Ford Club Sweden

Rally Sweden cancelled due to Coronavirus

The rally was scheduled to be based in Sweden’s Värmland on 11 - 14 February, but a decision of the County Board of Varmland in Karlstad on Tuesday agreed there was no alternative but to cancel the event for health security reasons.

Rally CEO Glenn Olsson said increasing Coronavirus cases in Sweden had led to tighter restrictions, meaning the rally could not take place to the high safety protocols required.

“Rally Sweden organisers, the FIA and WRC Promoter fully understand that the health of the local population is of primary concern and are committed to a collective duty of care to protect both the Värmland community and the WRC family,” he said.

“During our planning, we have closely monitored what is a constantly evolving Covid-19 situation in the region. While we are naturally extremely disappointed, especially given the exciting new-look itinerary, this is a decision we support.”

Rally Sweden is the WRC’s only pure winter rally and the FIA and WRC Promoter are in negotiations with an alternative event and hope to make an announcement shortly.

Greensmith heads youthful M-Sport Ford line-up

Gus Greensmith fronts a youthful M-Sport Ford squad in this year’s FIA World Rally Championship as he tackles his first full season in a Fiesta World Rally Car.

The 24-year-old Briton is joined by Teemu Suninen and Adrien Fourmaux, who will share a second Fiesta. Suninen’s schedule is yet to be finalised but the 26-year-old Finn will start the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo (21 - 24 January) alongside Greensmith.

Fourmaux, 25, steps up to a Fiesta World Rally Car for the first time in the WRC. The Frenchman will also take on a full WRC2 title tilt in a Fiesta Rally2, starting at Monte-Carlo.

Greensmith and co-driver Elliott Edmondson scored a career-best fifth place in Turkey last year and team principal Richard Millener backed the pair to maintain their progress.

“We’re delighted to offer him [Greensmith] his first full season with the top-specification Fiesta, and want to see him and Elliott take maximum experience from a full rally and test programme – learning not only the rallies, but the intricacies of set-up, engineering and everything that goes into becoming a world-class driver,” he said.

Suninen will have a new co-driver, yet to be confirmed, following the experienced Jarmo Lehtinen’s decision to stand down.

“We all know that Teemu has the speed. It’s something we saw on his very first outing with the Ford Fiesta WRC and we felt it important to find a way for him to continue with us this year. We’ve managed to create a partial WRC programme for him and will target specific events where he and the Fiesta can be competitive,” Millener explained.

Fourmaux and co-driver Renaud Jamoul finished third in WRC2 last season and Millener feels the time is right for them to move into the WRC’s top tier.

“We want to ensure he gets to experience as many rallies as possible, continuing to showcase the performance of the Fiesta Rally2 but also starting to pit himself against the world’s best,” he said.

Millener acknowledged the pandemic had hit M-Sport’s finances hard but hopes the situation will improve as the year unfolds.

“We will continue to work hard to see if we can increase Teemu’s programme and bring additional top-level drivers into the squad, but we also have to be honest and say that the Covid situation has made things extremely difficult for us.

“That said, we hope there is light at the end of the tunnel and I know that every single member of the team will continue to give their best as we push for the best possible results in 2021,” he added.

The Fiesta’s striking 2020 livery will be carried forward for the new season, with minor changes.

Greensmith said a full top-flight programme was his dream as a youngster.

“Last year gave us a taster of what to expect, and now we’re ready to throw everything into this season and really focus on progressing throughout year – not only in terms of my driving, but in terms of everything that goes into making a successful career in the FIA World Rally Championship,” he added.

Suninen recognised the difficult times M-Sport is experiencing. “I want to thank the team for their continued support and opportunity to show what I can do this year. We’ll have to wait and see how many rallies I can do, but I will work hard to do my best and deliver good results at every event.

“It’s a shame not to have Jarmo with me again this year, but we knew that this partnership would have to come to an end at some point. I learnt so much from him over the past 18 months, and I want to thank Jarmo for everything and wish him the best of luck in his new adventure.

Fourmaux is looking forward to pushing for top results in WRC2. “We got really close to victory quite a few times last year and believe we have everything we need to succeed this season.

“And, of course, I’m looking forward to some outings with the World Rally Car to experience competition at this level and better understand every element that goes into reaching the very top of the sport.”

WRC MANUFACTURERS CONFIRM THREE-YEAR HYBRID AGREEMENT

All three current WRC manufacturers have embraced the sport’s exciting new hybrid era by committing to register and participate in the FIA World Rally Championship from 2022 to 2024.

Hyundai, M-Sport Ford and Toyota have pledged their futures to the production car-based series, which will undergo a landmark change in 2022 when top tier cars will be powered by a mix of an electric motor and the current combustion engine.

The agreement includes an equal contribution from the FIA and the manufacturers to the development costs of the new technology, which will have a strong focus on sustainability, safety and cost management.

The introduction of hybrid technology was announced in 2019 and close collaboration between the manufacturers, WRC Promoter and FIA led to technical regulations receiving a green light at this month’s World Motor Sport Council.

Hyundai Motorsport's new challenger will be based on the i20 N road car, a hot hatch inspired by the
current i20 World Rally Car. Neither M-Sport Ford nor Toyota Gazoo Racing has confirmed which model they
will use.

WRC Promoter managing director Jona Siebel hailed the trio’s commitment as another positive step for the championship’s future.

“It’s no exaggeration to say the introduction of sustainable hybrid technology for the WRC’s headline category marks one of the biggest milestones in the sport’s history. It’s fitting such a major progression will be welcomed in the championship’s 50th anniversary season,” he said.

“Along with the FIA and the manufacturers, WRC Promoter is fully committed to the introduction of greener cars. The hybrid powertrain forms an integral part of the automotive industry as the world moves towards a more sustainable future, and it’s essential the WRC is aligned with this evolution.

“This is rallying with a purpose – providing a perfect R&D platform for the automotive industry to communicate its new technology.

“WRC remains motorsport’s toughest championship for production-based cars and the leadership from these teams sends a positive message about its future to other manufacturers considering joining the series,” Siebel added.

To ensure increased stability and better long-term planning opportunities, the FIA is introducing a three-year championship commitment for manufacturers in place of single-year agreements.

From 2022, a new system will be introduced to the series, with the three current manufacturers and the FIA each owning one of four licences.

The hybrid announcement follows confirmation of the WRC’s plans for more sustainable fuel for competing cars and greener energy sources in the service park.

Requests for tenders have been invited for:
• Sustainable fuel, with the supplier providing a fuel or series of fuels to be used by competitors across the different championship classes.
• Branding of the plug-in hybrid charging stations in service parks.
• Sustainable energy generation and supply in the service park to cover the needs of the plug-in charging elements of the World Rally Cars and general service park power requirements.

M-SPORT FORD HAPPY WITH OPENING HYBRID-ERA TEST

M-Sport Ford has reported positive progress with its all-new hybrid-era car after the British firm began initial testing.

Next year marks the start of a new generation in the FIA World Rally Championship, with all three current manufacturer teams committing to new hybrid cars from 2022 to 2024. All top-tier cars will be powered by a mix of an electric motor and the current combustion engine.

An interim M-Sport Ford car completed a systems check on asphalt before it moved into the forests, where it was driven by former WRC regular Matthew Wilson.

Wilson’s initial feedback was positive, reporting the car to be ‘very impressive’.

M-Sport managing director Malcolm Wilson said: “It’s very early days still, it’s the roll out test really, but it’s going well.

“We’d always aimed to have it in the woods that week, so to be there absolutely on time is great for the team and a real demonstration of the effort everybody has put in.”

The team’s 2022 challenger is being drawn on a clean sheet of paper, according to Wilson.

“The car is completely new from the current Fiesta WRC,” he said. “Obviously, the base engine remains from this year, but apart from that there’s no carry over. It’s all new suspension, new geometry, electronics – everything.

“That’s why it’s important to get some early testing done and get as many miles down as possible, just so we can see where we are with everything. I’m really pleased and looking forward to seeing it for myself.”

FIESTA RALLY3 SET FOR CROATIA WRC DEBUT

M-Sport Poland’s new Ford Fiesta Rally3 will make its FIA World Rally Championship debut at the Croatia Rally (22 - 25 April) after receiving the green light from motorsport’s governing body.

The car was this week homologated into the FIA’s Rally3 category and will appear for the first time at world level in the hands of a customer driver. It is the first Rally3 car to receive homologation.

The four-wheel drive turbocharged car, powered by a 1.5-litre engine, made its global debut in the hands of Ken Torn at the SM O.K. Auto-Ralli in Finland earlier this month. He finished 11th at the six-stage snow rally.

Rally3 sits in the midpoint of the FIA’s five-tier pyramid, with the intention of providing a stepping-stone for young drivers looking to learn the ropes of four-wheel drive rallying and move on from two-wheel drive.

M-Sport now has a Fiesta eligible for international competition at all five levels. The Rally3 car lies beneath the version driven by Teemu Suninen and Gus Greensmith in the WRC’s headline class, and the Rally2 car campaigned in WRC2 by drivers like Adrien Fourmaux.

And it places above the Rally4 Fiesta, around which the Junior WRC is currently based, and the grass roots Rally5 car.

Drivers who have worked with the car during more than 5,000km of testing include Nil Solans, Kajetan Kajetanowicz, Matthew Wilson, Torn, Egon Kaur and Tom Kristensson and M-Sport Poland director Maciej Woda spotlighted the challenge of developing it, especially in a time of pandemic.

“It’s a very daunting task designing and building a totally new car for an equally new category as there is no reference point for anybody to use. That is what made creating the Fiesta Rally3 exciting, but it also made us push ourselves in every aspect to ensure no stone was left unturned,” he explained.

M-Sport managing director Malcom Wilson said the homologation was a huge milestone for both M-Sport Poland and the sport.

“Sustainable and cost-effective cars are needed now more than ever in order to ensure smooth progression for drivers and also for those looking to compete in four-wheel drive machinery with lower running costs,” he added.

“Undoubtedly, we will see more manufacturers join which I am really looking forward to. Fundamentally it is competition that motivates us and we want to see a thrilling fight on the stages in the Rally3 category.”

Nemesis_se skrev: ↑

fre maj 28, 2021 9:21 am

Har SVT slutat med sammandrag av rally?