2006 WRC Drivers Market news

[MattR]

Markko Martin lands a ride. Good to see him in motorsports

Markko Martin Goes Touring Car Racing
Written by: RACER staff
Herning, Denmark – 3/9/2006

Martin will drive a Honda Accord in the Danish Touring Car Championship.

Former World Rally Championship ace Markko Martin, out of a ride since Peugeot's withdrawal from the WRC, will switch to pavement racing this season.

The Estonian will steer a European-spec Honda Accord (sold stateside as the Acura TSX) for Hartmann Racing in the Danish Touring Car Championship. Martin will also run a team in the Estonian national rally championship.

The 30-year old driver, a five-time WRC rally winner, had his season interrupted last year when an accident at Rally Great Britain claimed the life of his co-driver Michael Park.

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/roadracing/22442/

[sperry]

Originally Posted by MattR

Markko Martin lands a ride. Good to see him in motorsports

Markko Martin Goes Touring Car Racing
Written by: RACER staff
Herning, Denmark – 3/9/2006


http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/roadracing/22442/

Good for Markko.

In the words of Captain Mike "Viper" Metcalf, "Keep sending him up."

[Nick Koan]

http://www.crash.net/news_View~t~Mar...~id~126409.htm

Markko also back in a rally car, in Portugal.

Former Peugeot and Ford works driver, Markko Martin will contest the 2006 PT-Rally de Portugal next weekend, two months after saying he thought it was unlikely he would ever enter a WRC event again in the 'near future'.

Although Portugal is not a round of the FIA World Rally Championship, it is one of eight WRC candidate events taking place this year.

The Portuguese event will be Martin's first official event back behind the wheel of a rally car, after his accident on the Rally GB last September. Martin has not contested a rally since his crash in Wales, which claimed the life of his co-driver, Michael Park. The news follows the announcement on Thursday that he will compete in the Danish TouringCar Championship this year, driving a Honda Accord Euro-R.

Martin, who will be partnered by Alister McRae's former long term co-driver, David Senior, will be joined on the event by a number of WRC regulars, including 2005 winner, Daniel Carlsson, as well as young Finn Janne Tuohino. Sweden's Patrik Flodin and Martin's young protege, Martin Rauam will also compete, all at the wheel of identical Group N Subaru Imprezas.

Upholding the local honours meanwhile will be 2005 third-placed driver, Armindo Araujo in a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo8, as well as Fernando Peres in similar machinery and Miguel Campos in the Subaru Impreza WRX. In the two-wheel drive category, Junior WRC regular Urmo Aava will be at the wheel of the Suzuki Swift S1600. However, he will face stiff competition from the local Renault and Peugeot works drivers, Jose Pedro Fontes and Bruno Magalhaes, respectively.

WRC regular and 2005 event S1600 winner Dani Sordo will be in Portugal again, this time driving the '0' car, a Citroen Xsara World Rally Car. His job will be two-fold: check the stages for safety prior to the field starting and validating the stages themselves at World Rally Car speeds for future reference.

The event begins with a ceremonial start for the 74 car field on the evening of Thursday March 16 at the Vilamoura Marina, before two full days of action over the stages to the north of Faro. The crews then return to the finish, at the impressive Algarve Stadium, which hosts the service park, on Saturday afternoon, at 17.45 [local time].

[A1337STI]

hmmf I don't follow WRC (yet) but really got interested in it this winter. i need to find a link for a TV schedual / coverage.

so is Travis Pastrana Racing this year cuase he signed with subaru back in december to drive in 06 :
http://news.hspn.com/articles/214/1/...Rally-Team-USA
but i don't know jack about the sport/ organization / etc . so i dunno. but he's my favorate driver. (assuming he's competing this year lol) hes an X-games super moto winner in case you don't know who he is . (you all probably do though)

[Nick Koan]

Pastrana drives for the US Rally America championship.

As for finding TV coverage, you're so far out of luck. Speed TV dropped WRC coverage for this season.

[A1337STI]

aaah. so he's just a us- driver not a WRC driver. OH. lol
and Damn maybe if we all email speed to add it back. guess the only option is to buy those WRC off the wrc.com ? (or elsewhere)