HHandbrakesandbrakes HHairpinsairpins e world of rallying & yyourour insightinsight intointo theth world of rallying TTHEHE LLOEBOEB SSHOW:HOW: GGREEKREEK EEPISODEPISODE IIssuessue 234234 • 3311 MMayay 22012012 • hhttp://wp.me/pkXcttp://wp.me/pkXc TThehe wworld’sorld’s onlyonly ffreeree ddedicatededicated rallyrally eeMagazineMagazine - eeveryvery wweek!eek! Snell SA2010 & FIA 8858-2010 approved HANS post fitted Built in hearing protector cups with intercom system Adjustable peak with sun visor Helmet & HANS bag Peltor FMT120 Rally Intercom Telephone +27 11 6708400 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.ats-motorsport.co.za IIssuessue 223434 • 3311 MMayay 22012012 EEDITORIALDITORIAL IINFORMATIONNFORMATION Editor Evan Rothman Favourite rally car? Audi Quattro S2 Current favourite WRC driver? Mads Ostberg Favourite WRC rally? WRC Rallye Deutschland Favourite rally? Total Rally, South Africa Tweets too much about rallying, loves nothing more than spectating on a forest rally, and has aspirations of being the world’s greatest rally journalist. He’s also oftentimes seen with a In 2012, we will bring YOU: camera in his one hand and his mobile phone more opinions ringing in his pocket at the most inopportune times. more photographs more competitions more videos as you ASKED for in 2011! Photojournalist Eva Kovkova Favourite rally car? Citroën C4 WRC AADMINISTRATIVEDMINISTRATIVE IINFORMATIONNFORMATION Current favourite WRC driver? Mads Østberg Contributors Liga Stirna, Patrick Vermaak, Motorpics, Favourite WRC rally? Vodafone Rally de Portugal Newspress. Favourite rally? White Nights Rally, Lahdenpohja, Russia All content copyrighted property of HANDBRAKES & Likes to walk in the Swedish snow forests or on HAIRPINS, 2007-12. This publication is fully protected by Portuguese dusty hills, likes to freeze, to get wet copyright and nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part in the rain or to melt from the heat during photo without written permission from the editor. While reasonable hunts for fl ying cars and smiling faces. Also is precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of knowing as a press ice bear working for South information from sources and given to readers, the editor Africa :) cannot accept responsibility for any inconvenience or damage that may arise therefrom. FOLLOW US! CCONTACTONTACT E-mail us [email protected] Call us +27 83 452 6892 Surf us http://wp.me/pkXc To receive your FREE weekly HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS eMagazine, or if you’d like to share this with a friend please send your e-mail address to [email protected]. HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS is not a SPAM e-mail: email addresses are added to the mailing list voluntarily. OPPENINENING SHOT TThehe CCitroënitroën WWorldorld RRallyally TTeameam iiss tthehe bbestest iinn tthehe wworld.orld. SSebastienebastien LLoeboeb aandnd DDanielaniel EElenalena fformorm aarguablyrguably tthehe mmostost ssuccessfuluccessful ppartnershipartnership iinn tthehe hhistoryistory ooff tthehe ssport,port, ttakingaking 7711 wwinsins iinn ttheirheir WWRCRC ccareer.areer. TThehe bbehind-the-scenesehind-the-scenes tteameam mmanagement,anagement, sserviceervice ccrewsrews aandnd llogisticalogistical tteamseams aallll wworkork sside-by-sideide-by-side wwithith tthehe eengineersngineers ttoo pproviderovide LLoeboeb aandnd EElenalena tthehe mmostost ccompetitiveompetitive aandnd rreliableeliable mmachineachine fforor tthehe sstages.tages. DDisagree?isagree? FFirstirst rreadead oourur WWRCRC AAcropoliscropolis RRallyally ooff GGreecereece eeventvent rreporteport iinside,nside, aandnd mmakeake uupp yyourour oownwn mmind.ind. PPicture:icture: CCitroënitroën RRacingacing START RAMP 07 L’Estage and Richard win in Canada CONTENTS SERVICE PARK 09 OMP and FIA join forces PARC FERME 12 WRC Academy in Greece review 15 WRC Acropolis Rally of Greece review 19 Rally America STPR preview 20 BRC Jim Clark Rally preview START RAMP TTHEHE TOP STTEP:EP: LL’ESTAGE’ESTAGE WWINSINS IINN CCANADAANADA Words: Handbrakes & Hairpins stages and build up a big lead on our rivals. Our strategy summer events in Quebec,” added L’Estage. Picture: Coyote Media Services worked perfectly and I had full confi dence in our Yokohama “It’s an excellent result for us and we couldn’t have tyres, especially given the changing road surfaces, which asked for more from a rally where everything and everyone Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage and his co-driver then permitted me to back off a bit on Day Two and just on our team worked perfectly,” said co-driver Nathalie Nathalie Richard won this past weekend’s Rocky manage our lead.” Richard. Mountain Rally in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, Round Winners of eight of the nine competitive stages on With this victory, the team increases their lead in Two of the 2012 Canadian Rally Championship. Already Day One, the Rockstar Energy Drink duo started the fi nal day the hunt for the Canadian title and also reclaims top spot in winners of the season’s opening round, the Rockstar with a commanding 01min 48sec ahead of second place. the North American Rally Cup. Energy Drink team claims another perfect victory after “It’s of course a very important victory for the The pair don’t have much time to celebrate this dominating the rally from start to fi nish. This result Championship, but it’s also a testament to our partners victory, their sixth in the last eight rounds of the Canadian marks the fi fth career Rocky Mountain Rally win for Drenth Motorsport, as our fi rst Canadian event with our new Rally Championship. On Wednesday, the team heads to the 2011 Canadian and North American champions, sequential gearbox, which was perfectly reliable throughout Pennsylvania to contest the Susquehanock Trail Performance L’Estage and Richard. the entire weekend. We can defi nitely say that it was a Rally (STPR), Round Four of the Rally America series. After “We were faced with what has become typical huge team effort because our mechanics ensured that our coming in second at this event in 2011 by only 01.3sec, Rocky Mountain Rally weather, rain and snow the night Rockstar Energy Drink Mitsubishi withstood the challenging the Rockstar Energy Drink team will be gunning for the top preceding the start of the rally, making for really tricky road weekend without the slightest of worries. spot on the podium. Competition in Canada will resume on conditions,” said L’Estage. “During the rally more rain, snow, “Winning at the season-opening Rallye Perce-Neige 29 - 30 June in Gaspé, Quebec for the highly popular Rallye hail, strong winds and sun all made an appearance and we and again here at the Rocky Mountain Rally gives us the Baie-des-Chaleurs. H&H took advantage of the unpredictable conditions to attack the maximum possible Championship points heading into the SERVICE PARK SSAFETYAFETY FFIRSTIRST FFROMROM TTHEHE TTOP:OP: FFIAIA CCHOOSESHOOSES OOMPMP Words: Handbrakes & Hairpins to FIA offi cials in the various FIA Championships. This will best protection that money can buy,” adds Robin Houghton, Picture: Motorpics include fi reproof overalls, shoes, gloves, and underwear. managing director of ATS. “The OMP brand has been at the Jean Todt, the President of the FIA, said: “The FIA forefront of fi re-retardant racewear for nearly four decades, The supreme worldwide authority for motorsport, the is pleased to have reached an agreement with OMP for it to and remains dedicated to fi nding innovative solutions in FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), has become an offi cial supplier, as the company’s philosophy is its fi eld. Our philosophy at ATS has always been to only chosen OMP as their offi cial supplier of racing apparel perfectly aligned with the FIA’s top priority to strive for the sell products that we would be happy to use in our own for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. highest level of safety in motorsport.” motorsport endeavours, and with OMP there has never been The Italian company, represented in Africa Africa “We stocks a wide range of OMP gear, and the brand any question about entrusting our lives to it.” H&H (Handbrakes and Hairpins’ base) by ATS (Automotive having become a popular choice with local competitors in Technology Specialists), will supply technical race clothing all disciplines and at all levels of the sport, who demand the WIN A COPY OF THIS GAME! FIVE READERS WILL EACH WIN A COPY OF THIS GAME FOR THE PLATFORM OF THEIR CHOICE! HOW? SIMPLY SUBSCRIBE TO HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS eMAGAZINE! SEND AN E-MAIL WITH YOUR NAME TO SUBS.HHMAG@GMAILCOM TODAY! PARC FERME WWRRC ACAADEMYDEMY IINN GRREEEECEE:: EEVANSVANS WWINSINS WWITHITH SSTYLETYLE Words: Handbrakes & Hairpins mechanical sympathy – a mix which proved advantageous didn’t have a single puncture. If you saw the conditions I Pictures: WorldRallyPics/M-Sport on the abrasive Greek stages. Alastair Fisher (23) claimed don’t think you would believe that they would be able to second place to maintain his lead at the head of the cope, so it is a real credit to Pirelli. As the FIA WRC Academy crews tackled the most standings with Brendan Reeves (23) securing his second “We had a really tough rally in Portugal so put a lot challenging event of their careers at the 58th Acropolis podium of the year fi nishing the event in third. of work into preparing for Greece and everything has gone Rally this past weekend, it was Elfyn Evans (23) who Elfyn Evans said: “I am very happy and this event really well. Phil [Pugh] has been world class and I am very came out on top to claim his maiden WRC Academy is defi nitely up there as one of my best results. It has been lucky to have him in the car.” victory with a dominating seven out of a possible ten a diffi cult event and SS11 was probably the toughest stage Supported by Ford Racing in Europe and with stage wins. I have ever driven but the Fiesta [R2] and Pirelli tyres have control tyres from Pirelli, the WRC Academy got underway The Welshman is known for his speed and done fantastically well.