Harry Flatters Rally

It had been a long time since we last watched on the asphalt up on the military ranges and as ever there was a bumper entry. In the main rally Peter Lloyd & Graham Handley (Impreza WRC) dominated to win the event by almost a minute and a half. 2nd place was a revelation though as Mark Straker & Neil Harrison took their Darrian T90 GTR to a fine 2nd overall in their first event in anger, for the new car. Completing the podium were Chris Jones & Carl Williamson (Focaru) a similar margin back on their first event in best part of a year.

MINI WRC Team – Neste Oil Rally Finland – Day Three

The MINI WRC Team cannot pretend to be satisfied that neither of its MINI John Cooper Works WRCs made it to the end of Neste Oil Rally Finland, but this doesn’t mean it has been an unsuccessful outing. The first retirement was of car number 52 for Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) after 19 of the 22 stages, while Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) only missed out on the very last stage. Both retirements were precautionary after a lot of sand and dirt was sucked into the cars’ cooling system, which could have caused damage to the engines.

Rauno Aaltonen supports MINI WRC Team on his home rally

With the World Rally Championship visiting his home turf, it would have been inconceivable that Rauno Aaltonen would not be on the Neste Oil Rally Finland to give support to the next generation of MINI drivers. He was there to repay the compliment after Dani Sordo (ES) and Kris Meeke (GB) went to see him on the Historic Monte Carlo Rally in January.

Bogie targets fourth Speyside win

Defending Scottish champions David Bogie and navigator Kevin Rae head a field of around a hundred crews for next Saturday’s Gleaner Oil & Gas Speyside Stages – an event they have won for the past three years.

The duo have an eleven point lead in the drivers’ and co-drivers’ standings respectively going into the Elgin-based event, as they look to seal their third straight MSA Scottish Rally Championship with three rounds remaining.

MINI WRC Team – Neste Oil Rally Finland – Day Two

Day two of Neste Oil Rally Finland was successful for the MINI WRC Team with the drivers, as planned, gaining valuable knowledge of the MINI John Cooper Works WRCs and bringing them to the overnight halt in Jyväskylä without a scratch on either of them. Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) were seventh in the number 37 car, and Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) were eighth in the number 52 sister car after over 170 kilometres of competitive driving since the start.

BP Sponsors MINI WRC Team

The MINI WRC Team is proud of being associated with premium brands, so its sponsorship from BP Ultimate fuels fits perfectly into this category. As the two MINI John Cooper Works WRCs compete on day two of Neste Oil Rally Finland, the distinctive logos can be seen prominently displayed above the front wheel arches of car number 37 driven by Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) and number 52 driven by Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR).

Two Audi R8 LMS in the top ten

- Rain causes turbulent qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps
- Grid only decided just before midnight
- Mattias Ekström fastest in the rain and best Audi driver

Qualifying for the 24-hour race at Spa- Francorchamps (Belgium) provided a foretaste of what the spectators could well expect on Saturday and Sunday: a fascinating exchange of blows between the world’s best GT3 sportscars in which the result is completely unpredictable.

Yoshimura Suzuki leads Suzuka qualifying

Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s Yukio Kagayama put in the only sub-2.08-minute lap during today’s Suzuka world Endurance Qualifying sessions in Japan, putting the GSX-R1000-mounted team at the top of the timesheets.

Kagayama clocked a lap of 2’07.884 in the first of three sessions, to beat Honda FCC TSR’s Kosuke Akiyoshi on 2’08.260 and Honda-mounted Musashi RT Harc Pro’s Makoto Tamada with 2’08.962.

Two German Audi drivers chase Bruno Spengler

- Second half of the DTM season starts at the Nürburgring
- Martin Tomczyk and Timo Scheider are the best-placed Audi drivers
- “Home round” for Audi Sport Team Phoenix

Only three points separate Audi driver Martin Tomczyk from the leader of the standings Bruno Spengler after the first half of the 2011 DTM season. And the tracks which the 29-year-old German is particularly looking forward to are just now coming up: Nürburgring, Brands Hatch, Oschersleben, Valencia and Hockenheim.

Honda TT legends qualify in the top 20 for Suzuka 8-hour

The Honda TT Legends team completed its second day on track at the Suzuka 8-hour event by qualifying in 20th place. John McGuinness, Keith Amor and Cameron Donald took part in two 30-minute timed practice sessions each as temperatures at the legendary Japanese circuit reached over 33 degrees.