A PERFECT END TO THE SEASON FOR ALISTAIR FISHER

Winner at the last round in France, Alastair Fisher notched up a second consecutive victory as he prevailed in the FIA WRC Junior class at Wales Rally GB.

 

A PERFECT END TO THE SEASON FOR ALASTAIR FISHER

• Winner at the last round in France, Alastair Fisher notched up a second consecutive victory as he prevailed in the FIA WRC Junior class at Wales Rally GB.
• The podium was completed by Martin Koci and Henri Haapamaki.
• Stéphane Lefebvre won the FIA Junior WRC title, ahead of Alastair Fisher and Martin Koci*. He will drive a DS3 R5 in the FIA WRC2 championship next season!

 

Already assured of the FIA Junior WRC and FIA WRC3 titles*, Stéphane Lefebvre was competing at Wales Rally GB in a DS3 R5 in the WRC2 category. Alongside experienced co-driver Stéphane Prévot, he ended the event in eleventh place, after rejoining under Rally2 rules.

In their DS3 R3s, the seven crews competing in the final round of the FIA Junior WRC battled it out in the heart of the Welsh countryside. British driver Alastair Fisher, the Frenchman Quentin Giordano and the Slovakian Martin Koci were all still in contention to finish as runner-up in the championship.

On the opening stage, Alastair Fisher wasted no time in establishing an early lead. Winner of the last round in France, the Brit was the first out of the blocks here, beating Finnish newcomer Henri Haapamaki, Martin Koci, Quentin Giordano and Simone Tempestini.

And although Martin Koci responded on SS2, Alastair Fisher then claimed two further stage wins before the midday service period to put himself 13 seconds clear of Koci and 41 ahead of Tempestini. Haapamaki picked up two punctures, meaning he trailed the leader by over a minute.

In the afternoon, Alastair Fisher extended his lead. After stopping on a stage for a minute, Martin Koci dropped down to fourth place before going back on the attack. At the end of the first day of racing, Alastair Fisher was more than a minute clear of Henri Haapamaki, Martin Koci and Simone Tempestini, who were all bunched together, separated by less than six seconds.

Unfortunately, Quentin Giordano’s day came to a premature end. The Frenchman broke a wheel after a roll and had to rejoin under Rally2 regulations.

Alastair Fisher kept his rivals at bay throughout day two. With a lead of more than a minute, he kept an eye on the scrap for second between Martin Koci and Henri Haapamaki. The Slovakian and the Finn claimed almost all of the stage wins between them. However, a minor mistake by Haapamaki saw him drop down to fourth on Saturday evening, behind Fisher, Koci and Tempestini.

Third ahead of Sunday’s final leg, Simone Tempestini was quickly forced to retire due to a problem connecting the waste gate’s solenoid valve tube. Haapamaki thus inherited third position. The overall standings remained otherwise unchanged after the final day’s stages.

Alastair Fisher, leader from start to finish, secured the win ahead of Martin Koci, Henri Haapamaki, the Australian Molly Taylor, the Pole Aron Domzala and Quentin Giordano.

Thanks to his second consecutive win, Alastair Fisher ended the season as runner-up in the FIA Junior WRC, just one point behind the champion, Stéphane Lefebvre. With three podium finishes, including one win, Martin Koci ended the year in third position, ahead of Quentin Giordano.

France won the Nations Trophy, with Great Britain second and Slovakia third.

 QUOTE, UNQUOTE

 Alastair Fisher: “We achieved the target that we had set ourselves for this rally. We didn’t make any mistakes. That was the key to winning here in Wales. This 2014 season has been very positive. We’ve shown that we had the pace to win. It’s just a shame that we made a mistake in Portugal. But we’re very pleased to win in France and here at home, they have definitely been the highlights of this year. I hope I can keep improving next year; I feel I’m ready to step up to the FIA WRC2 championship.”

 FINAL PROVISIONAL STANDINGS

1.     Alastair Fisher / Gordon Noble 3:31:20.1

2.     Martin Koci / Lukas Kostka +1:18.8
3. Henri Haapamaki / Marko Salminen +2:54.5
4. Molly Taylot / Seb Marshall +4:37.1
5. Aron Domzala / Szymon Gospodarczyk +6:11.8
6. Quentin Giordano / Valentin Sarreaud +38:37.7

 FASTEST TIMES

Martin Koci, 7 (including 1 tied) – Alastair Fisher, 6 – Henri Haapamaki, 6 (including 1 tied) – Quentin Giordano, 3

 LEADERS

SS1 to SS23 (finish): Alastair Fisher