2008 Argentinean Rally Championship Round 1

[ZequeArgentina]

For those interested in:
First round of Argentinean championship is being held thsi weekend in Mina Clavero Cordoba (some of the roads of the WRC round done here are used).

It is limited to group N machinery, with mainly Mitsubishis and some SUBARUS (INCLUDING 5 NEW n14).
There is also a promotional Subaru class (with N3 Imprezza 2.0 without turbo, but 4wd)
Championship is very competitive, usuall with up to 10 cars in 10 seconds for each stage, but with Villagara and Ligato usually being the winners.

championship website: http://www.rallyargentino.com (only in spanish)
Live times for this rally:
http://www.rallyargentino.com/2008/carrera01/MENU.HTM

[ZequeArgentina]

I someone interested in having some info on this championship?
If that is the case I will post them here, but will nt do it if nobody shows interest.

[Wim_Impreza]

Yes, I am very interested. As an European, it is very difficult to find good info in English about your competitive national championship.

[ZequeArgentina]

OK, I will keep you informed about thi championship.

[Wim_Impreza]

Do you know which drivers do the full championship?

Can you give also the calendar 2008? Thank you.

[cp_vera]

Wim_Impreza:
Unfortunately all the sites with the news about the Rally Argentino are in Spanish.
But if you can use the Google Translator or any similar soft, you will have the information that you want.
Here I give you some links:

Drivers: During all the Championship are the same numbers:
http://www.rallyargentino.com/2008/carrera01/INSCRIP.HTM

Calendar (Calendario in Spanish):
http://www.rallyargentino.com/2008/carrera01/INSCRIP.HTM

Results (Resultados in Spanish):
http://www.rallyargentino.com/resultados2008.php

Images (Fotos in Spanish):
http://www.rallyargentino.com/imagenes2008.php

And here, another site, with information about the Regional Championships:
http://www.rallynoticias.com/demo/index.php

In the left column, you have news of this Championships:
FRAD 11: The Patagonian Championship
Rally Provincial Cordobes: The Cordoba (place of the Argentinian Rally) Championship.
Rally Federal: The Provincia (State) de Buenos Aires Championship, and
Rally de San Luis: The same state Championship.

If you want images of this Championships, go to "Galería de Imágenes", in the same left column.

Greeting from the south of the world!

Carlos

[Wim_Impreza]

Thank you very much, Carlos. Great work and welcome on the forum. :)

[Wim_Impreza]

Is there more news about the National Rally Championship in Argentina? Please tell me.

[LP]

any additional info on those naturally aspirated 2.0l Impreza's, specs and photos maybe?

[ZequeArgentina]

Here is an update of this weekend Round (4th):

brief of anew round of the Argentinean Championship:

Rally of San Luis had two main news in its entry list:
1- Villagra (current Champion, and winner of all rounds this year so far) was not to take part due o recce in Italy for the WRC round (he is taking part with he Munchi´s Team)
2- Gabriel Pozzo was making a surprising return o the Championship with one of the new Imprezza N14

Also a technical new issue:
Kumho tires are now mandatory in the N4 (I am not sure about other series, but I think later this year). For the first 3 rallies Silverstone (the ones mandatory last year) were also admitted.

There are 3 big teams in national rally:

VRS Mitsubishi (Villagra´s team)
1- Villagra absent this round)
2- Bernardi
3- Beltran
4- Marchetto

Tango Rally Team, Mitsubishi (Ligato and Nalbandian Team)
1- Ligato
2- Cancio
3- Madero
4- Goldenherstch

Barattero, Subaru (Official Partner Team of Subaru STI for group N developer)
1- Sanchez
2- Menzi
3- N.Raies (nephew of the good Gabriel Raies, and the disastrous Juan Pablo Raies)
4- Martinez
5- Dominguez (not inthis round)
5- Pozzo (up to now, only in this round but hopefully for the resto of the year)

For times see: http://www.rallyargentino.com/2008/carrera03/MENU.HTM

First special showed first big shot:
Ligato (main candidate with Villagra out) blew a tire a lost some minutes, which was repeated in two more occasions, leaving Ligato well down in the classification.
First leader, and for all day one was Bernardi, with Cancio and Madero closely following them, and Pozzo just there showing improvement in the still new N14.

Madero also suffered a puncture late in day one, with end of the day showing:
1-Bernardi, Mitsu (VRS)
2- Cancio, Mitsu (Tango) + 4,6s
3- Pozzo, Imprezza (Barattero) + 26 s
4- Marchetto, Mitsu (VRA) + 29,9 s
5- Raies, Imprezza (Barattero) + 55,4
6- Sanchez, Imprezza (Barattero) +1m 07,3s
7- Martinez, Imprezza (Barattero) +1m 14,4s
8- Beltran, Mitsu (VRS) + 1m 18,4s

13- Madero, Mitsu (Tango) +3m 03,5s

16- Ligato, Mitsu (Tango) + 4m 39,7s



Day 2:
First special, Bernardi broke steering and was out of the rally, Cancio had a puncture loosing some 40 seconds, and Pozzo took the lad, not leaving it till end of the Rally.
Ligato retook speed and was second fastest in the day, but not getting into the points.

Final positions were:

1- Pozzo, Imprezza (Barattero)
2- Cancio, Mitsu (Tango) + 6,5s
3- Marchetto, Mitsu (VRA) + 32,2 s
4- Raies, Imprezza (Barattero) + 48,9s
5- Sanchez, Imprezza (Barattero) +1m 00,5s
6- Martinez, Imprezza (Barattero) +3m 08,9s
7- Carlomagno, Mitsu + 3m 18,6s
8- Madero, Mitsu (Tango) +3m 24s

9- Ligato, Mitsu (Tango) + 4m 15,7s

The imprezzas N14 showed a new and great reliability, with all cars without technical problems (only some punctures) and with a small increase in performance (still a little slower than top Lancers, but really close).

Ligato lost a "golden opportunity" to reduce Villagra advantage in the Championship, and positions are now as follows:
Driver---------CAR---------TEAM-----------Pts
Villagra--------Mitsubishi---VRS-------------39
Bernardi-------Mitsubishi---VRS-------------32
Marchetto-----Mitsubishi---VRS-------------19
Pozzo---------Subaru------Barattero--------18
Beltran--------Mitsubishi---VRS-------------16
Madero--------Mitsubishi---Tango-----------15
Sanchez-------Subaru------Barattero -------14
Cancio--------Mitsubishi----Tango----------13
N. Raies-------Subaru------Barattero--------8
Ligato---------Mitsubishi---Tango-----------8


Villagra´s VRS keeps its excellent performance of speed and consistency (Championship posistions show it)
Hope someone reads this!!

[Wim_Impreza]

Thank you for the news, interesting to read and it is great that Pozzo wins the rally. Hopefully he can do the other rounds from now on in the championship. A bit surprising that Cancio was the first driver of the VRS Team, or was it his home round?

Nice to see that the performances from the Subaru's and Mitsubishi's are really close. Good to see also that there were not much technical problems.

I will really thank you for this information, because there is absolutely no information in English. If you have the time, can you please tell more when the next round will take part? Thank you very much in advance. :)

[ZequeArgentina]

First ofall one mistake in my previous report, San Luis was theTHIRD Round of the National Champinship, not the 4th!!!


Next round, the real 4th!!, will be held in Tucuman, which by the way is also valid for the FIA Southamerican Championship.; therefore some other international drivers are expected (mainly from Paraguay, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia and Perú).

Tucuman round uses roads which were in part used in the 1992 WRC Argentina Round. (At least it has alwaysbeen that way).

Main candidates are:
Villagra (back to the championship)
Ligato
Pozzo (if he runs)
Bernardi and Madero (two of the fastest youngsters)
Sanchez (local driver in hislast year before retiring)

From the Southamerican championship Paraguayns Arias and Dominguez could do OK too.

[Wim_Impreza]

Thanks again for the news. No problem about the little mistake, no one is perfect. My sister is in Perú until the end of July, so I follow the rallies outside Europe more. ;)

[ZequeArgentina]

A bit surprising that Cancio was the first driver of the VRS Team, or was it his home round?

Cancio drives for Tango Rally Team, and he is a good driver, have done good times in every rally, just a little consistency is what he needs.
Nope, he is not local driver.

Cancio is 2005 champion of the N4 Light subcathergory (at the time with some year old machinery, like 3 or 4 year old versions of imprezzas or lancers).
He issome 31 or 32 years old, so established driver, not young gun!!

[Wim_Impreza]

I had never heard of him, sorry. ;) Thanks again for the explanation.

[Ladyrally1976]

Hello i am new here, and an argentinean rally's fan.
Cancio is from Patagonia, and he is very famous there.
And I would like to write about N3 and N2, ok?

Sorry about my english, there´s meny years without write or speak in english ...

Kisses

S

[ZequeArgentina]

It would be perfect if you comment about N2 and N3.

So here is a brief about last weekend 4th Round of the Argentinean Championship:

First of all because of a conflict between agricultural producers and Government, which included road blockades, the date of the rally hadto be postponned for some time.

This had a result in the entry list, loosing 2 of the main participants:
- Gabriel Pozzo (leader of the Subaru. Barattero) who had to race same weekend in Chile, where he is under contract with Honda Chile (Chilean Manufacurers Championship limited to certain N3 machinnery).
And current leader in cHampionship, and always candidate Federico Villagra who was having some test with Munchis for the Rally of Finland.

Another special news: this was the last rally of Roberto Sanchez, local in Tucuman, and retiring in his homeland.

Rally itself:
Very strategic and unexpected. New Kumho tyres (limited at 10 per driver) sufferend a lot in Tucuman.
First day saw 3 Subarus N14 on top:
Local hero and in his last race Sanchez Leading
Menzi 6,9 s behind
N. Raies 8,3 s
Ligato 27,3 s (being the fastest Lancer, but strangelly out of pace)
Cancio 30s
Confetti 40 s
Bernanrdi 45 s

Nicolás Madero from the Tango team was very fast all day but picked a 2minute 10 second penalty dropping down the field

Second day:
Things got out: Ligato had been saving tyres for Sunday and quickly started gaining time.
After 3 stages postions were the same but time gap reducing.
Al mid day Sanchez blew a tyre and lost some 30 seconds,, Menzi was leading with Ligato comming too fast to keep him behiund till the end.
FInal classification:

Ligato (Mitsu - Tango) 1 h 32 m 37 s
Menzi (Subaru - Barattero) + 4.9 s
Sanchez (Subaru - Barattero) + 12.9 s
Raies (Subaru - Barattero) + 15.9 s
Bernardi (Mitsu - VRS) + 36.9 s
Cancio (Mitsu - VRS) + 44,8


Fastest all day winning every stage was Tango driver Madero. He was so fast all rally long that would have won the rally for some 30 seconds without the penalty!! He finally got the 9th position.

Championship after this round looks still uncertain:
1- Bernardi 39 pts
1- Villagra 39 pts
3- Sanchez 25 pts
4- Ligato 24 pts
5- Madero 20 pts
5- Menzi 20 pts
7- Marchetto 19 pts
8- Pozzo 18 pts
8- Raies 18 pts
10- Cancio 17 pts

So we got 10 drivers in 22 point difference with still 6 rounds to go, one of them with extra points, so everything to be sorted out!
Very interesting for sure, and now better with the Subarus N14 gaining speed and consistency!!!

[ZequeArgentina]

Ahh, another great news, there are now english reports on officil site:

see an example of the last race:
http://www.rallyargentino.com/08/ampliar_noticia.php?id_noti=1715

[Wim_Impreza]

Thank you very much again for the news, results... Great that the championship is so close and that Bernardi and Villagra both leads the championship.

Off course, I am happy with English news on the site too.