2011 Mecsek Rallye
The Canon Mecsek Rallye 45th 2011 was the eighth round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge 2011. The rally was held from 9 to 11 September 2011 at the Mecsek Mountains in Hungary.
Background
The Mecsek Rally in 2011 was for the first time in the calendar of the IRC. The paddock was in Pécs at the foot of the Mecsek Mountains. In the old city of Pécs, the rally on September 9 was opened and the shake down discharged. On the following two days of actual competition took place. The program consisted of 14 stages covering 251.86 km. After the cancellation of a test finally 237.84 timed kilometers were traveled.
Hazards was on paved roads that allowed an unusually high pace. At no rating test, the average speed of the fastest was under 105 km / h Maximum even nearly 130 km / h were achieved. In this regard, the Mecsek Rallye was about on a level with the Rally Finland, the fastest rally in the calendar of the FIA World Rally Championship.
Juho Hänninen For, the leader of the championship before the rally, his employer Škoda had planned no use in the Mecsek rally. The rest of the top pilots of the IRC, however, were all represented at the start. Škoda Germany led again his two Škoda Fabia S2000 for the pilot, Matthias Kahle and Mark Wall wine. In addition, Red Bull Škoda Hermann Gassner junior gave his first appearance in the IRC. Felix Herbold also took the fourth German in his Ford Fiesta S2000 at the Rallye part. For Austria the local championship leader Beppo Harrach traveled with his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. In the ranking of the IRC launched a total of 47 teams of the rally, of which 31 reached the final destination.
Course
At the start of the rally Skoda UK driver Andreas Mikkelsen presented a high tempo and immediately sat down at the top of the standings. He built his pad to the first runner- Thierry Neuville in the Peugeot 207 S2000 gradually over 14 seconds. From the third special stage Skoda factory driver Kopecký January increased the pressure. He now achieved some personal bests and had already advanced to the second place in the overall standings after the fifth test. In WP5 so far also well-positioned Guy Wilks and local hero Frigyes Turán had to bow out. While at Wilks Peugeot a water leak had caused an engine failure, Turán failed because of an accident. After seven special stages, the first day had been completed, because WP8 had to be canceled for safety reasons. By the end of the first day Kopecký had his deficit reduced to Mikkelsen temporarily 16.5 seconds to 8.7 seconds. In third place followed Neuville, who had already lost some of the connection and was now 21.4 seconds behind the leader.
On the morning of the second day Andreas Mikkelsen attacked again and sat down further by Kopecký from. He then proceeded to manage his comfortable lead, and already looked like the sure winner. But on WP13 lost the young Norwegian in a slippery curve control of his Skoda and slammed into a tree, which meant the end of the rally for him. New leader was now January Kopecký. In second place was now followed Thierry Neuville, who deposed WP11 continuously record times and tried Kopecký trap yet. Despite 8.1 seconds residue before the last special stage Neuville finally came up to Kopecký still to 0.8 seconds. This was the up to this point closest finish in the history of IRC. With his second win in a row Kopecký took the lead in the championship. Freddy Loix finished third with a minute behind the winner. A good rally drove Hermann Gassner junior, who crossed the finish line in fifth place. Beppo Harrach was tenth and thus secured just under the last point. While Mark Wallenwein 14th was to beech, Matthias Kahle finished the rally in 19th place in the ranking of the IRC. Felix Herbold, who was last in 13th place, still fell on the last special stage of having a defective alternator.