Fuchs claims Production Car Cup
Peruvian Nicolas Fuchs is the provisional winner of the FIA WRC 2 Production Car Cup - without turning a wheel at Rally Finland!
Fuchs has claimed five wins and a second place to build a commanding 73 point lead over Mexico’s Ricardo Trivino.
The publication of the entry list for Rallye Deutschland confirms no new drivers have registered for the series. And with a driver’s top six scores counting towards the final points, none of his rivals who have competed so far can overhaul Fuchs.
“This is a goal I always wanted since I started competing and I’ve been through a lot to achieve this,” said 30-year-old Fuchs. “I’m excited and I have no words to describe how I feel. I thank all the people who have supported me.”
Fuchs, co-driven by Fernando Mussano, finished second in the class in Sweden and followed up with consecutive wins in Mexico, Portugal, Argentina, Greece and Italy.
He drove a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX with Peru’s FRT Rally team in Mexico and Argentina, and a Lancer Evo X with Spanish team RMC in Europe.
Fuchs made his rally debut in 2005 and won five national titles in Peru between 2007 and 2011, as well as finishing fifth in the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship (P-WRC) in 2011.
His 2013 success is subject to confirmation by the FIA.
click:
wrc.com/news/18801
-----------------------------
SS1: Ogier seizes early lead
Championship leader Sebastien Ogier was fastest out of the blocks to win the opening stage of Rally Finland. The Frenchman was quickest by 1.2sec in a Volkswagen Polo R from team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, with last night’s qualifying stage winner Mikko Hirvonen in third.
The short spectator stage is far removed from the traditional fast and flowing Finnish stages and Ogier admitted it was tricky.
“It wasn’t so easy, short and slippery,” he said. “Nobody is taking too many risks. In the next one we will have to be in the rhythm. Everyone knows that if you want to win Rally Finland you have to be in the rhythm from the beginning.”
Latvala received a wake-up call at the first corner on asphalt. “I was going too fast into the corner and ran a bit wild and wide,” said the Finn.
Hirvonen was just two-tenths of a second behind his fellow countryman. He admitted to a steady opening in his Citroen DS3 but added: “Now we’re going to go for it. Every stage is important but now we really have to fight back.”
Mads Ostberg was fourth in a Ford Fiesta RS, with ‘Russian Rocket’ Evgeny Novikov and Thierry Neuville rounding out the top six, which were covered by just 2.2sec.
Juho Hanninen arrived at the finish with the front of his Fiesta RS full of dirt. “I went somewhere that wasn’t in my plan!” the Finn told WRC Live. “At a downhill section over a crest and jump I went off the road and I was lucky my rally didn’t finish there. Luckily there were no rocks underneath.”
click:
wrc.com/news/finland ss1
------------------------------
SS2: Latvala hits trouble
Jari-Matti Latvala’s chances of a home win in Finland this weekend took a big knock on SS2 when he broke his car’s suspension.
The Finn began the stage in second place, just 1.2sec off the lead, but he lost 39 seconds after swiping a roadside rock and damaging the left-hand rear of his Volkwagen Polo R.
“It happened just before the road widened, on a right hand corner over a crest,“ Latvala explained when he arrived at the stop control. “The car lifted and went wide and we hit a stone on the outside which broke the rear suspension.”
With another four stages to run before the next team service opportunity in Jyvaskyla, the Finn risks dropping further back unless he can get the car running properly. Asked if he could repair the damage, Latvala said: “I don’t know what we have in the car to fix it. We have to see. We’ll go now and try.”
Meanwhile Thierry Neuville became the new joint rally leader after a terrific stage win at the wheel of his Ford Fiesta RS. “The road was very slippery but it went okay,” said the Belgian. “Sometimes my pace notes were too slow and at others they were too fast, so I had to adapt my driving a bit, but otherwise it was a nice one.”
Jyvaskyla resident Mikko Hirvonen shares the top spot with Neuville after surviving a scary moment in his Citroen DS3 to go third fastest. “It was really, really slippery and we hit a rock in one corner - it can happen easily on these new stages, ” he said. “My notes were also not great, but we made it okay, so I’m happy with that.”
Second quickest on the stage was Ford Fiesta RS pilot Mads Ostberg. The Norwegian holds third overall but wasn’t totally happy with his driving, feeling he had pushed too hard in some sections.
Early leader Sebastien Ogier could only manage fifth-fastest, the Frenchman 3.1seconds slower than Neuville. “I heard about Jari-Matti before I started, so I took it a bit easy and then I lost my rhythm,” he said.
click:
wrc.com/news/finland ss2
------------------------------
SS3: Neuville and Ogier all square
The battle for the lead remained as tight as in the previous stage – the difference being that now it is Thierry Neuville (pictured) and Sebastien Ogier who are tied at the top.
Ogier was fastest by 0.9sec in his Volkswagen Polo R, and that was enough to move him level with the Belgian, who was second quickest in his Fiesta RS.
The Frenchman said he was not surprised at Neuville’s pace given his speed here last year and added: “We expected a close fight and it’s going to be a good one.”
Neuville was the epitome of coolness at the finish. “In some places I was maybe a bit careful but we have to check our pace notes. It’s a new system compared to last year. I could have been quicker, but already we’re driving very fast,” he warned.
A superb third fastest was Kris Meeke on his Citroen DS3 debut, just 1.7sec behind Ogier. “We have to be careful because we have no more spare tyres, so I was driving in the middle of the road all the time,” said the Ulsterman, who punctured in the previous stage.
Mikko Hirvonen, who was tied with Neuville after two tests, dropped 2.0sec to Ogier but was unperturbed at just 1.1sec off the lead in his DS3. “I’m not relaxed enough. It’s not as flowing as it should be, but the differences are really small, so it’s OK. We are in a good place,” said Hirvonen.
Fifth was Mads Ostberg’s Fiesta RS, the Norwegian admitting he couldn’t find a rhythm. “It’s a stage I know quite well but I struggled in a few sections. In a few places I lost too much time,” he explained.
So what of Jari-Matti Latvala? The Finn and co-driver Miikka Anttila worked furiously to repair their Volkswagen Polo R after breaking the rear left suspension in the previous stage when they hit a rock, dropping almost 40sec.
They started the test 28 minutes late, incurring a 4min 40sec penalty, and dropped three minutes in the stage itself. But Latvala’s commitment to get the car to the end of the day could not be doubted.
“I will really, really try but it’s going to be tough. The suspension was badly damaged but I’m happy how well our repairs have taken, so I hope to keep going,” he said.
click:
wrc.com/news/finland ss3
....