Μετά από 13 χρόνια παρουσίας, ο Mikko Hirvonen κρεμάει τα γάντια του.
Δεν τον εκτίμησα ποτέ ιδιαιτέρως , μιας και δεν ειχε στόφα Πρωταθλητή, αλλά λόγω ομάδας τον στηρίξαμε.
Φάνηκε άλλωστε και τις 2 φορές που κλήθηκε να παίξει το ρόλο του Νο1 οδηγού.
'Ισως ο καλύτερος ''Νο 2'' των τελευταίων ετών, έφερνε συνέχεια βαθμούς τόσο στη Ford όσο και στη Citroen.
Είχε και αυτός την ατυχία να πέσει πάνω στο απόλυτο μηχάνημα οδήγησης που λέγεται Sebastian Loeb.

Thanks for the memories!!

M-SPORT CONFIRM EVANS AND TÄNAK

M-Sport is pleased to confirm that Ott Tänak will partner Elfyn Evans next year as the team field one of the FIA World Rally Championship's (WRC) most exciting young teams.

As two of the WRC's most gifted youngsters, M-Sport is motivated by the pairing's potential and look forward to nurturing their talent as they make their mark behind the wheel of the Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Following what has been one of the championship's most impressively controlled debuts in a top-specification world rally car, Evans' continuation with the team has long been known.

The Welshman, who is partnered by fellow Brit Daniel Barritt, secured two career-best fourth place finishes in Mexico and Germany and took his first stage win – the Power Stage no less – on the asphalt roads of Rallye Deutschland.

With a full year of experience under his belt, Evans will be looking to improve his skills further and the team are encouraged by the prospect of additional progress – the 25-year-old aiming to increase his speed and performance on each of the 13 events.

Following Mikko Hirvonen's retirement, Tänak was the obvious replacement and a clear favourite amongst the media and fans alike.

The Estonian is blisteringly quick and has already built strong relationships with the team. Returning to the world stage with a Fiesta RS WRC in Sweden and Portugal earlier this year, he and co-driver Raigo Mõlder instantly impressed.

After more than a year's absence from the championship, Tänak proved that he had lost none of his pizzazz – setting fastest times and running as high as second overall at Rally de Portugal. Having combined his speed with a renewed sense of maturity, the 27-year-old will be one to watch as the 2015 season unfolds.

Development on an upgraded version of the Fiesta RS WRC began in earnest in the midst of 2014 and the test team will embark on a comprehensive test schedule before the end of the year. A series of evolutions will be launched throughout the course of the 2015 season.

LOEB RETURNS FOR RALLYE MONTE CARLO 2015

FOURTEEN MONTHS AFTER HE RETIRED FROM THE WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP, SEBASTIEN LOEB IS SET TO MAKE A SENSATIONAL COMEBACK DRIVING A DS3 WORLD RALLY CAR AT RALLYE MONTE CARLO (22-25 JANUARY) - THE OPENING ROUND OF THE 2015 SEASON.
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The Frenchman, 40, will be reunited with co-driver Daniel Elena, with whom he has won Rallye Monte Carlo seven times before, most recently in 2013.

The pair will join Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle as the two points-nominated crews for Citroen, which from next year will compete under the DS banner.

“I have to say I didn’t hesitate for a second when I was offered the chance to compete,” said Loeb, who drove a Citroën C-Elysée to third place in this year’s World Touring Car Championship.

“I think Daniel and I would agree that Monte-Carlo is one of our favourite events. The beautiful roads, the fact of having to gamble when it comes to tyre choice and the party atmosphere that you get on the stages: we can’t wait to experience it all again!

Loeb won his most recent Monte Carlo outing in 2013
“And of course, it’s an honour to support DS in this new chapter of its history. With the DS 3 WRC – “the little racer” as I nicknamed it when it was first released – I have a lot of good memories; I hope that the 2015 Monte-Carlo will provide yet another. Obviously, it’s going to be a personal challenge for me, as I haven’t competed in a rally for over a year.”

Loeb’s preparations will begin this weekend when he will tackle the French Rallye du Var, with wife Severine calling notes. “That will give me the chance to reacquaint myself with the car,” he said. “We have also managed to find a few slots in my schedule so I can take part in testing. I’m absolutely delighted about this opportunity to meet up with the big rallying family during the FIA WTCC off-season!”

Loeb is by far the WRC’s most successful competitor, and when he bowed out in 2013, he did so with nine consecutive drivers’ titles to his name and 78 wins.

Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal said: “The teams are buzzing with pride at the idea of supporting a new brand in racing. And when I told them today that Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena would be driving a DS 3 WRC at Rallye Monte-Carlo, the news was greeted with great enthusiasm! With seven wins here, Seb and Daniel are undeniably the event’s greatest specialists, and I’m sure that they will be extremely competitive.”

H Mercedes φλερτάρει με το WRC



Και όμως, η Μercedes σκέφτεται να εμπλακεί μέσω της θυγατρικής AMG στο Παγκόσμιο Πρωτάθλημα Ράλι WRC με αυτοκίνητα, που θα έχουν ως βάση την A-class.

Θα ακολουθήσει μετά τη Formula 1 και το Παγκόσμιο Πρωτάθλημα Ράλι; Φαίνεται, ότι η Mercedes εξετάζει την εμπλοκή της στο WRC μέσω της θυγατρικής της AMG, στην οποία έχει αναθέσει και την σύνταξη μίας μελέτης σκοπιμότητας.

Οι προϋποθέσεις είναι αυτή τη στιγμή καλές, αφού ο διευθυντής της αγωνιστικής ομάδας της Mercedes, Τότο Βολφ, έτρεχε και ο ίδιος στο παρελθόν στα ράλι. Επίσης ο Βολφ ήταν συνιδιοκτήτης και της αυστριακής ομάδας ράλι BRR, ενώ είναι γνωστό ότι η Mercedes εξελίσσει εδώ και αρκετό καιρό έναν παγκόσμιο κινητήρα με βάση τα μοτέρ της Formula 3. Αυτό γίνεται μεταξύ άλλων, επειδή στο μέλλον θα χρησιμοποιούνται στο Γερμανικό Πρωτάθλημα Τουρισμού DTM δίλιτροι, τετρακύλινδροι Turbo και όχι V6-Turbo, όπως προβλεπόταν αρχικά.

Ενας τέτοιος κινητήρας θα μπορούσε να συρρικνωθεί εύκολα στα 1,6 λίτρα και να χρησιμοποιηθεί στο WRC . Εφόσον προχωρήσουν αυτά τα σενάρια, τότε θα αποτελέσει βάση του Rallye Car της Mercedes η A-class.

Σε αυτές τις φήμες έρχεται να κολλήσει και η χορηγία της Mercedes στο επόμενο Ράλι Φινλανδίας (30.07-02.08.2015). Ο εισαγωγέας της Mercedes στη Φινλανδία θα θέσει στη διάθεση των διοργανωτών πάνω από πενήντα αυτοκίνητα, μεταξύ των οποίων και δύο CLA που έχουν υποστεί μετατροπές και θα χρησιμοποιηθούν ως πλοηγοί.

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MCRAE INSPIRES FIESTA LIVERY

M-SPORT HAS UNVEILED A STUNNING LIVERY FOR ITS FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP-CHALLENGING FORD FIESTAS WHICH IS INSPIRED BY FORMER CHAMPIONS COLIN MCRAE AND HANNU MIKKOLA.





Elfyn Evans and Ott Tänak will pilot Fiesta RS WRCs sporting a design that brings a modern look to famous colour schemes from over 25 years ago.

The livery is influenced by Mikkola’s famous Eaton Yale Escort RS1800, in which he won Britain’s Lombard RAC Rally in 1979, and the Sierra RS Cosworth which McRae drove in 1989.



(πατέρα δώστο σε μένα το εργαλέιο να δεις πως γίνονται οι μπάντες )

M-Sport, which will retain support from Castrol and Michelin, will display the car at the Autosport International show in Birmingham this weekend. The livery will be seen in competition for the first time at Rallye Monte-Carlo (22 - 25 January).

Team principal Malcolm Wilson said the design delivered a fresh and exciting look whilst celebrating Ford’s long-standing presence in WRC.

“Throughout history Ford cars have produced some of the most striking colour schemes which became firm favourites around the globe,” he said.

“It’s great to see some of these iconic liveries reflected in our 2015 car – a modern twist tailoring the design to our young and ambitious team.”