2011 Mecsek Rallye

2011 Mecsek Rallye
Canon 45. Mecsek Rallye

Round 8 of the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge season

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Host country  Hungary
Rally base Pécs
Dates run 10 – 11 September 2011
Stages 14[1] (251.86 km; 156.50 mi)
Stage surface Asphalt
Overall distance 825.24 km (512.78 mi)
Results
Overall winner Czech Republic Jan Kopecký
Czech Republic Škoda Motorsport
Crews 47 at start, 31 at finish

The 2011 Mecsek Rallye, officially Canon 45. Mecsek Rallye, was the eighth round of the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) season. The fourteen stage asphalt rally – held as a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge for the first time – took place over 10–11 September 2011 with all stages held in daylight.[1]

Introduction

The rally, which was run for the 45th time, was based in the Mecsek mountain city of Pécs, in the Baranya County of Hungary. The opening events took place on 9 September, starting in Széchenyi square, in the old town of Pécs with a special musical performance, composed by Tibor Bogányi, the conductor of the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra, for brass winds and car horns.[2] Following the short concert the racers drove from the square to the Pécs Plaza, where the ceremonial start was held and the rally was officially opened by Csaba Nagy, deputy mayor of Pécs, Erik Bánki, president of the Tourist and Sports Committee of the Parliament and Zsolt Gyulay, head of the National Automobilesport Federation of Hungary. The prologue was staged in the late afternoon on a 1.2 km (0.75 mi) track and was won by local driver Dávid Botka ahead of Bruno Magalhães.[3]

The rally began the next day; initially eight asphalt stages covering 144.46 km (89.76 mi) were scheduled for Saturday, however, due to safety reasons the final stage of the day was cancelled.[4] The closing six stages, consisting of 107.40 km (66.74 mi) were completed on Sunday.

Results

Andreas Mikkelsen led the rally from start, but was forced to retire on the penultimate stage after he hit a log,[5] with Jan Kopecký taking the lead and held on to take took his second consecutive IRC victory on the rally, by just 0.8 seconds ahead of Thierry Neuville, in the closest finish in Intercontinental Rally Challenge history.[6]

Overall

Pos. Driver Co-driver Car Time Difference Points
1. Czech Republic Jan Kopecký Czech Republic Petr Starý Škoda Fabia S2000 2:00:06.7 0.0 25
2. Belgium Thierry Neuville Belgium Nicolas Gilsoul Peugeot 207 S2000 2:00:07.5 0.8 18
3. Belgium Freddy Loix Belgium Frédéric Miclotte Škoda Fabia S2000 2:01:06.7 1:00.0 15
4. France Bryan Bouffier France Xavier Panseri Peugeot 207 S2000 2:01:42.3 1:35.6 12
5. Germany Hermann Gassner Germany Timo Gottschalk Škoda Fabia S2000 2:02:39.2 2:32.5 10
6. Hungary György Aschenbrenner Hungary Zsuzsa Pikó Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 2:02:44.9 2:38.2 8
7. Finland Toni Gardemeister Finland Tapio Suominen Škoda Fabia S2000 2:03:12.3 3:05.6 6
8. Hungary Róbert Bútor Hungary Igor Bacigál Peugeot 207 S2000 2:03:23.5 3:16.8 4
9. Portugal Bruno Magalhães Portugal Paulo Grave Peugeot 207 S2000 2:03:58.4 3:51.7 2
10. Austria Beppo Harrach Austria Andreas Schindlbacher Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 2:04:20.7 4:14.0 1

Special stages

Day Stage Time Name Length Winner Time Avg. spd. Rally leader
Leg 1
(10 September)		 SS1 9:08 Hetvehely 1 18.21 km Norway Andreas Mikkelsen 8:50.2 123.64 km/h Norway Andreas Mikkelsen
SS2 10:06 Orfű 1 28.00 km Norway Andreas Mikkelsen 14:16.4 117.70 km/h
SS3 12:34 Pécsvárad 1 12.00 km Czech Republic Jan Kopecký 6:46.0 106.40 km/h
SS4 13:37 Alsómocsolád 1 14.02 km Norway Andreas Mikkelsen 6:53.2 122.15 km/h
SS5 16:10 Hetvehely 2 18.21 km Czech Republic Jan Kopecký 8:47.6 124.25 km/h
SS6 17:08 Orfű 2 28.00 km Czech Republic Jan Kopecký 14:10.5 118.52 km/h
SS7 19:36 Pécsvárad 2 12.00 km Czech Republic Jan Kopecký 6:49.1 105.60 km/h
SS8 20:39 Alsómocsolád 2 14.02 km stage cancelled
Leg 2
(11 September)		 SS9 9:08 Zobák 1 12.00 km Norway Andreas Mikkelsen 6:51.2 105.06 km/h
SS10 9:51 Árpádtető 1 24.00 km Czech Republic Jan Kopecký
Norway Andreas Mikkelsen		 11:09.8 128.99 km/h
SS11 10:44 Nyárásvölgy 1 17.70 km Belgium Thierry Neuville 8:29.9 124.97 km/h
SS12 13:17 Zobák 2 12.00 km Belgium Thierry Neuville 6:48.4 105.78 km/h
SS13 14:00 Árpádtető 2 24.00 km Belgium Thierry Neuville 11:06.4 129.65 km/h Czech Republic Jan Kopecký
SS14 14:53 Nyárásvölgy 2 17.70 km Belgium Thierry Neuville 8:26.4 125.83 km/h

References

  1. 1 2 "Rally Itinerary" (PDF). mecsekrallye.hu. Mecsek Rallye. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  2. ↑ "Több ezer ember volt kíváncsi a rali felvezetésére" (in Hungarian). bama.hu. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  3. ↑ "Mecsek Rallye: Botkáék voltak a leggyorsabbak a prológon" (in Hungarian). bama.hu. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  4. ↑ "Due to safety reasons, the SS 8 (Alsómocsolád) is cancelled". mecsekrallye.hu. Mecsek Rallye. 10 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  5. ↑ "Mikkelsen crashes out". ircseries.com. Intercontinental Rally Challenge. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  6. ↑ "Kopecký's win, narrowly". ircseries.com. Intercontinental Rally Challenge. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2011.

External links

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