The 2011 World Rally Championship returns to Europe and the Mediterranean island of Sardinia this week.
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 challenging event.
Citroen Total World Rally Team
Having won the last three rounds of the WRC, Citroen arrives in Sardinia aiming to increase that sequence to four with its DS3 WRC challenger. Although Ford took the honours on the island in 2009, Sebastien Loeb has taken three wins in Sardinia in the past but will clean the road on day one of this year’s event. Team-mate Sebastien Ogier took part on Rally d’Italia Sardegna last season when it ran outside of the WRC schedule. However, his Peugeot 207 suffered engine failure on the first stage and he retired.
Sebastien Loeb: “When you’re well placed in the championship you’re badly placed at the start of the following rally. Being first certainly isn’t the most advantageous position. We won’t be masters of our destiny as the other crews will know our times and they can pace themselves accordingly. The event requires 100 per cent concentration as it’s a very tricky route. Your notes have to be very accurate and you have to drive very cleanly.”
Sebastien Ogier: “Some are better placed than us, others aren’t. Friday’s starting position [of third] is still an important parameter on gravel, but a rally lasts three days. At least five of us can win. Sometimes, victory can be won or lost because of a tiny detail or a tenth of a second. There’s still a long way to go in the world championship and it’s not the right moment to start calculating. Our aim is to win even if this forces us to open the road in the next rally. It’s a hotly contested season and every point is important.”
Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
With Citroen levelling Ford’s advantage in the manufacturers’ standings following the Jordan Rally last month, nothing short of victory will do for the Blue Oval on the gravel tracks of Sardinia, where it triumphed the last time the event appeared on the WRC schedule in 2009 with Jari-Matti Latvala. The make’s preparations included a test on the island last week on roads Latvala said had been damaged by winter rain.
Mikko Hirvonen: “The surface is sandier than most European gravel rallies, so it’s an advantage for me not to be first in the start order for the first time on gravel this season. I struggled with that in Jordan on the first day, while trying to find the right car set-up, but two fastest times on the second day was a confidence boost. The Fiesta feels fantastic on gravel and the speed it has shown on the loose indicates we should be fully competitive everywhere.”
Jari-Matti Latvala: “I completed about 230 kilometres during testing [last week] and I made a lot of changes to the set-up to see what effect they had on the car. There were no improvements, which was pleasing, because it confirmed to me that my original settings are right. I’m confident with the set-up and don’t feel the need to try more options. The test road suffered rain damage during the winter, and it will be interesting to see if the stages were affected in the same way.”
M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team
Mads Ostberg is the highest placed of the M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team quintet competing in Sardinia, holding sixth place in the standings, although mechanical problems have kept him outside the points on the last two rounds in Portugal and Jordan. The Norwegian has always performed well in Sardinia and starts the event on the back of contesting the gravel-based Rally Sorland, a round of his domestic championship. The M-Sport Stobart line-up is boosted by the additions of PG Andersson and Evgeny Novikov. Russian Novikov scored his best WRC finish to date in Sardinia, when he finished fifth overall back in 2009. Briton Matthew Wilson’s strong run of form of late has resulted in him being nominated for manufacturers’ championship points alongside Ostberg at the expense of Henning Solberg.
PG Andersson: “It’s not going to be easy next week - we’re straight into the Fiesta RS WRC at shakedown without any test. I hope to match the times of the other drivers but they’ve had a lot more experience on gravel than we’ve had so it’s going to be very tough. I just hope to have a clear run, be one of the best privateers and get as close to the top five as I can.”
Evgeny Novikov: “Next week will be my second time in Italy and it will also be my second event this season. Truthfully I have no expectations about this rally. It has been quite a long time since Rally Mexico now but Stephane [Prevot] and I will polish our pacenotes and I’m looking forward to gaining more experience on world events.”
Mads Ostberg: “I want to forget about the last couple of rallies and concentrate on driving again, hopefully without any problems this time. It’s really important for both the championship and for our sponsors that we finish with a good result. I’ve been to Italy three times before but the stages on the first day are mostly new so we’ll have to ensure we have a good recce and try to get the pace notes as accurate as possible.”
Henning Solberg: “We’ve had a few problems over the last couple of rallies but when I’m happy with the set-up, I have a perfect feeling in the car. I know this event well, I’ve got a good road position and this should help on the first day. The new Michelin tyres were great in Jordan, I don’t think there were any punctures all weekend and hopefully this will be the same in Sardinia.”
Matthew Wilson: “Sardinia can be a tough rally - the roads are mostly fast and narrow but there’s also some flat open areas too so it’s a mix of everything. I remember there being lots of stones lying close to the road last time so we really need to be careful to avoid these. For sure, it’s a difficult event but if we can keep the momentum going from the last couple of rallies then we should be able to finish with another top-five result.”
Credit: World Rally Championship (www.wrc.com)
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