HIRVONEN CASHES IN THE IRC MONTE CARLO RALLY TITLE
2010-01-25 17:14:27 Author: admin Source:
Mikko Hirvonen secured victory on his debut at the Super2000 IRC Monte-Carlo Rally at Monaco last week. At the post-rally conference, Hirvonen said that he won't be missing current World Rally Cars if this 2 litre non-turbocharged engine decision stays in season 2011 World Rally Championship (WRC) series.
Current S2000 regulations allows the engine to be 2 litres and non-turbocharged. There are speculations that in season 2011 World Rally Championship series that the engine is 1.6 litres and turbocharged.
Peugeot Sport's Sébastien Ogier found out the hard way at the Monte-Carlo event, claiming just one stage win in the many stages at Monte. The Frenchman ended up as the driver with the highest number of fastest times (seven) to his name this time round, yet he was deprived of a second consecutive success as a result of two separate incidents that weren't of his making.
The first setback dropped the Frenchman to eight position overall, but it also marked the beginning of an exciting comeback: by the time competitors lined up for the last loop of two stages on Friday, the 207 S2000 driver had fought his way back up to second spot after recovering some two-thirds of the initial deficit lost to the early pace-setter, Hirvonen.
The second was due to a mechanical failure when a warning indicated that his alternator was no longer charging, a problem later traced to a failure of the shaft of the pulley that keeps the belt taut. It was the first time in the 207 S2000's three-year career that such a defect had been encountered and, despite the fact that it was only a minor problem, it was sufficient to bring Ogier's run to a halt.
In the end, the best-placed 207 S2000 at the finish was that of Stéphane Sarrazin (above) who completed the distance in fourth place after he, too, had suffered his fair share of troubles.
The IRC calendar continues in March with two rounds in South America, in Brazil and Argentina. Peugeot Sport's top three IRC drivers include current IRC champ Kris Meeke, Sarrazin and Ogier. Meeke's run at Monte also came to a premature halt after an off during the course of the Rallye.
Although their results on the opening encounter of this year's IRC opening round failed to match their expectations, the Peugeot drivers remain upbeat about their chances and about the competitiveness of their car in upcoming events.
The second round of the 2010 IRC is Brazil's Rallye de Curitiba which takes place on 2 - 4 March.
