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British Rally Championship 2011 - Round 1 News

It was a visibly elated David Bogie and Kevin Rae that crossed the finish ramp in Bournemouth to claim victory in the first round of the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship, Rallye Sunseeker International. This follows his victory on the Scottish Championship last weekend.

They came home 21.8 seconds ahead of Tom Cave and Craig Parry in the JRM Mitsubishi after a day long battle between the pair all day. David said at the finish "It’s been a really good day here, and although we had a few scares along the way it was a great battle with Tom.

Welshman Tom Cave along with Parry was delighted to finish as runner up to Bogie and felt that a steady approach had paid off "Its a tough rally, and you need to be on the pace from the start, but any kind of mistake would leave you struggling to catch up here, so Yeah we are happy with our day today".

Another Welshman who took a steady approach to claim 3rd o/a was Elfyn Evans, the Pirelli Star Driver increasing his pace as he gained confidence and experience in the car during the day and felt that he had made progress throughout the day in the forests of Bournemouth and Poole. He had been locked himself in a battle with Adam Gould, also in a Subaru from the very first stage of the morning.

Gould too was content to come home 4th, and felt that it bodes well for the rest of the year in the Dulux Trade Championship.

Daniel Barry and Rory Kennedy came home 5th o/a in the JRM Mitsubishi, and felt that lack of seat time perhaps hindered his event. He said "It was a new car for us, and we spent the first loop making small changes in the car, but this event is so intense that to give any time away at all, leaves you with a lot to do to make up".

Following Barry home, were the Skoda S2000 crews of Jonny Greer and Dai Roberts and Robert Barrable and Damien Connolly respectively. The cars caused huge interest on the event and both drivers admitted to taking it easy and bringing the car home. Jonny said "It’s a new car for us, and although we have been to Sunseeker before, this time it was about learning the car and not doing anything silly, so Yee-ha! We are happy with a good solid finish"

Equally Robert Barrable and Damien Connolly were more than happy with their result, Damien saying at the finish "There is so much more to come from the car, there really is. We only picked the car up on Wednesday, so we have had no seat time what so ever. Very happy with today"

Dulux Trade MSA British Formula 2 Rally Championship

Siim Plangi took a maiden victory in the Dulux Trade MSA British Formula 2 Rally Championship here in Bournemouth, after a day long battle with team mate Mikko Pajunen in the Renault Twingo R2. It would have been a much closer finish between them had Pajunen not picked up a 30sec penalty earlier in the day. The crowds of spectators however were treated to some spectacular driving between the pair all day and it was one of the talking points of the rally. It was a great battle and certainly bodes well for the rest of the year.

For his exploits though on Rallye Sunseeker International, Plangi was nominated as Pirelli Star driver.

Callum Black joined them on the podium, having struggled a bit earlier in the days with conditions and tyre choice. Callum though was happy to take 3rd and said "It turned out ok in the end, because as the day progressed and we got more time in the car, our choices were better, so it really does look good for the rest of the year, and the car is home in one piece"

Craig Breen and Gareth Roberts had problems during the day, which meant that despite a promising start and some fastest stage times, they could not make up the several minutes lost early in the morning.

Nick Cristofaro and Daniel O Brien also overcame minor issues during the day to finish the event. Both the Citroens of Desi Henry and Mark Donnelly retired during the day.

Finally, the Organisers of Rallye Sunseeker International would like to say a BIG Thank You to all those involved in the event. From event Sponsors, Stewards, Marshalls, the Media, the Police, and Emergency Services, the local people in Bournemouth and Poole, Spectators, the local residents on the Stages and Rally route and everyone else involved in any way on this years event for your help, co-operation and support.

Souce: Rallye Sunseeker Media Office

Force India driver announcement and interviews

Paul di Resta, Adrian Sutil and Nico Hulkenberg discuss their new roles within Force India and look forward to the 2011 season.

Macau GT Cup 2010

United Autosports arrived in Macau with a two-car team, the vastly experienced Danny Watts looking to change the luck that stopped his almost at the end of the thousand kilometres in Zhuhai while leading by two laps.

But qualifying in Macau was a lottery, some of the Lamborghinis unable to negotiate the street circuit's famous hairpin, leading to chaotic roadblocks on every lap, and a red-flag ending to the session.

When the grid formed up for the race Danny Watts was in the inside of row two, right behind the pole man and last year's winner Keita Saw and the 28 car of Richard Meins was two rows back having qualified eighth.

Sawa got away well, running in clear air from the start, picking his way round the occasional stranded race car and only encountering traffic on his final lap.

Watts stuck to his mission profile, stayed away from the unforgiving armco, and United Autosports rounded off a maiden season which included podium finishes in the FIA GT3 European Championship, 24 Hours of Spa, the Le Mans Cup in Zhuhai with this one at Macau.

WTCC Macau HLTS - International Sound and Commentaries

The final races of the season were full of coups de théâtre, as they always are on the infamous streets of Macau.

Overtaking manoeuvres, incidents and red flags provided plenty of excitement to spectators and TV viewers in a day that culminated with Chevrolet celebrating a double world title - something than none of the GM brands had ever achieved before - and consecrated the 26-year old Norbert Michelisz as one of the best touring car drivers at the end of his maiden professional season.
If the WTCC had arrived in Macau with the Drivers' title already in the hands of Yvan Muller, there was still enough at stake to thrill the fans.

Rob Huff claimed a dominant light-to-flag victory in Race 1, giving Chevrolet the Manufacturers' title and jumping ahead of Gabriele Tarquini to second in the Drivers' Championship.
In Race 2 Michelisz imitated Huff, taking the lead from Kristian Poulsen at the first braking point and managing to keep Tarquini at safe distance despite the fact that the race was suspended and restarted. In the six WTCC seasons held so far Michelisz was only the second driver - after Tom Coronel in Japan in 2008 - to claim an overall victory without driving a factory or factory-backed car.
The fight for the second place in the championship ended under the chequered flag, where Tarquini beat Huff by three tenths. They finished the season on equal points, but the Italian prevailed for having won five races against three.

The third man in contention, Andy Priaulx lost his chance when he was caught in a pile up at the start of the first race.

In the Independents' Trophy the hopes of the local fans to see Darryl O'Young to clinch the title vanished when the Hong Kong racer was eliminated by Tom Coronel during the first race. When Kristian Poulsen, who had won Race 1, made a mistake and crashed in the second race, Proteam Motorsport's Sergio Hernández knew he had won the title. Then he dropped all cautions to chase Franz Engstler and claim his fifth win of the year. The Italian outfit also clinched the Team's Trophy.
The championship is now facing the winter break. The 2011 season will kick off on March 20^th in Brazil with the cars powered by the new 1.6-litre engines.

End of Season

End of season comments from the team and drivers.

WTCC Okayama HLTS - International Sound and commentaries

For the third consecutive year Japanese Gods sent the rain to soak the WTCC races at Okayama. In spite of this, local fans did not miss the last appearance of the World Championship before it moves to Suzuka from next year and a crowd of 31,000 attended over the weekend.

After a Saturday that was clearly in favour of BMW, the rainy Sunday smiled to Yvan Muller. In extremely difficult conditions the Chevrolet driver kept a cool head and collected two third places that are worth their weight in gold. Especially as his two rivals in the title fight. committed hara-kiri.
After a brilliant second place in the first race, Andy Priaulx spun off and retired in the early stages of Race 2. A few laps later Gabriele Tarquini lost control and crashed from the lead.

The Italian, reigning world champion, has been cut out of the fight, while Priaulx now has a 37-point gap with 50 still to be awarded.

In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet is only 14 points shy from securing the title.
Rob Huff and Augusto Farfus shared victories today. The Briton pushed beyond the limits in the first race to get past the BMW cars of Farfus and Priaulx, while the Brazilian managed to stay on the track in the final laps of the second race after forcing Tarquini to make the fatal mistake.

The championship will resume for the season finale (rounds 21 and 22) at Macau, on November 21 where the Rookie Challenge and the Independents' Trophy will also elect their champions. 

Fiesta World Tour - Leg 2 - Part 2 - VNR

As the crew cross the channel to reach the European leg of the tour, there is plenty in store for them, including a high-speed trip around the Nurburgring.

IRC Sanremo HLTS International Sound and Commentaries

Paolo Andreucci has claimed his first victory in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge after defeating fellow Italian Giandomenico Basso in a close fight on Rallye Sanremo, which took place on the testing mountain roads of northern Italy's Imperia province on Friday and Saturday (September 24-25).

Pre-Singapore GP feature

Adrian Sutil, Tonio Liuzzi and Paul di Resta discuss the challenges of the series' only night race in Singapore. The trio look at adapting to the day/night schedule and racing under lights, the challenges of the street track and the unique atmosphere of the Singapore Grand Prix.

WTCC Valencia HLTS - International Sound and Commentaries

The home race meeting resulted in a complete triumph for SEAT. Not only did the Spanish car manufacturer manage to win both races with SR-Sport's Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro, but Tarquini's hopes to retain the WTCC crown were definitely relaunched.
In Race 1 the current world champion dominated the field claiming his fifth win of the season from the Chevrolet pair of Yvan Muller and Rob Huff.
With a brilliant overtaking on Andy Priaulx at the start of Race 2, Monteiro paved the road to his second victory of the year, leaving Muller, Tarquini and Priaulx battling each other for second place in a duel that eventually could prove crucial for the title fight.
Today Muller added two more podium results to an impressive series and stretched his lead once again. The 2008 champion scored 36 points, 14 more than Priaulx, but four less than Tarquini. The gap between Muller and Priaulx is now 25 points (which equates to one race win), while Tarquini is a further four points adrift. It will be a three-men final shoot out, although Rob Huff still has theoretical chances as he lies 69 points behind with 100 still at stake.
There is the same uncertainty in the Manufacturers' Championship that is led by Chevrolet with a 45-point margin ahead of SEAT Customers Technology. BMW lies third with a gap of 78.
With five victories in the six latest races Kristian Poulsen has climbed up to second in the Independents' Trophy, moving one and two points ahead of Stefano D'Aste and Darryl O'Young respectively. Sergio Hernández continues to lead, but he saw his advantage cut to 31 points.
Fredy Barth and Michel Nykjær shared wins in the Rookie Challenge, but Norbert Michelisz is still leading the Swiss by 4 points. Nykjær is third, only 18 points behind the young Hungarian.
Indeed anything can still happen in the two final events of the season, Japan and Macau.
The championship will resume after a 40-day break for rounds 19 and 20 at Okayama, Japan on October 31.