|
50th Rali Vinho Madeira: Basso wins by 3.5 seconds
5th for Kris in Madeira Rally
Live Times
Eurosport Coverage
Full Event Preview
5th for Kris in Madeira Rally
The first visit to Madeira was always going to be difficult for Peugeot UK's Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle, due to the specialist nature of the rally.
However, the dynamic duo can hold their heads up high after securing a hard fought fifth place and four championship points. Kris Meeke now leads the IRC Driver's Standings by five points.
After Day 1's difficult stages and the challenge of mastering the fast and flowing Madeira roads. Kris and Paul started Day 2 in sixth place 4.1 seconds ahead of title rival Freddy Loix, but only 4s behind Luca Rossetti, the factory Fiat driver. With only six points separating the two drivers, it was important to maximise the points score from this rally.
On the third stage of the morning Kris gained a place, as the pressure on Rosetti took its toll, and he suffered a high speed crash on SS16. Kris kept is team-mate and rival at bay, to secure a solid 5th place.
So after 3hr 9m 55.4 seconds of rallying, Giandomenico Basso in the Fiat, won this year's round of the IRC in Madeira. Kris and Paul were also winners as they demonstrated again that they are real title challengers with an intelligent and measured drive, on the very technical and specialist roads, on their very first visit to the Rally of Madeira. Click on the link below to see Kris and Paul share their experiences of Rally Madeira. To view, use this link:
Day 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLvaDMXkWu0
Day 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMJg27ApJL4 Overall Rally Result
1 Abarth Grande Punto S2000 Giandomenico Basso 3hr 9m 55.4s
2 Peugeot 207 S2000 Bruno Magalhães +3.5s
3 Peugeot 207 S2000 Alexandre Camacho +41.7s
4 Peugeot 207 S2000 Nicolas Vouilloz +49.4s
5 Peugeot 207 S2000 Kris Meeke +1m 21.9s
6 Peugeot 207 S2000 Freddy Loix +1m 28.4s
Finishing fifth means Kris extends his lead in the Driver's Standings. Drivers Standings
1 Kris Meeke Peugeot 207 S2000 34 pts
2 Jan Kopecky Skoda Fabia S2000 29 pts
3 Giandomenico Basso Abarth Grande Punto S2000 27 pts
Freddy Loix Peugeot 207 S2000 27 pts
4 Nicolas Vouilloz Peugeot 207 S2000 19 pts Peugeot also extended their lead in the Manufacturers standings. Manufacturers Standings
1 Peugeot 82 pts
2 Skoda 43 pts
3 Mitsubishi (Ralliart) 41 pts
4 Abarth 34 pts
5 Proton 5 pts
6 Honda 1 pt The next round is the Barum Czech Rally Zlin on the 21st to 23rd August. 50th Rali Vinho Madeira: Basso wins by 3.5 seconds
Giandomenico Basso shares third place in the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge title race with Freddy Loix, the result of a tense and exciting three days in Madeira.
The Abarth team leader's victory puts him just seven points behind championship leader Kris Meeke with four rounds remaining after a thrilling duel with local hero Bruno Magalhaes which ended with just 3.5s between them after 21 stages.
"It was fast, nervous and exciting," said a clearly delighted Basso. "The team has been working hard and the car was strong. This event is very special to me, and to make my third win here after losing on the last stage last year is fantastic."
Having won eight of the 12 special stages on Friday, Basso looked to have the event under control and with a replacement gearbox fitted after Friday night's worries he looked strong. Yet Magalhaes resolutely pushed the Italian on every stage, and after spinning on SS17, Basso came under increasing pressure as his lead was cut - but had enough in hand to claim the victory.
"It was a very close fight, and I am so pleased to do this here in Madeira," said Magalhaes. "It is an honour to compete with international drivers on this amazing rally, and I have loved every second."
Coming home third was the defending Portuguese national champion Alex Camacho, who was able to fend off reigning IRC champion Nicolas Vouilloz in another tense battle through the final stages.
"We started a little slow, though we were trying to go fast," said Vouilloz. "I'm not really happy about the weekend but the car was good today and we were able to drive to the maximum. Fourth place is not what we needed from this event but that was the best we could do."
In contrast Kris Meeke was delighted to come home in fifth place, putting four more points on the board. "This is a very, very special rally," he said.
"To come here for the first time and win would be impossible, the top four guys were incredible and to be just over a minute behind Giandomenico after three hours is amazing. The points you win on a bad weekend are the ones that count the most."
Less happy was Freddy Loix, who knows that with four rounds to go every point counts, and that the single point Meeke was able to keep from him in Madeira could prove invaluable.
"We hadn't made all our preparations before we came here so Day 1 was spent on the setup – and by the time we got that right everyone had gone!" he said. "We had to keep the pressure on Meeke but he did a great rally and that's another point to him."
Behind Loix came two more Portuguese Peugeots – Miguel Nunes and Corrado Fontana respectively. The all-new Proton Satria Neo of Guy Wilks finished the event in 10th place overall, the team electing to focus on developing the car once it became clear that a points scoring result was not achievable.
Skoda too failed to increase its score in Madeira, despite the presence of Maurin in a Skoda Italia-prepared Fabia S2000. His challenge was thwarted on the road section to SS13 when, having lost his brakes, Maurin was powerless to avoid an accident which forced major repairs to be made overnight and restarting under superrally regulations well outside the points.
In the 2WD Cup Manuel Villa scored his second win of the season for Abarth in his Punto S1600. The Spaniard was able to contain the threat from his biggest rival in the series, Denis Millet's turbochared Peugeot 207, to take a resounding win. www.KrisMeeke.com Live Times Here Eurosport TV Times Event Website IRC Website Current Standings
1. Kris Meeke (GB) 30 pt.
2. Jan Kopecky (CZ) 29 pt.
3. Freddy Loix (B) 24 pt.
4. Giandomenico Basso (I) 17 pt.
5. Nicolas Vouilloz (F) 14 pt. Madeira ready to go!
The stars of the IRC together with the cream of talent from Portugal and across Europe are ready for the start of the Rali Vinho de Madeira, Round 7 of the 2009 series - and the historic 50th running of this exceptional event.
In total 69 cars were passed through scrutineering early this morning, and followed through to a pre-event shakedown. The 3.3km blast ended with local hero Bruno Magalhaes topping the timesheet in his Peugeot 207 S2000, just 0.2s ahead of current championship leader Kris Meeke's similar car, with Giandomenico Basso - twice a winner in Madeira - third in his Abarth Grande Punto S2000.
Last year's winner Nicolas Vouilloz was fourth in his Peugeot, setting up what should be one of the most competitive events of the year.
The crowds are already gathering in readiness for the stages that begin this afternoon with a spactacular Superspecial on the streets of host city Funchal. Then through Friday and Saturday the action takes place on the hills and plateaux of the region
Featuring such famous stages as Chao da Lagoa, Paul and the breathtaking descent of Encumeada are among the highlights of the event structure, drawing thousands of fans in the balmy summer heat.
Meeke on a mission!
Peugeot UK´s Kris Meeke has said he fully expected Skoda to dominate the sixth round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in Russia earlier this month and insists he can’t afford to drop any more points as a result.
Despite not including the gravel event in his schedule, 30-year-old Meeke continues to lead the IRC drivers’ standings by a single point from Jan Kopecky, who finished second to his Skdoa team-mate Juho Hanninen on the Vyborg-based rally.
“We saw on the opening event of the season just how strong the Skoda was,” said Meeke. “We also saw on the Azores Rally how good the car was on gravel. Russia was also like a home rally for Hanninen and he showed the pace he could produce when he won in Russia last year.”
Peugeot UK driver Meeke said Skoda’s victory was a boost to the IRC, which has been dominated by the French manufacturer so far this season. “From my point of view I’m delighted they won it. They’ve put a lot of effort in so it’s good they’ve been rewarded. Trying to beat them on the next rally they do will also give me another challenge to aim at.”
With Skoda missing the next round of the IRC in Madeira, Meeke conceded that it was vital he took full advantage of the Czech firm’s absence. “Skoda winning just shows how close this championship is. There’s no way I can afford any more zero scores.” The next round of the IRC will be held on the island of Madeira from 30th July until 1st August. The Rali Vinho Madeira is round seven of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) and could be one of the most fiercely contested rounds.
With a one point lead in the IRC driver’s standings, Peugeot UK’s Kris Meeke will face stiff competition from a total of 21 other S2000 drivers, including current Portuguese Rally Champion Bruno Magalhaes. Both drivers will be in Peugeot 207 S2000 entered by their respective importers. The last time the two drivers competed together in the Azores, it was Kris who came out on top.
The rally starts on Thursday 30th July at 17:03 (local time) with the ceremonial start and then a 2.18 km super special stage in Funchal. The crews will then contest over the next two days a further twenty all asphalt stages with a total stage distance of 302.98 km, before the rally ends on Saturday 1st August.
The driver holding second place in the driver’s standings, Jan Kopecky will not be joining Kris in Madeira, neither will his Skoda team mate Juho Hanninen. The Skoda duo, however, will be back for the next round in Zlin, their home round
|
