Baumschläger Defended Himself Till The Last Moment

At half-time, the January Rallye 2012 in Freistadt shows top favorite Juho Hänninen in the lead. / Austria's aces offered intense resistance to the high-carat armada from the neighbouring countries.

The 29th January Rallye started with a major attack by the Austrians. For the first time, this motor sports classic counts toward the European championship and numerours European top drivers heeded its call.
 
At least in the initial phase they were surprised by the local participants'  wild rides  over the snow-covered icy pistes in the"Mühlviertel".     While the initial front positions of Raimund Baumschlager, Beppo Harrach,  Manfred Stohl or Kris Rosenberger were less cause     for astonishment, those of a David Glachs, Christian Mitterlehner, Severin Katzensteiner, Reinhold Nuelinger, Mario Klepatsch
or Martin Fischerlehner were even more astounding.

The fact that some of these local heroes are not even entitled to collect points for the European championship just makes this affair even more piquant although this  was only a snapshot of the situation.

For the longer the day lasted, not only did the snow melt but also the red-white-red lead on the high-carat foreign competition. The official Skoda team Juho Hänninen and Jan Kopecky - after correcting for an unfortunate choice of tires - pressed down the accelerator ever more and forced Baumschlager & Co. into the defensive. Baumschlager resisted for the longest time, but after nine special trials he had no more breathing space and had to give way to Hänninen. With best times in ultimately four special trials the Finnish SWRC - world     champion smiles from the top after the first day of the January Rallye. Hänninen: " In the morning we had problems with too wide tires and as the first car. Then things got better and better. It was fantastic. For the second day, I don't see myself as the favorite.  You always have to watch what Baumschläger as local hero comes up with."  The so addressed Upper Austrian was happy all around with his second place even before Jan Kopecky.  "A place between
two factory drivers - what else can you wish for? Everything went perfect - a great team, a great car. It would be a great result if I get a place on the podium tomorrow. "

Beppo Harrach, who came in fifth after Vaclav Pech, was not quite as euphoric: " I'm not satisfied at all. The setup didn't fit. And I didn't quite come to grips with the 18-inch tires. We had too little time for testing.

Manfred Stohl was dogged by bad luck. The Viennese had to enter the race in his natural gas - Mitsubishi as 72nd starter because vehicles with alternate fuels are not homologated by FIA for European championship races. Despite this, Stohl's calculation to start a catch-up race on the  pistes with ever-better grip was initially successful. Best time in special trial 1 and best time in special trial 3. He might
even have achieved this also in special trial 2 had this not been cancelled immediately before him due to an accident.  Thus, Stohl was accorded a time around rank 11 by rallye management; naturally, he was not satisfied with this. " I won the first and the third special trial.  I can't follow how such a time can be arrived at. I have to live with it."

In particular, the 22-kilometer rating run Schönau - St. Leonhard  turned into a touchstone for some of the prominent drivers. Poland's Michael Solowow, fifth in last year's European championship, ended up in the ditch, as did European vice-champion Luca Betti from Italy.     And the most spectacular action  was provided by Kris Rosenberger who ran up to a competitor, overtook him and - after rolling his VW Polo S2000 - found himself back on four wheels again and passed the same competitor a second time. This feat , however, cost the Lower Austrian two minutes.