The 2011 World Rally Championship heads to the Middle East this week for the Jordan Rally. 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 the testing gravel event.
Petter Solberg World Rally Team
Driver and team boss Solberg, yet to land a podium finish in 2011, will take heart from his appearance on the Jordan Rally last season when he secured third place in his self-run Citroen C4. Now armed with a Citroen DS3 WRC with increased support from the French manufacturer, the Norwegian will be anxious to end a frustrating run of bad luck by landing a long overdue victory. While Solberg has experience of two Jordan rallies, his British co-driver Chris Patterson has extensive knowledge of Middle East events and was a winner in Jordan when the country hosted its first candidate rally in 2006. For the record Solberg has set 14 fastest stage times in 2011 - only Sebastien Loeb has won more with 15 stage bests.
Petter Solberg: “Things have not gone our way in the past three events. But hopefully they will on this event, and we can get that podium we are waiting for. We have been fastest on 14 stages during three rallies, so the speed is definitely there. Hopefully it will take us all the way to the podium in Jordan.”
Ice 1 Racing
Kimi Raikkonen will tackle the Jordan Rally for the second time on the back of scoring points on his two starts in the WRC so far this season in his Citroen DS3 WRC. Jordan was the scene of the ex-grand prix driver’s first world championship points back in 2010 and there are high hopes that the Finn will be able to build on his encouraging start to this year’s campaign with a top 10 finish on Saturday.
Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team
The Jordan Rally falls in a busy period for Federico Villagra, who was sixth on the event in 2008. One week after finishing eighth overall on Vodafone Rally de Portugal, the Argentine was contesting the opening round of the Argentine championship in a Super 2000-based Ford Fiesta only for fuel and gearbox problems to hinder his progress. Following the trip to the Middle East Villagra will head back to his homeland to contest round two of his domestic series in the Cordoba region of the country.
Federico Villagra: “Jordan is one of the hardest events on the WRC calendar - the stages are very challenging and it can get very hot in the car which can definitely affect your concentration. I’ve found a good set-up in the Fiesta RS WRC now, we tried out a lot of new things in Portugal, and if we can get a good feeling after the first stage then I think that will be a very good sign. That was the main problem I had in Portugal, I struggled with feeling and set-up on the first day, but if I can get this sorted from the beginning then I think Jordan will be a strong event for us.”
Team Abu Dhabi
Jordan is as close as Khalid Al Qassimi gets to a home round of the world championship and the Abu Dhabi driver will be looking to make the most of his experience of the punishing rocky terrain, which dates back almost a decade. The event, which Al Qassimi won in 2007 prior to its elevation to the world championship the following season, will be the Ford Fiesta pilot’s 40th WRC start.
Khalid Al Qassimi: “It’s always a fantastic feeling to represent Abu Dhabi in the WRC and Jordan is the perfect place to reach this personal milestone [of 40 starts]. I have deep knowledge of these stages, always get a good reception from the local fans and have shown speed and form here in the past. In 2008, I was sitting comfortably in seventh when I suffered two punctures in the final stage that took me out of contention. I’ve been awaiting the next WRC opportunity to tackle this familiar terrain ever since.”
FERM Power Tools World Rally Team
With Jordan newcomer Dennis Kuipers’ regular co-driver Frederic Miclotte contesting a clashing rally in the Canary Islands, Belgian Bjorn Degandt has been drafted in to deputise for his countryman in the FERM-backed Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Degandt co-drove Hans Weijs Jr in the Junior World Rally Championship and possesses considerable experience. As practice Kuipers and Degandt took part on a Dutch championship event, which they won after going fastest on every stage. To counter the high ambient temperatures, Kuipers’ car will run with an extra roof inlet to allow more fresh air into the cockpit, while also featuring reflective window foil and bigger engine cooling fans.
Dennis Kuipers: “We needed some experience together in order to get a mutual understanding [of] the Fiesta RS WRC. I expect that a lot will happen in Jordan. After studying onboard footage of last year it seems particularly difficult to see the correct tracks in the vast landscape.”
Brazil World Rally Team
The Brazil World Rally Team makes its second appearance in the WRC with Daniel Oliveira at the wheel of the squad’s sole MINI John Cooper Works Super 2000. With the car still in its infancy, accumulating competitive kilometres will be vital for the young Brazilian and Portuguese co-driver Carlos Magalhaes.
Daniel Oliveira: “The Jordan Rally will be another great challenge for us. We’ll have to cope with some extreme conditions which will be good to continue the development of the MINI John Cooper Works S2000. The strategy is to adopt a cautious approach to the event and see how we’re feeling over the stages. Once again, the main objective is to finish the race, keep on learning and improve our pace.”
Van Merksteijn Motorsport
Peter van Merksteijn will make his Jordan Rally debut on his second appearance in his Citroen DS3 WRC, which he used for the first time in Portugal last month. Although a mechanical fault prevented him completing day two of the event he was able to restart on the final day and reach the finish.
Peter van Merksteijn Jr: “It is the first time that I will start in the Jordan Rally and because of all the rocks along the stages, a good reconnaissance is very important.”
Credit: World Rally Championship (www.wrc.com)
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