no news?Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BHPXeSrCcAApcJQ.jpg:large
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no news?Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BHPXeSrCcAApcJQ.jpg:large
does anyone know with which car will start Ligato ? he plans to do the WRC 2 with Impreza Sedan R4, but he is in class 3 on the entry list...
I think he is Priority 3 - not class 3.Quote:
Originally Posted by vino_93
All WRC 2 and WRC 3 competitors are considered P3.
Problems for Lappi & Wiegand today:
http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto...32322497_n.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BHVa5T9CYAAwsR5.jpg
You must see THE video from Fafe. Great editing, it couldn't be more epic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=yfdLt5c71gI
Last Test Days for Rally Wrc Portugal with Al-Attiyah, Prokop, Kosciuszko, Lappi, PG Andersson
[GALLERY PHOTOS] Les derniers Tests pour le Rallye Wrc Portugal 2013
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7494/3762n.jpg
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Thanks to Jorge Gomes – Click Time Photo
Quotes ahead of the Rally Portugal
Jari-Matti Latvala, Polo R WRC #7
“I have often been quick in Portugal, but my best result so far is the third place I achieved in 2011. I hope I manage to come through clean this year and challenge for a place on the podium. The Polo R WRC certainly has the potential. Sébastien’s victories in Sweden and Mexico have shown that. The first three rounds of the world championship were a bit difficult for me. Unfortunately, not everything went entirely to plan. I just needed time to get used to the car. However, I had the necessary trust in the car on the Power Stage in Mexico – and that good feeling got even stronger during the tests in Portugal. The Rally Portugal is known for its ‘blind crests’, which are really rather special. You really have to be alert as you approach these crests, as you cannot see whether they are followed by a left-hander or a right-hander. For this reason, it is also important to be very accurate during the Recce in the run-up to the rally, to ensure that the pace notes cannot be misunderstood in any way.”
Sébastien Ogier, Polo R WRC #8
“I'm feeling much better now, after illness left me feeling below par last week. Withdrawing from the Fafe Rally Sprint was a very tough decision, especially given all the enthusiastic fans. However, it was the right decision in order to allow me to recover fully. We saw at the Rally Mexico that the Polo R WRC is also competitive on gravel, and that is important. The coming rally in Portugal is another good indication of where we stand, and will be particularly interesting because those will be the kind of conditions we will come up against most often in the World Rally Championship: hard gravel and stages not much above sea level. However, the Rally Portugal has two sides to it. When it is dry there, the ground is very hard and offers a lot of grip. However, when it is wet, the ground becomes very soft and muddy and only offers a very limited amount of grip. We discovered that last year – and it is not particularly fun driving there in those conditions. I much prefer it to be dry. A feature of the special stages in Portugal are the many crests and jumps, which are often followed by quick, blind corners. I am confident that we will follow on from our excellent recent performances in Portugal, as I really like the rally. It is one of my favourite rallies. In 2010 it was the scene of my first victory in the World Rally Championship, and I won again there in 2011. That makes it the only WRC rally that I have won twice in my career – so far.”
Andreas Mikkelsen, Polo R WRC #9
“I can hardly wait for the start of the Rally Portugal. It will be my first rally with the Polo R WRC, although I did have a number of outings with Volkswagen last year and have already been completely integrated in the team. As such, the only thing that is really new to me is the element of competing in a current World Rally Car. After two successful years in the IRC, I feel ready to take the step up into the World Rally Championship. In my opinion, the Rally Portugal is one of the most difficult on the race calendar. There are a lot of ‘blind’ passages and relatively little grip. The last time I drove there was back in 2007, so it will practically be a new event for me. I was lucky enough to be able to take part in the Recce last year. As such, I have some idea of what to expect. Despite this, it will certainly be one of the most difficult rallies of the year for me. It will be important not to make any mistakes and to avoid any incidents. We want to finish the race and learn as much as possible. After that, we can concentrate on getting quicker at the subsequent rallies.”
Three questions for Sven Smeets, WRC Team Manager
What does it mean to the team, to line up with a third Polo R WRC from the Rally Portugal onward – from both a sporting and logistical point of view?
“From a sporting point of view, it is obviously nice to see Andreas back in a World Rally Car after a long break. He initially has different sporting goals to those of Sébastien and Jari-Matti. Portugal, in particular, is practically new territory for him. For Andreas, it will primarily be a matter of gaining experience and completing the rallies wherever possible. Where he feels more confident, he can also show what kind of speed he is capable of. For the team, a third car simply means more material and more work. We have to take more spare parts with us, including an additional spare engine and another gearbox. On top of that comes the equipment for another service place, as well as additional personnel: one engineer and three mechanics. Compared to the first two rallies in Europe, we are now travelling with another truck, which will mainly be loaded with material for Andreas and Mikko’s Polo R WRC.”
Why did Volkswagen not start the rally season with three Polo R WRCs right from the word go, rather than contest the first three rounds of the world championship with just two cars?
“Because of the extra effort that comes with a third car. We wanted to give ourselves enough time to conscientiously run through all the processes involved in a rally weekend – and with a completely new car and, to a certain degree, new drivers. We also wanted to see how the Polo R WRC performed in competitive conditions. Had we discovered a major problem over the course of the first three rallies, we would then have had to solve it on three cars. It goes without saying that this would also have meant extra costs. When it boils down to it, we just wanted to give ourselves a little time to find our feet in the first three months of the season.”
What will be the team’s biggest challenge at the Rally Portugal?
“That depends in no small part on the weather. In the past we have seen that the cars are given quite a tough ride at this rally when it rains. The route becomes very muddy and slippery. However, when it is dry and the roads are in good condition, we will experience a really good gravel rally in Portugal, at which it will all come down to the driver. It is a real drivers’ rally. The closing Power Stage is also over 52 kilometres long. That is extraordinary in itself, and means that the drivers must really earn the extra world championship points.”
Here is the full original albumQuote:
Originally Posted by jbmarcus21
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...7565522&type=1
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...91835365_n.jpg
Any photos or videos from RK test?
Two photos from today's test:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...52163631_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n...48633886_n.jpg
Tomorrow I will upload more photos, now I have to sleep more that 4 hours :p