Loeb claims record sixth championship

Stilo’s Sebastien Loeb has reset the record books of the FIA World Rally Championship once again with his sixth consecutive WRC title.

 

Following a winning streak that lasted all five of the season’s opening rallies, the 35-year-old Frenchman then suffered an enormous accident in Greece and another setback in Poland before recovering to take the final third of the season by storm.

Victory in the Rally Australia was denied him when an unhomologated suspension part was found to have been used on his Citroen C4 WRC. Yet from that disappointment he closed the gap to win in Spain and to seal the title with victory on the Rally GB. The victory was a crushing blow to the hopes of Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen, who had led the points battle since midseason for Ford.

“It has been an incredible season: a very good start then we lost everything in the middle of the season,” said Loeb. “It was big, big pressure and I’m really happy about this one because Mikko was really, really strong. It was an incredible battle all season.”

Supported by Stilo, Loeb will now focus his energies on 2010 and another year at the forefront of the WRC action. This will be the last year that the current 2.0-litre turbocharged World Rally Cars can compete for the biggest prize in the sport before new 1600cc turbo cars take over in 2011.

  

It’s title number six for Stilo-equipped Sebastien Loeb

Soucek ends season with double victory 

Spanish driver Andy Soucek, winner of the first FIA Formula 2 title since the category was revived this season following a 25-year layoff, ended his season with victories in both races at his home event in Barcelona.

Stilo-supported Soucek, who has won a Formula 1 superlicence and a test with the Williams team, was in crushing race form at the Circuit de Catalunya to win both legs of the event – and was delighted by the results.

“Obviously when you win a race you are always happy and I am happier today than I was at Imola when I clinched the championship,” he said, celebrating with his compatriots. “I have received such strong support all year from all my partners and fans, this is the perfect way to pay them back.”

Soucek is now homing in on the very top flight of the sport and a full-time race drive in Formula 1 in 2010. “I’m negotiating a seat next year in Formula 1,” Soucek added. I think everybody is looking carefully at what I’m doing so I really had to perform well in this final round without the pressure of the title fight.”

Soucek triumphed at home with Stilo

Basso claims European title 

Stilo-helmeted Giandomenico Basso has won the 2009 FIA European Rally Championship with second place on the Rallye de Valais in Switzerland. The works Fiat-Abarth team leader put in a measured run to ensure that the points for second place denied the title to Polish rival Michal Solowow.

Basso, who has campaigned on both the ERC and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2009 has seen a busy season rewarded with five outright victories: the 1000 Miglia Rally in Italy, the Rally Bulgaria, Rali Vinho de Madeira on the IRC trail, the ELPA Rally in Greece and the Rallye Antibes in France.

“It’s been a great season with lots of victories and, after dropping out of the championship battle in the IRC, the ERC title has become the main focus of our year,” Basso said. “To have it now on our record is fantastic and I would like to thank everyone involved.”

Giandomenico Basso and Mitia Dotta claimed another European title

Farfus wins again in WTCC
   
Stilo-supported Brazilian touring car star Augusto Farfus Jr. extended his record as the driver with most race wins in the history of the FIA World Touring Car Championship at the latest race in Okayama . The timely victory in the second of the two Japanese races pushed him back into title contention as the BMW squad revelled in difficult weather conditions.

In a downpour throughout the two races, Okayama delivered high excitement throughout the WTCC field. Starting from pole position, Farfus was able to capitalise and led home Britain’s BMW star Andy Priaulx, who won the first of the two races, by the slenderest of margins.

For Stilo-supported championship leader Gabriele Tarquini there was drama when he was caught up in another driver’s accident. The veteran Italian was hit when the BMW of Jorg Muller and the SEAT of Tiago Monteiro collided and went out of control, taking Tarquini with them into the waiting barriers.

“Things are very tight between the top guys after Okayama, but I at least managed to keep myself in the fight,” Farfus said. “It will take a lot to get past them in the points in the final round in Macau at the end of the month, but I am happy with how we ran this weekend and from here anything is possible.”

The deciding round of the 2009 FIA WTCC season takes place in Macau on November 20-22.

There was more success for Farfus and Stilo in Japan

Valsecchi dominates GP2 in Abu Dhabi 

The first ever GP2 event at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi will have the name of Stilo-supported Davide Valsecchi attached to it in the record books. The young Italian dominated from the outset, setting the pace in practice and qualifying before taking victory on the staggering new 250 million Euro race track.

Billed as being the Monaco of the Middle East, the harbour-side circuit built on reclaimed land in the middle of the Arabian Gulf is a spectacular venue – and drew out a spectacular performance from the iSport star, who claimed his first victory of the season after a thrilling battle with Luca Filippi.

“Winning the Feature Race of a GP2 event is what everyone wants to do – with a pit stop and and the greater test of endurance it shows the Formula One bosses who is growing towards a top drive in the sport,” Valsecchi said. “To take our first win on this historic weekend is fantastic.”

The race was won in style as well, with Valsecchi being forced to charge back from losing his lead at the start of the race – and then to chase down Filippi to reclaim the lead after the pit stops.

source:  Stilo