MINI ALL4 Racing take second, third and fifth at end of a reduced Stage 9 with Erik van Loon, Mikko Hirvonen and Al-Attiyah respectively

Savage desert heat of 50-degrees causes problems for bike and car competitors. Dakar organisers compelled to stop Stage 9 at 179km for safety reasons.

Once again the weather conditions determined the result of a Dakar special stage. In the opening week, very early on, rain put paid to many a competitor’s Dakar challenge. But today’s weather in the Belen-Belen stage proved to be the opposite extreme in the desert arena. With competitors in the bike classes having problems with the severe desert floor heat, Dakar officials made the decision to stop the race at CP2 for safety reasons.

The result for Stage 9 was determined by the best time at CP2. For early flyers Erik van Loon (NLD) and Wouter Rosegaar (NLD) in the Van Loon Racing (#306) MINI ALL4 Racing, this gave them their best result so far this Dakar with a stage finish of second. This result now has the Dutch duo currently in eighth in the overall top ten.

Swindon Powertrain appointed distributor by Bosch Engineering

Swindon Powertrain is delighted to announce its appointment as a Bosch Motorsport authorised dealer for their extensive product range of high-performance electronic systems and electrical components.

Swindon becomes a Bosch Motorsport dealer in the UK with extensive powertrain capabilities and experience in the field of direct injection turbocharged engines, one reason for the appointment and one that Bosch Engineering believes will lead to a far greater use of their world-leading products across the UK high-performance sector.

Best known for its successes in Touring Cars over the past four decades, Swindon Powertrain also has a longstanding history of supporting organisations in a range of motorsport series, such as GT racing and rallying, as well as OEMs and development projects.

Race Retro celebrates the life of rally driver Henri Toivonen

Race Retro will remember Finnish rally driver Henri Toivonen who sadly lost his life along with co-driver Sergio Cresto, in a Lancia Delta S4 on 2nd May 1986 some 30 years ago, when it returns to Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th February 2016.

To mark this occasion a display of ex-Toivonen cars is being put together by Peter Clarke, the team principal of PCA Motorsports, for whom Toivonen drove in the 1979 Lombard, including the original Ford Escort RS1800 (MK2), before retiring with clutch problems on Stage 30.

Peterhansel takes the lead once more as Loeb is delayed

– Action day in the Team Peugeot Total as Sébastien Loeb rolled over and gives the lead to his team mate Stéphane Peterhansel.
– Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena were the rally leaders as the crews left Salta, but it was to become an unfortunate day for the duo. They lost six minutes stuck in the sand at the start of the second half of the stage, and then rolled just around 10 kilometres from the finish. The crew were able to fix the car themselves and reach the stage finish with a time loss of 1h08m.
– Carlos Sainz was fastest on the stage at the penultimate waypoint, but ended up second at the end, despite having the handicap of opening the road.

Williams at Autosport International: The top 10 must-see sights

– Autosport International has a major feature on one of the world’s most-loved racing teams: Williams
– This year’s event offers a host of unique opportunities to see some of Williams’ most legendary cars, drivers and famous faces
– Ex-Williams driver Damon Hill OBE will celebrate the 20th anniversary of his Formula One Drivers’ Championship win at the NEC and be reunited with his Williams-Renault FW18
– Williams Martini Racing driver Felipe Massa will pilot a Williams FW08C – a car that won the Monaco Grand Prix in 1983 – in the Live Action Arena and signing autographs
– Autosport International runs from January 14-17, 2016* at the Birmingham NEC http://www.autosportinternational.com

Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel celebrate first Special Stage victory of 2016 Dakar

MINI ALL4 Racing crews show true grit at the start of the second week of the 2016 Dakar Rally. Five MINI ALL4 Racing in the top ten at end of Stage 8.

Day 10: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) and co-pilot Mathieu Baumel (FRA) showed great determination and skill amongst the sand and rocks of Stage 8 to take the win. From the start of the Special Stage, the AXION X-raid Team (#300) crew swept into the lead by Waypoint 1 and held first place until Waypoint 8.