30.5.2010 - Mixed Fortunes for Tuohino on Rally Portugal
Janne Tuohino finished eighth in the FIA S2000 World Rally Championship after three tough days at Rally Portugal. He achieved his aim of making it to the finish of the event but a steering problem on the second day ended his chances of a podium finish to help get his championship challenge back on track.
After retirements on the last two WRC events in Jordan and New Zealand, Tuohino had hoped for better luck in Portugal but the tough conditions that the rally is famous for made things difficult for the flying Finn.
Tuohino¹s fourth round of the championship started on Thursday night at the Algarve Stadium near Faro with a 2km Super Special asphalt stage. But the real action took place in the hills to the north of Rally HQ where crews were faced with fast, technical roads with an extremely hard base.
Tyre wear was worse than normal due to the abrasive road surface and Tuohino had to manage his Pirelli tyres carefully to ensure maximum grip levels across the weekend.
Together with co-driver Risto Pietiläinen, Tuohino elected to have a steady first day, steer clear of problems and rack up some strong times and most of the day went according to that plan. A string of top-five stage times signalled a solid start to the rally but a right rear puncture on the last stage of the day, the 21km long Silves, caused damage to the driveshaft. The time loss dropped the pair from fourth and they went into day two in fifth position.
The JanPro team had repaired the Ford Fiesta S2000 after its first day problems in readiness for what was to be a tough, long second day. Day two of Rally Portugal was the longest of the event with 135km spread over six stages including two passes over the rally¹s longest stage.
And it was this test, Almodovar at 26.2km in length, which caused immediate problems for Tuohino when the steering rack jammed. This issue lasted for most of the loop of three stages and dropped him right back down the order after losing around 16 minutes over the three tests.
The afternoon proved better though when more top-five times on stages 11 and 12 elevated Tuohino to eighth. A steady run through the shorter final San Bras de Alportel stage moved him up another place to end the disappointing day in seventh.
But Tuohino kept the best until last and recorded a second, third and fourth stage times on the first three stages of the short final day rounding off the event in eighth position. The result leaves Tuohino ninth in the championship standings and JanPro team seventh in the WRC Teams Cup.
The next outing for the team will be their home event Neste Oil Rally Finland which runs from 29-31 July.
Janne Tuohino said: ³We started off the rally with an easy pace because I wanted to try and get through this one with no problems. The first day was good and I was happy with the pace until the last stage when the puncture caused some problems. The lost time on Saturday morning dropped us so far back that we had no chance of making it back. But the times on Sunday were really good. The conditions were hard here and that makes me look forward now to Rally Finland.²
Final Results
1. J Ketomaa/M Stenberg FIN Ford Fiesta S2000, 4h07m36.1s
2. X Pons/A Haro ESP Ford Fiesta S2000, +3m32.2s
3. M Kosciuszo/M Szczepaniak POL Skoda Fabia S2000, +5m27.4s
4. B Sousa/N Da Silva PRT Ford Fiesta S2000 +9m21.3s
5. P-G Andersson/A Fredriksson SWE Skoda Fabia S2000 +15m47.3s
6. V Pascoal/M Castro PRT Peugeot 207 S2000 +21m19.3s
7. N Al-Attiyah/G Bernacchini QAT Ford Fiesta S2000 +22m44.2s
8. J Tuohino/R Pietiläinen FIN Ford Fiesta S2000 +28m07.9s
Super2000 WRC standings after WRC Portugal:
1. Xavi Pons, Ford Fiesta S2000, 86 points
2. Jari Ketomaa, Ford Fiesta S2000, 58 points
3. Per-Gunnar Andersson, Skoda Fabia S2000, 50 points
4. Martin Prokop, Ford Fiesta S2000, 48 points
5. Eyvind Brynildsen, Skoda Fabia S2000, 40 points
6. Patrik Sandell, Skoda Fabia S2000, 34 points
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9. Janne Tuohino, Ford Fiesta S2000, 22 points
29.5.2010 - Tuohino Steers Into Trouble in Portugal¹s Second Day
After a positive start to Rally Portugal on day one yesterday, Janne Tuohino was unable to match the fine form today after a problem with the steering rack on the first loop of stages dropped him right back down the order and out of contention for the rally win.
Tuohino was concentrating on getting to the end of this event without any problems but the steering problem today has seen him drop back down the order into seventh place with just one day left to go.
The battle in the FIA S2000 World Rally Championship intensified in the heat of Portugal¹s Algarve region today as crews tackled the longest day of the rally.
The 135km of action was split into two loops of three stages to the north of Rally HQ, including two runs over the event¹s longest stage Almodovar at 26.2km. Today was always going to be the toughest for competitors as the fierce heat and hard-based gravel roads caused excessive tyre wear on the Pirelli Scorpion tyres.
Many drivers experienced problems today and that caused the top-three overall places to change constantly during the action. And Tuohino was not to escape, a problem with his steering rack right from the start today dropping him nearly four minutes to the leaders on the day¹s opening test.
The time loss continued throughout the first loop as he, and co-driver Risto Pietiläinen, dropped a further 12 minutes over the next two stages returning back to Service at the Algarve Stadium down in ninth position.
But the JanPro team mechanics set about to sort the offending part and got the Ford Fiesta S2000 back to full health and out to tackle the afternoon¹s repeat loop of tests. They were even more challenging than the morning with the abrasive roads playing havoc with tyre wear and giving drivers less grip than normal.
Tuohino was quick to settle back into his pace from yesterday and posted top-five times on stages 11 and 12 to help him climb back up to eighth position. A steady run through the shorter final San Bras de Alportel stage moved him up another place to end the disappointing day in seventh.
The last day of the event tomorrow features just 89km, with two passes over two different stages before crews return back to the Algarve Stadium for a final blast through the 2km asphalt Super Special stage.
Janne Tuohino said: ³This has been a very difficult rally. I knew that today was the hardest and a lot of the other drivers have had problems. But ours lasted for most of the morning and today was long so we couldn¹t fix it until the Service after three stages. I wasn¹t pushing the car hard as the aim was to get through with no problems.²
Day 2 Results
1. J Ketomaa/M Stenberg FIN Ford Fiesta S2000, 3h00m39.0s
2. X Pons/A Haro ESP Ford Fiesta S2000, +3m08.7s
3. M Kosciuszo/M Szczepaniak POL Skoda Fabia S2000, +5m20.8s
4. B Sousa/N Da Silva PRT Ford Fiesta S2000, +8m19.8s
5. P-G Andersson/A Fredriksson SWE Skoda Fabia S2000, +17m09.0s
6. V Pascoal/M Castro PRT Peugeot 207 S2000, +18m21.4s
7. J Tuohino/R Pietiläinen FIN Ford Fiesta S2000, +23m35.6s
8. N Al-Attiyah/G Bernacchini QAT Ford Fiesta S2000, +25m19.5s
28.5.2010 - Tuohino Starts Well in Tough Rally Portugal
Janne Tuohino got his Rally Portugal challenge off to a solid start as he lies in fifth position in the FIA S2000 World Rally Championship after the first full day of competition.
After early retirements in the last two rounds of the series, Tuohino and co-driver Risto Pietiläinen were focused on a mistake free start and they did just that with a string of top five stage times during the day.
The only problem was a right, rear puncture on the last stage which caused damage to the driveshaft and dropped the crew some valuable time.
The action started last night with an opening Super Special stage in the Algarve Stadium, where crews were paired together in a high-speed battle around the exciting track.
But the real rally began this morning when Tuohino set out to take on today¹s six stages. The day consisted of a loop of three different stages completed twice once in the morning and again in the afternoon and totalled 130km.
Tuohino was fifth quickest on the opening stage Santa Clara but went faster than current championship leader Xevi Pons on stage three Ourique to move up into fourth position overall.
He continued to trade times with Pons all day, maintaining a strong pace but electing to get to the end of the day rather than push hard for faster times. The unfortunate problem on the last timed test today dropped Tuohino back down to fifth though after dropping 40 seconds to the leaders.
It was a tough first day in Portugal with hot, sunny conditions really testing the drivers and the hard-based surface of the stages pushed the Pirelli Scorpion tyres to the limit.
Drivers had to be clever to manage their tyres and change them between stages to ensure the highest levels of grip throughout the day. The roads in the hills to the north of rally base in Faro are tough going, providing drivers with a mix of fast, wide stages and narrow, sandy sections.
But Tuohino and the JanPro team have handled the situation well and are well placed for the second¹s day action. Their Ford Fiesta S2000 has run faultlessly all day and the action is set to hot up tomorrow with all 10 of the registered S2000 series crews still in with a chance of claiming victory on Sunday.
Tomorrow is the longest day of the rally and features 135km of action including two runs over the longest stage of the event, Almodovar, at 26.2km.
Janne Tuohino said: ³I¹m happy to get past the first day here after the problems on the last few events. This is a tough rally and we didn¹t aim to go fast right from the very start. We still have some more speed left and tomorrow is going to be harder and the stages are rougher so I would expect more people to have problems. So we still need to keep concentrating and make sure there are no mistakes.²
Day 1 Results
1. J Ketomaa/M Stenberg FIN Ford Fiesta S2000, 1h25m00.5s
2. N Al-Attiyah/G Bernacchini QAT Ford Fiesta S2000, +23.2s
3. P-G Andersson/A Fredriksson SWE Skoda Fabia S2000, +36.8s
4. X Pons/A Haro ESP Ford Fiesta S2000, +1m44.2s
5. J Tuohino/R Pietiläinen FIN Ford Fiesta S2000, +2m18.9s
6. M Kosciuszo/M Szczepaniak POL Skoda Fabia S2000, +2m47.3s
7. B Sousa/N Da Silva PRT Ford Fiesta S2000, +4m16.8s
8. V Pascoal/M Castro PRT Peugeot 207 S2000, +7m56.4s
20.5.2010 - Tuohino Aims to Get S2000 Challenge Back on Track
After two championship rounds that they would rather forget, Janne Tuohino and the JanPro Rally Team are off to Rally Portugal next week to get their championship challenge back on track.
The event is Tuohino¹s fourth round in the FIA S2000 World Rally Championship and fellow countryman Risto Pietiläinen will once again partner the Finn.
Tuohino started the championship well with a second place on the opening round at Rally Sweden but his championship hopes were set back in Jordan and New Zealand after retirements on both events left him down in eighth in the S2000 championship.
His early exit in New Zealand a few weeks ago was due to a high-speed accident then a terminal engine problem and the JanPro team have been working frantically to repair the Fiesta and rebuild the 2 litre normally-aspirated engine.
But coming away with a strong result in Portugal will be no easy task. With nine other S2000 crews and the tough Portugal gravel rounds to contend with, Tuohino and Pietiläinen will need to make the most of their WRC experience.
Tuohino knows Portugal well, though, and he finished second overall in 2006 when the rally was running as a WRC candidate event.
The rally is based at the Algarve Stadium, just outside Faro on the country¹s southern Algarve coast. Normally a popular tourist region, next week will be no holiday for the Finnish crew when the action kicks off on Thursday night.
Portugal is a country with a long rallying tradition and was considered one of the most difficult and notorious rallies on the WRC calendar - but the event has been based in Algarve for just a few years. Last year¹s edition was one of the highlights of the 2009 season and next week¹s event is hoping to build on that successful theme.
The action starts on Thursday night and finishes on Sunday afternoon with the exciting 2km asphalt Super Special stage that takes place inside the Algarve Stadium. But most of the weekend¹s battles will be played out on the tough, hard-based gravel roads that Portugal is most famous for.
The rally route takes competitors high into the Serra do Calseirao hills to the north of Faro and onto a mix of wide, high-speed and slower, narrow tests. The roads are mainly hard and will prove a tough challenge for the Pirelli tyres that the JanPro team will equip their Ford Fiesta S2000 rally car with.
The event features a total of 355km of rally action split over 18 stages, with Day 2 on Saturday being the longest of the weekend. It offers crews 135km including two runs over the longest stage of the event, Almodovar, at 26.2km.
Janne Tuohino said: ³We are all ready for Portugal. It¹s been hard work but the car is back together again and the engine has been repaired. The last two rallies have not been so good for us so we really need to concentrate on getting through Rally Portugal and collecting some good points. Some of the other drivers may have better experience here than me but I just need to focus on the stages and the job. Everything is good with Risto he has some good ideas and his experience is helping.²
Event Information
Date: 27-30 May, 2010
Round: 5 of 13 FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship
Based: Algarve, Portugal
Stage surface: Gravel
Total stage distance: 355.32kms
Number of stages: 18
Longest stage: 26.2km Almodover (SS8/SS11)
Service Park: Algarve Stadium, Faro
