Mikko-Jarmo :152 WRC starts together / 152e rallye WRC

Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen will start their 152nd world class rally together this week. As far as crew loyalty goes, their long association takes them to third place behind Loeb/Elena and Sainz/Moya, and level with Solberg/Mills.

Hirvonen and Lehtinen first competed together on the 2001 Rally Internazional Prealpi Trevigiane in a Nissan Sunny. “We didn’t know each other; we met for the first time in an Italian airport,” recalls Mikko. “It was my manager Timo Joukhi who contacted Jarmo.” Mikko was then accompanied for his first two WRC rallies by Miikka Anttila, while Jarmo did gravel notes for Toni Gardemeister.

The couple has been together ever since the 2002 Rally GB, with the exception of the 2013 Legend Boucles de Spa when Ilka Minor sat alongside the Finn in a Citroën Visa 1000 Pistes!

Their score of 152 WRC events together takes them level with another famous pairing, Petter Solberg and Phil Mills. They are now joint third in the all-time ranking, behind Loeb/Elena (168 starts) and Sainz-Moya (161), after passing the score of compatriots Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen (144) in Australia last year.

That is where Mikko and Jarmo collected their first WRC victory, in 2006. Since then, they have popped the champagne on 14 other occasions, although their most recent success dates back to Sardinia in 2012.

“Jarmo and I are real friends and we have a great deal in common. We have experienced some good and bad times together, but there’s never been any tension between us.”

While Jarmo Lehtinen notched up his 150^th WRC start last year in Germany, the 2014 Rally de Portugal is Mikko’s 154^th world class appearance, which makes him the most experienced driver still in activity.

He is now just eight events short of Juha Kankkunen, but clear of Didier Auriol and Grönholm (152 each). Only seven drivers have contested 150 WRC rounds or more.

Mikko Hirvonen et Jarmo Lehtinen fêtent ce week-end leur 152e rallye mondial dans une même voiture de course. Ils pointent désormais à la 3e place des duos les plus « fidèles » du WRC derrière Loeb-Elena (168) et Sainz-Moya (161), à égalité avec Solberg-Mills (152).

C’est au Rallye de Grande-Bretagne 2002 que s’est formé le tandem Mikko-Jarmo. Auparavant, Mikko Hirvonen avait disputé ses deux 1^ers rallyes WRC avec Miikka Anttila et Jarmo Lehtinen, copilote en championnat national, était aussi ouvreur de Toni Gardemeister.

Depuis cette épreuve, les deux Finlandais ne se sont plus quittés. Ah si, une fois, aux Legend Boucles de Spa 2013 où Ilka Minor avait épaulé Mikko dans une Citroën Visa 1000P. Ce week-end, ils fêtent donc leur 152^e rallye WRC commun, ex-aequo avec un autre célèbre duo, Petter Solberg et Phil Mills. Les Finlandais pointent désormais à la 3^e place de ce palmarès, derrière Loeb-Elena (168) et Sainz-Moya (161). Ils avaient dépassé leurs compatriotes Marcus Grönholm-Timo Rautiainen (144) au dernier Rallye d’Australie.

L’Australie, c’est là que Mikko et Jarmo ont remporté leur 1^ère victoire mondiale, en 2006, après une énorme bourde de leurs compatriotes et équipiers. Depuis, ils ont ajouté 14 succès à leur palmarès, mais n’ont plus gagné depuis le Rallye d’Italie-Sardaigne 2012.

Jarmo Lehtinen a fêté son 150^e rallye WRC au Rallye d’Allemagne 2013. Mikko Hirvonen va prendre son 154^e départ ce week-end, ce qui en fait le pilote le plus expérimenté encore en activité. Mikko figure à la 4^e place du classement par nombre de rallyes WRC disputés, devant Didier Auriol et Marcus Grönholm (152), et à seulement 8 rallyes de Juha Kankkunen. Seuls sept pilotes WRC ont franchi la barre des 150 rallyes mondiaux.

From airline companies to telecom giants / De l’aérien à la téléphonie

Initially known as the Rali Internacional TAP, then successively the Rallye de Portugal-Vinho do Porto, the TAP Rallye de Portugal, the TMN Rallye de Portugal, the PT Rallye de Portugal and, since 2007, the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, this week’s event has had a long list of official names since 1973.

From being named after Portugal’s airline company TAP, the wine cooperative Vinho do Porto and telecom specialists Telecomunicaçoes Moveis Nacionais and Portugal Telecom, the Rally de Portugal’s official appellation now incorporates the Vodafone brand name.

Since its return as a WRC round, the event has enjoyed the non-stop backing of the telecommunications giant which was founded as a subsidiary of UK-based Racal Telecom 30 years ago, on March 22, 1984. The name is a contraction of the words voice, data and phone and was famously rejected by director Sir Gerry Whent because of the ‘f’ instead of the normal ‘ph’.

The press release announcing Vodafone’s creation stated that its new service was “likely to find wide use among people constantly on the move such as business executives, sales representatives, journalists, doctors and veterinary surgeons… A subscriber to the Racal Vodafone service travelling by car between London and Edinburgh or Exeter, for instance, will be able to make and receive national and international telephone calls with ease throughout the journey.”

Today, Vodafone Group is active in 27 countries and boasts more than 400 million customers after notably taking over Mannesmann (Germany), Omnitel (Italy), Airtel (Spain), J-Phone (Japan) and Hutchison Essar (India). Last month, Vodafone acquired the Spanish high-speed internet provider Ono for €7.2 billion and is listed as the world’s 16^th biggest company.

In WRC circles, several rounds enjoy the loyal support of major business, like Rally Finland which is about to celebrate 20 years of backing from Neste Oil, while beer brand Corona has worked with Rally Mexico since 2004.

Phillips LED joined forces with Rally Argentina last year, and Coates Hire and Lotos have done likewise with Rally Australia and Rally Poland respectively. The Daily Mirror, Lombard and Network Q all took turns as chief backer of Britain’s world championship qualifier, and the Rally de Espana has been supported by the Costa Brava and Costa Daurada authorities over the years.

Meanwhile, Uddeholm withdrew as the Swedish Rally’s title partner in 2008, but the Rallye Monte-Carlo has never had a title sponsor.

Rali Internacional TAP, Rallye de Portugal-Vinho do Porto, TAP Rallye de Portugal, puis TMN Rallye de Portugal, PT Rallye de Portugal et depuis 2007 Vodafone Rally de Portugal : l’épreuve lusitanienne a changé plusieurs fois d’appellation officielle depuis 1973.

De l’aérien avec la compagnie nationale TAP, à la viticulture avec Vinho do Porto, en passant par la téléphonie nationale avec Telecomunicaçoes Moveis Nacionais puis Portugal Telecom, et aujourd’hui aux télécommunications fixes et mobiles avec Vodafone Group, le Rallye du Portugal a changé plusieurs fois de sponsor-titre.

Depuis son retour en WRC, le Rallye du Portugal est en partenariat avec le géant des télécommunications Vodafone, une entreprise créée il y a tout juste 30 ans (le 22 mars 1984) au Royaume-Uni, filiale de Racal Telecoms. Le nom Vodafone est né de la contraction de « voice », « data », et « phone », un nom rejeté une 1^ère fois par son dirigeant, Sir Gerry Whent à cause du « f » à la place du « ph ».

Dans le communiqué de presse diffusé lors de sa création, Vodafone avait pour objectif de « fournir un service de réseau national de téléphonie mobile et portable très précieux pour les hommes d’affaires, les commerciaux, les journalistes, les médecins, les vétérinaires… Un abonné de Racal Vodafone voyageant en voiture de Londres à Edinburgh ou Exeter, pourra par exemple passer et recevoir des appels téléphoniques nationaux et internationaux au cours de son voyage ». 

D’achats en partenariats, de prises de participations en reventes, Vodafone Group est aujourd’hui présent dans 27 pays et compte plus de 400 millions de clients. Au cours de son histoire, Vodafone a notamment avalé Mannesmann (Allemagne), Omnitel (Italie), Airtel (Espagne), J-Phone (Japon), Hutchison Essar (Inde). Le mois dernier, Vodafone s’est offert l’opérateur haut-débit espagnol Ono (internet) pour 7,2 milliards d’euros. Vodafone est aujourd’hui la 16^e entreprise mondiale.

Parmi les rallyes WRC, plusieurs disposent d’un sponsor-titre fidèle comme le Portugal. La compagnie pétrolière Neste Oil fête cette année ses 20 ans de partenariat avec le Rallye de Finlande. Corona est associée au Rallye du Mexique depuis 2004. Phillips LED a rejoint le Rallye d’Argentine l’an passé, tout comme Coates Hire le Rallye d’Australie et Lotos le Rallye de Pologne. Daily Mirror, Lombard et Network Q ont accompagné de longues années durant le Rallye de Grande-Bretagne. D’autres épreuves ont eu des partenaires institutionnels, comme Costa Brava ou Costa Daurada en Espagne. En revanche, Uddeholm n’est plus sponsor-titre du Rallye de Suède depuis 2008 et le Rallye Monte Carlo n’a jamais eu de sponsor privé associé à son nom.

Sneak Peak of History's Best Capability Test Drive For Land Rover

MCLAREN X-1

I like the McLaren X-1. I like it from an aesthetic perspective and I love it for what it represents, you see the X-1 is a return to that great old automotive tradition of creating unique, coach-built motorcars for special clients.

British marques like Bentley and Rolls Royce used to do this quite frequently before WWII as did a number of other automakers around the world. It lead to a surge of genuinely unique cars and it also allowed car designers to stretch their creative muscles in a way that they can’t when it comes to mass-production factory models.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of the McLaren X1 is that it really doesn’t matter what you think about it, it exists whether you like it or not. It wasn’t made to appeal to the masses, it wasn’t made to appeal to collectors, it wasn’t made to appeal to the mainland Chinese and it most certainly wasn’t made to appeal to young women outside nightclubs in Miami. It was made for one man, it was made to his specifications, to suit his taste and in that respect it’s like a concerto that a composer keeps just for himself, never releasing it to the general public.

The X1 sits on the same, though modified, chassis as the McLaren MP4-12C. The bespoke body is formed from carbon fibre, significant testing has been done to ensure that the X1 can be driven with passion and at speed. This isn’t just a new body clamped onto a chassis, it’s such a complete car that the work that went into it has resulted in an automobile that could very well be put straight into production. Though it won’t be.

The man who commissioned the build was inspired by cars like the 1953 Chrysler D’Elegance Ghia, a 1959 Buick Electra and a 1971 Citroen SM as well as some non-automotive influences, like an old black and white photograph of Audrey Hepburn and the appealing depth of colour one finds in a fresh aubergine.

The X1 was built by McLaren Special Operations (MSO), the division of McLaren Automotive responsible for the delivery of bespoke projects. This is their first publicly displayed work and so far, it’s been gloriously divisive. Some seem to love it and some seem to hate it, although I suspect that the people who don’t like it either need to visit their optometrist or are the kind of people that wear skinny jeans and drink light beer.

If you’d like to see more from McLaren, hit the link here.