Rallycworld • mondero • weltss • värld #44 – August 2007 Rustad’s three- year ERC plan Rafoss Crashes prove safety of photo: ERC24.com/Jan Kåre cars 12 round ERC in line as Finns join in world • monde • welt • värld 3 4 Tommy Rustad set for three-year ERC assault The Rallycross World Rallycross with new management team diary for July and August Half way First, apologies for being a little late with this championship and looks likely to bow out with, issue. It’s been a busy year but we managed to at least, the national title to his credit. In Britain squeeze in a short holiday – so new everything Andrew Jordan continues to lead, but the battle is behind schedule again! is far from over and Ollie O’Donovan’s maiden Anyway, there is is now the tail of the season victory at Knockhill kept him in the hunt. In to look forward to, starting with the Benelux France Jean-Luc Pailler remains favourite, but double header in the ERC. It’s August, so it has been worked hard by Marc Laboulle and must be Belgium and Holland. The two races now David Meslier, the latter having now won are a fixture of the summer and both have twice with Philippe Chanoine’s Renault. bumper entries in this very strong ERC season. There’s a lot of racing left yet this year and, as The various national championships are also usual, we will urge you to get out there and see developing into closely fought battles. Lars some of it. Larsson is stamping his mark on the Swedish [email protected] subscriptions • abonnement Click it! subskription • abonnera Copyright 6 Advertisements in Rallycross Rallycross World is a Myriorama ERC set to grow to 12 races in 2008 World are interactive – click on production published by Tim them to jump straight to the Now Whittington. advertiser’s website. This publication may not And make sure you check be redistributed, copied or the whole advert as some free at reproduced in whole or in have multiple links – and part in any form without you wouldn’t want to miss the written consent of the anything, would you. ERC24 copyright holder. Unless There are also links from otherwise stated, all text and Rallycross World is now free some editorial items and we photographs are © copyright to registered members of will always try to offer a live Tim Whittington 2007. ERC24.com 9 Crashes prove car safety 13 link wherever we quote a Contributors: Eddi Laumanns, To register click here and website address in editorial Jacques Privat, Jan Kåre Rafoss, then follow the instructions The Rallycross World content. Henk de Winter. on the site. 12 Ollie O’Donovan’s first BRC win Rallycross World is also This issue published August 9 If you prefer to subscribe poster – Cate Endresen’s featured at the recently Next issue published Sept. 7 without joining ERC24, visit launched website [email protected] www.RallycrossWorld.com new Rallycross Cup 207 www.myriorama.com www.myriorama.com Rustad again proved his quality and worth as a driver at Momarken. Now there’s a Briefing real effort to bring him home. Longer calendar may not be good news for ERC teams Elsewhere in this issue we take a look at the news that next year the European rallycross Championship will almost certainly grow to 12 races, and concentrate on the budgetary and time consequences of this. It may seem strange to suggest that racing teams, businesses established to go racing, could object to having more events each year, more opportunities to trade. That, however, is very likely to be the case in the ERC. The FIA Off Roads President himself admits that ‘the drivers will not like it’. But Andy Lasure has very little option other than to propose a 12-event calendar be accepted to 2008. If the ORC receives 12 valid applications on behalf of suitably qualified organisers and correctly licenced circuits, there is no reason Rustad’s return for those applications to be rejected. Lasure says he expects that there will be 12 applications for the 2008 season. Assuming they are all properly supported and correct, the championship “Crown Prince” Tommy comes clean on ERC ambition will be run over 12 rounds. Germany is seeking to rejoin the ERC and will, almost certainly seek to regain it’s traditional calendar slot in the first In the lead up to his ‘one-off’ drive in the Norwegian ERC Opland but more latterly working in a management capacity weekend of October. The other additional race is proposed round at Momarken, Tommy Rustad refused to break out of his with both Petter and Henning Solberg as well as being involved for Finland. It would seem unlikely that the Finns will want to professional racing driver mould. in Rally Norway’s successful inclusion in the WRC. run an event either at the very beginning or very end of the Surely this event had the intention of reminding everyone of “The sport is definitely on it’s way up again and I think the championship. Other organisers are unlikely to vacate their what he could do in Rallycross, gave him the chance to show interest will increase more and more with new drivers and also usual calendar slots, so it looks as though there will be 12 against this year’s front runners, that he had the pace to win, to WRC drivers like Jani Paasonen and Harri Rovanperä who have races in the 20 week season next year. This is really the crux advertise that he still wanted to do this thing? huge interest in the sport. I think the future is really bright for of the problem. Factor-in the time away from base and it is “Not really,” Rustad said. “It’s just my home race and I have the ERC,” said Carlsen. obvious that a full championship programme requires full time some sponsors, so it would be nice to do it for them,” etc., blah, Rustad’s plans are still at the formative stage but he has already commitment. This is a big undertaking even for those at the blah. He certainly did not drive like a man just out for a bit of conceded that he is likely to purchase a ready to race car for the top of the sport. For those a step down from the very top it fun while keeping local sponsors happy. Had it not been for a 2008 season and build a new machine for 2009. represents a bigger challenge. And for those on the outside rub with Thomas Rådström he would have won the event, the The Citroën Xsara that Rustad drove at Momarken has to looking in, perhaps hoping to join, it is a factor that may second time in as many years he has been denied almost certain be an obvious target for the new team to buy, but it seems influence their decision one way or the other: more attractive victory at Momarken. reasonable to assume that the budget will mean that any of the if you are a Finn or a German. Perhaps less attractive if not and Now the truth is out. Rustad will be back in the ERC in 2008 available cars could be on its shopping list. you need to find more money and more time. as he opens up a three-year programme for which he is reputed Rustad, who enjoys a high public profile in Norway as a The fact that more countries want an event is a sign of the to have a budget of €2 million. presenter on the motoring TV show Autofil, completed his ERC’s strength. The ORC’s problem is finding a level that keeps Rustad has teamed up with Norwegians Jim Carlsen and Nils first full ERC season with Isachsen Motorsport in 2006 but has both organisers and team satisfied. Hellum, the former previously involved in Rallycross with Eivind returned to the STCC this year. Rallycross World #44 – AUGUST 2007 | 3 Diary July 9 July 15 July 15 Andreas Eriksson takes his second ERC victory, The Minicross gang move to Valkenswaard where Rolf Volland moves ahead in the German but again has to stand in front of the Stewards Thacker wins again. The Dutch championship Rallycross Championship after winning round before being able to celebrate. The Norwegian round won by local star Jos Kuypers over Patrick five at the Estering. The event included a top round of the ERC is stopped amid chaotic scenes Van Mechelen. class D1-A tussle between Sven Seeliger and Pole following Kenneth Hansen’s huge crash in the A Tomasz Nowak, the pair both using the event to final. Eriksson was confirmed as the winner only limber up for the Benelux ERC rounds. after Stewards studied TV pictures to determine the sequence of events surrounding Eriksson’s pass of leader Tommy Rustad and the appearance July 9 July 15 of the red flag. Rustad was initially credited with the win, but the Stewards later overturned that Kenneth Hansen crashes out of the A final in Marc Laboulle finally manages to convert his decision and awarded the win to Eriksson. The the Norwegian round of the ERC. Hansen qualifying speed to a win and takes the French Swede also survived a protest made by Lars is able to walk away from the crash which championship round at Châteauroux-St.-Maur. Larsson. Lithuanian Martynas Padgurskis wins causes the event to end in chaos: KHM in Division Two, the 17-year-old becoming the personnel were first to the car and helped youngest ever winner of an ERC round.