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HONDA
Honda did something that no other car make had done before when it beat Peugeot to the IRC 2WD Cup manufacturers’ title in 2011. The Japanese company secured the accolade after three years of Peugeot dominance with a one-three finish on RACMSA Rally of Scotland in October courtesy of Martin Kangur and János Puskádi, who both made several appearances during the course of the season. Honda’s Civic Type R has proved a popular choice in the IRC thanks to its affordability, reliability and competitiveness. A series of homologation upgrades from 1 April 2012 have been designed to ensure the Civic stays at the sharp end of IRC 2WD Cup competition this year.
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M-SPORT
M-Sport, Ford’s respected rallying partner, made an instant impact on the IRC in 2010 when Mikko Hirvonen took the company’s Fiesta S2000 to a debut victory on Rallye Monte-Carlo. Run by former driver Malcolm Wilson from a state-of-the-art factory in Cumbria, north-west England, M-Sport has been the mastermind behind Ford’s World Rally Championship campaign since 1997, and worked in tandem with the Blue Oval on the development of the Fiesta S2000, which is used by several privateer drivers in the IRC. M-Sport has also developed a lower-specification Fiesta conforming to the R2 regulations, while its new turbocharged Fiesta RRC will break cover in the IRC in 2012.
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PEUGEOT
No manufacturer has enjoyed more success in the IRC than Peugeot, which increased its tally of event wins to 23 in 2011 thanks to Bryan Bouffier, who finished first on Rallye Monte-Carlo, and Thierry Neuville, who captured the classics in Corsica and Sanremo in their 207 S2000s. Peugeot boasts an illustrious history in rallying and has been an enthusiastic and extremely successful member of the IRC family since 2007 when it clinched the first of three manufacturers’ titles. While the number of Peugeot importers active in the IRC this season has been reduced ahead of the arrival of the 207’s replacement, the 208, Peugeot Sport is unleashing a host of car improvements for the upcoming campaign. In addition to its three IRC drivers’ and manufacturers’ crowns, Peugeot has also enjoyed success in the IRC 2WD Cup with a front-wheel-drive version of its 207.
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RENAULT
Officially competing as a brand for the first time in the IRC championship, Renault will undoubtedly rely on the Clio 3 Maxi Evo - the car of the IRC Cup 2WD 2011 Champion, but also on the fast Megane N4 which is expected to do wonders on the asphalt roads of the championship. To ensure the high level of performance and reliability of Renault Sport products, the brand's customers service will be onsite during most of the IRC rallyes. The IRC Cup 2WD should be once more extremely competitive and even more exciting thanks to Renault Sport's stronger involvement.
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ŠKODA
ŠKODA celebrated 110 years of motorsport participation during the IRC in 2011 as it claimed back-to-back drivers’ and manufacturers’ crowns with its Fabia Super 2000. The Czech company has a long history of motorsport success both on the race circuit and the rally stage and its rally team has finished on the podium on some of the world’s toughest events, such as the epic Safari Rally, in addition to claiming countless victories in the IRC since it joined the series in 2009. As well as running its famed factory team in the IRC and developing its Fabia S2000, ŠKODA unleashed an R2-version of the car for use in the IRC 2WD Cup and it’s likely to prove a popular option in 2012.
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SUBARU
Subaru is one of the most iconic manufacturers in rallying, having been present at the forefront of the sport since the early 1990s. It registered as an IRC manufacturer for the first time in 2010 and its Impreza car became a popular sight in the series in the hands of several established privateers, who contested the Subaru Individual Award, an incentive scheme offered by the Japanese company. Subaru continued its IRC participation in 2011 when it launched the R4 version of the Impreza, which Toshi Arai took to victory in the inaugural IRC Production Cup. Arai, Andreas Aigner and Jarkko Nikara are all in line for Subaru factory support this season although several privateers will also be represented.

In the spotlight: Ekaterina Stratieva - News

22 September 2012 09:21 In the spotlight: Ekaterina Stratieva The Intercontinental Rally Challenge's leading female driver looks ahead to her home round of the series, next week's Mabanol Sliven Rally.

You start your home round of the IRC on the back of a strong result in Ukraine. How significant was your eighth-place finish there?
“Yalta was a good event for us. And at the end I made my mission to finish more than 3m30s better than I did on the rally last year.”

What does it mean to you to be competing in front of your home fans?
“I am really happy because I drive for Bulgaria, for Bulgaria automobile sport and for the Bulgarian fans. But every event is important for me because I learn something new for the future.”

How tough are the stages around Sliven?
“The mountains are full with surprises and like in Yalta all the time the drivers will need good concentration and also very good pacenotes. There are places that are narrow, others that are very bumpy, some big downhill sections and slippery roads – even fog is possible. But it will be pleasure to push on the stages and I am sure that it will be the same for the other competitors.”

What’s your target for this rally?
“I try to go more and more better than before. I believe that one day I will find a big sponsor and with Carmen Poenaru, my co-driver we will make one full season in the IRC.”

Bulgaria is hosting the IRC for the first time. What can fans expect from the Sliven Rally?
“The Bulgarian people are very warm and all the fans will be well received, especially in Sliven, which is the heart of the rallies in Bulgaria. Everybody here is very passionate and they all try their best that everything works out good.”

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Standings

IRC

1. Mikkelsen Andreas 168 pt.
2. Kopecký Jan 101 pt.
3. Hänninen Juho 93 pt.
4. Wiegand Sepp 73 pt.

IRC Manufacturers

1. ŠKODA 348 pt.
2. PEUGEOT 217 pt.
3. M-SPORT 212 pt.

IRC Production Cup

1. Consani Robert 97 pt.
2. Arai Toshi 86 pt.
3. Aigner Andreas 83 pt.
4. Tempestini Marco 63 pt.

IRC 2WD Cup

1. Hunt Harry 126 pt.
2. Consani Robert 87 pt.
3. Kangur Martin 51 pt.
4. Campedelli Simone 50 pt.

IRC 2WD Cup Manufacturers

1. RENAULT 338 pt.
2. HONDA 199 pt.
3. M-SPORT 115 pt.

Colin McRae Flat Out Trophy

Breen Craig

IRC

Official partners

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Michelin
Motorsport has always been an integral part of Michelin's DNA and the company remains committed to all forms of the sport, on two wheels and four. The Michelin brand returns to top level rallying in 2011 to face the technical and human challenges it craves in order to test the life, safety, energy efficiency and the notion of driving pleasure of its products.
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Yokohama
Yokohama have developed a strong reputation in rallying over recent years, supplying a versatile range of asphalt and gravel covers all over the world. The brand has become synonymous with performance and durability, in order to provide the best possible quality and value to its many customers.

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