We are completing a cycle of stories about the hijacking of racing cars. You were introduced to the political detective (hijacking Lancia Stratos Yarashevich) ransom (kidnapping Peugeot 405 turbo 16 Ari Vatanen) and mysterious disappearance (read the missing Peugeot 205 turbo 16 Philip Vamberga). Complete our series, we decided on a story about the most bizarre hijacking our opinion — three abductions modern machines category WRC.
Why strange? It is unclear what motivated the hijackers.
For machines not demanded a ransom — at least about that nothing had been heard. Cars have not appeared on the market, but it would be foolish to sell — the history of each chassis is easily monitored and the sudden emergence from obscurity stolen car immediately lead police to the hijackers.
Sales of parts — no less than a fool's errand, because to sell parts only happy owners of the machines, and they are interested in the history of the origin of those or other details. To forge the story is impossible — it is easy to check again.
Repeating history
In the night from Thursday to Friday, December 28, 2006 in Gothenburg (Sweden) was hijacked closed trailer trailer, which was a Subaru Impreza WRC S10 (year 2004). Car-technicals trailer were parked near the hotel ibis — surprising, but at the hotel on the same network in 1989 was stolen Peugeot 205 turbo 16, about the disappearance of which we described in the previous article. Hijackers simply disconnect the trailer from technicals and hitched to his tractor.
Subaru chassis serial number 8 had a glorious past. Such cars were built by Prodrive only 13. In this car in 2004, then speaker for the factory team Subaru WRT Petter Solberg won Rally Japan and has taken third place in the Rally of Turkey. Then there were Aris Vovos, Kristian Solberg, Ercan Kazaz, after which she finally she came to the family Ostberg.
Mads Ostberg drove this car at the final stage of the World Rally Championship in 2006 — Wales Rally GB — and planned to act on it in the season-2007. At the end of the racing season, Subaru went to the UK at the plant for a planned Prodrive Rebild. Upon completion of work the car was taken to Norway in the base of the team Ostberg to later go to the start of the Swedish stage WRC. However, the machine only drive to Gothenburg, where she was stolen.
The cost of the car at the time was about 280 thousand pounds. The insurance company has appointed a premium of 12 thousand euros to anyone who can help find the car. Under suspicion were the hijackers from the Baltic states and Russia... — it is not very clear why. Our country is, of course, on the border with Sweden, but it is the maritime boundary and transported stolen quite remarkable rally car is too difficult.
Guessing was not long — a couple of weeks after the disappearance, January 12, 2007 the car was found in the same Gothenburg intact.
However, in Sweden Mads Ostberg went to another machine — his father is all right with the money, so the boxing team «found» another Impreza WRC chassis number 10. Mads drive the «eight» World Championship and won it His father Morten tried to repeat his success in 2008, but finished only fourth in the championship position. Then Subaru sold to other Norwegian Egil Benttsenu, followed by cars lost.
Double punch
February 28, 2008 at three o'clock base RAS Sport racing team was attacked by well-coordinated and professional team of intruders. Disabling a modern signaling they entered the pits, where he kept the rally cars.
This day on the territory of RAS Sport did not have trailers to transport equipment, but that did not stop the hijackers. They brought one car and one trailer to technicals and successfully into the night.
Catch intruders was quite rich. In addition to the technicals Fiat Ducato they umyknuli the Peugeot 206 WRC and Peugeot 306 maxi. The total cost of the two racing cars exceeded 200 thousand euros. However, it is unclear what to do with these machines?
«Two hundred and sixth» in the version of World Rally Car made 55 pieces. The history of each machine is easily monitored and the sudden emergence from obscurity chassis number 3 will not go unnoticed. «Three hundred and six» was issued almost twice as much, but a stolen car with chassis number 75 is also difficult to implement.
However, none of the cars has not been found. As a result, Michele Goffre had to buy another the Peugeot 206 WRC, and Thierry Trimatis monoprivodnom moved with all-wheel drive car in the Subaru Impreza WRC.
The disappearance of a loser
The team is now Hyundai is involved in the World Cup, but it is not the first car built under the category WRC Korean brands. However, this experience Koreans would prefer to forget how terrible dream — success Hyundai Accent WRC has not achieved. But diverged on the «private owners» car factory team continue to perform to this day. In addition, a car stolen for some reason...
One of the two dozen survivors after the factory rally car program in 2006 acquired Brian MakGillin. The following year, the Irishman spent a season in various local rally championships, won his first career victory and another three went up to the podium.
Next season MakGillin missed, but in 2009 planned to return to the rally — it was scheduled for the traditional Malcolm Wilson Rally.
Irish team came to the race, but a few hours before the start of March 7, 2009 car worth 140 thousand pounds disappeared from the trailer. With him gone spare parts for another 25 thousand.
Hijacking Hyundai Accent WRC remained unsolved, the machine is still not found. All other owners of such cars were promptly notified the police and in the event of suspicious offer to buy any spare parts would have immediately notify the detectives. It seems such proposals may sound, for the case of the mysterious disappearance of a rare car rally and opened...
