Archive for March, 2008

Ford stretches world championship lead in Rally Mexico

Monday, March 3rd, 2008

latvala-mexico.jpg

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team increased its advantage at the head of the FIA World Rally Championship after a strong double points haul in Mexico today. The team, chasing its third consecutive manufacturers’ world title, is 12 points clear with the Focus RS World Rally Car after Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila finished third in Rally Mexico and team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen claimed fourth.

Hirvonen retains the lead in the drivers’ standings after this third round of the 15-rally series, the 27-year-old Finn ahead by one point. Latvala lies third, five points behind his team-mate.

This opening gravel event of the season proved a tough challenge and few escaped problems over the three days and 331.45km of competition in the mountains of central Mexico, near León. The high altitude speed tests, which climbed to more than 2700m, meant engines lost about 25 percent of their normal power in the thinner air while the rocky tracks proved a constant hazard for the unwary.

Latvala, who led after Friday’s opening action, started today’s final day in third after a turbo pipe problem yesterday afternoon. With no pressure from behind and no chance of making progress up the leaderboard, the 22-year-old Finn paced himself through the final three special stages (the second test was cancelled for safety reasons due to the volume of spectators), but was still fastest on the opening stage to secure a podium finish.

“It’s an important result for me and it’s a good result for the team and our championship challenge,” he said. “I achieved my goal of being on the podium and it’s just a shame we had a problem yesterday when fighting for the lead. But if I think about things closely, it has been a good weekend and I don’t have any complaints. The best aspect was being able to challenge Loeb and match his times and I hope I can get just as close to him in the future because I had good speed this weekend.”

Hirvonen began the morning in fifth, after losing time through punctures on Friday and Saturday combined with being first in the start order and sweeping the roads clean of loose stones on the opening day. He was within striking distance of fourth and fastest time on the penultimate test moved him just ahead of Henning Solberg. He consolidated fourth on the final stage when the Norwegian struck trouble.

“I tried to catch Henning but when stage 18 was cancelled, I decided I didn’t have enough kilometres left in which to do it,” said Hirvonen. “I was lucky he had a problem and I’m glad to finish fourth and take good points after a difficult weekend. It just wasn’t my rally unfortunately. Jari-Matti and Loeb were very fast and I couldn’t reach their pace but I’ll have to find that speed or say goodbye to the championship. I was unlucky with punctures but fourth is OK in the circumstances and hopefully this is the worst rally I’ll have this year. Unfortunately I will be first on the road again on the next round in Argentina, but it feels good to be still leading the championship.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson said: “After what we encountered, we’ve come away with a great result which increases our lead in the championship. And for Mikko to still lead the drivers’ standings after his problems is more than we thought we would achieve on Friday night. I’m pleased we showed the speed to lead the rally and that’s promising looking forward to another high altitude event in Argentina later this month.”

Ford of Europe motorsport director Mark Deans was equally happy. “This was the first gravel rally of the season and for the Focus RS WRC to prove its speed on what is the dominant surface of the year bodes well. Five Focus cars finished in the top seven and for BP Ford Abu Dhabi to maintain its lead in both championships after three rounds represents an excellent opening sector of the year,” he said.

News from our Rivals

Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) paced himself through the final stages to claim his third consecutive Rally Mexico victory. The Frenchman finished 66.1sec ahead of Chris Atkinson (Subaru), who scored his best ever result, despite feeling unwell and only three hours’ sleep. Behind the BP Ford Abu Dhabi cars, Henning Solberg (Ford) took fifth, the Munchi’s driver losing fourth place after front right punctures on the final two tests. Stobart driver Matthew Wilson (Ford) rounded off the top six while Munchi’s Federico Villagra (Ford) equalled his career best result in seventh. Petter Solberg (Subaru) claimed the final manufacturers’ point in 12th, despite a front right puncture on the penultimate stage and a spin on the final test.

Tags: ,
Posted in Ford, Press release, World Rally Championship | No Comments »

Atkinson excels with highest WRC career finish as SWRT continue strong season

Monday, March 3rd, 2008

atkinson-mexico.jpg

Chris Atkinson and Stephane Prevot completed Rally Mexico in spectacular style, recording their highest ever finish together in a World Rally Championship event with a hard-fought second place. Meanwhile Petter Solberg and Phil Mills pushed hard to clinch the final Manufacturers’ Championship point, keeping the Subaru World Rally Team in second position in the overall standings.

Atkinson’s second podium in three rallies this season jumps him to fourth overall in the Drivers’ Championship, just six points shy of the top of the standings. It’s his best start to a WRC season, and firmly establishes the Australian as a contender for WRC victories. Solberg and Mills lie just behind in fifth in the Championship standings, as the team continue their strong start to 2008 with more solid points.

On a day when the avid local fans were out in force to support the late inclusion of this event into the WRc calendar, spectator numbers overwhelmed stage 18, the 22 kilometre Guanajuato test, and the decision was taken to abandon it. The longest of the day, its cancellation reduced the day’s competitive length by one third.

“Chris did a fantastic job and I firmly believe he can win an event before the end of the year” said Subaru World Rally Team Principal David Richards. “We’ve had a very encouraging start to the year and we’re putting ourselves in a very strong position for when we launch our new car, the WRC2008. Petter did a good job today, and from our performance here in Mexico it is clear to me that we have made some positive steps forward since Sweden, and will continue to do so as we look to Argentina in a few weeks time.”

Atkinson started the final day in second position with a comfortable buffer of over one minute behind him to third. As the Australian promised yesterday, he had a steady day to ensure he did enough to clinch his highest ever WRC finish without taking any unnecessary risks. Opting for two spare wheels as an added safety buffer along the rough and jagged gravel speed tests, the 28 year old was leaving nothing to chance, knowing how easy it is to fall foul of these conditions.

Despite the punishing routes, soaring temperatures and oxygen-thin air over the last three days, his Impreza WRC2007 suffered no significant problems. The Australian felt comfortable with the handling and balance of his car all weekend, and drove a solid rally to be awarded eight points for both himself and the team, the single largest haul of his World Rallying career.

“It’s a fantastic result, my best in the WRC!” said Chris Atkinson. “All the team, the guys on my car, Subaru all did a top job. It was good fun to beat Sebastien [Loeb] on the Superspecial at the end there! It’s a great start to the year for me and also for the team, and I hope we can keep building on this. We’re making good steps forward and the car felt really good this weekend. We did some work on the dampers after Sweden and that was a big help – they were good here in the heat which is always a tough test. Now we look to Argentina and to keep this performance going. The sooner I can win the better!”

Solberg and Mills restarted this morning under Superally regulations, and left the morning’s service fighting fit. On the day’s opening stage and with a car the team worked on fervently yesterday afternoon, Solberg felt happy with the balance of his Impreza WRC2007 and was able to push hard to post the second fastest stage time, almost three seconds clear of the rest of field.

Over the final day’s 38 kilometres of stages, Solberg and Mills fought hard to climb to 12th overall, displaying their characteristic grit and determination to the very end to keep the team in second position in the Manufacturers’ Championship and keep himself close enough to fight for a top spot in the Drivers’ Championship as the season develops.

“Today we were ok in the first stage, but with big gaps between everyone at the front people were backing off” said Petter Solberg. “We scored a Manufacturer point which is important, but other than that it’s been a frustrating weekend really. But we keep working and pushing, and Argentina will be better.”

The third day of Rally Mexico brought more of the weather crews had come to expect. Temperatures rose to 28 degrees Celsius by midday, and the dry roads yielded clouds of dust with every passing car. The modified route consisted of just three stages, ended with the final running of the immensely popular Nextel spectator Superspecial stage.

Tags: ,
Posted in Press release, Subaru, World Rally Championship | No Comments »

WRC – Rally Mexico – A Mexican hat-trick for Loeb/Elena and Citroën

Monday, March 3rd, 2008

loeb-mexico.jpg

The final day of the 2008 World Rally Championship saw Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena and Citroën collect their third consecutive Rally Mexico win. Their hat-trick in the land of sombreros takes them to within a single point of the provisional Drivers’ championship leader, while Citroën has made up a little of its deficit in the Manufacturers’ classification.
“The last day featured a little more than 60km of competitive action divided into three stages, plus a final attempt at the super-special in León,” commented Sébastien Loeb. “Despite our overnight lead, we approached today’s leg cautiously because of the risks inherent in being first on the road, like having to sweep a clear line, punctures, etc.”

Despite their apprehension, the World Champions came through the day unscathed and the cancellation of the day’s longest test (SS18) for safety reasons didn’t upset them unduly. Today’s result marks the 38th world class win for Sébastien and Daniel who were given a heroes’ welcome by everyone at Citroën Sport on their return to the Poliforum service park.

Tags: ,
Posted in Citroën, Press release, World Rally Championship | No Comments »

WRC – Rally Mexico – Day 2: sierra showdown for Loeb/Elena and the Citroën C4

Monday, March 3rd, 2008

Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena and their Citroën C4 WRC completed Day 2 of the 2008 Rally Mexico on top of the provisional leaderboard.
With a total of 157.32 kilometres of competitive action to cover, the second leg was the longest of the weekend and featured two loops of three stages – all more than 20km in length – before concluding with two visits to the super-special in León this evening.

The arid sierra, twisty dirt roads and cacti provided a fitting backdrop for this modern-day western which saw Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena star as steady-handed pistoleros. Their mission today was to make up the 9.6-second gap that separated them from the overnight leaders and the Citroën crew profited from the form of their C4 WRC to take control by midmorning.

Tags: ,
Posted in Citroën, Press release, World Rally Championship | No Comments »

Atkinson challenges for the lead after wildly unpredictable second day in Mexico

Sunday, March 2nd, 2008

In a turbulent day of competition on Rally Mexico, Chris Atkinson and Stephane Prevot grabbed second position overall aboard their Subaru Impreza WRC2007. Petter Solberg and Phil Mills however fell foul of the conditions and were forced to retire mid-way through the morning’s stages.

Atkinson and Solberg started the day in third and fourth positions respectively. Today’s routes provided no respite from the rigours crews faced yesterday, and the rocky and punishing mountain roads claimed their victims amongst the front-runners, as did the combination of heat and altitude on this notoriously harsh rally.

“Today we have had mixed fortunes in very challenging conditions” said Subaru World Rally Team Principal David Richards. “Unfortunately Petter’s car suffered a transmission failure that forced his retirement from a strong fourth position, but Chris has done a very good job to put himself on target for his highest WRC finish.”

Atkinson and Prevot had a consistent morning, not taking any unnecessary risks to keep in touch with the leading duo. The gap behind them grew with the early retirement of teammate Solberg, followed in the afternoon by Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen who lost three minutes with a puncture after going off the road. Settled in a comfortable third, the afternoon’s stages proceeded to reshape the leading trio.

Atkinson was promoted to second overall, ahead of Ford’s Jari-Matti Latvala when the Finn suffered engine problems in stage 13, and extended his gap to a comfortable 1m 05seconds over third place going into the final day of the third round of the World Rally Championship.

“We were settled for third this morning and I was just focussed on matching Jari-Matti’s pace” said Chris Atkinson. “Now we find ourselves in second which is good for the team and Subaru. It’s a shame for Jari, but we’ve had our problems and that’s the way it is. We have a little bit of a gap each way but the plan doesn’t change. We’ll not take any silly risks and just focus on matching the gaps to Sebastien and Jari tomorrow. We had a few small problems this afternoon with starts and lost a few seconds. The gap is comfortable but it won’t be easy tomorrow. It’ll be tricky and very loose, and we’ll still need to push.”

Solberg’s day started strongly, the Norwegian matching the leaders for pace in the first section of the opening stage and retaining his fourth position overall. Fifth placed Mikko Hirvonen had reduced the gap by a few seconds by the start of stage eleven and it appeared a great battle for fourth would ensue.

Three-quarters of the way through the stage however, Solberg and Mills experienced a loss of drive to the front left wheel and lost over four minutes as they limped through the remainder of the route, conceding the position. The duo stopped at the end of the stage to examine the problem and attempt a fix to enable them to cover the remaining 53 kilometres back to the midday service. It proved however to be a problem that was not possible to rectify at the roadside, and the only course of action was to retire them from the day and transport the car back to service.

Once back in the team’s service area the crew descended upon the number five Impreza, fixing the car to allow Solberg and Mills to restart tomorrow’s stages under Superally regulations. They will carry a 30 minute penalty for the stages missed today but will still be eligible to score Manufacturers’ Championship points.

“Today was not good for us” said Petter Solberg. “I didn’t feel comfortable with the car this morning on the loose surface, and then we had the drive problem which forced us to retire. It’s so frustrating when we had the speed early on in this event but we are now so far back.”

Today’s route stretched 341.02 kilometres, 157.32 of which were competitive speed tests. Following the same format as yesterday, crews tackled three stages before the midday service, after which they made second passes of the same three. The day was similarly brought to a close with two back-to-back passes of the Nextel spectator Superspecial stage, in the last running of which Atkinson was joint-fastest with rally-leader Sebastien Loeb.

Similar to yesterday’s mountain passes, today’s stages were all at altitude. The highest test was the first of the day, the 29.9 kilometre Ibarrilla which peaked at an oxygen-thin 2600 metres above sea level.

Tags: ,
Posted in Press release, Subaru, World Rally Championship | No Comments »

Rally Mexico bites hard but Ford drivers hold firm in top five

Sunday, March 2nd, 2008

Despite setbacks for both cars, BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team ended the second day of Rally Mexico in a strong position as the only squad with both pairings in the top five on the leaderboard. Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila are third in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car with team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen in fifth as this opening gravel encounter of the FIA World Rally Championship season continued to pose problems for the leading competitors.

Latvala, who claimed his maiden victory in Sweden last month, was engaged in an enthralling fight for the lead with Sébastien Loeb until a broken turbo pipe this afternoon cost over two minutes. Hirvonen was comfortable in fourth until a double puncture this afternoon cost a place on the leaderboard.

Today was the longest of this third round of the series. Drivers tackled 157.32km of competition, split into two identical loops of three speed tests in the hot and dusty mountains north and east of the rally base in León, before two more passes over the super special stage on the edge of the city. Temperatures again hovered just under 30ºC in the city, although they were a few degrees cooler in the hills as the route took competitors up to 2600m.

Overnight leader Latvala had the dubious privilege of being first in the start order in his Focus RS. It meant the 22-year-old Finn had to cope all morning with the same slippery loose stones on the road surface that hampered Hirvonen in the same position yesterday. His disadvantage was typified on the opening special stage when he dropped 9.5sec to Loeb, but he got to grips with the conditions on the following two tests to end the loop just 5.8sec behind the Frenchman.

The battle continued on cleaner roads this afternoon until a broken turbo charge pipe on the second test slowed the BP Ford Abu Dhabi driver. Latvala and Anttila tried to make repairs after the stage but to no avail and they dropped over two minutes during the rest of the day before the team could replace it.

“About 1km after the start of the stage the car suddenly lost power, with no warning,” said Latvala. “The pipe between the intercooler and the turbo came loose and I had some power, but not full boost. We wrapped some aluminium tape around it before the next stage but it didn’t help. I couldn’t fight with Loeb for the lead this afternoon and I wanted to do that. It was bad luck but it’s not my time yet to win this rally. I’m still third though and tomorrow I will drive to save my podium.

“The first stage this morning was slippery and I couldn’t find the right way to drive. I understand how difficult it was for Mikko yesterday. I was cleaning the corners and that’s the difference between first in the start order and second, where I was yesterday. There were many different grip levels on the loose stones and it was hard for braking. In the third stage I did everything I could, and maybe too much, because I had a close escape after a crest when the car was totally off the road,” he added.

Hirvonen restarted in fifth but quickly moved into fourth, without ever feeling truly happy with his performance. However, two punctures on the opening afternoon stage, one of which he stopped to change, cost almost three minutes. Caution was the watchword through the final four stages, with both spare wheels that competitors are allowed to carry in the car already used. He is just 15.9sec behind fourth-placed Henning Solberg.

“Early in the stage, there was a big rock on the inside of a fast right bend,” he explained. “I couldn’t avoid it and hit it with both right wheels. I immediately knew the front tyre was punctured and stopped to change it but didn’t notice the rear puncture. It was only after a couple of kilometres more that the rear tyre started to slowly lose pressure. I had to be really careful in left corners and actually slid off the road at one point. Now my aim is to catch Henning for fourth tomorrow.

“I made some small changes last night and the car didn’t slide as much this morning but I drove too cautiously. I was better than yesterday but I don’t deserve a ‘well done’ yet. It was better not being first on the road but I started this morning with the intention of driving flat out and while I drove fast, improvements are still needed. I’m at the same pace as last year and it’s not enough,” he added.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson said Latvala’s problems were ‘unfortunate’. “He’s still third and so many drivers have had problems that the rally isn’t over yet. Mikko had a tough day but he made it back and will be out there battling again tomorrow,” he said.

News from our Rivals

Fastest time on the opening two tests carried Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) into the lead. He won another three stages this afternoon to finish 61.4sec ahead of Chris Atkinson (Subaru). The Australian’s only concern was a problem with the car’s launch control system. Behind Latvala, Munchi’s driver Henning Solberg (Ford) capitalised on Hirvonen’s punctures to move into fourth, despite brake trouble on the opening test. Stobart’s Matthew Wilson (Ford) climbed to sixth, despite spinning and stalling on the morning’s final test. Dani Sordo (Citroen), competing under SupeRally rules after retiring yesterday, won two stages as he fought to climb into the manufacturers’ points. The only major retirement was Petter Solberg (Subaru) who stopped after a broken driveshaft on stage 10 cost four minutes.

Tags: ,
Posted in Ford, Press release, World Rally Championship | No Comments »

Latvala turns heat onto rivals to lead Rally Mexico for Ford

Sunday, March 2nd, 2008

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila produced a performance as blistering as the Mexican weather to lead throughout the opening day of Rally Mexico today. Twenty-two-year-old Latvala, who became the youngest driver in history to win a round of the FIA World Rally Championship earlier this month, led from the opening kilometre in his Ford Focus RS World Rally Car to build a 9.6sec overnight advantage.

Team-mates and drivers’ championship leaders Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen lie fifth in another Focus RS after the first of three days of tough gravel speed tests east of León, high in the hills of central Mexico. The Finns had the worst of the slippery road conditions this morning and a puncture this afternoon cost 40sec as they ended the day 1min 10.6sec behind their fellow countrymen.

Huge crowds packed the narrow streets of Guanajuato last night for the spectacular start ceremony of this third round of the championship and opening gravel event of the year. Music and dancing groups entertained the spectators before the 39 starters threaded their way through tens of thousands of fans as they made their way from this beautiful city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to the rally’s León base.

The action began in earnest today as competitors tackled two identical loops of three speed tests, before two passes over a super special stage at León’s race circuit – a total of 135.74km of competition. The rally is the highest of the season, today’s action climbing to 2737m on hillsides awash with cacti and only briefly dipping below 2000m. The altitude took its toll on cars as the thinner air caused engines to ‘run out of breath’ and lose more than 25 per cent of their usual power.

The region has been blessed by dry and hot weather for some time, leaving a coating of loose stones on the surface of the gravel tracks above the city. Hirvonen and Latvala were the first two cars in the start order and as a result they endured the worst of the slippery conditions on the opening loop, sweeping the stones away to leave a cleaner and faster driving line for those behind.

However, it failed to slow Latvala who stamped his authority on the event by winning the opening special stage. He completed the opening loop with a 4.4sec lead over Sébastien Loeb, before two more stage wins on cleaner roads this afternoon extended his advantage over the world champion.

“I started with plenty of confidence after Sweden and felt relaxed,” he said. “It’s a big surprise for me to lead because my pre-event target was to look for a podium. It’s more than I expected or dreamed about. I kept a good pace all day and the whole package has worked well – car, driver, co-driver and tyres. I had some big impacts on stones this morning but Pirelli’s tyres stood up well.

“It will be interesting to be first in the start order tomorrow on the gravely roads, but I was second today and there’s not such a big difference. I don’t want to think about it too much, I just want to get into the car and see what happens. The plan is to drive in the same way as I did on the slippery roads this morning. The stages are tricky so I need to find the same relaxed feeling,” he said.

Hirvonen was fifth on all three morning tests to hold fourth, 18.7sec behind his team-mate. However, a slow puncture on this afternoon’s middle stage cost 40sec and one place.

“I don’t know what I hit but I slid wide in a couple of corners towards some stones so maybe that was the cause,” he said. “There was a crack in the wheel rim and slowly the tyre lost air before coming off the rim completely with about 3km to go. It was a slow puncture so I decided not to stop to change it and drove for about 15km like that. It was the right decision.

“It’s annoying when your young team-mate is beating you, and it wasn’t the car or my road position that was the reason why Jari-Matti is so far ahead of me. He’s driven very well. The time gap between myself and Loeb is what I expected but the difference to Jari-Matti is far more than I thought. I need to find more speed tomorrow. This morning’s conditions were as I expected. It was difficult in the braking areas and the loose gravel meant there was no traction accelerating out of the bends,” he said.

News from our Rivals

After pre-event dramas yesterday when Sébastien Loeb’s (Citroen) engine was changed before later being reinstalled, the Frenchman emerged as Latvala’s closest challenger. He won three stages and is 12.8sec ahead of Chris Atkinson (Subaru), whose only concerns were a launch control difficulty this morning and a faulty intercom this afternoon. Team-mate Petter Solberg dropped 40sec this morning with brake problems but won two stages to lie fourth, 8.7sec ahead of Hirvonen. Henning Solberg (Ford) is sixth, despite hitting a rock on the second stage and bending his car’s rear left suspension. He lost almost two minutes. Gigi Galli (Ford) slid into a ditch on stage three and dropped 90sec when lying fourth, before the Stobart driver retired on the next stage after hitting a rock and breaking a steering arm. He will not restart due to a damaged roll cage. Dani Sordo (Citroen) retired on the opening test with broken front left suspension after hitting a rock. Toni Gardemeister (Suzuki) lost more than 18min after limping through the morning with intermittent throttle response, before retiring in stage four with an engine problem. Team-mate Per-Gunnar Andersson retired from sixth in the mid-leg service with a similar problem and neither will restart tomorrow.

Posted in Ford, Press release, World Rally Championship | No Comments »

WRC – Rally Mexico – Day 1: Loeb/Elena and Citroën C4 lying in waiting

Sunday, March 2nd, 2008

t the end of the first day of the 2008 Rally Mexico, Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena are currently second overall with their Citroën C4 WRC, 9.6 seconds behind the provisional leader. Their team-mates Dani Sordo/Marc Martí were unfortunately sidelined this morning after a wishbone broke when they hit a rock on SS1 (Alfaro), but they will line up for Saturday’s re-start under the SupeRally ruling.
The first gravel outing of the year got off to a colourful ceremonial start last night in the magical town of Guanajuato, a Unesco world heritage site. The occasion gave the Citroën crews a chance to see just how popular they have become in Mexico. The itinerary of the first day of competitive action (135.74km) took competitors into the bare hills that surround host town León and Guanajuato, with a loop of three stages to be contested twice each before two attempts at the evening’s super-special in León.

The day got off to a complex start for Citroën Sport as news broke that the C4 WRC of Dani Sordo and Marc Martí was parked up just kilometres after the start of SS1. “I don’t know what happened,” reported Dani back at service in the Poliforum exhibition centre. “I was keeping to the line made by previous competitors through a left-hand corner, but there must have been a rock because the wishbone broke. It’s bitterly disappointing. Up to that point, we had found a good pace and our split times were looking good.” The Spaniards will rejoin the competition tomorrow morning under the SupeRally ruling.

Posted in Citroën, Press release, World Rally Championship | No Comments »

Strong first day for SWRT amidst the rocky Mexican peaks

Sunday, March 2nd, 2008

The Subaru World Rally Team entries of Chris Atkinson/Stephane Prevot and Petter Solberg/Phil Mills finished the first day of the season’s first gravel rally in third and fourth positions overall after tackling the harsh and unforgiving routes and oxygen-thin air of the Mexican mountains.

The rally on which Subaru has traditionally been strong started in characteristic form as Solberg and Atkinson held the top two spots after Thursday’s shakedown stage. On the first day of gravel-based competition of the season, Atkinson and Prevot held a consistent third position overall. Solberg and Mills experienced early brake troubles that slipped them to sixth, but the duo had a solid afternoon to climb to fourth with two stage wins.

“We’ve again shown that we have the pace to win stages on this event, and despite some problems this morning Chris is on the podium and Petter is close enough to have his sights set on the top three” said Subaru World Rally Team Principal David Richards. “It has been a hard day for the cars and drivers, and it is encouraging to see that Pirelli’s new gravel tyre has worked very well in what have been very tough conditions.”

Today’s roads were a combination of high-altitude dusty gravel stages that reached over 2700 metres above sea level and fast downhill sections, littered with large and jagged rocks. Road cleaning was a big factor in sweeping a lot of the loose material from the surface, leading to smoother roads and more grip for those further down the running order, but the risk of punctures in the sternest test yet for Pirelli’s new Scorpion gravel tyre was ever-present.

Solberg started the day fifth on the road and had a promising start being fastest in the opening section of the first stage. In the last five kilometres however he struck an obstacle in the road, damaging the front end of his car, and, in an unrelated incident, experienced problems with his rear left brakes. This resulted in a loss of braking efficiency for the remainder of the morning until the problem could be rectified at the midday service.

The Norwegian lost a total of 50 seconds over the course of the morning’s three stages and dropped to sixth position overall. Having sorted the problem during the half-hour service interval, Solberg and Mills mimicked their early performance by recording the fastest time on the afternoon’s first speed test. As Ford’s Gigi Galli and Mikko Hirvonen suffered troubles of their own, the SWRT duo climbed to fourth by the end of the day, beating Hirvonen and recording their second stage win in the penultimate head-to-head spectator stage that brought the day to a close.

The afternoon was not without added difficulty as all crews had to avoid the surprise of large rocks in the middle of the road. Solberg chose to go off the road twice to avoid such rocks, losing time as opposed damaging the car, as did Atkinson, who survived with all four tyres intact despite running over one of the rocks with the front right wheel whilst in sixth gear.

“Considering we lost a minute this morning, fourth today is not bad” said Petter Solberg. “We have won two stages, and we are pushing so hard but it will not be easy. We have two tough days left. The rocks in the stages this afternoon were incredible, just right in the middle of the road. They were so big, I don’t know how they got there. If I didn’t go off the road to avoid them, that would have been it. When you’re going flat out, it’s hard to avoid things like that but you still just have to commit.”

Atkinson meanwhile started just behind his team-mate in sixth on the road. The Australian had a consistent day in third position overall, despite driving one of day’s tricky and rocky stages with a malfunctioning intercom, meaning that he couldn’t hear Stephane Prevot’s pace notes and had to drive from memory. He didn’t feel quite as comfortable with the car as he did during yesterday’s shakedown route, but nevertheless recorded five top-three times from today’s eight stages. On the final back-to-back spectator stage, Atkinson beat rival Henning Solberg after the first lap but suffered a spin and a stall on the second lap, losing a few seconds.

“Today has not been bad for us and we’re in a good position to push hard tomorrow. We’ll have to see whether we can close the gap to Sebastien and Jari-Matti as it won’t be easy” said Chris Atkinson. “It was my mistake to spin in the final stage, and giving a few seconds away to these guys isn’t the smartest, but that’s how it goes. It won’t be easy for sure, and I have Petter and Hirvonen behind so we will push hard as always and see.”

The day started at 15 degrees Celsius and rose to a high of 28 degrees. The crews tackled three stages before the midday service, followed by repeat passes of each in the afternoon and two back-to-back passes of the spectator Superspecial stage between Leon and Silao.

Posted in Press release, Subaru, World Rally Championship | No Comments »