DTM Nürburgring Preview

Back to Germany and its a DTM classic; the Nürburgring hosts Round 8 of the 2007 DTM series. This will be lucky #13 race for the new DTM at the Eifel track, and Mercedes leads all makes with 6 victories (4 for Audi and 2 for Opel). Mattias Ekström, the series point leader won here in 2005 and two of his rivals, Bernd Schneider (both races in 2000) and Bruno Spengler (2006) have also tasted victory. Another former winner will be on the grid, Mercedes driver Gary Paffett (2004). For a complete list of winners at the Nürburgring, click here.

The championship won't be decided this weekend, but the Mercedes boys could be eliminated by the Audis of Ekström and Martin Tomczyk. The 2004 champ, Ekström leads his younger team mate by 8 points following a 3rd place finish in Zandvoort. The young German was on top of the podium with a victory to vault into second place. If Ekström can extend his lead to 21 points over Bruno Spengler and Bernd Schneider, it will clinch the 3rd Driver's Championship for Audi.

However, Spengler, the defending race winner, could also get back in the mix with a win and a bad result for the Audis. Just 12 points back, the Canadian could pull real close with a maximum result. Defenind Champ Schneider is just a half point behind his teammate in fourth, so the Original Teile/DC Bank team is not giving up yet. However, the 4-time Champion needs to bounce back from back to back zeros if he wants any chance at title #5.

Alexandre Prémat and Timo Scheider were the feel good stories of Round 7, finishing 2nd and 4th respectively as Audi shut Mercedes out of the top 4 slots. Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline extended their lead in the Teams Chase to 16.5 points with the double podium finish. Click here for the full 2007 points standings.

Will Mercedes keep their championship hopes alive, or can Mattias Ekström strengthen his grip on a second DTM title? Keep up with all the action at www.dtm.de.

Rally New Zealand Historical Stats

The WRC visits the Southern Hemisphere for the second and final time of the season with this weekend's Rally New Zealand. The classic event has seen many top drivers compete and only the best have won. Defending world champion Sébastien Loeb is coming off a victory in Germany, coupled with a late mistake by Marcus Grönholm, dropping the Finn from 2nd to 4th in the rally. The gain for Loeb brought him within 8 of the lead and he looks to add his second Rally NZ title.

New Zealand has been included in the WRC Drivers Championship 26 times, dating back to the 1979 season. It was left out of the 1981 WRC calendar and rotated to 2-Litre status for 1996. The Rally has been known by 7 names:

Motogard Rally New Zealand (1979, 1980, 1982)
Sanyo Rally New Zealand (1983 & 1984)
AWA Clarion Rally New Zealand (1985-1988)
Rothmans Rally New Zealand (1989-1994)
Smokefree Rally New Zealand (1995-1997)
Rally New Zealand (1998-2000 & 2007)
Propecia Rally New Zealand (2001-2006)

Debut WRC wins in New Zealand:

Franz Wittmann (AUT) - 1987 in Lancia Delta HF 4WD
Sepp Haider (AUT) - 1988 in Opel Kadett GSI 16V
Colin McRae (GBR) - 1993 in Subaru Legacy RS

Notable WRC debuts in New Zealand:

Possum Bourne (NZ) - 1983 in Subaru RX Coupe (finished 14th)
Yoshio Fujimoto (JAP) - 1991 in Nissan Pulsar GTI-R (retired)
Rod Millen (NZ) - 1977 in Mazda RX 3 (finished 5th)
Fumio Nutahara (JAP) - 1999 in Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V (retired)
Malcolm Stewart (NZ) - 1977 in Ford Escort Mexico (retired)

For complete list of Winners and Historical Stats click here.

Did You Know?

Malcolm Stewart is back, having entered this year's Rally New Zealand in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6.5. The Kiwi driver has started 21 of the 26 WRC Drivers Championship events in New Zealand. The only times he missed was in 1987, a break from 1990 to 1992 and then last year's event. He has finshed 18 times, including 6 times in the points. The highlight of his WRC career was a third place finish on the 1998 Rally New Zealand, driving an Audi Coupe Quattro.

SWC Mosport Preview

The Speed World Challenge GT series turns to another classic road racing circuit, Mosport International Raceway. The Ontario track will host a championshiop round for the 10th time (click here for a list of SWC GT winners at Mosport).

23 cars are on the entry list including Canadian hero and 2 time Mosport winner Ron Fellows. He will be in the #16 Cadillac teaming with Andy Pilgrim (2nd in points) and Lawson Aschenbach (3rd). The team is leading the manufacturer's chase by 4 points over Chevrolet and Porsche and hopes the addition of Fellows will grow that margin.

Series points leader Randy Pobst brings an 18 point advantage over Pilgrim and 30 points over Aschenbach into the race. Pobst has been on the podium four straight times, including 2 wins to surge to the lead, but is still looking for his first win at the track. His teammate Michael Galati (4th in points) has two victories here, including a win last year driving a Volvo.

In addition to the K-PAX team, James Sofronas (11th in points) and John Bourassa will also be piloting Porsche 911's this weekend.

Chevrolet's charge will be lead by Eric Curran. It has been feast or famine for the 5th placed driver in the championship, with 3 wins (including last round at Mid-Ohio) and 3 DNF's. He will be joined by Lou Gigliotti (7th in points), Doug Peterson (8th), Tony Gaples and Brian Kubinski (coming off career best 7th @ Mid-Ohio). Curran has a large gap to the top four and needs a top finish to help himself as well as Chevy in the makes chase.

As usual, the most plentiful car on the entry list is the Dodge Viper, with 9 this weekend. Tommy Archer (6th in points) will carry the marque banner and try to bounce back from a disqualification last round. Other notable Dodge entries include Rob Foster and Jeff Courtney (9th & 10th in points), Michael McCann and local driver Nick Majors.

Click here for complete points standings through 7 rounds. Check out the action from Mosport at www.world-challenge.com.

IRC Barum Rally Zlín Preview

This weekend is the 6th round for the 2007 IRC, the Barum Rally Zlín. The Czech round sees another tarmac rally to follow up Rally Vino da Madeira. This is the first inclusion in the IRC for the Barum Rally, which has been part of the European Rally Championship for the past several years.

A total of 122 cars were on the preliminary entry list, including a record 70+ IRC competitors. Of that group there are 15 Super 2000 cars, split into two camps: Abarth and Peugeot.

The Abarth contingent of 9 is headed by the factory entries of IRC point leader Andrea Navarra and Rally Russia winner, Anton Alén (4th in Championship). Former ERC champion Renato Travaglia moves to the Abarth camp and will drive the #2 Grande Punto instead of his usual Mitsubishi Lancer. Former WRC works driver Freddy Loix of Belgium will be joined by Corrado Fontana, Michał Sołowow, Volkan Işik, Tomasz Czopik, and local driver Roman Odložilík in the other Abarth Super 2000 entries.

Peugeot will throw 6 cars at the Czech roads, lead by the Peugeot Sport España team of Enrique García-Ojeda (2nd in championship) and Nicolas Vouilloz (3rd). Joining them are Bernd Casier (7th), Jimmy Joge of Sweden, János Tóth of Hungary and Marco Caviogli (16th overall).

Several local stars will be out including Václav Pech, Karel Trojan, Václav Arazim and Miroslav Jandik all driving Mitsubishi Lancers. They will be joined by another former WRC works driver, Roman Kresta, also in a Lancer Evo IX. Mix in Simon Jean-Joseph in a Citroën C2 Super 1600 to head up the 2 wheel drive class and the Honda Civics of Daniel Solá and Luca Betti and you have a very deep and exciting field.

The points chase tightened in Portugal when García-Ojeda was on the podium for the 4th straight rally to pull within 1 point of the championship leader Navarra. Vouilloz remained in third, 13 points adrift. He has his own battle with Alén and Casier brewing.

On the manufacturer’s front, Abarth’s win pushed them back into first, but by the slimmest of margins. The Peugeot 207’s continued to be strong, putting 2 drivers on the podium to keep within 1 point in the title chase. Mitsubishi failed to score after due to the DQ of Travaglia, who appeared in line for a 2nd place finish. That setback caused the Japanese maker to fall to 31 points out of first. Citroën continues to be a one man team and a distant fourth. For the complete 2007 IRC point standings, click here.

With significant championshiop implications, you don’t want to miss any of the action Stay tuned to the Official IRC website or Barum Rally Zlín website for all the results weekend.

WRC Rallye Deutschland Historical Stats

Its time for Round 10 of the 2007 WRC and defending world champion Sébastien Loeb is looking to cut into his 13 point deficit to Marcus Grönholm. There would be no better place as Loeb has won all 5 of the previous editions of the OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland.

Germany has been included in the WRC Drivers Championship 5 times, dating back to the 2002 season and has been known by 2 names:

ADAC Rallye Deutschland (2002-2003)
OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland (2004-present)

Debut WRC wins in Germany:

Sébastien Loeb (FRA) – 2002 in Citroën Xsara WRC

Notable WRC debuts in Germany
Aaron Burkart (GER) – 2003 in Volkswagen Polo GTI (retired)
Jan Kopecky (CZE) – 2002 Toyota Corolla WRC (retired)
Stéphane Sarrazin (FRA) – 2004 in Subaru Impreza WRC 2003 (finished 9th)
Štĕpán Vojtĕch (CZE) – 2005 in Peugeot 206 WRC (finished 27th)

For complete list of Winners and Historical Stats click here.

Did You Know?

Of course we know Loeb is 5 for 5 in Germany, but you may not have noticed that his championship rival Grönholm has been on the podium in 4 of the 5 events, including 2nd place in 2003. The only time he was off the podium was in 2004 when he crashed out on the first corner of the rally. The Finn hopes to keep that record alive and defend his 13 point advantage in the chase for the World Championship.

WRC Finland Historical Stats

The second half of the 2007 WRC gets under way after a long summer break. Round 9 will be the Neste Oil Rally Finland. In the points, Mr. Finland (Marcus Grönholm) has a 9 point advantage in the championship and looks to add to it, as well as another Finnish victory.

Finland has been included in the WRC Drivers Championship 27 times, dating back to the inaugural 1979 season. The rally was rotated to 2-Litre Championship in 1995. Rally Finland has been known by four names:

1000 Lakes Rally (1979-1994)
Neste 1000 Lakes Rally (1996)
Neste Rally Finland (1997-2005)
Neste Oil Rally Finland (2006-present)

Debut WRC wins in Finland:

Timo Mäkinen (FIN) – 1973 in Ford Escort RS1600
Hannu Mikkola (FIN) – 1974 in Ford Escort RS1600
Tommi Mäkinen (FIN) – 1994 in Ford Escort RS Cosworth

Notable WRC debuts in Finland
Urmo Aava (EST) – 2002 in Ford Focus WRC (retired)
Pentti Airikkala (FIN) – 1973 in Opel Kadett Rallye (retired)
Markk Alén (FIN) – 1973 in Volvo 142 (finished 2nd)
Grégoire De Mévius (BEL) – 1988 in Mazda 323 4WD (finished 22nd)
Toni Gardemeister (FIN) – 1996 in Opel Astra GSI 16V (retired)
Marcus Grönholm (FIN) – 1989 in Lancia Delta Integrale (finished 23rd)
Pasi Hagström (FIN) – 1993 in Toyota Corolla GT (finished 26th)
Mikko Hirvonen (FIN) – 2002 in Renault Clio S1600 (finished 21st)
Juha Kankkunen (FIN) – 1979 in Ford Escort RS (finished 14th)
Kosti Katajamäki (FIN) – 2001 in Volkswagen Polo GTI (finished 53rd)
Tommi Mäkinen (FIN) – 1987 in Lancia Delta HF 4WD (retired)
Markko Märtin (EST) – 1997 in Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD (retired)
Jani Paasonen (FIN) – 1997 in Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III (finished 21st)
Juuso Pykälistö (FIN) – 1996 in Opel Astra GSI 16V (retired)
Harri Rovanperä (FIN) – 1993 in Opel Manta 2.0 E (retired)
Timo Salonen (FIN) – 1974 in Mazda 1300 (finished 22nd)
Rudi Stohl (AUT) – 1975 in Lada 1500 (finished 54th)
Henri Toivonen (FIN) – 1975 in Simca Rallye 2 (retired)
Janne Tuohino (FIN) – 1996 in Opel Astra GSI 16V (retired)
Ari Vatanen (FIN) – 1974 in Opel Ascona 19 (retired)

For complete list of Winners and Historical Stats click here.

History in the Making

With a win, Grönholm will have seven victories in Finland. That would be a new record for wins (in the WRC Driver’s Championship Era) on one rally. Currently Magic Marcus is tied with Didier Auriol who dominated France to the tune of 6 WRC wins.

Did You Know?

Finns rule Finland, everyone knows that, but did you know that 3 of the 4 times a non-Finn won here happened within a four year span? That’s right, the first foreigner to conquer Finland was Mikael Ericsson of Sweden in 1989. The next year Carlos Sainz was victorious and in 1992 it was Didier Auriol. No one could match it until Markko Märtin prevailed in 2003 following retirement from the rally by Grönholm.

IRC Rally Vino da Madeira Preview

The 2007 championship returns to a familiar venue, Rally Vino da Madeira. In the first season, the series visited the Portuguese island as the third round. There the Abarth of Giandomenico Basso was victorious, and the maximum points helped him to the IRC and European titles. The route is fairly similar, with many of the same tarmac stages from 2006.

In the points chase Andrea Navarra leads Enrique García Ojeda by 7 points and Nicolas Vouilloz by 13 points after Russia. The Peugeot boys were able to gain ground on Navarra in the drivers chase and pull Peugeot into a tie with Abarth in the manufacturer's chase.

The entry list consists of 80 crews, including 13 Super 2000 cars. Headlining the field will be Basso and Navarra in their Abarth Grande Punto S2000 machines. Private Puntos have also been entered by fast Freddy Loix (coming over from Volkswagen) and Corrado Fontana. Poland's Tomasz Czopik will make his first start in a Punto and be joined by Volkan Işik as well as local stars Vitor Sá and José Pedro Fontes.

Peugeot will put up a strong fight with 5 entries of its own. The Peugeot Sport España cars of García Ojeda and Nicolas Vouilloz want to continue to gain ground in both title chases. Local Bruno Magalhães wll also drive a 207 S2000, as well as Bernd Casier (4th in Belgium) and Marco Caviogli (5th in Russia).

Mitsubishi lies third in the manufacturer's standings and has 15 crews entered, including former ERC champion Renato Travaglia (11th in IRC points), current ERC points leader Dimitar Iliev, and a host of local drivers, including Fernando Peres, who finished 3rd here last year. 4th place Citroën is also very well represented with 19 cars. Another former ERC champ, Simon Jean-Joseph will lead the charge.

Other notables include the Honda Civics of Daniel Daniel Solá & Luca Betti, as well as Vitor Pascoal in a Subaru Impreza WRX.

This is the second inclusion in the IRC for Madeira. Check out the 2006 results or Rally Stats on my webpage.

Stay tuned to the Official IRC website or Rali Vino da Madeira website for all the action this weekend.