Cyprus - IRC news before SS2

The heat is on for Aigner in IRC Production Cup battle

Andreas Aigner has revealed the heat is on in more ways than one on the Cyprus Rally, the final round of the all-action Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Aigner is in contention for the IRC Production Cup in his Stohl Racing Subaru Impreza R4 STI but needs a strong haul of points to overhaul current leader Robert Consani, who isn’t eligible for the series in Cyprus following his change of car.

Prior to heading to Cyprus, Aigner drove a course car on Rallye Waldviertel in his native Austria where the ambient temperatures were considerably cooler than the hot and sunny conditions being enjoyed in Cyprus right now.

“It was Tarmac and gravel but for sure it was a little bit different than here, in fact 30 degrees different as it was down to zero degrees,” said Aigner. “The heat will be no big problem for us the crew but much harder for the car especially on the long stage on Saturday and the last stage on Sunday, which is downhill on Tarmac and will be very hard for the brakes and the tyres.”

Of his approach in Cyprus, Aigner said adopting a degree of caution would be key as he looks to fend off the challenge of Vitaliy Pushkar and Marco Tempestini, who can also win the showroom title.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to push from the beginning,” said Aigner. “I have to be in front of Pushkar and Tempestini and everything else is the second goal. It will be hard to keep the car in one piece on the stages. You can have bad luck like a puncture or bend a steering arm. It will take a lot of luck to go to the finish without any problems.”

The ambient temperature is expected to top 26 degrees centigrade in Cyprus today.

IRC returnee Al-Attiyah braced for tough Cyprus Rally

Nasser Al-Attiyah says he’s braced for a tough two days of competition on the Cyprus Rally, which resumes this morning following Friday night’s Super Special Stage through the streets of Pafos.

Al-Attiyah, from Qatar, is third overall, 5.7s adrift of event leader and defending Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Andreas Mikkelsen, who was the only driver to use scrubbed ‘slick’ tyres for the all-Tarmac test last night.

“We did last Monday a good test and we find a good performance and good pace on the second time I drove this car, which we need to drive in a different way,” said the Autotek Motorsport ace. “We are really ready for this race, it’s part of the Middle East championship so for me it’s very important to score maximum points in this race and go to the last race in Dubai with maximum points possible. Okay we are here to win and everybody wants to win this race. It’s a really nice race and nice to drive here but it’s not easy. There are a lot of loose rocks but we try to do our best to find a good pace from the beginning. We must also be clever to finish the race because it’s very important for the Middle East championship.”

Al-Attiyah won the Cyprus Rally in 2010 when it was included on the IRC schedule for the first time.

Q&A: Harry Hunt

Former IRC 2WD Cup champion Harry Hunt is second in class after stage one of the 13th and final round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, the mixed-surface Cyprus Rally. He spoke about his hopes of a second title.

How tough is the Cyprus Rally?

“Cyprus is one of the biggest challenges of the year due to the mixed road surfaces and the constant changes of grip. The majority of the stages are set on gravel but there’s still about 30 per cent of the roads that are run on asphalt so we’ll need to find a set-up on our car where we’re able to push comfortably on both surfaces.”

You start the event trailing Robert Consani in the race for the IRC 2WD Cup title. Feeling confident?

“We’re only 11 points behind the lead and there is still everything still to play for. It could go either way but I’m definitely not going to give up without a fight and at least I don’t have to think too much about strategy: with double points on offer I’ve just got to go for it.”

Cyprus has been kind to you in the past, right?

“I have fond memories of Cyprus: this is where we clinched the 2WD title on my debut year in the IRC so fingers crossed that history will repeat itself!”

If you miss out on the IRC 2WD Cup title will you look back on your decision to switch classes on Rallye Sanremo as a mistake?

“Competing in Sanremo in the Peugeot 207 S2000 meant I was unable to score points in the 2WD Cup which was always a gamble with so few points separating myself and my key rival Robert. Robert is very strong on asphalt but with the majority of the stages being held on gravel in Cyprus, I’m hoping things will go well for us.”

Nikara flies for Subaru on Cyprus IRC finale

Jarkko Nikara began his bid for IRC Production Cup glory on the Cyprus Rally in style by going second fastest outright on Friday night’s Pafos Super Special Stage.

Driving a Subaru Impreza R4 STI for Tommi Mäkinen Racing, rising Finn Nikara completed the 3.20-kilometre street stage 4.4s slower than overall leader and defending IRC champion Andreas Mikkelsen.

“I’m going to be fighting to win the IRC Production Cup,” said Nikara. “Our plan is to keep the pace I had on the last rounds but the aim is to get to the finish and get as much experience as possible.”

Nikara heads team-mate Toshi Arai in the IRC Production Cup division by 1.2s after the first stage. Title favourite Andreas Aigner is fourth, one place behind top Cypriot Paraskevas Paraskeva.

Wait is worth it for defending IRC champion Mikkelsen

The wait was certainly worth it for Andreas Mikkelsen when the Intercontinental Rally Challenge finale got underway in Cyprus tonight.

Mikkelsen, who holds an unassailable advantage in the race for the 2012 IRC title, starts the first full day of competition on the Mediterranean island on Saturday with an overall lead of 4.4s after he went fastest on the Pafos Super Special Stage tonight, his 51st stage best of the 2012 IRC season.

But prior to arriving in Cyprus, Mikkelsen was stranded at Moscow airport for 17 hours after he missed his connecting flight from Oslo in his native Norway.

“It’s great to be back in Cyprus – especially after the trouble we had getting here,” said Mikkelsen, ŠKODA UK Motorsport’s defending IRC champion. “It wasn’t really my fault I missed the connection in Moscow airport. The information said the plane was still boarding even after it had taken off – so how was I supposed to know?!”

Manoli on a Cyprus IRC charge for Honda

Honda returns to IRC 2WD Cup action in Cyprus this week with Zacharias Manoli carrying the firm’s hopes in his Civic Type R.

Manoli, the runner-up in the Cypriot championship two-wheel-drive division last season, is fifth in class after Friday night’s Super Special Stage through the streets of Pafos.

But it’s on the mixed surface stages on Saturday and Sunday when Manoli expects the real action to get underway.

“The mix of gravel and asphalt always makes you drive differently and forces you to find a compromise between handling, grip and the right pace,"said Zacharias, who is 18.7s behind Renault’s IRC 2WD Cup leader Robert Consani.

Ace Consani delivers on promise in Cyprus

Robert Consani delivered on his promise to go “flat out” on the opening stage of the Cyprus Rally tonight when he set the pace in the IRC 2WD Cup.

The French ace held an 11-point lead over former IRC 2WD Cup champion Harry Hunt starting the mixed-surface event in Pafos.

Following the 3.2-kilometre test through the streets of the rally’s host town, Consani heads his British title rival by 12.2s at the overnight halt.

Although Consani has vowed to adopt a degree of caution on Saturday and Sunday’s stages, the Renault Clio R3 driver insisted a full attack was essential for the all-asphalt opening test.

“For the street stages I will be flat out,” said Consani before the start. “In fact, before coming here the target was to drive flat out from the start and have a big fight with Harry. But after the recce the mind changed totally because you really have to drive through and see what’s going on with the car and try to avoid having a puncture.

“But my Renault is an extremely good car, it is a different generation to Harry’s car. Hopefully though, this means that it will be very reliable: I know that Harry has had some problems in the past. But I hope that this doesn’t happen to him; I would just like to see a great fight to the finish and I am sure that is what Harry wants too.”