SUNDAY AUGUST 22 2010
Sandell, who started the final leg of the three-day rally 4.6 seconds off the lead of the SWRC division, moved ahead of fellow Swedish driver P-G Andersson on Sunday’s opening stage. Despite being subjected to huge pressure from Martin Prokop, Sandell drove without error to claim his first victory in the SWRC by 4.6s at the wheel of his Skoda Fabia S2000.
“It’s been crazy, absolutely crazy,” Sandell said at the finish in Trier. “We’ve had an incredible battle for three days and the feeling now is absolutely unbelievable. I am so happy with this result and I have to say a big thank you to all of the Red Bull Rallye Team for providing me with such a good car. I came to this rally very confident of a good result and to leave here with this victory means so much.”
Sandell, who underlined his dominance by winning four of Sunday’s five stages, moves from fifth to fourth in the SWRC standings.
For Gassner Jr, Rallye Deutschland marked the first time that he had been eligible for points in the PWRC after he was nominated as a wildcard entrant by the event organisers. He didn’t disappoint by claiming a solid fourth place in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX.
“I came here looking to be in the top five,” said the 21-year-old from Surheim in Germany. “Of course a podium would have been the best result but that was not possible. But I am really happy to be at the finish in fourth place on my home rally. Apart from a small problem with the handbrake this morning I’ve not had any real problems.”
Raimund Baumschlager, whose BRR operation runs Gassner Jr and Sandell, was delighted at the finish. He said: “I'd like to congratulate Patrik; he did a great job and really he couldn't have done any better throughout all three days. It wasn't the perfect start to the season for him, but everything went fantastically well for him here and he deserves this result. This will be a big boost for him.
“As for Hermann, he had a good day today after finding it not easy yesterday. For him the objective was to get to the finish and practice the new pace note system he has, so he succeeded in both of these things. For our team and for Red Bull, it's been an excellent rally!"
SATURDAY AUGUST 21 2010
Red Bull Rallye Team drivers Hermann Gassner Jr and Patrik Sandell were once again on top form on day two of Rallye Deutschland, which covered 185 kilometres over eight gruelling stages.
Gassner Jr remains in fourth position in the Production Car World Rally Championship, while Sandell is locked in a thrilling battle for Super 2000 World Rally Championship honours with five stages to go until the finish in Trier on Sunday afternoon.
With ambient temperatures exceeding 30 degrees centigrade and the road temperature hovering around the 40-degree mark, both Red Bull drivers have faced a tough challenge. Gassner Jr reported the temperature on board his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX rose to 50 degrees centigrade at one point in the afternoon.
"Everything has been fine today and I am satisfied with my performance," said the 21-year-old Gassner Jr. "We were hoping for a podium finish but at the moment that is not going to be possible. However, it is very important we reach the finish so we won't take any big risks and will be doing our best to stay calm in front of our home fans."
Gassner Jr's only real cause for concern occurred on stage eight when he lost 20 seconds with a spin on a left corner. However, it proved to be a rare error by the rising star, who is chasing PWRC points for the first time after being nominated as a wildcard entrant by the rally organisers.
Swede Sandell is 4.6 seconds off the lead in the SWRC category following an impressive showing in his Skoda Fabia. "It's a big battle and I am really enjoying it," he said. "I've really gone for it today and I think my rivals are afraid of me rather than the other way around because I am putting pressure on them. A win is the target tomorrow and I am reasonably confident I can do it. I am in control of the situation and the car has been perfect."
Raimund Baumschlager, whose BRR operation runs Gassner Jr and Sandell, was full of praise for his two drivers. He said: "It's been a great day for both our drivers. Congratulations to Patrik especially, who has done a fantastic job to be fighting for the lead. Tomorrow is going to be a very exciting day and obviously our plan is to try and win: whether or not the plan comes off is another question! As for Hermann, his priority is to learn and get to the finish. Recently he made a big change to his pace note system, so it's important that he gets a lot of practice with this. So far, I think he is doing a very good job."
Sunday's final leg consists of five stages and a competitive distance of 85.69 kilometres. The first stage gets underway at 0728hrs local time with the rally closing SSS Circus Maximus stage through the streets of Trier starting at 1303hrs.
THUESDAY AUGUST 17 2010
Red Bull rally driver Patrik Sandell will resume his bid for Super
Sandell, who is currently fifth in the SWRC drivers' standings after
making four appearances in the series so far this season, spent the
test fine-tuning the set-up of his Red Bull-backed Skoda Fabia S2000
and also adapting his driving style to the requirements of Tarmac
competition.
"My experience of driving on asphalt is not completely zero but it's
not too much either so any chance I get to drive on this kind of
surface is very useful," said the former Junior world rally champion.
"We did some work on the set-up to make sure the car works perfectly
when we get to the rally but I also received some really good advice
from my team chief Raimund Baumschlager."
Baumschlager, whose BRR preparation company runs Sandell's Skoda,
doubles up as a rally driver in his spare time and recently secured
his 10th Austrian championship crown aboard a Fabia S2000. With 90 per
cent of the Austrian rallies based on asphalt, Baumschlager has plenty
of sealed-surface driving experience and accompanied Sandell during
the test.
"Raimund has done thousands of kilometres in the Skoda on Tarmac so
he has a lot of knowledge," said the 28-year-old Sandell, who hails
from Sweden. "He was able to give me advice about the set-up and also
some tips on my driving such as when to brake later when he was with
me in the car. It was a really big help and I feel really confident
for the rally because of this."
Sandell reckons his closest opposition in Germany will come from SWRC
points' leader Xevi Pons, fellow Swede P-G Andersson and Czech driver
Martin Prokop.
"It will be a big battle between us far but I really believe I can do
very well against them all," said Sandell, who took part on Rallye
Deutschland in 2007. "I really like the stages and sometimes the road
can be quite slippery, especially when it rains, which is a challenge
I enjoy. But there is a lot of work to do on this rally because you
have to change the set-up quite a bit between some of the stages as
there is quite a big variety of layouts and surfaces."
Rallye Deutschland is based in the historic city of Trier. Following
a ceremonial start on Thursday evening (August 19), action proper gets
underway on the morning of Friday August 20 and features 405
competitive kilometres over 19 special stages prior to the finish on
Sunday afternoon. It is the longest round of the WRC so far this
season in terms of stage distance, a fact Sandell is relishing.
"My physical level is always very good so it is not a concern to me
that the rally is so long," said Sandell, who will be co-driven by
regular navigator Emil Axelsson. "If anything the distance provides me
with extra motivation to do well."
SUNDAY AUGUST 8 2010
Patrik Sandell was second fastest rally driver and fourth fastest over all in Helsinki Motorsport Weekend. He lost out the last duel to Jari-Matti Latvala with just 0,5 seconds. Former F1 driver Mika Salo won the competition followed by Harri Toivonen.
Emil Axelsson was third in the co-drivers race, after Mika Stenberg and Jarmo Lehtinen.
FRIDAY AUGUST 6 2010
Besides the drivers competition there will be a classification for the co-drivers, in order to find out who's the Worlds Fastest Co-driver.
- It will be a challenge to be in charge of the steering wheel for a change. It's mostly for fun and not so serious, but at the same time I know what happens when you put the helmet on, says Emil Axelsson.
Find out more at: www.hmw.fi
WHAT A SUNDAY IN GERMANY
The Red Bull Rallye Team has enjoyed a hugely successful Rallye Deutschland with Hermann Gassner Jr taking fourth place in the Production Car World Rally Championship and Patrik Sandell winning the Super 2000 World Rally Championship category.
Sandell, who started the final leg of the three-day rally 4.6 seconds off the lead of the SWRC division, moved ahead of fellow Swedish driver P-G Andersson on Sunday’s opening stage. Despite being subjected to huge pressure from Martin Prokop, Sandell drove without error to claim his first victory in the SWRC by 4.6s at the wheel of his Skoda Fabia S2000.
“It’s been crazy, absolutely crazy,” Sandell said at the finish in Trier. “We’ve had an incredible battle for three days and the feeling now is absolutely unbelievable. I am so happy with this result and I have to say a big thank you to all of the Red Bull Rallye Team for providing me with such a good car. I came to this rally very confident of a good result and to leave here with this victory means so much.”
Sandell, who underlined his dominance by winning four of Sunday’s five stages, moves from fifth to fourth in the SWRC standings.
For Gassner Jr, Rallye Deutschland marked the first time that he had been eligible for points in the PWRC after he was nominated as a wildcard entrant by the event organisers. He didn’t disappoint by claiming a solid fourth place in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX.
“I came here looking to be in the top five,” said the 21-year-old from Surheim in Germany. “Of course a podium would have been the best result but that was not possible. But I am really happy to be at the finish in fourth place on my home rally. Apart from a small problem with the handbrake this morning I’ve not had any real problems.”
Raimund Baumschlager, whose BRR operation runs Gassner Jr and Sandell, was delighted at the finish. He said: “I'd like to congratulate Patrik; he did a great job and really he couldn't have done any better throughout all three days. It wasn't the perfect start to the season for him, but everything went fantastically well for him here and he deserves this result. This will be a big boost for him.
“As for Hermann, he had a good day today after finding it not easy yesterday. For him the objective was to get to the finish and practice the new pace note system he has, so he succeeded in both of these things. For our team and for Red Bull, it's been an excellent rally!"
Impressive second day from Red Bull Juniors
Gassner Jr remains in fourth position in the Production Car World Rally Championship, while Sandell is locked in a thrilling battle for Super 2000 World Rally Championship honours with five stages to go until the finish in Trier on Sunday afternoon.
With ambient temperatures exceeding 30 degrees centigrade and the road temperature hovering around the 40-degree mark, both Red Bull drivers have faced a tough challenge. Gassner Jr reported the temperature on board his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX rose to 50 degrees centigrade at one point in the afternoon.
"Everything has been fine today and I am satisfied with my performance," said the 21-year-old Gassner Jr. "We were hoping for a podium finish but at the moment that is not going to be possible. However, it is very important we reach the finish so we won't take any big risks and will be doing our best to stay calm in front of our home fans."
Gassner Jr's only real cause for concern occurred on stage eight when he lost 20 seconds with a spin on a left corner. However, it proved to be a rare error by the rising star, who is chasing PWRC points for the first time after being nominated as a wildcard entrant by the rally organisers.
Swede Sandell is 4.6 seconds off the lead in the SWRC category following an impressive showing in his Skoda Fabia. "It's a big battle and I am really enjoying it," he said. "I've really gone for it today and I think my rivals are afraid of me rather than the other way around because I am putting pressure on them. A win is the target tomorrow and I am reasonably confident I can do it. I am in control of the situation and the car has been perfect."
Raimund Baumschlager, whose BRR operation runs Gassner Jr and Sandell, was full of praise for his two drivers. He said: "It's been a great day for both our drivers. Congratulations to Patrik especially, who has done a fantastic job to be fighting for the lead. Tomorrow is going to be a very exciting day and obviously our plan is to try and win: whether or not the plan comes off is another question! As for Hermann, his priority is to learn and get to the finish. Recently he made a big change to his pace note system, so it's important that he gets a lot of practice with this. So far, I think he is doing a very good job."
Sunday's final leg consists of five stages and a competitive distance of 85.69 kilometres. The first stage gets underway at 0728hrs local time with the rally closing SSS Circus Maximus stage through the streets of Trier starting at 1303hrs.
RED BULL ACE SANDELL UP FOR DEUTSCHLAND TARMAC TEST
Red Bull rally driver Patrik Sandell will resume his bid for Super
2000 World Rally Championship glory on the all-asphalt Rallye
Deutschland from August 19-22 full of confidence following a
successful two-day test in Austria recently.
Sandell, who is currently fifth in the SWRC drivers' standings after
making four appearances in the series so far this season, spent the
test fine-tuning the set-up of his Red Bull-backed Skoda Fabia S2000
and also adapting his driving style to the requirements of Tarmac
competition.
"My experience of driving on asphalt is not completely zero but it's
not too much either so any chance I get to drive on this kind of
surface is very useful," said the former Junior world rally champion.
"We did some work on the set-up to make sure the car works perfectly
when we get to the rally but I also received some really good advice
from my team chief Raimund Baumschlager."
Baumschlager, whose BRR preparation company runs Sandell's Skoda,
doubles up as a rally driver in his spare time and recently secured
his 10th Austrian championship crown aboard a Fabia S2000. With 90 per
cent of the Austrian rallies based on asphalt, Baumschlager has plenty
of sealed-surface driving experience and accompanied Sandell during
the test.
"Raimund has done thousands of kilometres in the Skoda on Tarmac so
he has a lot of knowledge," said the 28-year-old Sandell, who hails
from Sweden. "He was able to give me advice about the set-up and also
some tips on my driving such as when to brake later when he was with
me in the car. It was a really big help and I feel really confident
for the rally because of this."
Sandell reckons his closest opposition in Germany will come from SWRC
points' leader Xevi Pons, fellow Swede P-G Andersson and Czech driver
Martin Prokop.
"It will be a big battle between us far but I really believe I can do
very well against them all," said Sandell, who took part on Rallye
Deutschland in 2007. "I really like the stages and sometimes the road
can be quite slippery, especially when it rains, which is a challenge
I enjoy. But there is a lot of work to do on this rally because you
have to change the set-up quite a bit between some of the stages as
there is quite a big variety of layouts and surfaces."
Rallye Deutschland is based in the historic city of Trier. Following
a ceremonial start on Thursday evening (August 19), action proper gets
underway on the morning of Friday August 20 and features 405
competitive kilometres over 19 special stages prior to the finish on
Sunday afternoon. It is the longest round of the WRC so far this
season in terms of stage distance, a fact Sandell is relishing.
"My physical level is always very good so it is not a concern to me
that the rally is so long," said Sandell, who will be co-driven by
regular navigator Emil Axelsson. "If anything the distance provides me
with extra motivation to do well."
Sandell fourth and Axelsson third in Helsinki
Emil Axelsson was third in the co-drivers race, after Mika Stenberg and Jarmo Lehtinen.
Patrik & Emil defending the Swedish colors in Helsinki Motorsport Weekend
This weekend it's premiere for Helsinki Motorsport Weekend. Patrik and Emil will defend the Swedish colors, battling current WRC-drivers such as Hirvonen, Latvala and Solberg, as well as a number of former star drivers, including Mäkinen, Kankunen and Mika Salo.
Besides the drivers competition there will be a classification for the co-drivers, in order to find out who's the Worlds Fastest Co-driver.
- It will be a challenge to be in charge of the steering wheel for a change. It's mostly for fun and not so serious, but at the same time I know what happens when you put the helmet on, says Emil Axelsson.
Find out more at: www.hmw.fi
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