9.5.2010 - Final Stage Drama For Tuohino On Tough Rally New Zealand
Janne Tuohino has retired from the 40th Rally New Zealand after his engine failed at the start of the very last stage. He had battled into sixth position after a first day accident ended his hopes of another podium finish in the FIA S2000 World Championship. But, just as a finish was looking likely, his Fiesta dropped onto three cylinders at the start of the stage and the engine stopped completely just a couple of kilometres later.
Tuohino came to New Zealand with new co-driver Risto Pietiläinen and was searching for some better luck after a disappointing last round in Jordan, but he rolled on SS6 and the resulting time penalties put him out of contention for a decent finish.
Rally New Zealand was always going to be an extremely challenging event. With its new base in Auckland, the organisers made use of stages that hadn¹t been run since 2005. They also used three remote services, one per day, during the event meaning any mistake or error was going to be heavily punished.
And mistakes were very likely. The northern island¹s fast, cambered gravel roads have flowing bends and flat out blind crests waiting to catch out anyone with less than full concentration.
After a Ceremonial Start at Auckland¹s Viaduct Harbour the 54 crews took to the day one stages in the Whangarei region - and with 159km of rally action this was the longest day of the event.
The 11km Waipu Gorge test was first up and Tuohino set a solid third fastest time but still complained that his JanPro Ford Fiesta S2000 wasn¹t just set up exactly how he liked it. But by SS3 Bull, the longest of the rally at 32.56km, he was much more at ease and had found a fast, comfortable rhythm through the stage.
However, Tuohino¹s luck was not to last and he rolled his Fiesta into a ditch just 4km into SS6 Brooks 2 resulting in lots of panel damage and his retirement from the day one action.
The JanPro team worked hard during the night to get the car back into shape and Tuohino and Pietiläinen returned to the stages on day two but with over 15 minutes of SupeRally time penalties, the pair were way off the leading drivers.
The second day of Rally New Zealand took competitors to the south-west of rally base in Auckland to the Franklin and Waikato areas where they contested 155km of timed rally action.
Tuohino had a consistent day 2 but with both his confidence and the car dented from the earlier accident he elected to build the speed up slowly again. He used the day to get even more familiar with the S2000 Fiesta on fast gravel as a chance of a podium position was unrealistic.
With that in mind, the team used the final day¹s competitive distance to try out some different settings and to gain some further set-up information for later in the year. This was the shortest leg of the rally but featured two runs over the fantastic Whaanga Coast test, which hugs the coastline overlooking the Tasman Sea, and another remote service in Raglan.
Tuohino¹s times were much more respectable over the last few stages and, such was the competition in the S2000 class, he was one of three drivers separated by just 0.6s after the first pass through Whaanga Coast.
But the engine problem forced him into retirement and now leaves him eighth in the S2000 drivers¹ championship and the JanPro team sixth in the WRC Teams Cup.
The next event for Tuohino and the JanPro will be the hard, rocky, gravel roads of Rally Portugal on 28-30 May.
Janne Tuohino said: ³This wasn¹t really what I was expecting the event really hasn¹t gone well at all. We had a good speed on the first day but the accident was very frustrating. I thought after Jordan we had most of the season¹s bad luck behind us but it seems not yet. I struggled with my times on the second day and then today we just tried to find some different settings with the car and do some fast gravel testing. This result sets us back a lot in the championship now.²
Final Results
1. J Ketomaa/M Stenberg FIN Ford Fiesta S2000, 4h14m29.1s
2. X Pons/A Haro ESP Ford Fiesta S2000, +54.1s
3. M Prokop/J Tomanek CZE Ford Fiesta S2000, +1m14.0s
4. P Sandell/E Axelsson SWE Skoda Fabia S2000, +1m39.4s
5. N Al-Attiyah/G Bernacchini QAT Skoda Fabia S2000, +2m14.8s
8.5.2010 - Tuohino Consistent During Day Two New Zealand Action
Janne Tuohino finished the second day of Rally New Zealand in sixth position among the FIA S2000 World Championship runners rejoining the battle after yesterday¹s retirement.
After rolling out of the first day¹s action on the 40th running of this event, Tuohino and new co-driver Risto Pietiläinen set a string of consistent S2000 stage times during the leg¹s eight stages.
The second day of Rally New Zealand took competitors to the south-west of rally base in Auckland to the Franklin and Waikato areas where they contested 155km of timed rally action.
The first test of the day New Franklin provided an early morning wake up call to crews with nine kilometres of fast, flowing asphalt at the start of the stage. It started off a loop of four stages which were repeated in the afternoon and was split by another remote service this time at Hampton Downs motor racing circuit.
The circuit also hosted a super special stage which was run twice during the day and provided crews with even more asphalt action in a day full of typically fast, cambered gravel stages in New Zealand¹s north island.
After yesterday¹s problems, Tuohino started the day cautiously, unable to realistically catch the other S2000 crews in front due to his SupeRally time penalties. But he struggled to regain confidence on the demanding, high-commitment stages and his stage times weren¹t as high as he¹d liked.
The JanPro team had done a fantastic job overnight to repair the Ford Fiesta S2000 but it still bore scars of the first day battle. On SS14, the second running of Franklin, Tuohino had to battle with dust flowing into the cockpit through a gap caused by his roll yesterday.
But he set some solid times, especially through the day¹s longest test Te Akau Coast, and now remains in sixth, a long way off the leading bunch, going into the final day.
The last day of Rally New Zealand is the shortest at 81.7km but is no less challenging. Four stages on the western coast face the crews including two runs over the famous Whaanga Coast test which offers exciting panoramic views over the Tasman Sea. There¹s also a remote service at Raglan, the third of the rally, before competitors finish back at Auckland¹s Viaduct Harbour.
Janne Tuohino said: ³It wasn't such a good day but we survived and I¹m happy to have finished all the stages today. I tried to push hard but I was still losing time to the drivers I was competitive with yesterday and I can¹t explain the loss of time maybe it¹s my confidence. The team did a great job to get the car back together again but we will take a good look at it tonight to see if there¹s anything technical that¹s still not right after the accident yesterday.
Day 2 Results
1. J Ketomaa/M Stenberg FIN Ford Fiesta S2000, 3h13m53.1s
2. X Pons/A Haro ESP Ford Fiesta S2000, +1m09.4s
3. M Prokop/J Tomanek CZE Ford Fiesta S2000, +1m42.5s
4. P Sandell/E Axelsson SWE Skoda Fabia S2000, +2m00.5s
5. N Al-Attiyah/G Bernacchini QAT Skoda Fabia S2000, +2m06.7s
6. J Tuohino/R Pietiläinen FIN Ford Fiesta S2000, +23m13.8s
7.5.2010 - First Day Retirement for Tuohino in New Zealand
Janne Tuohino¹s challenge got off to a bad start on the first day of Rally New Zealand after sliding into a roadside ditch left him stranded and forced to retire from the opening day¹s action.
Together with new co-driver Risto Pietiläinen, the two Finns started the rally well with three third fastest FIA Super 2000 World Championship times in the morning¹s opening loop of four stages.
However, the problems started in stage 5 when the windscreen washers continuously poured water onto the screen. Then just four kilometres into the following test, Tuohino slid into a ditch, with the car resting on its side, and no way out.
The 40th Rally New Zealand kicked off with its 54 starters completing the Ceremonial Start activities alongside Auckland¹s harbour last night. But the rally burst into action this morning as crews tackled the fast, cambered, flowing roads that make this event a favourite among most competitors.
First up was the 11km Waipu Gorge test and Tuohino set a solid third fastest time but still complained that his JanPro Ford Fiesta S2000 wasn¹t just set up exactly how he liked it.
But by SS3 Bull, the longest of the rally at 32.56km, he was much more at ease and had found a fast, comfortable rhythm through the stage. After a brief 15 minute remote service in Whangarei crews set off for the afternoon tests and they weren¹t to go to plan for the flying Finns.
The first day of the event was billed to be the most challenging and offered competitors the highest amount of stage kilometres including two runs over Bull - the event¹s longest stage.
The rally is based in Auckland for the first time since 2005 and that allowed organisers to include classic northern tests that had not been used for a few years. Battle was fought out across the Whangarei and Kaipara districts located 100km north of Rally HQ in Auckland.
The afternoon¹s action finished with a night-time stage at the Auckland Domain, the public park in the centre of the city which hosted pre-event shakedown on Thursday afternoon.
Tuohino is hoping to rejoin the action tomorrow under SupeRally rules when the second day of Rally New Zealand takes competitors south-west of Auckland to the Franklin and northern Waikato areas and to stages last used in 2008. The day also includes two all-asphalt tests at the Hampton Downs motor racing circuit.
Janne Tuohino said: ³The day started off well and we built up a good pace over the first three stages. By stage 4 the feeling with the car was very good indeed and I was really enjoying the roads here the stages are amazing fun to drive on. But some problems started on stage 5 and then on the next stage we slid off the road not what I had planned for the first day of the rally.²
Day 1 Results
1. J Ketomaa/M Stenberg FIN Ford Fiesta S2000, 1h40m09.3s
2. X Pons/A Haro ESP Ford Fiesta S2000, +22.5s
3. M Prokop/J Tomanek CZE Ford Fiesta S2000, +1m02.4s
4. N Al-Attiyah/G Bernacchini QAT Skoda Fabia S2000, +1m10.1s
5. P Sandell/E Axelsson SWE Skoda Fabia S2000, +1m25.6s
6. A Llovera/B Rozada AND Ford Fiesta S2000, +12m52.5s
7. J Tuohino/R Pietiläinen FIN Ford Fiesta S2000, +20m27.8s
1.5.2010 - Tuohino Searches for New Luck with New Co-Driver in New Zealand
Janne Tuohino makes the long trip to the other side of the world for next week¹s Rally New Zealand with a new co-driver and he¹s searching for a better run of luck in his S2000 championship campaign.
After retirement from Rally Jordan, Tuohino needs a strong result in New Zealand and he¹s hoping Finnish co-driver Risto Pietiläinen will help him achieve just that.
Tuohino and 46-year-old Pietiläinen have competed together on two occasions in the past most recently on the 2006 Swedish Rally and they will contest the rally in their JanPro prepared Ford Fiesta S2000. They will join three other Fiesta drivers and six other S2000 crews next week during the 396km of action that will make Rally New Zealand one of the longest rallies in the championship.
Next week¹s rally will be Tuohino¹s third round in the FIA Super 2000 World Championship and he currently sits in sixth position mainly due to a second placed finish on round one in Sweden.
The event is really pushing the limits, offering challenging terrain and some classic high-speed stages. Remote services on all three days allow crews to take in tests as far north as Whangarei on Friday, and cover the ultra-picturesque Whaanga Coast roads, that hug the Tasman Sea, on Sunday.
There are also two Super Special Stages, one at Hampton Downs race circuit and the other in Auckland Domain, the city¹s oldest park, which also doubles as Shakedown. The Service Park is based at Auckland¹s Queens Wharf allowing the city¹s residents excellent access to the WRC stars.
New Zealand is famed for its fast gravel roads with lots of cambered corners helping drivers to maintain high speeds through the flowing bends. Its sweeping stages with blind crests and fast jumps make it a favourite amongst most WRC drivers.
Conditions are similar to Tuohino¹s Finland home and when the rally kicks off from its new base in Auckland on Friday morning he will be hoping that his experience on fast gravel will help him along.
Friday is possibly a chance for the pair to excel. Tuohino competed on this event in 2005 and most of the day 1 stages are identical to that year. However, Friday also sees two runs over the event¹s longest stage, the 32.56km Bull test.
But it¹s the event¹s high speeds that make it so unpredictable - one small mistake on the swift southern hemisphere stages and you could end up amongst the island¹s lush green countryside.
Janne Tuohino said:
³I competed here in 2005 which is a few years ago but it¹s good that the rally has returned north to use some of those old stages again. The roads are great in New Zealand very fast and similar to Finland and I believe
we have a good setting to start the rally. Part of the test we did in Greece earlier in the year was on fast roads so we should have a good feeling I hope. Risto is co-driving with me now for the next two rallies and I hope his large WRC experience will help out.²
Event Information
Date: 7-9 May, 2010
Round: 4 of 13 FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship
Based: Auckland, New Zealand
Stage surface: Gravel
Total stage distance: 396.5kms
Number of stages: 21
Longest stage: 32.56km Bull (SS3/SS6)
Service Park: Queens Wharf, Auckland
