A different winner for Rally Argentina / Un nouveau vainqueur en Argentine

There are no former winning drivers on the entry list for this year’s Rally Argentina. After eight straight victories for Sébastien Loeb, there will necessarily be a new name on the list of victors next Sunday.

As was the case in March in Mexico, not one of the drivers entered for the 34^th Rally Argentina has previously won in Villa Carlos Paz, essentially because Sébastien Loeb monopolised the top step of the podium on the South American event from 2005 to 2013 (as a WRC round).

The only team that could have entered a former winning driver is Hyundai Motorsport who decided to give Dani Sordo a drive instead of Juho Hänninen who won in Argentina in 2010 when it was a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC). Hänninen headed home a Skoda/Michelin one-two-three with team-mates Wilks and Kopecky.

Even so, Hyundai will have a former winner in its ranks, namely Sordo’s right-hand man Marc Marti who won Rally Argentina in 2004 alongside Carlos Sainz. Volkswagen also has a former winning co-driver in its line-up this year: Andreas Mikkelsen’s navigator Mikko Markkula who shared Hänninen’s Skoda in 2010.

Sébastien Loeb (eight wins) is the most successful driver ever on Rally Argentina, ahead of Miki Biasion, Tommi Mäkinen and Carlos Sainz (three wins each). That said, Sainz finished on the podium a record 10 times. Loeb’s score is nine podiums.

Over the years, Finnish drivers have tended to go well on the South American rally, since Timo Salonen, Hannu Mikkola, Juho Hanninen (IRC), Marcus Grönholm, Juha Kankkunen and Tommi Mäkinen all won there at least once.

The inaugural Rally Argentina as a WRC fixture in 1980 was won by Walter Röhrl (Fiat 131 Abarth), while the 1979 and 1981 events were won by Frenchmen Jean Guichet (Peugeot 504) and Guy Fréquelin (Talbot Sunbeam Lotus) respectively. The co-driver both times was Jean Todt.

Il n’y aura pas d’anciens vainqueurs (pilote) cette année au départ à Villa Carlos Paz. Après les huit victoires consécutives de Sébastien Loeb, le Rallye d’Argentine aura donc un nouveau lauréat dimanche soir.

Comme ce fut le cas récemment au Mexique, aucun pilote ancien vainqueur n’est au départ de la 34^e édition du Rallye d’Argentine ce week-end. Et pour cause : Sébastien Loeb régnait en maître (en WRC) à Cordoba depuis 2005.

La seule équipe qui aurait pu engager un ancien vainqueur (pilote) s’est finalement ravisée ! Et oui, Hyundai Motorsport a préféré Dani Sordo à Juho Hänninen, vainqueur du Rallye d’Argentine 2010 (IRC).

En 2010, le Rallye d’Argentine comptait pour le championnat Intercontinental Rally Challenge. Skoda/Michelin avait signé un triplé avec Hänninen, Wilks et Kopecky. Nasser Al-Attiyah et Kris Meeke avaient abandonné.

Mais Hyundai compte tout de même un ancien lauréat (copilote) dans ses rangs, Marc Marti, copilote de Sordo cette saison. L’Espagnol s’était imposé en Argentine en 2004 aux côtés de Carlos Sainz. Volkswagen compte également un copilote ancien vainqueur dans ses rangs, Mikko Markkula, actuel navigateur d’Andreas Mikkelsen, qui s’était imposé en 2010 aux côtés de Juho Hänninen.

Sébastien Loeb a remporté huit fois le Rallye d’Argentine et devance largement Miki Biasion, Tommi Mäkinen et Carlos Sainz (3) au palmarès. En revanche, Sainz est monté 10 fois sur le podium argentin (record), une fois de plus que Loeb.

En parlant de records, ce sont les Finlandais qui ont le mieux réussi en Amérique du Sud : Timo Salonen, Hannu Mikkola, Juho Hanninen (hors WRC), Marcus Grönholm, Juha Kankkunen et Tommi Mäkinen ont remporté au moins une fois le Rallye d’Argentine.

En 1980, la 1^ère édition WRC a été enlevée par Walter Röhrl (Fiat 131 Abarth), alors que les éditions 1979 et 1981 ont été remportées par des Français : Jean Guichet/Jean Todt en 1979 sur une Peugeot 504 et Guy Fréquelin/Jean Todt en 1981 sur une Talbot Sunbeam Lotus.

HONDA CB550 CAFE RACER

The Honda CB550 is a motorcycle often overlooked in favour of its larger sibling, the CB750. This seems like a bit of a shame to me as there’s a lot to be said for the 550 and if the 750 had never been invented, its smaller relative would doubtless be an order of magnitude more famous.

We’ve seen a few well executed Honda CB550 customs over the past few years and it could be argued that the bike’s lighter weight makes it a more idea target for cafe-racer-isation than the larger models we usually see. Most of the original cafe racers parked outside the Ace Cafe or the 59 Club had engines in the 500-650cc range and it wasn’t unusual to see even smaller engines than this trying their luck at hitting the ton.

Built by Matej Trop from Slovenia, the CB550 Cafe Racer you see here is a testament to both human willpower and what can be achieved using the internet. Matej is a native Slovenian, a small country between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea. Slovenia is not known for its custom motorcycles or well-stocked parts shops so Matej found a home for himself online, reading websites like this one as well as Pipeburn and Bike EXIF - as is often the case, it wasn’t long before looking turned into planning.

Matej managed to locate a pristine Honda CB550 that was for sale locally, the bike was in such original condition that he was reticent to modify it in any way but before long he decided upon a series of small modifications to turn it into the cafe racer that he’d been lusting after since discovering the genre.

The completed bike is pristine to look at and makes a great example of what a classic cafe racer should look like, I think it’s a safe bet to say that there aren’t too many bikes like this on the streets of Slovenia but that may be short lived – Matej has already bought himself another CB550 and will be setting to work on it soon.

Visit Matej’s website here.

BUSTIN SURFBOARDS - THE TORNADOES

Throttle Roll 2013

Throttle Roll 2013 - A celebration of custom motorcycles and kulture. Cafe racers, bobbers and classics. 

Throttle Roll 2013 from Sydney Cafe Racers on Vimeo.