Levin won in Emmeloord
- gravel in Austria next!

Henrik Levin from Sweden had no problems to win the first rally in the Volvo Original Nordic West Euro Cup 2009 - TankS Rallye in Emmeloord in The Netherlands.

The very fast 940-driver -  now is back in the Volvo Classe after some years in a Gr H car in Sweden - loves rallying in darknes. So first night Henrik and his new codriver Ida Isaksson started really hard and got 40 secons to second Volvo Original-car, dutch 240-driver John Bosscha. 

Third Volvo in the TankS Rallye this weekend was 740-driver Rinse Zwaagstra. Rinse went off on the last stage 2008 but this year he finished. 

Rest of the Standard-Volvos this weeken prefered to start in the TankS Rallysprint saturday evening.

Overall Henrik and Ida was on 26.th place after a big fight finish with Erwin Kippel in a Nissan 350Z and Jurian van Ruiten in a BMW 325i. Kippel lost the fight with 3 seconds and van Ruiten with 7 seconds.

Henrik made his firtst start on standard tyres, that are used on asptalt in this Cup. He was a little bit unsafe before first stage but:

- The tyres was really good. I used Toyo-tyres 195 50 15  and used the same 4 tyres during all the rally. I think they will be ok for one more asphalt rallye - fex Sulingen-  in the Cup.

In the Volvo classe in the Sprint theI 740-team Mike van den Brink/Paul Bookers defeted Milco Pieters/Clifton van Halderen with 27 seconds. The Volvo-drivers ended 30.nd and 33.rd overall. 

Best Volvo in the sprint - 18. overall - was Olaf Pothoven and Anja Lieuwma in a historic rally car - a Volvo Amazon! In the 2 day rally Gerben Brouwer in his unice Volvo S60 Turbo Gr A vas 13 overall - and 5.th in the A8 classe!

Results, Volvo Original Nordic West Euro Cup, , TankS Rallye, The Netherlands:

1) Henrik Levin/Ida Isaksson, Sweden, 940, 1.29,02, 2) John Bosscha/Kevin Wever, The Netherlands, 240, +1.51, 3) Rinse Zwaagstra/Yde Wesselink, The Netherlands, 740, +4.32.

Tank S Rallysprint, Volvo Original: 1)  Mike van den Brink/Paul Bookers,, 740, 30.23, 2) Milco Pieters/Clifton van Halderen, 940, +0,27, 3) Michael Harmsen/Gea Harmsen, 240, +6.17.

Others results:

Tank S Overall: Jasper van der Heuvel. The Netherlands, Mitsubishi Evo 10, 1.15.07, 2) Piet van Hoof, The Netherlands, Mitsubishi Evo Gr A, +1.25, 3) Graham Coffey, Great Britain, Subaru WRC, +1.33...13) Gerben Brouwer, The Netlerlands, Volvo S60 Turbo, +5.50...26) Henrik Levin,  +13.55...32) John Bosscha, H +15.46, 38) Rinse Zwaagstra,  +18.27

A8: 1) Piet van Hoof, 1.16.32, 2) Graham Coffey, +0.08, 3) John Temmink, The Netherlands, Subaru WRC, +1.23... 5) Gerben Brouwer/Simone Smedes, The Netherlands, Volvo S60 Turbo, +4.33.

More: www.tanksrally.nl

AUSTRIA NEXT

Next in the Cup is Triestingtal Rallye in Weissenbach, Austria. You find the Supplementary Regulations at www.triestingtal-rallye.at. Triestingtal is a gravel rally - and an expensive one. But Volvo Original divers from other countries pays only the insurance, 200 Euro.

Last date for enty in the Triestingtal is Mars 29 .

The rally starts with drive thru where the teams can do there pace notes Friday April 17.

After scruteneering its a drivers meeting at 20.30 - and than the rally starts Saturday morning when first car leavs Weissenback at 07.48

The Triestingtal Rallye 2009 has 11 special stages (89 kms) and first car reach finish 18.30. 

All stages are on gravel - and the stages normaly suits the Volvos - the stages are fast and wide.

Ready to help the Volvos in Austria is Karl Rumpler. You find him at karlrumpler@a1.net

Karl knows that Henrik Levin will start and hope to see even some of the germans - f ex Jochen Walther, who really loves this rally - on the entry list.

The VOC-Champ 2008 - young swedish driver Emil Tigerberg - probably not will come back until the 3.rd rally in the Cup this Year - Sulinger Rally in Gemany. 

Emil will test his new 940 in a swedish rally before start. He crashed his old car in the  Lausits Rally last year. 

Triestingtal Rallye is also the first rally in Volvo Original Gravel Cup 2009 together with South Swedish Rally/Sydrallyt in Sweden and Lausitz Rally in Germany.