V nesre?i umrla legenda relija - Colin McRae

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WRC koledar 2012Monte Carlo bo spet gostil WRCV petek so pristojni tako rekoč potrdili skoraj vse dirke za prihodnjo sezono.
Besedilo: Predrag Bonifatoviæ
Največje presenečenje je brez dvoma Monte Carlo, ki se bo na spored kraljevskega razreda vrnil po štirih letih premora in kjer je zadnjo zmago zapisal Sebastien Loeb. Rally Monte Carlo, pa čeprav je zadnja leta potekal pod prvenstvom IRC, je letos beležil 100. obletnico. Datum za prihodnje leto še ni dokončno potrjen, delovna verzija predvideva vikend 21. in 22. januar. Švedski rally je tako iz otvoritvenega padel na drugo mesto v februar, dober mesec kasneje se bodo dirkači podili pod mehiškim soncem, zadnji marčevski vikend pa se preselijo na Portugalsko. V april so prestavili dirko po Argentini, kmalu zatem bo čas za Novo Zelandijo, ki se na koledar vrača po enoletnem premoru, medtem ko bodo rallyji na Finskem in v Nemčiji teden dni kasneje v primerjavi z letošnjimi termini. Španija bo dobila to čast, da bo gostila finale, Veliko Britanijo so premaknili na sredino septembra, dokončno pa je potrebno še potrditi datum italijanske preskušnje, ki naj bi bil v oktobru, in rallyja Akropolis.

Koledar:

22.1: Monte Carlo
12.2: Švedska
11.3: Mehika
1.4: Portugalska
29.4: Argentina
27.5 ali 3.6: Grčija
24.6: Nova Zelandija
5.8: Finska
26.8: Nemčija
16.9: Velika Britanija
7.10: Francija
Oktober: Italija
4.11: Španija

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Loeb užival za krmilom motocikla...

World rally champion Sebastien Loeb has made the switch from four wheels to two after sampling a KTM RC8 R in his native France last month.
The Citroen Total World Rally Team ace, on course for his eighth championship crown this season at the wheel of a Citroen DS3 WRC, rode the bike at the Bresse circuit.

"It's interesting to compare it with the previous RC8 which I tried in April 2009," Loeb told his personal website. "I really enjoyed myself. It's a bike that is easy to lean over, very agile, and very well suited to the technical nature of the circuit. The engine has evolved: not just the power but also the driveability of the new two-cylinder motor, which offers a bigger range and less vibration. You can tell that the engineers have been hard at work since the first RC8."

KTM's Jerome Delziani said: "I'm really pleased with the collaboration so far and the interest that Sebastien has had in our models since 2006. Now he's witnessing the latest development in our range with our newest superbike. At KTM, competition is part of our DNA and so Sebastien is a real role model and source of inspiration. He drives or rides with the same passion, no matter whether it's two or four wheels. He's a great champion and a real gentleman. We can see his class on two wheels as well and we're very proud to help him progress in motorbikes."

Loeb, who resumes his WRC bid on Neste Oil Rally Finland later this month, is not the only world championship ace with a penchant for motorbikes. MINI WRC Team driver Kris Meeke also has a keen interest in bikes and took a break from his testing programme with the Anglo-German squad to visit the Dutch MotoGP round at Assen.

"I am a big fan of MotoGP and like to follow the motorbikes," said the Northern Irishman. "When we can mix it up with our own job and come on a day off to see something like this it's spectacular."

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Letos zelo izenačena sezona


Prvih šest relijev letošnjega svetovnega prvenstva je navdušilo z izenačenostjo. V Jordaniji je Ogier Latvalo ugnal za 0,2 sekunde, kar je najmanjša razlika v zgodovini svetovnega prvenstva. Le na dveh relijih je imel zmagovalec več kot pol minute prednosti. Pred drugo polovico svetovnega prvenstva ima Sebastien Loeb 17 točk prednosti med vozniki, v seštevku proizvajalcev pa Citroën Fordu beži za 55 točk.


Latvala je letos dobil 30 hitrostnih preizkušenj, kar je le štiri manj od najboljšega Loeba.


Ford že eno leto čaka na makadamsko zmago


Dve glavni vprašanji med relijem po Finski sta naslednji: kdaj bo Ford spet zmagal na makadamskem reliju in v kakšno dimenzijo se bo razplamtel Citroënov notranji boj med obema Sebastienoma. Ford na makadamu ni zmagal že skoraj leto dni, Hirvonen pa je na makadamu zadnjič slavil v Avstraliji leta 2009. Toda ford fiesta WRC ni počasen dirkalnik. Latvala je letos dobil 30 hitrostnih preizkušenj, kar je le štiri manj od najboljšega Loeba. No, na Finskem bosta Hirvonen in Latvala zagotovo čutila pritisk. Zmaga je za ohranitev realnih možnosti za naslov svetovnega prvaka zdaj nujna.


Morda bo za Loeba, ki je v Grčiji vihraje zapustil moštveni sestanek sredi relija, od Fordove dvojice letos še nevarnejši odnos z Ogierjem in šefom ekipe Olivierjem Quesnelom.
Sta Ogier in Quesnel za Loeba nevarnejša od Fordove ekipe?


Še zanimivejši bo dvoboj Sebastiena Loeba in Ogierja. Sedemkratni svetovni prvak in njegov naslednik. Loeb ima precej več točk (22) od Ogierja, a od moštva na zadnjem reliju ni dobil popolne podpore. Še več, moštvo je favoriziralo zmago Ogierja. Morda bo za Loeba, ki je v Grčiji vihraje zapustil moštveni sestanek sredi relija, od Fordove dvojice letos še nevarnejši odnos z Ogierjem in šefom ekipe Olivierjem Quesnelom.

Na Finskem je Loeb že zmagal, skandinavska klasika pa bo bržkone letos celo eden odločilnih relijev svetovnega prvenstva. Loeb ne glede na razplet tega relija ostaja favorit sezone, saj bo letos lahko svojo prevlado dokazoval še na treh asfaltnih relijih. Tam mu v zadnjih letih nihče ni bil kos.

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Razočaranje nad RaikkonenomCitroenov šef Olivier Quesnel meni, da se mora Kimi Raikkonen še močno izboljšati, če želi na vrh svetovnega rallya.
Besedilo: Simon Omahen  Foto: WRC
Finec, ki vstopa v drugo sezono svetovnega rally prvenstva ni preveč navdušil Citroenovega vodstva. Predvsem ima nekaj pomislekov nad Kimijevo hitrostjo Quesnel: »Menim, da bi moral biti vsaj malo razočaran, saj bi lahko bil hitrejši. Morda bo nekoč zadovoljen sam s sabo, a ta dan še ni prišel, če sploh bo?«

Za razliko od Citroenovega šefa ekipe pa sam Raikkonen v sebi vidi napredek: »Menim, da sem se močno izboljšal. Seveda pa to ne pomeni, da se mi ni potrebno več izboljševati, saj nam še marsikdaj manjka hitrosti.« Kimi v drugi sezoni WRC-ja pozna nekaj prizorišč, zaradi česar bi moral kot sam pravi imeti lažje delo. Finec pa je prvič javno spregovoril o koncu sezone: »Kaj bom delal prihodnjo sezono še ne vem, če bom sploh kaj.«

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Se bo Loeb upokojil, ostal pri Citroënu ali odšel k Volkswagnu?

Sedemkratni svetovni prvak v reliju Sebastien Loeb naj bi se že ta konec tedna odločil glede nadaljevanja svoje kariere. Bo ostal pri Citroënu ali poiskal nove izzive?

Upokojitev, Citroën ali Volkswagen?

Sebastien Loeb bo konec tedna poskušal še devetič zaporedoma zmagati na nemškem reliju svetovnega prvenstva. Še težje pa pričakujemo njegovo odločitev o sezoni 2012, ki jo od njega zahteva ekipa Citroëna. Loeb se mora odločiti, ali bo prihodnje leto sploh še dirkal za francosko ekipo. Lahko Loeb bi se tudi upokojil, ali pa se pridružil ekipi Volkswagna in prihodnje leto razvijal pola R WRC.

Citroën pritiska na Loeba

Loebova odločitev seveda ni lahka. Pri francoski ekipi letos nima več prave podpore in prednost v skupnem seštevku je predvsem posledica njegovega talenta, manj pa sposobnosti vodstva Citroënovega moštva. Èe bi Loeb zdaj naznanil odhod, bi bil do konca sezone bržkone deležen še manj podpore. Loeb tudi ni več najmlajši, zato bi enoletni premor in le razvijanje Volkswagnovega dirkalnika zanj pomenila težak povratek v sezoni 2012. Bi lahko Loeb prihodnje leto (v primeru pogodbe z Volksagnovim koncernom) morda lahko na pomoč priskočil celo Audijevi ekipi na vztrajnostni dirki v Le Mansu?

Loeb pa je tudi dosegel že vse, kar je lahko. Večkrat je dejal, da bi se rad dirkaško upokojil na vrhuncu kariere. Letos se mu nasmiha že osmi naslov svetovnega prvaka. Je ta vrhunec zanj že prišel?
vir:siol

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Po nekaterih informacijah na netu je Loeb podpisal s Citroenom še za naslednji:BigThumbs: dve sezoni.

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The press releases
Citroën WRC

8.17.11 Sébastien Loeb continues his career with Citroën
 
Citroën and Sébastien Loeb have decided to continue their fantastic sporting adventure together and conquer new victories in the 2012 and 2013 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).

Seven-time world champion Sébastien Loeb, who has been with Citroën since 2001, has decided to continue his collaboration with the French make for another two seasons, and fight for more victories at the wheel of the DS3 WRC with his faithful co-driver, Daniel Elena.

Loeb is already bubbling with enthusiasm about this new challenge: "With the arrival of other manufacturers in the championship, the competition is going to get tougher in the years to come. All the more so with the rule changes concerning the starting order coming in in 2012 as all the drivers will be fighting on a level playing field. To take the fight to them I'm putting my trust in Citroën, a team I know inside out and the DS3 WRC, the car that I helped set up with Citroën Racing."

For Frédéric Banzet, the Citroën General Manager, "Sébastien Loeb is a great ambassador for the make. Today, his image and ours are intimately linked. He incarnates the daring, the sporting spirit and the love of competition, values that are very dear to us. We're proud of his loyalty to Citroën, and of the fact that's he's continuing his career with the team that's supported him since his debut."

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Posteno.

Zdaj mu je verjeno bolj v izziv to, ce lahko postane 10x svetovni prvak. Tega dosezka pa res ne bo lahko premagati.

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Tako ja, kar naj ostane pa jih še malo zajebava. Izgleda, da mu je DS3 postal všeč, pa se noče ločiti od njega.

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WRCŠe dve leti bo Citroenov varovanec Citroën in Sébastien Loeb sta se odločila, da bosta nadaljevala svojo čudovito športno dogodivščino in se v sezonah 2012 in 2013 svetovnega prvenstva v rallyju potegovala za nove zmage.
Besedilo: Uredništvo   Foto: Citroen
 

Sedemkratni svetovni prvak Sébastien Loeb, ki je voznik pri znamki Citroën od leta 2001 dalje, se je odločil, da bo za dve sezoni podaljšal svoje sodelovanje s Citroënom in se skupaj s sovoznikom Danielom Eleno potegoval za nove zmage za volanom dirkalnika DS3 WRC.

Sébastien Loeb se loteva tega novega izziva z navdušenjem: "S prihodom drugih proizvajalcev na prvenstvo bo v prihodnjih sezonah konkurenca večja. Predvsem zaradi spremembe pravila o vrstnem redu starta leta 2012, ko se bodo morali vsi tekmovalci boriti pod enakimi pogoji. Pri spopadanju z njimi zaupam v Citroënovo ekipo, ki jo dobro poznam in v dirkalnik DS3 WRC, ki sem ga pomagal nastavljati skupaj z ekipo Citroen Racing ..."

Frédéric Banzet, generalni direktor Citroën: "Sébastien Loeb je odličen ambasador znamke Citroën. Njegova in naša podoba sta danes tesno povezani. Pooseblja drznost, športno vedenje, tekmovalni duh - vse vrednote, ki jih cenimo. Ponosni smo na njegovo zvestobo Citroënu in nadaljevanje njegove poklicne poti z ekipo, s katero sodeluje že od vsega začetka".

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Pa se svez intervju z Loebom:

Sebastien Loeb ended months of speculation by signing an extension to his current Citroen contract earlier this week.
He explained why he is staying put and why 2013 is likely to be his final season in the World Rally Championship.

Why did you decide to stay with Citroen?
"I have decided to stay in rallying. I was trying to get some contacts in racing teams, as I really wanted to continue in motorsport, because I don't want to stay at home when I retire from rallying. Then the decision was getting closer, and as I was still getting some good results, I reckoned that it maybe a bit early to retire from rallying. Then the choice was between Citroen and Volkswagen."

How seriously did you consider Volkswagen's offer?
"I had a proposal from Volkswagen. It was interesting, but it was also a hard choice. Developing a new car would have been a nice challenge, but it would mean a quiet season next year and a comeback the season after that, but finally, Citroen showed me how motivated they were to keep me in the team. I had some discussion with the manager of the group and he explained to me how important our relationship was for them. I reckoned that having one year off and then coming back would be very difficult. Here, I know the team, I have a good car and I know that I will have a good car for next year, so all this made me decide to stay."

Was staying at Citroen the simplest option then?
"No, you cannot say that. For sure I know what I have in this team and I don't know what I will find somewhere else. It's never easy to fight for the world title so there's no easy solution."

By staying in the world championship you could make it 10 world titles...
"Yes, but I didn't really think of that. It was just the best decision I had to take. I never expected seven titles in the first place. It is nice to continue, but I have no precise goal."

But you'll be up against your team-mate Sebastien Ogier, who is proving a big rival to you...
"I know! If I continue in another team it would be the same because Ogier will also be in the competition. After I took the decision to continue in the rally I knew I would have to fight with him and also the other drivers. That's it now I'm sure I have a good car."

Now that you have made your decision, does that take some weight off your shoulders?
"I will now be getting less questions about my future, which means I will be able to concentrate more on the rally and then forget about the business."

Was there pressure on you to make the decision?
"It's difficult to put pressure but they really showed me they want to keep me so it's a sort of pressure. I was happy to see they really believe in what we can achieve together."

Will 2013 be your final season?
"It's a long time I say next year is the last. I cannot see my future for more than two years. Now I have a possibility to stop after next year in the contract we've done with Citroen. I never know. Maybe next year I will not enjoy as much as now and I will stop. I prefer to have the possibility to stop when I want. I don't imagine I will drive in 2014 in the rallies."

Vir: wrc.com

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In se intervju z Eleno, Loebovim sovoznikom.

Sebastien Loeb's long-term co-driver Daniel Elena is thrilled to be continuing in the World Rally Championship for another two seasons after Loeb re-signed for Citroen. But, as he explained, he had been prepared to call time on his navigating career.

Did you expect Sebastien to make his decision to carry on?
"When we start the season Sebastien said to me 'maybe it's the last season'. It's long now, it's seven titles. He start to look to DTM and other competitions. But after he got faster and faster - for me this is his most famous season this year and it's the most speed. He has more motivation and for that maybe he wants to stay more. It's nice for the sport and for me too."

If you make it eight world titles this year you will have proved you can win in the new-generation World Rally Car-era too. Will you still have the same motivation next year?
"When you start the race you have 100 per cent motivation. You start the season and you want to win all the races. When you arrive on the start line you have full motivation and for me next year you have the same motivation when you arrive."

What would you have felt if he decided to stop?
"It's okay. I have my company in Monaco and I am looking maybe to go with the FIA for working for the future of the rally. I think I have a lot of experience now and you have to put young blood on the federation. I would have been interested in safety and organisation of the race marshals."

You say it's Sebastien's "most famous" season. Is it because of the battle you are having with your team-mate Sebastien Ogier?
"It's not just the fight with Ogier. You have five drivers who are very fast this year. Maybe the new regulation of the car is the reason for that. But the road cleaning is a disaster. We have no rain this year and you have to clean every time. This has been the hardest year for the cleaning but the rule is changing and that was a very important decision for Sebastien to continue. If it stayed the same I'm sure he stops because he is very angry, you remember in Greece."

Did you ever consider stopping if he carried on?
"If he stop I stop. But me with another driver? No but maybe me as the driver!"

How serious did Sebastien consider Volkswagen's offer?
"When you stop for one year you are finished, like Marcus Gronholm found when he came back for Sweden because he was not in the fight. It's interesting to develop the car because it's a new challenge but after in 2013 you are not competitive."

Did you talk a lot about the decision?
"It's just Sebastien, he has no manager. He speak with me but every time I say it's your decision. If you want to stop we stop. If you continue I continue with you. If you go to Volkswagen I come with you."

When did he decide to continue?
"He told Citroen on Tuesday morning."

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Elena je car! On bi najbrž lahko osvojil celo več naslovov, kot Loeb, saj v primeru, da se Seb upokoji lahko še nadaljuje par sezon.

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Neresnost
Raikkonen izključen iz WRC prvenstva
Komisarji mednarodne avtomobilistične zveze so Raikkonenovo WRC ekipo, Ice1 Racing, izključili iz nadaljnjega tekmovanja v WRC prvenstvu, kar pa ne pomeni, da ne bo smel več dirkati v letošnjemu letu.

Razlog za takšno odločitev je neudeležba na avstralskem rallyju, kar ga bo med drugim stalo 16 tisoč evrov. Uradna izjava se glasi: "Po proučitvi Fijinega športnega pravilnika WRC za 2011 in še posebej člena 7.3.8 so se komisarji odločili, da od ekipe Ice1 Racing zahtevajo plačilo štartnine organizatorju avstralskega rallya, Fiji kazen 16.000 evrov v višini registracije in ekipo Ice1 Racing izbrišejo iz točkovanja svetovnega prvenstva."

Kimi Raikkonen je v letošnjemu letu nastopal na šestih rallyjih za svetovno prvenstvo in zabeležil 34 točk. Po poravnanih obveznostih so organizatorja in FIA-e, bo še vedno lahko nastopal na zadnjih treh dirkah, a ne bo vključen v točkovanje za svetovno prvenstvo.

vir:rally.avtomanija

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Novikov iz Fieste v DS3 Ruski dirkač Evgeny Novikov bo španski rally vozil s Citroenom DS3 WRC, potem ko je do nedavnega sedel za volanom Ford Fieste WRC.
Besedilo: Predrag Bonifatoviæ
Razlog za menjavo avtomobila je pogoj njegovega sponzorja, ki si želi, da bi preskusil več različnih dirkalnikov. »S Citroenom bom vozil le v Španiji, v Veliki Britaniji se vračam nazaj za volan Ford Fieste WRC«, je povedal Novikov.