Wed 30 Nov 2022
There are times in this sport where drivers and teams have to go above and beyond to keep their cars in the rally. And we're celebrating just a few of those moments here on FIAERC.com.
Simon Wagner - Rally Islas Canarias
Wagner was enjoying a good run at the Las Palmas-based fixture and even won Thursday evening’s super special stage. But the Austrian ran wide on a sweeping right-hander soon afterwards and a big impact with a rock face spelled the end of his day.
Wagner’s Eurosol team quickly got to work on repairing the battered-looking Škoda and, amazingly, had it fully rebuilt ready for Saturday’s final leg.
Ken Torn - Rally di Roma Capitale
Torn’s was a similar shunt to the aforementioned Wagner’s: his Fiesta understeered wide and clouted a rock face. The Estonian managed to limp out of the stage and back to service - despite the car’s rear right suspension being heavily damaged.
Come Sunday, Torn’s mechanics had his steed back to full health and he finished the event a respectable 12th overall.
Filip Mareš - Rally di Roma Capitale
Disaster struck for Mareš on the road section back from the super special test in Rome when all five wheel nuts sheared from his Škoda's front left wheel. Stranded on the side of the highway, around 12 miles away from the respite of service, Mareš got to work.
Cautious not to damage the car's gearbox, Mareš swapped the guilty upright front to back, moved the brakes, removed the rear driveshaft and tried to use ratchet straps to fix the wheel directly into the upright before making his way back to Fiuggi.
It worked - but only for a mile before the wheel came off again, signalling Mareš' retirement. Still, he gets 10/10 for effort.
Javier Pardo - Azores Rallye
Pardo put his skills as a mechanic to full use on the mid-Atlantic island when a front driveshaft broke, leaving his Fabia with only rear-wheel drive.
In a bid to limit time loss - and to make the car a little bit easier to handle - Pardo converted the car to front-wheel drive by moving the rear driveshafts to the front ahead of the final stage. It worked - and he finished 13th overall.
Adam Březík - Barum Czech Rally Zlín
Březík’s dreams of a podium result on home soil were dashed when his Škoda suddenly lost all power in the fifth stage of the event.
Not ones to give up, though, he and co-driver Ondřej Krajča managed to trace the fault to a disconnected turbo pipe. They rectified the issue stage-side before continuing along the road, eventually finishing 11th overall
Finland
Italy
Hungary