Weekend rally news – January 15

Toyota Gazoo Racing has confirmed that the TMR designed 2017 World Rally Car itself has completed about 18,000km in testing.

Toyota's new Yaris WRC has completed 18,000km of testing.This is from last April till the start of Monte Carlo testing, without reference to earlier testing carried out by the Germany-based TMG team.  

This means around twice the testing distance of Citroen, and three times the distance for Hyundai and M-Sport.

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The Korean driver, Cheewon Lim, won a TV talent show back home and with it a 2-year programme based at the Hyundai Motorsport factory.  

He entered a few rallies last year in an Opel Adam R2 and this year has a programme of 14 events with R5, including events in the TER series.   

Between events he works in Alzenau, learning everything about rallying …

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The specialist car insurance company, Dayinsure, has confirmed they will continue their title sponsorship of the WRC Rally Wales for two more years.   

Network Q, the GM company that was for years a celebrated former title sponsor of the British WRC round, is continuing their support of British rallying by acting as partner for the MSA British Rally Championship, with supply of vehicles for officials.

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Adapta Motorsport team scored a one-two success on Sigdals Rally in Norway, won by Eyvind Brynildsen in front of Frank Tore Larsen.  

Fiesta R5 cars took five of the top six places, the interloper being Marius Aasen’s fourth placed Group N winning Subaru.  

Mads Ostberg (Fiesta R5) retired on stage 1 with a broken steering arm, and both Henning Solberg (Mitsbishi Lancer Evo 6.5, driveshaft) and his 19-year old son Oscar (Subaru Group N, suspension) also failed to finish.  

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15-year old Oliver Solberg.16-year old Finnish driver, Kalle Rovanpera, won the Rally Aluksne in Latvia, beating fellow Skoda Fabia R5 driver, 19-year old Nikolai Gryazin from Russia.  

Winner of the small two-wheel drive class in the Rallysprint division was 15-year old Oliver Solberg (Petter’s son) in a Peugeot 208 R2.

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Hyundai WRC driver, Thierry Neuville, is to drive on the Ypres Rally, the former ERC event and Belgium’s biggest rally, which this year counts for the TER series and also the MSA British Rally Championship.  

The Ypres Rally is promoted by Hyundai Motorsport’s team manager Alain Penasse.

The winners of the overall classification of the TER and of the TER2 Cup at the end of the season will be rewarded with a rally in a Hyundai New Generation i20 R5, with all their costs paid.
 
- Martin Holmes

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