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| · 2013 Formula One F1 Driver Line-up, Rumor Round-up & 2014 Silly Season Rumors - February 10th (Feb 10, 2013)
· 2013 Formula One F1 Driver Line-up, Rumor Round-up & 2014 Silly Season Rumors - February 9th (Feb 9, 2013)
· 2013 Jerez: Formula One F1 Friday Test Results - Raikkonen, Lotus Fastest! (Feb 8, 2013)
· 2013 Jerez: Formula One F1 Thursday Test Results - Massa, Ferrari Fastest! (Feb 7, 2013)
· 2013 Jerez: Formula One (F1) Wednesday Test Results - Grosjean, Lotus Fastest! (Feb 6, 2013)
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DMACK Celebrates New Year With Improved WRC Pace
Anglo-Chinese tyre manufacturer DMACK has marked the Chinese New Year today by continuing its fine run of top-ten finishes in the FIA World Rally Championship. After an impeccable drive on this weekend’s Rally Sweden, Martin Prokop’s seventh overall is the tyre manufacturer’s fourth top-ten result in the last four world rally events.
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The winter rally was a success for DMACK after the team struggled on last year’s snow event. But a focus on technical development during the year saw its much-improved DMG-ICE studded winter tyre help deliver some impressive stage times and performances.
The new tyre features an open V pattern to deal with loose snow and 384 metal pins, each 6.5mm in length, to bite into ice – but it was the new technique by which pins are inserted into the tyre which made the greatest difference. In conjunction with its motorsport partners in Finland, DMACK developed a unique in-house studding system which saw enhanced levels of stud retention. The tyre also benefitted from a new compound and stiffer construction to give drivers increased traction and stud performance on ice and frozen gravel.
Initially DMACK’s hopes were rested on Finn Jari Ketomaa who was on top form after a stunning overall victory on the Rally Liepāja-Ventspils last weekend. But, after setting some impressive times on the opening stages, a broken driveshaft on his Autotek Ford Fiesta RS WRC forced him to retire from day one action. His problems were compounded when co-driver Kaj Lindstom lost his voice and the pair were unable to restart this morning.
Norwegian Eyvind Brynildsen, DMACK’s other Scandinavian star, surprised everyone with his day one times. Proving DMACK’s improved pace on snow, he posted stunning WRC2 stage times before also succumbing to mechanical woes.
That left Prokop, in another Fiesta WRC, and Motorsport Italia driver Michal Kosciuszko in his Lotos MINI WRC to carry the mantle. The tricky mix of rutted frozen roads and loose snow delivered some tough winter conditions, but Prokop never put a wheel wrong all weekend. His seventh place finish also elevates him to seventh overall in the drivers’ championship. Kosciuszko had some problems on the first day but his speed improved significantly over the weekend.
The results, however, mark a much-improved step-up in performance from DMACK. Its focus on learning at the top of the sport is paying dividends with super results on the first two specialist events of the championship. DMACK now heads to Rally Mexico where the more traditional gravel roads could see the fine collection of top-tens keep rolling in.
Dick Cormack, DMACK motorsport director, said: “Ever since we entered the WRC in 2011, DMACK has constantly been developing and evolving its tyres in front of the world’s media. This weekend’s results again confirm our ongoing improvement and, importantly, increasing positive feedback from WRC drivers. Some of the conditions on this event, and also in Latvia last weekend, were incredibly tough and the hard work on studding systems by our partners in Finland has allowed our tyre to be right up there on the pace.”
PaddockTalk Perspective
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Also in WRC Rally News 2010: |
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