Archive for May, 2008

Going gets tough as Ford strives to add to win record in Greece

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

Rocky mountain tracks, punishing heat and physically demanding cockpit conditions are the hallmarks of the Acropolis Rally of Greece (29 May – 1 June), widely regarded as the toughest challenge in the FIA World Rally Championship calendar. It is a trial in which BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, leader of both the manufacturers’ and drivers’ standings, has excelled to claim six wins in the last eight years with the Focus RS World Rally Car.

Success in Greece, round seven of the 15-event series and one of the championship’s classic fixtures, demands a blend of strength, reliability and speed. Drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila will hope to reproduce the form which powered them to second and third in Italy earlier this month to keep Ford on top in both title races. The team heads the manufacturers’ battle by seven points and Hirvonen tops the drivers’ table by three points.

The Acropolis Rally’s gravel speed tests west of Athens have a fearsome reputation. Cars must withstand severe punishment from loose rocks which litter the surface of the mountain tracks as well as hard bedrock which forms the base of the roads. Air temperatures often exceed 30ºC, placing high demands on engines and gearboxes. Because the winding roads and hairpins make this a relatively slow rally (only Argentina was slower in 2007), there is little cooling from the through-flow of air.

Drivers, too, can expect a tough time for the same reasons. There is no cooling inside the cars during special stages so cockpit temperatures are high and fitness plays a crucial role. A regular fluid intake is also vital to stave off dehydration and ensure drivers and co-drivers operate at peak performance.

Twenty-seven-year-old Hirvonen finished third in both 2006 and 2007 and five starts have given him plenty of experience of what lies ahead.

“The Acropolis is usually the hottest rally in the championship but having been to Jordan last month where temperatures were close to 40ºC, I don’t think we will experience that kind of heat here,” said Hirvonen. “Although Jordan was also abrasive, I think Greece will be more so. There are plenty of loose rocks, especially during the second pass of stages, and the road base is hard bedrock. That’s why the rally has earned its reputation as a car-breaker.

“The conditions are tough on cars and tyres but I’m not worried about either. The Focus RS has proved its strength many times. Pirelli’s tyres have also been remarkably strong this year with few punctures. The heat and rough roads will combine to make tyre wear greater than on other gravel events so I’ll need to remember that I must look after them,” he added.

Latvala, fourth in the drivers’ standings, made his World Rally Car debut in a Focus RS in Greece in 2003 when he was just 18. “That was a very special moment,” said the 23-year-old Finn. “It was only my second world rally and I was so tired from the heat because it was a new experience for me in the hot conditions. My car was totally reliable and I finished 10th, which at 18 years old was amazing.

“This is my fifth start but I expect it to be just as tough. Last year’s rally contained a 48km stage which gave us difficulties with tyres. This year that test has been split into two so it should be easier for tyres, cars and drivers. My podium in Italy has given me great confidence after Argentina and Jordan weren’t so good for me, and I believe I can take that pace to Greece,” added Latvala.

Abu Dhabi’s Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr will drive a third team Focus RS on a rally that the 36-year-old driver finished in 2004 and 2006. “A lot has changed since then but it’s still a very rough rally,” he said. “Some places are similar to Jordan, others to Sardinia, but some are distinctive only to the Acropolis. Although there are several new stages, Michael has a lot of experience here. Together we had a long consultation with my engineers after Sardinia and I hope we see the results in Greece.

“Without testing things are always difficult and I’m going to have to keep improving my technique and adapting my style as I go along. I’ll start at a comfortable pace and see how the car is reacting. If things are going well, I’ll increase my pace,” he added.

Team News

* As part of the sport’s new regulations, BP Ford Abu Dhabi will have just one tyre pattern from Pirelli. The Scorpion gravel tyre will be available in hard compound only. Because anti-deflation mousse is also outlawed this year, the Scorpion includes reinforced sidewalls to offer increased protection against punctures Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the rubber and each car can carry two spares.

* Five other Focus RS cars will start the rally. Gigi Galli / Giovanni Bernacchini and Henning Solberg / Cato Menkerud are nominated for points by the Stobart VK M-Sport team while Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin will drive a third car. Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team has nominated Federico Villagra / Jorge Pérez Companc and Greeks Aris Vovos / ‘El-Em’ to score.

* Hirvonen will conduct a two-day asphalt test in Scotland on 5 – 6 June.

* Lehtinen attended Wednesday’s night’s UEFA Champions League soccer final between Manchester United and Chelsea in Moscow as a guest of Ford of Europe. Ford is a major partner of the Champions League and used the half-time break to premiere its 60-second TV advertisement for the all-new Kuga vehicle.

Rally Route

For the third consecutive year, the rally has a new base. It will be centred at the military airport of Tatoi, 20km north of the centre of Athens. The airfield hosted a stage of the rally in 1975 and this year will also be home to a gravel super special stage on Friday evening and the rally’s finale on Sunday afternoon. Also new for 2008 is the start ceremony at the famous Acropolis, high above the city and for many years the traditional start location. The route itself is broadly similar to 2007. The opening leg heads north and west of Athens, and contains the only all-new test of the rally. The second day is the longest of the event and takes competitors west of the city, passing close to the Corinth Canal. The final day is again north-west of the city before the finish ceremony at Tatoi. Drivers tackle 20 tests covering 339.94km in a total route of 1311.32km.

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SWRT replace saloon with hatchback for WRC classic

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

The completely redesigned and eagerly anticipated Subaru Impreza WRC2008 will make its competitive debut on the classic Acropolis Rally, after an official introduction to the car on Wednesday evening before shakedown. Aboard their new machines, Solberg and Atkinson will relish the challenge of the season’s toughest event at the dawn of a new era for the Subaru World Rally Team.

Just one week after Rally Sardinia, in which the team has been working feverishly to ready the two Impreza WRC2008s for action, crews will barely have had time to catch their breath when they arrive in Greece for the iconic seventh round of the World Rally Championship.

This year sees a change to the norm as the event’s service park has been moved for the third year running, this time to the Tatoi military airport. Thursday’s spectator Superspecial stage has been similarly relocated to the roads surrounding the base.

One of the longest-standing events on the calendar, Acropolis has long been regarded as the season’s toughest event. Sitting well into European summertime, the gravel routes surrounding the ancient city of Athens will be notoriously hot and punishing on crews and cars alike, proving a stern test of the WRC’s youngest challenger.

With temperatures climbing towards 40 degrees Celsius, the roads are some of the dustiest and roughest that competitors will see. What are best described as boulders line much of the mountainous route, whilst the many rocks that scatter the stages will put the Impreza WRC2008’s surefootedness to the test.

Underfloor protection is essential on this event to prevent damage to vulnerable components beneath the cars such as gearboxes and differentials. Although the hard compound Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyres that teams have used for the last four events have excelled themselves, the risk of punctures will be high and crews may find themselves having to consciously avoid some of the larger obstacles in their path.

In this rally of endurance, the most demanding on the calendar, the level of fitness of each driver will become very evident as they battle with searing in-car temperatures which will sap their strength and concentration. Durability here is as important as outright performance, and, as in Jordan, crews will pay particular attention to operating temperatures to keep the two Imprezas at their peak.

Twenty stages will take competitors through 340 kilometres of racing to the north and west of the service park. Two passes of the new Tatoi spectator stage bring to a crescendo Friday and Sunday’s competition.

Entries
The Subaru World Rally Team have entered two all-new Impreza WRC2008s for the Acropolis Rally. Petter Solberg / Phil Mills will drive car number five and Chris Atkinson / Stéphane Prévot will be aboard number six. Solberg and Mills finished third on this event last year, and 2008 will be Atkinson’s fourth running. His highest finish was sixth last year, alongside Prévot.

Team quotes
David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal: “Acropolis will see a very different Subaru World Rally Team as we return to full strength upon the debut of our new car. Whilst a very different look and direction for us, the WRC2008 is instantly recognisable as a Subaru and I am sure will continue the marque’s iconic heritage. I am confident of a very positive step forward in our pace in Greece, despite it being the toughest event of the year, and moreover its debut heralds a new chapter in the team’s illustrious history.”

Paul Howarth, Subaru World Rally Team operations director: “Everyone who’s been in rallying for a long time likes going to Greece as it’s one of the great historic rallies. We’ll see a lot more base bedrock on the stages than in Sardinia, which makes the surface a lot harder. Using some of the old classic stages of the championship, it’s very, very challenging; the most challenging of the season for us. They’ve had a bad winter in Greece so the stages will be quite deteriorated already, and large rocks in the road always make the second passes harder. You get a good result from pushing as hard as possible without taking risks – it’s more of an endurance event.

“We’ve done a considerable amount of endurance mileage with the new car which of course we’re using for the first time in Greece, so this should stand us in good stead. The rally is bound to throw up new challenges to those we’ve faced in testing however and it’s an event likely to throw up surprises, but it’s a good tough weekend to quickly highlight areas in which we can fine-tune and continue to improve.”

Driver quotes
Petter Solberg: “We finished third here last year and this time we have the new car, so I’ll be really pushing for a strong result. It’s a very difficult event; very rocky and hot, and the stages have always been very rough so it’s hard on us and the cars. We’ve had a few days in the new car now, so I have a good feeling from it and really hope that we’ll be in a good position to fight at the front. I’ll be at 110 per cent, definitely.”

Chris Atkinson: “It’s the first time out in a new car so it’s very exciting but you’re always a little cautious! If the feeling’s good I’ll be pushing straight away. There’s no reason not to, and obviously I’m looking forward to the opportunity to see where we are with the car. We know it’s going to be a very tough event as there are so many variables, so it won’t be easy but I hope we can take another step in the right direction and start to close up to the frontrunners.”

Between the rallies
In the week between Acropolis and Sardinia, the drivers and co-drivers had one final test aboard their Impreza WRC2008s before arriving in Greece ready to drive them competitively for the first time.

In the short gap amidst the busiest time of the season, the majority of the equipment travelled from Sardinia straight to Athens, although of course the WRC2008s departed from the UK on trailers.

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BFGOODRICH DRIVERS TEAM. Miguel Campos (Peugeot/BFGoodrich) ends Leg 1 in the top-ten

Sunday, May 11th, 2008

Miguel Campos, winner of the BFGoodrich Drivers Team operation for the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, completed the opening leg of his home event in 10th position at the wheel of his Peugeot 207 S2000, ahead of the 2002 Junior World Champion Dani Sola and just 2.7 seconds behind the 2006 European Rally Championship Giandomenico Basso.

Thursday evening saw thousands of fans turn out to line the streets of Faro to cheer on competitors on the 2007 Vodafone Rally de Portugal, with a particular ovation for the crew of the N°16 Peugeot 207 BFGoodrich, Miguel Campos and Paulo Babo. Making his return to active competition after a two-year absence, the driver selected to represent the BFGoodrich Drivers Team on this event finished just 3.6s adrift of Italy’s Luca Rossetti, winner of the recent Istanbul Rally.

“I couldn’t wait to be at the start of this evening’s stage,” admitted Miguel Campos last night. I didn’t take any risks, though, because this evening’s 1.3km run through the streets of Faro was only a warm up. It was important to stay focused and keep a cool head. The real rally begins tomorrow.”

Serious business effectively kicked off this morning in the hills of the Algarve with a menu of three stages before the lunchtime service break. Driving the N°16 car after being chosen from a shortlist of 48 candidates by the Portuguese motor sport governing body, a panel of journalists, BFGoodrich and Kronos Racing, Campos profited from stages swept clear by the cars running ahead of him on the road to claim the eighth fastest time on Loule (SS2, 19.89km). On SS4, however, he was caught in the dust of a competitor running ahead of him which lost him a good minute, although he still figured in 13th place.

Rain started to fall as drivers at the service park in the Algarve Stadium began thinking about tyre choices for the afternoon’s loop of three stages (58km). However, the available weather information suggested that the stages to the north near Vascao were still dry.

Bearing in mind that the conditions had most likely deteriorated following the morning’s pass, Miguel Campos opted for hard compound BFGoodrich g-Force Gravels. His choice paid off since the BFGoodrich Drivers Team representative succeeded in moving three places up the leaderboard to end Friday in 10th place, giving him an ideal position on the road for the last day’s six stages.

Jacques Morelli (BFGoodrich IRC Programme Manager)”Miguel has put in just the sort of applied and consistent performance we were expecting of him. He kept his head when things went against him, as on SS4 when he was handicapped by the dust thrown up by another competitor, and then when he came across rain on SS5.

“Marc Van Dalen (Team Manager, Kronos Racing)”Miguel quickly found his marks and he is making progress with every stage. The profile of the rally will be different tomorrow and our objective is to finish in the top eight which would be in the points. The Peugeot 207 is very popular and the operation is already a success…”

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Efficiency, performance, and reliability for Simon Jean- Joseph and the C2-R2 MAX in Portugal

Sunday, May 11th, 2008

At the end of the 42nd Portugal Rally, Simon Jean-Joseph and Jack Boyere made the most of their C2-R2 MAX’s potential to win Group A and their class, as well as the two-wheel drive category. Using their extremely effective BFGoodrich tyres, the Citroen, prepared and maintained by the PH-Sport team, showed its class on the Portuguese stages.

The rally was run in the Algarve region to the south of Portugal, and kept up the standards as well as part of the route that was used last year on the World Championship. The route consisted of just over 249 competitive kilometres split amongst 13 stages. Having met with universal approval in 2007, the organisation and the roads were once more exemplary.

Simon Jean-Joseph was one of the many to be delighted by this event. At the end of the recce, he enthused about the spectacular nature of the gravel stages. The rally got underway with a spectator superspecial around the streets of Faro on Thursday night, while the first day on Friday allowed Simon to get to grips with the local territory. He was immediately at his ease, climbing to the lead of his class, Group A, and the two-wheel drive category. « We got off to a perfect start, » said the man from Martinique. « I had a very good feeling with the C2-R2 MAX, which was disconcertingly easy to drive. It felt competitive and natural both in the dry of the opening loop, as well as in the damp of the afternoon. »

The Citroen crew started leg two with a double objective. They aimed to continue to dominate the category and also to improve their position in the overall classification. Throughout the day, the enthusiastic Portuguese fans – who are as passionate as they are enthusiastic – gave the C2-R2 MAX a warm welcome. « I think they were amazed at the performance and the show that a car of this size could provide, » said Simon at the finish. « The development work that Citroen Sport has put into this car really paid off today. The MAX grips, slides, jumps and lands really well. It’s comfortable, precise, easy to handle, and above all really sure-footed and competitive. Using a set-up that absolutely every driver could utilise, we had a really good time on these amazing roads in the C2-R2 MAX, which were damp today. The only thing that myself and Jack regret is the fact that there’s not another day tomorrow ! »

«We can draw an extremely positive conclusion from this third rally of the season for Simon and Jack, » said Jean-François Liénéré, who is responsible for Citroen Sport’s customer operation. « Once more, the C2-R2 MAX demonstrated excellent performance and reliability. Just as was the case on the asphalt of the Rally Eger a few weeks ago, our tyres from BFGoodrich were absolutely flawless. We had no punctures at all, and the way they worked on the Portuguese stages allowed the Citroen crew to perform to the best of their abilities. »

The third round of the Citroen C2 Challenge, organised by Citroen Portugal, was won by Paulo Antunes/ Hugo Magalhães…

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Crews limber up for a long, hot summer as the Mediterranean beckons

Friday, May 9th, 2008

After the rigours of the Jordanian deserts, crews will have little respite from the heat as they head to the island of Sardinia, though at least the air will be less dry and more bearable. The sixth round of the World Rally Championship represents a return to Europe after a string of three long-haul events in a row.

Itself the first of a back-to-back trio of European events, it heralds the start of the most demanding section of the season with three events in just five weeks. The travel and intensified workload will punish drivers, cars and teams alike, and go a long way to setting the Championship scene for the remainder of the season.

Sardinia lies in the Mediterranean sea between Spain and Italy, just 12 kilometres from the coast of Corsica, itself the scene for a World Rally encounter later in the season. As per previous years, the rally is based in the northern tip of the island, in the industrial port of Olbia on the Costa Smeralda coast.

The soft and almost sandy gravel roads wind through a combination of unspoiled green mountainsides that contrast with the sometime dusty and rocky routes of the lower regions. The traction and braking stability of the cars will be really tested by the loose surfaces that can cause the cars to wander as the road beneath them shifts. Eighty per cent of the local area is hilly, and while more rolling than mountainous, the stages steadily undulate.

In the typically lush Italian hills, temperatures are expected to be upwards of 20 degrees Celsius, but routes can quickly become dampened by the ever-present chance of unexpected storms. The stages are very flowing and technical, meaning it is vital that crews get into a good rhythm from the outset in order to attack fully. Crews running first on the road will clean the loose surface to the benefit of those behind them, but as the roads deteriorate and become rutted by the second passes, it will actually favour the front-runners.

The event starts with a ceremonial start in the exclusive resort of Porto Cervo, 30 kilometres to the north of the service park, and consists of 17 stages stretching 354 competitive kilometres across the northern provinces of Olbia, Sassari and Nuoro. Whilst many of the planned routes are very similar to those used in previous years, there have been several significant changes to pit competitors against new challenges, namely that the third and final day is almost completely new.

The history of the island is evident in the numerous ancient ruins that the route will take the World Rally cars past. Abandoned castles, churches and strongholds all hint at the island’s medieval past and contribute to the collapsed carved stone structures and outcrops that typify this most varied of championship events.

Entries
The Subaru World Rally Team have entered two Impreza WRC2007s for Rally Sardinia. Petter Solberg / Phil Mills will drive car number five and Chris Atkinson / Stéphane Prévot will be in car number six.

Solberg and Mills won the event in 2004 and finished fifth last year. Atkinson has only competed in Sardinia three times before, and 2008 will be his second attempt alongside Prévot. The duo’s highest finish on the island is tenth.

Team quotes
David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal: “Sardinia presents a completely different challenge to the last round of the Championship in Jordan only two weeks ago. Our test team has been working extremely hard to resolve the problems that Petter encountered with his shock absorbers and I am confident we have made significant progress in this respect. Petter has won this event before so I am sure he goes into it with confidence and hoping that all our work has been worthwhile, enabling him to challenge strongly for a podium position.”

Paul Howarth, Subaru World Rally Team operations director: “This has traditionally been a tough rally, especially because the stages are so soft and the surface becomes badly deteriorated by the second passes. With the combination of the soft surface and rocks in and at the sides of the roads, it’ll be tough on tyres. This rally is all about reliability and consistency as all the stages are hard on the cars. The soft surface will present a very different challenge for the drivers and the setup of the car to the very hard roads we saw last in Jordan.”

Driver quotes
Petter Solberg: “Sardinia is very tough as the surface is very soft and there are lots of ruts on the second passes. We’ve won there before, and I will go there pushing hard, but it is never an easy rally so we will just see. The team has been working hard since Jordan so I hope we will be able to go well there.”

Chris Atkinson: “It’s important to drive smoothly and without mistakes in Sardinia as the roads are very technical and narrow but it’s a rally I enjoy. It’s my fourth year here, and my second with Stéphane, so I hope we can have a good event and run competitively. I’m not thinking about another podium finish, but just concentrating on our pace and fighting as high up as we can.”

Between the rallies
After Jordan, the crews had their first familiarisation run aboard the all-new Impreza WRC2008 as part of the team’s testing strategy, which is progressing well. Further information will follow in the coming weeks.

After their familiarisation days, the drivers and co-drivers spent time at home, relaxing after the punishing heat of the desert and continuing their training and preparation as the WRC enters the busiest part of the season. Petter spent some time karting with his son Oliver, and Chris travelled the short distance to Monza, Italy for the fifth round of the World Superbike Championship.

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Citroën targets victory in Sardinia

Friday, May 9th, 2008

The 2008 World Rally Championship moves on to Sardinia for the sixth round of the season, the Rally d’Italia Sardegna. Citroën Total has entered two C4 WRCs for its usual crews Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and Dani Sordo/Marc Martí, while two privately-entered C4 WRCs run by PH Sport with the support of technicians from Citroën Technologies will contest the Italian event in the hands of Conrad Rautenbach/David Senior and Urmo Aava/Kuldar Sikk.

For many years, Italy’s round of the WRC was based in Sanremo before switching to Sardinia in 2004. This year, the all-gravel fixture features 344.73km of competitive action divided into 17 stages. Only the final test, which hugs the coast to the north of Olbia, is new, while the rest of the route uses tracks inland to the south of the host town.

With four previous visits to the Mediterranean island under their belts, the teams and drivers are now perfectly familiar with the specific challenges of Sardinia, especially since the WRC teams come here often for testing purposes. The stages are generally twisty, narrow and lined with inhospitable rocks, so average speeds are quite slow and even a tiny error can prove costly. The sandy surface tends to evolve over the weekend, grip is often at a premium and running order can play an important role, with the first drivers on the road facing a significant amount of ‘road sweeping’ duty. Citroën’s two crews will start in second and fifth positions respectively and will endeavour to make the most of their start order.

Following their wins in Sardinia in 2005 and 2006, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena came close to making it three in a row in 2007. They succeeded in finding a set-up and pace that put them in a strong position but a mistake then put them out of contention for victory. They prefer not to talk in terms of revenge, but the reigning champions are especially keen to top this year’s final podium in Porto Cervo.

“I’m not one to dwell on the past and last year’s incident is well and truly behind us,” says Sébastien. “This is a particularly selective rally which I enjoy very much, but this year we will need to see how our tyres perform without run-flat mousse.”

This is effectively a factor that will need to be taken into account in Sardinia where Seb and Daniel are targeting outright victory. “Our misadventure in Jordan is behind us, too,” adds the World Champion. “We were on top and looking good to extend our lead in the championship, and here we are now with a five-point deficit to make up. We will be looking to start bridging that gap in Sardinia and I am encouraged by the C4′s competitiveness over a broad variety of terrains, as well as by the work put in to adapt it to its tyres.”

Dani Sordo and Marc Martí spent much of the Jordan Rally in the lead and their run produced several valuable pointers, beginning with the Citroën C4′s potential against its rivals, as well as the speed of the Spanish pair who now stand out as potential winners on all types of surface, not just on asphalt. “Leading is nice but not always easy,” admits Dani. “I had an excellent feeling with my car and the times I posted were big confidence boosters. Although I believe I still lack experience when it comes to finishing, adapting the way I drive and regarding how best to approach running first on the road, Jordan was positive on those fronts, too.”

Despite winning the Junior category in Sardinia in 2005 and coming third last year, Dani only moderately enjoys this event. “It’s not my favourite,” he recognises. “I think it will be tricky and tyres promise to play a major role. For instance, how will our Pirelli Hard tyres – which we won’t be able to ‘re-cut’ – perform here? And with so many rocks about, it will be important to steer clear of punctures.” These considerations don’t prevent the Spaniard from targeting another podium finish in Sardinia. That would clearly be beneficial for both championships and would notably permit Citroën to keep up its bid for the 2008 Manufacturers’ crown.

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Suzuki aims to make use of precious Sardinian experience

Friday, May 9th, 2008

Like all the events, Sardinia will be a new adventure for the SX4 World Rally Car, but the Italian rally is actually the one where Suzuki as a manufacturer has accumulated the most experience. Sardinia has formed part of the Junior World Rally Championship since the gravel event arrived on the WRC calendar in 2004 – and this year is no exception. Consequently Suzuki has already wrapped up four participations in Sardinia, resulting in two class wins and two further podiums. Nonetheless, Sardinia is renowned as being one of the most complicated events on the World Championship due to its inconsistent surfaces and grip levels, which can easily catch out the unwary. Some stages have a hard surface and others are softer, but they all become extremely treacherous during the second run when sharp rocks are often revealed, which can cause punctures.

Having now accumulated knowledge of three gravel events so far this year, Suzuki is hoping to capitalise upon the experience gained to date. Conditions are likely to be hot and dusty in Sardinia but the rally route has not changed considerably from previous years, taking in a number of stages through the millionaire’s playground that is known as the ‘Costa Smeralda’ (Emerald Coast).

The Rally d’Italia Sardegna gets underway with a ceremonial start in the glittering resort of Porto Cervo, at 20:00 on Thursday 15 May. The real action then starts on Friday morning at 09:43, with the first of 17 all-gravel special stages to the north-east of the island. In total the rally will cover 342.86 kilometres, with the central service park located as usual in the port of Olbia. The rally finish is scheduled for 14:30 on Sunday. For more information: www.rallyitaliasardegna.com

Car news – Suzuki SX4 WRC n.11 (Gardemeister) and n.12 (Andersson):

Suzuki has accumulated some useful knowledge of Sardinia from previous successful participations in the Junior World Rally Championship. The team has also learnt a number of key lessons from the three gravel rallies held so far this year, with some particularly important discoveries made on the most recent rally in Jordan. The hot and sandy surfaces in Jordan, with some intermittent sharp rocks, have a particular relevance to the quite similar conditions expected in Sardinia.

The Suzuki World Rally Team has made some notable steps forward regarding the differential and suspension geometry of the SX4 WRC, as well as improving the under-body protection. The sump guard has also been reinforced, and the ground clearance readjusted.

For Sardinia, the team’s priority has been to enhance the general reliability of the SX4 WRC in order to maximise the chances of coming away from the event with the best possible points haul. Once more, the main objective is for both cars to score points in Italy – which would be an excellent achievement on what is still only the sixth rally of Suzuki’s first full season.

Driver news:

For once, young Swede P-G Andersson actually has more experience of this event than his illustrious team mate. Whereas P-G has competed on every Rally d’Italia Sardegna since it joined the World Championship in 2004, Toni Gardemeister did not contest the 2006 event. Gardemeister also made a bit of rally history by finishing fifth on the rally in 2005. A technical problem had forced him to retire on a previous leg, but he came back under what was then the brand new super rally system and became the first driver ever to score World Championship points after ‘retiring’ from an event.

This year, he is naturally hoping for a clean run to the finish and no retirements despite the challenging nature of the Sardinian stages. “It’s a tricky rally as it is very inconsistent: the grip and the surfaces are changing all the time,” said the 32 year-old. “On the whole, the surfaces are quite slippery and soft on the top, with a harder base underneath. It’s also quite dusty, so the circumstances are far from easy. The key to success for us will be achieving a good level of reliability. If we can stay out of trouble, then I have absolutely no doubt that we can score points; even quite good points. That has to be the aim here.”

P-G Andersson, a former winner of the Junior World Championship class in Sardinia, has always maintained a good feeling with this event. “I like this rally a lot, although you have to be very careful not to pick up punctures – especially during the second run through the stages,” he commented. “The main thing I think is to be very neat and precise, which I try to be all the time anyway. I’m feeling reasonably optimistic: we found out quite a few important things in Jordan which could hopefully make a difference for us in Sardinia. We’ll certainly have a bit of an attack – that’s why we’re here after all!”

Team news:

After the extreme conditions of Jordan, Suzuki is aiming for improved reliability in Sardinia in order to fulfil its objective of bringing both cars home in the points. The work carried out in Sardinia will be vital for the future, as the next two rallies afterwards – in Greece and Turkey – will also have similar conditions to those seen in Italy. The Rally d’Italia Sardegna is therefore a crucial learning opportunity for the entire team, from the very top downwards. “We still have a long way to go and a lot to improve,” said Suzuki World Rally Team Principal Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima. “However, by staying focussed on our common goals and making progress step by step, I am confident that we will eventually achieve our objectives. To succeed in the World Rally Championship is extremely tough, and Sardinia will play an important part in our development process.”

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Ford bids to bring Finnish sparkle to Sardinia’s Emerald Coast

Friday, May 9th, 2008

Following three consecutive fixtures outside Europe, BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team steps up the pace in the FIA World Rally Championship next week as the series returns there for the first time since February. After mastering near 40ºC temperatures with victory in Jordan last month, the heat is turned up metaphorically for the championship leader as Rally d’Italia Sardegna (15 – 18 May) marks the first of a burst of three Mediterranean rallies in five weekends to take the series to the summer halt.

Although this is round six of the 15-event championship, the speed tests on Italy’s sun-kissed holiday island mark the first occasion in which Ford’s WRC gladiators will taste European gravel this season – it is quickly followed by Greece and Turkey. The industrial town of Olbia, below the shimmering Costa Smeralda coastline in the north-east of the island, provides the rally base while Porto Cervo, one of Europe’s most luxurious resorts, hosts the start and finish ceremonies.

A key characteristic of Sardinia’s speed tests is their narrowness and drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila know mistakes can be punished as rocks line the edge of the tracks, waiting to batter a car’s suspension or attack its tyres. A sandy surface masks a hard base below and roads can be rutted and rocky during the second pass, demanding strength from the team’s Focus RS World Rally Cars and durability from Pirelli’s Scorpion tyres.

Hirvonen’s first win of the season, in Jordan, helped Ford extend its manufacturers’ series lead to seven points and took him back to the top of the drivers’ table with a five point advantage. Hirvonen finished second here in 2006 and 2007 so knows what it takes to be successful on this challenging event.

“The stages are narrow but fast and although there are rough sections, it’s by no means the roughest rally of the season. It’s the first hot gravel rally in Europe but we have good knowledge of how Pirelli’s tyres work in those conditions from Mexico and Jordan. The roads are probably rougher than either of those events but they’re not too harsh on tyres and I have no concerns about that.

“Because I lead the championship, I’m first in the start order on Friday. That’s never the best place on a dry gravel rally because the first car cleans the loose stones and those behind have a better driving line. But it’s not usually a big disadvantage in Sardinia and I’m not going to worry about that. My focus is finding the right speed on Friday morning because I can’t afford to let any driver break clear. At the end of the first day in Jordan four cars were covered by less than 15sec. It could be just as close in Sardinia and I need to be in that group,” added the 27-year-old Finn.

Latvala’s best result from two starts in Sardinia is ninth last year but the 23-year-old Finn is eager to use his sparkling pace on gravel to better that. “For some drivers Sardinia is not a favourite but the island holds good memories for me,” he said. “Before graduating to the WRC I drove two national rallies on the island on similar roads and last year here I led a world rally for the first time. The roads are narrow and fast, but there are many rocks on the inside and outside of bends so I will need to be precise in my driving because it’s easy to hit one and damage the suspension.

“My final position on the last round in Jordan was disappointing after challenging for the win for most of the event, but I came away with more positives than negatives. I was happy with my speed and I plan to work on the car’s set-up during my test this weekend. I was a little too sideways in Jordan and I want to find a better balance with the car on these tyres,” he added.

Abu Dhabi’s Khalid Al Qassimi will start in Sardinia for the first time, partnered by experienced co-driver Michael Orr. “It’s going to be a completely new terrain so the recce will be important,” said 36-year-old Al Qassimi. “The most important thing is the learning. You have to be familiar with any new terrain to go fast – a driver’s first event anywhere is always for experience. I have to learn techniques and develop my pace notes so I’ll pay close attention to what Mikko and Jari-Matti tell me. The BP Ford Abu Dhabi technicians have a lot of experience of this event so I’ll rely on my team to guide me. Just finishing the event will be the most important thing, not my position.”

Team News

* As part of the sport’s new regulations, BP Ford Abu Dhabi will have just one tyre pattern from Pirelli. The Scorpion gravel tyre will be available in hard compound only. Because anti-deflation mousse is also outlawed this year, the Scorpion includes reinforced sidewalls to offer increased protection against punctures Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the rubber and each car can carry two spares.

* Six other Focus RS cars will start the rally – the highest representation so far this season. Gigi Galli / Giovanni Bernacchini and Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin will be nominated for points by the Stobart VK M-Sport team. Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team has nominated Federico Villagra / Jorge Pérez Companc and Henning Solberg / Cato Menkerud to score. Additional privately-entered Focus RS cars will be driven by Andreas Mikkelsen / Ola Floene and Peter Van Merksteijn / Hans Van Beek.

* The team’s three day test in Sardinia ends tomorrow (Saturday). Hirvonen completed the opening two days before Latvala takes over for the last day. Both are concentrating on finalising car set-up.

* Ford Italy is a major partner of the rally. It will provide 20 of Ford’s new Kuga cars to the organisers and 50 C-MAX vehicles. The four-wheel drive Kuga is Ford of Europe’s first entry into the crossover market and goes on sale across Europe this summer.

* Hirvonen and Lehtinen will attend the Champions League soccer final between Manchester United and Chelsea in Moscow on Wednesday 21 May as guests of Ford of Europe. Ford is a major partner of the Champions League. Sadly for the Finns, both are fans of beaten semi-finalists Liverpool.

Rally Route

The base remains in Olbia, with the single service park in the town’s port, but organisers have maintained their policy of ringing the changes with 29 per cent of the stages new and some competitive distance used in the opposite direction to previous years. The exclusive coastal resort of Porto Cervo again hosts both the start and finish ceremonies. Much of the new distance is covered on the opening day which nevertheless returns to traditional territory south of Olbia in the Nuoro region. The second leg is similar to last year, covering more inland tests in Gallura and including the spectacular Monte Lerno jump. The final day moves away from Tempio Pausania and Arzachena for tests south of Olbia before a short, final stage just south of Porto Cervo in the famous Cala di Volpe gulf. Drivers tackle 17 stages covering 344.73km in a route of 1040.35km.

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42 Portugal Rally, Jean-Joseph and the C2-R2 MAX set to confirm their pace

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

The third round of the European programme of Simon Jean-Joseph, Jack Boyère and the PH Sport-prepared Citroën C2-R2 MAX will take place on the Rally of Portugal this weekend. The Citroën crew will once again be relying on experience, talent and its BFGoodrich tyres to continue to demonstrate the C2-R2 MAX’s potential on gravel.

Portugal was always an iconic event on the World Rally Championship, although it did not form part of the series from 2002 and 2006. It returned to the WRC last year, but this season forms part of the IRC (Intercontinental Rally Challenge). The new-look Portugal Rally takes place entirely in the Algarve, the country’s most southerly region. A number of elements have been carried over directly from last year: the service park next to the Algarve Stadium and classic stages such as S. Bras Alportel (SS4-7) or Ourique (SS9-12). Other aspects, such as the timing of the event, are quite different. Just over 249 competitive kilometres have been spread over three days and 13 special stages – including a brand new all-asphalt superspecial stage that will run through the streets of Faro. The rest of the rally will take place on gravel.

« I’m very pleased to be getting to know this rally », enthused Simon Jean-Joseph. « Portugal is a country that I really love. Motorsport enjoys huge support there and every event turns into a massive party. The fans are extremely knowledgeable and we receive a very warm welcome. I’m even more motivated than ever following the mishap during our last rally with the C2-R2 MAX: I’m keen to put things right. I know that we have the chance of scoring a very good result, and our aim is to make that happen in Faro – where the quite smooth and fast gravel should suit our car. »

« We will be competing against an extremely high quality field, with a number of very well-known crews, » added the man from Martinique. « The traction, roadholding and user-friendliness of our Citroën C2-R2 MAX, matched to our excellent tyres supplied by BFGoodrich are our trump cards. This will once more allow us to take on some extremely talented drivers not just from our own class, but from the class above – which is again our objective. »

Jean-François Liénéré, in charge of Citroën Sport’s customer competition programme, commented: « From its very first rally on gravel in England, we could see how competitive the Citroën C2-R2 MAX was on this surface. Unfortunately, an impact with a big rock that was right on the racing line meant that Simon and Jack were not able to finish the job off. But the performances shown by drivers with far less experience than Simon, during the second round of the C2 Junior Experience on the Jordan Rally, underlined the car’s excellent potential. In Portugal, the Citroën crew is going to once more try and punch above its weight. The day after the rally, in collaboration with Citroën Portugal and the Algarve Automobile Club, we will be hosting a day of promotion and presentation of the C2-R2 MAX, which will allow Portuguese media and drivers to sample the new car for themselves. »

The Portugal Rally will also be the third round of the ‘Citroën C2 Challenge’, organised by Citroën Portugal.

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