Motorsport News
Arminen finishes 6th aboard Impreza at IRC in Sardinia
June 8, 2010
Round five of the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), the "Rally d'Italia Sardegna" took place from 4-6 June on the Italian island of Sardinia.
The terrain on Sardinia is ordinarily of a hard base, rock-strewn and with stages that are fast and narrow. They are characterized by their varied nature with water splashes in woodlands and spectacular jumps. Ruts could be a concern after the first pass, and some softened parts of the route have softer ground. Due to recent heavy rainfall, some parts of the stages were damaged and organisers had to carry out emergency repair work.
The rally kicked off with the Ceremonial Start on the 4th of June in the capital Cagliari, in the south of the island. However, Super SS (SS1), scheduled to follow the opening ceremony, was cancelled. Day 1 consisted of 6 SS on the 5th of June followed by another 6 SS on the Day 2. Each of the six stages was run twice. The total competitive distance was 216.7 kms.
A total of 8 SUBARU runners entered this event. Finnish Teemu Arminen, driving a Tommi Makinen Racing (TMR)-prepared Impreza WRX STI, was the series leader in the Italian Gravel Rally Trophy, for which this rally counted with double points. From the same series, SUBARU compatriots Alessandro Bruschetta and Luigi Ricci also made the entry. Additionally, P-WRC competitor Italian Gianluca Linari participated in his home event as well.
Before the start, Arminen commented:"We have to concentrate on the Italian Gravel Championship. It would be nice to keep the gap to the IRC top drivers in the IRC." Arminen concentrated on his own target, showing a consistent run throughout the weekend. On SS2, which was effectively the opening stage, he set the 8th-fastest time. As conditions became rougher he still continued to set respectable stage times and finished Day 1 in 6th place. He maintained his pace and moved up to 5th at one point, benefiting from a retirement among the top runners. However, having his priority on the national championship, he moved back to 6th place overall, where he eventually finished.
"The main point was the Italian championship, and sixth place overall is a very nice result," commented Arminen. He gained IRC points and was given the SUBARU IRC Challenge award as the highest-finishing SUBARU. He also secured the Italian Gravel Rally Trophy title with two rounds remaining when his closest rival retired from the event.
As 7th place SUBARU competitor Luigi Ricci finished, achieving IRC points. Alessandro Filippo Bordignon was 9th, and Gianluca Linari came in 10th, that is, resulted in total 4 SUBARU competitors in the top 10.
The terrain on Sardinia is ordinarily of a hard base, rock-strewn and with stages that are fast and narrow. They are characterized by their varied nature with water splashes in woodlands and spectacular jumps. Ruts could be a concern after the first pass, and some softened parts of the route have softer ground. Due to recent heavy rainfall, some parts of the stages were damaged and organisers had to carry out emergency repair work.
The rally kicked off with the Ceremonial Start on the 4th of June in the capital Cagliari, in the south of the island. However, Super SS (SS1), scheduled to follow the opening ceremony, was cancelled. Day 1 consisted of 6 SS on the 5th of June followed by another 6 SS on the Day 2. Each of the six stages was run twice. The total competitive distance was 216.7 kms.
A total of 8 SUBARU runners entered this event. Finnish Teemu Arminen, driving a Tommi Makinen Racing (TMR)-prepared Impreza WRX STI, was the series leader in the Italian Gravel Rally Trophy, for which this rally counted with double points. From the same series, SUBARU compatriots Alessandro Bruschetta and Luigi Ricci also made the entry. Additionally, P-WRC competitor Italian Gianluca Linari participated in his home event as well.
Before the start, Arminen commented:"We have to concentrate on the Italian Gravel Championship. It would be nice to keep the gap to the IRC top drivers in the IRC." Arminen concentrated on his own target, showing a consistent run throughout the weekend. On SS2, which was effectively the opening stage, he set the 8th-fastest time. As conditions became rougher he still continued to set respectable stage times and finished Day 1 in 6th place. He maintained his pace and moved up to 5th at one point, benefiting from a retirement among the top runners. However, having his priority on the national championship, he moved back to 6th place overall, where he eventually finished.
"The main point was the Italian championship, and sixth place overall is a very nice result," commented Arminen. He gained IRC points and was given the SUBARU IRC Challenge award as the highest-finishing SUBARU. He also secured the Italian Gravel Rally Trophy title with two rounds remaining when his closest rival retired from the event.
As 7th place SUBARU competitor Luigi Ricci finished, achieving IRC points. Alessandro Filippo Bordignon was 9th, and Gianluca Linari came in 10th, that is, resulted in total 4 SUBARU competitors in the top 10.