Page 13 - Motorsport News (January 2020)

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TANAK SURVIVES
HUGE MONTE CRASH
World champion disappointed at lack of seat time after monster shunt
ByDavidEvans
After shrugging off his
enormous Monte Carlo
Rally crash, Ott Tanak
told Motorsport News his
main concern was the seat
time he missed from the
opening round of the
World Rally Championship.
TheEstonian’stitledefence
gotoff totheworstpossible
startwhenhisHyundaii20
CoupeWRClefttheroadat
113mphandcartwheeled
throughacrashthatlasted14
secondsandendedwiththecar
dropping30metresoff acliff.
Tanakandco-driverMartin
Jarveojawerekeptinhospital
forsurveillanceovernight,
butwerethengiventheall-
clearanddischargedon
Saturdaymorning.
Tanak,whowasrunning
thirdwhenhewentoff the
roadonthefourthstage,joined
HyundaiafterleavingToyota
attheendof lastseason.Hetold
MotorsportNews:“Thebiggest
Solberg Jr lands Skoda WRC 3 drive for a partial campaign in World Rally Championship
Oliver Solberg will drive a
Skoda Motorsport-supported
Fabia R5 Evo on at least six
rounds of this year’s World
Rally Championship.
The 18-year-old, who began
his WRC 2020 campaign at the
wheel of his own Volkswagen
Polo R5 in Monte Carlo last
week, will drive the Czech
machine for the first time in
competition at next month’s
Rally Sweden.
Solberg has already tested
the Fabia and will be back in
the car again shortly before
the Torsby-based second
WRC round of the season.
BREEN LANDS TOP-FLIGHT HYUNDAI OPPORTUNITY FOR RALLY SWEDEN
Irishman Craig Breen has talked
of his relief at being handed a
“career lifeline” in the shape of
a Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC drive
at next month’s Rally Sweden.
Breen will drive for Hyundai in Sweden in place of Loeb
‘M-Sport landed a benchmark
British team scored memorable result, p14
shameisthatwecouldn’tspend
toomuchtimeinthecar.Onthe
firsteveningIdidnotfeeltoo
good,butweimprovedthecar
overnightandalreadyonFriday
morningitfeltbetter.Butthen
theridewascutabitshort.It
wasaproperaccident.When
thecarwasdestroyedandit’s
notpossibletocontinue,that
meansitwasagoodone.Now
it’salongbreakin,let’ssay,
Late last year Skoda
Motorsport boss Michal
Hrabanek confirmed the
firm’s decision to step back from Boleslav factory.
a full factory squad in favour
of supporting young drivers
individually. The Solberg plan
is an example of that.
Hrabanek said: “For 2020,
we will focus more on customer
teams and on the development
of young and promising drivers.
We are happy to co-operate
with Oliver and his team for the
WRC 3 championship of 2020. He
already proved his speed – now
we are keen to see his progress
throughout the season.”
Breen,whojoinsThierry
NeuvilleandOttTanakinthe
team,isdelightedtobegoing
backtothesceneof hisbestever
WRCfinish,whenheposted
DAVID
EVANS
“MN has given
me some fanta
memories”
Tanak’s i20 was
totally destroyed
theTarmacchampionship– Asweknow,accidents happen
thenext one [asphaltround] in motorsport,it’snothingnew.
is atthe endof theyear.Now Our planisthesame.Thisis
wehaveto focus onthe dirt.” a longseasonandit’stimeto
Asked aboutthe causeof fight back–we’refitand we’re
theaccident, hesaid: “We hita ready forthat.”
bumpthatI didn’trecognisein WhileTanaksuffereda
therecce and thatsent usonto numberof accidentsearlyin
thewrong line,but it’snever his career,it’sfiveyearssince
one thing.Itwasa combination he rolled aWorldRallyCar–
of thingsthat alltogether his lastroll ending inalake
causedustogo off theroad. in Mexico.
The Fabia will be run by Running 15th on his first ever
Solberg’s own team with Tarmac rally, Solberg clipped
assistance from the Mlada a kerb with a rear wheel and
damaged the car’s suspension.
Talking after his first test in Despite dropping down the
a Skoda, Solberg said: “It’s not order while he fixed the car, he
so difficult to see how this car still managedtosetstagetimes
is so successful. I heard they in the top
sold already 330 Fabia rally cars ando
cars around the world and I can fringes of
say I agree with the decision top 10 ove
those customers made! It’s He will b
a great car with really nice out in the
balance, grip and power.” Volkswa
Solberg entered last week’s again th
Monte Carlo Rally as a non- season.
priority driver, chasing
experience aboard the Polo.
Solberg: Skoda deal
second place in Torsby driving It’s a special place to be.”
a Citroen C3 WRC in 2018. Hyundai confirmed the
“I could see that, from the decision on Monday,
outside it might have looked admitting it was based partly
like it was all over for me,” Breen on a tactical approach – because
told Motorsport News. “But he missed last week’s opener
[Hyundai Motorsport director in Monte Carlo, Breen will
Andrea] Adamo told me to trust start at the back of the World
him. He’s very much looking Rally Car pack.
out for me and he’s very much a The route for Rally Sweden
man of his word – if he promises remains largely free of snow, but
something he’s absolutely if winter does arrive, running
genuine in that regard and further down the order with
he’s come to the fore and given snow swept from the line is
myself and Paul [Nagle, the fastest place to be.
co-driver] a career lifeline. Adamo said: “We have taken
“At no point have I felt out of the decision to add Craig Breen
the loop, Andrea made it clear to our line-up for Rally Sweden
he would look after me, he told in a bid to field the most
me to trust him and I do. I’m just competitive package possible for
over the moon to be back in the the event with the best available
car and I’m obviously desperate options for road position. We
to be back in the WRC to show opted to bring Craig based on his
what I can do. I’ll do whatever performance in Sweden when he
it takes to stay with this team finished in second place, and the
now – I really want to move on potential he showed in our i20
with my career with this team. Coupe WRC last season.”
motorsport-news.co.uk JANUARY 29 2020 13
GROUP RALLYING EDITOR
uestionforyou:whendidyou
lasthearofaslippingclutch
thatstoppedslippingofitsown
accord?Exactly.Meneither.
AndnowI’minpossessionof
firmproofthatRenault’sKadjar
doesnothavetheseself-healingabilities.
Ifirstdetectedrisingrevsnotbeingmatchedby
furtherforwardmotiononthefirsthill,ontheroadout
ofNicetowardsMarseille.
Wasthat?Coulditbe?Surelynot…Don’tbesilly.
Andanyway,ChakaKhan’sjustlandedonRiviera
Radio.Turnitup.
BythetwistydragupfromthecoasttowardsAix,the
slippagewasdefinitelythere.ButIwassureallwould
bewell.Apparentlynot.Crawlingupahillat20mph,
Gapwasalongwayaway.Andnowthathorrible
clutchyrattlewasstartingtodrownout‘Ain’tNobody’.
Pop.Thepedalwenttothefloor15milesfromthe
HertzdeskatMarseilleairport.Withadeepbreath,
considerablepersuasionandadegreeofcommitment
tothecause,fifthgearwasengaged.
Imadeit.Hertzwheeledoutthe‘T’Kadjar,complete
withfullyfunctioningtransmission,andawayIwent.
Nairobi,aNissanSunnyandthelastSafariwasthe
lasttimeIfoundmyselfinthesamesituation.
Ifoundmyselfdoingafairbitoflookingbacklastweek.
Thereasonbeing,thisismylastcolumnforMotorsport
News.Aftermorethan23yearsofhelpingtofillthese
pagesweekafterweek,thetimehascomeformeto
moveontoanewchallenge.
Averybriefstintatastockbroker(I’dbeentheresix
monthswhenIspottedtheadforanassistantrallies
editor)aside,MN’sallI’veknownformyentireworking
life.AndIcan’t begin to tell you what an absolute
blast it’s been. You know that line about not mixing
business and pleasure? Total nonsense.
My father competed in rallies and I grew up with
Motoring News. Starting work at Standard House
in September 1996 was a huge moment for me.
Reporting on the same month’s Showground
Stages in Builth Wells filled me with terror. It
wasn’t all plain sailing at first, but thanks to
magnificent editors and all-round fabulous human
beings like Mark Skewis, I got there in the end.
I take away some splendid memories, including
trying to explain how my pen, thrown with
unfathomable force and a complete lack of accuracy
at Charles Bradley, missed the one known as
‘Jarvis’ and connected squarely with the back of
Simon Arron’s computer. Tubber’s screen went
blank and he, not unfairly, considered the two
things related. Oops.
Other memories include competing against Colin
McRae on the 1998 McRae Stages (Colin’s Metro
6R4 broke and I drove a Daihatsu very slowly) and
countless rides with countless world champions.
MN’s evolved a great deal down the years as
ownership has moved from Teesdale to Haymarket
to Motorsport Network and now finally Kelsey Media.
Kelsey represents the start of an exciting new chapter
for MN and with editor Matt James at the wheel, you
can have great faith in the future of our favourite
weekly read.
For now, it’s farewell. And a very, very big thank you
for putting up with me for so long.
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