Citroen reflects on the perfect start to 2009
Defending WRC title holders Citroen and Sebastien Loeb got their 2009 campaigns off to the best possible start today, with a repeat of their one-two Rally Ireland finish from 2007.
Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena took control of the rally after the opening loop on Friday morning before gradually pulling clear of their rest of the field, while Sordo and Marc Marti tucked into their wake to hand Citroen a maximum points haul in the Manufacturers Championship.
Today’s result was Loeb and Elena’s 13th consecutive sealed surface win and their 10th in the C4 WRC.
"Even though we weren't on the ideal rubber for the first loop, we were able to control from in front," said Loeb. "Don't get me wrong; this weekend's win was no stroll. Given the delicate conditions, it was essential to have a car that was easy to drive and my C4 WRC was perfect from start to finish. Today's victory was obviously the best way possible to kick off this year's championship."
Dani Sordo was equally pleased with his result: "I'm very happy because coming second means that Citroen leaves Ireland with maximum Manufacturers' points, and it was great to have a perfectly trouble-free run, too. The conditions were very difficult, and going the full distance without making any mistakes was a challenge in itself! This result is a terrific confidence booster for the rest of the season"
Citroen Sport Director Olivier Quesnel was delighted with his team’s one-two performance but warned that the next round - Rally Norway - would be a completely different challenge: "Our team has lost none of its hunger for success and everyone played their part to perfection, including our two crews, of course, who both put in a remarkable display given the atrocious conditions,” he said.
“We had been hoping to start the season with a win, if only because the 2009 calendar features just 12 rounds, with only two on asphalt. There will be a high price to pay for any mistake this year. The fact that we are leading both championships after the season's curtain-raiser means we can go into the next event in a more relaxed frame of mind. That said, we won't be favourites because the second round takes place on a terrain that tends to be more suited to the Scandinavian specialists..."
www.wrc.com

Ford already focusing on Rally Norway
The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team came away from Rally Ireland eight points adrift of rivals Citroen in the WRC Manufacturers’ Title contest but planning on turning the situation around on the next round in Norway.
Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen were the team’s top scoring crew, finishing third today to collect six points. It was the pair's 10th podium from the last 12 rallies. Hirvonen settled into the position on the opening day and challenged Citroen’s Dani Sordo for second until a power steering problem ended his hopes of moving up.
Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila recovered from a first day accident to finish 14th in their Focus, sufficient to claim two manufacturer points for Ford, while Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr were eighth in the team's third car to collect the Abu Dhabi driver’s first-ever point.
Ford of Europe motorsport director Mark Deans said: "This rally was all about maximising manufacturer points in an event which was less likely to favour our drivers. As we look ahead to the next round in Norway, I'm confident we can reverse that situation. To have five Focus RS WRCs finishing in the top 10 is a testament to its speed, strength and reliability.”
BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson said: "Both drivers claimed fastest times on their least favourite surface and both have gained in experience and know-how in very difficult conditions. I'm pleased Jari-Matti fought back from his first day problems and delighted also for Khalid."
www.wrc.com

J-WRC: Aaron Burkart takes first Junior victory
Suzuki Sport driver Aaron Burkart held onto the lead of the Junior World Rally Championship competition in Ireland today to take the first class win of his career.
The German began Sunday’s competition with a comfortable 1min 27sec advantage over second placed Martin Prokop, and was able to adopt a safe approach through today’s five stages, eventually crossing the podium with a lead of 47.3sec.
Burkart was runner-up to Sebastien Ogier in the 2008 J-WRC series driving a Citroen C2. Rally Ireland marked his competitive debut in a Suzuki Swift S1600.
“It’s an amazing start to the year,” said Burkart. “For me it’s a new car, new rally, and new team - so it’s a wonderful result. This has been probably the toughest rally I’ve ever done - it was so easy to go off and lose time. I’m pleased to be here and very happy.”
Czech Republic driver Martin Prokop was second and pleased to have got his 2009 campaign off to a solid start - especially after he crashed his Citroen C2 S1600 on Saturday. “We’ve got to be happy with second,” he said. “We made a lot of mistakes at the beginning of last season. This is a much better start. I hope this is the way to win the season.”
Suzuki Swift driver Simone Bertolotti was third, 6min 34sec behind Prokop. The result was the Italian’s first ever podium and earned him six championship points. “It’s a shame we weren’t closer to the guys ahead, but today we just had to keep the position,” he said. “It’s been a fantastic event for me and Suzuki. I think we’ve started the season in a good way. But this is just the beginning; now we have to work and score more points - we want to get faster and faster.”
Frenchman Yoann Bonato was fourth in his Suzuki Swift S1600. Arguably the star of Sunday’s competition, however, was Kevin Abbring - the Dutch driver finished fifth overall but won all of Sunday’s stages in his Renault Clio R3.
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Night stages cancelled due to weather

This evening's two night stages in Ireland have been cancelled due to the level of standing water in the stages.
Weather conditions have been poor throughout the first leg of the World Rally Championship season opener, with the drivers using the standard tyres struggling in this morning's early stages in particular.
Now the organisers have decided that the Murley and Fardross stages that had been scheduled to start at 6.54pm and 7.39pm local time this evening are too wet to run safely. The rain is still falling on the rally route at present.
The cancellation means that Sebastien Loeb takes a 44-second lead over Citroen teammate Dani Sordo into leg two, with Mikko Hirvonen third for Ford.
"It's a shame - the atmosphere of driving at night can be very special," Loeb told autosport.com. "But the organisers know how much water is on the road so for safety this is the right decision.
"I only hope they have told the spectators standing at the side of the road early because it's not nice standing in the rain."
Thanks to www.autosport.com

SS6: Citroens in control after the repeat loop
The Citroen crews of Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and Dani Sordo/Marc Marti rounded off Friday’s repeated stages in dominant form - setting the two fastest times and pulling further ahead of the rest of the Rally Ireland field.
Heading back to Sligo for the second 30-minute service of the day, Loeb’s rally lead stood at 44.4sec. “Yeah, it’s going okay,” he said. “I didn’t want to push earlier, we didn’t have the right tyre so we went carefully, but now we can push hard.”
Dani Sordo completed the stage four seconds slower than his team-mate, and with no recurrence of the brake problems he reported earlier. “On the last two everything was okay,” he said. “It feels really good to drive with the snow tyre. The feeling is nice. I’m confident with the car, the tyres, the notes - everything is perfect.”
Urmo Aava lost his third place when his Ford Focus spun off the road and into a water-filled ditch 6km from the start. Spectators eventually helped him get the car back on the road - largely undamaged - but the time lost meant he opted to retire from the day.
Mikko Hirvonen was third fastest through the stage and moved up a spot courtesy of Aava’s misfortune. “I’m trying to take the fight to Sordo but I stalled the engine at a junction on this one and that cost me some time. I’ll keep on moving,” he said.
Chris Atkinson completed the stage with his Citroen C4 WRC looking battered. The car had left-hand front corner damage, a broken front bumper, a left-hand rear puncture and signs of a heavy impact on the co-driver’s door. “About a couple of kilometres before the finish we aquaplaned, spun and hit a pole of the outside of the corner,” explained Chris. “We should be able to carry on but Stephane [Prevot, co-driver] has a sore shoulder, so we’ll have to see.”
www.wrc.com

Rally Ireland stage shortened
 Rally Ireland have been forced to make a late change to one of the five stages running on Sunday 1st February.  Due to the recent deterioration of a bridge, organisers have had to shorten the popular Arigna stage.  The bridge has already been closed for a number of weeks by Leitrim County Council.
"It's a pity for both the competitors and the spectators that we were forced to shorten the Arigna stage but unfortunately the matter was not within our contol.  And despite our best efforts in recent days to ensure the running of the stage, it simply was not to be and we had no choice but to end the stage before it reached the bridge. However spectators can still look forward to what will be an excellent stage" said Clerk of the Course, Gordon Noble.
The length of the stage is now 10.8kms and will finish at Spectator Point G, in the Moneenatieve townland.  Although Arigna has been shortened it will not impact on the times of any other stages which will run as originally scheduled.  For more information on stage times check www.rallyireland.org 

Hirvonen and Latvala count on experience in Ireland
Consistently the closest challengers to the Citroen team in 2008, Ford factory drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala are hoping another season under their belts will enable them to step up their performance in 2009.
Last year was the strongest yet for both BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team drivers, with Latvala taking his first WRC rally win and Hirvonen finishing the season as runner up after a close fight with eventual winner, Sebastien Loeb.
The Ford team says the 2008 season was always expected to be a transitional year for the new Hirvonen / Latvala line-up - and this season they will make a serious bid for both the drivers' and manufacturers' titles.
Team leader Hirvonen, 28, was fourth in Ireland in 2007 and knows what to expect this year.
"Rally Ireland was difficult in 2007, but this year I feel it's going to be even harder," he said. "I think we'll experience ice in places and the roads are so incredibly narrow and fast. Cars cut the corners and pull mud onto the road so it can be dirty and slippery. It's going to be an interesting and challenging event to start the year. I want to be on the podium, but if there's any chance at all, I want to fight for the win."
"I'm feeling confident about the season ahead. I learned much from 2008 that I'm sure will benefit me this year. After a too cautious start, my speed increased during the second half of the season and that's how I need to start 2009. There are only 12 rallies so it's important to score on every rally. There is no room for zero points from events because there are fewer rallies to make up for it," added Hirvonen.
Latvala, 23, claimed his first WRC podium in Ireland in 2007 and has set his sights on a repeat. "Loose surface rallies are my preference, but I've said to myself that if I can finish in the top three on asphalt this year, that would be perfect. It will be a very tricky rally because the conditions will be so unpredictable and a neat, tidy and mistake-free drive will be rewarded," he said.
"Consistency is an area in which I want to improve in 2009. I want to eliminate the kind of ups and downs that I experienced at times last season. This time one year ago I was very nervous ahead of my debut in the Ford team. I went through so many things last year, gaining experience and learning about the mental side of the WRC, that I feel relaxed and confident for the new season. I have two targets - to help Ford regain the manufacturers' title and to fight for the drivers' title. It's not a target to win the drivers' title - that's different - but I want to be able to challenge for it," added Latvala. (www.wrc.com)

Latvala unscathed after car crash
Jari-Matti Latvala says he will be fit for Rally Ireland this weekend after escaping unscathed from a car accident on Saturday.
The Ford World Rally team driver was testing in Ireland ahead of the event and was returning to his hotel when a car travelling in the opposite direction lost control and crashed into him.
"The other car started to swerve on the bumpy road and came on my lane," Latvala told Finnish website Sportti.com. "I dodged to the left, it crashed into the side of my car and I ended up in a ditch.
"If I hadn't pulled to the left, it would have been much worse."
Latvala escaped the crash with just neck and shoulder pains, but continued testing and will be fit to start the opening round of the World Rally Championship this week.
"In rallying you need to be able to forget the crashes quickly, so I have continued testing after Saturday," Latvala added.

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Rally Ireland 2009 Entry List

1 Sebastien Loeb F Daniel Elena MC Citroen C4 A8
2 Dani Sordo E Marc Marti E Citroen C4 A8
3 Mikko Hirvonen FIN Jarmo Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus WRC 08 A8
4 Jari-Matti Latvala FIN Miikka Antilla FIN Ford Focus WRC 08 A8
5 Matthew Wilson UK Scott Martin UK Ford Focus WRC 08 A8
6 Urmo Aava EE Kuldar Sikk EE Ford Focus WRC 08 A8
7 Sebastien Ogier F Julien Ingrassia F Citroen C4 WRC A8
8 Chris Atkinson AUS Stephane Prevot B Citroen C4 WRC A8
9 Khalid Al Qassimi UAE Michael Orr GB Ford Focus WRC 08 A8
10 Henning Solberg N Cato Menkerud N Ford Focus WRC 08 A8
11 Conrad Rautenbach ZW Daniel Barritt GB Citroen C4 WRC A8
12 Eamonn Boland IRL Damien Morrissey IRL Subaru Impreza WRC A8
14 Gareth McHale IRL Brian Murphy IRL Ford Focus A8
15 Tim McNulty IRL Eugene O'Donnell IRL Subaru S12B A8
16 Aaron McHale IRL Killian Duffy IRL Ford Focus WRC A8
17 Gareth Jones GB Clive Jenkins GB Subaru 12B A8
18 Austin McHale IRL TBA Ford Focus WRC A8
19 Ray Breen IRL Martin Brady IRL Ford Focus A8
20 Michael Barrable IRL Dermot O'Gorman IRL Ford Focus A8
21 Stephen Murphy IRL Michael J Morrissey IRL Subaru Impreza S12B A8
31 Aaron Burkart D Michael Kolback D Suzuki Swift S1600 A6
33 Simone Bertolotti I Luca Celestini I Suzuki Swift S1600 A6
34 Luca Griotti I Corrado Bonato I Renault Clio R3 A7
35 Yoann Bonato F Benjamin Boulloud F Suzuki Swift Sport A6
36 Hans Weijs NL Bjorn de Gandt B Citroen C2 S1600 A6
37 Kevin Abbring NL Erwin Mombaerts B Renault Clio R3 A7
38 Martin Prokop CZ Jan Tomanek CZ Citroen C2 S1600 A6
60 Ross Forde IRL Arron Forde IRL Suzuki Swift Sport N2
61 Niall McShea GB Marshall Clarke GB Proton Satria Neo S2000
62 Gary Jennings GB Rory Kennedy GB Mitsubishi Evo 9 N4
63 Shaun Gallagher IRL Paul Kiely IRL Mitsubishi Evo 9 N4
64 Seamus Leonard IRL Gerry McVeigh GB Mitsubishi Evo 9 N4
65 Alan Ring IRL Adrian Deasy IRL Mitsubishi Evo 9 N4
65 Paddy White IRL Graeme Stewart IRL Ford Focus WRC A8
66 David James IRL Jim Crowe IRL Ford Focus WRC A8
67 Alastair Fisher GB Barry McNulty IRL Ford Fiesta ST N3
68 Derrick Jobb GB Thomas Nugent GB Mitsubishi Evo 9 N4
69 Toni Kelly IRL TBA Honda Civic Type R A7
70 Paul Elliott IRL Brian Doherty IRL Mitsubishi Evo 9 N4
71 Rory Byrne IRL Jeremy Patterson GB Mitsubishi Evo 9 N4
72 Ian Hynes IRL Des Sherlock IRL Honda Civic N3
73 Steve Graham GB Tony Graham GB Vauxhall Astra Rally D N3
74 Kenneth Treacy IRL Martin Comerford IRL Volkswagen Polo N1

Ireland's fastest woman to take on World Rally Stars
 Toni Kelly is preparing to take on the world’s fastest drivers at Rally Ireland at the end of the month as the only female entrant in what will be Ireland’s biggest sports event in 2009.
The 20-year-old from Letterkenny in Donegal took up rallying three years ago and has been setting records ever since.  Toni began racing quad bikes when she was only 6 and began competing at 10 where she was coming in the top three in most of her races.
She began rallying properly in 2006 at the age of 17 when she got her rally licence and became the youngest Irish competitor to get an international rally licence.  In 2007 Toni took part in Rally Ireland but was unlucky not to finish the event. 
This year she is the only female entrant and it is not something that phases her.  “I don’t mind it at all.  To be honest it is nice that I am different from everyone else.  I suppose it gives me a chance to represent all the girls in a World Championship event.”  
She has been competing now for three years but feels now she has earned the respect of her fellow male drivers.  “At the start I think they used to wonder was I just here for a laugh.  Now they realise I take this very seriously and we are all one big rally family so I ge on great with everyone I meet at all the rallies.”
In 2008 Toni came 11th in the Circuit of Ireland Rally and finished 2nd in her class in what is one of Ireland’s most prestigious rallies.  However Rally Ireland is a big step up and one she can’t wait for.  “I am really excited about Rally Ireland now.  With everyone talking about it, it is really start to hit home that I am competing and it is only around the corner so I just can’t wait now.”    
Like any sport there are plenty of sacrifices to be made but this is something that she has come to terms with.  “Rallying has taken over my life and it is something I live for.  I don’t mind any of the sacrifices I have to make because this is what I love to do more than anything else and when someone even starts to talk about rallying I get excited!”
Rally Ireland 2009 will travel through seven counties in the north and south of Ireland, including Cavan, Leitrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Sligo, Donegal and Roscommon.
In 2009 and for the first time in fifty years, Ireland is bestowed with the honour of replacing Monte Carlo as the first round of the World Rally Championship.  In 2007 Rally Ireland attracted 250,000 spectators, generated €48million in economic benefit to the region and was viewed in over 180 countries by in excess of 62million people.  The 2009 World Rally Championship will reach a global TV audience of over 800million.
Rally Ireland is run by Motorsport Ireland in conjunction with the Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs (ANICC) with sponsorship from Failte Ireland and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL).  The 2009 World Rally Championship will be run in 12 rounds across the world and will reach a global TV audience of over 800million.  For more information on Rally Ireland 2009 log on to http://www.rallyireland.org/

Photo Credit: Matt Britton

Rally Ireland has announced details of the route for next January’s World Rally Championship opening round. Details are contained in Rally Guide 1 which is available on http://www.rallyireland.org/. This follows a route inspection and approval by the FIA, the sports governing body, and the leading international teams who will take part. The key new features of the prestigious event will be a glamorous launch of the 2009 World Championship in Belfast on Saturday January 24th. This global live TV event, sponsored by Failte Ireland and DCAL, will feature all the top drivers from Ford, Citroen, Subaru and Suzuki competing with international celebrities at Stormont Castle near Belfast. 

Shakedown, where the teams test their cars, will be held near Sligo on Thursday January 29th followed by the official start at Fermanagh Town Hall at 7.30 pm that evening. With a total of 19 special stages and a route covering 1407 km, the event will visit counties Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Cavan, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Donegal. The Service Park will again be based at the 52 acre site of the Institute of Technology, Sligo which the teams will visit twice daily for repairs and service on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The following areas will feature on the event:
• Cavan: A new stage runs twice on Friday that will offer good spectating near the village of Glangevlin.
• Roscommon: A special stage in Arigna coupled with a new passage control in Boyle on Friday. This visit by the cars to the town will be supported by a festival organised by the local community and Roscommon County Council.
• Leitrim: Will again feature the popular stages of Glenboy and Aughnasheelan with the Lough Gill stage starting in the county and most of the Arigna stage also being run in Leitrim.
• Tyrone/Omagh District:  Sloughan Glen and Ballinmallard will run on Saturday and will be run twice.
• Tyrone/Dungannon District: Murley and Fardross run on Friday, for the first time in the dark, providing a unique spectacle for both the drivers and fans
• Fermanagh: Tempo and part of the Ballinmallard stage run on Saturday, in addition to the ceremonial start on Thursday.
• Donegal: On Sunday morning the popular Donegal Bay stage will be run in the opposite direction to the 2007 event with a new street stage in Donegal town starting at lunch time on Sunday February 1. This stage will be broadcast live on TV around the world
• Sligo: Rally HQ, Service Park, Shakedown stage and Official Finish

“We are pleased with our new route which provides a real challenge to the drivers, good spectating options for the fans and spectacular images for TV viewers around the world,” explained Clerk of the Course, Gordon Noble.

The January event, which has replaced the traditional Monte Carlo Rally in the 2009 World Rally Championship, is seen as a major endorsement by the sport of Rally Ireland following its debut in the World Championship last November. This event attracted 250,000 spectators, €48 million in economic benefit and was seen in more than 180 countries by 62.8 million TV viewers and was given international acclaim for the level of organisation by the 4000 volunteers involved.

Rally Ireland is run by Motorsport Ireland in conjunction the Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs (ANICC) with sponsorship from Failte Ireland and the Department of Culture Arts and Leasure (DCAL). In all twelve rounds will feature in the 2009 World Champions which attracts a TV audience of more than 800 million viewers. 

Click here to Downlaod the 44 page Rally Guide Book!

Eight Counties to host World Rally Championship in 2009
Rally Ireland today announced the footprint of their World Rally Championship (WRC) event which takes place at the end of January 2009.  Following their success in November 2007, the event has been given the privilege to launch the WRC season, replacing the famous Monte Carlo rally.
While next year’s event will again visit a total of eight counties, including Leitrim, Donegal, Sligo, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Roscommon, Cavan and Antrim, organisers have sought to bring the rally to locations that the event has not visited before.
The Rally Ireland organising committee, who have been working since the start of the year, will present the finalised route to the world sport governing body, the FIA,  for approval at the end of June.

Rally Ireland appoint new Event Secretary

Rally Ireland has announced the appointment of the Event Secretary for next January’s event.  Dave Popham will undertake the role from July 1st.
Dublin-based Popham has extensive experience in Irish motorsport and has been a member of the Aer Lingus Motor Club (ALMC) for almost 30 years. In that time, he has undertaken both administrative and sporting roles. 
The former banker will assist Clerk of the Course, Gordon Noble, throughout the year in preparation for next January’s event.  This will include communications with more than 3000 volunteers who will give up their time for Rally Ireland 2009.
Speaking about the appointment, Noble was full of praise for Popham: “I am delighted to see Dave undertake the role of Event Secretary.  He has vast rallying experience and I believe he will be an excellent addition to Rally Ireland team.”
The next Rally Ireland takes place from January 29th – February 1st 2009.  This unique cross-border event, sponsored by Fáilte Ireland and Sport NI, will travel through eight counties. 
In 2007, Rally Ireland attracted more than 250,000 spectators, generated more than €48 / stg£38 million for the economy and was broadcast in more than 180 countries worldwide.