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55 CREWS ARE READY TO START THE RALLY ITALIA SARDEGNA 2013 |
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28/05/2013 - 55 crews have engaged themselves to start the RALLY ITALIA SARDEGNA 2013, valid for the FIA World Rally Championship and also this year for Wrc2 and Wrc3; the seventh round of the World Championship, scheduled between 20th and 22nd June, is organized by the Automobile Club of Italy. Such a considerable number of entries represents a very positive sign seeing that a higher number was registered only in Montecarlo (82) this year if we compare it with 2012 edition in Sardinia when 43 crews had entered the Italian date of the world title calendar.
The twenty seven different nationalities of the entered crews confirm the major international opening of this competition and provide good evidence that the Sardinian scene is no doubt an important promotion for the image and culture of Sardinia in the world.
Entry list includes a well-filled attendance of 14 Italian crews, with 5 Sardinian representatives, followed by 6 French and 5 Middle-Eastern crews from Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Lebanon. Other entries will contest the course and include drivers from Finland, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Russia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Argentina, Peru, United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Estonia, Brazil, Hungary and Portugal.
14 Wrc are about to start on the Sardinian set ( 3 Citroen Ds3 Wrc, 3 Volkswagen Polo Wrc, 7 Ford Fiesta Wrc and 1 Mini Cooper Wrc), while 14 cars are entered for this Wrc 2 seventh round of and 9 cars for the Wrc 3.
THE KEY PLAYERS
All the leading crews competing for the world title will be starting the Rally Italia Sardegna 2013, the three official Citroen Ds3 Wrc with Mikko Hirvonen, Dani Sordo and Khalid Al Qassimi. After his victory in Argentina Rally, Sébastien Loeb will miss this date and even more this season, joining the contest back in October upon the Rallye de France in Alsace.
Sébastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen will be behind the wheel of the three official Volkswagen Polo R Wrc, while Mads Ostberg, Evgeny Novikov and Thierry Neuville will run the rally with three Ford Fiesta Wrc by MSport.
FromQatar, Nasser Al-Attiyah - co-driven by our Giovanni Bernacchini - will command one of the Fiesta Wrc, while PG Andersson, Martin Prokop and Daniel Oliveira will be in charge of the other ones, not to mention Michal Kosciuszko at the wheel of the Mini Cooper Wrc by Motorsport Italia.
The Wrc2 series is proud to host, out of the Italians Lorenzo Bertelli and Marco Vallario, some outstanding leaders: first of all past F.1 driver Robert Kubica, behind the wheel of an official Citroen Ds3 Regional rally car, the German Sepp Wiegand (with a Skoda Fabia S2000), the Qatar championship leader, Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, and Al Ketbi, the UAE championship leader.
Worth to note in Wrc 3, the French Sébastien Chardonnet and Bryan Bouffier (both on a Citroen Ds3 R3T), with Simone Campedelli as an outsider to represent the Italian colours.
Other entries include Sardinian drivers Giuseppe Dettori and Francesco Marrone who will contest their home event on a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9.
THE RALLY
2013 Rally Italia Sardegna, now at its 10th edition, is characterized by some relevant issues, mainly featuring a reduced to 2days rally format, the shakedown back to Monte Pinu, the ceremonial start in Sassari ( breaking news!) with the special stages in this same Sassari province, and last but certainly not least the Service Park located again in Olbia Isola Bianca.
The rally will develop 304,50 kms all over 16 special stages concentrated in two days of competition and that´s really the main character of a run which is bound to enhance its well-known qualities as a hard, tough and challenging event.
After reconnaissance on Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th June, the timetable highlights the rally most true start at 08h00 on Thursday 20th engaging drivers with shakedown in Monte Pinu - 3,86 kms - the same location which will host the Priority drivers´ qualifying stage at 11h00.
The brand new feature of the rally will be on the late afternoon of Thursday with the ceremonial start for the first time in Sassari at the most central square of "Piazza d´Italia".
The first section of the rally is drawn on Friday 21st with the classical Monte Lerno stage, followed by a transfer towards Sassari areas. In Sassari, the most populous centre in North Sardinia, a remote service will be arranged, at "Piazzale Segni" like last year, while the two stages of Tergu-Osilo and Castelsardo will be run in the surroundings. This long first rally day will end off with an evening grand final of two passages on special stage "Gallura", whose distance has been expressly extended and will therefore be longer than last year. Saturday will feature the final leg, with Monte Acuto traditional stage, and to end with, the arrival of the Rally in the evening, at 19h30 in Olbia.
TIMETABLE RALLY ITALIA SARDEGNA 2013
Thursday 20th of June
Shakedown Monte Pinu km. 3,86 8h.00 - 10.00
Qualifying stage Monte Pinu km. 3,86 11h.00
Start order selection Olbia service park 13h.00
Cerimoniale start Sassari Piazza d´Italia 19h.00
Friday 21st of June
1st Leg
SP out Olbia ore 6.30
SS 1 Monte Lerno 1 km. 31,08 7h.58
SS 2 Castelsardo 1 km. 14,00 10h.46
SS 3 Tergu-Osilo 1 km. 14,93 11h.34
Regrouping Sassari 12h.14 (20 minutes)
Remote service Piazzale Segni in 12h.34 out 12h.49
SS 4 Castelsardo 2 km. 14,00 13h.49
SS 5 Tergu-Osilo 2 km. 14,93 14h.37
SS 6 Monte Lerno 2 km. 31,08 16h.45
Service Park Olbia Isola Bianca in 18h.25 out 18h.55
SS 7 Gallura 1 km. 13,55 19h.23
Regrouping Arzachena in 20h.13 out 21h.03
SS 8 Gallura 2 km. 13,55 21h.28
Service Park Olbia Isola Bianca in 22h.30
Total 1st Leg 147,12 km timed
2nd Leg Saturday 22nd of June
Service Park out Olbia 7h.00
SS 9 Monte Olia 1 km. 19,27 8h.06
SS 10 Terranova 1 km. 14,82 8h.36
SS 11 Monti di Alà 1 km. 22,25 9h.19
SS 12 Coiluna-Loelle 1 km. 22,35 10h.27
Regrouping Olbia in 12h.19 (45 minutes)
Service Park Olbia in 13h.04 out 13h.34
SS 13 Monte Olia 2 km. 19,27 14h.25
SS 14 Terranova 2 km. 14,82 14h.55
SS 15 Monti di Alà 2 (power stage) km. 22,25 15h.38
SS 16 Coiluna-Loelle 2 km. 22,35 16h.46
Service Park Olbia 18h.41 (10 minutes)
Finish Olbia (molo Brin) 19h.30
Total 2nd Leg 157,38 km timed
Total timed km 304,50
Total rally km 1.102,43
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