by masses of dark, threatening clouds, no doubt the early signs of ‘Storm Abigail’ which is currently rushing over the North Atlantic towards the British Isles.

Ominously, it is the first storm to have been given an official name in British meteorological history and winds of 140kph are expected to accompany the torrential rain when the mini-hurricane hits land on Thursday. The brunt of the storm will affect the northwest Scottish coast but North Wales also promises to take a battering. It will probably become much colder, too.

It’s difficult to predict how all this will affect this week’s WRC action. 

The stages of North Wales are mostly hard packed and tend to drain well, even though they are notorious for the slippery top coating that can form in wet weather.

For the moment, according to the drivers and photographers who have been over the route this week, the forest tracks are in pristine condition, thanks in part to the meticulous preparatory work of Natural Resources Wales, which today incorporates the former Forestry Commission.

However, apart from the traditional surface slime mentioned above, bigger problems might arise if quantities of water collect in dips where stretches of muddy ruts are almost sure to form. This would obviously be a big advantage for the first drivers on the road and, as has been the case all season, the honour of leading the field when the rally begins on Friday morning will belong to VW’s Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia. That said, the second passes are almost certain to much more delicate for everyone, even for the three-time world champions.

At least there shouldn’t be any difference in the conditions faced by the front-runners in WRC3 which is the only class where the 2015 title fight has yet to be settled! The trick to clinching the crown could well depend on  the potential champions’ ability  to stay on the road…

Yamaha Yard Built 900 ‘Faster Wasp’ by Roland Sands Design

Enduro - Bêtisier 2015