THE CHALLENGE
With six winners from the opening seven rounds, the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge season is already proving to be an epic. Less than a month after a thrilling climax to Sata Rallye Acores, when the lead changed hands three times on the final two stages, the IRC continues with Rali Vinho Madeira next week (5-7 August).
While the battle in the Azores was fought out on largely gravel stages, Madeira is an all-asphalt affair and is set to throw up another dazzling contest between some of Europe’s top rally drivers. Last season, the top two finishers were separated by 3.5 seconds.
Following a short special stage along the seafront in Funchal on Thursday evening, crews will tackle six repeated stages on Friday with four more repeated stages on the schedule for Saturday prior to the finish in Madeira’s capital at 17:12hrs local time.
With a total of 21 special stages over a distance of almost 300 kilometres, the event is a mini test of endurance for both car and crew. With a 22.01-kilometre stage bringing the action to a close on Saturday afternoon, predicting a winner will be virtually impossible.
The stages are narrow, tight and twisty in their nature and parallels can be drawn with the roads used on Rally Islas Canarias, venue of round four of the IRC in late April. With so many acute turns writing an effective set of pacenotes is a fine art, which means that Madeira is a rally where experience is rewarded.
Unlike on other asphalt events, drivers cannot lower their stage times by taking ‘cuts’ through corners due to the fact the bulk of the roads are lined with brick walls and rock faces. It means road position will be less crucial than on some other rallies as the stage surface will be kept clear of gravel and other debris.
Madeira is also mountainous, which means the stages are undulating and adds to the challenge facing the drivers. Good corner exit speed is essential for attacking the climbs, while braking precision is essential on the descents. With high ambient temperatures expected, coupled with the gruelling competitive distance, braking performance and wear, not to mention the mechanical strain placed on cars, will be in the spotlight.
As with all islands, Madeira is susceptible to changeable weather conditions, which can have a huge influence on tyre choice, particularly if drivers opt for a dry weather slick tyre only to be met with rain on the stage.
Rali Vinho Madeira, which runs for a 51st time this season, has hosted the IRC for the last three years. The event is also a counting round of the European and Portuguese championships.
The event marks the second time the Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy will be presented. The award is handed to the most spectacular driver who best embodies the spirit of the rallying legend on rounds of the IRC this season. Its recipient is chosen by a panel consisting of IRC’s Motorsport Development Manager Jean-Pierre Nicolas, Gilbert Roy, the Director of Editorial and Programme Development at Eurosport Events, and Jim McRae, Colin’s father.
THE COMPETITORS
Skoda Motorsport’s factory drivers Juho Hanninen and Jan Kopecky might head the title race but they will both be anxious to make up for recent disappointments when they contest Rali Vinho Madeira or the first time.
Hanninen, who heads Kopecky in the standings by nine points, crashed on round six in Belgium and lost victory in the Azores when he was forced to stop and change a punctured tyre on the penultimate stage of the event.
Kopecky was four kilometres from winning in the Azores but a mistake caused him to crash into retirement. He will be able to take heart from his victory on Rally Islas Canarias, which featured twisty and narrow stages, similar to those found in Madeira. However, the Skoda drivers’ lack of knowledge of the island’s roads could hit their chances of outright success.
Portugal’s Bruno Magalhaes will carry the hopes of a nation in Madeira and has a spring in his step following his maiden IRC win in the Azores. After narrowly losing out on victory to Giandomenico Basso in Madeira last season, the 30-year-old from Lisbon will be determined to climb onto the top step of the podium next weekend on the rally he describes as his favourite.
The event takes on added significance for the Peugeot Sport Portugal pilot: unless he can find more funds, Madeira could be his last outing of 2010, thereby dashing his outside title hopes.
Defending IRC champion Kris Meeke rekindled his chances of the drivers’ crown with second place in the Azores and can count on previous Madeira experience. Although he admitted he struggled to secure the fifth place he achieved on his Madeira debut in 2009, he starts the event on the back of a successful test in Italy, where his engineers were able to rectify the suspension set-up problem that resulted in a broken wheel rim and the loss of first place in the Canary Islands.
Freddy Loix made a winning return to the IRC in Ypres in June and will be more than capable of running at the front in Madeira, owing to his knowledge of the island’s roads and his penchant for asphalt rallying. Although he switches from the factory Skoda operation to the works-blessed Rene Georges Rally Sport outfit, he will still have Skoda’s Fabia S2000 Facelift at his disposal, which he took to a debut victory in Belgium.
While Giandomenico Basso, a three-time Madeira winner, failed in his efforts to secure a budget to return to the event in an Abarth Grande Punto, team-mate Luca Rossetti will be in action in one of the Turin machines, which is being run by the Italian Procar operation. Rossetti is the leader of the European championship and will be mindful of the threat posed by Jan Kopecky, who is also eligible for the regional series.
Leading female driver Burcu Cetinkaya is back in action in Madeira after she was forced to miss the trip to the Azores due to damage sustained to her Peugeot Sport Turkey 207 in a huge crash in Ypres. Daniel Oliveira, another absentee in the Azores, also returns following his off in Ypres.
Bernardo Sousa, the leader of the Portuguese championship, lost out on a top-six finish in Azores after damaging his Ford Fiesta S2000’s suspension in the closing stages of the event. Born in Funchal, Sousa will be hoping to make the most of his home advantage as he searches for maximum domestic championship points.
Other local drivers capable of providing a stern test to the IRC regulars are former event winners Miguel Campos and Vitor Sa, Italians Corrado Fontana and Marco Tempestini and Portuguese drivers Vitor Pascoal and Miguel Nunes. Ricardo Moura and Pedro Meireles are the leading Ralliart and Subaru drivers respectively on the 46-car entry.
The IRC 2WD Cup is expected to be fought out between Peugeot 206 runners Luis Serrado and Duarte Ramos, while Carlos Oliveira could also figure in an Abarth Punto Super 1600.
THE EXPECTATIONS
Juho Hanninen (Finland), Skoda Fabia S2000: “I have been improving on Tarmac, no question, but I am told there are lots and lots of blind corners in Madeira and that it is also hard to find the rhythm and to make a good set of pacenotes. It won’t be easy, I will try, but I think a podium will be difficult. If I drive really well then I think fifth or sixth will be possible.”
Bruno Magalhaes (Portugal), Peugeot 207 S2000: “I was very happy to win in the Azores but Madeira is the one rally in Portugal I have yet to win. Even though it is a very technical rally and hard for the car and the driver it is my favourite. I came very close to winning last year but I now know I have to go flat from the first stage.”
Bernardo Sousa (Portugal), M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000: “Being from Madeira I know the roads quite well. But I am not 100 per cent confident on Tarmac because it is four months since I last drove on Tarmac and I don’t really have so much experience on it so it will be hard to get into the correct rhythm straight away.”