|
Post by Roo on Nov 26, 2008 4:02:09 GMT
|
|
|
Post by mrdad on Nov 26, 2008 6:07:02 GMT
Awesome drive by Mitch to take first place on a snow rally!! ...and I finished and scored points too - that's handy. Looking forward to the gravel though. Roll on Portugal and then we can get on the dirt proper.
|
|
|
Post by Mixa on Nov 26, 2008 12:26:41 GMT
Yeah congrats to Mitch for taking a win here. Datsun has proven to be quite a quick car everywhere(it was that in real life too) . If them pace keeps up them will take even more wins for sure. I was shocked to see that Lancia team were having hard times here. Maybe the jumps and snow didnt suited the light car too well. 3 Aussies in top5 BTW. What comes to Toyota camp an another good result for me. 4th is kinda the best I could have achieved when I look the times. I lost a lot of time at some stages and done well in another ones but thats rallying. It seems that my teamie,Will is having some hard times to get used for the Celica. It was still great to see him finishing and even taking a quickest stage time. Im sure that better times are to come and maybe hes not just feeling too confortable at snow. Maybe gravel shows what hes made of . Roll on Portugal!
|
|
|
Post by Hurricane on Nov 26, 2008 13:12:32 GMT
Great comeback from Mitch to take the win! I struggled in the snow of Sweden, but luckily I still get 2 points. Better luck next time
|
|
|
Post by Vivski on Nov 26, 2008 13:45:53 GMT
Mitch comes from nowhere to take the win! Gutted, but glad to get some kays under the belt in the unfamiliar car. Very happy to be on the podium!
Thanks Roo, another gripping rally!
|
|
|
Post by Roo on Nov 27, 2008 1:37:46 GMT
Thanks Roo, another gripping rally! I didn't make it gripping though! The random number generator has turned out to be really, um, random.
|
|
|
Post by Curt on Nov 27, 2008 20:19:15 GMT
I'm loving the pics! One of the things I like most about RFC is the rare pics I always get to see
|
|
|
Post by Will on Nov 27, 2008 20:24:06 GMT
Will Unhappy With Results
The Brit spoke at a Toyota press conference shortly after arriving back in the UK after the Swedish rally.
He said that it was not his car's fault that he has had two bad results so far this season, and blamed the results on poor pacenotes and driver error.
In Monte Carlo Will had a rough debut despite winning a stage. In Sweden, again, winning a stage but only managing to finish 10th out of 12 finishers.
"I'm quite optimistic even after these poor results, I hope that in the next few rounds we can be in the top 5 if not better, I will try and push for a podium."
|
|
|
Post by Roo on Nov 28, 2008 5:49:12 GMT
Our internet modem gave up yesterday afternoon, and our internet provider won't come to fix it until Monday. (Aussies, one guess who I'm talking about. ) Further rounds of RFC1 will be uploaded soon when I can get to uni. Just to let you know I haven't dropped off the radar.
|
|
|
Post by Nick McRae on Nov 28, 2008 20:28:24 GMT
Telstra! ?
|
|
|
Post by Vivski on Nov 29, 2008 2:56:36 GMT
Can't be Tel$tra if you're getting it fixed on Monday. They would send someone around in 2 weeks to confirm that it's broken and then schedule an appointment to replace it in another 2 weeks. Good luck getting it all sorted out.
|
|
|
Post by Mitch on Nov 29, 2008 22:06:58 GMT
yes the net is down, yes its telstra....
But while I've got Internet I'll comment on my win.
Mitch was quoted to say : WOOT!
Pretty happy with that!
|
|
|
Post by Nick McRae on Nov 29, 2008 22:46:42 GMT
You happy with your win or the quote?
|
|
|
Post by Roo on Nov 30, 2008 23:03:50 GMT
The first gravel rally and the third round of the championship was held in the country of Portugal. With many drivers struggling to come to grips with the snow and ice evident in Monaco and Sweden, Portugal would provide the best opportunity to kick start their title campaigns. Day 1 of the rally included a total of three stages, fast and flowing in nature, with a thick layer of gravel that was sure to hamper the front runners. This was true to a certain extent, as Mitch was only seventh fastest on Stage 1, but second on the road equalled second fastest time for Mixa. Vivski used the V8 power of his TR7 to his advantage to gain an early lead. Roo spun on the first stage, but made up for lost time on Stage 2, taking the stage win and moving up into sixth. The top three from the first stage all lost time, but Vivski was able to hold onto the lead. Luigi dropped from third to fifth, while Mixa fell from second to seventh. Nick McRae appeared to be getting the hang of his Escort, finishing second fastest and moving up to third. On Stage 3 Nick’s team mate JJ was forced to retire with a broken gearbox, joining Talbot’s Curt on the sidelines who retired on Stage 2. The technical nature of Stage 3 cost many crews a lot of time, many overshooting junctions and spinning on tight hairpins. Luigi was the only driver to have a perfect run, setting the fastest time and moving into the lead ahead of Vivski. Datsun drivers Mitch and Len were within striking distance, while Nick and Bart rounded out the top six at the end of the first day. The first stage of Day 2 was the famous Fafe test, which saw thousands of spectators cling to the hillsides overnight to get the best vantage point. Will and Mary set the joint fastest time on the stage, Mary moving from twelfth to sixth, and Will moving from seventh to second! Vivski, Nick and Bart all lost time on the stage, dropping valuable positions on the leaderboard. Stage 5 saw Roo claim his second fastest stage time for the rally, moving up into second equal second with his brother Mitch at the expense of Will. Len was just three seconds behind Will, while Mixa was two seconds behind Sarah. However, Mixa’s run came to a grinding halt on the next stage when the Celica’s engine suddenly failed mid-stage. Team mate Will had no such problems, claiming fastest time and moving back into second overall once again. The battle for third was set to test family ties on the final day, with Roo, Len and Mitch occupying third to fifth. But Luigi’s consistent approach had seen him retain his lead for the whole day and extend his lead to over a minute with a day to go. The final day of Rally Portugal began with the difficult and daunting stage Arganil, made even more treacherous by persistent rain. Nick was desperate to get a good result for the Ford team, and his superb performance on the longest and most difficult stage of the rally saw him move from tenth to third overall. Luigi was second fastest overall, increasing his lead to almost three and a half minutes. Many drivers came unstuck on the stage. Sarah suffered a puncture early in the stage, and was forced to stop and change the wheel in the pouring rain. Vivski and Bart both went off the road retiring from the rally. A spin on the penultimate stage dropped Will from second to fifth, while Roo and Len moved into fourth and fifth respectively. With one stage to go, Nick’s place on the podium was far from certain, with the three drivers separated by only six seconds. The final stage saw a final charge from Mary in the Talbot Sunbeam, who finished second fastest on stage to claim fourth overall. In the battle for the podium places, Len stayed out of trouble to claim second and a healthy points haul for the Datsun team, while Nick faded to third. However, Nick’s result had finally brought some relief to the Ford camp. Winning the final stage, and winning the rally by over five minutes capped off a brilliant performance by Luigi driving the Fiat 131 Abarth. Fastest on two stages and second fastest on three, enabled the Fiat team to celebrate its first win of the season after missing out in Sweden. On the next round of the RFC, the teams face the toughest gravel rally in Europe, the Acropolis Rally in Greece.
|
|
|
Post by Roo on Nov 30, 2008 23:14:58 GMT
The Acropolis Rally in Greece is considered one of the toughest rallies in the championship, long considered a battle of the strongest, not the battle of the fastest. The stages on the first day of competition were not the roughest of the event, but they were the dustiest, meaning that those running first on the road would be acting as road sweepers. Mixa and Mitch charged hard to minimise their disadvantage, and set third and fourth fasest times respecitively on the opening stage. As expected, the Triumph TR7 was again quick in the early stages, Vivski making the most of the extra power. But running last on the road was Sarah driving the Lancia Stratos. The Kiwi made the most of the swept roads and used the exposed, hard rock base to her advantage, setting the fastest time. On Stage 2, Vivski set the fastest time to move into first place ahead of Sarah, who was second fastest on stage. After a slow start, Portugal winner Luigi scored third fastest time and moved up into third overall at the expense of Mixa. Nick McRae was able to leapfrog both the Talbot drivers to claim fifth. On the final stage of the day, the lead again changed, with Sarah reclaiming the lead and Vivski dropping back to second once again. Luigi lost time on the final stage and dropped two places to fifth, behind beneficiary Mixa in third, and a hard charging Mitch who set the fastest time. The final stage however claimed the rally’s first retirement, and unfortunately for the Ford team, Nick McRae was out. Although the Englishman was not in a sociable mood back at the overnight halt, it is believed a rock was the cause of his retirement. The second day dawned clear and calm, indicating hot and dusty conditions would be more than likely. Sarah started well, setting second fastest time on Stage 4, but a spin on the Aghii Theodori stage saw her lead cut back to just over half a minute. The driver in second place however was not Vivski. A slow puncture cost the Australian over a minute and a half on the first stage, but a quick time on the next stage kept him in touch with the leaders. A careful and consistent approach was paying dividends for Mixa, the Celica driver moving into second position. Mitch had been briefly up into second place, but by the end of Stage 5 the Datsun driver was in fourth place, just seven seconds off the top three. Stage 5 was a long and difficult stage, and the conditions caused the retirement of Talbot driver Mary, whose Talbot inhaled a unhealthy amount of dust in the stage and ground to a halt as a result. The final stage of the day was short in length, but twisty and littered with loose rocks. Many drivers chose to play it safe and back off the conserve the car. But two drivers decided to drive at maximum attack despite the risk. Despite the retirement of his team mate on the previous stage, Curt stormed through the stage setting the quickest time. Despite the gain in position, the Englishman was given a stern talking to by the Talbot team manager upon arrival back at service. The other driver to take a punt was Sarah, whose quick time extended her lead to almost two minutes. Mitch was over a minute slower than Curt, but his time elevated the Datsun driver into second place, ahead of Toyota’s Mixa and Triumph’s Vivski at the conclusion of the second day. The first stage of the final day was not a particularly difficult stage, but it was followed by the longest and roughest stage of the event, so tyre preservation was crucial. Sarah started the day with a stage win, extending her lead by another ten seconds over Mitch. Mixa’s Toyota began misfiring just after the start of the stage, allowing Vivski to regain third place. JJ was under instruction by the Ford team to push to gain as many points as possible. Third fastest enabled the Welsh driver to move up two places. Stage 8 proved to be a hot, rough and dusty car-breaker, and the stage claimed two drivers. The first to bail out was Datsun driver Mitch. Pushing hard to try and catch Sarah’s Stratos ahead of him, the Australian clouted a rock on a high speed corner. The car continued on, only for the suspension to fail on the next corner, sending the Datsun off the road and into a barrel roll. Thankfully, Mitch and his co-driver were unhurt in the crash. Mitch’s retirement meant that Sarah now had a lead of over three and a half minutes, but it wasn’t all good news for Lancia. Bart’s Stratos expired a mile from the end of the stage, and at the time of going to press, the team were still investigating the cause of the problem. Luigi was second fastest on the stage, and the Belgian now found himself in second place overall with one stage left to run. Curt was making steady progress and was now in third, but only one second ahead of Vivski. JJ moved up another place to seventh, but pace alone was unlikely to yield any higher position. The Ford driver would have to depend on someone ahead of him having problems. There were final stage dramas for podium contenders Luigi and Vivski, with both falling to fourth and fifth. The drivers that benefited from the misfortunes were Curt and Mixa. With the misfiring problem rectified on the road section, fastest time for Mixa saw him sneak past Vivski for the final podium position, while Curt was able to secure a creditable second place for a delighted Talbot team. But not quite as delighted as Sarah, who after failing to score on the first two rounds, secured her first win of the season in style on the roughest rally in Europe. The win also keeps Lancia in the hunt in the battle for the manufacturer’s championship. Coming up after the mid-season break is another car-breaker, the Safari Rally in Kenya, arguable the roughest and toughest event of the season. Will the Japanese teams replicate their past dominate performances on the Safari? Or will the European opposition turn the tables? All will be revealed following the mid-season break and the upcoming mid-season review of the RFC.
|
|