PoR Sustains Points Rebound in Week 41

[spspears]

A solid team effort in week 40 of the RSRBR Championships inched Press on! Rallysport a little closer to its goal of finishing in the top half of the 2010 Stable standings. This week we were able to make up 285 points and now trail 24th place by 830. It was also the second week in a row where the team scored more than 450 points, continuing a strong recovery from our season low in Week 38.

[YOUTUBE]ETqMFacAki8[/YOUTUBE]

In all, eight drivers hit the stages in five separate rallies. Rick and Steven accompanied our new recruit Greg to the Rallye Terre des Cardabelles, the penultimate round of the France Gravel Championship. After Greg led the team points in his first week, we wanted to see just what he had up his sleeve. Cardabelles was comprised of 10 stages that included a bit of everything, from mountain switchbacks to high-speed bumps and jumps.

Rick had an excellent first leg in his Subaru Impreza WRC 2006, climbing into the top 50 overall. Despite a few problems on Leg 2, he was able to hold his position, finishing 45th overall and 17th in the A8W class.

Steven competed in class R2 and the Citroёn Racing Trophy in his C2 R2 Max. His times weren't spectacular, but he was able to keep the car on the road where others in his class could not. By the end of the rally, he worked his way up to 92nd overall and onto the R2 podium with a 3rd place finish. That result also moved him into 3rd (albeit a distant 3rd) in class R2 for the year – a good rebound after two disappointing showings early on.

Greg continued his immediate contribution to the team by driving within his limits and bringing his Super 2000 FIAT Grande Punto home mostly in one piece. He finished 135th overall and 17th in the A7S class, the lone FIAT in a sea of Peugeot 207s.

Highest overall finish this week went to Jerry, who was 24th at the Rallye Mollerussa of the Catalan Championship. Jerry samples just about all of the WRC cars, and this time he hit the stages in a Peugeot 307 WRC 2004. After a slow start on SS1 put him down the standings, he set fast times the rest of the way, including 8th overall on SS8. By the final control, he had moved to 14th in the top A8W class.

Our two resident autocrossers, Justin and Bryan, headed to the Rallye des Bauges in the mountains of eastern France. Hairpins and rain were the order of the day in this all or nothing three stage sprint. Justin is in his element on rainy, twisty tarmac, but after posting the 14th fastest time on SS1, he had a quick spin on each of the last two stages. Still, he ended up with a good result - 76th overall and 16th in class A8. Bryan was a little less enthusiastic about the conditions, but ran a clean final two stages to finish close behind in 86th overall and 10th in class N4.

This week Bret ran the second France Cup event of the weekend, the Ronde Montbrisonnaise. He was still having a bit of trouble adjusting to the Peugeot 306 S16, and had to take a time penalty for car repairs after damaging the gearbox on SS4. He made it to the finish in 144th overall and 11th in class N3.

Finally, Aaron was back for what will be a number of late-season rallies in Madagascar. This time it was the Trophee Zazamaditra, in which all competitors used identical 1.9L Peugeot 205 GTIs. Unfortunately, he missed the final turn to the finish on SS4 and received a DNF due to a quirk of RSRBR. Aaron was disappointed, but he'll have several more opportunities on the other two Madagascar championships where he has more at stake. He is currently tied for first in class N1 for the Dirt and Dust Tour and tied for third in the N1 MRC Championship.

Here are the numbers...Good luck everyone in Week 41!