Seconds count in rallying – and this is especially true during service halts, which usually take place after every group of stages on WRC events. During these breaks in the action, the drivers get time for a quick rest, while the Subaru World Rally Team’s technicians spring into life.
Each service is timed (to 10, 30 or 45 minutes) and the well-trained technicians have to re-prepare the two Impreza WRC2007s within this limit. Failure to do so could result in a time penalty.
Before 2005, teams could allocate as many technicians as they wanted to each car during a service, but at the start of that year, the new rules meant a limit of eight per car in a manufacturer team – a total of 16 for a two-car entry. For this season, that limit was brought down to 12 per team plus one medic, putting even more focus on accurate planning and swift, efficient team work.
When Chris or Petter returns from a group of stages and slots his Impreza into his allocated service bay, you’ll notice the mechanics spring into action. The technicians who are permitted to work on the car will be sporting orange armbands, each one numbered for easy identification. You’ll also spot an official observer, ensuring that no-one without an armband touches the car
The allocated technicians have to do everything on the Impreza, from making set-up changes, to checking key components such as the engine, brakes and gearbox – and even giving the car a quick wash before it returns to the stages.
Although the 12 team members are normally divided into two groups of six, there is nothing to prevent more technicians being allocated to one car if necessary. The Subaru World Rally Team’s chief mechanic Chris Wattam masterminds the allocation of the orange armbands.
Team operations director Paul Howarth says: “Before each service, Chris will work with the number one engineers on each car to decide what work needs to be done and which technicians need to be allocated to which car. In general, we will put the same number of technicians on each car, but sometimes it will be necessary to put more people on one car. That’s a judgement that has to be made quickly.
“At the end of the leg, we can use flexi-service to bring the cars in at different times. That means we can get all of our technicians to focus on one car, and then bring the other car after that. We need to be organised and very clear about our instructions to the technicians. The limitations mean we have to ensure the best people are working on the cars. We also have specialists in engine, transmission and so on, and they need to be ready to swap armbands and carry out their tasks quickly and efficiently.”
For the technicians, the service halts can be a high pressure part of the job, because there is no margin for error and yet no time to waste either. For those short, tense minutes, the success (or otherwise) of a driver is out of his hands and in those of the skilled technicians working on his car. Never let it be said that rallying isn’t a team sport…