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IRC JOY FOR SKODA'S HANNINEN IN CIRCUIT OF IRELAND SPECTACULAR

2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge, Rnd 3/13 - Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally


*Finn heads ŠKODA podium monopoly as Peugeot young guns impress
*Colin McRae Flat Out Trophy goes to IRC 2WD Cup winner McCormack

Photos; Jarlath Sweeney - irishmotorsportnews.com

Juho Hänninen made history when he became the first driver to win the Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally to count as a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

In doing so, the ŠKODA Motorsport ace clinched his ninth victory in the series and his first IRC triumph of 2012. He also follows in the wheel tracks of his fellow Finn Pentti Airikkala as only the second overseas winner of the asphalt event.

Hänninen, who is co-driven by Mikko Markkula, started day two locked in a close fight with ŠKODA UK’s defending IRC champion Andreas Mikkelsen. They traded stage times – and positions – throughout the day and began the final loop of four stages with Hänninen leading by 2.3s.

Pushing to close the gap to Hänninen, Mikkelsen got caught out in rain on the Lisburn town centre stage and slid into a silage bale. He inflicted damage to the side of his Fabia S2000, but also banged his head and was left dazed, ending his hopes of his first victory on Tarmac in the IRC for the second event in succession. He was able to recover to the runner-up spot, more than 40s behind Hänninen.

Northern Ireland’s Garry Jennings won the IRC Production Cup with countryman Marty McCormack clinching the IRC 2WD Cup spoils and the Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy following a determined drive amid a host of setbacks. Renault heads the IRC 2WD Cup manufacturers’ table for the first time.

Speaking at the finish in Armagh on Saturday evening, Hanninen, who becomes the third different winner in as many rounds in this year’s IRC, said: “It was one of my toughest victories but also one of my most enjoyable because all the time I was fighting, fighting with Andreas. We had to push on every stage but in the end it was he who was unlucky and not me because I think it was about luck on this rally because the changing weather conditons were very difficult and it was easy to get caught out.”

Mikkelsen had fought back into contention following an overshoot on stage eight only to hit trouble on the first run through the Lisburn test. He said: “It’s disappointing because it was a great fight and this is a rally I wanted to win. But we have made a good start to the season by leading the IRC championship with one win and two second places, so for this reason we have to be happy.”

Having worked his way into a secure third position, Jan Kopecký spent day two consolidating the final podium spot in the second factory Fabia to ensure a one-two-three finish for ŠKODA, which extends its lead of the IRC manufacturers’ standings. The Czech, who won the previous round in Gran Canaria, was fastest on the Titanic Super Special Stage in Belfast on Friday but was unable to replicate that form thereafter. His task wasn’t helped when co-driver Pavel Dresler fell ill.

Mathieu Arzeno shone on his first appearance in Northern Ireland by guiding his Saintéloc Peugeot 207 Super 2000 to the finish in fourth position. “I was here to learn and to take the experience,” said the French driver. “It was not an easy rally to come to for the first time but I’m happy with my performance.”

Craig Breen won the battle to be the top Irish finisher by overhauling Robert Barrable for fifth position on stage 11. Breen was competing in a Saintéloc Peugeot for the first time and spent much of Saturday experimenting with different set-ups having dropped out of contention when he picked up 1m30s in road penalties following a fuel pump glitch on Friday evening.

ŠKODA Ireland driver Barrable said a mistake on Saturday’s first test, when he charged through a fence into a farmer’s field and stalled his car’s engine, hadn’t helped his efforts to keep Breen behind.

Alastair Fisher began day two in contention for a podium finish but a crash seven corners from the start of Saturday’s second stage left his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000 with a broken wheel and forced his retirement. The Northern Irishman, who plans to return to the IRC on June’s GEKO Ypres Rally, was fourth overall at the time of his exit.

After losing time with a puncture on Friday, Sepp Wiegand lost precious seconds when he braked too late for a corner on stage nine and crashed through a fence, damaging the windscreen of his ŠKODA Auto Deutschland Fabia. Nevertheless, it was another impressive performance by the inexperienced German driver, who has now scored IRC points on every round run so far this season by taking seventh.

IRC Production Cup
Garry Jennings maintained his overnight advantage to win the IRC Production Cup in his Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer in eighth overall despite nursing a badly burnt hand, which he sustained by accidentally touching a hot car exhaust. Donagh Kelly snatched second place by overhauling Sam Moffett on the final stage. Moffett’s brother Sam took fourth with Willie Mavitty fifth and IRC returnee Daniel Barry sixth. Robert Consani continues to lead the category despite retiring on the final morning.

IRC 2WD Cup
Marty McCormack overcame a succession of problems, including a double puncture, broken gearbox and an alternator glitch to win the IRC 2WD Cup on his first competitive outing for six months. The Northern Irishman’s woes briefly handed Renault Clio R3 pilot Tommy Doyle the initiative before McCormack fought back to claim a popular win and the Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy. Doyle, who lost time with gear indicator and brake issues, survived an off-road moment on the final stage to finish second with Jonathan Greer taking third after Peter Taylor was delayed on the final stage in his Clio.

TOP 10 IRC POSITIONS AFTER DAY TWO
1 Juho Hänninen (FIN)/Mikko Markkula (FIN) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 1h58m21.8s
2 Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR)/Ola Fløene (NOR) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +44.2s
3 Jan Kopecký (CZE)/Pavel Dresler (CZE) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +1m39.5s
4 Mathieu Arzeno (FRA)/Renaul Jamoul (BEL) Peugeot 207 S2000 +4m01.6s
5 Craig Breen (IRL)/Gareth Roberts (GBR) Peugeot 207 S2000 +4m53.8s
6 Robert Barrable (IRL)/Damien Connolly (IRL) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +5m14.5s
7 Sepp Wiegand (GER)/Timo Gottschalk (GER) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +6m15.9s
8 Garry Jennings (GBR)/Barry McNulty (GBR) Ralliart Lancer Evolution IX +8m27.9s
9 Donagh Kelly (IRL)/Kevin Flanagan (IRL) Ralliart Lancer Evolution IX +9m11.4s
10 Sam Moffett (IRL)/James O’Reilly (GBR) Ralliart Lancer Evolution IX +9m16.0s

IRC Production Cup: Garry Jennings (GBR)/Barry McNulty (GBR) Ralliart Lancer Evolution IX
IRC 2WD Cup: Marty McCormack (GBR)/David Moynihan (IRL) Citroën DS3 R3T

IRC STANDINGS (BEST OF EIGHT SCORES COUNT)

IRC drivers after round three of 13
1 Andreas Mikkelsen (Norway) 61pts
2 Juho Hänninen (Finland) 43pts
3 Jan Kopecký (Czech Republic) 40pts
4 Sepp Wiegand (Germany) 30pts
5 Bryan Bouffier (France) 15pts
= Luis Monzón (Spain) 15pts
7 Mathieu Arzeno (France) 12pts
8 Craig Breen (Ireland) 10pts
= Hermann Gassner Jr (Germany) 10pts
= Jonathan Perez (Spain) 10pts

IRC co-drivers after round three of 13
1 Ola Fløene (Norway) 61pts
2 Mikko Markkula (Finland) 43pts
3 Pavel Dresler (Czech Republic) 40pts
4 Timo Gottschalk (Germany) 30pts
5 Jose C Deniz (Spain) 15pts
= Xavier Panseri (France) 15pts
7 Renaud Jamoul (Belgium) 12pts
8 Gareth Roberts (United Kingdom) 10pts
= Klaus Wicha (Germany) 10pts
= Enrique Velasco (Spain) 10pts

IRC manufacturers after round three of 13
1 ŠKODA 129pts
2 Peugeot 69pts
3 Renault 25pts
4 Honda 18pts
5 M-Sport 16pts
6 Subaru 12pts

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VOLVO V40

Photos by Jarlath Sweeney - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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All-new 2012 Honda Civic hits the Irish streets.

Ireland is the first country in Europe to launch the all new 9th generation Honda Civic to the public. Sales commence immediately through the Honda dealer network nationwide. First to arrive is the exciting and highly specified ES 2.2 litre diesel to be followed in February with the 1.4litre and 1.8litre petrol engine options. The range will be completed in March when all grade levels will be available. The new Civic is available as a five-door hatchback and when the range is complete there will be 11 models from which to choose. Branded a ‘revolutionary evolution’, nearly all of the components are new to the Civic or have been further developed with areas of focus on the suspension set-up to improve the ride and handling over the diverse demands of the European roads. The designers also focussed on maintaining the class-leading interior space of 8th generation Civic while improving the overall packaging, the quality of the interior and space efficiency. This led to a new exterior design, improved aerodynamic performance and a reduction in weight to raise the car’s overall performance. The new Civic is lower, wider and longer than its predecessor with a styling that further highlights the sporty and futuristic elegance of the new car, resulting in improved efficiency, performance and lower CO₂ emissions. Speaking at the launch in Cavan Adrian Cole, Managing Director of Universal Honda said: ‘The introduction of the 2012 Civic range is an exciting venture for Honda in Europe and for us in the local market. Much time has been spent refining this car to meet the exacting standards and expectations of premium car buyers and we are confident that the finished product will win over many new conquests to Honda. The chief goal in the engine and transmission development for the new Civic was to maintain the high performance driving experience whilst improving the overall efficiency of the engine resulting in lower running costs. The iDTEC diesel unit now achieves nearly 20% better fuel economy and the 1.8 i-VTEC petrol options 10% in comparison with their predecessors’. ‘Furthermore, the diesel options now fall into the tax band ‘A’ category and as such qualify for the lowest annual road tax tariff of €160’ he added. Pricing for the new Civic start at €21,395 for the 1.4 litre SE petrol version and €24,445 for the entry level SE iDTEC 2.2 litre diesel option. More powerful 1.8 litre versions, in manual and automatic transmission option, compliment the petrol range and ‘ES’ and ‘EX’ options equipped with higher levels of specification are available in both petrol and diesel.

TEST DRIVE REPORT: Hyundai i40 1.7 CRDi

There is a funny saying in the car industry – “I hope it drives as well as it looks” – often heard at Motor Shows where gleaming new creatively shaped metal assemble for the casting eye. That thought came to mind upon seeing the new i40 Tourer recently introduced by Hyundai’s Motor Europe. This car marks new beginnings for the Korean brand as it makes a stringent effort in raising its profile and image to a higher level. An ambitious target for a car company that was seen to be pretty average all-round – average looks, quality, price, driveability etc. Now, with the i40 it is plain to see where it’s at. Thanks to the artistic talents of Chief Designer Thomas Bürkle, (who by the way came via BMW, 6 years ago), we have never seen so many curves in a car from Korea or from Asia for that matter. From the start, Thomas and his design team based at Hyundai’s R & D Centre in Russelsheim, Germany set about to establish a new family look, which as we now know is clearly identifiable in the i40, Veloster coupe and the freshly revealed new i30. Eagle shaped eye-type headlights, along with a curvaceous grille and bonnet give the i40 a sleek, muscular look and feel to it. These shapely lines continue through to the car’s side panels and come together at the rear door of the estate. Surprisingly and impressively, this aerodynamic profile does not compromise on interior space. In fact rear seat room and access is on par, if not better than any of its competitors in the D-Segment. And HME make no bones about that it is targeting the Toyota Avensis, VW Passat and Opel Insignia for market penetration through conquest sales. Safety is not amiss either as this i40 has been awarded 5 stars in the Euro NCAP Crash Tests. The authorities gave the i40 maximum points in the side impact test and 86% in the Child Occupant category. Inside, Thomas threw out the tired conventional plainness of the preceding Hyundais. In comes a freshness with spaciousness in abundance. His curvaceous streak continues here as there isn’t a straight line to be seen anywhere in the i40’s interior. The driver is cocooned into a position that is comfortable, informative through the various displays on the dash and entertained through the various audio fittings on board. There is a high quality feel to the dash and seating areas and all one has to do is sit in and drive without any complication. From the high-specified versions driven around Frankfurt recently, the new i40 fits into Hyundai’s newly termed ‘modern premium’ category with ease. Hyundai Car Ireland continues this theme by offering spec levels expected in premium class cars but at standard D-Segment price brackets. Two transmission variants of the i40’s 1.7 litre 136 bhp CRDi diesel engine were driven. The 6-speed manual (which boasts CO2 rating of just 113g/km) turned out well with the power spread evenly up through the box. To be straight, the version with the new 6-speed auto box impressed the most. While both drivetrains were smooth and silent, the automatic just elevated the i40 to a true premium level car. As a fan of estate cars (through family tradition more than anything else), the i40 Tourer is head over heels more attractive than the saloon type soon to arrive here and seen in the recent Frankfurt Motor Show. At the moment it is priced at just under €25,000 but will rise €1,000 once the saloon goes on sale and which will then retail at €25,000. New i40 will certainly change your perception of the Hyundai, all you have to do is to take a test drive to be immediately won over.

by Jarlath Sweeney - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

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