Rally Ireland Day1

Top 5 after SS6;

1. Sebastien LOEB 1:09:35.2
2. Dani SORDO 1:10:19.6 +44.4
3. Mikko HIRVONEN 1:10:40.0 +20.4
4. Henning SOLBERG 1:12:44.6 +2:04.6
5. Conrad RAUTENBACH 1:13:53.8 +1:08.9
6. Sebastien OGIER 1:13:58.4 +4.9
7. Chris ATKINSON 1:14:26.4 +28.0
8. Matthew WILSODN 1:14:31.2 +4.8




Latvala led after SS1 but spun, punctured and broke front TCA. Went over the time limit and now is on super rally.....

And Niall McShea after setting amazing times on SS1 and 2, is not retired with electrical problems.....

Commenting on his third fastest time on SS1 and his Super Rally return for Day2 Niall quotes “Spectators should make sure they stand well back tomorrow because now there’s no reason for me to drive sensibly”. Sounds like Niall!!!

Mitsubishi UK Pull Out of British Rallying

Mitsubishi Motors UK recently announced the 'restructure' of its British-based motorsport campaigns.

The company has confirmed that its two-car works rally team will not compete in 2009.

Mitsubishi Ralliart UK Evo 9


The company’s withdrawal from top-level competition in the UK comes after four years of success, although recently somewhat overshadowed by various technical controversy, in the British Rally Championship.

It claimed the National Production title in 2004 and the British Team’s title in 2005, before going on to win both the British Team’s and Driver’s titles in 2007 and 2008.

They quote as being “The most successful manufacturer-backed rally team in Britain in recent years" however in reality they were the only ones with decent budgets.

Paul Brigden also quoted “The deciding factor is purely due to the global economic downturn and nothing to do with the smaller issues that we have had to deal with recently.”

But, MMUK is pleased to report that its successful one-make rally-series, the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge, will continue as planned for its ninth consecutive season this year.

Despite al this, it has said that it will observe with interest the progress of the new Evo X Series, which was launched at the Autosport Show earlier this month.



Ralliart UK Evo X

Proper Nuts

Double Backflip on a Snowmobile!

Another Superstar, Another Crashed Ferrari.....

"Manchester United football star Cristiano Ronaldo has crashed his Ferrari 599 GTB in a tunnel near Manchester Airport, England.

Ronaldo was able to get out of the car and appeared to have no serious injuries. However, the £193,000 supercar was badly damaged as it collided with a roadside barrier.

The Portuguese player was on his way to training when his car crashed in the tunnel that takes traffic under the airport runways between Wilmslow and Hale, Cheshire. His Ferrari was registered in Portugal and is part of an impressive fleet of supercars the winger owns including a BMW M6, Porsche 911 Turbo, Audi R8 and a Bentley Continental GTC.

It's not the first time a Ferrari 599 GTB has hit the headlines. In 2007, boss of Fiat Sergio Marchionne crashed his 599 in Switzerland when the car in front "suddendly slowed" and he drove into the back of it.

The 599 is one of Ferrari's fastest production cars and uses the Enzo's 620bhp 6.0-litre V12 engine, capable of propeling it to 62mph in 3.7 seconds and on to a top speed in excess of 205mph"

The above taken from www.msn.co.uk

So it seems Ronaldo joins the list of superstars that are desperate to show they can't drive. But I suppose if I was 23 and claimed £000's per week for playing a game then I too would go out crashing expensive cars....it wouldn't half liven things up.

And anyway, who wants to run around a field in Manchester at that time of the morning?

And another thing, shouldn't the boss of Fiat be made to drive a Fiat? Not a 620hp V12 Ferrari. I don't care which company owns what...

Rant over.....

Lightweight Co-Driver Available.....

Hiring out little bro for 2020 season?

Interesting Motorsport Stories!

Quick update on some interesting stories at the moment!

The cost of Formula One superlicences has shot up this year.

A superlicence is a mandatory requirement for an F1 driver and last season one only cost 1,690 Euros, plus an additional 447 Euros per point scored in the previous year's championship.

However, the FIA's World Motor Sport Council recently approved a huge price hike that will see the licence now cost 10,000 Euros plus an additional 2,000 Euros per point.

That means world champion Kimi Raikkonen's superlicence will cost 230,000 Euros - and increase of almost 199,255 Euros!

I'll hold off my application for another season then I suppose!

I have some info on the Citroen Xsara WRC the Petter Solberg has and will use on Rally Ireland, chassis number T412.

This car was built in 26.03.2001.
First numberplates '32 CSP 92'
In 2001 reregistered as '723 CZM 78'.
In 2004 was in Citroen museum 'Le Conservatoire'.
In 2005 used by Kronos Racing with numberplates '322 DFQ 78'.
In 2007 used by Kronos Racing with numberplates '98 DZF 78'.
In 2008 used by Conrad Rautenbach in Swedish rally with numberplates '875 EHW 78'.
After that in 2008 was used by Felice Re in Italy (got the title) with numberplates '14R 0101'.
Also Kris Meeke start with this car in Bettega Memorial.
In 2009 used by Conrad Rautenbach in Galway rally with numberplates '138 EQY 78'.

This car take first ever WRC win for Citroen with Jesus Puras (2001 Rally Tour de Corse).
This car has 4 wins at all (Puras/Corse 2001, Loeb/MC 2003, Loeb/Sanremo 2003, Loeb/Cyprus 2004).

So, now you know....

Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle after their 5th gear roll in Monte Carlo



Mirra Wins Winter Challenge

I was up in northern New Hampshire this past weekend. Seemingly I was achieving two things.

1) Watching some rally cars and bikes on the snow and wishing I was in the car, not outside spectating

2) Getting extremely cold. It was less than 20F all day and by the time we left for Boston, it was -6F. That was, most definately, the coldest I have been in a while....

Oh and number 3) Gaining more respect for rally spectators, especially in that weather.

Dave Mirra in his VTCar 2006 Impreza won the event. Good effort.

Thats it for now.

Ron Dennis Steps Down at McLaren...

After 27 years, it appears Ron is moving aside as team principle at McLaren,

Story here....

Click!

RD.

Race, Rally and Back In The Game!

It's been a while since I took a look around someone elses workshop; especially one with such a diverse range of projects, talents and general cool stuff and also one giving me a free reign to snoop around all I liked with the owners and staff asking me questions!

Welcome an afternoon at DSG. 20 mins south of Boston (so, local to me at present!) tucked away in a spot only my best friend TomTom could find, is a healthy mix of great people, years of experience and interesting cars....and, of course, parts of cars!

I have somewhat of a history with Bill and the guys down at Dent Sport Garage. They prepared and ran Evo rally car piloted by Ramana Lagerman that I have competed against in Rally America on and off for the last couple of years. Meeting the guys in Boston for chat and a pint a week or so ago ended up in an invitaion to nose around their shop!

In one corner, a historic 911 race car in for some minor engine tuning. Next to that an Evo 9 race car, part built by the owner who has limited race experience im told(!). It didn't look like it was going to be slow either.....well after the guys had repaired and re-built the entire wiring harness and got it running again!

Of course, no shop is complete without some kind of Japanese old school time attack car, of which you could take your pick at Dent Sport! A RWD Corolla in for a 20v conversion or the shop's own Nissan 240 race car. Bill is currently developing carbon components for this weapon and readying a new engine for the 2009 season. Keep your eyes open for this car in the near future!

My favourite though, has to be Alex' Mitsubish Evo 2. Its originally an Australian rally car and hence, is right hand drive! But it wont remain in rally guise for too much longer, Evo 9 suspension and a new engine coupled with a diet for this car will make it a serious track racer!

Wander into the office and theres all kinds of motorsport madness. Books to calenders, to pictures of WRC cars in of course, Wales! In another corner, a tail pipe from a Jaguar Formula 1 car, ironic in the sense that I have an exhaust system at home from the very same car this one originated from! Strange...

So, thats my race car fix for this week, well ok, for today....Although it did get me thinking and back in the mood to build another car.....so who knows what will happen!

Either way, from a simple tune or dyno run to complete car builds, these guys have all the gear, plenty of experience and more than enough talent between them to make it happen!

Ciao for now.

Today's Most Ridiculous News Story...

Britain's most famous milk chocolate maker has decided to warn milk chocolate lovers that Britain's most famous milk chocolate contains - milk....

The latest Cadbury Dairy Milk wrappers feature a logo showing a glass and a half of milk being poured into a chocolate chunk, put milk first in a list of ingredients and explains that there is "The equivalent of three quarters of a pint of milk of fresh liquid milk in every half pound of milk chocolate".

But Cadbury says it is also necessary to print warnings in capital letters in yellow boxes saying "CONTAINS: MILK" in case people who are allergic to milk do not realise that there is milk in Cadbury Dairy Milk bars.


Smiley Face

The world has gone mad.

New England Winter!

From sand to snow in one easy week....

This is what you get if you spend some time in New England in January!

Great excuse not to cut the grass though.....

Holidays and Stuff

Here are a few pics of what i've been up to recently. However, i'm currenly looking out of the window in Boston, at a foot of snow.....

Not a great shot of a 3ft Iguana!

New Years Eve 2008, of course.

You wouldn't want to buy too many of those cocktails.....not at Ft. Lauderdale prices!


Ft. Lauderdale in all its sun-clad watery glory

Couldn't go to Florida and not see 'gators! Thankfully, thats not my arm...!

So there you have it, more to follow....

-Robbie.

Update! 2009 Taking Shape!

Well this year is now gathering momentum slowly but surely......!

Having spent a great christmas back home near Oxford, then a brief stop in New England before a flight to West Palm Beach and an ever more amazing new year in the Florida sun, its time to crack on with 2009.

I'm now spending some time based up in the snowy winter wonderland that is Boston, Massachusetts while I continue to make plans and constuct my season. I figured thats enough travelling for a while anyhow, so its time to sit still for a few weeks!

As it happens, I seem to know more people here than I realise, so I get to have a life after all!

Anyway, plans. So im off up to Michigan and the Sno-drift rally in late January for Rally America round 1. Thats going to be the first running of the new Super Production class so who knows how that will pan out. Hopefully with more luck than 2008, where I retired 3miles into SS1 with engine failure after much blood, sweat and tears getting our 4(!) car team to the event in the first place.

So maybe getting used to the New England winter will actually help with getting acclimatised to the sub-zero temps of Michigan in winter. After last winter spent in the Southern California desert, this is quite a shock!

Plans for at least one championship in the UK are almost complete, you'll get the info here first!