2009 PIRELLI STAR DRIVER
RALLY RACC CATALUNYA - COSTA DAURADA - RALLY DE ESPANA – REPORTThree days of glorious sunshine and some of the best asphalt roads in the world lay in wait for the five Pirelli Star Drivers when they arrived in Salou for the Rally de España. The Spanish event was the sole asphalt outing in the programme designed by the FIA to offer a platform for the next generation of World Rally Champions. The scheme might take the most promising drivers from all four corners of the globe, via the FIA Regional Rally Championships, but, once again, it was Finland’s Pirelli Star Driver Jarkko Nikara who shone the brightest.
Pirelli Star Driver reportJarkko Nikara belied his complete lack of asphalt rally experience to turn in a surefooted and composed performance to end the event as the leading Pirelli Star Driver. Nikara admitted he didn’t feel at home on the Spanish lanes, but he didn’t put a foot wrong on an event totally alien to him. The Finn curbed his flamboyant style, used to create so much speed on gravel, and reaped the rewards in Catalunya. He ended his first rally on asphalt in 17th position overall and fourth in Group N.
Jon Williams turned in another quick and consistent drive to finish as second of the Pirelli Star Drivers. Like Nikara, the South African had no experience of competing on this surface. Realising he had no opportunity to drive a rally car on asphalt prior to the start of the Salou-based event, Williams spent time testing a kart on a circuit close to his home in Cape Town. Once into his first attempt at Rally de España, Williams’ composed and unruffled driving style worked well and allowed him to set times close to the top of the Group N category. Unfortunately for Williams, he suffered a broken gearbox three kilometres from the end of the final test on Saturday night. He had been running second of the Star Drivers and sixth in Group N. The Ralliart Italia mechanics changed the gearbox on the number 62 Lancer on Saturday night, allowing Williams to return for the final day’s six stages on Sunday. His only mistake on the event came on the first stage of the final loop, when he went off and dropped 14 minutes getting the car back on the road. He would end the rally 17th in Group N.
Martin Semerád also suffered a gearbox problem, but his trouble came following an action-packed start to the rally. He was hit by a broken oil seal on a front brake caliper on the opening stage of the event. The Czech driver clamped the pipe at the end of the test, ensuring there would still be braking to three wheels, albeit seriously affecting the drivability of the car. On the next stage, he dropped time with a throttle problem, with the throttle sticking open at the top of the rev range, then on the third test, the gearbox broke on his Lancer.
Given the brake problem aboard the Mitsubishi, it is possible that Semerád’s use of the gearbox to assist in slowing the car down could have contributed to the transmission failure. Semerád returned to competition on the second day, but then retired with engine trouble on the final morning of the rally.
Engine problems also claimed the Mitsubishis of Nicos Thomas and Mark Tapper. Both of their Lancers were fitted with a new power plant ahead of the event – and engine expert HKS suspects a mapping problem is at the root of the problem which ended the event for Thomas in SS6 and Tapper on the liaison section towards SS4. Both drivers had made a solid start to the event, with Tapper posting the fastest Pirelli Star Driver time in the opening stage.
The drivers
Car 61: Nicos Thomas/ Angelos LoizidesNicos Thomas said: “This has been another very tough event. First, I made a mistake on the shakedown and we slid off the road because the tyres weren’t warm enough. After that, the team told me they wanted the car at the finish – I wanted to make the finish, so I was driving for safety. Everything was going okay on the first day. I was enjoying the challenge of driving on the asphalt – this is something very different from the roads I drive on at home – but then I had the engine problem on the sixth stage. I don’t know what caused it, but the end result is the same. We had a small misfire on the way into the stage, so I called the engineer and asked what to do. I switched on the anti-lag system in the car and put it into ‘stage’ mode and everything was okay, there was no misfire, so I went into stage six. About six kilometers into the stage, I changed from third to fourth gear and when the car came on [turbo] boost, there was an enormous bang – the engine had blown up. Now it’s very important for me to show my speed on the final event on the calendar in Wales.”
Car 62: Jon Williams/George GwynnJon Williams said: “There was so much to learn on this event. We were looking after the brakes early on and working out how much we could lean on them, then we had to learn about the grip levels. It’s completely alien to me, but I started to understand where the grip was on the road and how to get the best out of the car. Early on in the event we were two seconds per kilometre down on the front of Group N, but we halved that and then carried on working on reducing the gap. The set-up of the car is so important, we worked out that running the rear of the car stiffer was the best way, but these were all things we were doing for the first time on asphalt.
“Unfortunately, some of the other cars had some engine trouble, so the team turned our engine down a little bit to put less stress on it. That meant we couldn’t really push out of the slower corners, there wasn’t so much boost. We had a problem on stage 16 when I slid wide in a corner and the front of the car came to rest on a rock. George [Gwynn] and I couldn’t get the car off ourselves and we lost time getting out of the stage. The only damage to the Lancer was the front bodywork, there were no mechanical problems. I lost a little bit more time in the next stage while I made sure everything was fine and straight on the car. That was a shame, not the best way to end the event. For my first event on asphalt, I was happy with the pace we were ultimately achieving.”
Car 63: Jarkko Nikara/Jarkko KalliolepoJarkko Nikara said: “This was my first ever rally on asphalt, apart from some small sprints in Finland and the asphalt stage I did when I won the Pirelli Star Driver nomination in Austria. I was really looking forward to the challenge. I liked some of the stages more than others. When the road was fast and sweeping, it was nice, but there were some roads – like the first stage on Saturday morning – which were too twisty for me. It was good for me to drive and learn about the tyres on this surface, but after Nicos [Thomas] and Mark [Tapper] had their engine problems, we cut down the power from the engine to try and make sure we saved it. It’s very good to have made it to the finish of this event; this is valuable experience for me. I have learned very much in the last three days – and I have enjoyed it. Now I’m looking forward to Rally GB; it’s back to gravel and back into the forest. This is where I feel more at home.”
Car 64: Martin Semerád/Bohuslav Ceplecha
Martin Semerád said: “I have some good asphalt experience coming from Czech Republic, where you can only drive on this surface, but the roads in Spain were quite different from the ones I was used to. My recce was not so good on the first day, which meant my notes weren’t perfect on Friday. Unfortunately for us, the gearbox broke again on the third stage. I was changing from fifth to third gear and it went bang. The gearbox was changed on Friday afternoon and we re-started the rally on Saturday morning. Saturday was good, we were driving smoothly and the times were getting better. We were close to some of the local Group N drivers – and we were close to Jarkko [Nikara]. The plan was to do more of the same on the final day, but we lost the engine close to the end of the first stage in the morning.”
Car 65: Mark Tapper/Jeff JuddMark Tapper said: “What a frustrating rally! We were fastest of the Pirelli Star Drivers through the first stage and then close in the next two. I was really enjoying driving on asphalt, even though I had only ever done three asphalt rallies in my career and the last time I drove on this surface was 2004. Everything was working well. My co-driver [Jeff Judd] is a circuit racer and he kept telling me in the stages to use all the road and keep it neat and tidy. It was great. We came into service with everything well in the car, but on the way to stage four, the engine blew.
“We’d been in traffic for a while and as the road started to climb up the hill, I pulled out to overtake some cars when the car misfired. I was just reaching for the telephone to call the engineer when it went bang. It’s another tough rally for us, really tough. I was really looking forward to the repeat of that first stage; we’d set a good time first time around, but it could have been even better. I’m staying in Europe for the next couple of weeks until Rally GB. I’m going to have a bit of a holiday which will help me to get over the disappointment of this.”
The other quotes
Phil Short, Pirelli Star Driver Supervisor said: “I have to say performance-wise, they all did very well. It was disappointing to lose the cars with the engine problems. Jon [Williams] did his usual job in bringing the car to the end and, had he not had the gearbox problem on the final three kilometres of the last stage on day two, I’m sure he would have completed all of the stages and made the finish again. Martin’s stage times were really very good; I’m very happy with that and it’s just a shame that he suffered with a gearbox issue on the first day and then the engine trouble on the final day. We had an engine problem on the two cars of Mark [Tapper] and Nicos [Thomas] on day one. The team is still investigating the cause, so we can’t preempt by saying it is one thing or another.
“Jarkko Nikara continues to amaze us all. This is his first time on this surface – a surface which Finns are not renowned for being at their best on and he has stuck in behind the fight for the lead in Group N. Okay, he didn’t look like winning the class, but he was well clear of the rest, including some good local drivers. Again, we’re totally impressed with him.”
Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Manager said: “The first thing to say is that Rally Catalunya is a very difficult asphalt event and the drivers have acquitted themselves very well. When they had no problems in the stages, it’s fair to say that all of the drivers went well and the level is good, which was something we didn’t know for asphalt as this was the first time we had seen the drivers on this surface. This means the selection for the drivers was done in the right way and I am happy for that. Obviously, if we have to pick out one driver, I am really pleased with what Jarkko [Nikara] has done. He has driven sensibly and fast, even though he didn’t know much about driving on asphalt. He has been fast. I have also been pleased with the way the tyres have worked.”
The next eventFollowing the Pirelli Star Drivers’ sole asphalt outing of the season in Spain, the drivers return to the more familiar gravel for their sixth and final event of the year. The five young drivers will regroup in Wales for the Rally of Great Britain, just 10 days after the end of Rally de España. Rally GB provides a fitting end to a fascinating season for the Pirelli Star Driver crews, with the event’s unique blend of challenging forest stages and equally challenging weather conditions lying in wait.
The results17th Jarkko Nikara (FIN)/Jarkko Kalliolepo (FIN) 3 hr 45 min 20.5sec (4th in Group N)
44th Jon Williams (ZA)/George Gwynn (GB) 4 hr 18 min 06.0sec (17th in Group N)*
Martin Semerád (CZ)/Bohuslav Ceplecha (CZ) Retired, engine, SS13
Mark Tapper (NZ)/Jeff Judd (NZ) Retired, engine, SS3
Nicos Thomas (CY)/ Angelos Loizides (CY) Retired, engine, SS6
* Continued under SupeRally regulations
Media links:Click below to download images of the five Pirelli Star Drivers in Spain.
- Mark Tapper - click
here- Jarkko Nikara - click
here- Jon Williams - click
here- Nicos Thomas - click
here- Martin Semarad - click
here