WRC DAYINSURE WALES RALLY GB : HOME HERO EVANS DOMINATES

ELFYN EVANS DELIVERED A MASTERCLASS PERFORMANCE ON HOME GROUND TO LEAD DAYINSURE WALES RALLY GB ON FRIDAY NIGHT.

Evans, whose popularity among home fans prompted them to name a corner after him in the Myherin test, revelled in the muddy conditions using a new range of tyres developed for such weather.The Welshman won three of the six slippery speed tests in the mid-Wales forests to head M-Sport team-mate Ott Tänak by 24.6sec. Sébastien Ogier moved another step closer to a fifth world title in third, as the British team held a clean sweep of the top three.

Sunshine and mild temperatures did little to dry the forest roads and Evans prayed for similar conditions tomorrow when the penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship passes within 5km of his home.

Ott Tänak felt uncomfortable with his Fiesta's balance but was second

“Hopefully the sunshine will go away – and I don’t say that very often in Wales,” joked the Ford Fiesta driver. “There’s been a bit of pressure leading my home event but this is a great position to be in. Tomorrow will be the key day.”

Constantly changing grip levels meant drivers struggled for confidence this morning but Tänak remained within striking distance of his colleague. However, the Estonian was never comfortable with his Fiesta’s balance and was distanced in the afternoon.

Ogier admitted he was not brave enough in the slippery sections but profited from Tänak’s frustrations. He claimed a stage win and ended as the sandwich between Tänak and Thierry Neuville, the only drivers who can prevent the Frenchman from clinching the title in Wales.

Thierry Neuville recovered well after picking up a 10-second penalty on Thursday

Neuville was 10.3sec adrift of Ogier and even more irritated than Tänak. He received a 10sec penalty last night after arriving late for the curtain-raising Tir Prince test when his Hyundai i20 refused to fire up.

The cause remained unresolved and a stalled engine at the third junction of today’s opening Myherin stage, severe understeer and the handicap of co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul losing his voice added up to a tough time for the Belgian.

Jari-Matti Latvala struggled with understeer and lack of traction in his Toyota Yaris. The Finn was fifth, a tenth of a second ahead of Kris Meeke, who was in the top three this morning before sliding back during the second loop.

Hyundai trio Andreas Mikkelsen, Dani Sordo and Hayden Paddon filled the next three places while Juho Hänninen completed the leaderboard.

Ireland’s Craig Breen spent almost an hour trying to free his wedged Citroën C3 from a ditch after a final stage spin. Mads Østberg struggled with handling issues and Esapekka Lappi never came to terms with the slippery tracks.

Saturday is a 17-hour marathon containing nine stages and 142.38km. An early restart heralds a gruelling loop of more than 110km without service or a tyre change, before competitors face two tests in darkness.

Dayinsure Wales Rally GB : Shakedown!

SÉBASTIEN OGIER REMPORTAIT LA RAPIDE ET COURTE SPÉCIALE DE JEUDI SOIR AU DAYINSURE WALES RALLY GB POUR CONSERVER UN FANTASTIQUE RECORD DE CINQ ANS.

INFORMATIONS : SS1

Visiter Conwy Tir Prince, 1,49km

Le lever de rideau de jeudi après-midi est une spéciale courte et rapide sur la piste de trot de Tir Prince. Elle comprend une section de slalom et deux sauts impressionnants. Après un tour rapide de la piste ovale de course de chevaux, la spéciale se termine avec une section sinueuse sur des routes voisines.

Ogier a mené chaque kilomètre de la manche britannique depuis la spéciale d’ouverture de 2013. Sa victoire lors de la spéciale de Tir Prince longue de 1,49 km signifie qu’il est maintenant en tête de cette épreuve depuis 87 spéciales consécutives pour un total remarquable de 1258,64 km !

Le Français (Ford Fiesta), qui chasse une cinquième victoire en Grande-Bretagne et un cinquième sacre mondial d’affilée, terminait les virages rapides et les sauts de cette première spéciale 4/10 de seconde devant Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota Yaris).

Thierry Neuville (Hyundai i20) était troisième, 1/10 plus loin, devant l’estonien Ott Tänak avec un écart similaire. Andreas Mikkelsen et Elfyn Evans complétaient le top 6 dans le même temps à 1,1 seconde d’Ogier.

Kris Meeke finissait à une lointaine quinzième place. Le vainqueur de la manche précédente en Espagne se plaignait d’un calage du moteur de sa Citroën C3 après l’utilisation de son frein à main.

Cette avant-dernière manche de la saison de WRC continue demain dans les forêts du Pays de Galles. Les pilotes emprunteront les spéciales Myherin, Sweet Lamb et Hafren à deux reprises couvrant un total de 119,32 km avec seulement un changement de pneus autorisé à mi-parcours.

Visitez WRC+ pour les dernières vidéos et caméras embarquées du Dayinsure Wales Rally GB

Here’s A Classic Ford Rally Car That’s Been Made Faster Than Ever

Photography Courtesy of Cool & Vintage

When I think classic sport coupes, the first cars that come to mind are the Datsun 510, BMW 2002, and Alfa Giulia Sprint. They’re the tossable compacts that I grew up lusting after: one from Japan, one from Germany, and one from Italy—just about all the regions covered. Admittedly, I’ve always known about the early Ford Escortmodels, but I seem to unfairly forget about them, and I think most of our cliqué in North America has, too.

I’m not sure why, because they’re popular in Europe…and scanning the images of this Mk1 1974 Ford Escort RS2000 certainly makes me feel foolish for not taking more notice, sooner.

 

Being a Ford, it’s the perfect “American” counterpart to the aforementioned vintage metal, and in race trim it is every bit as cool—though, it’s really a European Ford. The blister arches, wide Minilite wheels, and lowered ride height are typical characteristics of similar racers of the era, and they look right at home on this Mk1. The bumpers were removed, the entire greenhouse received Plexiglass windows, and a fiberglass hood and trunk were installed to keep things brisk.

Like a healthy lifestyle, a diet is nothing without exercise, so Julian Godfrey Engineering was tasked with chiseling an engine on par with the Escort’s tough looks. The result is a 2.0-liter 2000-cc inline-four producing a healthy 103 hp-per-liter! To rein in all the ponies, a ZF five-speed manual transmission with an AP Racing clutch was chosen to send power through the LSD equipped Atlas rear axle with floating half shafts. With all that power on tap, it’s reassuring to know Monte Carlo AP brakes with front-to-rear adjustability were installed, in addition to a hydraulic handbrake.

For safety, a full roll cage, pair of fixed Sparco bucket seats, trunk-mounted fuel cell, quick disconnect wheel, and an automatic fire-suppression system were installed. Additional strut braces keep the light chassis stout, while adjustable Bilstein coilovers add enough range to dial in optimal ride height and dampening settings.

With an alleged £135,000 (nearly $200,000) in restoration costs, it’s evident this Ford racer is a serious no-expense-spared build. With just hours of drive time since completion, this might just be the most turn-key race-ready Mk1 Escort currently on the market. It’s not inexpensive, but we imagine you’ll forget about the cost once you’re behind the wheel…drifting sideways with a grin on your face!

Specifications
~206 horsepower, 2.0-liter 2000 cc inline four-cylinder, five-speed manual SZ transmission, Bilstein coilover conversion, Monte Carlo front and rear disc brakes. Wheelbase: 94.5 in.

Valuation
Dealer: Cool & VintageAsking Price: P.O.R.

via petrolicious.com

Legends Cars

Le Concept Legends Cars a vu le jour en 1992 aux Etats-Unis. Ces petits bolides au look rappelant les années 30/40 font aujourd’hui le bonheur de près de 5500 propriétaires de par le monde. Les USA, la France, le Benelux, l’Angleterre, le Canada, la Suède, la Finlande, le Mexique, le Brésil, le Maroc, la Russie, soit près de 20 pays comptent aujourd’hui un championnat annuel, des incentives et des journées d’essais Legends Cars.

Avec sa taille réduite, ses grosses roues, ses décos originales, la Legend Car offre une approche atypique du sport automobile.

Sensations extrêmes, adrénaline, look d’enfer, convivialité, sportivité définissent parfaitement le cocktail explosif que propose cette discipline. Le show est indissociable du concept aussi bien dans les stands que sur la piste... Plus de dépassements en une manche Legends Cars qu’en une saison complète de F1. Tout a été pensé pour assurer le spectacle.

plus d'infos ici