HHandbrakesandbrakes &HHairpinsairpins IIssuessue 253253 • 1122 OOctoberctober • hhttp://wp.me/pkXcttp://wp.me/pkXc TThehe wworld’sorld’s onlyonly ffreeree ddedicatededicated rallyrally eeMagazineMagazine - eeveryvery wweek!eek! 119 Series Seats Hand built & designed for - • Increased driver safety • Enhanced driver feel • Reduced driver fatigue • Six point mounting method • HANS compatible • 6 point harness compatible • Air duct cooling • Fire retardant fabric cover • Composite or kevlar shell construction • FIA approved Used by reining PWRC Champion Hayden Paddon currently competing in SWRC Telephone +27 11 6708400 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.ats-motorsport.co.za Issue 253 • 12 October 2012 EDITORIAL INFORMATION Editor Evan Rothman CONTACT INFORMATION Favourite rally car? Audi Quattro S2 E-mail us [email protected] Current favourite WRC driver? Mads Østberg Call us +27 83 452 6892 Favourite WRC rally? WRC Rallye Deutschland Surf us http://wp.me/pkXc Favourite rally? Total Rally, South Africa To receive your FREE weekly HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS Tweets too much about rallying, loves nothing eMagazine, or if you’d like to share this with a friend please more than spectating on a forest rally, and has send your e-mail address to [email protected]. aspirations of being the world’s greatest rally HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS is not a SPAM e-mail: email journalist. He’s also oftentimes seen with a addresses are added to the mailing list voluntarily. camera in his one hand and his mobile phone ringing in his pocket at the most inopportune ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION times. Contributors Liga Stirna, Patrick Vermaak, Motorpics, Newspress. All content copyrighted property of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, 2007-12. This publication is fully protected by copyright and nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the editor. While reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of information from sources and given to readers, the editor cannot accept responsibility for any inconvenience or damage that may arise therefrom. Photojournalist Eva Kovkova FOLLOW US! Favourite rally car? Citroën C4 WRC Current favourite WRC driver? Mads Østberg Favourite WRC rally? Vodafone Rally de Portugal Favourite rally? White Nights Rally, Lahdenpohja, Russia Likes to walk in the Swedish snow forests or on Portuguese dusty hills, likes to freeze, to get wet in the rain or to melt from the heat during photo hunts for fl ying cars and smiling faces. Also is knowing as a press ice bear working for South Africa :) START RAMP 07 The Loeb Show shines in France CONTENTS SERVICE PARK 12 SARC Polokwane Rally review 15 WRC Rallye de France - Alsace review 17 IRC Rallye Sanremo preview OOPENINGPENING SSHOTHOT SSebastienebastien LLoeb.oeb. DDanielaniel EElena.lena. CCitroënitroën TTotalotal WWorldorld RRallyally TTeam.eam. EEnoughnough ssaid!aid! PPicture:icture: CCitroënitroën RRacingacing START RAMP TTHEHE LLOEBOEB SSHOW:HOW: NNINEINE TTIMESIMES A CCHARMHARM Words: Handbrakes & Hairpins legions of fans around the world the testament to their His sheer talent was witnessed in his very WRC win, Pictures: Citroën Racing sporting spirit. Citroën has shaped their motorsport activities in his fi rst season in top fl ight rallying, in what has proven to around this pairing, and now that they have decided to step be his most successful rally: the WRC Rallye Deutschland. In Waking up on Monday this week, it must have been a down their participation in the World Rally Championship for his secnd year of WRC, and remember this was against the wonderful feeling to have been Sebastien Loeb. The 2013 it will be interesting to see how this affects the WRC... likes of Petter Solberg in the mighty Subaru Impreza WRC champagne stickiness still in his hair and his race suit, Loeb was born in Hagenau, Alsace, France 38 years and Marcu Gronholm in his Ford Focus WRC in his heyday, becasue he partied the night away in Hagenau with ago, and he grew up with a steerign wheel in his hands many Loeb claimed second overall in the 2003 season standings the rest of the World Rally Championship (WRC) folks, would like to think. No, in fact, he didn’t. He was a talented with only one point off winner Solberg. the trophy on the dresser of his hotel room. Knocking gymnast until the age of 21 when he entered his fi rst rally. Winning nine consecutive World Rally Championship on his door is Daniel Elena. I wonder what they said to It was only six years later that he took his fi rst international titles, there are many numbers that go into that... one another... title, that of Junior World Rally Champion in 2001. He was • 75 WRC wins The sport of special stage rallying has never known immediately snapped up by the Citroën Racing for their • 112 WRC podiums a driver such as Sebastien Loeb nor a co-driver like Daniel assualt on the WRC in 2002, and he has remained as their • 162 WRC rallies Elena. Their impeccable record speaks for itself, and their number one driver ever since. • 19 retirements • 874 stage wins the top: Marcus Gronholm, Petter Solberg, Sebastien Ogier Championship (WTCC) in 2014, focus on his own Sebastien • 1,525 WRC points and Mikko Hirvonen. With Ogier’s return to the WRC class Loeb Racing team in the Porsche Cups, and spend time with • 3 different generation WRC cars he has taken to victory in 2013, it will be a tantalising treat for rally fans to see his wife Severine and daughter Valentine. Will rallying still be • 11 WRC wins in 2011 these two Frenchmen go head-to-head once more, as with a part of of his life? Most defi nitely so! • 6 consecutive WRC rally wins, achieved twice each encounter with Gronholm was when the two competed I still think to myself that Elena might have said to • 23 different WRC rallies won together. Loeb on Monday morning, in a thick French accent of course: • 15 number of consecutive podiums What awaits the WRC and Loeb in the future? “Let’s have it for number 10!” H&H Loeb and Elena have faced stiff competition while at Loeb will take up Citroën’s efforts in the World Touring Car IINN FFOCUSOCUS DDanielaniel EElenalena iiss a cco-drivero-driver uunlikenlike aanyny oother.ther. NNineine WWRCRC CCo-Drivers’o-Drivers’ ttitles,itles, aandnd a hhandyandy rrallyally ddriverriver hhimself.imself. PPicture:icture: CCitroënitroën RRacingacing SERVICE PARK SSARCARC PPOLOKWANEOLOKWANE RRALLY:ALLY: CCRONJERONJE TTAKESAKES GGOLDOLD Words: Handbrakes & Hairpins edging former champions Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries (BP weekend’s event. While Cronje/Houghton led from the start, Pictures: Evan Rothman for Handbrakes & Hairpins Volkswagen Polo S2000) by a comfortable 01min 19sec Gemmell/Swan struggled to fi nd their usual pace and could Giniel de Villiers/Celeste Snyders (Imperial Toyota Auris only manage fi fth place at the overnight stop in Polokwane. Mark Cronje and Robin Houghton (Sasol Racing Ford S2000) enjoyed their best result of the year with third place, The Toyota Motorsport team changed the diff of the Auris Fiesta S2000) took a giant step towards winning their 26 seconds behind the Volkswagen pair. S2000 and Gemmell showed improved pace in the fi rst two fi rst South African Rally Championship when they took Cronje/Houghton’s Championship aims were helped stages of Day Two. When the Toyota’s engine temperature the honours in the Championship’s penultimate round by the retirement three stages from the fi nish of closest climbed dangerously, Gemmell called it a day to rather in Limpopo this past weekend. challengers Johnny Gemmell/Carolyn Swan (Castrol Toyota preserve the motor. The Ford pair completed the two-day 13-special Auris S2000). The Toyota crew had led the Championship With their chief rivals scoring no points to their stage Polokwane Rally in a time of 02hr 07min 09sec, from Cronje/Houghton by fi ve points going into this past full-house 25, Cronje/Houghton now enjoy a 20-point lead with one round remaining and a maximum of 25 points on delighted to win the fi nal gravel stage of the rally too. Jean- stage on Day One. A front suspension bolt broke, losing offer. Complicating matters is the National Championship Pierre Damseaux/Grant Martin (Total Toyota Auris S2000) them 45 seconds on the stage to winners Cronje/Houghton. Rally requirement that competitors drop their worst score of claimed sixth place behind their team-mates. They were forced to complete the next two stages with a the year. If this were to be done now, Gemmell would drop Former champions Jan Habig/Robert Paisley (Basil temporary roadside repair before they were able to have this event’s zero score and would reduce the gap to Cronje Read Ford Fiesta S2000) were second overall on Day One, their service crew attend to the problem. (whose worst score is 10) to just 10 points. 47sec behind Cronje/Houghton, but their challenge came They went on to dominate the remainder of the All this means that the outcome of the to an end on SS11 when they were slowed by a misfi re and rally, winning four of Day One’s eight stages and two more Championship will defi nitely go down to the wire and make having to stop between stages to replace their car’s power on Day Two. The 05min 39sec gap between them and the the Garden Route Rally in the Western Cape next month all steering belt. This resulted in them arriving late at the next winners at the fi nish almost equalled the 05min 20sec the more intriguing. control and incurring a 01min 20sec time penalty. They penalty for lateness that resulted from their suspension Japie van Niekerk/Gerhard Snyman (New Africa eventually took seventh place, and 01min 03sec ahead of problem..