Portugal preview notes: Part one
The 2011 World Rally Championship resumes in Portugal later this week for the second gravel event of the season.
This is a summary of how the main contenders have prepared and what some of the leading drivers have had to say in the build-up to round two of the year.
Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
Despite managing just three stage wins compared to the 14 recorded by the rival factory Citroen squad on Rally Guanajuato Mexico, Ford returned to Europe having extended its advantage in the manufacturers’ championship thanks to podium finishes for Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala on the gravel event. The Finns prepared for Vodafone Rally de Portugal with a four-day test in the country, which finished yesterday (Sunday). While Hirvonen has reached the finish in Portugal on his three previous attempts, Latvala’s association with Portugal will always be remembered for the huge crash he suffered on the event in 2009, from which he and co-driver Miikka Anttila were lucky to emerge largely unscathed
Mikko Hirvonen: “It’s a challenging rally. There are many sections with corners hiding just over crests and it’s tricky. It’s a rally in which the more you learn the stages, the more you can identify the sections where you can go faster. The roads have a hard base and are abrasive, so tyre wear could be an issue, especially if temperatures are high. I’m still learning this car and when I hear a pace note, I hesitate a fraction while I understand what speed and gear that note means. My driving isn't totally instinctive yet.”
Jari-Matti Latvala: “It’s the most difficult gravel rally of the season. The roads are narrow with many blind crests. Trees and stones line the stages, both on the inside of corners where a driver looks to make cuts, and on the outside where a car slides wide if a driver approaches too quickly. The roads have a clay surface, which is hard in dry conditions and demanding on tyres. However, if it rains they quickly become muddy and slippery.”
Citroen Total World Rally Team
Citroen arrives in Portugal keen to claw back some of the points it dropped to rival Ford in the race for the manufacturers’ championship when Sebastien Ogier crashed in Mexico earlier this month. However, it also returns to Europe in buoyant mood thanks to the pace its DS3 WRCs showed on the opening gravel event of the campaign. Like Ford, Citroen has tested on dry and damp gravel so it will be ready to cope in the event of changeable weather conditions. Since Portugal returned to the WRC schedule in 2007 Citroen has tasted victory on all three occasions, with Sebastien Loeb triumphing in 2007 and 2009 and Ogier taking the laurels - his first at world level - last season.
Sebastien Loeb: “Citroen have always dominated their rivals in this rally. If the weather is good in Portugal, we’ll find out just how competitive the cars really are in fairly standard conditions: namely, those similar to the ones we’ll have to cope with in several other rallies. This race combines all the difficulties we’ll meet in the championship. The rhythm changes often from quick sections to more twisty ones with lots of crests. Our aim is to do as well as in Mexico and that means victory.”
Sebastien Ogier: “Although we didn’t score points in Mexico there are a number of positive conclusions to be drawn from the first gravel rally of the season. Despite having to do a lot of [road] sweeping, I think we showed our competitiveness. Here in Portugal, I’m determined to make the most of our starting position on the opening day. It will help us to plan our rally more easily than in Mexico.”
M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team
The semi-works Ford squad is riding high in the world championship following Mads Ostberg’s impressive start to the season. But while Ostberg has enjoyed good fortune on the opening rounds in Sweden and Mexico, team-mates Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson have both been out of luck with Solberg crashing in Sweden and Wilson failing to reach the finish in Mexico following an electrical failure. The Briton hopes that a pre-event test in Portugal will put his season back on track.
Mads Ostberg: “It will be my fourth time in Portugal and it’s definitely one of my favourite rallies. The stages are mostly the same as last year and they are a lot of fun to drive. It’ll be different from Mexico as I was trying to learn as much as I could at that event, but this time I will be wanting to push a lot more as I already know the stages. I want to get closer to the factory drivers at this rally so I’ll be looking to set some fast times from the outset and I’ll be aiming for a top-five finish.”
Henning Solberg: “We’ve come from a really tough event so it’ll be good to go to Portugal where I will feel a lot more confident and I’m more familiar with the roads. Most of the stages this year are the same as last year, which will definitely help and take some of the pressure off when it comes to the recce. The rally is also a couple of months earlier than usual so the weather should be a lot cooler and the conditions on the roads will be less dusty.”
Matthew Wilson: “I always enjoy going to Portugal as I know the stages really well and there’s always a great buzz from start to finish. It’ll be different not having a superspecial in the Algarve Stadium this year, but Lisbon sounds like it’ll be a great alternative and I can imagine there will be some big crowds. There’s always a fantastic atmosphere in Portugal and the fans are always very supportive. If it’s dry next week the grip should be good, but if it does rain then that can make it really difficult on some of the stages because the grip level becomes inconsistent.”
Credit: World Rally Championship (www.wrc.com)
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