SIX HONDA CIVIC TYPE R ENTRIES AIM TO FINISH ON A HIGH IN SCOTLAND
A total of six Honda Civic Type Rs will be in action on the Rally of
Scotland this weekend, the final round of this year's Intercontinental
Rally Challenge from November 19-21.
Heading the Honda entry is Estonian driver Kaspar Koitla. He finished an
astonishing eighth overall on the Rally Russia earlier this year, scoring
overall driver points as well as winning the two-wheel drive
classification. Accordingly, Koitla starts as car number 12 on the event,
co-driven by Andres Ots.
Teenager Martin Kangur, a protege of World Rally Championship driver Urmo
Aava, is another Estonian expected to do well in a Honda Civic Type R R3
on the quick gravel roads of Scotland.
Hungarian driver Laszlo Vizin is currently third overall in the IRC 2WD
Cup, thanks to a second-place finish on the Barum Rally Zlin in the Czech
Republic earlier this year and another points-scoring finish in Sanremo,
Italy. While Vizin has proved his pace on asphalt, Scottish gravel will
be a new challenge.
His compatriots Janos Puskadi and Levai Ferenc will also be taking the
start of the Scottish event in their Honda Civic Type Rs, having mostly
contested the Hungarian Championship this year.
Finally, local interest comes from Scotland's Colin Smith, making his
debut at the wheel of a Group N Honda Civic Type R. The 22-year-old is
stepping up to international competition for the first time and is
looking forward to discovering the capabilities of his new car on
familiar roads. "We're convinced the Honda Civic is the right tool for
the job," he said. "Having seen the results other people have scored in
Hondas, it seemed like the best option."
William De Braekeleer, Honda Motor Europe's Motorsport Manager,
commented: "We are absolutely delighted to see such a healthy turn-out of
customers in the Honda Civic Type R. With so many Civic Type R entries,
Honda stands a good chance of securing the runner-up spot in the IRC 2WD
Cup. That would be a great achievement, but most importantly we're
looking forward to putting on a show for the many fans we have in
Scotland. I'm sure that all the Honda crews will be eager to demonstrate
their very best driving skills!"
The Rally of Scotland, which takes place on flowing gravel roads north of
Edinburgh, gets underway with an evening spectator superspecial through
the grounds of Scone Palace in Perth on Thursday 19 November. The event
is due to finish in the afternoon of Saturday 21 November outside
Stirling Castle, after 13 tough stages and 210 competitive kilometres.
Adding to the challenge of this notoriously difficult event will be some
long night stages and unpredictable weather.
Alessandro Mariani, the team principal of JAS Motorsport, which builds
the Honda Civic Type R R3 in Italy and will provide full technical
support for Honda customers at the event, said: "We're really looking
forward to this event. The Civic Type R has always been very strong in
the IRC and it should be extremely well suited to the fast roads of
Scotland. I'd like to thank all our customers for their loyal support
throughout the year and wish them the very best of luck on this
challenging rally."
The Rally of Scotland will be broadcast live on Eurosport with commentary
from 2001 World Champion co-driver Robert Reid, and live stage times can
be followed on www.rallyscotland.tv or www.rally-irc.com
-credit: jasmotorsport
